Albus Dumbledore was more than surprised when a week after their last order meeting a thick envelope had arrived with invitations to Heir Caliban's Beautillion Ball for all of the order members, each of their names neatly at the top of each one. Attached to the main envelope was a note addressed to Dumbledore stating that every member of the Order of Phoenix was invited in order to prevent their deaths from trying to sneak inside the ball.
How did Heir Caliban know all of the members of the order? Did Sirius tell him? No, he couldn't have, all of the order members have to take an oath when they join to not reveal anything. How could he know?
At their next meeting, several members protested, stating it could be a trap. Sirius had pointed out that if Heir Caliban wanted them dead then he could just kill them, he didn't need to be sneaky about it, it wasn't like Heir Caliban had to answer to any government's laws. They eventually agreed that all members would go to the ball, safety in numbers and all that.
At the ball itself, the Weasley's spent most of their time keeping Hermione from saying anything insulting while even remotely in the country of Heir Caliban. Although it seemed to be a fight they were losing. Others from the order were scoping out the other people invited to the ball as well as Caliban Castle itself.
When Heir Caliban was finally introduced to the room and started to mingle with everyone, Albus couldn't help the niggling feeling that Heir Haylan Caliban looked familiar somehow.
It didn't take Heir Caliban very long to end up in front of Dumbledore and the order of the phoenix, all looking very out of place surrounded by ministers, royalty, and pureblood lords from all over Europe. Heir Caliban's inhuman-looking green eyes looked over each of them slowly and although his face revealed nothing, Albus couldn't help but feel the Emperor-to-be was unimpressed with them.
"Heir Caliban, it is wonderful to meet you finally." Dumbledore greeted.
"Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, and Head of the Order of the Phoenix. You have many titles Headmaster." Heir Caliban spoke in an almost disapproving tone of voice.
"Yes, I have been honored with many responsibilities. It is interesting you seem to know so much about my order, even everyone's names." Dumbledore said cautiously.
"It is my job to know." Heir Caliban stated plainly.
"You are still so young, shouldn't you be out having fun with your friends instead of spying on people in a country far from yours?" Dumbledore couldn't help but ask, causing Heir Caliban to narrow his eyes at him.
"If you are so eager to bring this all up now at my ball then I would be more than happy to address this now. In less than 8 weeks I will be turning 17 and thus coming into my title formally, but as the only remaining member of the Imperial House of Caliban, my coronation is just a formality. I am giving you, Headmaster Dumbledore, until my coronation to disband your vigilante group and rejoin society under the titles already provided to you. If you do not, I will disband you and none of you will like the results." Heir Caliban threatened, his magic feeling heavy and oppressive.
"But Voldemort-" Albus tried to begin before he was cut off by Heir Caliban.
"Lord Slytherin will be receiving the same warning to disband his death eaters by the same date or else I will handle the situation. You should focus on finding justice in your real responsibilities Headmaster Dumbledore, maybe then Sirius Black wouldn't have rotted in Azkaban for over a decade if you actually did your job." Heir Caliban's tone was cutting, eyes alight with power as he spoke. "I do hope you enjoy your time here at the ball and I will be awaiting your owl formally stating the end of the Order of the Phoenix."
Before anyone could say anything else to the man, he stalked off, head held high, taking his powerful swirling magic with him.
"I do believe we are on his shit list." Kingsley helpfully pointed out. "But it sounds like Voldemort is on that list as well."
"Looks like the House of Caliban's resurrection will be short-lived. Voldemort will kill him before we have to deal with anything he says." Hermione snarked.
"To be a fly on the wall at that meeting," Mad-eye grunted out.
"Do you really think he will follow through with that threat headmaster?" Molly couldn't help but ask cautiously.
"I think the boy will certainly try. For all the power behind his name, he is just a 16-year-old boy. He will then come to us for aid against Voldemort and his people if he survives trying to make demands of Tom Riddle." Dumbledore sagely responded as watched the young heir Caliban make small talk and interact with everyone in attendance.
"What if you-know-who persuades Heir Caliban to join with him?" Doge asked nervously, causing Moody to snort in amusement. The group all eyed Mad-Eye warily.
"You have another opinion Mad-Eye?" Kingsley asked.
"You may look at Heir Caliban and see a boy, but you don't see what I see. You have more to fear of Heir Caliban killing us for vigilante activities than of him joining Voldemort. Although I am sure Voldemort will, in his arrogance, try to persuade the boy and when that doesn't work, attempt to kill him. The House of Caliban weren't our Lords and Emperors for no reason. They may as well have been Gods walking among men. Young Heir Caliban's power is like nothing I have ever seen or felt. As Emperor, he will also have his own sworn people and armies to call upon. He has no need of us. It would be better for all of us to quietly retire, he was not lying when he said we would not like what will happen if he has to step in to disband us himself." Moody spoke with a quiet but calm resignation that set everyone else on edge. This couldn't be their paranoid shouting auror friend who just last week almost blasted a bloke's leg off for 'suspicious magic' surrounding it.
"He didn't seem that impressive." Ron couldn't help but mutter. "I expected him to be at least taller." That comment had Molly turning around quickly to lecture Ronald on suicidal commentary but Albus quickly interrupted.
"We will talk more when we return to headquarters later. For now, we should mingle and get a pulse on everyone's response to Heir Caliban. Do try to avoid insulting the young man while we are in his territory."
Getting reluctant agreements from everyone, they all separated to mingle across the crowd. In hindsight, he should have kept them all close by, or at least the students close by. Not long before dinner was supposed to be called, Albus' conversation with the Bulgarian Minister and his wife was interrupted by a commotion happening deeper in the hall near the refreshments table. With a sinking feeling in his gut, Albus made his way through the retreating crowd toward the sounds of yelling.
On the polished ballroom floor were Ronald Weasley and Draco Malfoy muggle fighting. Over what Albus could only guess, but he knew that this would be bad for all parties involved. Before he had a chance to step in and separate the boys, the entire hall went dead silent as the feeling of Heir Caliban's power rolled through the room. No longer as controlled the power was bitingly icy with anger as it touched everyone, feeling every attendee as if searching for the troublemakers through his magic alone. The boys rolling around on the floor trying to hit the other froze in place when the magic reached them.
Heir Caliban stepped out of the crowd and approached the boys. The crowd watched silently, not moving, seeing what the young Emperor would do to two boys his own age. Green eyes alight with power narrowed at both boys, both of whom still sat as if under petrificus holding onto the other boy mid-hit.
"Lord and Lady Malfoy. Molly and Arthur Weasley." Heir Caliban spoke in a hard but not loud voice. The voice easily carried to everyone in the cavernous hall easily though. Both sets of angry and mortified parents made their way out of the crowd. The Malfoys hiding their reaction better, pinched lips the only thing giving them away whereas Molly was turning as red as her hair.
"I suggest you remove both boys from my castle and teach them how to behave in public, especially young Heir Malfoy." the disdain and disappointment dripped from Heir Caliban's voice.
"Of course Heir Caliban." Arthur Weasley immediately responded, bowing to the emperor to be, taking this better than his wife or even the Malfoys. As Arthur went to grab his son and haul him onto his feet, there was an uneasy shift in the crowd as they wondered if Heir Caliban was just letting this display go without any punishment.
Speaking up again, Heir Caliban quickly corrected their thoughts. "Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley. You will be staying behind for your sons' punishments, while your husbands remove the boys from the castle."
"You can't punish them for a disagreement! It wasn't even Ron's fault!" A feminine voice shouted out before Hermione Granger was quickly evicted from the crowd of unsettled patrons and in front of Heir Caliban's heavy gaze.
Albus was suddenly really wishing he had left the children at home. He wanted to go out and protect the boys and Miss Granger from Heir Caliban's wrath but found he could not move.
The smile that crossed Heir Caliban's face was not friendly, it looked bloodthirsty and malicious in only a way he had seen upon Bellatrix LeStrange's face.
"Your parents are not in attendance to take your punishment for you, Miss Hermione Granger." Heir Caliban's silky voice murmured before looking around the crowd. "Will someone step in and take responsibility for this girl, or shall I just punish all of the students directly?"
Voices whispered to each other around the hall before some Lord that Albus couldn't name for the life of him at this moment stepped out and spoke.
"If these children were old enough to attend then they are old enough to take their own punishments. They are the same age as you Heir Caliban, it would only be respectful to treat them as your peers and handle them appropriately."
Heir Caliban seemed to be turning that over in his mind before turning toward the boys' families. "Do you agree with this assessment? Did you find your sons mature enough to attend this gathering?"
Narcissa stepped forward, bowing to Heir Caliban. If the hall expected her to plead for her only son, they were taken off guard when she spoke. "I did believe Draco mature enough to represent the House of Malfoy. If he wants to ever stand on his own feet, he will take his own punishment like the adult he insists he is becoming."
The smile grew on Heir Caliban's face before looking to Molly Weasley, whose face normally so warm and loving looked conflicted and furious. Molly hung her head in a quiet defeat before speaking softly.
"I agree with Lady Malfoy. Both Ron and Hermione have insisted they are old enough for these things and I will not always be here to take the brunt of their mistakes."
"Wonderful." Heir Caliban practically purred in pleased amusement. Albus couldn't believe this was happening and looking at the faces of his three students they clearly couldn't either. Albus still couldn't move forward or speak up in defense of his students, stuck watching the incoming train wreck.
Heir Caliban's eyes trailed over each student in contemplation before speaking.
"If we were having this conversation after my coronation, the punishments would be much different. But let this be a warning to any in this room and across my empire to not compare me to these immature children standing before me." Heir Caliban's power was almost visible as it rolled quickly along the floor, rolling over the three students holding them within his power before all three screamed, falling to the ground. The screams didn't last long as the power returned to Heir Caliban as quickly as it had attacked the students.
Nothing seemed physically wrong with the students, no blood or wounds to see. But all three lay on the floor trembling, skin ashen having lost a glow or vitality to them that had been previously unnoticed.
"For the rest of summer, until the new school year begins, all three of you will live as muggles do. I have locked away your magic, when you want access to it again, you will come before me with the right words to persuade me to have mercy. I expect all of you to reflect on how badly you want to cross me. I see all three of your traitorous thoughts swirling in your eyes. Heir Malfoy and Mr. Weasley you both have blood from my line in your veins, I will rip the Black magics from your veins if you ever cross me again. Miss Granger, I recommend you heed your betters and curb your rebellion if you want to remain special at all." Heir Caliban's voice never wavered and the hall of powerful wizards and witches all felt a cold fear slide into their cores as they learned this 16-year-old had the power to not just kill them but to seal their magic away.
"I suggest you take the students back home while the rest of us adjourn to the dining hall for dinner." Heir Caliban nodded to the Malfoys and Weasleys before human servants quickly descended on the hall to help escort everyone else to the dining hall. No one in the hall knew how they would be able to eat after that terrifying display of power and Albus in particular couldn't help but wonder if they would survive to see the end of Voldemort only to fall under a much crueler and more powerful Emperor Caliban.
This ball could not end soon enough so Albus could gather the order and discuss the probable necessity of either ending the auror or facing an opponent they haven't a hope against.