CHAPTER 48: THE MINISTER OF MAGIC
(Severus POV)
THUD!
"Guh!"
"You are not paying attention," said a monotonous female voice, as she pointed one of her wooden swords at the young man with raven-hair, who was once again down on the floor, flat on his behind. " You are faring at a worse rate than yesterday. Had this been a real battle, I would have killed you several times already. Focus, Sev, focus..."
It was almost twelve noon. Severus Snape was finding it really difficult to concentrate on his training. After all that happened that morning, it should come as no surprise, and because of his distraction, he was performing really poorly in their training spar.
"Alright, let's take a break for now," said the silver-haired female, as she brought out the food which she got from the kitchens.
A badly concealed groan was heard from Alice, as she began to grudgingly eat some beef steak. And from the look on Rose's face, who was the black-haired female's sparring partner. it was obvious that the two have the same opinion with regards to the matter, and the raven-haired young man was also in silent agreement with them…
Unfortunately, Ilya did not have any time to cook for them that day, which meant that they had no choice but to settle for the food that was prepared by the Hogwarts House Elves. While the meals they prepared were always quite good, for some reason there was something missing from them. Ilya's dishes, as far as the group was concerned, was superior in quality compared with the ones cooked by the House Elves, no offense meant to the little creatures, it was just an honest opinion. There was simply some factor that they couldn't quite comprehend, that made what Ilya cook better than theirs.
Still, Severus' attention was currently more focused on other things, and one of them was Ilya's sword fighting style.
Even though he was just a novice, the raven-haired young man could not help but notice the great difference in the styles she had been using. When they were training, the silver-haired girl always fought with twin swords. It was indeed an effective technique, and in truth, while Severus had been vastly improving with his own swordsmanship, he had never managed to beat her, not even once. Still, the style that she was teaching him and the style that she was using when they spar were different. While Ilya was using that particular style, the instructions she had been giving Severus were meant for a different, one-sword-based, fighting method…
Which the raven-haired young man now recognized as the one Ilya had used against the giant. The particular sword style that Ilya was teaching him was actually one which the silver-haired girl had never once yet used in their spars, and now he had seen her use it in a serious confrontation. And if she was capable of utilizing two different fighting stances, it was likely that she could make use of other techniques, aside from the ones he had seen so far.
Then again, Ilya happened to have a countless number of blades, and if Severus were to take a wild guess, the silver-haired female was probably adept at using most, if not every single one of her weapons…
Severus could not help but wonder, just how skilled a swordswoman his girlfriend truly was…
All of a sudden, just as the group was about to resume with their training, having finished their lunch, something glowing and silvery entered the room…
"Ms. Emiya," began a familiar voice, which can only belong to a certain silver-bearded old man. "Please come to the Hospital Wing at once. This is an urgent matter…"
-BREAK-
(Ilya POV)
It had been a most annoying day for the silver-haired female. Even now, as she and her friends began heading for the Hospital Wing, they had been receiving a lot of unpleasant stares from the students they passed by along the way. It was indeed not a good feeling, what with all that happened, the giant, the ghosts, specially the spirit of a certain knight who introduced himself as a trusted companion of King Arthur (and proved it without even trying to do so), and…
By the Root, he knows where it is, thought the silver-haired girl with a frown.
For Ilya now recalled another complication which was added to the already complicated situation. Their secret base, their refuge and safe haven, was no longer a secret… at least, not from a certain ancient-looking wizard who goes by the name Albus Dumbledore… not only that, he definitely knew how to breach its protective enchantments…
It was most disturbing. Despite all of the defenses she had placed around the area, the Hogwarts Headmaster was still able to send a message through to her, as if the protections the silver-haired female had placed were nonexistent. Just the day before, Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix friend, 'flew by' to deliver the Headmaster's message, without activating any of the defenses, even the alarms…
This time, the Headmaster had sent one of his spells, his Patronus Charm, with the same purpose, and this action confirmed Ilya's suspicion.
Dumbledore, in the beginning, had no idea, had no knowledge of the place they were utilizing. And he only found out about it was because of the fiery bird which was his friend and ally, probably sharing its vision. Still…
The best way for someone or something,, to be able to penetrate through the most powerful ones of Ilya's combination magecraft and magical traps and protections (Unknown to anyone but her and Sev, she had actually placed some defenses which were, literally, deadly.) is for them to not have any maliscious intent, or in the case of spells, for them to not have any harming aspect, or not recognized by the Bounded Field (Ilya still had a lot of research to do on spells and their effects to further enhance her defenses barriers, as simply making the barrier negate anything with magical energy, while effective in a way, also had its weaknesses, specifically with regard to friendly spells.). The defenses Ilya had placed are actually able to sense the presence of negative emotions in the air, and thus will react to any person or creature with a negative purpose… which means that the Headmaster most probably did not intend to cause them any harm…
Dumbledore had not informed her as to the reason why he was asking for her presence, but as far as he knew the old man, it was probably important, and her friends were determined to go with her. Although Ilya was reluctant to bring them along, she did not let them notice it and simply agreed, although on the condition that they kept their Magic Circuits active, explaining to them the reason behind it. It was always best to take precautions, after all…
In truth, during the time that Ilya had been summoned by Dumbledore to his office, her three companions actually wanted to go with her. However, no matter how much they insisted, she could not allow it, utilizing the excuse that she was the only one the Headmaster called for. At the time, the silver-haired female was unsure of what the old Headmaster was up to. She had studied about Occlumency and Legilimency, the latter actually involving the development of some form of Mystic Eyes, and judging from the power that emanated from the old silver beard, he probably had one, and probably had it at a high level. It was possible that Dumbledore was planning to extract information from her through that means, and that was unacceptable…
However, when Ilya went to his office, the old man did not even attempt to do something within those lines. Ilya already had a bit of experience with Legilimency. The process actually involved some kind of connection between two minds… and for the mind connection to exist, a prana/magical energy connection must also be put in place, similar to what she had experienced with the Sorting Hat, though that case did not require eye contact.
Ilya, acting cautiously, activated her Magic Circuits to prevent any foreign energy from entering her body through eye contact. However, while the old man did indeed try and make their eyes meet, actually succeeding, no burst of energy came from him when he did so. It was as if he was using other means of reading her other than invading her mind….
Although Ilya found it hard to believe at first, her conversation with the Headmaster only strengthened her theory… Dumbledore, was indeed powerful and formidable, matching or probably even surpassing Voldemort, as well as Medea, the Caster of the 5th Holy Grail War, in raw magical power, and far more likely than not to have a vast arsenal of spells to match her in a battle of magic. However, he was too soft, too forgiving, too unwilling to be the cause of death of others, willing to give people second chances- a trait which, ironically, would probably end up causing even more loss of life…
CRASH!
"Ow… ow…" muttered the silver-haired female, as she rubbed her nose…
"ILYA! Are you alright?" shouted three voices together worriedly, as they helped her back up on her feet…
"I'm fine," replied the white-haired female, keeping her voice calm and composed. In truth, she was actually in pain. Having been too deep in her own thoughts, Ilya had barely noticed were she was going, and now she paid the price for not paying attention (which, ironically, was the same offense she had been reprimanding Sev for just a while back). She was lucky enough not to have broken her nose or wounded it too badly. Otherwise, blades would have probably began sprouting around the injury…
Still, the silver-haired girl and her companions did not have any more time for reprieve. The door she had slammed into, the door of the Hospital Wing, suddenly opened…
And the timing was yet again… unfortunate. For Rose and Alice had been absentmindedly leaning on the door. And thus, the two females having been caught off guard, the result was…
"Whoa…"
THUD!
"Ow, my back…" grumbled Alice, as she rubbed her spine. On her side, Rose was mirroring her action, probably due to the fact that she had fallen in the same fashion...
"Ah. Ms. Emiya and company, so good of you to join us," greeted a familiar silver-bearded old man.
The silver-haired female could hardly contain a scowl, after realizing that the Headmaster was obviously the one who opened the door. Judging from the twinkle that flashed in his eyes, it was obvious that he was aware of their arrival...
Before she could think of any word of insult for the old Headmaster, however…
"?!"
The silver-haired female found herself in a very tight, vice-grip-like embrace, which made it somewhat difficult to breathe.
At first, Ilya thought that it was Evelyn. Rufus' sister. After all, she was fond of trapping Ilya and her boyfriend in her choke-like hugs. However…
The young girl who was currently latched on to her was a blonde, and Evelyn's hair color was brown. Also, while Evelyn normally cried out in delight when she saw them, the one currently embracing her had not said a single word, remaining quiet. But more importantly…
Her vibe… it was different. Rufus' sister had a somewhat cheerful aura, and she seemed to have a positive outlook in life. The girl who currently had her arms wrapped around Ilya at the moment, however…
Had a cold and lonely air about her...
"Daughter, restrain yourself," said a commanding voice, undoubtedly meant for the girl.
The young blond female, however, merely shook her head without a word, not letting go of Ilya…
"Daughter, restrain yourself," the man repeated, without a change in his stern tone. This time, however, he hit the floor, although without much force, with his walking stick as he did so…
Ilya felt the blonde girl shake in fear, before she let go of the silver-haired female, walking back to her bed in the Hospital Wing…
The silver-haired girl could feel her anger rising, as she tried to maintain her composure, fighting the urge to inflict pain upon the adult blonde male, whose actions somehow reminded her of a certain hateful, despicable old man…
"I apologize for my daughter's rude behavior," said the man with blonde hair, the tone of his voice switching from being commanding to one which was formal and accommodating, as a smile appeared on his face.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ronald Dreamweaver, the Minister of Magic…"
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"… I am Ronald Dreamweaver, the Minister of Magic…"
"Good afternoon, Minister," the silver-haired girl greeted back formally, doing a curtsy as she did so. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you…"
It had been a rather hectic day for a young man with raven hair who went by the name Severus Snape. First, their early morning jog was interrupted by a giant with a hostage. Then, Ilya used a what-in-the-name-of-Merlin powerful sword to rescue the hostage and eliminate the monster, the silver-haired female calling the sword she used as Caliburn, which incidentally, was the damn epic blade which was wielded by none other than the legendary King Arthur. Naturally, as a result of her actions, she was once again the center of attention and rumors in Hogwarts, with the students, the teachers and even the ghosts. And if that was not enough, one of the transparent entities even went so far as to approach them to demand information from Ilya, and said ghost actually introduced himself as Bedivere, one of Arthur's most loyal knights.
And to top it off, there was the revelation about King Arthur… the King of Knights was actually a girl!
Thanks to all these events, however, the raven-haired young man was able to keep himself sufficiently composed at the moment. While normally he would have been quite shocked to find himself standing in the same room as the Minister of Magic, thanks to all the used-up adrenaline, it only came as a mild surprise.
"… Richard here actually speaks highly of you," said Dreamweaver, gesturing at a man with short whitish hair by his side, who nodded slightly, as the Minister continued engaging the silver-haired girl in conversation. "To think that you were actually able to outwit You-Know-Who himself…"
It was rather interesting to listen to the exchange which followed. The Minister of Magic, Ronald Dreamweaver, was apparently set on thanking and praising Ilya for her recent actions…
Severus noticed, that aside from the Head Auror, Richard Parker, the Minister had brought with him familiar faces. One of them was a purple-haired female Auror who the raven-haired young man only knew by face. Another one was Evelyn's brother, Rufus Scrimgeour, who nodded in greeting when their eyes met, maintaining his calm and emotionless gesture. And the other one… was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcment…
Bartemius Crouch Sr…
The man with raven hair was almost unable to refrain from smirking, watching the grey-haired man in amusement. Although he was trying to conceal it, it was obvious that Crouch was not pleased with what was going on. The man had definitely not yet given up on trying to catch them, especially Ilya, off-guard, to extract information from them. If it wasn't for the fact that the silver-haired girl managed to get support in the Ministry, in the form of Rufus Scrimgeour and his allies (which include the brown-haired Dark Wizard Catcher's boss, Parker, who happened to be rather close to the Minister), Severus was actually quite sure that Crouch would have immediately seized the first opportunity to have them interrogated, and would probably even go as far as put them in Azkaban (Even though they technically did nothing wrong.), just so that he could get the answers he wants…
Which is why Severus could not help but watch the man in a dilemma with satisfaction, forced to keep his mouth shut and himself in shackles, as he was in the presence of the Minister, his boss, his superior. To be in Dreamweaver's favor is indeed quite an advantage. But then…
"So, anyway, Ms. Emiya… may I call you Ilyasveil? Ilya?" inquired the blonde-haired man, to which the silver-haired female gave a small affirmative nod. "I heard from Barty here that you used some kind of magical artifact to defeat that monstrosity… a magical sword, a weapon of some kind. And if my source was not mistaken, you called it Caliburn?"
At these words, the room suddenly became tense. Judging by the look on the teachers' faces, including Dumbledore's, it was apparent that they had refrained from giving Dreamweaver specific information related to the events that took place, only giving him a general view. Yet here he was, thanks to his Head of Magical Law Enforcement, aware of those very details that were left out…
The Minister gave the grey-haired man beside him a meaningful look, who nodded in acknowledgment before speaking…
"I do believe you ought to give us an explanation, Ms. Emiya," inquired Crouch in his curt voice.
"Well, actually," began Ilya, her voice calm and monotonous. "That sword was actually just a…"
"Do not try and claim that it was a fake, girl," said Crouch, his voice also calm, yet there was a note of satisfaction in it, as he interrupted the silver-haired female, his terse voice implying that he was not about to allow anyone to butt in, as he continued to speak. "I have the testimony of several witnesses who had seen your little exploit, ghosts to be precise, of wizard knights who had been alive during the reign of King Arthur. All of them had matching statements. According to them, the weapon which you wield, the one in your possession is indeed Caliburn."
At these words, the tension in the room increased even further, as Crouch took a deep breath before resuming his speech…
"Now, as I think you all know," continued the grey-haired man as he addressed everyone in the room, his face remaining impassive, yet Severus could not help but notice the smirk that momentarily appeared on it. "Caliburn, The Sword of Promised Victory, is a rare artifact which has been lost for many centuries. It is a sword of legacy, a symbol, as well as property of the people of Britain. It is my belief that an artifact of such historical importance should be under the care of the Ministry of Magic. It does not belong in the hands of a young girl, especially one who is not of British decent…Minister?"
The Magical Law Enforcement Head took one meaningful glance at the Minister, his superior, who nodded at his subordinate.
The raven-haired young man could hardly contain his fury, as the tension in the room was now at an all-time high, as Crouch's words were quite easy to comprehend, and he could not help but feel outraged at what he was suggesting. Severus knew the truth behind Ilya's Caliburn, of course, that it was actually created from her Projection magic, but that did not help to stop him from becoming furious…
"As you said yourself, Ms. Emiya," continued the grey-haired man. "You are neither a relative nor a descendant of Arthur Pendragon, which means that his sword does not rightfully belong to you. I suggest that you do not make things harder for yourself…"
The Head Magical Law Enforcer was barely able to hide his glee, as a hardly visible smile remained on his lips and did not disappear…
"… and hand it over…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Alright, another chapter out people. Well, I must admit I got sidetracked a bit. Aside from the fact that I have a lot of office and school work to do, I'm also doing rather occupied with other things. For starters, I now have no choice but to keep this little fanfic hobby of mine from a certain person. A girl, about a year younger than me, and is a bit of a jealous and nagging type. And yeah, she gets jealous of anything that catches my attention. And I'd rather that my little fanfiction writing recreation does not become the cause of a rift between us. Lucky for me she doesn't know about it yet, and I intend to keep things that way.
Oh, and yeah, thanks to the one who PM-ED me asking who Poncha was in the previous chapter. Well, technically, that was a screw-up on my part. I edited it already, since when I typed it down I actually thought that it was 'Poppy' that I typed not 'Poncha,' since I'm referring to the school nurse Poppy Pomfrey. At least I got that fixed… although as to how I ended up writing that name in the first play, I doubt I'll ever know…
Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter…
Later then, people…