Holy shit readers, Neolyph here with another chapter of A Broken Wizard and a Broken Magus. This story... holy shit. I got bored and checked how this story ranked on favorites for this section. It's ranked like 6th, and has surpassed both sections of the Herwald von Einzbern series. What the fuck? Is it seriously that good? Maybe its low self-esteem, but still... what the fuck? I guess I should really thank you guys. I really underestimated how much you guys like this story I guess. I really loved the HvE series, as it was one of the first good crossover fics I read. To surpass it is a major milestone for me, so once again thank you guys. Also, 1000 reviews and 1500 favorites. You guys kick ass.
Alright, gushing over. Review time.
Lu Bane Na: I wanted to highlight just how fucked up Harry and his associates are. Dementors are essentially more powerful the worse memories you have, so they are technically the natural enemy of Harry and Co as every single one has a pretty messed up past and mindset. Also, I have an idea for a greater threat lurking in the Wizarding world.
Generatedname: Harry technically doesn't know the Patronus charm. He learned most of his wizard magic from Voldemort's memories, and according to canon the Patronus was one of the only spells Voldemort couldn't do. So he's resorted to Plan B in this chapter. For Harry's motivation, he's essentially making a list, checking it twice, and plotting to ruin their lives. He wants to slowly ruin everyone responsible for how messed up his life was.
CelticBrony: Caster is incredibly competent. She squeezed information out of that stone, but it's essentially a foreign magical system to her. As for the Dementor Aura, I argue that it is a nonmagical effect, as the only way to counter it is to essentially channel happiness, not directly counter it. It's like killing intent, but naturally produced by Dementors. Thus the only way to counter it is to channel enough happiness to ignore it. Harry and Caster fell to the Dementors due to hubris, assuming that the Dementor aura was magical in nature, despite there being no wizard research into it.
Akuma-Heika: I did as much wiki-research as I could without dying of overload, but from what I gathered you could pretty much call Mordred whatever gender you like. But since Saber refers to herself as King of England despite her gender, I feel she would call Mordred her son.
Xyphrose: Harry will be visiting multiple universes.
Thodekke: Sorry, but it's how I write. When I start a chapter, I always write the A.N first since its and easy way to get into a writing mood. It build momentum. If you don't like it, I can only suggest that you just scroll past it. I bold it to make it easy to tell where the notes end and the story begins.
Swordalfgun: The Tree project is something Harry has on the backburner, as he's essentially trying to invent a new true magic. As for Panzer, I wrote it into the story on a whim, so I'm still trying to decide what to do with it. The stone plays into it too.
Shikaku Zetsumei (Chapter 16): Ivy isn't really going to show up until year 2. Think of her like Ginny, and important character but not really introduced until CoS.
Shikaku Zetsumei (Chapter 21): Dudley may get a break at the end, but for now he's Harry's personal whipping boy.
Chapter 22: Into the Woods
Edmund Walters, keeper of the ward stones that controlled the Azkaban Dementors, found himself staring into the cold green orbs that marked the eyes of his kidnapper. After spending his time near soul-sucking demons that might turn on him at the first opportunity, he wasn't scared of much anymore. But for once, he would freely admit that he was scared out of his mind, not by the cold eyes boring into his own, but by the supernatural beings in the room with him.
It was like they were constantly hovering just out of his vision, unseen, yet emitting a palpable bloodlust. They were restrained, for now, but he just knew that with a snap of his fingers the boy in front of him could unleash them on him. And while he couldn't see them, he wasn't in any hurry to discover just what could produce enough bloodlust to rattle him.
His kidnapper certainly knew how to intimidate.
"So I'm to ask you once more, politely, Mr. Walters. Where are the ward stones, and how do I access them?"
"And why should I tell you?" Walters spat back at him weakly. He wasn't cut out for this. He'd been given extensive Occlumency training at the start of his career to keep the location of the stones from falling into the wrong hands, but counter-interrogation of the physical sort just wasn't covered in that, given that those who knew Legilimency also knew that it was much faster and safer. He was a bureaucrat, just sitting in a cushy position to make a salary. He wasn't some Hit-wizard running around fighting dangerous wizards. This was supposed to be a safe position!
His kidnapper leaned back in his chair.
"Tell me, Mr. Walters, are you familiar with the muggle term, 'the Carrot and Stick approach'? It's based on the premise that when trying to persuade someone, you should give them both something good to gain if they cooperate, and something unpleasant should they fail to."
Edmund gave a hesitant nod, seeing the direction this conversation was going.
"Now, I've always subscribed to this approach. So I'm going to lay down two options for you. Option A: you tell me what I want to know. If the information checks out, I will provide you with monetary compensation for your time and continued silence and you can go home a happy man. Option B: you remain stubborn and I'm forced to get unpleasant. Either I violate your mind until I get the information I seek and risk compromising it, or I can just leave you alone with my good friends here, and they can ask you the same questions in a slightly different manner."
At this point, three pairs of arms wrapped themselves in what could almost be described in a sensual manner if not for the circumstances, around Edmund. The proximity of these arms felt more threatening to him than any sort of spell or torture implement could ever hope to accomplish. Perhaps it was the bloodlust, which told him that the second their Master let them off the leash, the owners of these arms were going to take him apart piece by piece, and they would enjoy it.
He couldn't bear to turn around, rendered to the mindset of a child, a mindset telling him that maybe if he just didn't look at them they'd go away.
The warm breath tickling his ear, and the sickly-sweet scent of blood in the air told him that he was failing. So he might as well save himself the trouble, it wasn't as if it was the first time people wanted to know things, although usually it was the state of a prisoner they inquired about. And even if he talked, he doubted his kidnapper would leave any hint that he was involved, so it was better this way.
"Heh heh," he chuckled nervously, "so about the ward stones..."
The boy glanced at a space behind Edmund as an unspoken command, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as the arms retracted and the terrifying feeling retreated a step.
But only a step. He could tell that they were just waiting for an excuse to come at him again. In a small, dark corner of his mind, he had to admit that whoever and whatever they were, they certainly knew their stuff.
"Go on..." his kidnapper prodded.
"The actual ward stones are built into the foundations of Azkaban Prison," he finally admitted. "They're powered by the leylines there, but they're managed by a control staff."
"And where would this staff be?" the boy asked in the tone of one who was not really asking.
"Do I have your word that I can leave after I tell you?"
"Of course. The disappearance of one as prominent as you would lead to unfortunate questions. Questions I don't want to answer."
Edmund considered lying, out of some misplaced loyalty to the Ministry and the forces of good, but as if sensing this feeling one of the hands outside of his vision reapplied itself to his shoulder, making its way up to caressing his cheek. It served as a very persuasive argument for the truth.
With a final gulp, Edmund threw his cards on the table, "The rod is at my estate, contained within a lock-box behind my tapestry of Frederick the Fancy. The wards on the safe are keyed to my wand. You'll need it to open them."
His kidnapper smiled, looked past Edmund at the unseen figures, and nodded once.
Edmund loosed a sigh of relief when he felt the restraints loosen, which quickly turned into a scream of pain when he felt two fangs dig into the side of his neck.
"Don't worry," a soft, seductive voice whispered in his mind, "it only hurts for a moment. After that, I understand that it actually feels rather nice."
His last image in this life was of a purple cascade of hair drifting before his vision.
He couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful it looked in that moment.
-Break-
Harry walked out of the cellar, with Caster, Assassin, and Rider following in his footsteps. Just like their bloodlust had been palpable earlier, their arousal, Rider's in particular, now filled the air like a dense fog. So much so that he was beginning to fear for his chastity. Only his faith in their professionalism kept him going and not immediately fleeing for the protection granted by Saber.
Perhaps using the three as torture implements in a basement interrogation was not the wisest of ideas. They all did have some pretty significant sadistic streaks in them, after all. He made a note to keep Saber handy for the next day or so.
He rose out of the basement into the wide living room of the Walters' Estate. A smirk rose to his face. The fool hadn't even realized they'd been interrogating him in his own basement. His three darkest Servants certainly knew how to create the appropriate atmosphere.
As they walked in, Sakura looked up from where she had been reading one of her Hogwarts textbooks on the couch. As usual, the moment her eyes met his, she blushed and smiled, a stark contrast to the emotionless mask she showed everyone else, or at least, who weren't members of their odd little family.
"How did it go, Harry?"
"Very well, Sakura. Very well. Shame I couldn't just use Legilimency on him, but with that level of Occlumency he could purposely make himself forget the information before I got to it. Oh well. Got it in the end."
He strolled up to the large tapestry adorning the wall. He indicated towards the tapestry with his head, glancing back towards the couch.
"Saber," he asked his Servant sitting next to Sakura, "would you mind?"
"With pleasure," she grimaced as she cut down the hideous tapestry.
Behind it was a massive and archaic safe. Harry reached into his robes, withdrew the wand he'd taken from the late Mr. Walters, and tapped it against the lock.
A blue light flew from the wand and the rotary dial spun rapidly.
With a final, ominous click, the door of the safe shuddered and creaked open.
Inside was... well it was more a rod than a staff. Harry picked it up and looked it over.
It was about the length of a tennis racquet, was a smooth matte black and was inlaid with a silver metal. Miniscule bands of runes were etched in at equal intervals along the length of the rod. Other than that, it was just a smooth and weighty stick.
He could feel the runes in the rod attempting to draw prana from him, and curious he allowed his magic to power up the runes.
"Maaaasstter..." came a rasping voice in his head. It echoed, as if representing the combined voices of a thousand beings. It took Harry a few minutes of analyzing the bond to realize that, in fact, it did.
"Caster," he called out to his Servant, "can you take a look at these runes?"
"Hmm, interesting," she muttered after a moment, "from my best interpretations, this rod was designed for full control of the Dementors, but also designed for more powerful wizards. From my studies into History of Magic, the wizards had their own version of the Age of the Gods, the Age of the Founders, if you will. All of their great, ancient magic was performed during this period. It seems that each runic band of the rod requires an increasing amount of power, but in exchange grants a greater degree of control over the Dementors. Most modern wizards could only manage the first, which only allows the wielder to give vague compulsions to the creatures. With your level of magic, Master, it acts more like a command seal or familiar bond."
"Well that makes things convenient," Harry muttered. "Assassin, deal with Mr. Walters' body. Make it look like Death Eaters and vampires working in conjunction to steal the rod."
"Yes Master," Assassin replied, "and after that?"
"Torch the place."
-Break-
The Great Hall was respectfully silent as Dumbledore made an unexpected announcement during dinner.
"Now students, we have an unexpected addition to our student body here today. Due to a technical malfunction with the Hogwarts Quill, no letter was sent to this Muggleborn student. We have confirmed, however, that he is a fully fledged young wizard and thus will be joining us at this illustrious school. Please give a warm welcome to Dudley Dursley!"
At Dumbledore's cue, the doors opened and a very fidgety and nervous Dudley was ushered in by his aunt Lily. The boy was in expensive robes, courtesy of his aunt and uncle, but he was so unaccustomed to wearing them that he kept tripping over the hem.
His eyes darted back and forth, taking in the freakishness surrounding him. He was bouncing rapidly between horror and amazement.
On the one hand, this freakishness had driven his dad insane and caused his mother's death. On the other hand, nice Aunt Lily had explained to him that not all magic was bad and that Petunia and Vernon were simply very sick people.
It had helped his confidence slightly to know that he wielded powers that could make him soar above regular people. He was on the way to becoming his old self again. Already, he was getting along with his cousin Orion. The two boys had almost instantly hit it off, becoming fast friends.
He wished he could say the same for his other cousin...
He wasn't quite sure what it was, but something about Harry... scared him. It was as if there was something important he'd forgotten, something dangerous, but every time he tried to remember it his brain hurt. His cousin had nothing but polite when they'd gone back to the Potter Estate, but something about it creeped him out. Then there were those two girls and the maids.
He'd initially thought both of them were really cute, until they'd smiled. Somehow those smiles held more malice for him than even his cousin's. Similarly, the maids were very polite right until they'd served him tea. He could have sworn that for just a moment his tea leaves spelled out "Die".
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think, he was the center of attention, so he had to make sure he didn't make any mistakes and presented himself proudly. Of course, he had to be Sorted now.
Orion had explained the basics to him: Cool, good people went to Gryffindor, idiots and duffers went to Hufflepuff, nerds went to Ravenclaw, and slimy gits went to Slytherin.
With that breakdown in mind, he concentrated hard on how much he wanted to go to Gryffindor. Orion was in that house, and it seemed to be the most popular one. He really didn't want to go into Slytherin.
That was Harry's house.
With the air of one walking to his execution, he marched slowly up to where the Headmaster was waiting with this tatty old hat. He sat down on the stool, and with a rustle of fabric the hat covered his vision.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" a voice spoke in his head.
Internally, Dudley was freaking out, but he did his best to keep himself calm as he replied, "Uhh, Dudley. Err, Dudley Dursley."
"Yes, yes. I see..."
The hat was silent after that to the point where Dudley started to get uncomfortable.
"Uhh, Mr. Hat?" he asked cautiously.
"You are not a good person, are you, Dudley?" it finally spoke. Dudley recoiled as if struck.
"What kind of question is that?" he yelled at it. His parents had always assured him that he was the best boy in the world!
"One that struck a nerve, I gather. I'm going to tell you a little story, Dudley. Do you know that there are light wizards and dark wizards?"
"Uhh... yes?" He recalled his Aunt telling him something about this.
"Good. Well, the light wizards usually win at the end, but the dark wizards are always more powerful. Do you know why that is?"
Dudley didn't really see where this was going.
"No, why?"
A dark chuckle resounded in his head.
"Because the dark wizards know how to make important friends, friends in the right places that help them get what they want."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Meanwhile, Harry vaguely raised his goblet in the direction of the Sorting Hat.
It was good to have allies.
-Break-
Inside his Slytherin dorm, Harry sat in his armchair with Sakura reclining across his lap. He was idly teaching Panzer the information she would need to know if she was to protect him and the girls properly.
After successfully repelling the Dementors and rowing the boat to safety, he figured that she was mature enough to begin training. Being a construct, she didn't technically have a gender, but when he'd explained the concept to her, she'd been strangely adamant at being referred to as a had an inkling that if he asked why, he wouldn't like the answer, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. He was quite sure that opening it would have allowed Zelretch to get some prime teasing material on him, and he would like to avoid that. At least Panzer was determined to protect him to the best of her ability.
At least with this new level of maturity he'd been able to keep her from killing Dudley the second she got within proximity.
He had so many plans for his cousin.
That was why he'd arranged for the Sorting Hat to place Dudley in Slytherin. There were simply far too many amusing things he could do there. A Muggleborn had been thrown in with the snakes. Why, it was practically expected for him to suffer. Not to mention that he had noticed that Orion had been becoming fast friends with the oaf, it would be very amusing to see his brother's reaction to Dudley's Sorting.
Speaking of which, he was expecting someone in several moments. The rumors in Slytherin had been growing increasingly loud over the last several days. It seemed that the Prefect Council had finalized their plans, and were planning to swear the house to him tonight.
Daphne swearing herself to him and her house's immediate ascension not only into the Wizengamot, but into the good graces of Lords Slytherin and Ravenclaw had been the tipping point. He'd finally proved that he could properly provide for those in his service.
A knocking at his door drew him from his thoughts.
He glanced in the direction of Joy, who was standing near the door and nodded to her. The Servants astralized and the other two triplets stood against the wall with their heads bowed, looking every part the meek maids they were dressed as.
Joy opened the door to reveal two cloaked figures, one boy and one girl. After a brief moment, they stepped into the dorm and bowed low to Harry.
They lowered the hoods to show their faces. The first was Gemma Farley and the second was Marcus Flint. Both were senior members of the Slytherin council.
"Apologies for the late hour, but the Council has requested your presence."
Harry smiled.
"Lead the way."
-Break-
In the dark recesses of the Slytherin dungeons, was a room. The artificial windows cast an eerie green light throughout the room, illuminating a round oak table right in its center. Despite the cold, damp, and darkness, the stone fireplace remained unlit.
Seated around the table were ten teenagers. With the two currently out fetching their topic of interest, they composed the Slytherin council. The Council represented the greatest that Slytherin had to offer.
They were not all the most powerful wizards in Slytherin, but that was not all that mattered. More powerful wizards could be bumped off the Council by smarter, more ambitious, or cleverer ones. Only those that embodied the very best of their House, the ambitious and cunning, could sit on the Council. Those who didn't belong were usually quickly replaced by others thanks to the natural selection that occurred in their House. There was a famous saying among Slytherins: "A Council member who is tired of checking his dinner for potions is one who is tired of being a Council member."
Those currently seated at the table were silent as they all stared in the direction of the door, waiting.
There was a certain tightness of everyone's frames. They all understood exactly how crucial it was that their guest accept them. The tension only grew, until finally with a great creak the door swung open. Marcus and Gemma entered and took their places around the table, revealing their new guests.
Harry Potter, Sakura Emiya, Illyasviel von Emiya, and Daphne Greengrass. The more observant of the Council members also noted the three maids that always hovered in their shadows.
At a silent cue, the twelve members of the Council stood, and looked towards Harry, right into his eyes.
He needn't say a word. His dark green eyes alone dictated his requirements.
One fell to her knees and bowed in obedience.
Another followed and swore loyalty to this greater being.
Another.
Another.
Another.
Another.
They all fell to their knees, none wanting to be the last to swear fealty. They all knew that they were looking at something beyond simple power.
They were looking at majesty. This was not some simple charisma, like that possessed by Voldemort. For all his charisma, in the end the Dark Lord had proven himself to be little more than a delusional maniac with wishes of grandeur, one who simply hid it better than most.
This was greatness.
How could they, simple mortal men and women, ever hope to compare?
-Break-
While Harry finally and fully took control of Slytherin, Dudley was just getting settled into his new house. An older boy had guided him from the Great Hall to the Slytherin dungeons.
The boy had been rather polite, if a bit cold. He'd tried to ask where they were going, but the boy only gave very short replies.
After they'd gotten deep into the basement, he'd been told the password to the door, shown to a dormitory, and left alone.
Maybe these Slytherins just needed some time to get warmed up to him?
He'd have to ask Orion in the morning.
-Break-
Now that Harry had the control rod for the Dementors, he had to move quickly. Once the death of Mr. Walters was discovered, the Ministry would be expecting an imminent raid on Azkaban by the Death Eaters and would increase the defenses accordingly.
For this reason, it was important to act tonight. It was already past midnight when Harry and the girls sat themselves down on a motorized dinghy. Since they'd made it all the way to Azkaban on the last voyage and Panzer had memorized the route, it was unnecessary to kidnap the guides to the prison nor steal their boat.
In the interest of covering their tracks, however, he'd sent Assassin to do both. She was currently rowing alongside them at a truly rapid pace, though one that was still effortless for a Servant of her caliber. Since the Death Eaters wouldn't know where Azkaban was, it was logical for them to take the same route as he and the girls had originally.
A dark silhouette in the fog loomed over them, outlining the massive castle that was Azkaban Prison. The ominous feeling of the Dementors slammed into him like a physical blow right until he gripped the rod and the feeling flew back as the foul beings recognized their new Master. A few even shrieked in what seemed to be their way of expressing joy, given that nobody had had enough power to truly control them for a long time now.
After that, they approached the rocky shores without impediment.
With a soft thud, both boats tapped against the beach. Assassin stepped gracefully out of the wooden boat she'd commandeered, dragging two unconscious guards behind her.
"Now remember," Harry told the girls, "it's important that this is attributed to Death Eaters, so wizard spells only."
Daphne nodded, stepping up to the two guards, as if deciding what to do. After a brief moment of reflection, she hit the first with a bowel-expulsion hex and the second with a simple killing curse.
Harry looked at her for a moment, raising an eyebrow at her use of the bowel-expulsion hex.
Daphne indicated towards the wrist of the first guard.
"Muggleborn. Can tell by the muggle wristwatch. Death Eaters are trained to pick up on that sort of thing."
Harry nodded sagely. This was why he'd taken the girl on. Sometimes there was no match for experience.
"Good job then."
Kicking the body aside and delicately stepping over the entrails, the group navigated the winding and crumbling pathway up to the main castle. Before they could get there, however, they reached a large wooden guard barracks. It would actually look a rather comfortable building, were it not for the location. Harry supposed that if he were stationed on this island, he'd want all the creature comforts he could get.
Regardless, he had a job to do. And to ensure that this attack was attributed to Death Eaters, he had to be more ruthless than usual.
Slowly and stealthily, he circled the building, marking exits. All of the windows he silently cast the unbreakable charm on. The doors, he sealed with the Colloportus spell. Once he'd double checked his work, he returned to the front of the building and nodded to Daphne.
She raised her wand and incanted without remorse, "Fiendfyre."
Fire, in the form of an enormous snake, engulfed the building. Saber looked on in disapproval, but if there was one positive outcome from her attack by the Dementors, it was that it had made her think back on her rule and the things she'd learned from it.
And the one rule in particular that stuck out the most was that the end justified the means. She could not dissuade her Master from this course of action, so she could only do her best to both protect him and minimize damage. Even if it meant doing unpleasant and monstrous things. She was his sworn sword and he was her love. His happiness was her greatest value to pursue.
Meanwhile, Harry was watching Saber from the corner of his eye. Internally, he was glad. Saber had always been the most... moral of his Servants. He was worried that it might cause some problems. If he was reading her correctly, however, she was ever so slowly coming around to his way of thinking.
Knowing that the time was right, he approached her and laid a hand on her delicate shoulder. Leaning in, he planted a light kiss on her lips and whispered in her ear.
"I know that it pains you to do this. I'm sorry that I'm being so selfish as to force you to sit through this. It warms my heart though that you're willing to do so for me. My Arthuria."
Slowly, she leaned into his embrace, turning away from the fire and towards him instead.
That was right, so long as Harry was there, it was okay. She remembered what it had been like after his death, and she never wanted to experience that again. She'd do whatever it took to ensure his safety. Despite her hesitance, she spun around to face him from the front, and returned his earlier kiss hungrily.
His arms wrapped around her as she used him to support herself.
The scene would have been terribly romantic in the moonlight, illuminated by the nearby fire, we it not for the knowledge that the building was full of burning prison guards.
-Break-
The maximum security ward of Azkaban shuddered as an immense explosion rocked the halls. The occupants scarcely noticed though. Years upon years of Dementor exposure had rendered all but the most hardened of prisoners completely insane.
Through the smoke strolled Harry Potter, robes blowing behind him in the rush of hot air and circuits still glowing from the overpowered Bombarda spell he'd used to destroy the main wall.
Each cell he passed, he ripped the doors off with Panzer. He stepped inside and checked each prisoner. Those without Dark Marks, he slew quickly. Honestly, with the Dementors about, it was a mercy. Those bearing the mark of Riddle, he stunned and collected. It was crucial to his secrecy that this attack was not attributed to him, so he was going to disguise it as a Death Eater prison break.
At the end of the hall, he found the prisoner he was looking for. The man was emaciated and had a beard longer than Dumbledore, but it was indisputably the man in the mugshot from the file he'd been given.
"Nicolas Flamel, I presume?" Harry joked darkly.
The man chained to the wall looked up for the briefest of moments, but his eyes were vacant. Harry wasn't entirely sure Flamel was even looking at him. Curious, he attempted a Legilimency probe and immediately regretted it. The mind of a madman was not one to go strolling around in.
He didn't have a proper workshop to study in, but the mind and body of a powerful and intelligent magus was not something to be wasted. He still needed to figure out what that stone was, after all.
His mind made up, he stunned the old man and added him to the growing pile of Death Eaters. With a brief mental signal Harry summoned Berserker. The giant materialized out of thin air and glared a hole through pretty much everything in sight.
A flash of his magic had a very large and reinforced tarp laying on the floor of the cell, which the unconscious bodies were quickly piled up on and wrapped in. After that, Berserker casually picked up the tarp like a very bulky hobo sack.
His job done, Harry strolled back out from the massive hole he'd created in the prison wall with Berserker thumping along in his wake.
He was greeted outside by the girls, who were already prepared for the teleport back. He'd been in there for quite a while. By the position of the moon, it was only about four hours until dawn.
"Are we ready to leave, Big Brother?" Illya asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.
Chuckling, he walked over and picked her up. Despite their relatively same age, she was still so much smaller than himself and Sakura. Like a small white cat, she immediately curled up against his chest and was quickly asleep.
With one hand supporting his sister, his other hand raised his wand to the sky.
"Just one more thing," he promised softly. It was time to use one particularly useful bit of magic he'd learned from Riddle.
"Morsmordre!" he hissed at the sky, and from his wand a noxious looking green smoke shot into the sky and mixed with the clouds. Over the course of several seconds, they shaped themselves into a grinning skull with an animated snake curling out from its mouth.
And with that, the Death Eater threat returned to the Wizarding World.
-Break-
A swirl of colors briefly lit up a dark warehouse in Muggle London. It wasn't the most illustrious of workshops, but it was a place no wizard would ever go looking for something. The owner had been hypnotized to forget that he even owned the warehouse. In fact, he forgot about his business altogether and instead went to pursue his ambition of being an artist.
With a loud smack, Berserker dropped his sack of Death Eaters on the hard concrete floor and it quickly unraveled. Under the large fluorescent lights of the warhouse, Harry could more clearly see the faces of those he'd taken. Their time in Azkaban had definitely taken its toll, but he could see the entirety of Riddle's inner circle lying on the floor from Bellatrix Lestrange to Antonin Dolohov.
He manipulated Panzer into a knife, intent on finishing them off when a voice interrupted him.
"Master..." Assassin began hesitantly.
Curious, he paused and turned towards her, both making her more nervous and bolstering her confidence. It was rare for her to intervene like this, so it meant that she had something important to say, therefore he would listen.
"Yes?"
"I-I have some experience changing the... allegiance of prisoners. If you would grant me some time with them, I am sure that I could persuade them to follow you with more zeal than even that heathen Riddle."
After a brief moment, she looked down awkwardly, "It's just-it's just that it would be a shame to waste already broken prisoners."
Harry tilted his head for a moment, considering it.
"So long as you can guarantee their loyalty, you have my leave." As an afterthought he added, "If you can accomplish it within the week, I will be very pleased."
The crusader-like fervor that suddenly appeared in Assassin's eyes make Harry think that both he and the prisoners would regret that statement. Well, especially the prisoners, that is.
"Now," he overheard her muttering to herself, "where to find some water, cloths, rope, a bucket, a torch, and a large rat..."
He pretended he just couldn't hear her.
Looking over, he spotted his latest acquisition. Flamel was still unconscious on the corner of the tarp, but that might not last for long. He looked over and spotted a low hanging support beam. A quick projection had him holding a set of mithril shackles, with which he bound Flamel's arms and legs. The other end of the chains he hung over the support beam, suspending Flamel in midair.
With Caster's help, they arranged a truly impressive array of magical circles around Flamel, all with the express purpose of binding him. With his delirious state, they didn't think he'd be able to escape, but it was always best to be safe. A clever magus could fake something like insanity, after all.
Once the magus was firmly bound, Harry took a step back to look over the bindings, and was rather pleased. The Blue herself couldn't escape these chains.
With Assassin remaining behind to guard the prisoners, the rest teleported back to Hogwarts. His affairs finally sorted for the night, he motioned for Berserker to set the sleeping Illya down on the bed.
Only Illya would employ Berserker's constant aura of madness as a sleep aid.
After a day of prolonged exhaustion, he welcomed sleep that night.
-Break-
On a distant, rocky English shore, a half-drowned rat sluggishly swam to shore and passed out from exhaustion.
-Break-
The next morning at Hogwarts was pure chaos when Dudley arrived for breakfast. A dozen students were standing right in front of the Headmaster's big chair and yelling questions at him. It looked like they were all holding... newspapers?
He looked next to him and saw a boy his age in yellow robes, clutching one of the newspapers.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Didn't ya hear?"
"Uhh..." Dudley shook his head dumbly, "no. I guess."
"Apparently, there was a massive breakout at Azkaban last night. Whole load of Death Eaters got busted out, from Lestrange to Pettigrew. Even left a big Dark Mark floating in the air. Bold as brass, ain't they?"
"Uhh..." Dudley couldn't help but utter again. Who were these people? Azkaban? Was it some sort of prison?
"Oh, right, Muggleborn," the boy muttered at seeing Dudley's confused expression, "Azkaban is the big, inescapable wizard prison. Guarded by soul-sucking monsters and such. Death Eaters were a bunch of killers who got locked up years ago. Apparently, they didn't get all of them, because some showed up last night, burned the guards alive, and blew up the walls."
"So why's everyone all freaked out?"
The boy looked shocked for a moment, before shaking his head. "Cause the Death Eaters were big followers of..." the boy looked left and right to ensure that he wasn't being eavesdropped on, "You-Know-Who. Them busting out, some are taking it as a sign that he's coming back. Dumbledore's been talking about it for years."
Dudley was about to ask more, but Dumbledore raised his wand and shot a cannon blast into the air, silencing the Great Hall.
"Children, please take your seats. I will address your concerns in a moment. For the moment, however, I have a few early morning announcements to make."
A general scraping of chairs and low muttering of conversation filled the air for a moment.
With an air of hesitancy, Dudley made his way over to the Slytherin table. He stood there, unsure of where to sit until with a great sigh one of the older students hissed, "Sit down, you idiot," and yanked him roughly onto one of the bench's open spots.
"When you don't know where to sit," the boy continued, "just go with it. Don't just stand there gopping and making the house look bad. That's an easy way to get hexed."
"Students," the Headmaster began, "Today I am honored to announce a new member to our faculty. To fill the position vacated by our dear Professor Binns, I have invited Ms. Medea Caster to fill his position. A graduate of Beauxbaton Magical Academy, I am sure that she will be an excellent addition to our illustrious school. So, please give a warm welcome to our new History of Magic Professor!"
The students turned to get a look at their new professor when they heard the doors of the Great Hall creak open. Many of the male students' jaws dropped open at her. Graceful features, a well-endowed body, and pointed ears; she looked like some sort of mythical princess. Caster appreciated the irony.
Right as she passed them, she turned around and gave a calculated nervous smile. It had every teenage boy in the room nearly leaping to their feet to declare their undying love for her.
"Blimey," one whispered, "you think she's got Veela blood or something?"
"Maybe," another replied, "me dad works in the Department of Magical Creatures. Think he said something once about Veelas getting special characteristics or something."
"You mean the ears?"
"Yeah. Think it's just something they get sometimes."
"Whatever she is, I'm suddenly really looking forward to History of Magic."
"Hear hear."
Finally, Ms. Caster made it to the teacher's table and sat herself down at an empty seat. Turning, she began introducing herself to the various professors around her.
"Now, I'm afraid, it's time to discuss some bad news," Dumbledore began. "As some of you read in the paper this morning, last night there was a mass breakout from Azkaban. The attack is currently being attributed to Death Eater remnants, and they unfortunately succeeded in their endeavor. Every confirmed Death Eater within the prison was freed. I will assure you, however, that Hogwarts is the safest place in Wizarding England. There is no reason to be afraid here."
This mollified many of the students. Reputation crisis he may be having, but one point that nobody would argue was that Dumbledore had been the one man Voldemort feared. So long as he was Headmaster of the school, it was safe from attack.
That was just another fortunate side effect of Harry framing Death Eaters for his attack on Azkaban. It was important that Dumbledore hold on to his Headmaster position. By making Voldemort seem like a credible threat again, no sane parent nor board member would remove him from the school. Harry wanted Dumbledore destroyed, but this enabled him to throw as much dirt at the old man as he wanted without also inadvertently freeing the man from his responsibilities.
Powerful and arguably wise wizard Dumbledore may be, but trying to balance two government posts and a civilian position was just irresponsible. By keeping the man juggling three positions, Harry could influence all three. If he needed to get something past the Wizengamot, he'd do something that forced Dumbledore to the ICW or Hogwarts. If he needed to do something inside Hogwarts, he'd have Malfoy or one of the newly-made Lord's lackey houses try to push something very dicey past the Wizengamot.
To keep this in balance though, Dumbledore needed to keep his three positions until the time was right.
In order to ensure that Voldemort's shadow still loomed over Wizarding England, he had the Prophet running front-page articles on the Death Eater Threat while subtly highlighting Dumbledore's power to counter it. A direct statement was never made, but the average reader would subconsciously draw the conclusion that Dumbledore remaining in power was necessary to keeping the darkness at bay.
For now.
His biggest concern now was the reaction from the Ministry. Fudge was very much a peace-time Minister. His reelection hedged on there being no credible threat that he would have to deal with, so he would likely do everything in his power to bury the idea of Voldemort's return.
It would be a difficult thing to manage. His best bet would be to have Malfoy pacify the fool. Frequent "donations" ensured that his ally always had the Minister's ear when he wanted it, so a few discrete words into it should keep the Minister from overreacting.
To be safe, however, he was already making plans for either an assassination or vote of no confidence for Fudge. The first would be quick and easy, but suspicious. The second would take quite a while, but if he did it right nobody would even raise an eyebrow. Really, either one would work.
-Break-
By the end of the day, Ms. Caster was the most popular figure at Hogwarts. Every male was fantasizing about how to marry her; every female was fantasizing about how to be her. To every guy, she was mind-boggling sexy. They could scarcely pay attention to the lesson material yet still clamored like starving wolves whenever she posed a question. She was simply so innocent and pure, nervously introducing herself to the class and giving that smile that drew every man's gaze to her.
She was even nice to the Slytherins! And they were nice to her!
It wasn't even the end of first period and the entire student body had concluded that Ms. Caster didn't have a malicious bone in her body.
Well, of course, the entire student body with the exception of Harry, Illya, Daphne, and Sakura. Harry was reminded the hard way.
"Mr. Potter," she said sweetly as she dismissed the class, "could you please remain behind for a moment?"
Harry sent a mental probe towards her, but she only responded with a mischievous smirk. A few students ribbed Harry suggestively at the idea of the hot teacher asking him to stay after class.
Not wanting to raise suspicion, he sent Illya, Sakura, Daphne, and the maids along, telling them not to wait up for him. The door closed and Caster waved her hand towards it. Had he been reinforcing his hearing, he would have heard the unmistakable click of a lock bolting. Instead, he sat himself down in the chair she'd placed in front of her desk.
The second he sat down, a magical circle inscribed on the bottom of the chair lit up and restrained him. He raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't react. He'd seen that smile on her face before, so he had an inkling as to where this was going. She'd been making herself indispensable lately however, so he felt that she'd earned this. Not to mention arranging for a woman famed for her sadism and seduction to become his teacher was just asking for it. He would have to be a fool not to expect her to take advantage of her position like this.
A smirk from Caster let him know that she'd caught onto his line of thinking.
"You know, Master, you're right. Just what were you thinking?" she teased as she circled around him. A single finger slid up and undid the tight bun she was keeping her blue hair in, letting it fall loosely around her shoulders. Another began idly toying with the broach keeping the front of her robe closed.
"Such a naughty boy, you were expecting me to do this, weren't you? I might just have to punish you for having dirty thoughts about your teacher."
Smoothly, she slid herself onto his lap, straddling him. Any ordinary eleven-years old would have trouble with the full weight of a grown woman in their lap, but Harry was hardly normal. The only thing he had trouble with was keeping himself calm and composed when Caster began not so subtly grinding her hips, rubbing her rather delightful bottom against him.
"You know at this rate I'm going to be late for my next class, right?" Harry brought up unperturbed. Caster pouted cutely in response.
"I'll write you a note. I need this right now," she breathed out, leaning in. Her mouth enveloped Harry's and bliss ensued for the both of them.
Harry ended up being twenty minutes late for his next class, but he didn't really care.
-Break-
After classes that day, right as the sun was going down, one of the Slytherin councilmen came to Harry with an intriguing bit of information. Apparently, word on the Devil's Snare was that something was killing off unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid had taken the joint detention Orion and Draco shared to enlist the boys in searching for the culprit.
Smirking, he thanked and dismissed the Slytherin. Looking over towards Sakura, he saw that she was sporting a similar expression to his own. While he hated Orion, Sakura loathed the boy. She viewed him as the reason the one she loved had suffered so much. Not even Rin could muster as much hatred from the purple haired girl as Orion could.
Harry himself found it simultaneously amusing and disturbing. It meant though that she would be willing to participate in that night's entertainment.
The Forbidden Forest was a scary place, after all.
-Break-
This was not shaping up to be a good night, thought Orion as he met Hagrid and Draco at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't sure what the Groundskeeper had called him out here for, but at least it was better than shoveling manure for Sprout.
He just wished Draco wasn't here. The git had started it with his pompous attitude.
"Hope ya boys got yer boots on," the giant began, "because we're gonna be doing some trekking tonight."
Orion couldn't help but smirk when he saw that Draco was wearing expensive house shoes, the fop.
"Now see here, I'm a wizard of noble pedigree. I can't be expected to perform manual labor like some peasant!" Draco argued hotly.
A chuckle resounded from Hagrid, "That's right. Yer family finally got a Wizengamot seat, didn' it? Well that don't excuse you from detention. If ya didn' want ta do this, you shouldn' ha' gotten into a fight. 'Specially with a housemate."
At this, he shot a reproachful look at Orion. The boy glared back, but didn't say anything. He still didn't see what he'd done wrong, but he also didn't want to earn yet another detention. His mother would kill him.
"Alright, so 'eres the deal. Something in the forest 'as been killin' unicorns for the past few weeks. We're gonna split up to track it. You've been taught to shoot off sparks with yer wands, yeah?"
The two boys nodded begrudgingly.
"Good. One of you boys will be with me, the other with Fang 'ere. Either of us finds a unicorn, we'll shoot sparks and meet up. Sound good?"
"I want Fang," Orion immediately spoke up, eyeing the fearsome looking dog.
"That's fine," Hagrid consented, "but I should warn ya, 'e's a bloody coward."
-Break-
Orion was seriously beginning to regret his decision. They were deep into the forest, searching for dead unicorns. The problem came when what sounded like a twig snapping had Fang bounding off in terror.
"Useless mutt," he muttered to himself. It was probably just a squirrel or something. This forest was full of harmless critters.
He stopped when he stepped in something wet on the ground. It was hard to see in the darkness, so he cast a weak Lumos with his wand. In the dim light, he could make out some silvery liquid on the hard earth. With two fingers he dabbed the substance and lifted it up to the light. It had an incredibly sweet smell, but something subconscious told him that he would regret tasting it.
Then the other smell hit him.
Blood.
He looked around for the source and finally spotted it; a dead unicorn stretched out across a patch of brambles. On its horn was the source of the smell. A viscous red substance that could only be human blood coated the horn, indicating that the animal had gotten at least one good gore in before its demise. Unfortunately, its own silver blood spilled out alongside the blood of its killer, pooling around Orion's feet.
Panicked, he rapidly darted back away from the animal's corpse.
He was in fact so panicked that it took him about fifteen seconds to remember what he was supposed to do once he found a dead unicorn. After a few clumsy fumbles he finally drew his wand and aimed it into the air to shoot off sparks.
Except he couldn't remember the spell.
Merlin, why hadn't he paid more attention in Flitwick's class?
From off to his left, another twig snapped.
That was all it took. Orion leapt to his feet and took off in a physical display that really shouldn't have been possible given his body type. He kept running, and running, and running. Behind him, he kept hearing twigs snapping at an increasing rate. Whatever was chasing him, it was also gaining on him.
He stumbled on a rock and one of his boots came off.
A twisted root entangled his foot, ripping the other boot off and sending him tumbling down a muddy hill. He was coated in mud by the time he reached the bottom, but he didn't care. As quickly as he could, he got back up and kept running in his bare feet.
An ill-attempted leap through a brier bush got his robe caught in it. Initially he tried to disentangle himself, but hearing the twigs snapping once again had him slipping out of the robe entirely and running off in his skivvies. The briers cut him up terribly, but he had so much adrenaline coursing through his veins he didn't even notice.
The twig snaps were really close now. He was certain he could feel the breath of his pursuer on his neck, so he pushed on for as much speed as he could.
Finally, he saw a familiar light and dove for it through a tight thicket of trees. He felt his ankle twist as it got snagged at some point, but he was home free.
Stripped to his underwear, muddy, bleeding, and crying like a scared child, he successfully dove into the small grove Hagrid and Draco were searching.
The sympathetic look on Hagrid's face comforted him, but the delighted sneer on Draco's face let him know that all of Hogwarts would be hearing of this by tomorrow morning.
-Break-
Harry and Sakura had to put up silencing charms to hide their roaring laughter from their places atop Berserker's shoulders. The natural terror the giant emitted combined with Orion's natural cowardice were just a perfect combination for, quite literally as it turned out, scaring the pants off the boy. The only real difficulty had been imparting the idea to the giant that he was not to physically touch Orion, as Berserker had really wanted to kill Harry's brother.
Their fun had, Harry went to check on the interesting opportunity he'd found in the forest. He retraced their steps back through the twisting path Orion had run until they found the dead unicorn. Hopping off his Servant, he approached the creature. The unicorn itself bore little interest to him, but its horn bore liberal amounts of blood from the vessel Riddle was possessing. There were any number of delightful options having someone's blood presented when you were a Magus.
Projecting a set of vials, he used a cleaning charm to gather all the blood inside the containers and corked them.
Caster was going to have a field day with this.
