Chapter 15: Forbidden Mystic Art

Beta Reading by Rosamanelle

Umbridge quickly withdrew herself to the Ministry with Dawlish in tow the moment she regained her senses, refusing an offer to treat any of their injury from Madam Pomfrey (though the aged healer did have enough time to fix Mr. Dawlish before they left, much to the relief of the healer herself) using the Floo network to transport herself back with a flash of green fire.

Once she returned, she didn't bother to report the results of her mission to Minister Fudge, not because he's absent, but because she had nothing to report to him – except that her plan to oust that slip of a girl failed. And failure was unacceptable in her eyes.

She was so furious that she forgot to berate Dawlish for losing to such barbaric fighting skills (to which Dawlish was grateful for, scurrying away the moment they arrived at the Ministry). While storming to her office, she collided with Lucius Malfoy – who had been visiting the Ministry – knocking his belongings to the ground, having enough sense to help him pick his things up, but storming off in a rage before she could remember to apologize. Hell, she even forgot that in order to maintain her image of a good Minister Undersecretary she needed to greet the many important people that she passed in the hallway!

Slumping down in her chair, she slammed her pudgy fist on her desk, sending quills, ink bottles, and parchment flying, trying to calm herself down enough to think of a contingent excuse as to why her plan failed.

"To think that such a Muggle method would beat an Auror in a fight…" Umbridge muttered under her breath, speaking to no one in particular. The hate in her eyes seemed to be directed straight at the Defense Professor, who wasn't even present. "Perhaps I should have asked Kingsley to go with me instead of Dawlish…"

But still, reflecting on decisions made in the past cannot change anything. She had no choice at the time! Kingsley, who was even more experienced than Dawlish, was in charge of tracking down Sirius Black, rarely having enough time to come into the office, let alone challenge that cursed Defense Professor! That left her with the second best option. Don't get her wrong, she did try to get Kingsley to come with her. Fudge would barely hear her out, refusing, as his reputation took a blow from that man's escaping Azkaban, needing to track him down as soon as possible.

Umbridge's ugly features contorted with anger before slamming her fist down yet again upon thinking of Sirius Black. Why? Why didn't she or Fudge think of putting the blame on Black's head when the Dementor attack failed? Although it was a brilliant idea, it was pointless, making her anger burn brighter, knowing she thought of it too late.

Being in her soundproof office, she took the opportunity to grab the nearest book and fling it across the room, screaming something that sounded suspiciously like "Damn you, Dumbledore!"

Her scream didn't last long, as the object she threw caught her attention. As quickly as she could, she reached out and grabbed it with both hands.

It was an old, leather-bound book small enough to fit in her palm, with a glowing title of an unknown language printed on it, and yet somehow, she understands what it said.

"A Guide to Revenant Summoning: Let the spirit fight for you. Authors: Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg, Yukari Yakumo and Luto o Henir" Umbridge read the title aloud, as if to make sure that she didn't misread it, her mind racing to figure out why she never saw the book on the shelves before.

She didn't particularly care, really. But the words 'Let the spirit fight for you' was like a magical charm as she was in desperate need to get rid of someone – er, some obstacles blocking the Ministry of Magic. The thought that the contents might be black magic barely crossed her mind. It didn't hurt to read it, right? And since she, much less the Wizarding world, never had records of these authors before, she doubted that it'd be on the list of 'Dark Arts' in the first place. If the law didn't call it a Dark Art, then it wasn't.

After the first few pages, Umbridge was practically glued to the contents, all her attention focused on the book. She barely noticed the passing of time, or the fact that she had missed lunch. Every word, every sentence was so unbelievable that she couldn't help but believe it to be true.

'Many magi across the globe perform summoning magic to obtain a familiar, an animal with or without intelligence. Some are more spectacular than the other, like summon spirit of Heroes from the Age long past like King Arthur as their familiar. However, there is a unique, little-known type of summoning magic, known as the Revenant Summoning spell.

This spell will summon a soul of a person who, during their life, held some form of negative feelings towards the intended target of the Summoner, be it anger, a grudge, or jealousy. The soul will then be transferred to a crafted, artificial body. The spell will pick the person who is most obsessed with bringing down the person in question, whether by ruining their reputation or by death.

Most of those who are summoned with this method do not have a free will, due to already being dead to begin with. The aspects of the soul being put into the artificial body is simply their memories and desire for revenge, not their whole being.

Before anyone decides that this is creating 'zombies' or 'walking dead' and therefore the forbidden art of necromancy, we must correct you. The walking dead have only basic instincts, requiring instructions from the Summoner who bound them to the mortal plane for complex tasks. However, for this method in this book, the summoned with not only retain their memories, they will also retain their skills – whether mystic or mundane – and can use them to their fullest to ensure your enemy's downfall.'

Umbridge let out a sigh of relief, this was certainly different from the Inferi spell used by Dark Wizards. Those things couldn't even think of more than 'kill the intruders,' which is certainly useful in a select few situations. Overall, it was still considered a Dark Art. Of course, just like the Dementor incident at Little Whinging, as long as Fudge and the public didn't know, it wouldn't hurt the Ministry…

'Furthermore, this Revenant Summoning is more convenient than normal summoning. For starters, the complication of hunting for the correct artifact to be the catalyst in summoning the correct person needed is non-existent. This book itself is the catalyst.

Also, the Summoner will only supply the summoned with minimal magical power to reign them to their will, unlike the summoning of spirits using another method.

However, before attempting this summoning, there are some issues with Revenant Summoning that the reader must be aware of and warned against. Firstly, the dead summoned with this method will not be weak against light and heat, but will retain their weaknesses from when they were alive, as the container will near-perfectly imitate and emulate their physical and mystical appearance.

Secondly: Another problem with the Revenant Summoned is that there are possibly others the summoned will wish to destroy apart from your target. It is likely that, if the obsession is strong enough, the summoned soul will go berserk upon seeing their in-life rival and ignore your orders.

Thirdly: Once your intended target has perished from the mortal realm or you are satisfied with your revenge, the contract is terminated and the summoned will be destroyed.'

Umbridge was unable to read the fourth warning, which was so smudged that it looked like someone had poured a bottle of ink over it. Shrugging, Umbridge skipped over it, reading the next page.

'Fifthly: This book will be consumed upon perform the summoning in order to complete the spell.

Lastly: If the Summoner has more than one person he/she is targeting, the spell will choose the Revenant summoned at random, prioritizing the youngest target.'

Now Umbridge was concerned. What if she somehow summoned 'He Who Must Not Be Named'? After all, Harry and Dumbledore were on the list of people she hated. She brushed the thought aside, remembering that the Revenant summoned wouldn't be able to do anything against the summoner's wishes, so even if she summoned the Dark Lord, she and the Ministry were still safe. Hell, they could even use it as an opportunity to restore the Ministry's reputation, terminating the contract in front of the crowds, pretending that it was one of the Auror's or even herself who killed the Dark Lord, a sure fire way to regain the trust of the people!

'The spell will choose spirits with the strongest desire for revenge. On the following page, you will find a detailed guide to performing the summoning ritual. '

The end of the chapter was composed with many illustrations of magic circles, other notable components, chants, ingredients, and more, all of which was essential to this method of summoning. Quickly looking around the room, Umbridge determined that there were no other people around, not even that bug, before jotting down her notes on a piece of parchment.

Gathering up the book and parchment, she slipped them into her pocket, hurrying out of her office to head home.

She had something to prepare… something for the greater good of the Ministry. Dumbledore must fall! And with this book, doing so, without getting caught or smearing the Ministry's name, was finally possible…

In the Ministry Atrium, where all the fireplaces for the Floo network connected, one lone, pale-skinned, blonde man stood out against the steady stream of witches and wizards moving through the Floo network. Leaning against the Fountain of Magical Brethren, his gray eyes glanced at the Toad Lady as she made her way through the throngs of people, letting out a sigh of relief as she was consumed by the green fire and disappeared, but not before the gray-eyed man spotted the corner of the leather book poking out of the pocket of her pink dress.

Lucius Malfoy couldn't help but think back to the mission he had carried out for the Dark Lord. 'Deliver this particular artifact to any Ministry official who holds a grudge against Dumbledore.' Which, he presumed, must be Cornelius Fudge, as his master didn't specify his target of interest. As for the grudge part… The Minister certainly fit the criteria.

But before he could carry out his master's orders, the Toad Lady chose that moment to collide with him, and by some chance, picked up the artifact. The very book he was supposed to deliver was gone, and once he realized, it was too far from his reaches. Searching the whole Ministry would be impossible, whoever picked it up could have already left, or it could be in the possession of someone who would arrest him for possessing it.

When all hope seemed lost as Lucius shuddered at the thought of what was in store for those who failed the Dark Lord, he caught a glimpse of Umbridge, undoubtedly in possession of the book, just before the Toad headed to who-knows-where. Which meant that his mission had already succeeded.

Of course, Lucius did ask his Lord why he didn't just do the summoning himself, or have any loyal Death Eater do it. Since, he had argued, it would be this Revenant they summoned who would kill Dumbledore, the Ministry would probably brush it off as an Inferius attack, and, in no possible way, lead back to the Dark Lord, he could have performed the summoning with no fear.

Then the Dark Lord showed him his reasoning, the page from the artifact which contained warnings against those who wished to perform such a summoning. The very page that he poured enchanted ink all over to prevent the next readers of the book from knowing what would happen if they failed.

'Fourthly: If the Revenant is destroyed by any means before fulfilling your desire, the Summoner will suffer a severe magical backlash. The effects include but are not limited to: severe pain, destruction of the foci, damage to multiple organs, and permanent inability to use magic for the rest of the summoner's life. The last effect is most likely if the Revenant summoned was very strong in life. Death of a particularly strong Revenant will likely kill the summoner outright.'

Combined with the fact that his master's intended target was one of the greatest Wizards of the 21st century, the Revenant summoned to kill him, even if there was only a slim chance of doing so, must be strong, stronger than your average wizard. Even then, there's no guarantee that the Revenant summoned would be able to actually kill the old Headmaster. Put two and two together and the Dark Lord deemed it safer to relay the summoning to someone else.

Losing all of your magic permanently was never a pleasant thing, especially for Purebloods like them. It put them beneath even Mudbloods and Muggles! It wasn't a surprise that his master had to prevent that particular information from reaching the person who would summon the Revenant in their stead. No one wants to lose their talent, their gift, their birthright.

Now, as Lucius Malloy moved towards one of the queues in front of the fireplace to transport him back home, he wondered about just what that Ministry Undersecretary would summon, as the two most famous Dark Wizards to ever challenge the old Headmaster, his very own Dark Lord and Geller Grindelwald, were still alive. It was impossible to summon either of them, as the book said that the spell can only summon the dead.

As Lucius stepped into the green fire, he cleared his head of the silly question. Why did he care about who - or rather, what - Umbridge summoned? The spell would do all the picking anyway, and no matter the outcome, it's a win for him anyways.

The Ministry of Magic's very own Undersecretary practicing an unknown art of magic to bring the dead back to life. No matter how you spun it, the first thing that came to people's minds would always be 'Dark Arts,' as no magic can bring people back from the dead.

And he'd use his influence on the media of the Wizarding community to make sure the public knew that, as part of the plan...

Besides, Lucius thought as he stepped out of the fireplace in the prestigious Malfoy Manor, this would be revenge against Umbridge for daring to put his son in danger with her stupid attempt to discredit Dumbledore with Dementors. Even he knew that if it wasn't for the quick action of Dumbledore's staff, his son would have been in a comatose, if the letter he received were anything to go by.

As Lucius sat on his comfy sofa drinking tea that one of his House Elves served, his mind went back to the day he received the letter from his son describing the attack. He had nearly thrown the damn letter into the fireplace in a fit of rage, prepared to write a complaint and demand compensation from that Uxbridge. And he would've, had his wife not calmed him down first. Once his more rational thought returned, he formed a plan, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

The plan was simple to execute, really. Using his money, Lucius paid the overnight shift of the Daily Prophet, urging them to hasten the newspaper publication and distribution, even donating his House Elves to help distribute them! By the time Fudge regained his composure and sent an owl with a letter asking the editors to ignore the scoop around Hogwarts, the day's newspaper was already published and in the hands of the Wizarding British population, beyond the point of ever hoping to contain the knowledge.

The was even more beneficial to Lucius, as it would also throw Dumbledore off of his trail, seeing that Lucius aided in bringing the truth to light and helped undermine the Ministry's attempt at his school. Even if it was only temporary, it still gave him some breathing room as the old Headmaster might let him off the hook for a while as a sign of gratitude - or so he hoped.

Downing the last few drops of tea, the head of the Noble House of Malfoy left his living room for the House Elves to clean, striving to the Malfoy library, which was nestled deep within the manor since ancient times to fulfill the task his son asked him to complete: search for the possible heritage of the current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It was something he didn't think to be important or warrant immediate attention until now.

Of course, killing Dementors with lightning and fireballs tended to garner such attention from the Wizarding World anyway... as such a thing was regarded to be impossible for their world and Merlin's teachings... so he was sure her origin must be special.

Unknown to the Malfoys, Voldermort, or Umbridge, in the vast darkness of the multi-universe, the place where many dimensions and universes connected to each other via a single strange, bizarre place, a place that existed outside of time flow called Henir. A grey-haired man in black mask who donned a black robe, chains and locks wrapped around his collar, giggled madly in the cold void, his lone golden eye shining brightly with excitement as he watched his unwitting pawns dance to his song, setting the stage for another interesting tale about to unfold through the magical circle he used to observe other universes from the comfort of home.

It was really worth it; 'borrowing' that book that his predecessor and other keepers of Universes wrote with such painstaking care - even if he had to face said man's wrath afterwards. They were stuck together and it's not like that man could kill him anyway. Plus, he was sure that this event would excited them both, if not, the other two co-authors of said book may take a peek from their respective strongholds!

Although he was quite disappointed that the Dark Lord of the Wizarding World was too much of a coward to try the summoning himself - a shame, really, because for someone with all of his affinity, knowledge, and power Glaive was sure whatever came out of the summoning circle would've been spectacular, a battle guaranteed to be a sight to behold, perhaps something on par with even the most insane of monsters.

But then again, since he had a specific Revenant in mind, Glaive made sure to increase the odds of success by infusing the book with the essence of said individual before delivering it to Voldemort's doorstep. Now it was time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show at that little brat's expense.

Truth to be told, Glaive thought in amusement, his actions actually benefited said brat, albeit in a more difficult way than absolutely necessary... But then again, achievements never came cheap to begin with, there was a whole trial of blood, tears, and suffering along the chosen path, no matter what parallel universe he watched, so he doubted that it would be too much for this version of the same brat to deal with.

That was the very path that those so-called 'Dark Wizards' in the Wizarding World fell short of achieving as they all literally were 'drunk on the dark side,' and never once tried to climb out from that pit of doom, choosing to walk down the path full of mysteries beyond human comprehension (Still less accursed than what he knew) - but he was getting ahead of himself. Even the weakest of humans would have their efforts pay off in ways they never imagined if they stay true to the path they chose.

"What will you do, o, little brat? I can't wait to see when you meet this spirit! Ku ku ku ku!" Glaive laughed with amusement, unaware of another pair of eyes glaring angrily at him from the darkness for the sheer audacity and daring to steal his work and give it to a mere human!

And so, before his grand show could begin, the perpetrator found himself starring in another show, one called 'Run Away From Your Angry Co-Worker.'

In the Room of Requirement of Hogwarts that very night, someone shouted with excitement…

"Your fight yesterday was bloody brilliant Professor! Rub that in those pureblood's face! You don't need magic to wipe the floor with them!"

"Ron! Mind your manners! You're a Prefect and you should act as such!"

It was that same Friday night that Harry had called for another Dumbledore's Army meeting, despite most of the Gryffindor members having been run ragged by Aisha's test earlier that day. All of them answered his call, cautiously flying to the room one by one until everyone was there and he started his lesson for the day. Everything went smoothly as everyone able to cast a Shield Charm without trouble; some even went so far as to chat about Christmas during the practice! That is, until Aisha showed up half an hour later that is.

Seeing their teacher passed through the 'portal' was always an interesting sight despite it being the second time they saw her preferred method of transport, as well as reminding them of the last bout between Aisha and the Auror from the Ministry. So it came to no surprise that someone would talk about it when they saw her in such a friendly atmosphere.

And indeed, apart from scolding look she gave the redhead boy - who too caught up in an argument with Hermione to notice her glare. But still, Aisha didn't punish him, opting to chuckle at the two arguing students "Well, aren't they a lively pair?"

Her suggestive tone wasn't lost on anyone, and so everyone in the room either laughed openly or giggled, making the duo blush as red as tomatoes, stopping their bickering immediately, causing everyone to laugh even more, their best friend included.

"Harry! We're definitely not like that!"

"It's a misunderstanding, mate, please believe me!"

The bespectacled boy adjusted his glasses before composing himself and apologizing. "Sorry, Ron, Hermione, it's just… I never thought about it before until Professor pointed it out, that you two really do quarrel like a couple a lot."

"As if we've never have a shouting match before…" The redhead muttered, while the bushy haired brunette shot Harry a glare that clearly said "I won't let you see my lecture notes for this!" which made the boy shudder a little as it reminded himself that his Potions homework wasn't finished yet and made a mental note to do it as soon as possible this Saturday, because, of course, Snape ordered them to finished it by Monday.

Turning to his elder sister for help wouldn't do any good in this case, she would tell him to do it himself anyway.

His sister clapped, garnering everyone's attention before speaking with a serious expression on her face, contrasting the joke she made just a moment ago. "Shouldn't you kids start practicing instead of bickering about each other's love's life? Aren't your exams important for your future career? As I said in the opening feast, 'your actions today dictates your future,' remember?"

The room groaned loudly, as Cho Chang of all people complained. "Professor, why so serious suddenly? It's just few days before Christmas and the New Year, so everyone is excited to be reunited with their family. Could you please let us have fun a bit?"

Not expecting such a reaction from the girl, Aisha quirked her eyebrows at the Ravenclaw - who was also rather obviously Harry's secret crush - contemplating her reaction as well as those of the other students.

Then Aisha's eyes went wide as she remembered the reason of their conflicting emotions before replying apologetically. "I'm sorry kids, I'm just… confused with date and time of events with those from my own homeland…"

"Your homeland?" Harry blinked as he looked around, finding that most of the DA members were also perplexed with his sister's answer. "What do you mean by that, S… er… Professor Aisha?"

"I never told you much about my home, correct?" Aisha inquired, earning simultaneous nods from everyone there. She quickly decided to give them a little bit more information. "In my… homeland, the week that encompasses what you know as 'Christmas' and 'New Year' is a week of sadness, one to mourn those who departed from mortal plane and passed on to the afterlife."

Silence reined in the Room of Requirement as everyone's cheery mood disappeared almost instantly once her words registered in their minds.

The first one to break the silence was Cho herself. "I'm sorry for bringing that up, Professor…"

Aisha shook her head. "Don't be, you didn't know. Anyway, since everyone in this world regards this upcoming week as an event of celebration, not many people know what other cultures think."

Aisha's words died in her mouth as her lips curved downward in a frown, her eyebrows knotted together and her purple orbs narrowed as if something was causing her discomfort. But before anyone could ask her what happened, she answered their questions. "It seems that my time here is short… that Toad Lady sure doesn't know when to give up, doesn't she?"

A bluish oval-shaped portal formed in the air behind the diminutive Professor the moment she waved her right hand around her back, coldness radiating from it, making a few students who stood near it shiver a little. Just as she stuck her right leg into it, she suddenly stopped, turning to talk to the students one more time. "You don't have to worry kids, it's just some 'ward' I placed around my room to warn me of intruders, they have yet to see this, I assure you…"

Seeing that no one made any comments, she continues quickly as time is ticking as the intruder approached closer to her quarters. "On that note, you all better make some secret escape path for this room, I heard that it could grant the users' what they desired." With that last comment, she slipped into the portal, liquid-like ripples running across its surface, before she disappeared from the Dumbledore Army's view and the portal collapsed into nothingness, leaving behind cold vapor that quickly dispersed, the room returning back to its normal temperature.

As their Defense Professor left, everyone simultaneously released the breathe they were holding without knowing out of fear of being discovered by the Ministry Officials when Aisha told them that her room was being intruded, along with the implication that the portal she conjured connected to said room, making the situation worse.

It was Hermione who broke the silence this time as she approached their impromptu raven-haired, bespectacled leader. "Professor Aisha did have a point, should we add a secret passage for escaping this room too? Maybe…"

As if the room itself was listening to Hermione's comment, another wooden door practically appeared on the stone wall opposite of the main entrance, connected to the castle's seventh floor's corridor, obviously leading to a different corridor somewhere in Hogwarts.

"Well, that's convenient isn't it, Hermione?" the Weasley twins chuckled as the whole room looked at the newly materialized escape path, and then Fred (or was it George?) spoke again. "I'd bet that everything can be found here if we wished for it enough… but somehow I think I've found some limitations…"

His twin spoke with faked interest. "Oh, and what would that be? Care to explain, George?"

The twins then spoke in sync,answering their own question. "We wished for our products to appear right now but so far nothing happened yet... I think we have to leave something here first for anything to happen. What are your thoughts, o, Miss Prefect of Gryffindor?"

However, the Prefect didn't listen to the twins' question at all. In fact, she seems lost in her own thoughts since the new door materialized.

"Hermione?" Harry, who was standing closest to her, tried to get any response from his friend. Even though he saw the thoughtful expression on her face, her eyes unfocused and one hand resting on her chin, he worried even though it was a sign that she was deep in thought and wished to not be interrupted.

It took a poke from another redheaded Gryffindor to snap her out of her thoughts, lashing out at the offender. "Ron! What do you think you're doing?"

The redhead in question took a step back before frantically replying, attempting to avoid the girl's wrath. "Sorry, I thought you were spacing out so we tried to call you, Hermione."

"Oh…" Realization hit the brunette, her face reddening a little as she saw her fellow Prefect a bit too close to comfort, quickly explaining her earlier... mental absence. "…Sorry, I was just think about what happened earlier with that door…" She pointed at the escape route before continuing with excitement. "Perhaps we can find something about Professor's strange magic here if we wished for it enough and there're reference books around?"

"Hermione…" It was Harry who reluctantly called out to her. "She's not from our Wizarding community, right? Is it that strange for her to develop something on her own? And are you sure that there'll be any books with said subject at all?"

"But last I checked, there're no other branches of magic present on Earth apart from Merlin's teachings…" Hermione argued, bu upon seeing the glare from the Asian girl from Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, corrected herself. "…I mean, there're others like Japanese Onmyou and Chinese style of Magic, but they're nowhere similar to what Professor used at all, considering that both of them have to utilize a disposable foci like a paper charm and the like, not to mention those branches are a closely guarded secret of small sects of their respective Magical communities, they won't teach outsiders, else Cho and other transfer students from the East wouldn't be here in the first place."

Harry quickly pointed out the contradiction in Hermione's argument "If those arts were a secret, how can you assume that Si… Professor Aisha's magic is different from theirs? Be reasonable Hermione…"

Instead of arguing further, Hermione paced around the room while frowning, as if she was concentrating on something, and then before anyone could ask what she was doing, another bookshelf materialized on the empty wall next to the secret passage containing many exotic books (judging by the covers of course) that Harry swore he never saw in the normal section of library.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the newly appeared shelf with excitement. "Wow, it worked! Now let's see…"

The Gryffindor Prefect made her way toward the shelf before grabbing one of the book as other looked dumbstruck, flipping through the pages and beginning to read. It took only a few seconds before she realized that all the DA members weren't doing anything but staring at her. She blushed, embarrassed a little, before she urged them to help. "Come on, this's a chance to study something outside normal curriculum!"

An audible groan could be heard from both the Weasley twins and their younger brother, before Ron shook his head and replied tiredly. "Hermione, we already have our hands full with preparation for exams right now. Do we really have the time to do research on things like this?"

Harry looked around the room in worry, his mind trying to find a balance between their members as some of them were actually displeased at Hermione, while others looked curious at the shelf before quarrels broke out. He then adjusted his glasses, pulled out his wand, and then created a loud bang.

It worked well, as everyone stopped what they were doing, some nearly jumping in panic, but no harm was done as they all turned to look at Harry who quickly spoke to them. "If anyone is still not confident in casting any spells, please go back to practice, erm, well…" He scratched his head, trying to come up with something as he looked at the clock pointing at 10 P.M. "…It seems time's up, I think our DA meeting is adjourned for today… everyone… we will resume our meetings again after the New Year break is over."

Harry then pulled out the Marauder's Map and began his routine of ensuring their trip back to their respective Houses safely, the same as previous meeting. One by one they flew out of the door, though sometimes Harry would alternate them to the other escape as to test where it lead to (he found that it lead to somewhere near Trelawney's tower though), and to avoid suspicion, because why would so many people from different houses suddenly appear from the same general area of the seventh floor?

And so, fifteen minutes later, the room was almost empty, save for Harry, Ron and Hermione, who could linger around longer due to Harry's invisibility cloak providing them safe passage through any night patrols of Professors or Prefects, unless said Professor is Alastor Moody or Aisha of course. In fact, given that today is Friday and they already finished their homework, they could stay here until midnight without much trouble…

But before Hermione, Ron and Harry could pick books to read in search for clues about Harry's elder sister's mysterious magical ability (deny it as he may, 'the Boy Who Lived' was as curious as his bookworm friend about this, even more so as she was adamant in not teaching any of them.), they suddenly noticed another presence.

There, standing behind a bookshelf laden with exotic books, was Cho Chang…

"Huh?" Harry blinked several times as to make sure he's not hallucinating, while Ron and Hermione looked at each other before looking at Harry, sighing as if they were disappointed by something as he spoke to the Ravenclaw senior. "The curfew is soon, Cho, why are you still here?"

Cho Chang mumbled something unintelligible under her breathe, blushing a little and avoiding eye contact with the rest of them, making Harry slightly annoyed, yet he couldn't saying anything harsh to her, Aisha's teasing about his feeling toward his senior surfaced and preventing him from doing so, until Cho regained her composure and spoke clearly. "I want to help you search the books here."

All The Boy who lived could say was a very intelligent "What?!"

The black haired girl sent a subtle glare at Ron and Hermione, who tried their best to avoid the two as if they were to cause of this predicament before repeating her words to Harry. "I'm interested in Professor Aisha's magic too, that's why I'm going to help you search the books."

"Oh, I see…" Harry forced his words out. Somehow, despite the absurd situation, he felt his heart skip a beat at this chance to converse with Cho, and somehow slightly annoyed at the presence of his two friends in the room for no particular reason, but he didn't dwell on that too much. They were his friends, after all. Furthermore, there were more pressing matters to address. "But, how can I get you back to your dorm after this? We may search for hours, even with the small number of books. I doubt we'll find what we want soon…" He glanced at the bookshelf.

Cho looked away from Harry, not wanting him to see her blushing as she finalized her thoughts. "I… I knew that you have some means to get you, Ron, and Hermione to safety, so I thought… maybe I shouldn't be a burden to you, but perhaps if you tell me how to do it… it won't be a problem right?"

Harry instinctively looked down in his robe, specifically the pocket that hid his Invisibility Cloak, struggling to answer Cho's questions as he never told anyone outside of their small circle of his friends of its existence before. Even though he had some feelings for the Ravenclaw senior, he still hesitated to trust her with this secret.

It was his friends that saved him from this stupid dilemma, the brunette speaking first. "Sure, I think Harry can help you about that, right Harry?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose to make sure that he didn't mishear his friend state that he'd be the one to get Cho back to the Ravenclaw common room, Harry couldn't help but appreciate and be annoyed at them at the same time, but he held his tongue because they didn't do it out of malicious intent, rather they were concerned about his feeling, and thus he nodded numbly at Cho to confirm his friends' statement.

Ignoring the pleased yet confused look on Cho's face, they begin to work, four books were pulled in systematic order, begin with the topmost shelf and they all sat on the cushions provided by the room to begin reading.

Once in a while, Harry sent a questioning glance at both his friends and Cho, silently asking if they found anything, which somehow irritated Hermione and made her tell him to focus on his book so she could concentrate on hers, stating that if she found anything she'd tell them anyway, and that ther was no need for such stare.

Harry wasn't not alone with this nervous endeavor however, Ron also proved to have just as short of a fuse as him when it came to studying, so it wasn't surprising that after just fifteen minutes into the search, the redhead threw himself back on the cushion, throwing the book to the floor and moans.

"This's hopeless!" he exclaimed, uncaring if the senior from the House of Eagle shot him a disapproving look from her seat alongside the Gryffindor Prefect "I mean… look at the shelf!" he pointed at dozens of books sitting on the shelf that Hermione summoned via her wish "It'll take days for us to find what you're looking for, Hermione! Think about it, we have only obscure clues like the effect of magic she used. Throwing fireballs? Punching harder than her small size would suggest?"

Hermione huffed irritably as she had enough of this wasteful whining "Fine, Ron. If you don't want to do it, then just wait quietly so we can concentrate and finish it faster, or if you can't do that, get back to the dorm, it's not like a teacher would a question Prefect strolling around this late at night, even it's not their patrol shift."

The redhead Prefect of Gryffindor seemed to shrink under the gaze from two girls. Harry sympathized slightly with Ron, but decided that arguing now would only hinder and slow down their efforts, and knowing Hermione, she'd no doubt get back to this shelf again if she couldn't find answer today, just like when they relentlessly pestered Hagrid about Nicolas Flammel during their first year.

"Let's get this over with, Ron…" Harry said in defeat, ignoring the glare from the redhead and looks of surprise from Hermione and Cho, as if they didn't expected him to support them at all after his impatience moments ago. "Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can have a nap without anyone caring, after all, our homework's already finished."

Without waiting for Ron's answer, Harry turned back to his book and began reading once more, and so the other two girls decided to do the same. Finally, Ron gave in and grudgingly picked up the book he threw away earlier and read as well, albeit just the index to find something related to a "Lightning spell" or "Reinforcement Magic"

Thankfully, the process didn't take long as they originally thought, the genius of fifth year went through a stack of books faster than Harry and Ron combined, while Cho Chang was the close second, and a mere fifteen minutes later Hermione exclaimed loudly. "I think I found it!"

However, Cho also spoke excitement seconds after Hermione as she looked up from her own book "I found information about Reinforcement Magic as well, including the method of… casting…" she trailed off at the end before sighing in defeat when she saw that the page containing that information was so old that it was barely visible anymore.

Hermione inched closer to her senior in order to see why she reacted strangely, letting out a sigh as well when she saw what happened to it. "It seems the book is too old..."

"Indeed…" Replied Cho before shifting the topic back to Hermione. "But what have you found? Are the contents still intact?"

Flipping and skimming through a few pages from her own book, the brunette's smile widened. "It is! I think this can identify what Professor Aisha used…"

"Wait, can I see too?" Harry shot up from his seat, moving to stand behind Hermione in order to get a look at her book, while Ron dropped whatever he was reading and tried to see too, only for the two of them to get shooed back.

"Hey, give me some space and lighting!" Hermione snorted "I can read loud enough for you to hear anyway, no need to crowd around me."

Both boys stepped back and return to their seat, and in case of Ron, with a huff of displeasure, as Hermione carefully read the contents out loud. "Controlling fire, water, earth and wind is the arcane art called 'Elemental Magic.' Those who have complete control of this particular magic are called 'Elemental Masters.'"

"Elemental Master? That sounds quite… I don't know… regal?" Harry opined with an air of curiosity.

"Sure thing mate, at least it sounds better than Supreme Mugwump." Ron added before shutting up when Hermione glared his way.

Cho coughed, bringing everyone back to the topic. "There must be something more, since Wizards can conjure fire and water or summon a small gust of wind as well."

Hermione flipped through more pages, her face turned into a frown as she read the part. "As regal as it might've sounded, the text says that the main difference between Elemental Magic and Wizarding Magic is that the former was considered 'Dark Arts' since the time of Merlin for some undisclosed reason that the author cannot fathom due to the art being lost since Merlin's time as well."

Both Ron's and Hermione's eyes were on Harry the moment she finished reading, seeing that worry marred his face. Cho also looked at The Boy Who Lived due to the sudden silence on the fifth-year brunette's part, she was confused to see him like that as well as she wondered why Harry made a face like that.

However, the text seemed to affect Harry more than they thought, as he asked in an almost pleading voice, forgetting about the outsider who didn't know his relation with the Defense Professor who was practically sitting next to him. "Are you sure Hermione? Sis isn't someone who would fall to the Dark Arts like that!"

"It's just a possibility, Harry; I'm not accusing your sister of practicing Dark Arts." Hermione quickly reasoned, she too knew from the short interaction with her during their stay at Grimmauld place that someone like Aisha was the least possible Dark Witch candidate, no matter how she looked at it.

Not to mention that, after accepting her Professor position, Aisha genuinely cared a great deal for her students, if how she tried her best to make sure her students got the most out of her subject no matter how many restrictions Ministry put on her, going so far as to approve of this 'illegal' Dumbledore Army if it'd let her students learn, was anything to go by.

Although her care towards the students wasn't on the same level as that for Harry, Hermione added mentally with some disappointment, as it was clear since that Quidditch incident that if Harry's life was threatened, the mysterious purple-haired girl would stop at nothing, even risk exposing her style of magic to save him, while the same couldn't be said for other students, even herself, as Aisha was still adamant in not revealing anything about her own magic style, apart from what they've already seen.

Before her musings carried her away from the subject of their study, the Ravenclaw of the group voiced her opinion. "From what I've seen from her for the past months, Professor Aisha doesn't seem to be the type to practice Dark Arts at all…" She then mused thoughtfully "…but then, her magical powers closely resemble those they described in the book… so I'm not sure…"

Harry thought about what Ravenclaw senior said, gathering his thoughts and composure, refusing to say anything to tip Cho off about his relationship with Aisha (He just hoped she conveniently forgot about his and Hermione's slight slip of tongue earlier, what with calling Aisha his sister), before speculating. "Perhaps Si… I mean, Professor is indeed using Elemental Magic, but perhaps it can be considered Wizarding World magic, because it doesn't necessarily deviate from Merlin's teachings enough to be considered a Dark Art, right?"

"It's possible…" Hermione agreed before looking down at her book again and frowned. "But unfortunately, that's all the book had to say regarding this subject, I guess we have to ask Professor Binn instead… at least we have a class with him before the Christmas Break on Tuesday…"

Ron groaned audibly at the mention of their ghost Professor, he never once stayed awake during his class! The boring teacher is guaranteed to fell half of the room with his monotonous speech about history. The sentiment was shared by The Boy Who Lived, who despite his efforts to improve his grades, still fell prey to Professor Binn nonetheless.

Once there's nothing left to search, the four of them part ways from the Room of Requirement, but nor before Ron and Hermione insisted that Harry used his Invisibility Cloak to escort Cho back to Ravenclaw's common room, saying that no one would suspect them of anything but some late-night patrolling.

So, Harry took out his cloak and covered both him and Cho, exiting the room into the corridor quietly as they headed to the Ravenclaw common room – somewhere he'd never been before, but with Cho leading him, she should be fine.

He still couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness that the grins both the redheaded and brunette Prefects sported gave him when they practically ordered him to complete this escort mission.

Once Aisha emerged from the blue portal in her own quarter, she immediately summoned a fireball the size of a fist with a flick of her palm, letting it hover in the center of her room providing light. Purple orbs scanned her surroundings for abnormalities, her form subtly tense and ready into spring into action at a moment's notice.

From her 'special senses,' Aisha knew that the intruder was right there in her own room, and he/she/it probably saw the magecraft she used to enter the room already. But her biggest concern was that the intruder didn't leave to report to his/her/its superior, despite seeing that she did something that, by the Wizarding world's standard, should be impossible to do, thus enough evidence to warrant an investigation on her.

Many scenarios ran through the diminutive magic user's mind, contemplating her next course of action while she casually summoned Dobby, asking him to bring her two cups of tea as if nothing happened. She had plenty of time since it was obvious, from the magical signature emitting from the intruder, that it didn't consider the possibility of being found by her at all and continue to stalk her for more information and material to use against her later.

Of course, Aisha could roughly judge a person's emotions through the shift of the magical signature emitted unconsciously from their body, especially strong ones like panic or surprise. It was a skill she unintentionally developed during her interaction with her friends and allies over the course of their adventures. It was shame that it didn't develop enough to help her avoid annoying Elsword effectively until it was well after the 'War of Elrios' ended though, else her relationship with him may-

Shaking her head and shoving thoughts about her crush from her Homeworld aside, she concentrated on the present and analyzed the situation. Given that the intruder was the size of a small beetle… or a bug, added to the fact that, from Harry's stories about his life at Hogwarts during past years, even Mr. Alastor Moody's magical eyes cannot see through this façade, and there's no other method of detecting this kind of magic from the Wizarding World, this intruder's confidence is justified.

As the House Elf placed two teacups filled with a warm and nice-smelling liquid on her work desk, leaving with a 'pop!' sound, Aisha sensed no changes in the bug's magical signature at all. It seemed that the bug was thinking that she was expecting someone to visit this late at night and concluded that it should be fine blackmail material, as no good person would ever hold a meeting at this hour when everyone was sound asleep…

Too bad, she didn't prepare this tea set for some random guest… but specifically for the bug itself!

Now the problem was how to catch it?

Aisha's stoic expression broke into a grin, as she held out her right hand and concentrated.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped by a few degrees, that is, anyone other than Aisha herself would think that, but in truth, it was just the side effects of energy being leeched out of the atmosphere and gathered on Aisha's outstretched palm [1] in the form of bright blue ball.

A yelp of surprise followed by sound of something hitting the stone floor echoed throughout the room, as a woman with short blonde hair dressed in green robes and wearing glasses suddenly materialized mid-air near the corner containing the bookshelf and free-fell to the ground once the gravity asserted itself upon her.

"Ow, ow… My back! It hurts!" The woman moaned on the floor, clearly surprise at the sudden de-transformation from beetle to human, but that surprise did little to stop her pain, and her pain did little to her hearing as another presence in the room made herself known.

"Well, well, the rat finally reared its head…" Aisha stated in a cold, calculating tone, her purple eyes gazing upon the form of the woman in a green dress that look as ugly as that Toad's pink one, the hand holding the strange blue glowing ball that was seemingly made out of vapor clenched, disintegrating the thing into particles of light that were absorbed into the girl's body. "But it is still unbecoming for a host to not welcome her guest, especially if that guest went to such lengths, turning herself into a beetle to follow her…"

Panic surged through the woman's body; a shiver ran down her spine as she processed the words this mysterious little girl spoke along with the implication of two teacups on the desk, giving her a pretty clear conclusion. 'The tea wasn't for her secret lover or anyone coming to meet her at night, but for me?! How did she know that I'm an Animagus? And more importantly, why was I forced to transform back? I haven't exhausted yet!'

The woman looked around the room, trying to find some way to get out, but it seems Aisha didn't bother with the woman's act that looked like a child being caught making mischief and trying to flee the crime scene in the slightest, continuing her speech as if she was speaking to a guest visiting her house. "I doubt that you wouldn't know of me, since you've been stalking me for week… but the introduction still in order, it's good manners after all…"

Despite the polite words came from the girl's mouth, the woman's instincts said otherwise, that this Aisha girl was anything but pleased with her presence in her quarters, if that purely evil glare and the fact that her 'polite words' were spoken with venom were anything to go by.

When a transformation without a wand failed, the woman whipped a wand from her dress, beginning to chant the transformation spell to turn herself into beetle while the diminutive Professor continued her 'introduction' with a mocking curtsey. "As you may already know, I'm Aisha, the Defense Against the Dark Art Professor of Hogwarts of this year. May I ask who am I speaking to at the moment?"

The woman in green blinked twice when nothing happened… She couldn't transform into beetle at all. When she saw that it didn't work, the woman did the most logical thing to get her out of there…

She ran towards the door.

But before her outstretched hand could reach the doorknob, a blue beam radiating nothing but coldness shot past her and hit the door, encasing the whole frame in a solid, icy glacier!

The woman looked back, only to see Aisha withdraw her hand , folding her arms over her chest while she shot the intruder a smile promising pain and suffering, contrasting with the sweet, sing-song voice she used. "It's rude to leave before the host can properly welcome her guest, Madam Green Robe, or should I call you Madam Bug? You still haven't told me your name yet, so I apologize for calling you such…"

The woman in green snarled like a cornered dog, clutching her wand tightly, she didn't even bother with subtly any longer and pointed her tool of a trade squarely at the little girl in front of her while yelling at top of her lungs. "Stupefy!"

A fizzle of red bolt sparked at the tip of the woman's wand and disappeared in a fraction of second.

"You seem to forget that your transformation magic didn't work, do you really think that your other magic spells will do the trick?" Aisha asked in the same mocking voice, irritating the woman to no end. "My 'ward' prevents anyone in my room from using any magic without my consent, and do you really think I'll allow you when you transformed yourself into a beetle to stalk me for a week?"

"How do you know of that?" The woman spoke for the first time, clearly running out of options to escape this place once this little girl in front of her explained what happened to her magic… but in her mind, she's seething at someone who's far away.

'Curse that Toad, this girl is way too dangerous for my pay grade! And that fool told me she's just a random country girl with strange magic!'

It was just a speculation before when she observed the fight between this girl and Dawlish, but now it's confirmed that this girl isn't just a 'lived in the wild' country girl like the Ministry official wanted to believe. She had knowledge on arcane arts in a field never explored by Wizarding World, evident by the fact that there're no known spells or wards that can cause the Animagus to de-transform or stop any magic user from using spells at all.

Furthermore, this little girl had enough combat experience to sense the oncoming threat from her surrounding! The woman in green thought that it was just mere rumors for someone to have their sense this sharp, not even the best Auror during the First Wizarding War claimed to have such a skill! But after hearing Aisha tell her she knew of her stalking for the past week, her beliefs wavered.

As if to confirm her suspicions, Aisha replies in the most annoying and cryptic manner possible. "If you don't have such sharp senses 'in the wild', you won't survive, that's basic knowledge, Madam Beetle."

"Rita Skeeter…"

Aisha raises an eyebrow at the sudden introduction. "Pardon?"

"My name is Rita Skeeter, not Madam Beetle… P… Professor Aisha…" The woman identified as Rita Skeeter repeated before quickly adding her position in the society as if to ward off any unpleasant retaliation from Aisha for invading the girl's privacy. "I'm a reporter from Daily Prophet…"

Her words died down in her throat as Aisha glared at the woman with even more intense hate, partly due to the story Harry told her about his previous school year, particularly the lies and deceitful tales this woman spun from his 'simple interview' just for the sake of getting a hot scoop for the newspaper.

It wasn't disproportionate anger, because she dared to harm her little brother. Aisha would be this angry anyway even if it was other children and not Harry getting this treatment. Because no child, famous or not, should be subjected to what this Rita has done to her victims at all.

If this woman was in Elrios during the war time, she was guaranteed to be executed! Aisha would see to that personally. And if Aisha didn't, her friends or any officer certainly would.

But unfortunately, they're not in Elrios where the laws are a lot stricter regarding spreading lies and false reports. And Aisha isn't someone who'd kill for such a petty reason. Pranks, tricks, schemes, yes, but not kill, and in her opinion, it's better that way to teach someone like this a lesson…

Thus, after seeing her 'guest' averted her gaze, Aisha coughed a few times to gain Rita's attention and began to speak in the same polite manner. "I would be honored if you would join me for some midnight tea."

Aisha gestured towards the desk where the two cups filled with tea were placed before moving back to her seat behind it, shooting a piercing gaze at the reporter who was still standing next to the exit, sending a chilling smile at the sweating Rita Skeeter, seeming to say that she wouldn't take 'no' for answer, or there would be consequences.

Seeing that no one would come to help her anytime soon as it's near midnight already. Thanks to her experience of being a former Hogwarts student, she knew no Prefects patrolling the corridors would interrupt their teachers' sleep, and that no one would have a reason to speak with the teaching staff this late at night.

'Trapped in a lion den and got her leg stuck behind a rock when the lion has returned,' that's what this situation is, Rita Skeeter thought grimly, as that Undersecretary wouldn't help her either. Sending someone to stalk people without reason would only bring shame and ruin to the reputation of the Ministry and the person behind the operation, something that the Toad would not allow. So, she was on her own from here on out.

'Might as well make the most of it, perhaps I can use this chance to quit this assignment, after all, no one would be stupid enough to send the same spy to the same target when said target already caught them. Yes, I can definitely use this excuse!' Rita formulated a new plan, before sitting down opposite of the girl who caught her.

After all, right now, she's in a tight spot as the girl in front of her is holding a secret that will land the beetle reporter in an Azkaban in her hands, and the girl is much smarter than her body suggested, so it was likely that she knew this too. Making an enemy out of this diminutive Professor by continuing to stalk her isn't an option anymore…

So, the reporter in green pick up the drink offered by the host… thus begins the most awkward midnight tea time in Rita Skeeter's life…

Author's Note

[1] It derived from Mana Intake of Dark Magician line. I know that Aisha supposed to be Elemental Master, but due to 'certain circumstance' in the backstory, Aisha in my fiction started out as Dark Magician, but before forming a contract with Angkor (and become Void Princess) she relented and back out, then began perusing the 'Elemental Master' Class instead.

This's not coming out of nowhere, I already gave a hint in the story proper (Not In Author Note Mind you!) long before this chapter ever came out, that Aisha was once a Dark Magician. But given that said paragraph is in an unassuming place and a bit vague, it's easy to missed out if you're not specifically looking for it.

Thus to summarize, Aisha in this fiction can use abilities from her other branches despite being Elemental Master, but it will be limited especially Dark Mage path due to her refusal of Angkor's contract. It's a given really, because one condition in Angkor's contract is that Aisha must wear that scandalous outfit straight out of Etna from Disgaea series for the rest of her life, so no Void Princess's magic for you!

Of course, she has a few moves from Dimension Witch, which is a given due to the fact that this's the only way for her to move through Dimension and between worlds (It's in the Class's name!) and given their relationship with Glaive… well, Dimension Witch is the only plausible way to do this...

Seem I get a few critics about how I portrayed Glaive in this story, but I guess I can leave it at that. Because, well, I already shown that Eve wasn't pleased with what he done in the past and their tracks records. Do you think that he'll honestly help her finish her work without any string attached? Or do you honestly think that Eve will believe him? I even added his evil laugh before he buggered out to hint that already, Heh heh…

As for power level of Glaive, I interpreted him like Wizard Marshall Zelretch or Yukari Yakumo (mostly influenced by the latter) is that they're actually powerful, but they had rules that dictated how much they can interfere with life on other universe and dimension. In this story at least one rule has been reveal, is that he cannot interfere with dimension crossing of others (else he'll be at war with the two people mentioned above already.) unless they intended to brings harm to Henir, something that Eve or Aisha won't even think of doing as there's no benefit in doing so.

One comment pointed out about the newest addition to Elsword's roster that Accelerator expy named Add.

I still unsure if I can include him or not, because when this fiction started, Ara just added to KR server, while Elsis wasn't much of a trouble since there're lots of hints in Elboy's backstory already. Add, on the other hand... I feel like he appeared out of nowhere and that's the problem.

This chapter is quite a cliffhangar really, what Umbridge will summon? Should I put a vote on to see what the readers are expecting? I already had my idea which I won't change unless there's a good reason for it, maybe it's you who point out that reason for me!

The candidates to 'Replace' what I had in mind are:

-(Spoiler) Dumbledore's little sister

-King Nasod (wait, what?)

-Someone in Elgang / Potter'verse in an alternate Universe: as those who played game with multiple endings called "Bad Ending route" Since the mastermind behind the summoning is... well, you know the drill... so it's possible...

Rate and Review as you see fit, until next time...