Jerven had made it quite clear that he was only there to back Harry; he was civil toward only those who dared to approach the fearsome gryphon.
Harry, Corina, and Jerven spent a few hours together conversing about everything; even Jerven's threatening to devour all the fish within the Palace/Collegium complex. So Altra had to ask the Sunlord permission for the gryphon to travel to aide Harry, and by the time the rumor spread, everyone that was remotely close to both Heralds had sent letters and gifts to make them less homesick.
The two Heralds explained everything that's happened on their side and pointed out some of the nicer people here at the school as well.
"I will be the judge of that." Jerven answers, as he was preening one of his wings, keeping an eye on the castle.
"Well you can sit in our next grounding class if you want." Harry suggests
"I would not think they would keep their mindssss on their sssstudiesss with me, arrround." Jerven responds
"I know at least one who wouldn't, I'm surprised she hasn't shown up yet." Corina teases
"Hermione? Then that would be true courage to get friendly with a devourer of whole sheep." Harry guessed
"I'm sure her curiosity will lend her the courage to come around." Corina replied
Harry was going through his correspondence, Kris and Lyra had both written to him, and the Prince had commanded him when Harry returns he would have to watch his clothing because Kris was planning to steal his clothes in the bathing room to get information from him. Lyra reassured him that she would try to stop her brother from doing anything rash. When he reached Elspeth's letter, his mouth dropped open at the sheer size of the packet.
With a nervous look, Harry opened and began to read the packet.
After the few pages, Harry shook his head, "Good lord of light, this is an epic!"
"What is it Harry, what did Elspeth send."
"It's a bunch of questions, and I would need to write down the answers just to remember them. And a believe a good portion of them are from Darkwind himself." Harry answers
"Well can you really blame them, it's a new form of magic for them and a history as well." Corina replied
"It doesn't say anything about history." Harry responds
"So they want just theories and principals." Corina states
"Yes, and if we can apply it to our way of practicing magic." Harry answers
"Have fun with that research; I'm glad, I'm not mage-gifted." Corina states, as she reached for her own letter packets, and paled as she saw a letter from one of her Healer friends. "Now it's my turn to come under arrow fire."
Jerven pulled himself into a sitting position, as he saw someone with a bush for a head of hair coming down to their corner of the grounds.
The two Heralds turn to see what had the gryphon's attention. When they saw that, it was their catling, they waved her over, and they both had the same gleam in their eyes.
"Grrrreetingssss, youngling." Jerven greets, as he went back into his reclining position.
Hermione gave a nervous smile. "Greetings lord Jerven, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Just Jerrrrven." The Gryphon answers, "I have no claim to the title, my People do not hold with titles."
"I announced him as Lord, because of your wizarding world's views of non-humans." Harry explains.
"I see well that was very smart." Hermione nodded "But now I'm being very rude, I'm Hermione Granger."
Jerven regarded the human before his beak gaped in a grin, "I believe you have ssssome quesssstionsss for me?"
Hermione gave a nervous hiccup "Yes, just a few if you don't mind answering them."
"I don't mind." Jerven answers,
Hermione sat down and pulls out a quill and a blank scroll. She starts her questions.
Jerven answered to the best of his abilities, some of the time, he had to resort to using Mindspeech with Harry when it looked as if Hermione didn't understand the answer, he had given. "I came to back my frrriend."
"Yes, I see well thank you Jerven this information is great." Hermione states
"What are you going to do with that inforrrrmation if you don't mind my asssking?" Jerven questions
"Just study it for now to learn all I can, after that I really don't know since I hope to be going to your world." Hermione answers
Jerven nodded then looked to Harry, "have you tesssted her?"
"No I have not." Harry answered
"Then why don't you? If sssshe has magic, she might be taught to usssse our magic as well?" Jerven questions, "You're the best judge of assessing humans of the Gift."
Harry nodded and closed his eyes and loosed his Mage-Sight, he looked at Hermione, and she shone with an aura of those with Mage-Gift. Her Gift wasn't nearly as strong as Harry's Mage-Gift but she would be a good Master Mage. He turned to Jerven and nodded his head.
"Well it appearsss you have Mage-Gift." Jerven states, "Though, I do not know how much potential until a real Mage-Teacher sees you."
"Master Class." Harry commented
Hermione quickly turned to Harry. "You mean I have the same ability as you." The look on her face showed that she wanted to ask more but she restrained herself.
"Not as much as I do, but you have Mage-Gift, there are classifications of the type of Gift." Harry answers, "The ranks are Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, and Adept. You have Master-potential. If you train it the correct way, what you are doing now is using your own energy reserves."
Hermione's eyes give off an evil gleam to them as she eyes the two mages before her.
"You can't forget it. I am not a Mage-teacher." Harry states, "And neither is Jerven, he's an explorer."
"But you both know so much already surely between the both of you you can teach ne the basics."
"I don't want Lady Hydona after me; if she found out I was teaching without being a teacher." Harry states
"Motherrrr is quite the tasssskmasssterrr when ssshe needsss to be." Jerven agreed
"You both wouldn't leave a fledgling mage to learn by herself, now would you?"
"Would you teach Seventh year Potions without actually taking the course yourself?" Harry questions
"Of course not that would be foolish even if I had the right books there are tricks and nuances that cant be placed in a book." The young witch pouts and crosses her arms looked a child denied candy.
"You have just answered your own question, I cannot teach you because I am not an experienced Herald-Mage." Harry replied "And you do not have shielded workrooms, Mage-Gift is dangerous. And you wouldn't benefit from an inexperienced teacher."
With a deep sigh of disappointment Hermione relented, "Fine then I'll wait before I'll try anything."
Harry and Jerven nods
"How's Rris?" Corina questions
"Annoying as everrr." Jerven answers, "He will be on your heels assss ssssoon as you get back."
The bell sounds from the school signaling the nearing of lights out.
Hermione groaned as she picked up her notes and went back up to the castle.
"Have a good ressssst young one." Jerven spoke to Hermione.
Jerven stood up, went into the second tent, and curled up in the nest he made earlier. As the night progress, something woke Jerven from his sleep.
Acting on instinct, the gryphon reached out and bound the intruder with mage-born bindings.
He heard several yells, and something that sounded like a Karsite curse.
Conjuring a mage-light, Jerven peered out into the darkest, "What isss going on?" He found several human dressed in black robes and wearing masks.
Harry flung the black robed, mask-wearing intruders out with a powerful gust of a mage-born wind. He was only wearing his sleeping robe. He then heard more movement in the woods moving closer to the school.
Jerven took to the air with a powerful flap on his wings, and flying into the woods.
As the gryphon flew through the air, he saw what appeared to be dozens of humans making their way to the castle.
The Heralds quickly got dressed with all haste and climbed onto their Companions' backs.
Jerven flew to the castle to warn the professors of the attack.
Merlin already was prowling the corridors, when he heard Jerven's battle cry. He woke Minerva who in her turn had woken up all the other professors.
The professors split in to two groups one to help defend the castle itself and the other to get the students to a place of safety and protect them.
Harry frowned in concentration and he put a mage-shield around Corina, which was flexible enough for her to be protected for unfriendly magic and for her to use her own Gifts.
As they neared the school they we met by a barrage of stunners and exploding curses.
Merlin attacked with claws of fire, and Jerven used his own magic and talons.
Corina unsheathed her sword, and clumped her legs around Dasher's barrel as he charged into the fray.
From the castle wall the professors began cast their own spell at the attacked effectively boxing them in.
Harry attacked with magical Levin-bolts and those who had never witnessed the Herald using magic was shocked. Morgan and Dasher lashed out with wicked hooves.
The battle lasted only a few minutes but the toll was high for the other side. Out of the two dozen that trued to attack the castle the only survivors was the ones Jerven captured by the tents.
Jerven went back and loosened the mage-born bonds, "Get up."
"Get away from me you worthless beast how dare you try to speak to your better." One of the men spoke.
Jerven snapped his beak, and looked at Harry as the Herald-Mage came into the tent.
Harry's magic took the place of the gryphon's and the Herald-Mage forced the captives to stand. "You will not speak to my friend that way, you're the beasts."
"What are you some foreign mercenary and pet is a Dumbledore got to defend his school" the death eater states
Harry grinned "Harry Ashkevron nee Potter, you're better, as you so put it."
He gives a cocky smirk "So the rumors are true you have returned the master will be pleased when he hears this."
"You can try but I assure you will find yourself in a jail cell. He will be surprised that I have found his secret and you can tell him from me only a coward attacks a helpless child." Harry replies as he released them "Get out of here before I let Jerven shred you to pieces."
At those words, Jerven gave a snap of his beak at the closest one.
The smartest one out of the group took both his cohorts' arms and ran for it.