The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 25: The Hogwarts Hurricane

"Wow!" Frank Longbottom exclaimed as he and Kabe watched from a window. "Who's out there?" Cherry Goal, who was quiet and sullen since her brother's condition made itself known, watched from the window too, alongside Morpheus Ollivander and Pierre Macmillan.

The Hufflepuff Common room was situated just under the ground but they could barely see, through the blades of grass, a major duel going on. Many times, they felt the foundations shake as spells were being fired, at one point the grass itself burned out and the battle became clearer. It was between Incommodo and what looked like teachers and maybe a student, though no one would tell who the student was. Teachers were moving, some were blasted back and more than once, a jet of green light illuminated the scene. The identity of the student remained a mystery, at least, until Kabe said, "It's Al."

"How can you tell?" Pierre asked him.

"How many other students do you know would fight Incommodo directly?" Kabe challenged. "Even among the Guard itself."

"Yeah, it's not exactly rocket science," Cherry commented in agreement.

"What's Rocket science?" Frank asked, confused.

"Never mind," she sighed.

"Frankie!" Frank turned as a small girl, first year by the looks of her, wrapped her arms around him. Fora looked determinedly away and Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Ah, Margie," Frank commented with a small grin.

"There's righting outside, Frankie," Margie said. "It woke the other first years up."

"Well, Frankie is gonna take care of this," Frank said with a small grin. "So, don't worry. Tell the others a hero is"-

"Actually, I have another job for Frankie," Kabe said suddenly. "Frankie's the only one who can fight through the hoard of Arsenal members around the school and get help."

"What? What kind of help?" Frank asked, visibly disappointed. "Incommodo's out there being the root of all evil, he's the one Frankie should be fighting."

"Frankie is megalomaniacal if he's beginning to refer to himself in the third person like some asshat," Kabe talked back. "And if Frankie doesn't know what help I am referring to, he's an idiot! Now, go!"

Frank didn't even question. Probably worried over how much further damage to his ego Kabe would do if he stayed, he left. Kabe met the eyes of Morpheus, who nodded and they left the Common room. When they were out of earshot, Morpheus muttered, "I can get into their ranks easy. I've done a lot of snooping on one very tiny Arsenal member."

Morpheus went one way and Kabe went the other. He could sense a silent Fora trailing behind him. He hoped they would be ok. He stopped Frank but being showy out there because his tacts were certain to get him killed. Kabe would fight from the shadows. As he hurried to the grounds, he saw Mark overtake him, limping as fast as his bad leg would carry him, over to the grounds as well. Well, there went the element of surprise. Maria, on the other hand, ran around the castle, yelling, "Battle outside! Incommodo is dead!"

A hoarde of Arsenal members ignored Kabe and rushed outside to support their master. Kabes heart was beating uncertainly as they walked into the night air. Incommodo was just vapor. How he was still fighting, Kabe had no idea. But he was fighting Mark, swooping in and around, trying to get to Mark's weak spot, even trying to use his leg against him, but Mark was still standing, defending himself wonderfully, even raising the ground to take the Killing Curse. Not that Incommodo fired the Killing curse often. Doing so seemed to weaken him further than he was already weakened, and resting seemed to be far better for him. Mark gave him little time to do so though.

Kabe looked around and saw what looked like a grotesque looking teenager on the ground. He could only tell it was Albus because of the eyes and the body structure. His face was deformed, one eye looked sewn shut, his right cheekbone blurred as if a bad picture was taken, and his one open eye more red than green. He seemed barely awake and in immense pain. Kabe knew he was dying but- no magic could do this. At least, no magic he was aware of. As Incommodo started reclaiming a physical body, Kabe raised his wand and fired a Knock-back Jinx.

It met a jet of green light and Kabe only avoided it because he anticipated it. Fora wrapped herself in her cloak and rushed forward to. Taking the properties of the lake behind her, she threw herself on Incommodo. Kabe had to admit, even as Hufflepuff's descendant, he was impressed at what sort of magic was done as Incommodo was drenched. Another Knock-back Jinx from Kabe sent him back once more and a further jet of red light from Mark denied him a physical body once again. Mark's legs were shaking as he faced this dark magic of two souls, but he still stayed standing as bravely and fearlessly as he could.

Arsenal members started firing relentlessly at him. A quick motion of Mark's wand had all spells blocked easily, many of them re-angled and plenty rebounded to hit their casters. A counter-attack sent three more down for the count but plenty more still surrounded him, slowly overtaking him. Before Kabe could do anything to help, assuming anything he could do would even amount to much, a burst of fire slammed itself on Incommodo's shattered body. The caster of the spell made Kabe want to turn tail and run. On their side she may have been, when she fought, Aries was terrifying. He had never seen her look so angry before.

One look at her father's lifeless body sent Aries into a rage. Her scream was shrill and ear-piercing. Even Mark looked away as a burst of relentless, evil fire charged from her wand, fighting the fire from other Arsenal members. He yelled for students to clear the area as the fire threatened to escape from their control and kill some the way it had killed Molly. Jets of green light exploded from their wands as Aries' Amulet glowed golden as it blocked off green light as well as Fiendfyre. The way the shield was raised, the fire actually seemed to extinguish. There was nothing that seemed able to kill her.

"CHARGE!" Frank Longbottom yelled from the entrances. Acting as though he was at the head of a large pack even though very few students were actually there, he rushed in madly, sending as many explosive curses as he could. The damage seemed to be amounting to something, thanks mainly to Aries. Scorpius and the rest of the Hogwarts Guard, right down to even Lancet, arrived on the scene as well. The Arsenal seemed overtaken, at least until Incommodo rushed Aries' dome. Seemingly immortal, the dome only blocked him off but it let out a deep sizzling nose reverberating through the air. A jet of green light from Seth slammed into Incommodo's barely living form but the effects were minimal at best. At least it sent him back.

Kabe stepped back, clueless as to what would finish him. With the entire Guard out there, he did not know what more they could do. Just then, Zandar Lex arrived with a new batch of Arsenal members. He fearlessly strode up, blocking off Aries' attempts to beat him. He raised his wand and yelled, "Imperio!"

Kabe did not see who was effected until he walked out from amongst the crowd. Lancet seemed out of control of his own body. He seized the boy ruthlessly and held him in front like a human shield. "Hold your fire, you raging bitch!"

Aries raised her wand, staring at him hardly. Lancet seemed to be terrified. "One move and the boy dies. Set your wand down and take that Amulet off, throw it to me and let yourself die. Failure to comply earns you this boy's worthless blood on your hands!"

A large explosion from Frank interrupted the stand-off. Rubble pieces of earth and mud flew everywhere. Frank barely avoided jets of green light but one only failed to hit him because a piece of rubble took the blast instead. Incommodo seemed to stop regenerating now as he lay on the ground, barely even a body now. He looked like nothing more than a deformed baby. Lex still held Lancet as Arsenal members surrounded Frank threateningly and Aries took the opportunity to fire at him. Lex mercilessly threw Lancet in front of the spell.

Lancet yelled in fear, covering his eyes. The spell had veered off tangent and Lex slashed his wand through the air viciously. One spell struck the boy in the back and another let out a burst of dark fire that surrounded everyone, particularly the younger students. The air grew very hot. Another flick of his wand and something different settled itself over the air. Kabe wasn't sure what it was but it made him feel an intense burst of fear. Screams pierced the air, girls and boys ran inside from the flames, many did not even make it. The overall fear caused by the fire and Lex's enchantment to increase the feeling of any emotion, created what Lex had wanted. More than one, including the eight year-old boy in Lex's hands, let out bursts of underage magic. It did not seem to have any physical effect except that the shield protecting Aries disappeared. She stopped and Lex smirked. Another slash from Lex's wand hit the Amulet and he threw a weakened Lancet at Aries mercilessly, firing a jet of green light at his back.

Aries screamed as she tried to conjure a shield to defend him but too many things happened at once. Her Amulet failed to work, shocking her. Lancet had regained footing and barely moved aside, allowing the jet to smash against Aries' chest. Mark yelled but she did not fall. The curse hit her Amulet, not her body. She just stared in shock, disbelievingly, as Lex smirked. His job was complete. The Amulet snapped in two, its glow lost. The pieces were summoned by Lex and he caught them both. "I believe the Goblins will want this." He turned to the Arsenal, "Kill them all."

One week later…

No one seemed to notice that Albus was awake. He thought he had his eyes open but they kept staring at him worriedly. Albus felt himself being placed on the floor beside many others. He looked around, sitting up, feeling like he was sitting up but apparently he was still unconscious. He was in the Room of Requirement. Most of the students there seemed badly beaten, some sported bloody noses and Alpha was resting against Proxima's back while Hugo actually stood only because he was leaning on Lily. Alexander was cleaning a cut Alexis had the Muggle way and Mark was cursing his wooden leg. Albus was beginning to feel worried. He did not belong like this. He was definitely not conscious. Something was wrong. Why could he not wake up? Was he dead? He couldn't be dead. Not yet.

Albus saw so many things. Being unconscious, in whatever plane he was in, he witnessed fights, duels, and even torturing. The school was being overrun by witches and wizards robed in red. Many of the fighters, Albus did not recognize. Some students simply refused to do the work assigned to them, they were tortured, rescued, hidden in Hogsmeade, allowed back in and continued the fight. Albus saw Gabriel Dagger fleeing from Zandar Lex who got away due to Lex's newly acquired wooden leg. Albus did not know where he got that leg, because he always had a whole leg before. Aries V. Kimble was dueling with five Arsenal members at once, doing types of magic Albus had never seen before. Albus even saw Scorpius kicking a bloody Arsenal member around in the face for taunting him about his father. It seemed a lost cause.

Scorpius was not the only one upset about his father. What he did was soft compared to what Aries did. She was met with jets of green light too, the Arsenal members trying actively to kill her. The next thing Albus saw was Aries again. A trail of bodies was left in her wake as she dueled fiercely and wildly with Zandar Lex who seemed bent on her death but was getting nowhere. Whoever seemed to have anything to do with Incommodo was left dead with no remorse. She rushed through the school, ignoring students, parrying Lex's vicious attacks. She was incapable of killing him but he too was incapable of killing her and she simply retreated. The more Arsenal members showed up to stop her escape, the more had been grievously injured or simply killed. Eventually, they learned to stay well away from her.

Albus also saw a broken Aries, a neutral Seth and a curious Simon sitting in a dark room alone over a cauldron. He could not hear what they were saying but Seth seemed to have said something Aries agreed with and they threw in a pinch of salt to the cauldron before Seth used some magic to take Oxygen from the very air and force it into the cauldron before covering it with a Bubble-head Charm. They stared, none looking too happy, most with the exception of Seth looking determined and upset. Whatever happened, it sets things aflame.

No sooner had he thought this did he feel himself being sucked back into his body. He snapped awake like all those visions of injured people were just a dream. He gasped as stormy gray eyes looked into his. They were replaced by warm brown ones, Alexis' eyes. He wanted to hug her but he did not feel his own arms. Even when he was conscious, he still felt very limited. Something was still wrong with him. He was helped up to a sitting position by Scorpius and Mark and he felt his back against the wall as some around him sighed in relief. The injuries did not look as bad as he saw. Alpha seemed perfectly capable of walking, Mark looked unscathed and Hugo only had a split lip. Albus was a little confused though, and he felt incapable of speaking. Like something had forbade him from speaking a word. His jaw even felt too weak to move so he could speak to begin with.

The Room of Requirement was huge now, like a Mansion all in one floor. Simon was corking a phial of a Potion he had made, Aries was sitting against Mark's slumped back, Neil was sleeping peacefully with a glass of water beside him, Rose was lecturing Hugo quietly about something and Alexis was just sitting beside him with Alexander on her other side. Alpha and Proxima were resting, Alpha seeming to be nursing an injured leg and his arm was in a sling. Proxima and Frank were around him while Alice was trying to console him. It did not become clear about what until Albus saw Lily unconscious, resting peacefully. Albus did not feel too worried though. It looked like a powerful Stunning spell. Maria and Morpheus looked worse and Melvin was actually beside himself.

Before Albus knew it, Simon fed him the Potion and Alexis muttered a healing Charm on him. Albus slowly felt his body move again. Slowly, feeling came back to his arms, legs and jaw. Simon sat back to admire his handiwork as Proxima and Alpha watched. Even Sierra seemed to take interest in Albus' recovery. "I don't believe it," Alexis said with a smile at Albus. "We healed him. Madam Pomfrey would be impressed."

"You're a good Healer," Alpha commented weakly to Simon.

Simon grinned weakly back, "I'm a good Potioneer. It's not hard."

"You ok, Al?" Alexis asked calmly.

Albus nodded shortly, testing his jaw movement. It seemed painless now. Whatever Simon gave him definitely did the trick. He sighed, looking around slowly, still feeling a slight pain in his neck. He wanted to respond but he needed to get his thoughts in order first. He just nodded shortly in response to Alexis' question. More and more came to see how he was doing.

Hugo crawled over to pat his back and see how he was doing, even the younger ones Albus hardly knew like Maria and Sophie, even Cherry Goal sat to see how he was faring. Albus' thoughts started returning. Questions started forming in his mind. How long was he out for? He saw so much happen, saw many had died even, he saw Aries running wildly, Scorpius grieving over his father, and he even saw dead bodies over Hogwarts, most of them Arsenal members. Whatever happened, it truly had made things explode. Did any of the Hogwarts Guard die? It did not look like it. They were all converged in the Room and none seemed to be absent. Did any student die? Any nameless student Albus did not know?

Wait. What happened to Incommodo? Albus moved his eyes to his hands which he saw were gloved and his forearms which were bandaged. Had Incommodo survived then? Had he lived? Where was he? Why was Lex in charge? How did Incommodo escape such a fate and where did he escape to? Or did he die like Albus nearly did? Had the teachers done the deed after all? Did the world know his identity then? Was that why they fought him? Something happened. Something had to have happened. He opened his mouth to ask the questions before he stopped.

Albus opened his mouth again but he found his words were a garbled mess. He could not speak clearly and Alexis put a hand on his knees, "Don't bother. It's a side effect of the Potion. Wait for it to wear off and then try talking."

"He'll have to wait for a day," Simon said, relaxing against the wall. "If he tries speaking now, it's over for him. Too much stress on his lungs and"- he was interrupted by the door opening and in walked Seth. The boy looked quite expressionless but his wand was out and he stowed it away with finality. "Where were you?" Simon demanded.

Seth looked at Simon, his eyes showing none of the emotion they usually showed when Simon was around. Seth simply looked and said, "You really don't want to know. Trust me."

Albus could quietly guess that Seth may have murdered someone, most likely an Arsenal member. Seth took a seat by Scorpius and Mark. Albus was placed in a corner sleeping bag by Alexis and Eric who consented to come and help once he woke up. They were far off from the main Guard and few were coming over to see how he was doing. He guessed it was because Alexis told them to give him space before he woke up. Nonetheless, he was grateful for it. No one badgered him or pestered him with questions as was their nature. He could already gather that they were all taking refuge in the Room of Requirement and the Arsenal had taken over. None seemed to have died but many did seem injured.

What the casualties were among the rest of the student body, Albus had no idea. Hr could tell something had happened, something involving Incommodo and Albus' new Runes. They meant he was still alive. So why was Aries after Lex? As these thoughts and questions entered his mind, he felt it resting, finally falling into slumber again. He felt hurt. He felt injured. Whatever Incommodo did to him had worked. And why were his hands gloved and his forearms covered?

Albus' dreams were different. He saw Herpo the Foul again, laughing gleefully as he was restored somehow to his previous body. Loyal followers surrounded him, followers respecting him out of fear than love or adoration, and others for a taste of his power. Herpo was carrying a baby, seemingly caring for it and then Herpo turned into a man holding a baby Albus thought might be Mortimer. He heard Scorpius yelling for Albus to come back and Albus was about to respond that he never left when he snapped awake.

Nothing changed. Hours seemed to have passed but the effects of the Potion had worn off. Sophie, who was sitting with him at the time, left to alert others. Albus was in what looked like a curtained off room. He found himself able to move and he got up, sitting himself against the wall, testing his jaw to himself to see if he could speak.

The curtains opened up and in walked Scorpius. Scorpius looked very defeated but he changed expression upon seeing Albus. Albus felt himself being embraced by his best friend. Albus hugged him back, feeling terrible. He had witnessed Draco die, Scorpius must've known that. He meant to apologize but he could only whisper, not yet as strong as he would've liked, "I'm sorry, mate."

"Know what this means," Scorpius asked quietly. "Mum and I are the only Malfoys left. And I dunno for how much longer." Upon those words, they broke apart and sat across from each other. "Know how long you were out for?" Scorpius asked.

Albus only shook his head, feeling like Neil having to be as silent as he could. "A week. And everything changed. Badly. Things are so different, Hogwarts isn't the same anymore. Aries lost her Amulet."

"What happened?" Albus asked with a weak voice.

"I'll tell you later," Scorpius sighed. "I care more about you than the school right now." Albus would've liked to argue, to tell him that the school was more important but he was too weak to do so. Scorpius handed him a small phial with blue liquid. "Drink up. Should clear your throat if Simon knows anything."

Albus found that Simon did indeed know a thing or two about Potions. He felt clearer in his throat and more able to move in general. "Thanks," he said in a slightly stronger voice.

"Where's Incommodo?" Albus asked.

"Fled," Scorpius said regretfully. "He left really weak. I dunno what they did to him but his body wasn't stable at all. The teachers died doing it to him, his souls were probably rejecting such a permanently weakened body. The Scamander twins went public with his identity too, the Quibbler is going mad about it and even the Daily Prophet is exploiting it since they're the Reservation. It doesn't help that Lex admits Incommodo went to Greece so the world is in a riot, just like we predicted. Not that Lex means much, he gave a speech after he left, took over the school, and punished the entire student body for what he said was a leg. He accused Lysander of chopping his leg off and, of course, for spreading rumors about the Minister, and captured him. We haven't seen him since."

"They're… gone?"

Scorpius shrugged. "We've tried saving him but the entire Guard has been expelled for inciting rebellion and some were captured. We can't find Sierra, we can't find Laura, Alex is missing, Lancet is missing, Roxanne is gone, Alice is gone, Fora is prisoner, Pierre is prisoner and Morpheus… we think he's stuck masquerading as an Arsenal member to save himself because he's not on the list of prisoners Neil snuck a look at."

"How does he know who we are?" Albus asked.

"He didn't until the majority of us attacked him and he called in reinforcements from Hogsmeade and around the Wizarding world. The entire Arsenal is here and more are coming from… I don't know where. Aries reckons they're Greek but he hasn't been in Greece for ages. There's no end to them. They've taken over Hogwarts completely and expelled whoever attacked them on the spot. Some tried killing us. Cherry is lucky to be alive actually and Mark barely got away with his stumped leg."

"Lex is trying to kill?"

"Has already," Scorpius said. "Two fourth year students. Right now, they're attempting to keep the student body in line so they're using fear tactics. We're sort of to blame though. Shouldn't have set things aflame."

"It's… not our fault," Albus sighed. "At least people know the truth. I just wish the Reservation could not exploit this so much."

"Who're now resuming their attacks everywhere," Scorpius finished. "While the Arsenal is focused on this area where the Reservation still can't get to."

"So, how're they running the school for the students who are not rioting?" Albus asked.

"Some Arsenal members are giving lessons but students generally have to read a certain amount and do a weekly test on what they read. None of us know the details because we're expelled and too busy fighting back. Aries has done more fighting than all of us, even me."

"How is Hogsmeade?" Albus asked, wondering if the Guard had a way out.

"Perfect," Scorpius answered. "They rebelled and the Arsenal is not there anymore. The DA took over. Probably got in the same way we know because we're cut off from the bungalow. Can only get to Lycah's old hut. They have their hands full with Hogwarts. I swear, even some suits of armor have attacked them and they're left to recover in the hospital wing. Lex expelled Madam Pomfrey for refusing to treat them."

"So… if we're expelled, where're our stuff?" Albus asked. If they got his Invisibility Cloak…

"Seth, Fauna, Alexis and Kabe ventured out at night to get them," Scorpius explained. "They're here. We haven't sorted through them all yet, though. We're not sure which is whose."

"It's… ok, that's… how're you guys managing so well?" Albus asked as Scorpius got up.

"Well? Depends of your definition of well," Scorpius scoffed. "We're fighting every day. They're dying more but we're cornered. It's only a matter of time before one of us dies."

Albus could only hope that things turned out ok now. Things were looking very hopeless from where he stood. Or slept since he could barely stand. Mark came in to hug Albus tightly. Albus expected him to seem depressed or broken but- there was something different in him. Something that was not there before. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Mark whispered. "You?"

"A little."

"I was never with him," Mark muttered. "I'm sorry for giving you that impression."

"I know," Albus said quietly. "I trusted you."

Mark smirked before he left, "There's something that never changed."

Seth visited him next, looking very down but still together. His sister had been captured, of course he was like this. Albus nodded shortly at him and Seth sat across from him, casting the Muffliato Charm to keep eavesdroppers off before turning to Albus, gazing him as they stared at each other. It was strange. Like they had a silent understanding. The war needed to end in their favor at any cost. Sierra's capture proved it. Seth looked very tense, it was surprising he was still together and willing to talk to Albus.

"We've still been messing with Alchemy," Seth sighed. "So, I got Maria to help."

Albus stared suspiciously. Seth never told him about this. "Alchemy? That wasn't in"-

"Voldemort left you right?" Seth said quietly. "That's what it looked like when we got there. If Maria and I are right, this changes everything. She and Simon did some magic and brewed a concoction to heal physical injuries. And good thing too cause you looked so grotesque when we found you, I almost cried. Do you know how crazy that is? Me, crying?"

"Considering what happened almost two years ago, no," Albus reminded him, making him blink.

"Of course, not that it matters," Seth said pointedly. "We could kill you right now and end this war…"

"What's taking you?"

"Because Incommodo isn't here right now," Seth told him. "And we have a chance to- to give you a chance. To let you live. So, not yet."

Albus did not mind this, it was a welcome development but he did not understand Seth's motivation and it was impossible to see what Seth was thinking. "What's your game?" he asked straight out.

"Nothing," Seth said easily, eyes giving nothing away. "I already told you I was not going to kill you. I agreed so you ought to give me license in choosing how I do it. So, Maria and I are using Alchemy to try something. We tested it on a summoned snake yesterday and it was comatose after a Killing curse so that one worked. It's just a question of whether it works on a human or a humanoid. We probably need a monkey since they're the closest species."

"Alchemy…" Albus repeated slowly, voice still weak and mind still trying to remember what they needed from it. "You're killing me with Alchemy?"

"You'll see," Seth said vaguely with no emotion present on his face. "Here's the plan," Seth said frankly as Albus began to recall the plotting they had done in the bungalow. "As Maria gave it. The Relics will floor Herpo. If that can't happen, Aries will duel him herself. If, and only if she fails, we'll do it your way. And you'll die. Maria has already gone before Lex and handed him the Orb to give to Incommodo when he returns. Once Incommodo does his work and destroys it, then… I kill you. Alchemy is something else."

Albus remembered. It seemed they were still working the plan then. "Killing me quickly will end the war quicker than otherwise."

Seth fixed Albus with a beady glare, "You agreed to use me. As the executer of this insane plan of yours, I don't care."

Albus was too tired to argue the point so he just lay back, remembering the fight. He was glad Maria came through- Maria! Mark! "What about"-

"Wallader and Prince are fine," Seth said emotionlessly, getting up and showing himself out.

After two days, he could finally walk out and the Guard showed no hesitation in hugging him, some yelling in relief. Albus saw that Lysander was still not there. The Guard did look smaller now he knew who was captured and who was not. He would have to figure a way out for them. Did they seriously not succeed in catching them or did they not act to begin with? Albus could see why Seth had killed Arsenal members though. If Sierra was gone, he was definitely murdering them until they gave her back. How did they attempt rescues if the risk of death was there? Albus certainly hoped they thought this through.

Albus felt Mark's hand on his shoulder, saw Alexis hug him tightly, and even saw Alexander throwing a small smile his way. Alexis was right. The Guard did love him. He was their leader, he united them under a common cause and they were still together, even after two years they were still fighting. Kabe looked more determined than ever, Hugo and Lily stayed together even as they came to congratulate Albus on getting better, some were even congratulating Simon for a job well done. Proxima was even detailing how he could make an excellent Healer or the Hogwarts Healer to replace Madam Pomfrey but he shrugged it off insisting he was going to be Potions Master.

"Potions Master, honestly, Simon," she sighed. "Such a disappointment to Slytherin house."

"Thanks Proxy, I love you too," Simon said sarcastically. "Doing better, Al?"

"Much, thanks," Albus said as the crowd around him motioned for him to sit down. Looking around, it seemed the Room had indeed gotten much bigger. So many rooms were added now, all curtained off. Some were captured and Albus would work on that but most were still around. Alpha was resting against Proxima's back and looking a little better, Seth was ignoring Sophie's attempts to talk to him, Scorpius and Lucy were sitting close beside each other arms tightly around each other, Riley and Rose were standing beside each other, Neil was sleeping alone in a corner, unmoving and Eric sat alone, still worried for his twin. Mark seemed on edge too and even Aries did not seem able to talk him up. They just needed to save the rest of the Guard members. If they could do this, Albus would have to ask for the drastic.

Hogwarts was no longer possible to save. The Arsenal was too strong. Fighting the Headmaster alone was one thing, fighting an Overseer and a Legislator was another thing, but fighting against an entire army while Incommodo fled with an unknown fate, he could very well return any minute as Lex promised he would and students would not be able to stand against him if he did. Teachers barely did it. And if Incommodo returned not as himself but as Herpo, with the magical prowess of both Mortimer and Herpo with fully functional Scepter, he would be as unstoppable as Merlin warned. Not even the Relics would save them. But Albus was genuinely worried.

Flesh, Blood and Bone. Incommodo admitted that was indeed his endpoint, offered Albus the same thing. If he returned as Herpo, now the world knew his secret, it would be impossible. He was too powerful. Albus experienced that firsthand. Now, it was time the Guard knew the whole truth and fled from Hogwarts. Perhaps they would evacuate the entire student body, little by little, to Hogsmeade under the DA's protection but they could not act as only thirty-some students against hundreds of adult witches and wizards whose numbers had no end anymore. If Aries was right and they arrived from Greece, it suggested that was where Incommodo was, probably blackmailing people into following him.

Albus took a seat facing them. If he lived, he thought, and they all got through and still stayed together as friends, he would make sure he was not the sole speaker any longer.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks," Mark sighed miserably.

"Apparently, as I hear, a lot of us have been captured," Albus asked calmly.

Everyone nodded. The mood was different this time around. Lancet was absent and he was their youngest. Cherry was sitting alone and the one student with a calming atmosphere, Lysander, was gone. It felt very strange addressing them. They had to get them back, first and foremost, and then get out. In the dead of night, they would wake students up and help them out of the castle. Somehow, they needed to expel the Arsenal. Somehow. But thirty-some students could not do it. Even the DA alone could not do it and they were toeing a fine line indeed if they planned to go to war with the Arsenal when the Reservation was still running strong and perfectly capable of exploiting any division its enemies had.

"And the Arsenal has taken over," Albus got straight.

Again, they nodded. This time, the mood shifted from silence to fear and tension. The younger students especially seemed to be uneasy. Cherry was shivering slightly, even Maria looked shaky in her small knees, Sophie was folding her arms tightly and Neil was staring ahead aimlessly, as if to space, not fully with the meeting this time. Albus supposed it could be worse for him. He'd been through enough. Losing his father must've been devastating. Then again, Neil, Pierre, Scorpius and Aries had lost their fathers. Pierre of all had lost everyone but his mother and he was captured too. Things were not looking up anymore. That was made clear when Eric drew a shaky breath.

"Ok, can someone tell me exactly what happened after the teachers died?" Albus asked, trying to remain calm.

"The duel woke us up," Kabe said. "We saw a bit from our windows because we're only a little underground. It wasn't pretty."

"And some us went out to see what had happened," Scorpius said. "After the battle had died down. Most of the students were up by the time you all finished."

"Some Gryffindors were about to jump in but when Incommodo staggered back in, he looked horrible," Fauna moaned. "And looked ready to massacre everyone."

"He walked away and we never saw him again," Alpha sighed. "Lex took over an hour later and demanded we go to bed. The next morning, Incommodo was in Greece according to him and Lex himself had lost a leg. Accused Lysander even though we all know Lysander doesn't have that nature."

Lily looked like she was about to be sick but she spoke nonetheless in a small voice, "It was terrifying."

"Yeah, like, I knew he was a monster but I didn't think he was a monster," Lucy said shakily. "And if he went to Greece…"

"Then his endpoint is about to be met," Scorpius said regretfully. "He's coming back as Herpo. Incommodo is gone."

"Impossible," Seth sighed. "Mortimer and Herpo are too weak, one is dead. If he returns, the two would have to remain symbiotic, but this time as a single soul instead of two. They have… extra sources keeping them alive. Meaning he'd be Herpo but easier to kill. Not at full power."

"And Lysander was more or less safe in here until he spilled the beans on Incommodo," Lorcan said with what seemed like a Lysander-like grin. "Blew the entire Wizarding world up. It's in an uproar and the Reservation is exploiting all of it."

"And it earned an attack in Hogsmeade," Frank sighed. "The Quibbler office was attacked there but we don't have injury reports. Since St. Mungo's are closed after the Reservation's attack on London, no one can get treated there. So, whatever happened to Luna, we don't know."

"Al, are the rumors that father fought him true?" Proxima asked straight out.

Alpha looked at her uneasily and even Lily looked in interest. Albus could only nod before confirming, "He fled though… at the worse time. Could've finished him if he didn't."

Proxima looked stoic and expressionless but Albus, Scorpius, just about anyone near her could feel the anger boiling inside her. Proxima hated her father. And she hated Scorpius, practically tortured him. No one dared bring it up though and Scorpius looked determinedly away from Proxima.

"Anyways," Hugo said. "Gabriel tried stealing papers and Neil was caught with- erm… Hogsmeade products- sort of- and the rest of us tried fighting back, saving students who opted for civil disobedience and now we're expelled."

"We tried saving some tortured students but it only got Pierre captured," Lorcan said quietly. "Lysander was taken since day one, and Fora's been gone for four days now. And I dunno how Lancet got taken."

"And Alex is another story," Mark mumbled. "We dunno where he went, just that he left one day early in the morning and he never came back. It's only because Neil managed to steal a paper of captured students we know that he's captured."

"And Morpheus?" Melvin asked.

"Missing," Mark answered. "The Arsenal don't know where he is."

"Ok," Albus said, gathering his thoughts. "Firstly, we definitely need to save them somehow. I'll get to that in a moment. Do we still have my Invisibility Cloak?"

"Here we are," Gabriel said, heaving Albus' trunk over. All the bags seemed to be there.

Gabriel and Alexis set it down in front of Albus. Albus took the map out and activated it. Neil looked over his shoulder and the two pairs of eyes scanned the map before his quiet voice said, "There."

There they were. Alex Wallaby, Laura Creevey, Fora Vuleroman, Roxanne Weasley, Sierra Lean, Lorcan Scamander, Pierre Macmillan, Alice Longbottom and Lancet Goal were in a room holed up on the sixth floor. Albus was about to verbalize this when he double-checked, sure he had misread. Lorcan Scamander? Lorcan Scamander? But, you said… Lorcan…"

Lorcan, supposedly, reverted back to a wide misty grin and said, "I told you we were going to switch places," Lysander said in a quiet voice with a soft smile to everyone's shock. Even Aries widened his eyes. "Did you really think they would take the right one? It's Lorcan there, not me. But… we still have to rescue him."

Quite a few pat his back. Some seemed to have already guessed the truth. Hugo and Lily grinned at each other as if sharing a private, inside joke and the Greengrass twins exchanged knowing looks. Albus stared for a bit as he got used to the fact that it was Lorcan, not Lysander, who was captured. He sighed in acceptance, "Alright, fine. So, we have captured students. Any chance we get them back or did you Polyjuice into some- ah…"

Neil had just pointed to another area of the map. Standing guard near the entrance was Morpheus Ollivander. There were Arsenal members beside him, patrolling with him, so that it did look as if he had simply gotten into their ranks. "Ok, so how do we do this? Attack at night and take them away?"

"Even with Aries in the lead, that proved impossible," Mark mumbled again. "And if we did that, that might put other students at risk. We're the ones they're after and they're holding the student body hostage."

"So, we can only go diplomatically," Scorpius said sadly. "I'd have loved to get my first kill in."

"Oh, please, you're too cowardly, you lack the fortitude!" Proxima scoffed.

"Proxy"-

"DON'T call me Proxy," Proxima said angrily. "Don't you dare."

"Guys!" Mark said loudly, shutting them up. "Al has an idea. Lex would want to talk to Albus. If Albus offers something- I dunno what- we might get the students back. All of them."

"I know what I'll offer him," Albus said grimly. "But you won't like it. Anyways, this will have to be done and it probably means the disillusion of our group but… guys… I reckon we're over." He expected the reactions. Some looked plain mutinous, like a duel was about to erupt. Hugo and Lily gaped at him, disappointed, Seth just leaned back and stared casually, Frank looked upset, Scorpius looked angry, Neil looked scared, Aries looked about to raise a tantrum and Mark looked as if he was going to cry. "I'm sorry, guys. Really. But… look, hear me out," he offered to the quietly angry group. Their silent anger made him wish they just started rioting. It would be easier to read. "We fought to hold Rojer and Ridge at bay, we fought to keep Incommodo limited, and we even fought to defy the expulsion rule. Now, we have our entire group expelled, we're getting arrested by the day, and students are going to start dying. It's only a matter of time."

"Al"-

"I'm serious," Albus interrupted seriously. "The Arsenal numbers over a hundred, people are coming in from Greece, and Herpo is returning. That is not even funny. The Relics would barely take him if he has the Scepter. This is crazy. I'm not saying this to give it up but we're thirty-eight. Thirty-eight students can't take on the entire Arsenal in one. Let's be realistic. Wait till Herpo comes back and then we work with the DA and sneak in here. We'll face him once more for real, Relics against Scepter, and it'll be fairer."

"So… we're not giving up then," Mark said rationally. "It's a strategic retreat."

"Exactly," Simon said grinning. "Muggles do that all the time. Retreat to reinforce a more important position. The Arsenal isn't done. They'll try to retake Hogsmeade so let's go there. Protect it. Make sure they can't. And when Herpo returns, we'll tell the DA and it'll snowball from there."

"So… are we in agreement?" Albus asked. "Do I offer our surrender in return for the students?"

In the forest…

Apollo was staring up. He was sightless for five minutes earlier that day for seeing a powerful vision. The war was moving quickly and the final future was finally making itself known. Apollo had never known for sure who would win the war. The war was being fought by so many and with so many tactics, some smart and some not, that every day he saw a new future depending on who did what recently. A week ago, it seemed clear the DA would win outright but then the Arsenal attacked Hogwarts and Incommodo's identity was revealed. He saw students captured, he saw the Arsenal getting cornered in the castle, he saw Lex providing for them a way in for them to regroup and attack the Wizarding world. That's what triggered a vision three days ago. The Arsenal would win in weeks.

Just hours ago, Apollo saw the Hogwarts Guard winning. He did not know what they did to change things but this was the first time he saw their group specifically winning the war. He could not tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing. The group was good but they had diversity and some could go bad in a matter of years. Apollo had seen their futures during the brief time he had spent with them. Their victory could be good or bad. It depended.

One future more prominent amongst his visions was that of the Guard winning but with too many losses. Very few would survive but the world would be saved. For a time. The survivors' lives would be shortened. One would actively chase immortality, one would die regardless of the war so all he could see in that particular future was death, and one would become a serial killer before being killed by Aries unless he came to terms with himself immediately. He saw one go down an abusive path of pain and torment before a young, premature death due to self abuse and arrest. He saw one murder her own father, one drinking himself to death, one raging and storming at a brother on his deathbed, one cradling a baby as she died, one losing his mind, one ending his own life, and another just secluding herself and never being seen again. The trauma of the war affecting them all.

Yet… he also saw life. He saw a chance for them all. Was it possible for that future to come to pass? Could things be solved in a better way? Or was it better that the Hogwarts Guard opted out before it was too late? He could see a Werewolf, a new Ministry, a new magical creature nobody had discovered, a new Hogwarts, many new specialized schools, and the entire Guard living until their dying days. Days that for some would be far off and others would be close by regardless. The future could be happy or it could be miserable. Apollo had seen only despair for the longest time in his life.

Recently, Apollo had seen his own death. He watched as he was hit by a Killing Curse and his own body gave in. He watched his body fall against his sister's loving, cradling arms, himself almost nestled against her as he died. Apollo did not mind his own death in visions. They did not scare him for as he saw his own body dying, whether young or old, he saw himself in a separate plane yet in the same world. Perhaps he was seeing his own soul's future? He believed so but he was young. He did not know as much as people gave him credit for. Wisdom did not equal knowledge and wisdom came with the package of seeing the future and having to accept whatever he saw. Still… when he saw his own death, he could not help but smile. Whenever he died, it would be ok. It would simply be but another step in the grand journey of the human soul.

Hopefully, whenever he died, it would be in quiet and silence. He did not want to die in a war. He turned back to the Centaurs who awaited him at the edge of the clearing and he walked back towards them. It was only a matter of time but for the first time, the future was a little clearer to him than it was a week ago.