Chapter 1: Preparing for the Fight Ahead
The sky was completely covered in dark clouds as if the heavens above were still mourning for the loss of such a great wizard as Albus Dumbledore. Two months have past since that fateful event. People were still grieving over the loss while others were filled with the fear of Lord Voldemort's return to power. Such powerful was their fear that they would jump at even the slightest movement of a shadow. Rumors spread about the first action Voldemort would take; of whether he will go after the famous Harry Potter or go after something of much more importance. Despite the rumors, all were pointed to one thing… the dark lord was back, signaling another possible war between him and the magical world.
In the cottage of The Burrow, the residents were calmer than the rest of the magical world. Whether they were aware of the current crisis, they did not show. Inside all the residents were sitting at the breakfast table which happened to also be the lunch and dinner table, eating the contents placed on their plates by the mistress of the house. Though it may seem like a normal magical family, grief and sorrow permeated the air in which they breathe.
The master of the house, Arthur Weasley, did not touch his breakfast at all being occupied by the newspaper headline which mostly discussed about the events that eventually lead to the demise of Albus Dumbledore and also about the Lord Voldemort's return to power and the rise of the dark ages once again.
Only two of the Weasley children were at home; the twins were at their joke shop, another in Romania to further study dragons, the one scarred by a werewolf stayed away from society to control his werewolf personality with the help of his recently now wife, and the one who was apprentice to the head of Ministry of Magic stayed away from his family due to a still in progress argument.
Of the two remaining Weasley children, the elder one was Ronald Weasley or Ron for short. The other was Ginny. The other two guests are Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. As soon as Ron, Hermione, and Harry finished their breakfast they immediately went upstairs to pack up the essential things they would need on their journey to find and eliminate Voldemort's Horuxes. Afterwards find a way to destroy the powerful dark lord.
While the trio was upstairs, a silver feathered falcon flew through the window and lands gently in the center of the table, almost acting as the table center piece. The bird shook its body causing some loose feathers to glide down to the table and its body to fluff up. The bird then twitched it head from side to side as if searching for someone. Mrs. Weasley welcomed the falcon with a warm greeting treating it as if it were an old friend by petting it gently on its head. She then put a small plate full of bread and some bird seeds. The falcon chirped showing its gratitude toward Mrs. Weasley.
Harry came down the stairs first carrying a full backpack. As soon as his foot hit the floor, he noticed the magnificent and beautiful bird perched in the center of the table. The falcon noticed the young wizard and bowed its head. Curious Harry went closer to the creature until his leg touched the table. The falcon bowed its head once again.
The creature then spoke in a voice similar to the tone of a loving mother. "You must be Harry Potter."
Harry jumped back in surprise and nearly fell down with the weight of the backpack on his shoulders. He replied, "Yes I am. Why do you ask?"
The falcon continued, "I am known as Adene. If you are still in pursuit of the wizard known as Lord Voldemort, my master wishes to meet with you at precisely nine o'clock at The Three Broomsticks. My master will be the one sitting alone with a hooded cape. Good day." The falcon flew out of the window after it delivered its message.
Harry stared at the falcon's retreating figure in awe. Never in his lifetime in the wizarding world has he met such a creature like Adene. In fact he somewhat grew excited thinking about meeting the falcon's master; her master must be a powerful wizard in order to control a creature as great as Adene and that maybe Adene's master will be able to help him stop Voldemort once and for all. As the falcon's figure disappeared further and further into the horizon, the rest of the trio came climbing down the stairs. Harry turned to his friends and smiled.
He then said, "Ron, Hermione, our first stop will be at The Three Broomsticks."
The Three Broomsticks was full of customers as usual with the usual stuffy air. Many witches and wizards crowded around each other, sharing new gossips and rumors. In the dark corner, a lone person sat drinking a bottle of butter beer. The person's face was covered by the shadows of the hood but the eyes were slightly visible showing a pair of emerald green eyes. Emerald eyes scanned the surrounding area searching for anything amiss. Instincts told the hooded figure that someone was watching her every movement. The watcher however thought that she did not notice, but she did and she knew that the person was hiding by mingling with a small group of wizards. The hooded figure looked outside the window. Almost time, he should arrive anytime soon…that is if he decided to come.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked along the streets of Hogsmeade. The night air was much colder than usual. The stars twinkled in the night sky and the moon's illumination eliminated most of the shadows hiding in corners. Harry noted that most people jumped at the slightest movement of a shadow. He figured that it was because of the news outbreak about the return of the Dark Age once again. The trio finally reached their destination. A familiar falcon sat perched atop the board sign. When the creature noticed the presence of the three wizards, she turned her attention toward them and greeted them with a high pitched falcon cry.
Harry asked, "Is your master still in The Three Broomsticks?"
The falcon nodded its head. "My master is waiting for you in the dark corner."
Ron and Hermione had surprised expressions on their faces since they weren't expecting the falcon to talk, especially to talk fluently. Ron then asked, "Why are you waiting out here? Shouldn't you be with your master?"
The falcon stuck its beak up. "Those people said no animals allowed. They should know that I'm no ordinary animal but…" The falcon suddenly stopped talking as if she was commanded to by a silent voice. She then regained her voice. "My master urges you to come in right away."
The trio nodded and went inside. The minute they walked in, all eyes were upon them. Disregarding the stares, Harry seeks out Adene's master. Far in the dark corner by the window sat Adene's master. Harry could not see the identity of the person's hood shadowed his or her face. Making his way toward the person, Harry was held in place by Hermione who caught him by the arm.
She whispered in a warning tone, "Harry, I don't think that's our person. Just look at it. If one wears a hood, that person is bound to be a dangerous or at least a suspicious person. Who knows if it will attack us or not?" Harry still made his way toward the person. Hermione continued to talk while walking along side him. "Harry, do you think it is really wise to go up to the person and hope its Adene's master? Aren't you at least worried about who this person is?"
Harry replied without changing the pace of his footing, "Hermione, I know this is Adene's master." Hermione gave him a look of disbelief. "Trust me Hermione. If it isn't then we'll be prepared to defend ourselves." Hermione merely scoffed at Harry's simple solution. She still was unsure about the whole meeting the dark and mysterious personage.
When the trio was within a foot of the stranger, the hooded figure said, "Well, you finally came. Here I was a bit worried you might have changed your mind and decided to go about this all by yourselves." The hooded figure tilted her head, facing the newcomers and revealed emerald green eyes, skin that glowed like the moon, and lips as red as a rose. The three wizards could not help but stare at her in awe. Surely they were expecting someone older; they did not expect Adene's master to be nearly the same age as them. Adene's master offered the three to take a seat in which they took. Out of nowhere, three glasses full of butter beer appeared in front of each of them. All drank in each other's silence waiting for one of them to break the ice. Harry was the first to attempt such a deed.
Holding out his hand, he greeted, "Hello, I'm Harry Po-"
The young lady interrupted him. "I know who you are. In fact I know who all of you are." She paused. "You are the three misfits that break most of Hogwarts rules, managing to get into trouble yet also saving the day." She paused yet again to gather her thoughts. "I heard about what happened and I can only say that I'm saddened to learn about Dumbledore's death." At the mention of the terrible event, all three were instantly in a state of mourning; each had their head bowed low with eyes staring at the surface of the table or at the surface of the cobbled floor. Sensing their distress, the young girl decided to change subjects. "I've also heard that you were going after these Horuxes, am I right?" Harry nodded his head. "And I'm assuming you want to know why I wanted to meet you here?" Again Harry nodded his head. "To put it in simple terms…I want to help you."
Hermione spoke with distrust present in her voice. "Why do you want to help us?"
The young girl smiled. "I have my own reasons…of which you will find out sooner if not later." Hermione stared at the girl with fire in her eyes. "Forgive me if I'm being ambiguous, but I also have reasons for that." She laughed. "I completely forgot to introduce myself." Holding out a hand, she said, "My name is Lumina and of course you already met my falcon, Adene." Both Ron and Harry shook her hands while Hermione merely stared at it as if it was covered in diseases. Lumina smiled at the suspicious girl ignoring her sharp glare. Lumina looked out the window surveying an invisible force. Her eyes slightly widened. She stood out of her chair and headed out the exit pressing the three wizards to follow suit.
Once outside, Adene flew to her master and perched on her shoulder carefully so as to not puncture Lumina's skin with her sharp talons. The icy wind howled sending shivers down the spine of those close enough to hear its howl. The streets slowly but steadily filled up with snow resulting in making trouble for travelers to walk. The lights in the lamppost unnaturally began to dim, inviting the shadows to come and play.
Stopping at an intersection, Lumina addressed to her three following companions, "I believe we'll need to stop and rest."
Ron blurted out, "Here in this bloody storm!"
Lumina replied, "I did not say we were going to stop here now did I?" Ron slightly blushed from embarrassment of his sudden and unnecessary remark. Lumina paused, thinking whether or not her idea of a rest stop would be a bright idea. "You have heard of the Shrieking Shack, correct?" The three nodded hesitantly. "Good, because that's where we'll be resting at."