Can you feel the change in the wind? We are close, so very close to the end of the Hogwarts arc, even as things start at last to pull together. Final chapters for Hogwarts arc will by the 1st and 15th of May, by order of the schedule. I am truly excited for you all to witness those chapters, as I am somewhat proud of what I accomplished for the finale of this initial arc. and then, glorious day, we progress onward. But, before we grow too excited, there is today's chapter, please enjoy! ~F

Chapter Forty Nine

Boiling Point

Hermione was currently in the middle of a meeting of her Mages, locked away in the Room of Requirement, or thus had she named it for its magical properties. While many of the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students were practicing around the room, in the center on a raised platform, seated around a circular table, those that had been selected as the leaders sat in council.

Hermione naturally was the head of this council and neutral on opinion, while the representatives of the other Houses, Fay Dunbar and Colin Creevey for Gryffindor, Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones for Hufflepuff, while Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein represented the Ravens.

"We need to counterattack those Slytherin warlocks," Anthony was saying, jabbing at the table with a finger as he rose from his seat, "They constantly flout their ability to defy the Headmaster and the rules of this school, and have made their threats to us particularly clear, and I will not stand for it!" he said hotly, far more action oriented than his House would lead one to believe.

"But they have not as of yet done anything…" Hannah countered, "Summoning those creatures and practicing their magic, vile though it is, is not wrong, nor does it harm us in any way…"

"But how long until they start?" Anthony argued, "Do we wait for the first mages to come back with injuries from their classes, or when one is killed before we do anything?"

"That cannot happen," Fay added, "with the magic that the Headmaster has woven into the corridors, we cannot wield any of our magic outside of this room or outside, so aside from those classes, we cannot be harmed…"

"I doubt that that will stop them for long," Anthony said angrily.

Just then, the doors, so long protected by enchantments of the castle burst open, and immediately the seven council members were on their feet, wand in hand and spells on their lips. Anthony had actually already flung a bolt of frost magic at the intruder, who batted it away with a blast of fire.

"Good reflexes, boy," said Alastor Moody as he stomped inside, the doors slamming shut behind them, "Constant Vigilance, you've trained them well Miss Granger, but now it's my turn to refine them…"

"Professor?" Hermione asked, concerned at the man's words and his tone of finality.

"I've been given authority by Dumbledore to start a 'defense' organization, which officially is for training students to defend themselves in these troubled times, but unofficially it is exclusively for mages to hone their skills for the very threats that young Mr. Goldstein is so fearful of." The man said as he approached the center dais.

Anthony looked smug at the vote of confidence, but Hermione was still unsure, "And why do we suddenly need all this extra training and attention, I thought that Professor Dumbledore was against using children for battle."

"Circumstances changed," Alastor said gruffly, pushing the concern aside as he conjured another chair at the table, across from Hermione, and sat down hard at it, "So, what am I working with…" he demanded, Looking over at Terry Boot, who was their recorder and note-taker, having an entire book filled with notes from everything such as their members and their discovery to their meeting agendas.

Rifling through his papers quickly, the usually silent boy piped up, "throughout all three houses and across all years we have sixty-two mages of various skill and ability…"

"Sixty-two, impressive numbers for so short a time," Moody said, impressed, "But Malfoy has easily more than half that number in warlocks alone, and then twice more in addition when you count demons… You see why you need more training now?" he added, wilting any sort of praise that he had given.

"So what do you recommend then, Professor?" Susan Bones, one of the more moderates in the council group, asked.

"Simple, you need to hold a massive meeting with all your members, so I can gauge who's up to what level, then we take to training them in more powerful battle magic that Albus and I have concocted for our various run ins with, unsavory, powers…" the man replied.

Hermione caught something, perhaps in the method that the Professor had halted when he was about to mention what it was that they had fought, surely it could only be those creatures that had kidnapped Harry and were trying to hold him against his will, but it seemed that there was more to it than just that.

Alas, she did not have the opportunity to question the man as she would have liked, as he stood then, banished his chair and made for the door, "Let me know the time, and I will be here when you organize your meeting, until then, Constant Vigilance!"

And he was gone. Hermione watched the closed door for several moments longer, even as the others argued about the logistics of getting all of their mages together at one time, and the changes to the Room that they'd need, so she went mostly unobserved in her musings.

Just what were the Professors hinting at with their half answers and lack of information. She had to know, she deserved to know, especially now that they were butting in on her group…

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It took time for his minor wounds to heal, but without the ability to go into the castle as he pleased, and his lack of trust for the infirmary matron, Nobu'tan decided it was best to let them mend themselves while he awaited the opportunity to begin the ritual that his ogre magi, led by Teg'Ramm, who was up and walking again, had formulated.

The current issue they were running into was the constant interruption by various wizards, either those from the school, the staff or other officials for the tournament, or spying by the Unspeakables and the Auror guards preventing them from commencing the ritual, as it had to be completely uninterrupted or Nobu'tan could not receive the full effect, or worse die.

In the end he had petitioned, through an eye of Kil'rogg that was provided by Teg'Ramm, to Draco and his warlocks to finally start engaging in active confrontations on the grounds between themselves and the mages under Hermione, as that would visible distract anyone from bothering Nobu'tan while he was indisposed.

It was a minor annoyance that they couldn't do so within the castle proper, as Dumbledore had layered the corridors with the same suppressing magic that he had struck Nobu'tan with, and none of the others, Mages or Warlocks, were strong enough to override its effects.

Nobu'tan had to admit, the man was clever, and irritatingly persistent in his ability to maintain order within his fortress, but there would be time enough to level it later. First however, he had to make sure he had the full gifts and powers that the Legion had granted him returned before he could even fathom making a move.

While the temptation to tell Draco to not kill any of the mages was high, he suspected that they would not have the opportunity to land any lethal blows, as only a fool would not see that the mages had been putting mountainous effort into their training, likely aided by Moody or Dumbledore, if not both.

Still, on the appointed day, he and his guards were ready, and when the first burst of sound of magic appeared on the far side of the grounds, they went to work swiftly.

Behind the tent, just out of sight of the castle towers and windows, they had prepared a ritual circle, complete with small rune stones that would help stabilize Nobu'tan's life force throughout the process. With the Fel-centaur warriors keeping watch for any sign of intrusion, Teg'Ramm took the head of the circle, the other ogre magi and warlock centaur forming up in a ring around Nobu'tan, who had laid spread eagle in the center of the circle.

Nobu'tan's entire contribution consisted of stabilizing his magic through the stones to perverse him, and leading the dangerous probes of Fel magic toward Dumbledore's lock, so that they tore apart only the foreign magic that was upon him and nothing else. It was to be a tricky procedure, but if they were successful, Nobu'tan could potentially rise stronger than ever before from this.

"Begin," Teg'Ramm stated, lifting his massive arms and channeling Fel power into the air, swiftly followed by the other warlocks around the circle.

At the same time that they were building the powerful destructive force that would crumble Dumbledore's spell, Nobu'tan reached out with the Arcane to the six stones around the circle, latching onto them like the lifelines that they were, preparing to allow their excess magic take hold if he went into any critical conditions.

Then, looking up helplessly at the swirling storm above him, he nodded, allowing the warlocks to proceed with infusing his body with the raw storm of Fel energy. Blearily, he knew that there was unlikely any opportunity to escape this without pain.

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Draco knew that they were in the most risk in purposely provoking the mages at this stage, but Nobu'tan had demanded it, stating only that he desperately needed the distraction, and the will of the Head of the Order of the Black Harvest was to be obeyed.

They had specifically chosen a day and time when not only was Draco himself at Care of Magical Creatures with a great number of Slytherin fourth years, but there was also a cache of second years at Herbology as well, which added to their numbers drastically. The smattering of Mages throughout the other houses didn't stand a chance. The pair of classes was just heading down the grounds, well away from Nobu'tan's tent, when Draco sent the signal, a most unMalfoy-like scratch of the nose, and the imps they had hidden out of sight under their cloaks or robes burst forth, Fel fire spewing from their hands at every target in sight.

The pure wizarding children ran screaming in all directions, only some with fire on their robes, quickly doused in the snow surrounding their path, while the handful of Mages that were present leapt into action, as though expecting something to happen all along.

Several immediately leapt out of the way of the imps, retaliating with their own blasts of fire, while even more seemed to channel small bolts of arcane into missiles to throw not only at the demons, but at the warlocks themselves.

It was maddening how prepared they were, and only after a few moments Draco understood why. Their fighting styles all contained several unique qualities that he had seen once before, on a beach as they fought monsters while the Mages fought Morgan le Faye. Moody's fighting style, giving no quarter and fighting like madmen, and it was obvious that he was purposefully teaching these children to fight in war-like conditions.

Things suddenly turned very bad for the Warlocks, as they now had to summon even greater demons to counter mere children, some of which weren't even two years into their magical education, yet here they were fighting like they were battle-hardened Aurors.

Speaking of the wizarding police force, several exploded out of nearby brush, or around corners of various buildings, wands drawn and trying to contain the fighting, interposing themselves between the warlocks and the mages, sometimes catching a stray spell in the process.

Unfortunately it did not end there, as Draco caught sight of the grey robes of an Unspeakable, and knew that the game was up before it even began. He hoped that it proved to be the distraction that Nobu'tan needed, as there was going to be a massive payment required to stop all this from boiling to a head once Dumbledore arrived.

Just thinking of the Headmaster caused Draco to remember their very awkward conversation some time ago. Was this the sort of scenario that the old man had meant for him to consider when he started playing on Draco's doubts of Nobu'tan and his intentions?

Just then however, there was a powerful explosion of Fel magic from back toward Nobu'tan's tent demanded all of their attention. The Unspeakable swore loudly, commanding the Aurors to fall back to their positions, and Draco was almost prepared to make a run for the castle just so that the warlocks had reason to distance themselves from the Mages, but Crabbe and Goyle had different ideas.

The pair of destructive casters had chosen to take the opportunity to inflict as much damage as possible, firing off powerful bolts of pure chaotic magic at the nearest mages, who were too distracted to adequately put up defenses. Draco could only watch as the blasts of Fel struck the two smaller children, only second years, throwing them over fifty feet while their robes exploded into flames.

The screams that exploded in protest of the sudden and extremely violent attack chilled Draco's blood. "Scatter!" he commanded, and the Slytherins darted for several locations, some running toward where their classes were held, while Draco grabbed both Crabbe and Goyle and dragged them back toward the castle, the Fel empowering his physical strength.

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Teg'Ramm knew the moment they were to act from the nod by his master. As lead of the ritual he swiftly drove the conjoined magic down into the young boy's body, trying to be as gentle as possible as it threaded through the paths that the young warlock carved with the Arcane, leading through his body straight toward the lock that the vile Archmage placed upon Lord Nobu'tan.

They couldn't help the massive explosion of power that occurred once their torrent of Fel energy made contact with its goal, and the ogre mage knew that it would bring their enemies running to discover the source of the commotion.

That was what the warriors of the Fel Centaur were for, to block and combat any advance from the wizards until Nobu'tan was freed of the curse. The currents of power seemed to try and absorb into every corner of the boy's body, and Teg'Ramm struggle mightily to constrain it to only digging at the Arcane seal that blocked the boy's connection to the Fel.

Around them, the Fel Centaur started to yell their war cries as they engaged the wizards who had come to interfere, they having easily broken down the wards around the stones that protected them, as Nobu'tan had been unable to empower or modify their abilities for a time.

It seemed as though they were doomed to failure, as the wizards started to encroach ever nearer and the seal was unyielding, until with a mighty burst of power that caused a shockwave to ripple through the castle grounds, it was torn asunder and the might of the Fel was pulled greedily in by the warlock, who started to glow with the green infusion of magic.

Nobu'tan was writhing on the ground from all the excess power, siphoned into the various rune stones that they had prepared for such occasions, but even then there was simply too much released power, and one by one the stones started to explode as too much magic overloaded the runes inscribed upon them.

Teg'Ramm tried to end the ritual as quickly as he could, but it was unlikely that they boy would be unaffected by all the Fel magic coursing through him, above and beyond what even Nobu'tan had before utilized.

The wizards arrived just as this occurred, and Teg'Ramm turned with the other warlocks, closing ranks around their master to protect him from their spells, wielding what reserves of energy they had to fend off the oncoming wizards.

But then the ground shook once again, and Tog'Ramm spotted movement in the center of their circle, and Nobu'tan appeared among them, his skin starting to show the advanced stages of Fel infusion, turning a more motley color as his eyes glowed with the deadly green of Fel energy.

Hands almost resembling claws lashed out ahead, and Felfire flashed effortlessly wherever the boy aimed, quickly scattering the wizards and slaying a pair of the red robed guards.

"Eliminate them quickly," Nobu'tan commanded, his voice altered from the ritual, deeper and more demonic in sound, "I want no witnesses to my releasing from Dumbledore's spell. Bring the Unspeakable to me alive…"

With a roar of approval, the other warlocks felt themselves energized with Fel magic as they charged forward, laying waste to those wizards foolish enough to try and stand in their way. The Aurors were killed with great ease, their conditioning and tactics already broken from the unusualness of what had occurred, and the Unspeakable, who did managed to greatly injure several of the warrior centaur, was eventually subdued and dragged into the tent to face Nobu'tan.

"Now, what does the Ministry truly suspect of me…" the boy hissed as he leaned down to take the grey clad wizard and heave the man to his feet. The other man refused to comply, where upon Nobu'tan simply threw him back to the ground.

"If you will not tell me, I have other ways of retrieving the information I seek…" he said, eye narrowing wickedly as the Fel energy danced within them.

Teg'Ramm studied his master's new powers as he went about gleaning the information from the mind of the Unspeakable, utilizing a cadre of spells of both wizard and warlock origin to steal the information right from the unwilling mind.

It seemed that this influx of power was only temporary, as by the time he was finished with the Unspeakable, and had killed the fool, Nobu'tan's features had all but returned to normal, but at the same time there were a few things that seemed permanently affected.

For one thing, Nobu'tan's aura had assuredly darkened from the exposure to so much Fel energy, which added a powerful sense of malevolence when the boy was angered that was palpable to any near him. It also had affected any other magic that the restored warlock attempted to cast, transforming more of his abilities from with the wizard schools of magic or the Mage's Arcane to closely reflect the shadowy arts and destructive capabilities of the Fel.

It was nearly impossible now for the boy to conceal that he had restored his powers therefore, which was a small irritation that Nobu'tan expressed, as he had more than wanted to only reveal that he had broken Dumbledore's little lock when it came time for their confrontation, but it seemed that fate had decided otherwise, and he would have to use magic cautiously to prevent too much of a discovery if he still wished to operate in secret.

At least he had until the final task where he could lie low in the tent and plot with Teg'Ramm and the others that were present to assist him, which would deny the wizards too much insight into what they were up to until it was altogether too late.

The last news that they had from the human Lucius, with whom Teg'Ramm had from the Fel centaur leader Edgran was a rather interesting sort, for a human, had placed Nobu'tan in an excellent mood, as it described how the man was organizing their forces for when they took control of the stone circle that would function as the gateway for the Legion to enter their world.

Although when Teg'Ramm tried to remind Nobu'tan of this development to cheer him up from his bout of temper regarding the Ministry wizards, it did little to help him, if anything it just made the normally rather edgy child more cynical and less humored than before.

"We cannot fully trust what the Legion have promised to us," he said at last, after a time of brooding to himself, and the other chief warlocks that remained within the tent immediately turned their attention to the boy. "I have it on very good account that there is a strong possibility that, even if we succeed, the Legion will merely cast us aside in their blaze of glory for themselves in destroying yet another world. I dare not try to confirm this, as the question the Legion would bring certain death upon us all, but I feel that there needs to be certain assurances in place just in case they attempt to betray us…"

Teg'Ramm thought hard on what Nobu'tan could possibly have meant by assurances, and only one thing seemed to strike him as a plan that had never made any sense to him that his master had devoted time and attention to. "The mages, including Dumbledore?" he asked, and the boy nodded.

"Lucius and the others haven't yet questioned it, but I feel that they might sometime before the end, but I purposefully allowed, after a time of resistance where I wasn't sure what I wanted, for these wizards to learn the arts of the Arcane, not only as a means to train my followers in having rivals and people worth actually combating, but as a fall back in case the Legion decided to betray me, so that there was at least a small bastion that could resist them. Even at the worse, it gives them a reason to hang onto me long enough to flatten these mages completely, which in turn buys me more time to learn of a way to Azeroth and out of their clutches, for a time…"

Teg'Ramm could understand the motivation, easily appreciate the duplicity, and even envy the cunning that it showed in his master for the forethought of such a plan, which had been set in motion purely by accident, then fueled purposefully in the direction offered by his own enemies.

"So we turn them against the Legion directly and profit from either side's victory." He surmised, to which the young warlock smiled.

"Precisely…" he responded with a wicked grin, "even as now my warlocks under Draco and they are fighting in and around the castle, which either way prevents Dumbledore and the Ministry from focusing fully upon my situation because of the very nature of their need for attention to be focused upon the school…"

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Albus mournfully looked at the paper as it fluttered in during breakfast early into March. All mention of the Tournament was reduced to merely a footnote of introduction followed by the newest headline: Battles on Hogwarts Grounds Threaten Safety of Students by Rita Skeeter.

The woman was in fine form, and Albus was determined not to show his disappointment that he had failed to make something of an ally from the miserable harpy, as it was clear that Lucius had gotten his claws into the woman during the First and Second Tasks, and was now getting her to report anything she saw fit to use to discredit Albus regarding, which apparently now included revealing the existence of the Warlocks and Mages to the entire Wizarding World.

At any other time, in any other fashion, the populace of the Wizarding World may have had an opportunity to make up their own minds regarding the discovery of these new branches of magic, but now, with the negative spin that the spiteful woman had to use on the situation, greatly swelling the nature of the situation from what it was, a juvenile spat that went slightly too far, albeit with parties that had access to power well beyond their peers, into something that it wasn't, an attempted hostile takeover, it was now highly unlikely that even the Ministry would allow such magic to have so much as a chance to be experimented upon and examined for its merits, rather than simply labeled, both the Arcane and the Fel together, as Dark Magic.

With the disappearance of the Unspeakables that were investigating Nobu'tan, to which he accredited the mystery to without a second of thought, he had no one currently that could back his side of the argument when the hammer of the Ministry came down to squash out this dangerous and outrageous offense to wizard-kind.

Even as the Third Task drew nearer, Albus could easily sense the hand of Nobu'tan working against him, even without apparent use of his own magical powers the boy had influence to actually do some damage to the carefully stacked structure of the world that Albus was trying to cultivate, and that was most distressing of all. The boy was cunning, something that Albus had admired in many a student, even including Tom Riddle, but so very much like Tom, Nobu'tan was allowing that trait to be swayed to evil ends.

Yet, once again, it seemed that Albus was without support from outside groups in opposing this evil, much like during the first war against Voldemort. It was a saddening thought that their society was so fickle that it would not once, but three times turn its back on those trying to preserve what was right and good, but nevertheless Albus would struggle to do what he knew was proper. The Greater Good was while a torment to him from his past, the truth that he must abide by.

Carefully pondering the meaning of this sudden swelling of aggression by the two groups manipulated by the warlock, Albus could only think that there had to be some sort of scheme that they had been distracted by. There countless things that the boy was up to, more than even Albus was aware of, so he had little choice but to investigate as many as he felt safe to stretch out and see, which primarily included what those at Malfoy Manor were up to.

Arcane wisps, a seeming specialty that Albus alone was able to make of those he knew to be specialized in the pure arcane magic, flew from his hands at command, flying out the high windows of the Headmaster's office, out and across the landscape, seeking out those of darkness to spy upon and report back to their conjurer what evils they intended.

Albus just hoped that he had time yet to spare before whatever Nobu'tan planned would take place, although he had a frightening impression that there would be little time to act once the third task was complete.

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Lucius was pleased that at last, he had discovered Nobu'tan great secret of ripping open portals from one place to another, as it made secretly moving all their forces and supplies to a hidden location closer to Stonehenge much quicker and far easier to keep from notice of others, particularly the countless wisps of arcane magic that bore the signature of Albus Dumbledore, clearly trying to scry out their plans as they drew nearer.

He reminded himself to counsel Nobu'tan in caution, as the old man was dangerous if he was already guessing what they intended, and there was limited time to make adjustments to the plan before it was too late.

He had already received the missive that whatever problems that demanded the presence of the Fel Centaur had been rectified, however they would remain to protect Nobu'tan until he could depart from the castle for good, and Lucius felt that this was a wise choice, as it was completely foolish to believe that Dumbledore would allow Nobu'tan to just walk away once the Tournament concluded.

Still, the boy knew the plan, and Lucius would be ready to open all the extra portals that they needed to funnel his forces out of the school with all possible swiftness as they event panned out, leaving only those guards that he decided on keeping to prevent any treachery from coming to pass.

The other warlocks they had been training for so long seemed eager for the grand design to come to a close, and as the time drew nearer their anxiety seemed to intensify. It certainly didn't help that the Dark Mark seemed to grow blacker as the day grew nearer, and Lucius feared that they would be summoned by Voldemort at any time, which could potentially prove to be their salvation, if they rebelled as one and overthrew the madman, or their doom as he killed them for their betrayals.

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Voldemort was growing impatient. The third task, and the time for his plant to strike, bringing Potter to him was about to come to fruitarian. It had been a trying time, relying on Wormtail and his loyal servant for so long, but in the end it would all work out to his gain. He would rise once more, stronger than ever before, and the Wizarding world would tremble once again at the mere mention of his name.

Even as the last month before the task started to draw to a close, he wondered what the fool of a Headmaster, Dumbledore, would think when his precious Boy-Who-Lived died at the hands of that enemy that they had all hoped was gone forever…

There could be only one immortal in the world, and the Dark Lord Voldemort would be that one. He had demanded such respect for so many years, and the insult of his oversight and defeat would be repaid ten-fold upon those who thought him gone, including those of his servants that had done nothing to help him in his hour of truest need.

But first and foremost, he needed the boy, and there would be blood enough at that happy reunion.

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Nobu'tan knew that something wrong was brewing as the time before the final task grew near. A few weeks before it was stated to begin the four champions had been summoned out to the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts, where a massive hedge maze was growing, and they were told, in effect, that the point system of the previous two tasks were them jostling for position of who entered the maze first. The first to touch the trophy cup won the entire Tournament.

Knowing that he technically stood at the greatest advantage, despite not the one with greatest points, because of his unique set of skills and magic that would allow him to blaze a trail through the maze, Nobu'tan wondered why he would even bother to win, but for some reason, he felt that it was a necessary thing to prove his superiority that he won…

It might have been a bit petty of him, but it seemed that perfect added insult that out of all these esteemed wizard children, it was the one that embraces another view of magic that succeeded, putting another nail in their flawed and narrow-minded scope of the world around them.

Still, now that he was staring at the fully grown maze, moments before the crowd settled into their seats and the Ministry announcer told the audience all of what was in store, he wondered what possessed him to care so much about a trifling game. It wasn't as though he paid any attention to it before, so why now?

He was distracted from his musings when the announcer indicated him as the second leading champion, and there was a burst of cheering and applause from the section of warlocks, who had done their best to monopolize an entire set of bleachers to themselves, and he was forced to smile for them and acknowledge that there was a great deal of support for him if the worst was to occur.

He had made sure to do everything in his power to make certain that all contingencies were covered, from careful placement of his allies, to having Lucius funnel his tent and items out to their forward outpost on the edge of Stonehenge while all attention was on him and the Task.

Still, he had a sinking suspicion that he had missed something, but it was already too late for that, as the announcer finished his monologue, and the whistle blasted once for the other Hogwarts boy, then again a few moments later, signaling for Nobu'tan to enter the maze and begin his several second head start for locating the Cup before the final two champions were released.

So he allowed himself to be swept up in the pressing need to end the Task as swiftly as possible, so that he could return to what he deemed a more valuable usage of his time. Naturally, the maze itself by nature was going to do anything in its power to prevent that, which the warlock learned quickly, as at the first junction there was a simply creature to block him, some small irritant that he would have learned about likely if he had remained at the school for the two years of learning that he missed.

As that had not been the case, he fell back onto the most standard abilities of the Mages, wanting to conserve the knowledge that he had regained all power of the Fel for as long as he could, Nobu'tan fired off bolts of Arcane magic at the creature, which did more than enough to frighten the thing into running down one of the passages.

Unconsciously, the warlock sent an eye of Kil'rogg to chase it, while he himself took the other path, navigating around and destroying several other creatures or obstacles in like manner, making certain to scout every possible choice that could lead closer to his goal. From this ability to see down every pathway available, he was sure that he maintained his quickly established lead over the others, and was able to take the swiftest course to the center of the maze.

The only moment that gave him pause in his forward progress was the appearance of the sphinx, its riddle challenging not only his mind in its complexity, but his grasp of the English language, however he was able to easily mull it out after a small time pondering. A Spider of all things, the purpose of the riddle was something of a mystery to Nobu'tan, until he got a good look at the passage beyond the sphinx.

"Oh great…" he muttered, immediate spotting the silvery strands of webbing above the hedges. It was clearly the work of a small Acromantula, but he could not see the beast as of yet.

Stepping carefully into the narrow path, he allowed flames to pour from his hands, illuminating the growth around him, annoyed at the dangerous green tint that had not left the arcane based fire since his release from Dumbledore's spell.

A captured sight of movement, and Nobu'tan unleashed his magic, blasting the massive arachnid as it attempted to climb the hedges and get out of his sight to attempt an ambush. Frightfully simple for any not limited to the wand-based magic of these wizards.

Striking past the stunned and slightly smoldering spider, Nobu'tan approached the plinth in the center of the maze, gazing down at the bluish glow of the Cup that would mark not only his victory, but the end of this blasted Tournament and his freedom.

From three other ends of the path, even as he reached forward, the other champions appeared; crying out to try and distract him, or in the case of the Bulgarian fling a spell at his in hoped to knock him away from the trophy.

"The game ends now!" Nobu'tan announced, choosing to say no more in gloating as he took up the cup in both hands. The sharp pull in his chest was unexpected, and the warlock found himself thrown to the clammy ground as the magic transported him somewhere else then the grounds of the school.

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Draco could sense Nobu'tan progress within the maze, as could most of those trained to detect magic outside of that naturally born to wizard-kind. Therefore when leader of the Order of the Black Harvest vanished from the grounds completely, he was the first of many to his feet. However, unlike Dumbledore and his allies who started for the maze in mass, or Granger and her mages who started to fret at the situation, Draco took this as his signal to depart the castle altogether.

Calling for his people to follow, they swiftly took their leave of the stadium around the maze, fleeing to where he had been informed that his father would be funneling away all of Nobu'tan possessions in preparation for the end of this game.

The massive ogre mage, named Teg'Ramm from what Draco recalled, was there, urshing in and out of a standing portal many of their other allies, carrying anything they could grab from the tent. "Nobu'tan has disappeared from the school, we need to leave immediately before we're blamed for the occurrence," Draco said with all the authority he could muster. The creature was large enough to be intimidating, even when Draco knew that it answered to the council just as much as any other warlock.

The twin heads of the creature looked him over, eyeing the rest of the students that had followed, warlocks in training all. "Grab items of the master as you go, and go swiftly. I can sense the mages swelling to come to this location."

Draco nodded, directing his followers to grab anything not nailed to the ground, and carry it through the portal. Himself taking a stack of ancient looking tomes and scrolls, he hurried at the head of the student through the vortex, where his father stood holding the portal wide with his power in the Fel.

"Draco?" the man said, confused, but maintaining his spell.

"Nobu'tan vanished, and we decided it was wise to withdraw completely from Dumbledore's presence before we are blamed or taken for other reasons," he explained swiftly, finding a place to set his Lord's things, "I need to know some things as well, before the end…"

"Yes," Lucius said, seeming to know what was on his son's mind, "I suppose that you are entitled to a few answers that we not housed at the school had riddled out a while ago. But now is not the time… go find your mother, we need to prepare more rooms for the students you're leading through." The man said, and Draco dashed off obediently.

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Teg'Ramm watched as the last of the minions he had summoned, in addition to the children warlocks that had arrived helpfully, carried the last of Lord Nobu'tan possessions through to the main base of the Order.

Once it was all gone, he signaled to Lord Malfoy to close the portal, as they had means to signal for another if those that remained failed to locate their Lord and get him to safety.

The problem was that even as he turned to rejoin those forces that were no doubt already tearing through the wizards to find their Lord, others were approaching Teg'Ramm with the same desires of locating the boy.

The long beard of the Archmage Dumbledore was seen at the head of a trio of wizards, which even Teg'Ramm could sense were far more than they appeared. He remembered these three from their battles against various foes.

The mages were not to be underestimated, and Teg'Ramm was prepared for whatever conflict was about to happen, as it was clear that they were coming to demand answers that he would not give them, no matter what.

The three stopped just out of range of his size, and drew their wands, although they did not as of yet raised them aggressively against him, "Where is your master? What had happened to Nobu'tan?" their leader, the Archmage Dumbledore said quickly, and Teg'Ramm was pleasantly surprised that there was no tone of superiority in the old man's voice.

But regardless of the treatment he just received of seeming respect, he was not about to betray his master and closest friend for any reason. "I couldn't say…" Teg replied, even as Ramm kept his single eye on the lookout for any movement of their impending conflict, "and even if I did, telling you would be the last thing I would do…"