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Chapter Nine
The Interim
Updated 6/14/2015
-o=o-
The Room of Requirement—
Fudge seemed quite intent on arguing, but before he could speak again Dumbledore put up a hand, forestalling him. "Cornelius, I'm quite sure we could discuss this ad infinitium, not to mention ad nauseum, but absent a vote of the full Wizengamot outlawing the possession of such rings in order to confiscate them, I do not see them being turned over to you." He smiled benignly at the Minister. "And, seeing as I am the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, even if you were to bring the motion it would not carry."
Fudge gave a frustrated harrumph, twirling his green bowler hat in his hands.
"Now, may I suggest that you return to the Ministry?" Dumbledore gestured to the door. "I'm sure the matter of Voldemort—" Fudge, McGonagall and Ron all flinched "—and his followers requires your guidance and leadership."
"Very well, Dumbledore," Fudge agreed, defeated. "But mark my words, we haven't finished our discussion of those rings!" The Minister put on his hat and strode to the exit with as much dignity as he could muster—which was to say, not very much—and passed from the room, slamming the door behind him.
"I daresay we haven't heard the last of the rings," Dumbledore mused. "But not in the way you mean, Cornelius." He turned to Harry and Hal. "Carry on, gentlemen. Minerva and I will begin evacuating the students."
"Evacuating the students? What do you suspect, Albus?" McGonagall wanted to know.
"If Mr. Potter and Mr. Jordan are correct, the school is likely to be attacked by this Sinestro fellow. It is our duty to protect the children. Since all classes and tests have been completed we can dismiss the school," Dumbledore informed her.
"A good idea," Hal agreed. "In fact, I should leave as well—I don't want any innocent lives to be in danger because of me."
"Hold on," Harry said. "Professor, isn't Hogwarts the safest place to be? I think Mr. Jordan ought to stay with us."
"Harry, I can take care of myself—" Hal protested.
"Sure you can," Illyana broke in. "Humpty-Dumpty!"
Hal laughed in spite of Illyana's comment. "Normally, Harry, I would agree with you," Dumbledore replied. "But the nature of your and Sinestro's power rings makes the protections afforded by magic less than completely assured. With regard to student safety I would prefer to err on the side of caution."
Harry nodded. "I can't argue with that, sir."
"I should hope not," Dumbledore smiled. "Come, Minerva, let us proceed with the evacuation." Dumbledore and McGonagall left the Room.
"Right, then!" Sirius clapped his hands, bringing everyone to attention. "Ron, you're with me, we'll get in some wand practice while Hermione, Illyana and Dobby do some one-on-one sparring.
"If it's alright," Illyana spoke up. "I'd like to spar a bit with Harry."
"Fine by me," Sirius shrugged. "If it's okay with Harry."
"Sure," Harry nodded. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to Illyana, though she'd gotten him and Hal back to Hogwarts quickly enough to save his life.
"Okay," Hermione agreed. "Dobby and I can work together." She looked at the house-elf with a mischievous smile. "As long as he promises to go easy on me."
Dobby's eyes grew wide with horror. "Dobby would never not go easy on Hermione Granger!" he said, earnestly. Illyana snickered and Harry smiled.
"Dobby, I'm teasing you," Hermione said gently. "Come on, we'll find someplace quiet…" she and the house-elf flew off together. Sirius and Ron had moved away to practice with their wands, leaving Harry and Illyana alone together.
"I've been wanting to talk to you—" Harry began. Illyana laughed.
"What's been stopping you?" she asked. "We've known each other for a couple of days now."
"Maybe not that long," Harry said. "More like 10 or 12 hours at most."
The blonde shrugged. "Sorry, I'm a little screwed up, time-wise. So speak—what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, first of all, I want to thank you for bringing me and Hal back to Hogwarts. That may have made the difference for him surviving those injuries."
"I'd say that was mostly you, Harry," Illyana replied. "You and that ring, and what you were able to do to heal him. I was able to make him comfortable in Limbo, but I couldn't have done what you did."
"I just did what had to be done," Harry said, modestly. He wanted to move the subject of conversation away from himself. "So tell me what this Limbo is like."
"Oh." Illyana shook her head. "Well, it's not much to speak of, just a little pocket dimension with a single planet filled with every kind of demon scum you ever heard of. No big deal."
Harry gave her an odd look. He had no idea what a "pocket dimension" was supposed to be. "You said something about a—Belasco, was it—being its ruler?"
"Former ruler," Illyana corrected him. "It's mine, now. Place comes in handy if I have to be somewhere in a hurry."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," she explained. "Every time I use a stepping disc to go somewhere, I have to pass through Limbo. It's kind of like the 'hub' of Otherplace Airlines, so to speak," she grinned at her own joke.
"Really?" Harry was surprised. "I never noticed being there when we teleported before."
"Well, mostly I don't stop when we're passing through. We're never there more than a few milliseconds," she said.
"I think I'd like to see it, if that's okay with you," Harry suggested.
Illyana smiled at him. "Sure!" she agreed, walking over to stand next to him. "Ready?"
"I guess so."
A stepping disc appeared below them and they vanished in a flash of light.
-o=o-
Northeastern Scotland—
A 100-foot tall column of iron and steel passed over the shores of Scotland on its way to a school hidden somewhere in the Highlands, causing what few people saw it to call their local constabulary or police department, frantically reporting a UFO or something up in the air.
Atop the structure, Sinestro and the former prisoners of Azkaban Prison watched the countryside pass beneath them, awaiting their arrival at Hogwarts. Most of them were silent, awed by the power of the yellow rings the tall alien had demonstrating in uprooting the entire prison from its North Sea island and flying it back to Britain.
Voldemort, for his own part, still plotted a way to wrest control from Sinestro. It was the alien's ring that controlled their rings—therefore he must obtain that ring, somehow, so it could not be used against him. But how to do that?
He would have to hope that during the fight at the school (for there surely was to be a fight at Hogwarts) he could seize an opportunity during the chaos and confusion of battle to surprise the alien and take the ring from him.
"It will not be long," Sinestro was saying. "We are not far from where Jordan is hiding."
"What is the plan, Master?" Voldemort asked. "How will we attack the school?"
"It will be quite simple, Riddle," the Korguarian answered. "I shall drop this structure on the castle, destroying the enchantments protecting it."
Behind Sinestro, the newly-formed Sinestro Corps looked at one another in silent horror. Drop the prison on the school? Most of them had gone to Hogwarts! There was a difference between attacking the school and those who protected it, and destroying the school itself!
"Do you think that wise, Master?" Voldemort asked, carefully. "The school will be destroyed."
Sinestro turned to stare coldly at him. "Of course the school will be destroyed! What do I care for some ancient, useless building? Especially when it protects my enemy?!" He turned away.
Voldemort backed away from the alien, wondering if this was the moment to attack. None of them, other than Sinestro himself, wanted to see the school destroyed. He wanted to control the school someday, not see it ruined. He turned, facing his men, searching their faces for solidarity, raising his ring hand slightly to telegraph his intent. He could not use the ring to communicate with them—Sinestro's ring would likely inform him of their intent.
But most of them were still scared, cowed by the destruction of one of their members when the Dark Lord ordered them to kill the alien. Frightened eyes looked into his, small shakes of their head telling him they dared not risk death when some measure of power was so near to them now!
Fools! Voldemort spat within his own mind, disgusted with their timidity. How could they have followed his orders for all those years, only to fail now when it really mattterd?! He turned his back on them, wondering what he could do by himself to stop the school from being destroyed. It would not be long before they arrived there.