Harry Potter and Big Sister

Chapter 10: More Mysteries, Maybe…

The day that Aisha began her teaching of P.E. class on the fields of Hogwarts was relatively peaceful, save for some commotion caused by fifth year students who began spreading news about what they saw in class today, and of course the rumors running amok about the new, forbidden type of spellcraft that conferred the caster physical strength, yet was banned by every nations of Wizarding World due to danger it also brought.

Those who were lucky enough to have Transfiguration after DADA, Ravenclaw, quickly asked McGonagall the moment the stern professor waltzed into class that afternoon. Rapid-fire questions from the students so deafening that the Professor has to create a loud explosion to keep them in line, then proceeded to tell them that yes, what Aisha said about that type magic was true, and that she too, was unable to teach them how to cast it, even if she know how, further explaining that all the tomes holding this spell were lost, or confiscated and destroyed by International Confederation of Wizards.

However, the chaos did not stop, before she can begin into the lesson prepared for this class, another student asked a question. "Does strengthening an object also count as this kind of magic? I mean… the body strengthening spell?"

A small 'thud' echoed throughout the classroom as McGonagall accidentally dropped her wand on her table. At the same time, her students suddenly got quiet, waiting for the answer to the question. Her brows furrowed at the thought of what she had learned regarding the subject she's teaching, which include the one that her student just asked about a moment ago.

Her mind ran through many scenarios as quickly as she can, trying to find the best solution to the current problem facing her. Sure, it wasn't her problem per-se, but she'll be damned if she let any slip of tongue leak anything to that despicable stalking Toad that was able to dig up and undermine Dumbledore with some ridiculous accusations.

Not to mention that, after a few days, it was clear to McGonagall that, despite the girl's mysterious upbringing away from Wizarding World and her age, she proved to be diligent and hard-working teacher, how else could she find out about all this information so quickly and effectively in such strict time limit? Considering that the seat of Defense Against the Dark Arts always shifted every year due to freak accidents or outright incompetent teachers; she will not let some witch with great potential like Aisha slip away from Hogwarts if she can help it.

Still… The professor's lip tensed up, to tell them a lie was not an option either, it was a pride of teacher to not leave students with false information and knowledge on the subject they taught, no matter what.

Drawing in one breath, McGonagall has made her decision. Even if she liked Aisha a bit, she's not going to let her teacher's pride be tarnished by giving students false information, moreover, when thinking about what students told her about their class this morning, it was quite clear that Aisha did have a contingency plan, and that telling the truth won't come back to bite the girl, and by extension, Dumbledore, as hard as she pessimistically thought.

So she opened her mouth and answers truthfully the question that has all of fifth year Ravenclaw curiously awaiting the answer, but not before applauding for the brave girl who asked this question first. "Five points for Ravenclaw, Miss Patil…" Then she addresses the entire class loudly, drowning any sort of cheering almost instantly. "Although the object strengthening spell is counted as Transfiguration, it deviates from what we normally learn in class, as it is more of a fusion with Animagus and Metamorpmagus, along with several enhancements no longer taught in Wizarding World curriculum." She paused a little before concluding. "Thus, if it is true that Professor Aisha could strengthen a teacup with a wordless spell, then of course she knows how to use the same spell to strengthen her own body as well."

A cried of protest arose, something along the lines of "And she did not teach us that, and instead forcing us to exercise so much, how unfair!" erupting among the students, some whispering to each other with displeased voices, completely forgetting that they're in the presence of one of the strictest teachers in Hogwarts, or what the laws have to say about this particular spell, so what follows is something that any sane students would see coming…

McGonagall bit her lip in anger, before casting a sound-enchantment spell on her throat. Seconds later, her voice boomed through the air, stunning every single student in her class. "Quiet! Now!"

As the fifth year Ravenclaw held their breath, they looked back at McGonagall in fear that their actions have result in punishment. The Transfiguration professor glared at them before speaking "If you listen to me, that spell she used was classified as Transfiguration, thus it will be me who'll be the judge on whether to teach you Hogwarts students this spell or not. Even if Professor Aisha knows how to perform it, it'll be me who decide if you can learn it or not!"

"Wait, so Professor can order Professor Aisha to teach us?" One of the students asked in hope, as they began to feel that if McGonagall ordered it, Aisha couldn't complain about anything, and had to teach them how to use it.

"Don't get your hopes up just yet!" McGonagall's voice boomed out once more, drowning her students' whispering and gossiping completely and garnered herself the attention needed in class so that she can continue uninterrupted. "I do not know the spell myself. But it is well within my authority, as a teacher of the sole school in Britain, to request materials regarding it from the Global Vault of International Confederation of Wizards… by the exception that teacher wishes to use it as reference, if they still had one. Or using my authority as Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, I could order Professor Aisha to teach you…"

"But…" She emphasis the word 'but' to make the students realize that this's a serious matter she's talking about. "… what Professor Aisha said about the spell, the lethality toward the caster upon successful casting, also hold true as well, and by the law, teachers must ensure their students' wellbeing. So myself, Professor Aisha, or any teachers out there, are automatically forbidden from teaching this particular dangerous branch of magic to any of you, even if it wasn't labeled 'Dark Magic'…"

Seeing the disappointed and sad looks on the students' faces, McGonagall sighed. "I'm sorry that you all must endure muscle pain and tiredness from Defend Against the Dark Arts class in this coming school year, but I share the same opinion with Professor Aisha, it's all for your own good."

"Now!" She then barked out orders suddenly, making nearly half the class jump in panic "We've wasted too much time discussing something too impractical to use in real life, no matter how some of our staff happened to mastered it." She narrowed her eyes. "It's time to back to the practical lesson that you can use in your life, now, let's see if you can apply that enthusiasm and eagerness to avoid doing physical exercise with this spell that always guarantee to be tested in O.W.L instead…."

Needless to say, the Transfiguration Class for fifth year Ravenclaw that day becomes as much tiring as the hellish (in the opinions of those who never once exercise beyond flying with broom before) exercise Aisha put them through that morning. And by the end of the day, about half of them had to ask for permission to go to Madam Pomfrey's infirmary to rest for the day.

While Ravenclaw were having their own nightmare in Transfiguration class due to asking too many unconstructive questions (it's not that unconstructive, but they just focused too much on the fact that Aisha might be wrong, as she came from non-Wizarding community, and that they want any excuse to not exercise in her class anymore, it's tiring!) to McGonagall, the fifth year from the House of Lion doesn't fare any better, as that afternoon, they have to attend their most hated class…

Double period potion class, with Slytherin…

The hawk-like eyes of Snape glare down every single student attending his class the moment they appeared inside the dungeon, his greasy hair whirling around whenever he took a sudden turn to look at some Gryffindor who made the mistake of brewing a potion the wrong way as if he has a sixth sense, well, more like the sense of smell actually… before cutting down their House points the moment he found out what was wrong, all of this while leaving Slytherin untouched…

The blatant bias of the greasy haired Ppofessor made Harry want to call him out, but now, as he paired up with Ron trying their best to perfect their – ironically – strengthening potion… he had decided to resist that thought and ignore Snape altogether, knowing that being involved in a shouting match with him only made thing worse, not that it stopped him from doing so before when he was in bad mood, like when he was forced to enter Triwizard Tournament, when he still believed that Sirius Black was a murderer, or when Basilisk in Chamber of Secret let loose. All those events spanned the entire year and always put stress on his conscience in one way or another, whether he know it or not, and of course, it resulted in losing it against someone like Professor Snape when pushed too far in class.

Speaking of class, Harry mused while carefully putting ingredient into his potion cauldron, checking to make sure that he does everything right, now that he thinks about it, despite his sneer, berating, biased judgment and all hatred directed at him for a full four years, he always passed the exam in Potions class, albeit not a good grade, but still a pass, Snape never once declared him failing his subject, even though he sometimes failed his homework, his potions were just an utter failure and should've cost him enough points to fail.

At first, he thought that Dumbledore might be the one pulling some strings behind the scenes to help him out, but after the conversation with Big Sis Aisha, he started to look at the details, and it becomes clear during the past few days that indeed, Snape will only chew out on those who made mistake, or those who didn't pay attention to class. Although he never once applauded Hermione for brewing any potion he assigned correctly, he also never cooked up mistakes to blame on her either.

And thus, the Boy Who Lived decided to put his newfound theory to test, he thought while slowly stirring his potion as instructed on board, he'll make sure to make no mistakes today, and see if Snape will still accuse him of anything or not.

Unfortunately, as he's just a few steps away from finishing his and Ron's potion, Malfoy decided to ask the Potion Professor about some matters as he left his Cauldron to his partner, Pansy Parkinson, to care for… a matter that also bugging everyone else, especially Harry. "Professor, do you have some time to answer my question?"

Of course, as the head of Slytherin, Snape clearly favored his own house, because if it was Gryffindor who ask him, that'll be at least a point from their house or just 'Go back to your work.' Instead, the greasily haired Professor make a stop next to the prefect of Slytherin and his cauldron before replied in an impassive tone. "What is it, Draco? We're in a middle of a class here, so you should make it quick."

Malfoy smirked a little, before stating his question loudly. "Professor, what is poison?"

Most Gryffindor, along with most Slytherin, nearly dropped their potion ingredients or stopped the process of making their assignment in surprise, as they all know what the Malfoy heir is talking about, and how seemingly basic the question is.

But to Harry's surprise, it seems that even Snape has limit to how much favor he could give to his own House as well, as the Professor's eyes narrowed down, as if Malfoy just crossed some line he shouldn't. His cold stare suddenly snapped upon other students as if he knows he's being watched, before he orders them coldly. "Get back to your work! If you can't brew the strengthening potion by the end of this class, I'll have to reduce point from your house and have you write an essay!"

Snape turns his attention back to Malfoy, but then, as if a thought hit him, he glared back at his class and, seeing them hurry back to their cauldrons somehow confirmed his suspicions, thus instead of scolding Malfoy, he told his favorite student in low voice, "You better have some explanation why you choose to ask this seemingly stupid question."

Malfoy nodded before retelling the events of DADA class that morning to the Potions professor, who was surprisingly calm and silent during the entire thing, his arms crossed while standing still, except for his obsidian black eyes that glared around from time to time to check if other student were still doing his assignment, until Draco finished the tale. "That's all that happened, Professor. Oh, and on that note, how much strength this does the strengthening solution we're brewing confer us? Could it be enough to surpass those Muggles who exercise like Aisha, Professor?"

"That's Professor Aisha for you, Draco!" Snape suddenly berated his favorite student, making Draco take a step back in surprise, looking up to see that the Potions professor now has a thoughtful expression on his face while looking back at him. "No matter how young she is, she's still your teacher, and from that tale you told me, she deserves such respect in every single aspect."

At those words, he slowly walked back to the front of the class, before turning to face them all and addressed them with a shark-like smile. "Now, let me ask you all the same question Professor Aisha kindly sent you to ask me: what is poison?"

As expected, Hermione's hand shot up in an instant, and at that moment, Harry thought that Snape will do what he always did and ignore the bushy haired genius of Gryffindor, however, that's not the case here as he rounded on her the moment he caught sight of said hand. "Ah, it seems Miss Granger is willing to enlighten us. Care to elaborate?" He speaks in a slight mocking voice as if he knows something… or rather, had something prepared in store for her…

"Poison…" Hermione begin, ignoring some snickers from Slytherin, who tried to mock her with a raised hand mimicking her action moments ago, "…is any substance that can cause severe distress or death if ingested, breathed in, or absorbed through skin. Example included Baneberry Potion…"

Snape decided to cut the girl off here with his trademark sneer. "Your answer almost the exact copy of the text from the book, Miss Granger…" he paused a bit before adding another insult "Honestly, Professor Aisha already gave you all a lot of hints earlier, if Mr. Malfoy's story is complete and he didn't leave something out, yet it seems that all of your heads are still stuck to a book… incapable of understanding the real world…"

Hermione's face reddened with embarrassment, while some Pureblood fanatics of Slytherin snickered at the sight of the non-pureblood's suffering, but some didn't, as they wondered what is the correct answer was if those from the book weren't. And predictably, some Gryffindors, like the redhead Ron, glared daggers at the Potions professor to show their displeasure with his insult, and that's what will cost Harry his potion later, since he's also entranced by the conversation.

"Sit down Miss Granger, so we can continue…" Snape ordered in a boorish tone, prompting the girl to sit down quickly. "Although Granger's answer will award you a full mark when you use it to answer this exact same question in your upcoming O.W.L, in reality, the concept of poison isn't that… limited…"

His eyes glared around the room, spotting some cauldrons that started to emit strange smoke, turning funny colors, or whose surface began bubbling in a strange pattern while the owners weren't paying attention to their work. He paid them no mind, not even thinking of warning his pupils, not even Slytherin, as that means he'll just have snatch up their marks for the assignment and House Points, it'll at least teach them something, had the blind hatred not swept the lesson away.

And so he continues his explanation under the intense attention of entire class, before he asks sudden question. "…tell me, if one were to drink seawater instead of fresh water for a day, what will happen?"

A squeaking noise from one pudgy, round-faced boy in the room caught everyone's attention. Snape quickly rounded up on the source, which is none other than Neville Longbottom, who apparently left his cauldron boiling unattended for a bit too long and cause the substance inside to bubble up furiously, one small droplet of the hot substance splashing on his face. Snape took one glance at the liquid smeared on the boy's face, deducing that it's entirely harmless, and asks him in smooth, yet terrifying silky voice, but not before shooting him a quick jab and punishment first. "Ah, Mr. Longbottom, it seems that your strengthening potion is… a failure… so ten points from Gryffindor…"

Ignoring cries of protest from other member of House of Lion, Snape continues with a mocking smile. "But I'll give you a chance, as it's clear that you were paying attention to my lecture at the moment, so what's your answer?"

Neville looked around in desperation, trying to see if someone will give him any hints, but to no avail, so he slowly stands up on his shaking feet, looking fearfully at Professor and replies. "They'll die, sir."

"Thanks for the obvious, Mr. Longbottom…" Snape sneered, but do nothing to threaten the poor boy more than already was, before he dismissed him. "Sit down Mr. Longbottom, and listen carefully. Did any of you know that seawater is the primary source of salt you use to flavor your meal? It was harmless in your food, then why it's not-so-harmless in seawater?"

It turned out that no one wanted to answer, even his own house, which is justified however, as most witches and wizards do not have such knowledge of the work that they deemed 'beneath' them, and do not know something that should be common knowledge like this. After all, at best they just go out to the market and purchase salt from the merchants. So unsurprisingly, Snape has another issue to pick on them while of course, ignoring Hermione's hand that rose up from behind her cauldron, again…

"Pathetic…" The Professor sneered at the masses. "…ten points from Gryffindor for the lack of obvious knowledge of the world at large!" Then he decided to give the answer himself, care not if Gryffindor demand the same treatment on his own House. "The quantity of salt in seawater is much more than what you intake during the meal the entire day, and our human body cannot tolerate such amounts found in it if you to drink it as if it was fresh water."

"So that brings us to the answer to Professor Aisha's question: poison can be anything!" Snape barked out, making more than a couple of students jump up and nearly knock down their cauldrons. "…as long as you ingested enough, it'll become poisonous, even fresh water in excess amount can poison your body as well!"

The Potions professor glared again at some of the cauldrons that has strange color liquid that's supposed to be strengthening potion, but went wrong one way or another during the series of questions, some obviously from over-adding ingredients, before speaking. "…And the strengthening solution isn't exception, it confers those who drink it better strength than they have normally, more than enough to lift a 10 kilogram stone block without tiring, but to ingest more than advised or trying a strong concoction in hopes that it'll give you more strength to lift 20 kilogram objects, for example, it will still grant you strength, but once the effects wear off, you'll be faced with unbearable pain and lots of injuries to your body, crippling you if you're lucky, death if you're not, from poisoning of the very same harmless potion…"

Fifth year Slytherin looked at each other, before sighing in defeat as one of the reasons they tried to use against Aisha cannot be used, and they cannot find any excuse to be excluded from running laps around the castle anymore. While Gryffindor still is grieving from the unfairness of Snape, they too, shared the same sentiment as Slytherin, exception maybe only the athletic ones such as Dean Thomas or Harry, who got used to it due to their life before coming to Hogwarts.

Then Snape proceed to remind them of something they forget with that mocking smile of his. "Now, you should get back to your work, as it seems, your so-called 'strengthening solution' will not become a strengthening solution at all when you're not paying attention to what you're doing. And I'll have to deduce points from your house if you cannot give me a sample of the correct strengthening solution by the end of this period!"

And so everyone scrambled back to their own potion brewing projects, only to find that most of it had already evaporated, smelled stinky, changed color, turn into a goo, or many more undesirable effects for those who want a completed potion, not even Slytherin was spared from this fate. As none of them can brew a proper potion at all, and seeing that right now this class is doomed to failure, Professor Snape coughed one last time, before shouting an order. "It seems that none of you will be able to provide me a sample of your own assignment. So, I'll assign you all to compile me an essay describing each step and each ingredient used in brewing a proper strengthening solution, which you will hand to me on Monday. Now, clean up your mess of a potion before dismissal… without magic!"

Harry sighed while looking at the purple goo that was his strengthening solution in his cauldron, 'Just great…' He thought. 'Snape will still be a biased git as always, but then again, we're at fault for this one…'

Thus, he rummaged through his bag for a piece of cloth to use to clean up the mess. 'This day is getting better and better…' he thought sarcastically. 'And all of Hermione's questions about my big sis did not help either, oh, never mind… I have to clean this mess first before Snape sees it.'

That evening, Aisha decided to withdraw herself from the chaos that was the dining hall, going back to her room, as she knew that after the stunt she pulled during the morning exercise, the entire school would be either trying to get her cancel such a 'ridiculous' curriculum so they can get back to being too lazy and too reliant on magic to do their bidding again, or, if McGonagall answered the questions she sent those annoying students to ask truthfully, they'd try to worm the secret of her enchantment spell out of her, to try to have her goes against the Ministry and teach them this particular forbidden spell.

Not that anything can persuade her to do as they wished though, not mention they're unable to use it in the first place, but it still is annoying…

And so she sits at her working desk, enjoying a meal which that little house elf, Dobby was his name if she's correct, kindly brought here as she requested, while looking at the scenery outside the window as she began to reminiscence of her homeland.

The meal, as always, since she arrived at Hogwarts, tasted good, although it was a little too heavy in calories to be healthy, but nothing a few hours of exercises cannot fix. And all the more reasons to round those boys and girls up and have them exercise every chance and opportunity she can get! Well, in her class at least.

To be frank, the mage-turned-professor sighed while munching her pork stew absent mindedly, how can those witches and wizards keep their lean figures or not have a heart attack or diabetes yet, despite indulging in such heavy meals nearly every single day is beyond her grasp.

Of course, it was just Hogwarts staffs and students whom she observed, but if she counted the time where she was still staying at Order of Phoenix's headquarter, and what meals they served there, it's clear that such an unhealthy diet from the school also influenced those who graduated from there as well, if Molly Weasley was any indication. At the time she didn't think too much about it, as Mrs. Weasley stated that it was for her little brother, who rarely get any decent meals from Dursleys, after all, she knew what kind of family they were so she let it slide that time, not so much here though…

Perhaps they also take some dose of medicine or their potions to counteract the effects regularly? Or they're using some kind of ingredients in their meals without her knowing? That didn't matter to her, as she's going to run them ragged the next time she teaches them anyway.

Her musing stop all of the sudden when a blue glow from the floor shone brightly for the second time since she claimed this room as her personal quarter. As if she knew what to expect, Aisha simply sat at her desk and ate her meal calmly, uncaring of the object slowly manifesting in the center of the room, not even TK-421, who stood still like a small table next to the sofa, cared more than making a beeping noise once!

Once the light faded, the same time Aisha finished her meal and used a napkin to wipe her mouth clean, she stood up and moved toward the object, which she now identified as one metallic box about the same height as TK-421, attached to two square meters of solar-panel and an accessible glass monitor at the top, another smaller cardboard box with a letter attached to it.

No matter how she looked at it, this's another piece of technology sent from her homeland… and she doesn't need to think that hard to know who sent it…

"Eve…" Aisha muttered while picking up the letter from the smaller box. It was written in her home language, thus even if she left it lying around for some students or anyone in Hogwarts to see, they'll still be unable to make head or tails what it was saying anyway, unless there's a universal language translation spell or equivalent that she didn't know of…

Of course, given the paranoid nature of the magician who went through war and lived, along with that Toad lady poking everywhere in Hogwarts for a hole to exploit against her little Harry and Dumbledore, it might be for the best if she burn this thing after she read it, no matter how important it was… it was not worth the risk of her still recovering land getting discovered by these self-centered, stuck up people…

So she tore open the letter and read the content inside.

"My dear friend Aisha,

I know that is has been just 5 days since the last time we talked face to face, but there is an important matter that I wished to bring to your attention, but forget to mention it, as I was too caught up in your interesting story about another world you're in. It seems that this event proved that even a Nasod Queen like me still has some flaws. But it is a flaw I gladly welcome, as rulers who do not understand emotion cannot rule, let alone talk with another country, don't you agree?"

Aisha chuckled at the handwriting of the Nasod Empress, no matter how strange it maybe, Eve still understood emotions enough to not be alienated to other races of organic life away from her. Truly, she's not only the ruler of her own people, but she's also the only spokesperson for their entire nation as well, considering that all of their minds were always linked to Eve, even each individual Nasod has their own personality… [1]

"Today is the 3rd anniversary of the Declaration of Victory against the Dark and Corrupted One's Grand Armada in Elrios, I'm sorry that I cannot re-establish connection with you at the moment, as the Kingdom of Senace has invited me, as the Empress of another nation and their war hero, to their celebration, as that place is the turning point of the entire war, the great battlefield where we made our stand and began pushing them back after a decade of continuous defeats.

Unfortunately, the device which I used to send this letter, along with new present to you, required a full day worth of energy collected from one of our experimental solar plants, thus I doubt that it'll reach you before nightfall, as of now, I've probably just arrived at the Capitol City of Hamel when Ophelia activated it.

Everyone will gather there, I suppose… Rena, Raven, Chung, Ara, Elesis and Elsword… they all agreed to the meeting, I'm quite sure that everyone also really wishes that you could attend as well..."

Aisha sighed, to think that she'll missed out the reunion of their friends to come here to see her younger brother, what an irony… Smiling sadly, she continued reading.

"Do not worry, as the last time TK-421 send his reports back was just yesterday, he says that you're fine, albeit serious about your new role as a professor there. I'll tell them to not worry about you and that you're fine there, but I'm not sure if Elsword will calm down with just the report, he really misses you after all.

So, until I find a way to replicate your feats of world travelling with a more manageable and practical method, stay alive, stay strong, and watch over Harry until we can meet him in the flesh, I'm sure that Elsword and Rena will be glad to see both him and you again.

Your friend

Eve

PS. The device I sent you is a video player with independent solar power grid and the smaller box contains a memory disk used to record the day you were promoted to Elite Magus Commander by the new King of Senace Kingdom after successful of major operation five years ago, you can learn how to use it with the manual inside the same box.

I know how much you hated that day, in fact even myself and our friends hated it as well, it reminded all of us the sacrifices made to achieve that victory, deaths in tens of thousands, but that's the only memory I deemed 'safe' enough to extract from my memory core, in case of some stroke of bad luck this fell into Voldemort's hand, as all he'll see is another civilization that thrives on magic to the point of borderline fantasy and not reality, or that you once held a high military rank of said society, and nothing else if he somehow thought it was real.

Sorry if it bothers you."

Folding the letter back, Aisha quickly hid it into a pocket of her jacket while looking thoughtfully at the new device situated in her quarter. She did so just in the nick of time, seconds before a small 'pop' sound signifying the arrival of one small, skinny house elf who was dressed in a mismatch pair of socks and huge bright orange sweater, whose big eyes stared curiously at the new addition of Aisha's room for a second, before quickly addressing the owner in a high-pitched voice.

"Dobby comes here to pick up the dirty dishes as Mistress Aisha asked Dobby to…"

A pair of sharp purple eyes shot up at the cheerful house elf in an instant, stopping whatever the house elf wished to say in his track, before the glare turned into sadness when she thought about what happened to this species, a distant cousin of her friend Rena, long time ago. Even if Kreacher told her that their fate is what they brought upon themselves, those who instigated such event were all dead, and now their descendant are paying the price without knowing it.

Still, it's not her place to judge or liberate these so-called house elves, as the curse was placed the moment they betrayed Rena's kind, so it's the Wood Elves who will decide, thus Aisha merely nodded to Dobby to carry out his task, to which he happily complied, gathering the dishes on her desk before disappearing with another pop, no questions asked about the new addition to her room, a few curious looks aside, but then…

Aisha's eyes widened when she realized that she forget to order the House Elf to not tell anyone about the new item in her room, but as of now, he might as well be back in the main kitchen, too far for her to reach, because if he decided to tell someone about it the moment he's back, then it's already too late and her presence there will only confirm his words to be true.

All she can hope for now is that the house elf will be loyal enough to not spill his master's secret (technically, she's his master, anyway), and if there's no evidence left in her room for anyone to find, then the damage can still be controlled, the secret of another more advanced society can still be kept secret…

Still, asking him and any elves that already heard what was in her room to not spread it further was the best course of action, so she opted to visit the kitchen sometime later, and while she's at it, ask them if they can cook her some food different from of those greasy meals… or if that failed, she was quite sure there would be spare equipment and enough ingredients for her to cook her own meals, thus she better see to it that she can borrow some…

Then again… Aisha sighed while looking at the large video player Eve sent to her, and pushed those thoughts and plans for the future aside, before muttering to no one in particular, "How the hell I'm supposed to hide this thing?"

At the same time as Aisha is trying to figure out how to hide the video player in her own room, Dolores Umbridge took the opportunity to take the seat normally reserved for Aisha at the main dining hall, indulging herself in a good quantity of food the House Elf graciously provide to her seat, despite the occupant not being one of the Hogwarts staff. Not that it would make any difference though, as House Elf were meant to serves Wizardkind like her anyway, no exception!

The only consequence of claiming this seat as her own is that the other teachers seemed to stiffen when they saw her, but they could do nothing but glare with displeasure at her… she has Ministry backing up, that much was obvious, and as a representative to oversee Hogwarts, she was granted a lot of leeway in this castle anyway.

Still, Umbridge thought, while listening to the noise of the children in dining hall, trying to eavesdrop on them and what they're talking about to no avail, as there're too much for her to differentiate and deduce who's who, being in the teacher's seat but have no authority… is infuriating…

Of course, she tried to prod Fudge into giving her more 'special authority over Hogwarts' days before she submitted him reports about first period of DADA with that little Professor, but it isn't something that can be done on a whim, and being the Minister as he is, he still needed a few more supporters in order to pass up this new decree she suggested, a trivial matter, as now half of the Ministry is on their side, thanks to Lucius Malfoy's monetary support…

After it came to pass this coming Monday, Umbridge believed that she can begin her campaign to ensure the Ministry's stability by removing any troublesome teachers here, and Albus Dumbledore will not be that much out of reach like before any longer.

For now, she'll just savor this moment where she takes the seat of a teacher, just temporarily, just for the image of what is to come soon, Dumbledore will never see it coming…

Not surprisingly, most of the students decide to avoid getting anywhere near the Toad Lady for the days to come, thanks to that creepy dreamy smile of hers…

On that same day, at the same time, but a world apart, people are celebrating…

Songs of joy and celebration echoed from great crystals on top of white flagpoles lining every corner and every street in the gigantic city that spanned for hundreds of kilometers in all directions in circle from the central Palace. The streets were all paved with white and gold, flanked on both sides by great white and blue buildings of all sizes and shapes, towers and spires all gleaming in sunlight, projecting the sight of the peace and prosperity of Hamel, the Senace Kingdom's Great Capitol for all who travel through the land of Elrios, whether they're on the ground or in the sky to see the sight that closely matched its former glory many centuries ago, after being ravaged by decades of long war against the Dark One. After said war ended, just three years of peace and hard work on restoration brought the city back to its former glory, people began to return, the city expanded once again...

The main street which leads to the great palace in the center of the Capitol was built on top of the great river, flowing through the entire city and ended at the edge of a waterfall connected to the ocean hundreds of meters below. Three golden halo rings hover vertically, supported by the gigantic, nearly twenty meter tall arch next to the great tower like a symbol of power, reflecting rays from the moon downward, illuminating the gold lining on the street. Lining up on both flanks are citizens of Hamel and neighboring cities, villages and towns who can gather here today to be witnesses of the greatest event about to unfold right before their eyes, and also to prepare for the celebration that is to follow.

Above the city, instead of a cloudless night sky, there are ships, as in a sea faring ship, of various size sailing overhead via contraptions built and attached to their sides and stern, some bristling with cannons on the broadside, while the deck carried soldiers on watch for intruders, their experiences in the Great War honed their senses and skills enough that even with a large party currently being held below them, they'll perform to the best of their duty without fail.

After all, they're not going to let what befell this Capitol decades ago happen again, especially when they have a 'guest' from another nations that will come to attend their celebration soon.

The same can be said to the ground troops, from knights in shining armor to the magus in robes, patrolling the streets of Hamel, looking for a sign of danger and keeping peace among the populace, preparing for the guest to arrive.

They don't have to wait for long, as one 'airship' with black and white trimmings slowly approaches the city from over the great ocean. The fleet of airships hovering above Hamel and the surrounding area, becoming alert instantly, begin to turn their broadside full of cannons toward the incoming craft, only they do not fire upon it, but shoot up a flare from their ships as a sign, thus the new arrival sails forward, passing through the guarding ships without incidents.

The black and white ship slowly descends toward the waterfall where the main street ends in a large circular platform, big enough for a ship of its size to land on... and so, from the hull came a 'leg' that is used to stabilized the ship when it was on the ground and not floating, reaching down to the landing pad before entire flying barge becomes still.

Dozens of soldiers in royal blue uniform rush in from the end of the street towards the recently landed flying ship, lining up and forming two rows while turning to face each other from the opposite sides of the street, waiting patiently.

One section of the ship's lower hull splits open, revealing a staircase extending down onto the landing pad before one figure emerged from the shadows inside the ship, descending down.

A young woman, with white hair and large blue crystal on forehead, dressed in an elaborate white and gold ball gown, flanked on both sides by small, hovering, round machine with golden eyes to match their mistress's, peered at the escorts who stood nervously in line once her feet touched the ground, her hand gestures signifying them to be at ease, which did not help them be any less nervous in the slightest, as if they were unable to decide how to behave around the like of her.

After all, they're in the presence of royalty from another country, a country which is composed solely of machines, unlike them who composed of different species of organic beings, the country that waged war on organic creatures not so long ago…

The Kingdom of Nasod…

However, the white haired royal does not take offense at their reaction, as she knows what her race has done under the guidance of the late King during her long slumber. And, after her taking control of what was left of her race after the end of his reign, there were still many renegade Nasod terrorizing various lands, until they finally eliminated them all years later. It'll be a very long time before the animosity between their races can vanish, and the tension dissolves completely.

Until then, she'll bear with resentment and wary glances from them, no matter how long it'll take…

And still, she glanced behind the welcoming guards toward the crowds on the street who smile, pointing, waving hands, and cheering while some calling out her name in admiration, being the Empress of another Kingdom who honored the host with her presence aside, she's also adored by the people of this Kingdom, as one of the heroes who came and helped reclaimed this Capitol from a demon incursion, and saved the world without using the debts of her deeds to her advantage and demanding anything for her under reconstruction Kingdom in return - despite it was her rights to do so – which only increased her popularity with the masses even more, though some soldiers who once fought with her corrupted brethren, like these guards, did not adore her, they still grudgingly accepted her as one of their allies nonetheless.

Small lips tugged into a smile, a sincere gaze from her golden eyes falling on the people she passed by without dropping. It's not that she forced the smile out, it was what she does naturally, as she really did care for them even they're not the same as her, or did not return the courtesy she had shown them.

It seems like years, graciously walking along this long road escorted by two of her drones, but finally, she arrived at the castle in the center of the city.

She look around in amusement, taking in the atmosphere of the place, as it has been years since she set foot here, and everything changed fast.

From what she remembered, the first time she came here with her companions, castle was in ruins, survivors tried to put up resistance against the demonic forces and reclaim their land at the time, but now, it was all spires of gleaming white and gold, people came from all over the land enjoying the festival that reminded them of victory four years ago, when this very city came close to its destruction and its people was on their last leg.

The Empress of Nasod's train of thought came to a stop once she reached a giant gate towering four times her height, the guards standing beside it saluted her before pressing their hands on the runic circle next to them, a soft glow emanating from it before the door let out a shrieking sound and begin to move, followed by the declaration of her presence towards everyone inside the hall behind it.

"Presenting Her Majesty Eve of the Nasod Kingdom!" The announcer's voice boomed through the entire hall, waiters and waitresses that were lining up the main gate bowed simultaneously, welcoming the white Royal of the Nasod. However, Eve just gestured her hands to let them resume their duty before walking in, her gaze fell upon the King of Senace on his throne at the end of this hall, and then to the side where a blonde, effeminate young man in his late teens, clad in white and blue heavy-looking armor with twin handguns holstered on his big blue belt around his waist [2] was standing guard over his charge.

As she comes to a stop next to the throne where the middle-aged man in elaborate costume befitting that of a ruler was currently sitting, all honorable guests from all species around Elrios, representative of their villages, clan, and nations, looked at the Empress of Nasod with curiosity while exchanging whispers among themselves, as if they were questioning what she'll do next, before Eve curtseyed to the new King of Senace, showing respect to host as a normal guest would do.

The king however did not return the gesture, instead turning to the young bodyguard and nodding silently, as if it was some sort of signal, only to see young man shake his head in denial, and prompted the king to speak. "I know you may think of me as reckless, but there's no danger here in the Capitol anymore after the war ended three years ago. You should go and enjoy yourself, Chung."

The bodyguard did not budge at the king's statement, as muttered his defenses. "Underestimation leads to destruction, your Majesty. I cannot leave you unguarded as it is my duty."

The King let out a soft laugh, then addressed Chung in commanding tone "I expected you to say that, so I command you to protect this lovely lady who came to represent her Kingdom here." He gestured his hands and nodded in Eve's direction, who still waiting for King's response out of good manners, looking at the exchange with amusement gleaming in those golden eyes of hers.

Chung rolled his eyes in annoyance at his King's antics, as he knows that his King was as aware as himself that out of all the foreign representatives attended this celebration, Eve is the last one who needed protection, not because she and her Kingdom has fraud with Senace, and his King wants something to happen to her, but because she was more than capable of defending herself, too much in fact, that she might as well have not needed them in the first place, if the second Battle of Hope Bridge where she helped him hold the bridge alone against 3,000 demonic troops while others, including her servants, were trapped inside some sort of time-space maze was any indication.

Still, Chung sighed in resignation, an order is an order, and he must follow them. Thus he moved towards his old friend, who just finished her conversation with his King and looked back at him with a pleased smile. The Guardian smiled back a little before leading her into the crowds, as he knows where she want to go, and by extension, Chung himself, too.

The crowds quickly moved out of the duo's way whenever they went, as if they still fear the Nasod Empress, which is understandable, considering the deeds she had done during the Great War, combined with her upbringing, but they simply ignored it and made their way silently towards a small garden located outside the Great Hall.

There, they found their old companions chatting at one another, eating and drinking at their own private table, as to not disturb other people, who practically see them as saviors and heroes with their presence. All of them were dressed in attire suited for a formal feast, not a single one in their usual clothes they wore during battle, the exception being the two newcomers, as Eve's Empress dress is already her formal wear, while Chung was on duty just moments earlier, not having any time to change.

Soon enough, their friends noticed their presence, with a tall, green-haired girl with pointy ears clad in nice-looking green one piece dress being the first to wave her hand to reel them in, along with an excited welcoming speech. "Ah, Eve, Chung, I'm glad that you can join us on this feast today, it's like our team has come together once again after all these years!"

Chung frowned a little, making the green-haired girl blink in confusion, before Eve explained to her what happened at the throne. The smile returned, and then she took liberty of placing her hand on Chung's shoulder guard and said, "Please relax a little. I did not sense anything since I set foot in this city and even now, all the whispers I hear from the wind carries nothing."

"At ease, Chung. As if someone will try something when our whole team is attending the feast. And as Rena just attested, there's nothing to worry about." The redheaded man in black tuxedo suit with red ties spoke up, his thumb pointing around the table they are currently sitting at, showing the blonde all the familiar faces. Then the redhead himself smiled at the blonde and his old friends, as if to assure that there's nothing to worry about.

"Well, most of us are here at least…" A black haired, middle-aged man in more or less the same attire as the redhead with a nasty-looking metallic, mechanical claw for left arm grumpily said, his grim orange eyes with a scar on his left eyebrow glancing around the table before finally settling on the Empress of Nasod. "…Have you made any more contact with her yet? You're the one who gathered her research notes to study after all… as the rest of us cannot made heads or tails of it..." He finished in resignation, as his field of study was not geared towards matters like this, just like the rest of their group, who were not the types to focus on academic research like Aisha's.

Eve's face saddened a little. The faces of the entire group of former saviors of Elrios seems to darken at the Empress's reaction to the question about one of their friends, who couldn't attend because she's now stuck on another world apart from them, a decision she made on her own, no less.

However, once she saw everyone's reaction, Eve chuckled a little before shaking her head, as if she knew what they're thinking "No, she's fine, the last time I checked with reports from my scout was yesterday. And good news is, the time flow of that world is pretty much like ours, seven years here equals seven years there."

Her words draw interest from the group, particularly the redheaded man who asks quickly, "Wait, you found a way to go to…"

But Eve interrupted him before he asks any further. "No, not yet Elsword, I did not go there…" Seeing the confused look on his face, she elaborated. "I can only send one Nasod scout drone there, the method of travelling is still limited to sending and receiving messages, or at best a small object… it took too much energy to be practical as of now, but I'm quite excited at result it will produce if we make a breakthrough, which I estimate to be soon enough."

Elsword has disappointment written on his frowning face, while the others looked eagerly at the Empress as if they wanted to hear more about their friend, and so she continued "I had a chat with her before communication went down six days ago, sadly the boy you two met there wasn't present at the moment, but Aisha found him still alive and well..." She trailed off, not sure if the boy is 'well' or not considered what currently happening there.

"Is he still with that sad excuse of a family? Or did he already leave and find a way to take care of himself?" Rena asked, instantly Eve telling about Harry Potter. Of course, she met him about three times when they were stranded there seven years ago, but for an elf who already lived for centuries like her, she was able to tell from first glance without having Aisha fill her in that the boy's condition wasn't good. Being a kind girl she is, Rena will surely have some bones to pick with the Dursley family if she is able to get there.

"You should at least bring us the photos…" A woman in her mid-twenties with waist-length red hair and dressed in an equally fiery red ball gown spoke up from her seat near Elsword's, her hand holding an empty wine glass, behind her a giant sword as tall as her is leaning against her seat, spoke up, her fiery eyes locked with Eve's golden orbs. "…I want to see the little boy who made my little brother here interested enough to tell his girlfriend to go there and look at him instead of proposing to her…"

"Aren't we all as curious as you are about this, Miss Elesis [3]…?" That was all Eve could reply before Elsword grumbled at the redhead's words, making his excuses with cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"It's just that Aisha has promised the boy to visit him after the war was over, and I intended for her to keep her word, big sister Elesis…"

But his sister doesn't want to hear any of that, and so she put her glass down on the table and poked her brother with her finger while teasing him. "Boy… how long you gonna make me wait? How dense can you two be? The feeling was mutual between both of you, everyone can see it for crying out loud!"

It was Rena who tried to bail her friend out of this situation. "We were busy during the last few months, so no one ever expected Aisha to finish her research and go there by herself. It's not that he told her to go there first, it's just we don't know…"

"Miss Elesis, are you a little drunk?" the forth female of the group, a black-haired girl with a ponytail, dressed in what look like traditional Chinese female robes, shot a glance of worry with her orange eyes toward the redheaded female.

"Nah, just speaking out what I'm thinking, that's all, my little Ara..." Elesis stop poking Elsword, frowning a little before dropping down on her seat once more, while still glaring at her little brother as if he offended her in some way, making Elsword gulp and look the other way.

Eve smile silently as the scene played out before her eyes, it was this atmosphere that made her relaxed the most, despite the fact that a machine like her wasn't supposed to have emotions. It was this kind of atmosphere, unlike the throne room, the mainframe core, and the meeting rooms with diplomats from foreign countries, where she had to watch her reactions, her expression and her words. Here, she feels at ease, knowing that there are no secrets to be withheld from her true companions, knowing that they'll stand by each other's side no matter what happened.

No matter what happens…

Eve closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating her next course of action in a few seconds. Clapping her hand loudly a few times to gain everyone's attention, she looked at the slightly confused Elsword, Chung, Ara, the cold-questioning look from Raven, Rena, and Elesis, who all looked as if to ask her what she has to say, not caring that she's the Empress and a representative of her Kingdom.

After all, here at this table, they are equal... they… are friends… and friends will not abandon friends in need…

So Eve begins to speak. "I've spoken a bit with Aisha when I first contacted her, and she told me of many things she learned there… and it was… disturbing…"

It was Raven who broke the silence as he quickly demands answers, signifying that he's now interested. "So what's that lad uncovered there that warrants everyone's attention? I doubt that a child abuse of her 'little brother' will pose that much of problem for a master mage like her."

Seeing the worry look plastered on Elsword and Rena's faced, the Empress know that there's no turning back now and so she continues. "Well, it's the child's upbringing… or the secret that has been revealed to him after Elsword and Rena parted with him seven years ago…"

For the next half an hour, Eve recounting the tales of the Boy Who Lived from what she heard from Aisha, who now staying in the other World for their old companion, once she finished, Raven was the first one to voice his thoughts.

"I'll have to say this 'Boy Who Lived' thing is the most stupid thing I ever heard in my life…" The raven-haired man grunted in annoyance, his claw clenching as if he wants nothing more than strangle those higher up in Wizarding society that shoved the responsibility of Voldemort up a child's throat since he was one year old, even if he didn't know about it at the time. "Still, at least his arch nemesis is quite predictable for still holding grudge for this long, even if the child himself doesn't know of him… Just what is that kid doing? She should just waltz in and blast that guy already, like she would've done the first time we met her…"

"I don't think that's the best course of action, Raven…" Elesis, one of the eldest people there piped up, her red eyes gazing upon the Empress as if to read any hidden sign before continuing. "…That bloke survived a one-hit-kill spell of that World deflected back at him, granted I don't know how to compare it to our style of magic, or if that old man Dumbledore is really telling Aisha the truth. But, even it took this many years for him to return from the dead, I don't think it's a good idea for Aisha to vaporize him yet, who's to say he will stay dead this time?"

"My thoughts exactly…" Eve nodded, agree with the elder Sieghart. "…even though I have yet to completely replicate the feat Aisha did to travel to the other world… I estimate it will take maybe a few months from now, but even if I can, I'll have to postpone sending one of us there until we have more information first. And of course…" her eyes narrowed "…their government isn't someone we can initiate first contact with on a whim, based on what Aisha told me… there are few reasonable authorities… the rest are stuck in the past…" She then shook her head "…it would be best if they think Aisha is the only one of her kind, for now… our World is not ready yet…"

Everyone nodded at the Empress's opinion, surprising Raven, who sighed in relief. "For once, we can all agree on the same thing. I really miss the days when you guys argued with each other for hours before settling down on one option. Especially Elsword…" That earned him a glare from the boy in question, which Raven just shrugged off.

"They all grown up you know…" Rena voiced her opinion matter-of-factly while taking a sip from her glass. "…they're not kids anymore…"

"Yeah, indeed…" Raven said, while looking at Elsword, who now reverted to staring at the night sky longingly, deep in personal thoughts, as well as the rest of the group.

And so the party continued on the night, only the great heroes of Elrios did not enjoy it as much as other guests in the castle as their minds ventured toward the last member, who's now gotten herself into another problem in a far, far away land with no way of them sending help to her without consequence to their beloved homeland.

Until they find a better solution, they can only pray that Aisha will stay safe…

Author Note:

First of All, I must thank Rosamanelle for Beta reading this Chapter. He really help me there.

And now onward to some explanation.

[1] I'm not quite sure what the source says about Nasod in general, as how they operate, how their hierarchy worked at all.

My interpretation is that Nasod is somewhat like Zerg as they appeared in Starcraft, or more precisely, the first Overmind from the Original, in which he has many intelligent Cerebrates who controlled individual, mindless Brood of lesser Zerg, Cerebrates have their own personality, drives and desire, yet they're still utterly incapable of disobey or betray the Overmind, and their mind were linked to the Overmind as well.

Thus, I interprete that Eve and Nasod should operate in the same way, the more intelligent Nasod, like Ophelia and Oberon has their own individual personality and desire, while the lesser one is just a dumb AI who just following orders from their superiors like the Nasod Scout Drone currently with Aisha, but both type shared one trait, they're incapable of betraying Eve or disobeying any direct order from her, and Eve can communicate with them any time she wished to, as long as they're on the same world at least.

If Eve were to part to another world (hint much?), then Ophelia or Oberon will assume command, as they're the highest hierarch second to Eve, they're her right hand man (woman), but even then, they still following whatever order Eve gave them beforehand so that Nasod will not stray from the path she envisioned, like Cerebrate following Overmind's directive after his demise.

I did not include Epic NPC expy of Eve like Apple or Q-Proto_00 here because I doubt the Canon of their existence, if you're wondering why I did not speak about those two.

[2] The 'Big blue belt' Chung wore may make you peg him as Iron Paladin while carrying handguns from Deadly Chaser line, which isn't any fluff-accurate. But let's face it, carrying that Giant Cannon on guard duty in a Party? Look awesome for readers, but I don't think the guests will feel the same, they'll think the King want to threaten them to sign something their Kingdoms do not agree, oh, and if the fight really heat up, collateral damage using that BFG would be… monumental to say the least.

[3] Elesis is NOT an OC, but a newest addition to Elsword's playable characters' roster (Only announced on KR server for this moment sadly.) she's Elsword's full blood elder sister, her skills has yet to reveal much so I'll try to stick to original gang first if I really need to write about Aisha's gang in the future.

Rejoice, readers, for your wish for other Elsword's characters to make appearance has been granted!

Drama queen aside, I'm trying to describe the world of Elsword to the best of my ability, as so other people who never heard of it can read this without any problem. But still, hope you enjoy it.

But if you were to ask how much I'm going to screw with canon Order of Phoenix, well, let just say that this already a lot, expanded to Book 7 even (consider Aisha destroyed Hocrux in Black's Manor without knowing what it really was and earn Kreacher's loyalty in the process.) and there'll be more in the future.