CHAPTER 47: CONJURATIO ET MYSTERIUM
(Severus POV)
"So you actually met her ghost?" inquired a black-haired female.
"Yes," replied a silver-haired girl.
"And you became good friends with her spirit?"
"Yes."
"I can't believe it… King Arthur was actually a girl!? A blondie who wears armor just like a knight, and is really good with the sword?" stated Alice incredulously, as she started shaking the silver-haired girl by her shoulder on reflex.
"It is the truth, whether you believe it or not," said Ilya honestly.
Four people were currently talking in a sitting position inside the dojo on the fourth floor, talking about all that transpired just a while back that morning… well, it was more like an inquiry and interrogation of Ilya than anything else, and Alice was leading the investigation…
"Alright I believe you," sighed the black-haired female, as she went back to sit on the floor. "Still… would you mind telling us Ilya… why do you have her sword?"
"I would like to know that as well," added Rose, her eyes also alight with curiosity. "Why is it that Caliburn is in your possession? Not only that, Bedivere, that ghost we talked to just a while ago said that it was broken? So how come… Ilya?"
"I…I'm really sorry," stammered the silver-haired girl, a mixture of apology and pleading in her voice. "But that is something between me and Arturia. I sort of promised her… I… I… I…"
"We understand," said Rose gently at her silver-haired friend, worried, apparently seeing the nervousness and hesitation. "If you can't tell us about it, then we won't force you…"
"Thank you…"
Severus remained silent, as he continued to watch the exchange, relieved that Rose, as well as Alice, were letting the matter go. The silver-haired girl just repeated the same things which she said to the ghost of Bedivere, who, fortunately enough, backed down when Ilya used the same reasoning. From the look on their faces, the raven-haired young man could tell that the two females wanted to know more, but were understanding enough to let the issue drop.
In truth, Severus himself was curious, really curious, as he also wanted to know how Ilya had met the ghost of the King of Knights. Yes, there had been quite a few revelations that he discovered that morning. The first one was the fact that Ilya actually had the legendary sword, Caliburn, stored in her Reality Marble.
The second one… having such an epic weapon like The Sword of Promised Victory among her countless number of blades… could only mean that Ilya probably had others swords, blades and spears of such magnitude within it… and the raven-haired young man could not help but shudder at the thought… Unlimited Blade Works, Infinite Creation of Swords, indeed…
Yet for some reason, his silver-haired girlfriend did not seem to want to tell her friends about it. Well, it was only natural for her to conceal her abilities, undoubtedly believing that it was for the best. She would probably tell them about it as well eventually, but now was not the best time, and he could not help but agree… it was indeed best to take things slow and easy when it comes to such delicate matters. Still…
Severus already knew that Ilya can be of the secretive type, and he could not help but feel that aside from trying to conceal her powers and what she was capable of, there was something more to it…
And it was from the way his silver-haired girlfriend talked about the King of Knights, that made Severus really curious. Yes, it had indeed been quite a shock when they found out that Arthur Pendragon was actually Arturia Pendragon, a woman, who disguised herself as a man so she could ascend the throne. Yes, it was quite the surprise, but it was something else that caught Severus' attention…
It was strange. For some reason, when Ilya talked about the legendary King Arthur, Arturia, it was with a lot of emotional attachment and affection. It was as if she had known her personally, not just as a ghost or spirit, but as real live person, and it was indeed baffling. The way she talked… it was as if they had lived together like family under the same roof.
Yes, it was farfetched theory, nearly as farfetched as Voldemort seeing the error of his ways and turning himself over to the Ministry… and yet…
"Alright then, Ilya," said Alice, with a fake yawn, as she stood up and stretched her arms. "I remember you said you will teach us a new spell today…"
"That is correct," replied the silver-haired female, her voice monotonous, as she entered 'Professor Emiya' mode. "Today I will be teaching the two of you Reinforcement…"
Severus also stood up, and absentmindedly grabbed one of the wooden swords on the side to practice…
SWISH!
SWISH!
SWISH!
Arturia Pendragon, thought Severus, as he continued his training, though half of his attention was focused on what he was thinking about.
The King… Queen of Knights…
SWISH!
One of the greatest swordsmen…women, in history…
SWISH!
"?!"
The raven-haired young man, not paying attention to what he was doing, lost his balance, then…
That was close, sighed Severus inwardly, thankful that he managed to catch himself just in time, as well as the fact that the other three did not seem to have noticed, too busy with their Magecraft lesson. Had he fallen on his behind, it would made a loud enough for the them to hear and would have been… embarrassing. So now… Wait… Arturia…? King of Knights…? Caliburn…?
The eyes of the man with raven hair widened, as he realized something, a memory flashing through his mind… It was absolutely impossible… and yet… Severus could not help but acknowledge what his gut feeling was telling him…
A picture of a petite blonde-haired girl, with cold green eyes, who wore a stern and emotionless expression on her face…
Saber…
-BREAK-
(Dumbledore POV)
"… and the girl?" inquired the Headmaster.
"In the hospital wing." replied the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.
"What is her condition?" asked Dumbledore again, worry in her voice.
"She's fine, Albus." This time it was Filius Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw House, who answered in his squeaky voice. "When we left her with Poppy she was actually trying to get out of bed to um… see the heroine who saved her…"
"I see," replied the old Headmaster, relief in his voice. Madame Pomfrey, the Hogwarts School Nurse, was indeed an expert in healing… he could leave things in her hands until the girl was ready to talk. "So anyway, I think you all know why I've called for this meeting…"
It was indeed a most tiring and stressful morning for the faculty of Hogwarts. Despite all the magical security measures installed in the castle, as well as the presence of the teachers, each of whom were no pushovers, formidable witches and wizards in their own right, apparently it still wasn't enough.
Somehow, someone had managed to breach all the defenses, and managed to sneak a giant into the castle. And said giant managed to get its hands on one of the first year students. It was indeed a wonder, as to how someone had managed to sneak into the castle somethings so big…
From the information the teachers have gathered so far, they remain blind. They have absolutely no idea as to how it could have happened. Something so enormous could not have possibly entered Hogwarts, let alone get its hands on one of the student, unless…
The teachers had formulated a number of theories on the aspect. All they were sure of was that someone had used a powerful concealing spell, a Disillusionment on the giant, which let it remained unnoticed. But as for how it got it hands on a hostage…
There had been no evidence that the monstrosity had been anywhere inside the castle. It was actually purely by coincidence that the giant was detected. Hagrid and Slughorn were having a little chat early in the morning, and the larger of the two accidentally bumped into an unseen something that seemed, based from the fact that the gamekeeper despite being personally large, being a half-giant, was thrown back, even bigger than himself, which made that particular something roar. Slughorn, skilled wizard that he was, immediately suspected that a Disillusionment Charm was in place, and cast it, revealing the giant and its hostage. Had it not been for that little coincidence, the beast might have managed to escape with the girl unnoticed.
Still, the giant could not have possibly managed to snatch a student if it had not even been inside the castle and only on the grounds…
Which meant that someone else must have done it. That someone, while it was not clear whether or not whoever it was was controlling the giant or not, was definitely in league with it. Whoever the accomplice was managed to get their hands on the target, then handed it over to the giant, who tried to run off with it.
And whoever that accomplice was, judging from the House the hostage was in, was most likely to have been a Gryffindor…
The Headmaster was not pleased, yet even he could not deny the possibility. Perhaps one of the other students managed to cast a spell on either the girl, or one of her fellow Gryffindors, and controlled them so that the girl would willingly get herself hostaged, or the controlled student/s brought the girl to the giant or the one/s responsible…
Had the silver-haired not stepped in and done something about it… even Albus Dumbledore was not sure if he had made it in time. Once outside of the boundary of Hogwarts, a wizard would be able to use means, probably Apparition, to take the girl (and perhaps even the giant, if the wizard was powerful enough) away and out of reach of rescuers…
Yes, thanks to Emiya, the girl was safe. Had it not been for her… it might have been a disaster…
For the hostage the giant had managed to get its hands on, was actually…
"?!"
Without warning, flames erupted from the fireplace of the Headmaster's office, just as a formidable-looking man with dark grey hair, stepped out of it, brushing ash off his robes…
In the next little while, four more people appeared, arriving within moments of each other, out of the fireplace…
A female with purple hair...
A young man with brown hair…
An older man, who looked as if he was in his late fifties, with short white hair, and...
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion," began a male voice.
The one who spoke looked like he was between his thirties and forties, with short blonde hair and light blue eyes…
"… but I'm here to see my daughter. Where is she?"
"She is currently in the Hospital Wing," answered Dumbledore, as he and the rest of the staff showed the usual respectful formality and hospitality they gave the visitors of Hogwarts.
"Would you mind escorting us there?" inquired the blonde-haired man in an almost growl, his eyes narrowing, a mixture of worry and anger in them.
"Of course…" replied the Headmaster, as he gave a meaningful look to Minerva McGonagall, who nodded in response…
The Deputy Headmistress went in front of the group and offered to lead the way…
"This way, Minister…"
-BREAK-
(Voldemort POV)
"My Lord?"
"Leave me…" said a high cold voice.
"Y-yes My Lord," stammered the man, who left the room as quickly as he could, undoubtedly relieved to still be alive, despite the fact that he had brought ill news.
Indeed, under normal circumstances of failure, the Dark Lord might have done just that. Yes, he hated failure, he could hardly tolerate it, and whenever one of his followers had displeased him thus far, Lord Voldemort would kill them without mercy…
The plan had been simple. Upon entering Hogwarts, his followers were to create the perfect opportunity to kidnap the daughter of Ronald Dreamweaver, the Minister of Magic. The man had thought that his daughter was safe in Hogwarts, for it was under the protection of Albus Dumbledore, considered by many as the greatest sorcerer in the world (At this thought the Dark Lord almost puked.). Still, the Minister had actually added an extra precaution.
The Minister's child, Reina Dreamweaver, entered Hogwarts using the surname Cordon. By hiding her true identiy, Dreamweaver actually thought that this move would ensure his daughter's safety while she takes her magical education. It was a wise move. No one would ever know they were related. Reina was safe…
Well, that was what the fool thought. Unknown to him, Voldemort's spies in the Ministry managed to get their hands on such vital information, and gave it to their master. And thus, one of the plans the Dark Lord formulated involved kidnapping the girl. By holding her hostage, he would have a greatly increased influenced on the Ministry… and with a bit of manipulation, he would be able to take over. And once he has most of the Wizarding World discreetly under his control… even someone like Dumbledore would be easier to deal with. A little bit of politics and Voldemort would have the crackpot old fool discredited, removed from Hogwarts, or assassinated… with the Ministry under his control, there would have been so many options...
And indeed the phrase is 'there would have been…'
Once again, despite Voldemort's careful instructions and strategies, the plan failed. Not only was the girl not taken hostage, he had also lost one of his giant slaves… and while the Dark Lord did not care for the lives of such low creatures, he could not help but feel it was a waste. Voldemort was angry, infuriated with what happened...
Yet this time, despite the ill result his recent plan ended up with, the Dark Lord managed to keep his cool, keeping himself under control…
For despite the immense rage he felt, it was overwhelmed by the feeling of shock, awe and fear (though the Dark Lord would never admit that he felt fear, even to himself) from what had transpired...
Wanting to make sure his plans go according to plan, the Dark Lord had sent one of his snake familiars to watch the whole operation…
For a while it looked as if everything was going according to plan. As expected, the teachers, talented though they were, had been nothing but a nuisance (Voldemort had predicted that they would hold back their magic because of the hostage), simply delaying the successful abduction, which was inevitable. With Dumbledore safely out of the way, tricked by letter on which the time was deliberately switched, there was no way for the plan to fail. It was assured of 100% success…
Or not...
"CALI-
BURN!"
The Dark Lord, the greatest sorcerer in existence, was shocked. He will never admit it to anyone, but what he had seen through his familiar's eyes made him tremble with fear…
It was not due to the disintegrating effect the blast had on the giant. Voldemort actually had spells in his arsenal that can do the same amount,or even much more damage than what he had seen. However…
That sword… THAT CURSED SWORD … screamed the Dark Lord in his thoughts…
Lord Voldemort felt gravely threatened. He was not sure if the sword was indeed the legendary Caliburn or not, in fact he did not actually care, for his interest lies in items with magic, yet even magical swords were not to his liking. Swords were too… primitive, too savage, too Mugglish, and therefore did not normally merit his attention. However, the light from the sword, the power used by the girl… that was the main problem…
For the light was a holy light… but more importantly, for some reason, Voldemort, having a front row seat via his familiar, instinctively knew what the power could do… one which was the greatest threat to his immortality…
The sword could destroy Horcruxes…
And it did not bode well for the Dark Lord. The Horcuxes were the key to his immortality. By splitting his soul into fragments, even if his body was destroyed, as long as one of the Horcruxes has him anchored to the world, he cannot be killed… The main soul would simply lose its body and while it will be excruciatingly difficult, he will be able to return, for he cannot die…
The Dark Lord could not help but feel immense fear and dread of the girl's weapon…
That sword can destroy me…
For the sword, which the silver hair called Caliburn, can do something else aside from destroy his Horcruxes…
It can destroy Voldemort's main soul fragment itself. Instinctively, the Dark Lord knew. Even if the Horcruxes exist, and thus anchor him to the world, the particular piece of his soul, which was himself, could be destroyed. Even if the parts of his soul that he split were still around… and may even be able to resurrect themselves by themselves… he himself would still die. And he did not want to die. Voldemort did not want to die… His other soul fragments were him, yet at the same time, they were not him… The main purpose for their creation was to anchor Voldemort to life, yet while it may keep him in existence, the Dark Lord's main soul fragment itself will disappear… Voldemort as a whole might not die… but he, the main soul, will still die…
The girl had now become as great a threat as Albus Dumbledore... and it appears as if the two were actually working together. If that was the case…
Something must be done… thought the Dark Lord, as he gritted his teeth in anger and annoyance.
Voldemort cannot allow this to continue. He needed to reassess his plans and priorities.
The Dark Lord started walking to and fro in his chamber, trying to come up with a plan to protect himself, as well as to get rid of the pests that now threaten his very existence…
-BREAK-
In an unknown location, after making sure that no one was nearby, two transparent people began engaging in conversation.
"The girl is obviously lying," said an echoing female voice, as a frown appeared on the ghost's face. "I do not recall ever meeting her."
"But that cannot be," gasped the transparent knight, as he placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought. "I was actually sure she telling the truth."
"Well she wasn't," replied the ghost's companion disdainfully. "Were I still alive, I would make her pay for her insolence. To actually go around telling people that she knew me is an insult. And she actually had the nerve to try and fool everyone with a fake Caliburn. She should be thankful that I am in no position to dish out any punishment. Now, if there is nothing else, I am leaving."
The transparent blonde woman in armor had begun to float away when…
"It wasn't a fake," said the grey-eyed knight.
The female knight paused, then went back to face her former subordinate.
"What did you say?" the ghost inquired of her companion quietly.
"It wasn't a fake," the other spirit repeated. "I had been your loyal companion, supporting you for many years. There is no possible way for me to have been mistaken. I saw it with my own two eyes... That was definitely the sword which you pulled out of the stone and anvil all those centuries ago… I'm sure that you felt it as well…"
"But that's impossible," whispered the blonde female ghost quietly. "My sword… my Caliburn has been broken and is lost forever."
"If it helps, my liege," the grey-eyed knight continued. "The girl also knows of your true gender."
The green eyes of the transparent female knight widened for an instant, before narrowing back to normal, the expression on her face once again cold and emotionless, though it was obvious to her companion that she was in a turmoil of emotions…
"Tell me, Bedivere," began the ghost of the blonde female knight. "Who is this person? Where can I find her?"
"Her name is Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya, my King," replied the grey-eyed knight. "She is currently residing and studying magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Alright, another chapter out. Well, I've been reading the reviews for a bit and I noticed that some actually commented about how Snape is generally disliked as a character. One actually even commented about how poor Ilya could have actually ended up paired up with him. Well, that doesn't actually bother me personally. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion after all, though I must admit I actually thought that many will change their view of Severus Snape the moment the last Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, by J.K. Rowling, came out. For in my opinion, that book just showed how cruel a person Lily Evans actually was, and how inconsistent was the statement that the good nature of Harry comes from his mother, a view of things which I totally disagree with. No matter who your parents are, every person is unique, and has their own choice between good and evil… and Harry simply made his own choice, regardless of who his parents were. Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and that includes me.
Anyway, I'm glad that there are people who enjoy reading my fanfic. I really enjoy writing, and one of my favorites is writing about underdogs in my stories (This is one reason why I still like Harry Potter as a character, as he was still an underdog even though he was the main character. And since he was, basically, used by Dumbledore as his dog and puppet, hell, Snape even said he was a swine raised for slaughter, which was true in a way.) and letting them triumph.
So like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter…
Later then, people…