Chapter III: Pilgrimage
Part I: Landfall
Remus was not having a good time, as he struggled on the bed.
After transporting to the suggested location in Norway, he began his trek toward the ice cold mountains. He was not sure of his destination. Rather, he followed his senses. There was a single mountain in the entire mountain range that seemed like the type of place that he would prefer, as a Werewolf. After flying around with Hermione's augment, he saw nothing. However, Remus considered that anything that Hermione was capable of, another person could accomplish – he surmised that the wards were keeping him out.
He would have to rely on his senses – skills he had honed when he had been wandering Europe alone, sick, hungry and injured.
The environment was not unhospitable. It was summer after all. A hot meal was transported from the kitchen into his lunch bag and his armour helped him to cover the ground. He would often transport to a small magical inn, where he would spend the night, after exploring. Then he would resume his search the next day. Invictus provided translations through Google, as Remus could not read Norwegian signs. The innkeeper asked no questions, and Remus had no problem with money. As he used his senses, he could tell that other Werewolves had used the path, but something was different about the smell. It almost seemed…..refined.
As of this morning?
Now he was paralyzed, as he awoke in his room. The innkeeper walked in, and she was followed by two large men and a woman. Remus fought the enchantments, but he could not move. The conversation between the visitors occurred in what linguists would call a Proto-Norse Pidgin. It was an old form of Norse that was written primarily in Elder Futhark, which had borrowed modern features from current Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages.
"Is this the interloper?" the innkeeper asked the first man.
"He is, and he has been looking for the path. He veiled himself, and we could not smell him. His footprints were used to track him." the first man replied.
"I like him. He gives no trouble and is good company. Loves to read, and asked about the history of the area. I think he will manage. He was a challenge to find? That is an unusual thing?" the innkeeper asked.
"It is indeed. Ylva, check him? Let us see what are the other things he is carrying?" the second man suggested.
"He is very strong. He is supposed to be unconscious," the woman replied, as she outstretched her hand and the hidden runes began to glow against her skin. Suddenly Remus relaxed, but he kept his occulumentic barriers in place.
"Well Ylva?" the first man asked.
"He is a Fenrir's spawn. He has had no pack to guide him. He was…..abandoned. He is English. He wishes to…undertake the right of purification. He means us no harm. He also has…something in him. A new potion. It can…..suppress the Fenrir for three months at a time. He is at an in-between place. His mind wants to leave the beast behind, but his body will not comply anymore. He had made a lot of progress…by himself," the woman explained, quite surprised by the results of her magical probe.
"That is unheard of! But Wolfsbane is the only thing that has been invented to this day! And an in-between place? He started his transformation with his willpower?" the first man asked.
"It is a new potion perhaps. Maybe it is in testing? We can ask. His body is still adjusting to it." Ylva explained as she continued to quest with her hands. The woman asked the first man to pull Remus' sleeve up, and soon enough the implant became visible. The second man was digging around in Remus's possessions and found himself confused.
"Well…..that is new. The metal is integrated into his skin. I heard rumours of such things being done many millennia ago by some of the shamans. They loved to make metal claws that would take the place of the fingernails. This is…beautiful. The steel is connected to his blood vessels. I think this is to directly administer potions. I think it is charmed to draw off poisons too. Someone far beyond me did this work," Ylva explained.
The first man rubbed his chin, contemplatively. That was quite a useful implant to have. Why were magicals not using implants?
"Odin All-father!" the second man exclaimed, as he managed to find a non-assembling Inferno pistol. Then he examined the wand and realised that it was dead in his hands. He even looked at the muscle weave and found himself confused. He handed the weapon to the first man, and he attempted to take it apart.
"No bullets. The magazine, I can sense…..this might be….magical. Never seen one like this before." the second man explained.
"Just point at the old wrecked Opel outside the window and take a shot?" the first man suggested.
Remus realised that these men had to be former military, who were also magicals. The second man then let off a single shot, and the plasma bolt made the splash area into immediate molten slag. The raised eyebrows and the grin on his face were all that Remus needed to see. Ylva made a hands-up motion as demonstrated that she meant no harm and she slowly released the runic confinement scheme, from Remus.
"Good morning. Sorry about the interruption. Welcome to Norway?" Ylva cautiously replied in English, with a little smile on one side of her face. Remus shook his head and asked gently:
"Thank you. Are you a Rune-Priestess? Mind you, that is the only name that I know them by?"
"No. But I know of them. You know of the Rune-Priestess legends?" the woman asked before she realised that she had not even told the man her name. Then, she changed her mind about how to introduce herself.
"Ah, sorry. Ylva Jorunn. Bjark Einar and Thorsten Uffe" the woman quipped, as she introduced herself, and the two other men.
"Remus Lupin. Yes, I know of them. I know somebody who was qualified by magic to undertake that path but is not finished. Somebody I consider a niece. Are you….werewolves...like myself?" Remus asked.
"We are. Where did you get his pistol? I have to admit, I like it. The French have these?" the second man remarked as he smiled.
"I took oaths not to reveal my nephew's business. Perhaps I can call him, and I can get permission to tell you more. All I can say freely with his existing permission is that I didn't have to 'get' a pistol, not when I was involved in the manufacture of every single pistol that is being used by the I.C.W. I cut every piece of steel, myself on our CNC machines." Remus explained as the man handed him the weapon.
That caused the eyebrows of the three people to raise, in surprise.
"You work in manufacturing then? My father was a machinist at ESAB, actually. Come let us go to our cottage. I give you my oath on Odin All-father, Goddess Freyja and my seiðr that we mean you no harm unless you attack us first," Ylva articulated before Remus asked for his wand. While the men were watchful, Ylva tilted her head to the side and waved her hand, as she could sense that the man felt at ease.
"I Remus Lupin give you my oath upon my magic that I came to Norway to chase an old legend from an obscure Goblin scroll. I am looking for a cure for my Lycanthropy, and I do not mean anyone harm unless they seek to harm me." Remus explained as the men relaxed.
"Come brother, you have not been among your kind. Let us get you a beer and something to eat. Then you can tell us your story," Bjark insisted, before Ylva side along apparated Remus to an isolated place in the Nordic mountains, that masqueraded as a quiet uneventful valley.
The rest of the evening was spent as Remus told his story in front of a roaring fire. He was bitten by Fenrir Greyback, and that name was known even to the Europeans because of his savagery. Then his friends became Animagii to keep him company, at Hogwarts. The story continued, as it outlined all the necessary developments over the past couple of years, until recently.
"Oh, Harry is a trickster. Much talent in his hands. You must be proud of your nephew." Bjark asked.
"Yes. We hunt the unrighteous. Technically, you three caught a member of the I.C.W Alpha Kill Team, totally unprepared." Remus joked as the other three people laughed. The I.C.W kill teams were well known for being the best, worldwide.
"Not too bad then! We can tell the rest at the village. I have a runestone that can show memories. Show us your battles? And no, we are not ordinary. We are well respected in our community for being silent. The wolf in us allows us to bypass many wards." Ylva asked.
"That explains why the proximity alert was not tripped. I would love to share my memories. It might be better that way, to show how the armour works. That box of fragments was designed by my niece and my nephew, and it assembles itself. And yes, she named this new potion Skaði, of all things." Remus explained.
"And she is also here in Norway? And she came to find the dragon's parents? No, this was ordained. Let the girl visit the homeland of her distant ancestors. I love her name. Where is your other cub, Harry?" Thorsten inquired.
"On a trip to India with his adoptive mother. She is trying to reconnect with her ancient culture. She honours her ancestors, as do all of us who live together at that house. Harry needs a holiday, honestly. We all have workaholic syndrome." Remus explained.
"To tame the Fenrir in you? With no help? That is admirable. All I can tell you is that which you seek is real. When you are ready to begin your journey, a chieftain will give you a potion to clear your system. Your ability to track prey will be tested. You will have a single dagger that will be provided to you. We cannot speak of what you will find. If you succeed, you will be able to summon the Wolf at any time on command. You will know who you are, and the moon will afflict you no longer. You will be prepared. Then you will undertake the purification rite." Bjark explained as Ylva placed the runic slate in front of Remus.
Remus summoned his memories with his wand and began to recount his latest mission, as that was still fresh. His memory of the Thunderbolt and the rail cannon had left the three other werewolves surprised.
"His blood magic is an actual atom?" Ylva asked.
"Yes. Plays with advanced materials with his transfiguration. Builds lightsabers and bombs on a weekend. Has an affinity for conjuring lightning. Only thirteen looks like a seventeen year old Olympic athlete. Loves jokes, and does a lot of his magic for kicks and giggles." Remus explained as the wrestling of the Nundu and the Quintaped came forth, in his recollections.
"You called the Wolf forward selectively to help you protect your pack. Good. I love your nephew. I want to say he fights like a wolf and he is the pack leader, but he is an eagle. He descends on his prey. I do love the jetpack. I wonder why nobody ever made a back mounted broom?" Bjark wondered.
"Harry has a mind like that – he can always pick the exploit. I would say that in terms of animals, we have a werewolf, a cobra, a cheetah and an eagle. An unusual set of animals but we work well with each other," Remus considered as they looked at the Cockatrice battle.
"I see the value of magical guns. Bjark and I, we don't have magical ancestry. What your people call mundane-born wizards. We joined the Norwegian military because we were young. Through we would get a break from the magical world. Not sure about what to do with our lives. Got bitten by a werewolf during an operation and then Ylva had to help us. You can imagine how that cover-up went!" Thorsten explained.
"After that, we were accepted into a small village that is hidden in the mountains. We did not have to look like you, as Ylva found us." Bjark explained.
"Do you have jobs as you don't suffer from werewolf issues?" Remus asked.
"Ylva is a linguistic specialist in old Norse at the University of Oslo. I weld, and Thorsten is a Web developer. And yes, we do have normal day jobs." Bjark explained.
"I had no mundane education. I had to learn manufacturing by myself. Broke a lot of things, but as I took on projects I figured it out. At our place, we are really big on teaching ourselves new skills." Remus replied.
"I leant much of my programming the same way. And that was after the military. Yes, it is possible to do much, like that" Thorsten replied as the idle chat continued.
The hours passed, as Remus worked backwards, finally to Sirius' Azkaban breakout. The others understood – he did not have a pack of werewolves to guide him and there was a certain comfort in knowing that they all had a wolf in them. He discussed all the things that needed to be said to people like himself. The group saw many glimpses of Harry and Hermione as they dared to fight the entire world with their wits. Ylva had to cry as she was moved by the love that the family had for each other. Remus had experienced so much love and acceptance, that even the beast had to submit. And to think that the boy had enough mental strength to coordinate them like a pack? Remus Lupin fought with a terrible amount of skill. He was their equal, and he had merely been caught unexpectedly by the ward, earlier.
"Your niece and nephew would be welcome in Valhǫll. All-father has blessed them. The missions that involved the women at the manor, it was hard to watch. So, young and he had to kill to protect his mother. Even the video footage of the South American mission chills my bones. To see those women and children inside the shipping container? Even from your video feed, I believe that your cubs did the right thing." Bjark commented.
"They deserve Hel. All of them." Thorsten replied.
"Brother, you and your family have done much good out there. I think we must meet Sirius." Bjark commented as Thorsen nodded his head.
"We try. I have to work long hours in the shop, but anything to support my family is never too much." Remus explained, with tears in his eyes.
Ylva had hesitated when she was tested. But he? He would act immediately. Or at least, so she suspected.
"The Skaði will be released internationally?" Ylva asked.
"Yes. The potion was presented in the English Wizengamot, recently. The I.C.W is unveiling it internationally this morning?" Remus joked.
"It is by Huginn and Muninn that you have arrived here. Come you will speak to the elders. While we maintain certain traditions in the community, you will find that we are not against innovations. Thank the All-father that your niece invented the potion." Bjark commented.
"Are all in your community, like you?" Remus asked.
"There are about sixty of us. All the other cubs failed the test. You can only do it once. For those who failed, brewing perpetual wolfsbane has been an annoyance. We can produce large volumes of it easily, and we optimised it with some of our Nordic reagents. However, sometimes somebody skips a single day. People often forget that you have to take the potion multiple times for the week preceding the full moon. Then we have to hunt the juveniles down and drag them into the cages. The problem is that we have mundane jobs. After a late night out, a shitfaced day of work the next morning is not good." Ylva replied.
Remus understood how that felt.
"As for the potion, I could have an entire container of it delivered right now. On the spot." Remus insisted.
"How is that…oh right the transporter. He is such a nerd. My brother loves Si-fi movies and books. He would adore Harry!" Ylva explained as everyone made their way into the cabin to sleep.
When the group awoke the next morning, Remus decided to give his new friends a treat.
"How about breakfast from our kitchen? I can have the food transported right out here. I can give you a menu, and you can have it on me. Our artefacts allow us to travel liberally. If you three wanted to visit England, I would be happy to show you around the shop. Sirius and I like to barbecue, regularly." Remus continued.
"You are the friend we need to have! I think we would like to meet your family, after you meet ours?" Thorsten laughed.
The rest of the morning was spent as the group tucked into some food, and Remus had Gris send a heavy case with at least five thousand Skaði potion vials. Then the three werewolves took Remus to see the elders. They explained that the man before them desired to be purified, and he had made progress on his own. More importantly, he had brought a new potion that would allow the full moon escapades to stop, within the village. The elders upon examining Remus' memory smiled.
"We will prepare him, and he will undertake the rite." the eldest chieftain or jarl had explained. The group then introduced Remus to the small community. It consisted of two hundred people, who were all werewolves like himself. Remus was happy to meet all sorts of people – many of them were teenagers, young children and many other adults and all of them were fluent in English, although they spoke their ancient form of Norse. There were powerful runes scattered across the village. Finally, there was even a small school that possessed modern books, but lighting and other conveniences were provided by magical rune stones.
"Well, what do you think?" Ylva asked.
"I think this place is fantastic. I feel like I am home. Even with the different faces." Remus laughed.
"Come with us. We have a small hall, where we eat together every evening. And then we have story time with the elders. In this tale, you will hear how werewolves came about, and how the shamans of old conquered the Fenrir. And then you will know, what you must do. You are quite tough already, you could skip some of the physical exercises."
"I suppose the preparation is to prepare a young teenager to tolerate the harsh weather and to fight with a dagger. And also, to still the mind?" Remus wondered.
"Yes, but I know you already have practised these things extensively. I think what will take time is learning from the Óðrerir. Our version of it is somewhat like the namesake. However, it contains the memories of the great shamans. From here, you will learn how the magical affliction happened. It allows you to experience our culture and intuitions, in a condensed manner." Ylva explained.
"Ah. Does it change the person?" Remus asked.
"Depends. Bjark and Thorsten were not too religious. And now they do believe in Odin-All Father. I believe only in the Runes and see the stories as mythology. Everyone is different."
"Very well Ylva. I am good with my hands. If you need anything fixed or done around the village. And I have no problem with getting tools from home."
"Once I get the permissions we will see. They always prioritise the children as the conditions aren't too hospitable. Living is harsh out here, even with our ability to cast magic." Ylva explained. Remus was already considering many projects that would easily give them conveniences. Harry and Hermione understood how to spoil people, after all. Especially magicals. These projects could be something that he would take great satisfaction in, as they would be meaningful.
Part II: Norvegr
When Hermione and Ronald landed in Norway, Daffodil could already smell the other dragons. However, the winds made it confusing. The scent could not be pinned in a single direction, as it had been carried many hundreds of kilometres. Hermione decided to cheat.
"Daffodil, join your mind to mine. I am going to ping the area. Dragons have powerful magical presences. I will spread out my awareness, and track them very slowly." Hermione explained one morning, as she felt for a good spot to cast magic. The area seemed to be magically concentrated, and Hermione wondered if she was on a leyline. After casting her mind out, she realised that she had a lot of travelling to accomplish.
After some data collection over many days, Hermione plotted possible directions for the dragons. She could often feel the faint presence on the edge of the environment. Hermione even suspected that they were being watched – however, the use of her augments did not help. If others were there, they were too far away. Now Hermione considered that a portable radar would have been great. The device usually required large amounts of power to work for many kilometres, and perhaps it could make it into Daffodil's proposed future armour package. Ronald after listening to Hermione's complaints offered to use his eyeballs, and he often flew around in large circles as he acted as overwatch. When the scouting was completed, they would settle down for the night.
Camping was not a problem. Hermione was using Harry's trusty null-box, as a camping area. Hermione loved recounting how this humble room had started Harry and herself on their pathway to learning magic, right under everyone's nose. Ronald had a lot of questions, as he began to understand the schedule and some of the more advanced magical theories that would easily escape most NEWT students. He even bounced some ideas around about some of his potioneering optimisations, and Hermione appreciated some of Ronald's discoveries. Many of them were related to Fred and George's utterly unusual requirements that were very impressive, in their own right. Hermione had laughed when Ronald suggested that she was learning about "Prank Potioneering".
She and Ronald slept comfortably in separate rooms, and enough food could be transported from the kitchen. Daffodil had never hunted in magical England, but she soon began to exercise her instincts. Ronald often barbecued the Musk Ox and the Reindeer steaks to perfection. On other days, Hermione made her fresh pasta from transported ingredients. Both of them continued to exercise and even did some Quidditch target practice. Hermione was ridiculously quick and she could toss Quaffles at speeds that made the training sessions look elementary.
"Why did I go to practice with the rest of them? I could just sodding ask you to hurt my feelings every day!" Ronald had laughed, as he was drenched in sweat.
"I can't offer a substitute for Quidditch training. I can maybe sharpen your skill with tracking high speed objects. I like pushing my magic to the absolute limit when I toss those quaffles. However, you need teamwork, and that is what will make us win. So yes, practise with Poults when you get back." Hermione replied.
"That man is even more difficult than Harry. I don't think any kind of coarse language can offend me, now." Ronald replied.
"That would severely hamper Mr. Malfoy's endeavours, won't it?" Hermione replied before both of them smiled at each other. Ronald just grinned, before he raised his hands in the air.
The girl had not mentioned anything, but she was utilising her new magical amp to control the trajectory of objects. The idea was to create pushing and pulling forces that were fluid. She also tracked and tossed multiple Quaffles and gave Ronald a constant bombardment, that left him panting. For her, this counted as combat practice – all she had to do was switch out the Quaffle with her daggers and she could kill at a distance.
After the brutal affair of getting hammered by multiple quaffles, Ronald would just sit and talk with Hermione. She began to confide in the redhead, about herself. She admitted that initially, she never believed that she would have friends. The books would suffice, and a brother was off the table. Her mother did not want another pregnancy. She found Ronald's perspective to be hilariously her opposite. Ronald admitted that he often thought he had too many siblings, and he did not have enough talent to stand out. He even admitted that he wanted to be like Harry, at times – famous and well known for being the boy who lived. Then, he changed because he wanted to work towards something worthwhile after Harry had set him straight.
He even went quiet, as he admitted being terrified about losing his parents.
He had told himself that his pursuit of excellence would be ongoing and continuous so that he could protect his family. He wasn't sure if he could be excellent or lead the charts, but he wanted to be useful. There was some laughter as both of them considered Harry to be the person who had somehow given them an opportunity, at something they both wanted.
Then some of the conversations became scandalous – both of them often checked in on Neville and Luna, as they investigated the henges in England. Other times there were bets on who would marry each other. Remus' love life was a bit of a secret, Neville and Luna were confirmed, Sirius and Priya were stale news, and Tracey and Hannah were upcoming and relevant. Ginny and Astoria were too obvious, while Harry and Daphne were still dancing around each other. The chit-chat continued for two weeks easily, as Hermione began to eliminate possibilities. Invictus often dropped in occasionally, as he helped with collating the data. One evening the conversation became complex and nuanced, as Ronald had asked about when she was forced to take the lives of the criminals in her three combat operations.
"I am sorry you had to experience that. I can't say that I understand how that feels. It was necessary, and I don't think you are evil." Ronald explained.
"Thank you for being sympathetic, Ron. Look….Harry and I get what we like to call the 'golden children' treatment. The people who can do no wrong. The people with the inventions, the potions, and the cures." Hermione smiled, uncomfortably.
"Yes. I know. It gets Harry annoyed. Daphne these days is roasting him, and he kinda likes it. Like a low-key flirt. She called him a spaceman when Parv and Padma came over, and that was too good!" Ronald replied.
"I guess some of our experiences have matured us. But we are just teenagers make no mistake. So the killing haunts us. Harry understands he is a sinner, and he takes comfort in going to Church. And sometimes if he doesn't get the answer there, he will go digging into Hindu scriptures. His mother and grandfather will comfort him.
I, on the other hand, am not too sure what I believe, honestly. Dad told me we could talk, but I don't know why I haven't done that." Hermione wondered to herself.
"What did your father say about this entire thing, based on his own experiences?" Ronald asked.
"That he too was unsure. But he trusts his wife to get him sorted out. And mom has always been very gentle and feminine so that works out for him. I don't quite have a significant other, yet. And sometimes I wonder if Harry and I work our trauma away. It is certainly…there." Hermione grinned.
"Maybe it is more about having a constructive relationship with a person who will listen. If you ever need a friend to listen to you, I can volunteer a very reliable redhead. And I hardly think as Daffodil gets older that she will not listen. She will help you and guide you too. I am sure Grace is always a good laugh." Ronald replied.
"Err…Thank you, Ronald." Hermione replied thoughtfully, and gently.
Daffodil curled up around the campfire with the pair, and encapsulated both of them with her body and tail. Hermione stood momentarily, and rechecked Daffodil's experimental armour. Instead of a complete muscle weave, there was a harness and a set of interlocking superconducting plates that were stacked vertically on top of each other. The several groups of plates hovered in non-intrusive places and allowed Daffodil to fly with no issue. However, if Daffodil was attacked, the vertical stack of plates could slide over each other and cover her entire body completely. Accompanying the plates, were several small micro-thrusters based on broom designs, and many shielding arrays. Finally, there was a helmet which sported a napalm thrower. It could easily extend Daffodil's fire-breathing capability.
Hermione continued to check the diagnostics, as she considered what Ronald had said. While she was not hoping that any unforeseen trouble would occur, she made it her business to be prepared, to fight.
"Did you ask me about that night, because you wonder if you might have to do the same one day? To kill?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. I also thought you might feel better if you…..talked about it. Even if you think you are cruel, remember I have my mother and my sister because of you. And for that? You Mione, will have my loyalty.
You saved my family. Simple as that." Ronald explained, solemnly.
"You are aware they were there because of the actions that we took. We have gotten away, so far. What about when there is a penalty?" Hermione asked, with some worry on her face.
"While some people might question your elaborate plots, I haven't seen any dead innocents yet. I am not arguing that a great deal of what you do isn't manipulative. I say better the devil we know. And I know you and Harry well enough. I think the five of us and all the others can trust you. I say kill the Death Eaters now so there will be less later," Ronald replied, in earnest.
"That doesn't make evil, excusable. Sometimes I wonder if we give ourselves too much liberty to play judge, jury and executioner. Even Harry and I talked about it. And then demands get made of us, and the argument falls through the cracks." Hermione replied.
"Maybe you aren't supposed to do that. But I rather that good people who are responsible have access to that type of power. Because if you don't hold that type of supreme power and then an evil nutcase decided to hold it, who would be in trouble? Everybody, including you and Harry, would be in trouble.
And Harry already has been in trouble. And he suffered. And he lost his parents as an innocent child. It is not right and ethical, but it is necessary." Ronald replied as he roasted his marshmallows over the campfire.
"That…..is a terrible argument because it is an uncomfortable truth. But I am happy that you think that highly of us. That actually…..does make me feel better. It satisfies a certain logical premise, I suppose. You got me good with that one, red." Hermione grinned, with a little smile on her face.
"I will take you and Harry over a homicidal, mass murdering, no-nosed maniac? Maybe the reeeeeally evil bit was when Voldy removed his nose. Just imagine that villain monologue, and you are looking at his face in the flesh, and there is no….nose. Bloody hell." Ronald suggested.
Hermione and Ronald burst out into a fit of giggles. Even Daffodil had to laugh. Her voice was almost like a small set of crackling rocks in her throat. Hermione was now bent over at her waist, and there were little tears in her eyes, as she supported herself by balancing her hand on Ronald's shoulder.
"Alright, that one was…..really good. I was studying the reports. There is a taboo on his name. When I found out about how that type of magic works in Cassie's volumes, it disgusted me. Let us say you need to sacrifice a person to fuel the spell." Hermione replied.
"Good grief. No wonder people feared him. He would stop at nothing. That is…terrible!" Ronald replied, clearly disgusted by the revelation.
"The question was how can a person cast a nationwide magical spell. If we figure that one out, we could undo it. Although we could just ask people to use insulting nicknames, and that would cure the issue of drawing him to your location." Hermione explained as she tapped her communicator. She listened closely, as the updates came through.
Remus had discovered a cure, and he would have to undertake a trial. He was required to give up his communicators, as he was prepared to undertake the ritual. Hermione understood that she would not hear from him until he was successful or had failed. She wished her favourite uncle success, and then spoke to Ronald, as they both prepared to go to sleep.
"Moony is on to something. He found a cure but it is a rite he has to undertake within a werewolf community. It looks like the people have ancient Nordic magical lore. He will be prepared, and he must undergo purification. The place is on the other side of the country, I think." Hermione explained.
"Well, that is good. Who knows he might find a Nordic bird for himself?" Ronald joked.
"Talking about the ladies, I heard a lot of girls like you at school. You aren't interested in anyone?" Hermione asked as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"No differently from you. I am sure many boys would want you. But for you, the next mission, the next innovation and the upcoming war? These are the things that matter. I don't have your mind for invention but if you need a trigger monkey or a good laugh? I am reliable for that. Until the war is done, being the best I can be, is my primary concern. And I do want to clinch the World Cup for us." Ronald replied, as both of them entered the null-box, and went to sleep that night.
Hermione could not feel any attraction for Ronald with the pacifier in her system. However, she did feel warm after their conversation, earlier that night. She like any scientist decided to try an experiment. She decided not to use the pacifier potion - she did not change out the empty vial for the night.
She wanted to see if she would fancy him.
The next morning when she woke up, she found herself thinking about the redhead. Without the pacifier in her system, now she could pick up on the small cues of the redhead, from last night. He adored her too. Would it be so bad just to tell him? She got ready and decided that she would not take the potion for the rest of the day, and she was going to tell him at the end of the day. As both of them packed away the equipment, Ronald asked:
"Hermione, did you have an allergic reaction to anything? Your face is very red? Maybe eating that reindeer steak is not a good idea?" Ronald asked.
Hermione replied, "It wasn't the food. My face is red because of a small nutrient potion. I will have a tomato face for a while. Pay it no find." Hermione stated as she lied convincingly through her teeth.
Internally, Hermione told herself, "You Mr Weasley are the reason why I have this tomato face. Ask me out already…ask me out already. Gosh, he is just so…..wow. Maybe I should skip on the potion more often, to appreciate all that!"
She allowed herself a little grin. As the day passed, she carefully sneaked any number of glances. Ronald was confused, as she seemed to laugh a little too much at everything. Now the girl was concerned, and by the time the evening had arrived, Hermione took her pacifier. No way she was going to blow her cover yet. The truth was that Hermione, the Storm-Priestess was terrified of telling Ronald her feelings. She considered that she was going to hide those feelings in her occlumentic defences if they had to use a battle link. Maybe his feelings might come through the link?
Hermione realised that she was indeed a coward. No problem with killing criminals, but she could not admit her feelings to a guy who surely liked her. Introvert Hermione from primary school had not died perhaps – she was merely hiding under all her achievements. Ronald did not notice Hermione's face as he said, "I saw a set of funny looking stone slates this afternoon. Off the beaten path, but I want to check it out tomorrow, Mione." Ronald suggested.
She stilled her face, and replied, "There are dragons in the area. I can sense them. But there is something hidden in the area." Hermione conceded as both of them got prepared for their nightly rest. They both entered the null-box, summoned the partition, and went to sleep.
Little did she know that the redhead next door had the same problem over the last couple of days. He too found himself in a pickle about expressing his feelings. Unlike Hermione, he was not using the 'pacifier'. That meant that his hormones flared quite regularly, and to call himself 'itchy' was an understatement. Ronald had been using his occulumency to control himself, and even that was not helping enough. After all, his mental defences often involved visualising Hermione and some part of his brain would always yell:
"But good sir, you do know that the actual girl is right in front of you. And she just might be into you…"
Ronald wondered about what he could do, and remembered an obscure tidbit. During some of his extra reading, he had encountered an unusual practice. It was well known that for some betrothal arrangements, it was not uncommon for both parties to use special potions to 'enforce the chastity of the arrangement'. Naturally, Ronald messaged Lorna and asked her to explain what exactly were these types of potions. The redhead found himself surprised.
The older snake explained that these 'suppression elixirs' were a family of potions. There were many methods for brewing them, and their consumption was fraught with risk. A well-brewed potion with an efficient recipe could leave little to no damage. Badly brewed potions could cause a person to permanently lose their sex drive. These debilitating effects had caused the potions to fade away from memory. Many pureblooded houses used the potions as one-offs. It was useful for occasions where a person could be tempted by calculated seduction. Lorna had even mentioned that cannon-fodder Death Eaters were unknowingly given the potion during the last war. Only higher-ranking Death Eaters were allowed to have their sex drive, and they were expected to despoil the virginity of their female captives.
"So yes, Hermione made a safe version of the potion. She and Harry have been using it for a while now. They call it the pacifier!" Lorna joked.
"Oh, that makes sense. So they are horn dogs like the rest of us then?" Ronald asked.
"Definitely. All of you are teenagers. You are going to feel frisky all the time. And advanced bodily development will contribute to that. That cannot be helped. I am going to send some vials for you, alright?" Lorna suggested.
"Thanks, I owe you for this. I am travelling with my crush, after all. Being attracted to her is problematic." Ronald explained to Lorna. Now he was wondering about another conundrum - if Hermione was so friendly with him while having her sex drive completely suppressed, how would she behave if she was off of it? Did that occur, earlier today? Ronald looked as the small box flashed to his location, via a drone.
"I understand. Look you are a hot-blooded male, you are what you are. I would argue you are a very decent person, with impressive restraint. This is our secret, between you and I. Glad to help you out. I am the Slytherin Aunt that everyone needs.
Good luck with your search! Good luck with the bird, too!" Lorna replied as she hung up and considered her predictions.
Part III: Bella and Cissy
Daphne was examining the algorithms for the FDRDs, or the Fabrication, Diagnostic and Repair Drones. Harry in his design of the bug-like fabricators had outright stolen the idea from Farscape's DRDs. Better yet, he had been inspired by the Stargate Replicators and some of those features had also made it into his design. The drones had built their reactor in the cave, and they were busy producing the substructure of the Raven. However, his designs were being fabricated no differently from a giant metal 3D printer. The drones worked layer by layer as they sprayed the enhanced plastic and metals into shape.
As Daphne looked at the progress remotely, a brilliant idea occurred in the mind of the snake. Initially, she wanted to optimise the fabrication pathways. After designing some runic arrays to test some preliminary ideas, another question reared its head – what if the shape could be more efficient with both engineering principles and magic?
Harry had generated the shape with standard Engineering software. However, Daphne wanted to saturate the graphene enhanced plastic with magical power, and have the Arithmancy and the Runes guide the drones. Her new algorithm would use Harry's basic requirements as loose constraints, and magic would do the rest. It was essentially an enhancement of the "Grandfather Clock Paradox" theorem. Daphne had argued (to herself) that the material itself had magical properties. Her design would use the passive energy storage of the aircraft body to contribute to the strength.
Magic itself would act like a structural member of the craft.
As Daphne browsed through Lilly's and Hermione's notes, she continued with her modifications to the fabrication sub-routines. The shape of the aircraft evolved on the holographic display from the runic modules. After making several scale model tests she saw that she had gotten about a 260 per cent increase in strength. As she tested the model in the hydraulic press, the predictions were consistent. The new shapes would not be strong enough by themselves, but with magic? They were far better than anything Harry currently possessed. Another question followed – what else could be generated with her new system?
Daphne decided on a self-repair system. Fabrication drones could travel via an internal tunnel system, and reach every major area to make repairs. Padma who had a quick brain had suggested the use of a circulatory system, after getting acquainted with biology textbooks. From here, things began to balloon quickly. Soon enough atmospheric air delivery, power cables, and all types of multipurpose junction boxes were included. Spare subsystems were developed in case there was a need to route hydraulic fluid, electrical power, magical power, plasma, water, or anything at all. Then, the entire powerplant, engine systems and jumpdrive were made with swappable modules. Giant spaces would be left in her proposed design. Harry and Hermione would add what was relevant to them. As the days passed, the complexity of the model exponentially increased. Padma was getting an intense crash course in runes and Arithmancy, and even she had a moment of utter brilliance.
"What if you could redesign all the cannons and turret emplacements and let magic pick out the designs? We could grow them, like a tree! I think many of the cannons might benefit from a ball-socket hip joint type of thing. Could specify it being 'swappable' and 'repairable' with the right runes?" Padma wondered out, aloud.
"We could redesign their entire armour system. The guns, everything. Make a general purpose fabrication algorithm and give him when he gets back" Daphne squealed, as she hugged Padma.
"We would need to test it. Why don't you design your own troop transport as a parallel project? Revise the guns and everything else too? That way you don't interfere with his ongoing design?" Ginny suggested.
"That seems like a fair compromise," Padma suggested, as Invictus received an alert.
"Daffy?" Invictus queried.
"Hmm?" she muttered, with excitement still in her voice.
"One of our lovely escapees named Rowan 'Pyrites' Darragh just purchased a data slate and verified himself. Of course, I ran the subroutine. The data slate did not assign his identity. It asked him to assign his name, instead."
"What name did he use, Gramps?" Daphne asked.
"Patrick Makenna!" Invictus laughed.
"I can hear the potatoes dancing already. You are tracking his location and his signature?" Daphne asked.
"Indeed, Granddaughter." the portrait replied.
"Good, Bella ain't too far off!" Daphne replied, in a mock Irish accent before Invictus laughed. He returned to performing his assigned tasks, and the girls continued to discuss the features of the proposed 'Raven-II' troop transport.
"If I could fit his entire house without an extension charm in there, he would be pretty happy about that," Daphne joked.
"Maybe if you can give him the functionality that he needs, that could work. So a reduced version of everything here in the workshop?" Padma suggested.
"Hmmm. A 60 per cent oversize might do the trick. So about seventy two meters. Actually no, I am doing one hundred metres. I am going to include a hydroponics bay, a manufacturing area, and a server room. Also, he and Hermione need captain quarters. And oh yes, a fish tank." Daphne mused.
"A fish tank? What for?" Padma asked.
"It is a Mass Effect joke, but he will love it. Maybe I am going to load Harry's saved game and roam around. Copy some of the ideas. Multiple shower areas are a good joke too. A big internal bay where he can store a dragon for Daffodil, and maybe about three tanks parked up right after her area. Being able to carry the Thunderbolt II via external clamps sounds reasonable. Some areas for air-dropping troops and equipment too. A brig for holding morons and prisoners. A war room will be handy too. Good magical radar package, that can go into the nose…." Daphne explained, as Invictus continued to make the list. Padma had a thoughtful look on her face.
"And an extensively stocked kitchen. Big dinner table. An area for a dedicated Medical bay too should be included. Good enough to do magical or mundane surgery. Something where Aunty Priya and the two of us have top-end facilities to deal with multiple issues." Padma suggested.
"That is a glaring shortcoming we should have considered. Yes, one hundred metres can include a very extensive medical suite. Injuries are a thing, in our line of business." Daphne replied.
"Maybe we can outfit the thing for all of us. What would we need to carry all of the fire teams? Rooms for everyone?" Padma suggested.
"You are my favourite Ravenclaw now. Get another pot of chai, and keep those ideas coming." Daphne explained, as she poured off some more coffee for herself.
Soon enough, the plans included using the new algorithms to build Ginny's proposed 'prank project' and Daphne rolled out the optimisations into a new tank. Meanwhile, Parvati and Tracey continued with plot notes and ideas for their successive book in the Pureblood Chronicles series. Daphne and Padma continued to monitor their target.
"She doesnt know how much trouble she is in?" Padma asked.
"No, and that is why plotting is useful," Daphne smiled.
Bellatrix had no access to any of the Black inheritance. She had called Kreacher and found herself unable to summon him. This implied that Sirius _ _ _ _ _ had closed that loophole. She also found her cousin's new behaviour to be perplexing. He had always loved to show everyone else that he had no interest in subtlety and manipulation. He loved roaring and running off into battle, like a good little lion. And yet every possible avenue by which she could skirt around the ancestral _ _ _ _ _ house magic had been closed off. She began to feel uncomfortable. Had Azkaban made him vengeful? After all, he had never killed the Potters. So, his time at the prison had been undeserving. Perhaps he had become a Slytherin now? What would he be willing to do?
Bellatrix was quite happy after recovering her wand. Pettigrew had managed to secure the wands of the entire group. She was quite sure that Amelia was not aware that their wands had been taken out of evidence storage. Bellatrix considered that Pettigrew was not truly invested in the Dark Lord's mission, but he was useful even if he was driven by fear. Perhaps he was self-serving, but his actions had facilitated their release - that was no small thing. She made her way to Lestrange Manor with her husband and found some of her old Death Eater paraphernalia. Rodolphus bled some of his blood into a ritual bowl and prepared to suggest a solution to Bellatrix's problem.
Pyrites who had accompanied them, was one of the few Death Eaters who possessed a functioning brain. The Dark Lord himself had often tasked him to collect intelligence from the magical world. Severus Snape was usually the other half of the operation. He was required to collect or hunt down information that related to the Muggle world. Pyrites had over the last couple of days, sat and listened to the rumours at the Hydra.
And yet, something rubbed him the wrong way, even if he would not admit it.
The first issue was that newspapers had almost disappeared. The Ministry Prophet was no longer the dominant voice in the Wizarding World. It too, was facilitated via the data slates. They too were moving towards constant article updates as events happened. The Quibbler was already using this method, and he liked the no non-sense method of dealing with issues. These changes would make it problematic to spread propaganda, but perhaps Xenophilius Lovegood had his price. After all, the darker families had gotten control of the Daily Prophet the last time, just as easily.
Pyrites had purchased a data slate and was surprised at how intuitive it felt. Hell, he was even able to catch up with the Irish Quidditch league. As he read the Quibbler and cross-referenced the articles with old editions of the Prophet, he began to suspect a lot had changed. The picture of Malfoy and Parkinson being 'shot' was something that frightened him. He had never seen a spell with that type of speed and range. Suddenly Amelia Bones' weapon made sense. He considered that getting Lucius Malfoy to outlaw the weapons would allow them to have a fighting chance. Then, his old contacts explained that the weapon was not available to the English in any case. There was no legislation to change, as none had been drafted. Amelia would continue to possess her weapon.
So that was an unexpected snag.
Then, Pyrites was surprised by the messaging and the video chatting service. He had wrongly assumed that the Goblins were a neutral entity. As soon as he was enrolled into the system Invictus was alerted. Pyrites when he returned to Lestrange Manor, and was only too happy to explain that Purebloods counted for something. He even spoke highly of the new trolley system – his entire banking transaction had only taken three minutes. The obvious snake branding of the Guild's business logo and their green icons and twisting snakes within the data slate had also fooled Bellatrix. She was quite excited and decided that she would visit Gringotts and purchase a device for herself, under a glamour. Daphne listened to the conversation between the man and Bellatrix idly, as the crazed witch tried to acquaint herself with the new changes to Wizarding society.
Bellatrix was unpleased with Andromeda's involvement with the new Werewolf potion. The Dark Lord had always depended on the involvement of Giants, Werewolves, Dementors and many other dark creatures. If the Dark Lord returned and the Werewolves were accepted into society, this would be problematic. And who was this Priya Singh? As Bellatrix looked at the woman's picture and her awards, she commented:
"Oh, what an absolutely good looking one. Pyrites, think you can break her in? She might like it rough! Who knows!" Bellatrix grinned.
"You know, I think she is respectable though. She created one hundred new healing spells and survived. She probably has a deep understanding of magic. I could even take an arrangement with her, based on mutual respect. She reminds me of Severus, and he was trusted by our Lord. She would contribute to our culture greatly." the blonde haired man replied.
"I see your point. She is extremely talented. Ideally, she should have been given an offer by a pureblooded house. That way we could capture her spells and keep them private. What a shame. With all the charming looks she has, we might have to kill her. Imagine if she can fix them up in a jiffy, as quickly as we are cursing them. Many know her methods now. Perhaps we will have to lead with killing spells. Ask Malfada to locate her address.
I also want to meet my sister's charming mudblood husband. Although honestly, I don't care about him being a mudblood…." Bellatrix quipped.
"Truly? Why not?" Pyrites asked.
"Oh sweetie, you think I care about people's blood? Severus Snape as you mentioned, is a half-blood. And the Dark Lord trusted him. And this healer woman? She has contributed more to Magic than Jugson, Stebbins, Crabbe, Goyle, Flint, and that moron Cassius. I even think she is better looking than me! She is so finely made. And yet, I would kill her in an instant.
I follow the Dark Lord because I wish to please my master. Nothing more. Mudblood, halfblood, pureblood, muggle? They all scream the same. Alice and Frank were my finest screamers, and they were just as pureblood as me!" Bellatrix cackled.
"Ah, I understand. Fair enough. Who am I to judge? You have your hobbies, and I have mine." Pyrites laughed.
"One of the most fantastic experiences I had was when I carried a muggleborn Hufflepuff to a broom cupboard and I demanded he service me. Oh, he was terrified at first! That was in my fifth year. He had heard about me and wanted to cry! Oh, it was sweet. But when he got in the mood? It was the best sex I have ever had!" Bellatrix giggled.
Rodolphus Lestrange in the next room frowned, as Bellatrix continued with her 'joke'.
"He got demanding and growled my name into my ears. I was as damp as if I was standing in the rain! Oh, he…worked very hard that afternoon. My husband can't perform like that. I always believed that we who follow the Dark Lord should keep the best looking pets for ourselves!" Bellatrix cackled.
"Do you want to find him again?" Pyrites asked.
"Maybe? If I did I would glady force him to service me again. With unforgivables, if I must. And this time, some occasional screaming from him might help me to get off, honestly. The Cruciatus is great for that…" Bellatrix explained as her voice wandered off.
"That is hilarious. There is some mudblood out there who fucked you, and nobody knows. If you know what you want, why not? Sometimes we need to amuse ourselves. I am going to glamour myself and go to the Ministry. Then I will pay the bribes. Let me see what Malfada can dig up."
"Excellent, Pyrites. The Neutrals are flying under…him. Fascinating. I think the Dark Lord will have to eliminate all of them. What did you hear about Greengrass and Davis?" Bellatrix asked.
"They are supporting the mudbloods now. Davis married a muggleborn woman quietly. That is one noble lineage completely dead, as he has a daughter. Lucius cannot do anything. The new Lord…..well him…..he decided to refinance all of Orion's loans. If the rumours are true, he can repossess many of the smaller darker Houses. He is unchallengeable and powerful. Worse, he changed your House Magic. It is possible that it is your cousin? Or might it truly be somebody undiscovered?" Pyrites enquired.
"I know he changed it. He cast me out! How dare he! I will have his head. I can barely remember half of my teenage years. I am not sure myself. I will ask Cissy, she will know. Anything else of note?" Bellatrix asked.
"Daphne Greengrass is a Runes and Arithmancy specialist. As a firstie, she solved the Ministry's OWL Challenge problem. She has hinted that they would be open to serving the Dark Lord, but it seems that they got an offer from abroad. They will be migrating soon enough. Talented, but of no consequence to our plans." Pyrites replied.
"Is what they say about my darling Neville true, Pyrites? That he is strong and handsome and powerful? I would not mind having a romp with him before I Crucio him. Young cock is good cock! He might actually stay rock hard!" Bellatrix leered, as an insult to her husband.
"He withdrew the sword of Godric Gryffindor and held it against Lucius' neck. Forced Snape to leave the Potions position. He has two faithful friends wherever he goes. Luna Lovegood, the daughter of Xenophillius Lovegood. Editor for the Quibbler and his betrothed. The other is Ronald Weasley. Son of blood traitors Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley. All talented and bright. I understand that Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis are their main competitors.
Besides that, Draco tried to kill sixteen people by sabotaging the school brooms. Almost succeeded too!" Pyrites replied, as he smiled with approval.
"At least Slytherin is getting some representation, with the females. We will skip their parents of the girls, and go directly to them. Perhaps they can be swayed, by the right threats to their parents. We will have to investigate what are the conditions of their offers.
Good on Draco, he has his head on. I like the shopping options on this thing. I am going off to Gringotts to buy a slate. Later when I get back, I will see what my annoying husband wants!" Bellatrix explained as she stretched and yawned.
As Daphne continued work on her designs, everyone listened to the conversation between Bellatrix and Pyrites. Padma was showing Daphne some of the Sanskrit 'symbols' that were taught to her as a child, and the snake was showing the claw some of Hermione's logic runes and some of their custom algorithms. Daphne was quite happy to capture any magical runes that weren't Western in origin. Padma mentioned casually that she hardly knew anything about the muggle world. She only understood the little area where she had taken English classes. Daphne had to eventually explain Bollywood to an Indian girl. She even confessed that she sometimes liked some of the very romantic movies.
Padma already understood what had happened. Priya had liked certain movies, and Harry had adopted his mother's preferences. Therefore, Daphne Greengrass liked the same movies or at least was fascinated by them, to impress Harry. Now Padma was on a YouTube spree and suddenly felt like she had been missing out on a lot of fun. She naturally decided to peruse Priya's bookmark list of her all-time favourites. Tracey and Parvati were listening to the conversation from Pyrites' tablet and discussing their own business.
"Bellatrix Lestrange is going to buy a slate this evening?" Parvati asked Tracey.
"Sure. Purebloods generally have a 'magic is magic' attitude about how things work. The idea that the data slates might be listening to their conversations, tracking their location, and giving us information? They haven't considered that at all," the mop-haired girl replied.
"I swear, Harry and Hermione are evil!" Parvati laughed.
"They aren't goody-good two shoes. Sometimes treachery is necessary. Neville deserved to have his parents. Thank Hecate Hermione and Harry eventually patched them up with all types of weird procedures. Harry jokes he is worse than Dumbles now, and he usually gets uncomfortable when he mentions that." Tracey replied.
"Maybe that is so. But hearing the things that the headmaster says? I can't believe Dumbledore would sacrifice people so casually. It was…chilling. Harry was just a chess piece!" Padma replied, from across her seat.
"Definitely. Harry and Hermione are the devil that we know and understand. They aren't nice cuddly bunny rabbits, but they keep us in the loop. Anyway….did you see any nice boys in India?" Tracey asked Parvati.
"Some. But we haven't spoken to them yet. Well Padma is usually quiet. I like to chat!
It was kind of weird to work for paa and to see loads of galleons in my hand. We are very well off, because of our Herb and Spice import business. We also sell Indian Potioneering ingredients. The pay from the first month of the broom business was a lot of money by even our standards?" Parvati explained.
"I know what you mean. Harry and Hermione love to make money with manufacturing. Why don't we check on Theo and see what he is telling that sweet Brazilian chica, eh?" Tracey suggested.
"Larissa is very cute, I think. They are so dreamy. Who would have thought that Theo has a talent for poetry? I hope his father doesn't find out." Parvati wondered.
"If things get terrible for him, we will pay for his ticket and send him off, if he needs to meet her. We can afford it. Meanwhile…..let us write a couple of chapters about their…activities!" Tracey replied as she wiggled her eyebrows.
As Bellatrix sat down in the Lestrange living Room, Rodolphus arrived with the ritual bowl and craftily explained his solution to Bellatrix's problem.
"Wife?" he asked.
"Husband," Bellatrix answered, with disdain.
"I have a solution to your problem, I believe." Rodolphus insisted.
"Oh, who told you I have a problem? Presumptuous of you. Didn't I mention that I would deal with this after my Gringotts visit?" Bellatrix replied, evenly.
"I know that your house magic has been set against you. However, there is a workable exploit," Rodolphus explained, as if he were chastising a little child. Bellatrix took her wand, walked up to her husband, put her hand around his neck, and pretended to be girlish for a moment. Rodolphus understood that Bellatrix was about to threaten him, but he was accustomed to her antics. She gently placed the wand against his throat.
"Be veeeeery careeeeful about your next few words. I might kill you if you annoy me."
"And who would you trouble? I allow you to bully me because you think it is amusing." Rodolphus smiled crookedly.
"Oh, sometimes you are soooo…rooomaaaaantic. Fine, tell me your solution." Bellatrix responded as if she had happened upon some great, but obvious discovery.
"If your maiden house magic has been set against you, then denounce the magic. Your cousin likely tried to kill you, and he could not because you had accepted the Lestrange house magic. The maiden house magic doesn't hold total dominion over you. The rumour is that Andromeda was welcomed back. If you tried to attack her or even her family, the house magic could kill you dead. It is a vulnerability."
"Hmmm…..I was planning to make Dromeda's Teddy scream bloody murder. I might have to thank you for directly saving my life. So, become a Lestrange in full. I wonder if it will restore my memories?" the crazed woman pondered.
"No wife. I believe that they will exist but they will become faded. Like a person watching at memories that are not their own, in a pensive."
"Very well husband. So you aren't always useless. Maybe we can have some intimate relations as a reward. Don't expect me to do anything else but lie there."
"I was not expecting anything else…" Rodolphus replied.
"A small price to pay really, I can't even say my cousin's name, in full." Bellatrix trailed off, as she lost her thoughts again.
"Enough, you annoying man. Let us commence with the ritual," Bellatrix insisted.
Bellatrix apparated to Malfoy Manor after glamouring herself and purchasing a data slate from Gringotts. She found the new banking experience to be far superior. The high-speed karts allowed her to spend as much time as she wanted in her vault, and there was no need for a goblin to accompany her on a return journey. She even saw the guild's branding in the tunnels, and she considered that they could be powerful allies if the Dark Lord returned.
She was also quite happy to get some gold. She would recommission all her robes, and purchase new beauty products. After all, she liked to look good when she was slaying the muggles. As she walked through the wards, she did not meet any resistance. She had been enrolled in the warding scheme since the last war. Bellatrix found it strange that Dobby had not come to her aid. She looked at the new elf, and wondered why Jugson's elf was at the Malfoy residence.
"You little worm, where is that wretch, Dobby?" Bellatrix asked.
"Lady Lestrange, Dobby was stolens from Masters Lucius. Masters was trickses into givings Dobby a singles socks. Dobby was freed with trickeries!" the small elf explained.
"Fascinating. Take me to see my sister, now!" Bellatrix forcefully insisted.
As the elf walked Bellatrix into the Malfoy parlour, Narcissa walked into the room and found herself shocked. Narcissa hugged her sister, and Bellatrix who did not like being hugged pushed her sister off.
"Ewwww Cissy…stop it. You don't even hug Lucius like that!" Bellatrix replied.
"Silence, sister mine. I thought I would never see you again!" Narcissa replied, with genuine love in her voice.
"Those who are loyal to the Dark Lord, will always find deliverance. We will fix things Cissy. I have heard the rumours. Did Sirius Black strip you out of the Black inheritance?" Bellatrix enquired. Lucius had arrived, and he gave Bellatrix a respectful nod before he asked the house elf to fetch a bottle of wine. He sat silently and allowed his wife to talk uninterrupted with his sister-in-law.
"Sirius? No there must have been a hidden child. Sirius Black is getting drunk in Australia. Let me fetch the picture. He looks terrible, and that pleases me greatly!" Narcissa explained, in a haughty tone of voice. Now there was a one-sided smirk on Narcissa's face, as Bellatrix took the picture and began with her disconcerting laughter. Unknown to both women, the image was of Lorna's design. The Peverell group did have a drink at a bar one evening, and Hermione had cast an illusion of an old, weak and haggard Sirius before the item was allowed to circulate. Both of the women were comforted by fabricated lies.
"I heard weeeee little Harry Potter died. The muggle blood killed him?" Bellatrix asked as Narcissa took the charcuterie tray and helped herself.
"Husband always suspected so. That is the end of the Potters. As for the new Lord Black, we are genuinely dealing with someone who is Arcturus' equal. Husband even sent assassins, and a manticore ate their hands. We also tried to get that half-gaint scum arrested, and Lord Black threatened the auror," Narcissa replied, with worry in her voice.
"My oaf of a partner suggested that this traitor tried to kill me. And he was unsuccessful. I had to renounce the Black magic. I still have our memories, but they are faded. Almost like they are not my own," Bellatrix asserted.
"By Hecate! How are you even sane? You renounced the Black magic?" Narcissa asked, with horror on her face.
"I did Cissy. The Lestrange magic is better for me. It will allow me to kill muggles, and I don't need much of a personality for that. The Black magic has changed so much, if you could feel it you would recoil. It is full of justice and purity and that type of sentimental nonsense."
"How did you escape?" Narcissa asked.
"Well, I suppose it started with an attack on Azkaban. Then..." Bellatrix began, as she explained her tale.
Meanwhile, Daphne had suggested to Invictus that Bellatrix should be tagged. The portrait mobilised the drone that was parked at Malfoy Manor. It quietly sprayed a large amount of polymer tagging spray on her hair and her wand. Under the lack of modern lightning, nobody suspected anything as the roaring fire did not cast enough light to arouse suspicion. Daphne was quite proud of herself and was going to message everyone.
As of right now, even Bellatrix believed that there was a new Lord Black. She also understood that Sirius was still alive, but he was drinking himself to death. She loved the idea that her cousin was broken, and of no concern. Daphne was now preparing the update when she read the voice notes from her friends, she found herself puzzled.
Harry and his mother had found an ancient Ashram that was protected by powerful enchantments and magic. The pair had agreed that during their stay they would give up their weapons, their communication devices, and their wands. Until they were done, they would have no contact with the outside world, unless given permission. Daphne did the next logical thing and contacted Sirius. He seemed tired but contented.
"Not to worry Daffy, I will keep an eye on my darling cousin. As soon as she apparates into any areas that are not magical, stun her with a drone and transport her to the middle of nowhere. As long as she stays in magical areas, track her locations and activate nearby data slates." Sirius suggested.
"What about Hermione, Ronald, Neville, Luna and Remus?" Daphne asked.
"Moony is already off the map. He is preparing for a ritual to help him cure his Lycanthropy. He too was required to give up his communicators. I spoke with him, he is okay. Luna and Neville are easy to reach they are having a good time," Sirius replied.
"Oh, alright. I was busy with a project and I didn't check in with anyone. And Harry and Aunty Pri didn't say anything before they went missing," Daphne explained, as she sipped her lukewarm coffee.
"Probably an abrupt change in their plans Daff. Maybe it is better this way. Let them take their holidays." Sirius explained, as he assured the girl that there would be no serious issues.
"I am going to check in with Mione and Red. How is the holiday going with you?"
"I am learning a new weapon. No telling, it is a surprise!" Sirius joked as the healer patched his cuts and injuries.
Part IV: The Urumi
Contrary to popular belief, India had its own system of martial arts. Kalaripayattu remained very unknown to the rest of the world. The practice had waned over many centuries, as India moved away from more militaristic practices. Recently, there was a resurgence as people were reconnecting with ancient history.
Sirius as he had looked upon the Ashram or correctly, the Kalari was fascinated. The fighting style was very fluid and focused on exaggerated bends and flexibility. What had scared the pants off Sirius, was when he saw two of the disciples, as they swung around a metal whip sword at full speed. Occasionally, they would block the trajectory of the blade with their shields. Sirius was curious, and he asked the teacher or the Guru of the Kalari about the tradition. The man who possessed highly attuned senses could tell that the visitor was magical. From his casual observations, it seemed that he was in a relationship with a foreign-born Indian witch, who was excited to be in her ancestral homeland - that much he had guessed from their evening strolls. The man, in keeping with Indian tradition invited Sirius for tea, as the Englishman enquired about learning the art form.
"Why do you want to learn the art form?" the Guru of the Kalari asked.
"I find myself in a bit of a challenge. I am English. I do have an Indian partner. I would like to understand her culture. I am aware that is an odd thing to say when you consider that the British Raj did not care to understand anything about India. So there. And more importantly, I think the art form is beautiful and I hope to protect myself. Many English magicals have never seen such a weapon, and it could be highly useful and surprising."
"Well, at least you understand. I tell people that we will fix the issues, eventually. Westerners think that dealing with a billion people who speak three thousand different dialects is an easy business. I sense there is more to your reasons, however."
"I feel connected to the place. I saw other people using wandless magic, earlier. I would like you to help me explain the magic of my lineage. This was a recent change," Sirius explained, as he summoned a very small herald on the table. The ghost-looking magical construct of Herald immediately wrapped itself around Sirius' cup of tea and whispered,
"Destiny has brought you here. Karma has brought you…here."
There was a small pause, as the elderly Indian man collected his thoughts.
"Ah, you might be a westerner. But perhaps in a previous life, you were tied to Bharat. And yes, you will find I do not use the name, India. That is a Greek name. In a moment of great need, the magic summoned the most powerful of all snakes. He rules the structure of the universe. Are you religious?"
"Not sure. I try to practice the old Anglo-Saxon practices, but I have gotten accustomed to helping Priya with her rituals. I support her, and I take part even if I don't understand. We have a particularly open minded house." Sirius replied, proudly.
"Very well. So, you do hope to use the training to fight?" the Guru asked.
"If that is acceptable. I understand that the art form is beautiful and takes many years to master and refine.
The people I am fighting are magical terrorists. My son? He is adopted. He is the son of my best friend and his wife. His parents were killed, in cold blood. I was wrongfully arrested and my godson was all on his own. Priya had adopted him first when she was his teacher at school and did the job I was supposed to do. It was over him that Priya and I came to appreciate each other. Anyway, the wonderful man and his followers who did all this will be back," Sirius replied.
"I have a friend in England. Kharga Malholtra. Any chance the man is Lord….Moldemort?" the man asked.
"It is actually Lord Voldemort. The name Voldemort is supposed to be French. He who flees from death. He indirectly caused the death of my first fiancé, too." Sirius replied solemnly.
"Ah. We have a small ritual that we undertake. If the Shakti or the magic as you call it believes that you will use the art form responsibly, we will teach you the basics. Your opponents use primarily wands?" the old man asked.
"They…..do?" Sirius replied as he found himself confused. Perhaps there were other things? Maybe wandless magic was more common in this part of the world, Sirius mused to himself.
"Then even as a novice, you will be at a great advantage. Of course, we have several rituals that we perform before the training. You must be sure of this undertaking. You may defend yourself with the art form. That it is its purpose, after all."
Sirius withdrew his wand, and began to intone an oath.
"I give you my magical oath that I would like to genuinely learn the art form. I have no desire to use it to hurt innocents, with malicious intent. I will admit that I have undertaken combat operations as a soldier where I did have to deal with drug lords, kidnappers and other undesirables. I promise that I have only tied my best to defend and protect the innocent, in the best way I know how. Lumos!" Sirius explained, as he took an oath.
"Ah. That was not necessary, but I can be assured of your intentions. You have two options. We can learn slowly, and that will make you very refined. I will teach via that method. Or you can learn quickly with one of our best, as your teacher. His methods are openly combative. You will wear a protective mala or bead garland that will eliminate most of the deadly strokes that would kill you. He will teach you how to guide the blade with magic but you will be injured regularly. It will be bloody."
"Trouble finds us, regularly. I will prefer the faster method for now. When the war is over, I will take my time and use the slower method to obtain mastery. I promise to pass the art form down to my children." Sirius replied.
The old man could see that Sirius was rather passionate, and he smiled.
"Very well. Bheema is not an easy teacher. He isn't cruel but he is very tough. And he is silent when he fights. Very unnerving and imposing. Come and meet our family," the old man instructed.
That conversation had happened a couple of days ago. As Sirius updated Daphne on the issues, he hung up.
"Nice family. You sir are a lucky man!" the old Indian woman replied, in a thick Tamil accent.
"Thanks. I thought I was tough. After today, I change my mind." Sirius joked.
"The Urumi is a weapon that is difficult to master. Keep practising. In our culture, we usually do not suffer people who decide to learn Kalaripayattu. After we are done, we usually massage the core muscles and the sore areas. We make them comfortable. If you decide to honour the art form, you are family. I am surprised you decided to take the brutal route." The healer commented.
"We have issues back home. I explained the situation to Guruji. My opponents have never seen the weapon. As a mere novice, I will do great damage. And then my son? When he is finished he will build a weapon that will suit our needs."
"Ah. This herb will help with the slashes from the practice. This other potion is an Ayurvedic Blood replenishing potion. Far superior to the Western ones. Bheema is the best in the entire state. You will never knick him. You will only ever learn how to block his next exploit."
"I realise. I feel like a tiny child when I am on the dirt. But this is good. To see magic from elsewhere? India does feel magical to me. Maybe I lived here in my past life, who knows?"
"When I saw the girl, I could tell that she was an excellent healer. When I was a young woman, I was tested too. I had to find the place with little assistance. I failed at least five times before I figured out where to start. She will learn much in the mountains, and she will come to possess this golden bracelet, on my right hand when her basic training is complete" the old woman replied. As she continued with the healing of Sirius' injuries, she casually demonstrated such mastery with wandless magic, that would leave most Western magicals flabbergasted.
"You were once a student there? At that place that she is looking for?" Sirius asked.
"I was. The journey itself always reveals something. She and your son will see old magic that predates the modern world. It is not a coincidence that India does not need a secondary school to teach magic. Our magical fertility rate is about two per cent of our entire population. With such a large number of magicals, they are better taught within their communities."
Sirius took out a notepad and scribbled some calculations. He was quite happy he knew enough mathematics to get by.
"Right after checking, your magical replacement rate might be about 115 times higher than Magical England?" Sirius asked.
"Probably. I never bothered to check. Many of the European magicals of the I.C.W accused us of breeding indiscriminately. We will see as the magical population ages in Europe, what will occur. You would think that other magicals who talk about persecution would be happy we have enough warm bodies. In any case, our magic is tied to our languages and our regional practices. I know many hundreds of Mantras in many of India's languages, and they can do things that Western healers cannot do with their wands. I am even aware of what your bride-to-be has in her hand."
"Thirty million magicals is a large community," Sirius laughed, as the healer continued to apply the herbs and other treatments to his body. Sirius was confused by what the woman had mentioned about Priya's arm, but he decided that perhaps it was a translation issue.
"The I.C.W issue that you asked about – the Europeans have never had to run a magical nation that numbered in the millions. They are according to us tiny towns. We do not see how any of their models would work for us. And then we have ongoing issues at home, but there have been many positive changes. We do blame the past non-magical government for giving us many decades of Soviet economic models that did nothing for us. After that nonsense of fixing market prices was repealed in 1990, the development started to come." the old healer replied as she brought up some of her perspectives and political gripes.
"I know. Priya's father spoke to us about what to expect, and he touched on that issue for many evenings. Magical India is very different, and yet it somehow manages to exist right in the middle of everything. I am aware there has been rapid progress as of lately." Sirius considered as he finished applying the skin healing ointment.
"It is often easy to destroy but difficult to create. We have to re-create what other outsiders destroyed. It is a tough business, but we will get it done eventually. We are repairing the culture, and as that happens India will heal from her wounds." the old woman remarked.
Part V: The Dragon Reserve
Hermione and Ronald were now looking at a set of stone tablets. To others, the impassive stone slates would look like just plain rocks. However, Hermione could tell that there were runes inscribed on them. As she probed the hidden runic arrays and took a translation dump, she considered that she was close. There was a mountain peak in the distance and while nothing could be seen, her predator augment had been able to spot many small birds in the distance. Of course, Hermione reasoned that 'they' appeared to be birds as she considered the scale of the flying objects.
"Progress?" Ronald asked.
"Yes, I think we are here. Even if this thing doesn't work, I think there are dragons about fifteen kilometres away. This place is like a waypoint, I suppose. We could always fly directly to the place." Hermione replied.
"If I know you as well as I do, you prefer to go through this way. Any interesting runes?" Ronald asked.
"Yes. Fantastically complex. I am working my way into the verification systems." Hermione replied, as she fumbled around to get some additional tools, and an uplink to some of her bypass modules at home. Unknown to the pair and Daffodil, they were being observed by exactly the people they were hoping to meet.
They were being observed by the Dragon riders of the Norwegian Dragon Reserve.
The Nordic Dragon riders had faded from recent history. They were only known to the leaders of Norway's distributed magical schools. Only those who were truly talented at magic were ever given a chance to join the Dragon Riders, and this was after an extensive set of tests and oaths were taken. Unlike other magicals elsewhere who considered the arrival of a Dragon to be a notable event, these creatures had always been a part of their society. As their magic and culture of the secluded group had evolved, these magicals had learnt to coexist with their scaly companions effectively, and their magic became uniquely specialised for this purpose.
Many centuries before the rise of the Vikings, there had been a great war in Norway. A young dragon had mistaken a child for prey and eaten the child. The Nordic shamans were quite powerful, and they had summoned the elements of the north, in retaliation. For many decades, the bloodletting had occurred between various tribes and the first great dragon, and his pack. Eventually, both sides realised they would not survive the coming winters as the population of both the humans and the dragons dwindled into nothing. While this thought was shared on both sides, it was not a result of any discussions between the two parties - the Dragons and the Humans could not understand each other.
Then, the oldest of the shamans decided to try an alternate approach. The jarl úlfur-the-wise had cast a great enchantment that was the result of conjuring magic for an entire month. He had bonded himself to 'Skull-cleaver-the-bloody' and offered to mediate, by sharing his memories of the event. This was accomplished by giving the elder dragon the gift of mental speech and language.
And the war had stopped.
Of course, there were harsh feelings on both sides, but eventually both groups began to help each other. Humans could provide magic, and dragons could provide the ability to lift heavy objects and a constant supply of fire and manure. 'Skull-cleaver-the-bloody' was surprised when many of his hatchlings took a liking to the children of the villages. Eventually, the dragon asked úlfur-the-wise to cast the same enchantment for his children.
"My younglings would not be parted from your children." the elder dragon suggested.
"And my son loves Swift-Wings like his sister. Perhaps we might be better together?" úlfur replied.
"We are. Our true enemy is the cold. We are not killing each other any more, but the winter often takes the lives of many of your people. We dragons are having problems with fertility rates, because of inbreeding. Flying long distances does not guarantee finding a mate. Some Dragons never return, as they perish in foreign lands."
"Our tribes have many expert navigators. They use the stars quite well. We could help you with that." úlfur suggested.
"I have a cave that my mate and I use. It could be expanded with your help. It would allow your younglings to survive. With enough dragons, we could even provide the heat…"
"I think we must gather the nearby tribes and have a discussion with your thunder of dragons. We have much building to do. I give you the promise that my people will help yours to prosper."
"And the dragons shall look after your tribe too…..friend."
This event had occurred eighteen centuries ago, and now the Dragon Reserve was a tribute to the continued cooperation of the Nordic magicals with the mightiest magical creatures on the earth.
Most of the dragons lived in any number of caves in the mountain. This mountain was unusual – it had been systematically hollowed out. Also, it hosted a large town that was protected by any number of arcane enchantments. Most of the alcoves within the sturdy mountain walls had been dug with claw and magic. Some of them hosted dragons and others were familial residences. Many specialised locations within the entire town served specific purposes, and they all had been built from carving rock and bending tree roots in a fluid manner to provide support. It was a tribute to the ingenuity of the residents, and the place was littered with many decorations and other cultural displays of art and architecture that had been long erased, in modern Norway.
As the residents often argued, they were the last of the living Vikings.
The dragons would give eggs to the residents so that a particular ritual could be performed. With the use of ancient enchantments and blood runes, the dragons were gifted with the ability to understand spoken language. Some dragons were content with only this arrangement and demanded no more. Others could choose to be bonded to a human as a juvenile so that their mental development would thrive. The process was symbiotic and the human in question would gain better visual awareness, increased strength and better perception, among many other gifts. The dragon would gain the ability to speak and draw upon the knowledge of their rider to analyse the environment.
What was worse than an experienced Viking Raider with a battle axe? Simple. A Viking riding a Dragon with the assistance of magic, claw, fire and a combined battle link was much worse. That was a terror that you did not want to meet.
Of course, other social innovations had occurred – the Viking society within the mountain was separate from the non-magical world and had preserved much of the religion and culture. The fire of the scaly creatures could smelt steel and the waste products of the dragons allowed the framers to meet their needs, agriculturally. The raiding of other places had died out completely, as magic provided everything that they needed.
The ancestors would provide.
It was within this hollow that many of the utilisation systems for the Futhark Runes had been developed. Without the harsh survival constraints, the Rune-Priests and Rune-Priestess tradition developed over every generation, as wands had not reached the Nordic people yet. As time passed, they built dragon harnesses and continued to layer complex concealments and other obscure enchantments on the mountain. As their magical lore grew, it travelled the world. England's entire magical heritage within Runes and Arithmancy had come from this mountain in Norway.
The Reserve had one goal – to secure the survival of the Dragons. Their numbers had declined in the medieval days as they were hunted, but the population had been rescued with careful planning. Interference from non-magicals had become an issue, and the Reserve had embarked on a long-term rehabilitation program that would span centuries.
To combat the issue, Dragon Riders (those who had been paired with a dragon and had completed their training) were sent to acquire dragons from many other nations. Now after one thousand years of work, there were at least six hundred dragons that lived within the mountain – all of the dragons possessed mixed heritages and the numbers were slowly rising.
Naturally, this effort to develop the dragons required a lot of resources and secrecy, and the reserve had opened up its institution to mundane-born magicals from Norway and other non-Norwegians approximately eight centuries ago. This was a decision that was hotly debated by many of the Jarls or the Noblemen when it was fielded. The source of contention was simple - how long could people in the reserve marry each other, without inbreeding becoming common? The Head Erilaz at the time had truly made a wise decision, and the population of the Mountain had dodged the inbreeding issue.
As a side effect, this also allowed the Reserve to pick up bits and pieces of modern global culture, as it was necessary for their ability to trade, conduct business and protect the dragons. Many people spoke English and other languages quite well, and sometimes outings for some of the more liberal magical families within the Dragon Reserve helped them to be aware of the greater world. Morgana herself had learnt from the reserve. As the current Erilaz looked on at the commotion and examined the notebook in his hand, he considered upheaval was coming to the mountain. As he looked at the modifications, he could feel the Storm-Talon magic as it was used to hijack the runic array. He closed his eyes and reached out to a girl and her dragon, that he had sent on their first scouting mission.
Hermione Jean Granger, successor to Morgana the Arch-Enchantress was here. And entertaining enough she had brought someone back to their home.
For Sigrid Hartvigsen, it was alarming that outsiders had found the place.
The foreign witch, wizard and the young hatchling who was looking at the runes were quite unusual by her standards. Sigrid had used her augmented sight to examine the devices in the girl's hand. Some of the runes Sigrid knew, as they were in both younger and elder Futhark. However, many of the runes had come from other places. As she looked on, she concluded that the blue-haired girl could talk to her dragon. That was not any surprising news – most people within the reserve had an almost unconscious link to their dragon, that hardly required words. However, she had not heard of this skill being accessible to anyone outside of the reserve, and that was highly unusual. The other boy seemed to be competent enough. However, he was openly struggling with the cold.
The protective enchantments of the Reserve bypassed most warming spells to keep the area inhospitable. The reserve wards were the result of layering enchantments for at least sixteen hundred years. The wards had become so esoteric that many on the encampment did not understand how they functioned. Unless you were willing to take the oath, you could not activate the magic that would carry you into any of the landing areas. Sigrid observed the foreign girl was analysing the runes with something that looked like one of the new English data slates.
Sigrid was surprised when she received an external mental link from her dragon, Ragnar. Erilaz Njǫrd Skallagrimson, who oversaw the entire reserve and the Runic Guild wanted to have a word with her, and that was not a common occurrence. The conversation occurred in the prevailing form of old Norse that was spoken on the reserve:
"Heil ok sæl, Sigrid. Our visitors are most curious. I have been observing them. They are from Bretlandseyjar. They have been tracking the Dragons by sensing the magic in the area. A remarkable skill, for foreigners."
"Heil ok sæll, Master. So they didn't know the location beforehand?"
"No Sigrid. I almost want to think the girl is looking for the parents of the young dragon. I am looking at the hatchling, and I suspect that she might be our missing egg from Jǫrmungandr and Níðhöggr. Urðr is unusual sometimes. And I know of this girl, too."
"What are my instructions, master?" Sigrid asked.
"The items that the girl carries are unusual. You have only seen her tools. She has an impressive array of weaponry under an illusion. If she can open the door on her own, I want to see how well they fight. I will send Víðarr and Týr to confront them at the tertiary landing zone with Gungnir class armour. I will instruct them to challenge her only to duel."
"May I ask why only a challenge duel, master?" Sigrid asked curiously.
"Oh, she might look mild, but I have possession of hers. A book that was forwarded to me, by Albus Dumbledore. I can tell she has killed about one hundred and fifty, at least from the magical trace. When I did some investigations, it seems they specialise in hunting criminals, rapists, and others like that. People who deserve Hel."
"Oh. We could use friends like that. So, they aren't criminals?" Sigrid asked.
"No child. The girl, Hermione is so much like Freyja, it makes me smile. As many questions, as all the leaves in the forest. The girl understands much about the Runes from her notes. Understand this – her magic is from our lineage, but she did not grow up in it, as a babe like yourself. And yet she is not too far from the rank of Rýnstrmaðr. She is currently a völva or by Roman designation, a Vesta-Priestess. She managed all that by herself, in under five years."
"And I was thinking I could take her. No thanks. I do want to see them fight. She has actual combat experience then?" Sigrid asked.
"Perhaps you can tell your friends, Sigrid. If she will give of herself freely and is not selfish, we will test her and see if she is worthy of Mimir, eventually."
"We are so lucky that we get people to bring our missing dragons back. Elder-dragon was unpleased when his egg was stolen. What about the other one?" Ragnar asked as he looked on.
"The boy enjoys working, and he loves the girl. They are good friends. They haven't confronted each other yet. I want to see how far he will force himself out of his comfort zone. I do know he is a very good Quidditch Player. As steady as Hrungnir's whetstone. He might outfly anybody in the Reserve, on a broom." Master Skallagrimson replied.
"You are enjoying this, aren't you? Víðarr and Týr are in trouble. I smell a lesson, on the way. Maybe I will tell the rest at the security outpost?" Ragnar laughed.
"Indeed. I have been hearing lately that somebody is upsetting England, the way Merlin and Morgana caused a ruckus many centuries ago. I have my suspicions that her spawn has arrived on our doorstep. Leave immediately and try to fly home at 100 rôst per hour. You have ten minutes to get here." Master Skallagrimson instructed as the girl and her dragon prepared to leave.
As Sigrid flew away, Hermione managed to see a girl and her dragon. The predator vision augment along with the lens retune was active, and Hermione had just managed to get a glimpse at the end of her visual capability.
"Ron, we have hit the jackpot. Somebody is out there, and they have a dragon. They are invisible but they didn't block the infrared. The sonar also compensated too. The dragon had a harness. So, they are dragon riders I guess?" Hermione communicated, behind a privacy ward.
"Well, what now?" Ronald asked.
"Well, we can't disappoint. Time to bust through this runic array. I can tell that there are a whole group of dragons not too far off. I can sense the mountain, like when I had my race with Magorian. It is extremely faint but it is there." Hermione explained, as she stretched her hand out and felt the magic, in the environment.
"You need to teach me that skill. Before we go into wherever this goes, full armour package?" Ronald asked.
"No. Weave only. We will ask for help politely, and see where it goes. No need to go all gung-ho. However, considering that we are breaking into their place, they will be angry. The bypass will be done in about ten minutes." Hermione instructed.
"Couldn't we wait for them to come by?" Ronald asked.
"They are testing us. Our friend who flew away could have come and said hello. I felt a small probing ping that seems to be….almost amused. We have met people who like games just like us." Hermione answered as Ronald stripped down to his bodysuit.
"Well, I guess it is time for another round of brawling. I can barely keep Harry off, I hope my opponents aren't that difficult. At least the weave will keep me warm now!" Ronald joked.
"Excellent Hermione Granger. You have been crafting so much with magic, you can feel the Mímameiðr. Let us see what are the weapons and armour that Albus fears so much." Master Skallagrimson replied as he listened into the banter, and smiled.
Part VI: The Henge Hunt
Neville and Luna were now at Arbor Low in Derbyshire.
It was one of the oldest henges in Britain, and the lovebirds were now investigating the stones that were peeking out of the earth. While everyone else was being tested, the pair were having a lot of fun. They spent time visiting the local attractions, eating fast food from everywhere and taking pictures. It was a nice relaxed trip, that was devoid of unwelcome surprises. Now they were homing in on the jackpot. There were many Veil butterflies and moths that flew in patterns across the countryside. By merely following the migration of the Veil animals, Luna was able to pinpoint many possible Henge sites that contained old magic. She often drew the migratory patterns in a sketchbook, as she noticed clear patterns that were present in the sky. This particular site in Derbyshire had the largest concentration of animals, and the pair had landed and examined the areas for a couple of hours.
Neville looked upon the sprinkling of mistletoe in a particular patch on the ground. Arbor Low somehow felt like the place where he should start, but the issue was that he was at least three hundred meters from the nearest Henge site. Luna had seen something, and Neville trusted her to lead him to the right place.
"I think we have to start here." Luna insisted as she pointed to an empty spot.
"But the place is empty, love?" Neville asked, utterly confused.
"Can't you see the large Yew tree? How is the place empty?" Luna replied as she wondered if Neville was pranking her.
"What tree? Wait, it is a….veil tree?" Neville asked as he scratched his chin. Luna passed her hand through the 'tree' and was quite surprised when she felt nothing. She explained the unusual issue:
"When I engage my Veil sight, items normally look almost ghost-like. This tree has the colours I associate with normal objects. That is very unusual by my standards. And I see interesting things...regularly."
"The Druids were people who could shape the trees as they pleased. Maybe they modified the tree to always be here, for magicals? I mean a veil tree that is fully coloured? That is pretty brilliant!" Neville replied.
"Why don't we put up some mundane repelling wards and then we can sit here and meditate? Perhaps you can use my eyes? See if I missed anything?" Luna suggested.
"I would like it if we can do that. Can we manage? I don't know if any of us can do that yet?" Neville pondered.
"I was there when they explained the procedure. It has less to do with power and more with the intent of wanting to communicate with each other. Some mind links can be formal, and others are homely. We will manage because we love each other." Luna replied, as she set up the wards, deployed a proximity sensor and sat on the grass after spreading some cloth from her picnic blanket.
Neville and Luna sat down and ate some sandwiches as they enjoyed the sunset. When they were both finished, he opened his mind to Luna while he held her hand. The link was successfully initiated, and they could speak through it with great effort. Both of them reasoned that sharing each other's senses would occur only after they had gotten better at their occlumency. Neville suddenly remembered a convenient little hack he could use.
"Daffy?" Neville asked.
"Hey you!" Daphne replied, from the Peverell workshop.
"I need you to send two spinal interfaces. Tuned for each other's bodies. I need to use Luna's eyes and we have funny trees involved. You taking house calls?" Neville joked.
"You ask, and I deliver. I am going to send the spinal links that your parents used to use. I will clear the magic out of your mother's link and load Luna's profile into it. Gimme ten minutes," the snake replied, as she sipped her coffee and looked at her new structurally generative algorithms, with great contentment.
"I can hear you slurping that coffee, from over here. Thanks, you are a lifesaver. How are the rest going?" Neville asked.
"Everyone is off the map except Sirius, Hermione, and Ronald. The last two are busy, I haven't heard anything from them for the last hour." Daphne explained.
"They will be fine. When Harry and Hermione are quiet it means that they are up to mischief. Not to worry Daph." Luna replied.
"Later, dreamy!" Daphne replied as the call terminated.
After the spinal links had arrived and were powered and attached, the process was slow and gradual. Over the next forty-five minutes, the link as it was forged felt intimate and comfortable. Luna giggled, and suddenly Neville felt all her feelings as they bled through the link. Neville blushed, and Luna started to laugh even more.
"Alright, show me what those silvery-grey eyes usually see, eh?" Neville joked as the entire empty field turned into a zoo.
"Feck, that is amazing. Is that a…whale?" Neville asked.
"Sure. A prehistoric one. Since it became magical, they can swim in the air I guess?" Luna replied, and Neville tumbled over in a fit of laughter. Luna began to reach out with her hands, as it morphed into a physical stone doorway.
"Is that real?" Neville asked as he touched the cool stone. Suddenly, a cold slippery feeling engulfed the boy and Neville found himself falling into a hole, as he dragged Luna along.
Neville found himself and Luna facing a group of old men, in a fire-lit antechamber. In a corner were three old men dressed all in blue. A harp, a bodhran and a flute were playing in the background. Two additional men in red robes were peering at Neville. Finally, were six other men dressed in all white, and they surrounded a small mound of dirt.
"Are we in a fancy pensieve?" Luna asked.
Suddenly the two men in red apparated behind Neville and Luna and placed daggers on their necks. A man in a golden-coloured robe materialised from the mist and began to walk towards the pair.
"I don't think this is a pensieve," Neville replied, as the man touched his head and began to look through his memories. Neville was surprised, as his Occlumentic barriers counted for nothing. Neville's shields began to flare, and the two red-robed men were surprised when the daggers could not penetrate the shield. The leader laughed and continued his examination of Neville. After some time, the leader nodded, and the two red robed men disappeared. The others in the chamber watched on.
Neville understood that while physical objects could not pass the shield, the man's fingers did not count as physical objects. Even Luna could feel when the gold robed man occasionally looked into her mind, as he tried to stitch the entire picture together. The man seemed particularly interested in listening to the conversations, and there was a great sense of satisfaction when he examined how Neville was trying his best to shape plants. Another man came forward and there was an exchange in Celtic as they discussed Luna for a moment. Then the man in the golden robe closed his eyes and seemed to communicate with the rest, before he spoke to Neville.
"Welcome Neville and Luna. It took me a while to acquire your language. English is unusual. I am Caturix. And yes Luna, you are not in a pensieve."
"Hello! Where are we then?" Luna asked.
"In a hidden sacrificial chamber. As to what we are….you would call us Poltergeists in your tongue. And I understand we still have those in the United Kingdom. So, like a far more refined version of Peeves. We however wrought a far different enchantment to our souls. We remember much as our knowledge is tied into the stones."
"How long have you been here? And how did you learn our language and our environment so quickly?" Neville asked.
"Oh my boy, we came to this place long before the Romans made their move to conquer our people. We have been sleeping since then. We took the ultimate oath to preserve our culture. So much has changed, particularly with the mundanes. Even with wands too. Those didn't exist for our people. And I am aware that you carry modern weapons on you. As for the learning of languages, magic can provide us with assumptions and cultural context.
I understand a fair deal of your world, through you. When minds are combined, they can process information in parallel. People were required to share a close relationship in a tribe for many decades to do such a thing in the past. I communed with the others to assist me. Your items can carry out the function in a far more efficient manner."
"You must be Picts then? Descended from Caledonii people? To wake up in a world, that is two millennia in the future? Is there anything you admire? Seems you are Celtic, I guessed from the name." Luna asked.
"Indeed, my child. I am impressed with the moon landing. Such an idea was inconceivable. And yet….here we are. The standard of living is far better. And the population of magicals has been steadily growing. I am happy that magic is still alive. Unfortunately, much lore has been lost. Wizards and witches are merely a fraction of their former power. The primary reason for that is life is not as harsh anymore. Life is very comfortable. The idea that you can wave a wand and produce magic?
We had to channel our minds for many years to produce minor spells!
However, when the magic came after a long period of refinement….it was truly powerful. Like thunder and lightning striking the ground. The magic for some odd reason would be passed on if children were conceived after magical development. As long as the children underwent the same type of trials, the magic became even more focused and powerful, as the generations passed."
"Harry is the most powerful of us. And he had a brutal beginning. And while we have comforts, he runs us hard. Our magic is beginning to manifest. Even the wandless capability." Neville explained.
"Yes. And that is good that you can selectively push the body with modern exercises. In terms of physical strength, both of you are waking up the latent magic and gifts that are trapped in your…..what is the word? Ah..your genetics. Your talents will only grow as you mature. You also have access to ridiculously large amounts of nutrition, and far better healthcare. You and your beloved would pass for a fully grown man and woman, in our days." Caturix replied.
"I had no idea what I would learn here. It is just the intuition between the two of us, that led us here. Nobody knows exactly what Druidic magic looks like. I was hoping to capture some research that Percy could use." Neville explained.
"The resident lore keeper will be pleased. While you have much of our heritage in your blood, Luna has one of our gifts too. Or maybe, her gift has nothing to do with our lineage. It matters not. Her talents will be needed for this journey. Only she could guide you to open the door."
"See Neville, my gift is actually useful!" Luna laughed.
"It was not uncommon for those who could shape plants to also see the veil, as your dearest calls it. You Neville, would not qualify to receive the magic. And yet the artefact that is clipped on your back allows both of you to share gifts that would usually be found in a single wizard or witch, in the ancient days. I do like that two young people who are in love, will undertake this most sacred journey of self-discovery," Caturix replied.
"Thanks. Harry is mad. But he and the other two have tried their best to improve lives. That item was why I could talk to my parents, after their first round of treatment," Neville replied.
"He is a master of the forge, no doubt. But you, Neville we are proud that the magic of the earth is still here. I was pleased that you want to tend the crops, so none may go hungry. You will give us an oath. You will promise to…disseminate our methods in modern Magical England. Yes, I like that word very much. Disseminate."
"I would consider it a great privilege. Hermione and Percy have been digging into this information for about two years of constant research. I had no idea where to go, but Luna suggested we follow the Veil butterflies."
"From your memories, I can see how things became obscure. You will become the gatekeeper for us. Those who we judge as worthy will be given access to the chamber and they will be sent on a journey to learn how to sing the crops into shape. As I mentioned Luna, you have a gift from our people. The Veil animals as you call them, are attracted to magical crops. Your job will be to document these animals and ensure that they keep the magical ecosystem healthy. The earth's magic flows from what they release into the environment. You will accompany your loved one, and you will undergo the trials together."
"The trials?" Luna asked.
"You and Neville will visit thirty nine other sites, and you will be given a seed at each location. Neville will listen to the songs in the stones and learn to sing them and imbue the magic in his voice. Through the link, both of you will use your intuitions, your magical experiences and all the science you have been studying. I even want to say Neville will use that beautiful voice of his, along with his mother's lullabies." Caturix explained.
"You have no problem with mundane knowledge?" Neville asked, curiously.
"Why would we? We druids were magical or non-magical in our society. And our people had many varying talents. Everyone was valued. In our time, you would have received any number of small rituals to bolster your connection with magic, as a child. You had a problem recently from what I had seen in your memories. Your blood demanded the ritual, and you were separated from the practice. And the mundane exercises alleviated the majority of the problem. We are thankful that the majority of the problem was fixed. That was very much a 'mundane' approach." Caturix stated.
"I can feel a small knot in my back. Harry's mum has been continuously helping with the issue. I always suspected the issue was deeper." Neville replied.
"Indeed Neville. That issue will be fixed after both of you are finished."
"So, I won't have to undergo extensive training for many years?" Neville asked.
"Times have changed, much. We preferred to stay in our villages and attend to the immediate issues. We were rural, after all. However, your time is different. Upon a druid's successful completion of a twenty year education on Ynys Môn or Anglesey as it is now called, he would receive the necessary tattoos."
"I would have liked to get the tattoos. Always wanted them." Neville grinned, as he and Luna took a seat in the chamber. Luna opened a pocket, and a miniature drone flew to the top of the area and illuminated the place with a faint soft white light. Then she handed Neville a burrito. Luna started to munch on a hardshell Taco that she had packed, and Caturix smiled. The rest of the Druids faded out of existence, but Caturix stayed. He sat down, and the conversation became more informal and comfortable.
"That is amusing. Excitement about tattoos hasn't changed. To wear the Indigo ink was a great privilege. Anybody could wear the tattoos, but certain ones detonated that you were magical, and you had completed your training as a Druid in Celtic culture. You can still get them. Luna can do them for you, and I think a modern tattoo gun would suffice. We will provide an enchantment to embed in the ink."
"I am already excited!" Neville laughed.
"Except for our unique insights into singing magic into plants, the majority of our knowledge has been superseded by two millennia of progress. Our systems would not work in your world. And many of the things we discovered about plants at the height of our capability, the mundanes teach openly in your biology textbooks. Even though you Neville, cannot see the Spirit world, you will be able to track the henges down in the correct order.
Luna will watch the veil currents and the animals, and you will sense the magic as it guides you. In our time, we would ride by horse, but since you have a flying death machine that will work too. I see you have already visited some of them. You may transport to whatever location you wish."
"Will I meet others like you at the other henges?" Neville asked.
"No. The other henges will only let you in, after we give you a particular necklace to carry. And when you are successful, you will know. We will then return to our great slumber. You will give us an oath to send others on this journey. You will have to teach the wandless methods for magic, as that is crucial to our ability. It will be many years of work at Hogwarts until others can qualify to undertake this journey. I believe you will have to make an artefact that will give others access to Luna's magic, also."
"I used to joke all of us are going to run the castle eventually! As for the artefact, Harry and Hermione can build anything." Luna grinned.
"Their innovations allowed you to access this path. And they will be needed in the future. Your first challenge will be to get this seed to germinate with far less water. Come, let me sing the songs of my people. They are easy, even if you do not speak Gaulish. You may write them down, in English lettering and record what is whispered from the stones. Luna will assist you with this. Come younglings let us begin…" Caturix insisted.
Neville and Luna spent the next two hours recording the songs in English lettering. Then, the singing was streamed to Invictus and Percy. The prospective Headboy began to dig into his linguistics notes, and soon enough he had enough workable material to help Luna with a phonetic system. The Druidic magic accepted Neville, and it began to awaken his ancestral gifts. Even Luna could feel Neville's innate connection with nature as it awakened his back.
Luna began to feel the magical currents in the ground. Sha also looked on as many friendly insects and other creatures from prehistoric times chose to gather around in the area.
Part VII: The Himalayas
Harry for the last ten hours, had been pinging the immediate area with his mother. Priya had joined her mind to Harry, and he was merely acting as a battery. They were at least thirty kilometres away from Mount Kailash and were technically in China. Their shields were on, and the devices were keeping the heat within their bodies. They apparated into a small, steep gap and Priya was slowly examining the plants and the rocks in the area, and it seemed that there was a powerful enchantment.
"This might be it. Let us take a walk and if nothing changes, we can go home and try tomorrow," Priya insisted.
The first indication that something was there, was after a small five minute walk. The sonar from the drones went dead. Harry's mage sight showed nothing from the ordinary, either. Their shields disappeared, and they suddenly became cold. Even their wands refused to work.
"Guess we are in the right place. Can you warm yourself wandlessly?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I am managing. Well sweetie, this has been exhausting. Ten hours and we just seem to jump around from area to area. I can't believe, we actually got Gracie tired from the scouting."
"Yeah, she apparated to someplace nearby to take a nap. Maybe our approach is wrong. Maybe we aren't supposed to find this place with….gadgets. Not that anything that we have, is working. The transporter is dead too, so we aren't going home unless Grace gets us."
"I can tell you are hungry. Here sweetie, have some fruits from my bag. I have a tofu wrap, too. Dig into that," Priya replied.
The mother and son pair sat down and ate the food, on a small flat rock. A question entered into Harry's mind.
"Question mum. If you were a person in any of the Hindu Epics, what would you have to have to do? To get the attention of the higher authorities. Or say, even God?" Harry asked.
"Ideally, we would have to purify ourselves. And we would have to…Hari Bol how could I miss that….." Priya exclaimed, as if the answer had been obvious, all the time.
Priya began to sing one of her favourite kirtans, as she imbued her magic into her singing. Harry noted that his mother possessed an almost ethereal sounding voice – he knew that many moons ago, his mother used to sing. Truthfully, he was anxious to hear her perform one day, as she had started back vocal training with her teacher.
As Harry got carried away in his mother's singing, a cool breeze passed over everyone, and a small thumb-sized flame appeared. Fascinating enough were instructions that appeared on the nearby rocks. Priya was quite shocked when they were in English. She temporarily stopped singing, and the light began to fade slowly.
"Well, it makes sense. They want people who understand the culture to get in. After I help you with getting wherever you need to go, I don't think I am sticking around."
"Why not son?"
"Me? A sinner? I think you forgot I murdered people by the droves. Whatever is up here in these mountains, I would dream of messing with it. I can feel the chill in my bones. My magic is combative. I understand what is given off by people. I feel like a teeny weeny little kitten. Glaucon had explored India in his journals…..and he did not lie that. He said that evil had no purchase in these areas." Harry explained.
"Don't make assumptions about anything. These mountains are holy ground. Respect the place and it will be fine. Hush you, and follow me please. Trust your mother?" Priya explained as she resumed her singing of "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
Harry nodded, and protectively held Priya's hand.
After a fifteen minute walk, that was when things became a terror show.
Out of the walls of the impassive cold rocks, were any number of beady eyes. There were pale faces and ghoulish creatures. There were any number of darkened spirits and howls that were beginning to whisper. Against the cold of the mountains and the limited light that was being provided by the flame, Harry was dismayed when he tried both flashlights and magical torches and they did not work.
"Why did I do that, nothing doesn't work here…." Harry muttered. Harry outstretched his hand to cast a Lumos with his magical amp, and his mother held his hand.
"No, pay them no mind. They are illusions. Or say even if they are real, no conflict here. It is not a coincidence your fancy gear isn't working here." Priya whispered.
"I…..okay. I don't like this. I feel like the cupboard. I can feel the fear." Harry gulped.
"I can feel the fear of the night I was kidnapped. But I think I understand the test. You will repeat after me, Om Namah Shivaya. Prayers to Lord Shiva, will make whatever creatures that are there..…fall in line. Your test is not to react to that which haunts you." Priya replied as she began to recite the mantra, with magic imbued in her voice.
Harry nodded, as he repeated the mantra dutifully after his mother. Suddenly the light became brighter, and the creatures became visible, and hunched on both sides of the pathway. While they were there, they made no move as they became still. Harry and Priya had the same question on their mind. Were they real? It did not matter. They had no intention to stop the chanting of the religious songs.
As the pair continued their journey, they arrived at a small bridge that had absolutely no planks. The empty length of rope for Priya, meant that another puzzle had to be solved. The flame faded away, and they were safe for now. Harry was looking at another mountain, and against the dim moonlight, there seemed to be a lower pathway that was at least two kilometres off. There was some type of battle that was going on, far off in the distance. The green spells that were being flung, indicated that somebody was using the killing curse, liberally. Gunfire and explosions echoed in the area.
"Mum, how come we didn't take that pathway?" Harry asked.
"Because we got access in the correct manner. If you are a Hindu and you understand the culture, the clues are all here. For example, we technically have a toll to pay to cross this bridge. We have to make a sacrifice into the fire. Havan. We have twigs, and our magic is working again."
"Should I call Grace?" Harry asked.
"Sure. However, she is coming here as a student. She is not to attack anything, and she will lay off the comments. And you will also stop speaking sailor language too."
"I will manage. But Grace staying quiet? I would pay galleons to see that. Should we call home?" Harry asked.
"No. Leave those affairs behind. Grace is acceptable because it was her karma to be tied to you. Call her, and we will offer some of the fruits in my bag into the fire. As for those morons over there, let them fight," Priya explained.
"But mum, I would have done the same thing. I would have fought whatever was there to the death. Why am I any different?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.
"Because you took my advice. And because you are my son. And that will be enough." Priya answered before she removed all of her shielding devices, conjured some water, and soaked herself before she followed with an intent-modified evanesco and drying charms.
"That is pretty neat, mum. A shower that cleans the grime away, you vanish the contaminants on you and the clothes too, and then you become dry. Good for impromptu situations," Harry mentioned, as he followed through and did the same thing.
"Thanks. I am improvising at this point. The cold water fired up my nerves. The weather is terrible. I don't have your natural wandless capability, it took all my strength to get that far. I am lucky the I.C.U ward developed my talent" Priya laughed, as she panted for air.
Meanwhile, on the peak of the undisclosed mountain, Sage Atri who oversaw the ashrama on the mountain laughed. Siddhi the head Ayurvedic healer looked on. Both of them could project part of their consciousness to far-off distances, while staying connected to others and perfectly conscious in the present. The conversation in Sanskrit followed:
"Well, this is a nice surprise. We either get Westerners slaying everything on the secondary path, like that group over there. And then we have our people who can qualify for the primary path. This is the first time I have seen a foreign born Hindu and an adoptive Western child take the journey. I can feel the excitement of the girl. She wants to know about her ancestors. But the boy…I feel sorry for him. He is frightened out of his wits."
"I am not surprised. I was expecting both of them." Sage Atri replied, quite calmly.
"Right. It must be nice to see the future Guruji. Sure, you don't want to tell me which stock options to buy?" Siddhi laughed.
"The current guesses you have will do quite well. And I never stopped you from leaving if you wanted. You like the low stress environment we have here. You were fantastic in the corporate world, but it was not truly for you. As for seeing the future? No, it would not be a nice thing for those who cannot divorce themselves from their attachments, Siddhi.
I have seen that there will be a time when only a few places like this will be liveable on the planet, within the next couple of centuries. And yet this boy will help us to go forward. And yet, the actions that I undertake will result in pain for many. And while those who should suffer might be deserving, I understand that the universe will ask something of me too. I will offer him knowledge, and tell him the cost." Sage Atri replied.
"Sounds like we are going to bomb each other, then. I don't think I can be so detached, to the point where I can do the bidding of the universe, and not pick a side. Being dispassionate? I try very much Guruji, but sickness genuinely distresses me." Siddhi countered.
"And you are not any less for that. You remember your parents and how they suffered. We do what we must. My friend in the North and I will continue to make our predictions, and work towards everyone's best interest. Look closely - the group of mercenaries are being aided by a young man who has disguised himself…"
There was a momentary pause.
"Ah, I got caught again Guruji. Standard tantric reawakening for the corpses? Maybe the entire army, at a time?" Siddhi asked.
"Most likely. Foolish of the man to dive into the Aghori practices with no guidance. Some Westerners believe that power comes from the ritual. The power comes from the mind. Only the commanders know the real intention, to use the cannon fodder as reanimated foot soldiers."
"What are we going to do with them?" Siddhi asked.
"The darkness that he has summoned? That must be completely destroyed. Down to the last subatomic particle. So yes, I will allow them to trek into the courtyard. And then I will disassemble them." Sage Atri replied, casually.
"What will you do with our other visitors, Guruji?" Siddhi enquired.
"I have seen their future. Priya, Harry, and their little family. The girl will only carry the rudimentary skills that she can learn until the British magical civil war is done. She will endeavour to learn as much as she can, in the five weeks that she stays here. Her initial training will be high intensity, with casual classes much later on for refinement."
"Basic Mantra crash course, followed by years of weekend classes?" Siddhi joked as she considered her training.
"Yes, my child. She will not delve into the study of anything pertaining to necromancy. When she is finished, she will be welcome to visit on weekends, and give of her time to heal people as her seva. We will enhance what she knows, as she navigates her immediate challenges. Later on, when she grows into her age and her wisdom, and the turbulence in her life is gone, we will decide on teaching her more.
The boy will also not receive any of our magic, because he doesn't need it. He will be given a small project so that he can help himself. He will also assist by performing community service around the ashrama. He and Nakula can also spar and let off some steam. His Garuda Grace, will fly with the others and learn how to truly judge the wind. Then she will return home to face the lightning, one day."
"Won't that cause fights? He and Nakula? Both of them look like hotheads?" Siddhi asked.
"No. Harry Potter will admit that what Nakula says is true. And this will be a lesson for both of them. Harry Potter used to believe he was the golden child. But now, he is beginning to have doubts. He will make peace with himself and enjoy the time off. Nakula will have to learn how to shoulder mental defeat, even when he is far better with a sword and physically untouchable. He will have to deal with someone, who agrees with him."
"I understand that you are impartial and are not swayed by such small things. But Nakula and a situation like that? I almost want to laugh!" Siddhi giggled.
"Many people from all walks of life pass through here. Karma is a universal constant. It is not only him and his mother who is undergoing development. Everyone who is connected to him is busy. Our friend in Norway has received his sister. Come, let us prepare for the evening Satsangh. And yes, tonight we will ask Priya to sing for us!" the sage replied, gently.
"She does have a lovely voice!" Siddhi laughed.
Part VIII: Breaking and Entering
Hermione was now done with the bypass. The ward was based on blood magic, and it was designed to only allow people who were 'enrolled' to activate the transportation rune. She had looked at the data storage layer of the ward, and created a runic scheme to convert the blood signatures into modern arithmantic equations. Then, she accessed current magical records for herself and Ronald from the server rack at Peverell Manor and worked backwards. With their magical signature now inserted into the warding scheme, all they had to do was to press the rune, to get into the Dragon reserve.
"Should we knock first?" Ronald asked.
"Oh, they are watching. We are being tested, and I don't like to fail at anything generally." Hermione replied.
"Well, what now?" Ronald continued.
"Time to see if my translations are as good as I think they are. But we should take precautions. And we have to be prepared to confront that they might have better stuff than us. Never underestimate the enemy." Hermione suggested, as she rechecked the harness on Daffodil, and looked at the dragon's shields.
"Right sweetie, you are to hold off. Even if they attack you, they won't get past the shields. And if they do, the nano-laminate will do the job." Hermione explained, mentally.
"Mum, why are you sure we will get attacked? Maybe they might be nice?" Daffodil asked.
"Oh child, you are too sweet sometimes. Why would they not protect what they have? They have no evidence that we are friendly. What we will do is wait, until they do something. We are intruders, you know?" Hermione replied, as Ronald prepared himself.
Hermione had reasoned that the reserve was hidden behind concealment wards, and even the weather had been altered by ancient enchantments. After all, there were no mountains in Norway that were particularly high – Galdhøpiggen was an easy trek for tourists in any case. Hermione considered that the only logical thing was to dig into the depths of the mountains. Perhaps there were illusions and enchantments that were similar to Hogwarts.
"So, we can expect some Lord of the Rings cave action?" Ronald asked as he made the final adjustments to his muscle weave.
"Probably. I mean these wardstones are under their own notice-me-not charm, but it is far more powerful than anything out of a wand." Hermione explained.
"Well…..this feels wicked. As soon as I think it, the muscle weaves just does it," Ronald commented, as the weave sealed itself and he placed the metal boots on his feet.
"This suit has far more energy than the training ones you usually wear, so the response will be better. We haven't found the upper limit of what the muscle weave can produce yet. Any more power and we will begin to snap bones and tear arms off." Hermione explained.
"How can you fix that?" Ronald asked.
"Artificially weave materials into our skeleton and muscles to handle the weave. It is possible, but we have to be careful. Body modification is an invasive thing, and it does cause imbalances. We want to maybe add artificially grafted alloys into our skeleton. Harry has had some limited success with it already. Can you jump into my battle link?" Hermione asked.
"I can't summon my occlumentic barriers properly yet. We will have to work with the suit comms." Ronald explained as Hermione nodded.
Truthfully, she was a little disappointed. Hermione had planned to gently snoop around in the battle link, to see if Ronald had feelings for her. Ronald was perfectly capable of joining the link, but he decided that he rather not broadcast his feelings - he was not prepared to deal with the consequences. Invictus had offered to monitor the situation through the suit cameras and keep an eye on the surroundings. He looked at the rise in their pulses and realised that they coincided when they spoke or looked at each other. The old man naturally got a laugh off of it.
"Gramps?" Hermione asked.
"Hmm?" Invictus answered, as he pretended that he was none the wiser.
"We are going to execute the runic bypass. Whatever readings you get, store them. Take complete data dumps." Hermione commented before she signalled to Daffodil to enclose herself completely in her battle armour. The plates slid around her and while she could not fly, several micro-thrusters would assist her with sudden movements. Not a scale was visible.
The news had spread quickly. Most of the Dragon Riders were made aware of the interlopers. A small group of apprentice rune experts were betting that Hermione would give up, until the seniors began to panic.
"Wait, what is she doing?" one of the juniors asked.
"Faen! Faen! Faen! She just injected herself and her friend into the blood enrolment. How the helvete did she do that?" one of the senior apprentices replied.
"Even we don't understand how the wards work? The enchantments have become too complex! And she casually unravelled it over the last hour! Why aren't we sending security!" another complained, as the group continued to examine the interlopers via the enchanted mirrors. Just when they considered sounding the reserve alarm, two dragons were seen, as they prepared to land on the security outpost pad.
As Hermione has suspected, the Nordic dragon reserve was essentially a mountain that had been systemically hollowed out with the assistance of the dragons. There were enough tall pillars that dotted the side of the mountain, that let a healthy amount of sunlight into the massive cavern. The walls were thick enough to host many healthily sized caves, which generally possessed large enough rocky outcroppings. The caves were not damp, dark places – rather they were dwellings that were illuminated by magical crystals and were spacious. They showcased the cultural heritage of Norway, and were full of trees, flowers and stone weaved into a seamless fusion. As some of the Nordic muggleborns had joked upon seeing the place, it was like Moria and Rivendell mixed into a single place. Everything was protected by illusions. On the outside, it was business as usual for non-magicals.
Víðarr and Týr had landed with their dragons, and walked into the security outpost, fully decked in Gungnir class armour. Many felt relieved, but the seniors were concerned. If the visitors knew enough magic to bypass their wards, who knew how proficient they were, with magic. Some of them even wondered why the girl and her accomplice were not automatically given entry to the reserve – they after all had a dragon that had been bonded.
For the rest of the onlookers, the Gungir class armour was alarming – it was hardly ever seen on the reserve. The Gungir class armour consisted of swords, spears and shields that resembled Nordic medieval armour. They were absolutely beautiful, and sported Oseberg style art that featured many gold and copper inlays. The most important features were the blades and spear tips – there were approximately ten atoms in width, which was unparalleled for weapons that were made one thousand years ago. Also, the Gungir armour had the type of coverage one would associate with 15th century plate armour. And yet, this armour had been forged one thousand years ago. Essentially, the Nordic Reserve metal workers were an easy five centuries ahead of the entire of Europe, when they created the entire artefact. There were only two suits on the entire reserve, and they were priceless heirlooms. The armour was surrounded by myths and legends, as hearsay had accumulated. However, the biggest secret of the armour was something both Víðarr and Týr shared with the incumbent visitors, quite unknowingly.
The chainmail and plates had been made from a titanium alloy.
Forging an iron-titanium alloy approximately one millennium ago, had been difficult and almost bordering on arcane. The Nordic metalsmiths had worked day and night to complete the weapons and armour. Magic had been used to stabilise the mixture of the metals. Even the Gnomes and Goblins had heard of the rumours – the metallurgy was better theirs and the materials were unknown. Most of the magicals at the Dragon Reserve, had no idea that the metals that were present in the Gungir armour were easily available, within modern society.
The reserve residents with magical ancestry grew up in a lifestyle where magic was weaved into their existence as babies. Víðarr and Týr were young, but easily the strongest and fastest. They had a traceable Viking lineage of almost sixteen centuries and had access to House Magic that made them Berserkers. Both young men also took comfort in the fact that their magic was wandless, and that they could charge into battle via apparition. Víðarr and Týr were very smug about their chances, as they had dealt with intruders many times. It often involved sneaking up on aggressors, silenced and invisible with their charmed belts, and putting swords to their necks. Sometimes they would slice wands in half, and even draw minor amounts of blood if necessary.
"We have been instructed by Master Skallagrimson to challenge the visitors to a duel. Two on two. Melee weapons only. Get your friends and place some bets on us?" Týr smirked.
"I don't think people who can bypass our wards so easily, are going to an easy fight," Freyja replied, as she walked into the cave. Now everyone knew that the visitors were serious business.
Freyja was one of the walking contradictions at the reserve. She was a complete mundane born who had for some reason managed to learn every type of ancient magic and surpass even the Nordic "purebloods". When this had occurred, many had suggested that the girl had völva lineage, and she had been lost to the mundane world. Freyja could care less about such nonsense. As far as she was concerned, magic was only limited by the mind and if you immersed yourself in enough magic, even the body would change to accommodate it. Nobody dared to question Freyja, as she was a full Rýnstrmaðr – a Master Rune Carver. There were only five others like her, at the Reserve.
Whatever she said, carried the authority of the Runic Guild, and Master Njǫrd Skallagrimson himself.
Víðarr's father was old fashioned and was pushing for a marriage between her and their son. After all, arranged marriages were a practice that the ancient Vikings participated in, and it was somewhat alive at the reserve. When Víðarr realised that Freyja had no interest in such an offer, he tried his best to woo her every single time. He began with his usual cliché nonsense right away, and everyone cringed.
"Perhaps you as one of our valkyrja, can fight well. I doubt our visitor is anything more than a bookworm. They don't look like they have any weapons. Perhaps I should cut her wand in half!" Víðarr replied.
"We will see then?" Freya suggested, as she began to examine the modifications to the runes. Both of the young men left, as they saddled their dragons and flew away to the tertiary landing area. The group at the security outpost continued to observe the visitors, as Hermione and Ronald prepared themselves. Freyja observed Ronald zipping into his muscle weave and found the item unusual. What was the purpose of the suit?
"That harness for the dragon is strange. Why would they build it like that? Why are the plates stacked only in certain places?" another girl asked. As Freyja looked at the visitors, she explained the issue to the others who were hoping for an explanation.
"Well damn, that is clever. I am looking at her runes. She converted the runes into…mathematics? I can see the numbers. The equations look rather complex. She has to be a mathematician to solve these." Freyja explained to the rest.
"Converted the runes into mathematics? Magic and mathematics? How does that even work?" one of the mundane-born apprentices asked.
"Apparently, she has multiple runic schemes she scratch created purely for translation. They seem somewhat similar to the data slate we examined recently. I am beginning to think she might be the inventor? It looks too similar…" Freyja explained, as she looked at the logic subroutines. They seemed familiar to something she had seen at secondary schools, but she could remember the topic.
"Where did she learn that much about runes?" another asked.
"I don't know. Maybe she figured it out on her own. I want to know how she hid the runes remotely on the data slate. Oh, I have to meet her!" Freyja exclaimed, as she began to hope that her suitor would get himself into trouble.
"Wait, this other modification is for the transportation system. Why do the runes look like…logic gates? These have to be logic gates, I was terrible at them in school!" a senior complained.
"Wait you understand what this is?" a pureblood magical asked.
"Yes, my parents made me take a mundane education too, like Freyja. Both she and I were never too good with Physics." the senior replied.
"Yes, that is it! I knew I had seen those somewhere. Let me have a look at the transportation system and…wait…why does this look like phoenix magic? And…oh. So that is what happened!"
"What happened Freyja?" Njal asked.
"Remember Njal when the last wild Storm-Talon phoenix left some years ago? This is her magic. She found a person. Her new name is…Grace Storm-Talon and her magic is powering the transportation modification. Since the phoenix isn't here, maybe the woman knows the phoenix and she worked backwards. Her illusions are almost as good as mine, too!"
"Ah Freyja. Master sent them to teach them a lesson. He knows they won't win. Those two idiots are arriving at the third pad in the next thirty seconds, and they are going to embarrass themselves." Njal replied.
"Indeed Njal. I think I am going to broadcast the altercation on all the public scry stones. Oh look, Sigird is flying in at top speed. Master probably asked her to fly a small sprint?"
"Do we have to push it to the public scry stones?" Njal asked.
"Yes, our visitors are going to hand them their asses. Just an intuition. Ah, hello Sigrid, catch your breath. We have visitors who actually managed to slip through the wards! Very exciting, although I don't understand why Master just didn't let them in. She has a dragon she trained herself, looks like she is looking for…..help?" Freyja commented.
"Master said that she has killed at least one hundred and fifty criminals. He has one of her notebooks. She is a seasoned warrior. She might also be from Morgana's bloodline. She only has the final trial, and she will qualify to be a Rýnstrmaðr like you. Master personally told me that she is just like you." Sigrid gasped.
"Oh, finally someone who I can have a conversation with then! I am going to apparate to the landing pad and have a seat on the bench. After that snotty idiot gets a beat down, I will ask him how it went!" Freyja replied, before she apparated away.
Víðarr and Týr, they were fairly confident in their abilities. However, they could not understand why Master Skallagrimson had insisted on only a duel - no blood was to be drawn and the winner would be decided by who yielded first.
"Týr, why is Master allowing them to pass through the ward?" Víðarr asked.
"Maybe to rectify the vulnerability. The girl is skilled, but I don't expect anything else from both of the visitors. Even the dragon looks like a juvenile." Týr replied.
"We will see. I don't think they will put up much of a fight, either." Víðarr replied.
Both of them were depending on their ability to apparate around their targets, to add momentum and muscular strength to their sword strokes. Their fledgling Berserker magic would help with their abilities, and for most wand-carrying magicals, that alone would be an unsuspecting surprise. Now small crowds had gathered around the scry stones, which served like a PA system in the reserve. Freyja then sat down on a bench, that was far enough for only her flaming red hair to be the primary identifying feature.
"Hmm…..she came to see me fight then. Maybe I am making progress?" Víðarr commented to himself. Týr began to wonder if that was really the case – the girl was known to positively delight in embarrassing his friend, and suddenly he began to have doubts.
A fully armoured Daffodil apparated on the landing pad. Accompanied by the dragon youngling were the two visitors who were wearing strange black suits. Hermione raised her hand to give a polite hello but stopped when Víðarr spoke in English. Both their dragons watched on, and they were prepared to fight. Týr looked at the completely enclosed armour on the dragon, and he wondered what was going on. The design seemed to be better than their armour. Something was suspicious.
"I challenge you stranger to a battle by the blade. Duel only. No lethal strikes and we fight until the other yields!" Víðarr roared in English.
"Fascinating. You could have asked my name. Ask what I was here for. Just trying to find the parents of my darling child who was stolen. Do we have to fight? My friend and I will take binding oaths and leave if this isn't the place to be. We do not mean anyone, any harm?" Hermione asked as she walked forward.
"Do you think you could win, against me?" Víðarr asked.
"Are you that insistent on finding out?" Hermione commented.
For the others who were looking on, they found themselves somewhat relieved. The more experienced dragon riders heard the affection in her voice and knew that dragons did not give respect, easily.
"You will fight me, nonetheless. Take out your weapon!" Víðarr commented, as everyone in the reserve looked on.
"Very well. If drawing blood is not allowed what about breaking bones? Dislocating joints? Shattering ribcages? You need to tell me how much violence is allowed. I am warning you, I have killed before. If you want to fight, I will make it difficult for you." Hermione explained, as her eyes changed, and they hardened. As she shook her shoulders, the people at the reserve became curious.
Hermione then loaded a reflex sharpening potion into her poison augment, from her utility belt before. Ronald and Hermione also turned on their dragon-lung augment and their predator vision. Everyone observed as two small pouches opened up on the dragon, and it temporarily stopped. Both of the young men were surprised about how casually such violence was mentioned. Víðarr and Týr were very skilled but had only given past interlopers just minor slashes. They had never killed, and they did not consider that their opponent had killed.
"Odin owns you all!" Víðarr screamed in old Norse, as he became invisible, silent, and began to stalk towards Hermione. She over the silenced comms asked Ronald, "You seeing them on the infrared?"
"Plain as day. Like the place. We are in a giant hollowed-out mountain." Ronald commented.
"Yes, it is absolutely beautiful here. I am going to wait until he thinks he has me. Then I am going to rip his belt off and crumple him with my black widow flip. Been practising it on a custom animated dummy for a very long time." Hermione explained, as she relaxed and looked around curiously. Týr was wondering why the girl was so calm – she even seemed bored. He began to wonder if she could see his friend. He contemplated if he would manage to take the other boy. He seemed much younger, but he was fairly big. Týr could not see his friend, so he waited patiently.
Víðarr was directly in front of Hermione and began to position his sword.
That was when Hermione ripped off his invisibility belt. Then, she flipped sideways and wrapped her two feet around Víðarr's neck. Then an upward swing caused Hermione to crumple her opponent on the ground. Now the muscle weave was applying enough pressure to make him faint. Hermione eased off, as she flipped on her feet like a cat and took up the sword. She examined the weapon, that had fallen out of his hand. Týr gulped, as he had never seen such agility. His dragon gave him the mental assurance that as long as he was there, they would win. He listened to the comments from the blue-haired girl as Víðarr tried to recover. There was a small scanning beam that identified the metal soon enough.
"Oh nice. Our armour is made of Titanium too. Good for blocking magical attacks. This sword is a bit dull by our standards though. Ten atoms wide is pretty good, but we use monomolecular blades," Hermione replied casually, as she tossed the belt towards the girl who was sitting on the far-off bench.
Everyone throughout the reserve heard the comments, and began to whisper. Many of the mundane born magicals began to wonder about what Hermione had said. Freyja caught the belt after it travelled for ten seconds in the air, and was now laughing her ass off. Now both of the boys were wondering if the biggest secret of the Gungir armour was now public information. Worse yet, the intruders seemed to understand how the armour worked. The comments were so casual – as if their prized heirlooms were just casual artefacts.
"Hmm, nice throw. Ha, that loser was down in less than five seconds. I am sure he is going to call his blood magic, next!" Freyja commented to her friends in the security outpost.
"I think everyone has realised that Master felt like laughing, today!" Njal laughed.
"Oh, I love her!" Freyja replied, as she spoke to the security outpost from a rune stone in her pocket. The reserve was watching intently, and many were now confused and impressed. After all, both of the young men were supposed to be their best fighters.
"How dare you! You little wench? I was going easy on you. Do you think your wand can do anything? Can you face Berserker magic? And you dare to think your armour is as good as ours?" Víðarr taunted.
"As good? Your armour is primitive. And for your information, my brother's style of fighting is tied to the Roman Berserker type of magic. Legionary Battle Warlock magic, from the days of the Roman Empire. I know exactly what to suspect. And I too have my special abilities. Try to impress me, at least?" Hermione replied.
"Get your armour on. Let us see it. After you get your armour on, then we fight. Until we draw blood. And I hope your friend is not a weakling. I think my friend Týr would like to teach him a lesson!" Víðarr replied.
"Ronald?" Hermione asked.
"If a piece of me is what his friend wants, a piece he shall have," Ronald replied with finality in his voice.
Hermione stayed still, and reached out her hand, as the small hexagons began to fly in. She deliberately chose the slowest and most intimidating style, as the suit built itself. After the underarmour was summoned in, her cloth pieces unfolded, as the main torso pieces flew in and began to cover her legs, thighs, and her chest. Her helmet flew in and self-assembled, and finally, the gun pieces were now hovering over her legs. The helmet was complete, as the multiple overlapping plates and the blue haunting eyes were now glowing. Blue shadowy smoke was now boiling off of her body, as her cloak unfurled and fluttered in the wind. The cell and the arithmantic points of magic were now glowing on her chest.
"Didn't you hear what she said? I didn't know Gungir class armour is made of Titanium. Why doesn't everybody have armour like that, Freya?" a junior runes apprentice asked.
"Gungir class armour are family heirlooms. Nobody has ever analysed it, as it is a protected secret. Titanium blocks magic? That means we probably discovered the material by accident, in the ancient days." Freyja wondered.
"They probably know more about magical crafting than us. Why didn't we build armour that could assemble itself?" Njal asked.
Ronald was now rocking an armour kit that was no different to Harry's design. However, his chest piece contained a yellow, glowing lion. His armour had no cloth embellishments, as he preferred the robotic look. There was a single yellow Cyclops glowing visor, and he had chosen the Master-Chief aesthetic, instead of Harry's new organic-looking designs. He had insisted that his armour should be made extra thick because he depended on being able to dish out punishment with his rifle. A small straw made itself available in the helmet as Ronald sucked up a reflex sharpening potion. As he flexed his hand, the superconducting gun assembled. Hermione to add the final bit of drama, flicked out her wrist blade on her right hand and summoned her heavy shield, which projected a stylised force field.
Everyone was staring at the visitors – their armour looked like something that was centuries ahead. Even the helmets were disconcerting, with the overlapping plates, and the animations. And swords and shields built of magical energy? Sigrid looked at the visitors and realised why Master Skallagrimson had insisted on duelling. Hermione's robotic voice was loud, and robotically distorted. It sounded like an evil machine was speaking with utter contempt.
"Did your bravery disappear? My hard suit computer is telling me that your heart rates are over your resting average by twenty and fifteen per cent, respectively." Hermione stated through the distorted and amplified vocoder. Ronald had assumed a firing position that was reminiscent of William, and Hermione smiled as she looked at the camera feed in her suit. She was aware that the titanium on her opponent's sword would collapse her Protego based weapons and shields, but she had a plan in mind for that issue.
"They have computers on board their armour? How did they get electricity to work with magic?" a person asked.
"I don't know about the non-magical world, but we might get to ask them. Master allowed them entrance deliberately. Master suspects the hatchling is the last of Elder Jǫrmungandr and Elder Níðhöggr," Sigrid explained.
"Well, I don't know how that happened, but the hatchling found a fine witch. I like her!" Freyja replied over her rune stone.
Víðarr and Týr decided that a quick brutal attack would equalize the advantages offered by their armour. No matter if the armour was better. It would not be able to take the force from their swords.
"For Odin!" both of them screamed, as they charged in, and hope that they could break the armour with sword strikes. As soon as the blade hit Hermione's shield, it flared harmlessly. Both of the boys had called their house magic forward and they were using it to carry out modified apparitions. Even with the multiple charges, Víðarr could not penetrate the energy shield. While the titanium sword was wearing down Hermione's shields, Hermione began to figure out his apparition pattern. She then loaded Harry's new set of attacks into her power loadout, and waited until she could replicate his fist slam into the ground. She could feel as the amp in her hand hummed – it was ready.
Then, Hermione who had stood still for most of the engagement enabled the Fiendfyre mode and then cleaved off half of Víðarr's blade. As the Nordic steel met the sword's forcefield envelope, there was a microscopic collapse and the hot plasma leaked out and melted the blade. Víðarr then paused momentarily, as he tried to process the information. Even his dragon was now worried.
Ronald had chosen a different approach - he was using magic to predict where the tip of Týr's spear would land. Then, he often used his rifle bayonet or the barrel to block the spear strikes. Ronald had such thick armour that when his armour shields failed, there were just dull clinks. The spear tip did not threaten him, in any case. Ronald was hardly struggling – the muscle weave granted him enough strength to casually toss his opponent around. It even seemed like Ronald was playing with his opponent.
For those who were looking on and were familiar with the shielding spell, they found the idea of having a spell reproduced so accurately and repeatedly, without a wand to be impossible. Even its reproduction with runes was never so consistent. And how did they prevent the runes from burning out themselves? Now there was frenzied whispering as the visitors managed easily with their best fighters, like little children. The three dragons stared at each other, as they had been commanded not to get involved. However, they were on the edge of breaking that rule. Hermione then grabbed the tip of the melted half of Víðarr's sword, and allowed the shield on her glove to collapse, as she yanked the weapon away and used the handle to hit the offender with a solid thwack on his helmet.
GONG!
Now Víðarr was disoriented, as he tried to shake off the ringing noise. He took his helmet off, tossed it and decided to just blatantly charge into the fray. He arrived directly in front of Hermione and attempted to punch the girl before she used a wing-chung stroke to lock his arm.
Hermione's style of fighting was coordinated, committed to muscle memory, and very practised. It was fluid and tactical, and it even intimidated the purely 'pureblood' onlookers. Hermione began to execute her Vanguard charges, which were far faster, and scientifically optimised. She was a mere blur as she began to fight with her full set of hand-to-hand techniques as she decided that enough was enough. Víðarr's plate armour began to horrifically dent as Hermione delivered so many strikes, in every possible direction. Then she pounded her fist into the ground and executed her nova – it was a fierce ground attack that threw people off their feet, as the magical shockwave cascaded through the environment.
The reality was that their opponents were not people who drilled themselves for war every other day. The fitness of Víðarr and Týr was a little better than most English wizards, but that was not saying much. Ronald immediately picked up on this issue, as he examined the pulse on both of the young men, from his suit computer.
"I guess I see why you and Harry are so brutal about fitness. This one over here is panting. His heart will jump out of his chest, soon enough!" Ronald stated, as he continued to parry the blows.
"They have powerful house magic, but they can't tap it. Their bodies can't handle it. Too weak. Let us finish this…" Hermione stated, as her opponent began to summon fire wandlessly, with the last bit of energy that he had left. Ronald was now on the receiving end of some type of air attack. Ronald then lined up an overcharged stun bolt on the rifle and blasted Týr a far distance back, as he pitched off towards his dragon. Hermione then summoned her water tentacle and doused all of the flames before batting away the other hothead with a powerful magical push, that yanked and pitched Víðarr off his foot.
That was the moment that all hell broke loose – the dragons got involved.
Víðarr's dragon Hilmir roared and decided to attack Hermione. As the tail swung towards Hermione, she summoned a bubble shield and blocked the attack. The dragon's tail merely bounced off, and even the giant reptile was surprised that his ferocity counted for nothing. Fáfnir, Týr's dragon made a beeline for Ronald.
That was when Ronald jet jumped and started to pump the red coloured dragon with the rifle's suppressor mode. Now the rifle was pumping out 30 stun bolts per second, for a combined fire rate of 1800 rounds per minute. This was not unheard of – Harry had tuned the resonance of the stun spell to match his new components. He had deliberately ensured that he could meet the fire rate of the PPSh-41, as a joke. According to him, pulse beams sounded 'cool' when they fired so fast.
Fáfnir was completely slumped in less than two seconds, as he collapsed.
Most were amazed – taking a direct attack from a dragon was not something many had survived. While the rest wondered how the stun gun worked, Daffodil was not taking an attack on her "human mum", lying down. While she was only half the size of the older dragon, she immediately made a short powerful jump, as she was aided by the micro thrusters. As the older dragon tried to shake off the attack, Daffodil had weaved through a small opening and curled up around the other dragon's neck, as she extended a claw. The older dragon fell to the ground sloppily because of her weight, there was a titanic roar that came from Daffodil. Now her Napalm rig was deployed and ready. Daffodil's roar had been so loud, that it had awoken many who were sleeping in.
"That is enough, Ms Hermione Granger. Welcome to Nordic Dragon Reserve. My name is Freyja," the woman replied, as she carried out her Master's instructions, after a small apparition from her bench. Hermione then looked at the situation and ordered Daffodil to release Hilmir. Freyja then placed two rune stones on the boys as she sprayed the dragons with a can of Medi-Spray.
"Wait a moment, my potion works….on dragons too?" Hermione asked, as her helmet disassembled itself. Ronald followed, as he silently alighted and his helmet disappeared. He stowed away his rifle as the pieces disassembled.
"You invented this potion? The Medi-Spray?" Freyja asked.
"I did. Along with many other things. Was the fight really necessary? I offered to talk. I offered to keep your secrets via oath?" Hermione asked.
"Not really. But I think our master wanted to teach those two hotheads a lesson. He knew of your capability before you entered. He has the notebook that you gave Albus for Christmas. And your friend over here is?" Freyja asked.
"Ronald Weasley. Pleasure." the redhead replied.
Hermione considered that she had been tested. Now the amused feeling she had felt, made much sense. Ronald politely shook the redheaded girl's hand, and her face had a curious expression.
"How did your dragon make such a large jump, without her wings?" Freyja asked.
"The armour has a thruster pack, that is mind controllable. She can get assistance on demand when she is completely armed. Like a mind controlled broom, if you want to think about it like that," Hermione replied.
"Ah, I see. I am a mundane born, so don't worry if I understand. Is the thruster like a jet engine?" Freyja asked.
"Yes! But no traditional fuel. We use super heavy neutrons and charged plasma with a superconducting magical field to get the necessary mass!" Hermione replied.
"I actually have an idea as to how that would work. Sounds like something from a Star Trek episode. Your armour is impressive. Come let me give you a tour. And let me have a look at your dragon." Freyja asked politely. Hermione nodded at Daffodil, and the armour disassembled.
"What about the sword and the armour I destroyed?" Hermione asked.
"Can you make new ones for us? I like yours better?" Freyja joked.
"The real mastermind behind that is my brother Harry. Oh, he will make whatever you want, if you give him a snack," Hermione replied with a smile.
Most of the people in the reserve had not moved an inch. While the scry stone feed had been cut, most of them were still looking on. As Freyja walked up to the young dragon, the runes on her hands glowed. She confirmed what her master had suspected. One of their most powerful lineages which had been stolen, had returned. But perhaps the fascinating thing was that the dragon egg had not received the bonding ritual, and yet she seemed to be well bonded to her owner. She quested into the dragon's mind and spoke in English.
"Hello? My name is Freyja."
"Hi Freyja! You are so pretty!" Daffodil replied.
"Thank you. Welcome to Norway. I was curious if you could speak. How did you learn your words?"
"Er…can I show you via pictures?" Daffodil asked.
"Sure?" Freyja replied.
Freyja reviewed the memories and began to scratch her head. Apparently, the human familiar of Grace Storm-Talon was a Master Artificer, and he loved to dabble in ideas that Freyja somewhat understood. His ability to blend magic and science was unusual, and now she was looking over how Hermione had thought Daffodil her words, like an infant. The spinal interface was an entirely new concept that was rooted in many esoteric ideas, and yet the scientific implementation has sufficed. The dragon even understood how objects were built, and her memories were full of absolutely unusual things like riding go-karts, eating hamburgers, flying around with a harness that far surpassed their own designs, watching Netflix, and regular racing competitions with Grace. Freyja laughed as she even was privy to Grace's conversations about 'her favourite primate'. Through the dragon's memory, she was able to get an idea of the motley group of people who lived at Peverell Manor. Most importantly, the dragon was comfortable and loved her "mum" very much.
"You knew Grace's parents?" Daffodil asked Freyja.
"Not directly. We know where they nest, and they come and go as they please until they become one with the lightning. Phoenixes do not ever meet their parents. When the eggs are laid, they offer their young to magic itself. I was there when Grace hopped out of her cave and began to summon her energy to lightning apparate. She got just the right person, it seems."
"Harry...deserves her. She saved him and helped him every step of the way."
"I know. You want to know if your parents are here? They are here. Your journey is just beginning. There is much for you to learn. Let your Sire and Dam know you are here. Roar, hatchling," Freyja commanded.
Daffodil let out a deafening roar, and Jörmungandr, who was on the far end of the reserve in one of the oldest caves, realised that his youngling had come home. Níðhöggr shuffled, and both dragons became excited. As Freyja broke off from her mental communication, she took out the data slate from her bag.
"Did you create this?" Freyja asked.
"How about you introduce me to the Aquavit and the fårikål I have been hearing so much about, and you ask me what you want. We will take whatever oaths you require, and you will take some for me too. And then, we can spill some secrets. Like, I want to know about those nice runes on your hand. I love them….and I want to know where all this mountain came from." Hermione laughed.
"I knew I would like you. Thank you for giving those two a beatdown. My master wanted to teach them a lesson. Come, and bring your friend too," Freyja replied as she touched Hermione's hand and frowned.
Freyja knew that truly powerful magicals would develop a secondary nervous system to help them cast magic. Even she had one, from many of the small rituals she had done. However, it was unheard of to sense a highly developed system that had been artificially designed. And it was far denser, but only centred in her right hand. It was also designed for all-out combat. Hermione picked up on the cue and held Freyja's hand, and realised the issue.
"Ah. So, this can be done naturally. That makes a lot of sense. How about if I share the memory of this project first, as you are curious? No better way to see the madness we get up to!" Hermione responded.
"I want to hear about this. The transfiguration work is exquisite. I have seen Daffodil's memories. So, we have an engineer and a biochemist, eh? I like that very much!" Freyja stated – her parents were both University professors.
"We have our...hobbies?" Hermione smiled, as she looked around at the place. Ronald stayed quiet, and he too found himself gazing at the beauty of the place. Freyja turned to Daffodil.
"You young one, are safe here. Use your senses and go find your Sire and Dam. They are waiting after all." Freyja commanded as she bent down and looked over Víðarr. She spoke to him in old Norse.
"Well, should I ask how it went? You got a bad beat down. And from a bookworm too. Master Móði spoke to you many times about your fitness. And you think yourself a man eh?"
The woman stood up, and Hermione pressed a rune on her suit. The harness on Daffodil disassembled itself and became a floating container, as the armour on both her and Ronald returned to the pouch. Daffodil flew off as she tracked the scent, and Freyja carried Hermione and Ronald to her residence.
Many hours later, Freyja was now swimming in all different types of fast food. She had even invited some of the security personnel who were off duty, as many of them were runes specialists like herself. Freyja had many questions, and after extensive oaths were given by both the English visitors and herself, the explanations came slowly.
"So, if I understand this correctly, both of you took the technological route?" Freyja asked.
"I guess so. A great deal of our stuff comes from trying unusual ideas. And Harry is my partner in crime, I guess?" Hermione replied. She then summoned the anti-gravity arithmantic equation and another piece of her mathematical proof for a space-capable apparition.
"This mathematical solution will allow us to generate gravity as we please. When I get this solved, we have spaceships. This other solution, well I am having problems with it. But this is a coordinate system to do interplanetary apparition." Hermione explained.
"I have never seen such exquisite permanent transfiguration before. I love your transporters. Hard to believe I am eating Pizza from Italy." Njal stated.
"We are well travelled. We have to thank Gracie for that. She donated so many feathers in the beginning and wore all types of silly harnesses as we conducted our experiments." Hermione replied.
"And your brother is in India?" Sigrid asked.
"Yes. My brother and I were recognised as siblings by magic. I have my parents, but Harry lost his parents to Lord Moldypants. His mum who adopted him, is Indian and she is touring India to learn old magic. I want to say she is the best Healer I have ever seen."
"Magical India is known for its Medicine. We have had visits before. I understand Master has a cherished friend in the mountains. Our speciality is with Divination, Runes and Magical animals. What did you plan to do here, besides finding the parents of your dragon?" Freya asked.
"Take a holiday. Learning your language might be nice. I am sure my self-study of Futhark is incorrect, but I tried to get by." Hermione explained.
"Would you be open to sharing some of your innovations?" Freya asked, cautiously.
"Whatever you want, girlfriend. As far as I am concerned, if you can teach Daffodil and I to fight on dragon back, you can have whatever you want from our end. The issue is that I need Harry to help me with the complex stuff, particularly with the reactor and the power generation. Remus and Sirius are also not available. I might not see them for a while. Other things that I can do by myself, and we can always zap home to the workshop to get tools. Can I make a call?" Hermione asked.
"Sure. I suppose you can help sharpen my English. I know enough but it will be nice to practice some more." Freyja replied.
"Daph?" Hermione asked.
"Moine! How are you?"
"Great. I am under oath, so all I will say is that we succeeded. Our flower is talking to her folks. How many transporters do we have in storage?" Hermione asked.
"About one hundred?" Daphne replied.
"Send all of them to my location. And expect me and some new friends to bust into the manor. Actually, send the same amount of data slates, with priority connection to the magical database."
"Sure. Have you heard from Harry?"
"No, off the map but not to worry. This is good. Let him and Aunty Priya get some personal time. Sirius told me he is gallivanting all over India, attending musical concerts, and having a good time." Hermione replied.
"We are having a pretty good time too. If you do see what we are doing, promise you will keep it a secret. It is a surprise for Harry?" Daphne replied as she organised to put her project behind a partition.
"My lips are sealed. Later Daph."
"Bye, Mione!"
A cargo box appeared in Freyja's room. Hermione opened the plastic moulded case. Freyja asked Master Skallagrimson who would be eligible to receive the artefact, and he had sent a list, mentally. It included everyone present in the room, and some other specific people elsewhere. As Freyja distributed the items, she asked about the invisibility field that Hermione had mentioned earlier.
"I will have to do a retune to make the field cover you and your dragon. Our cloaks block all electromagnetic waves from visible light, infrared and even radar. As long as you aren't in the way of a 747, you could technically fly openly and nobody can detect you."
"That is fantastic! However, we can't fly that high as the air is too thin in any case," one of the junior dragon riders commented.
"Don't dare Harry and Hermione. They could fix that if they were sufficiently motivated, Oskar. Probably something with an oxygen mask, or maybe a portable atmospheric air bubble, within the shields?" Ronald replied.
"I would not say no to that!" the boy laughed.
"For the projects you are interested in, I will have to grab tools from home. Perhaps Freyja you can ask your master for permission for a little trip to England. Since all of you are bound via oath, we can take a joyride on the way back. And I do want you to meet some of my folks too. How do all of you feel about some food tonight from our kitchen? Yes, I am hungry already." Hermione joked. There was a small pause, as Freyja's face was stilled before she returned to the present moment.
"Master does not usually interact with the public. But he said to send him a menu. He can contact me mentally, so he will let me know what he wants." Freyja replied.
Ten minutes later, the Weasley Kitchen had eighteen brand new souls in the extended rooms, and Ronald and Hermione got busy as they fussed over everyone.
Part IX: Who is Hermione Granger?
Three hours later, the entire group was preparing to return to the Dragon reserve. Freyja had already cleared the apparition of the Thunderbolt-II into the mountain. It was packed full to the brim with all of Hermione's tools and other things that she would need for her extended stay. Now the bomber was on the edge of Norway and Hermione executed the jump. Hermione could have jumped directly from England, but she offered to let the others do some sightseeing through the various windows. After they had arrived over the ocean, Hermione had opened up the engines gently and then used thirty per cent of the JP-7 fuel to Supercruise, on the afterburners. Most of the visitors stayed pressed into the seat until Hermione had let off on the acceleration. Ronald was sitting in as the gunner, and the visitors were still looking at the organic-looking components and the advanced power crystals. The reactor was now humming, and Freyja could sense the magic as four hundred thousand lines of magical code executed.
"Priming the jump drive. Reactor is looking good…and…3..2..1…"
ZAP!
The Thunderbolt-II appeared not too far off from Freyja's cave, and it slowly landed on the outcropping, while being cloaked. Everyone eventually emptied out of the bomber, and Hermione's containers followed her. Freyja then set Hermione up in a cave that shared a door with hers.
There was chit chat and an exchange of information until both girls started with the academic gushing. Ronald entertained himself with a book and sat quietly. Much later into the night, Freyja asked Hermione about the operating principles for the Thunderbolt-II jump drive, and the data slate. Hermione explained the RuneOS that she had created. Freyja was flabbergasted by the scope of the project.
"Okay that is it – I am going to contribute to RuneOs. I think we should work on rolling out something like this for the reserve! Complete control of everything from a centralised place? That would be…handy!" Freyja replied.
"Maybe we can name it DragonOs. Sounds nifty. You tell me what you need, and I will get it done. And when we need an extra hand, Daphne can skip across. She only started recently, but she has a natural disposition to runes, arithmancy and computer programming. She actually knows more than me about how the operating systems work. As for the jump drive, I will have to discuss it with Harry but most likely he won't mind. Whatever you want," Hermione replied.
"I like her. She has much talent in her. I think this might be the best time I will have in a while! We will be paying attention to her too, there are some projects that she can do with us?" Freyja replied.
"I hope so too! I haven't had a magical holiday before. It is nice to be out of the shop." Hermione replied, as she got ready to sleep. Freyja closed the door, and she considered what her master had said about the girl, merely half hour ago.
While Freyja was halfway across the ocean, Master Njǫrd Skallagrimson had contacted her mentally.
"Hello Master."
"Hello Freyja. I had wondered if she was selfish. After looking at her behaviour, I understand her now. She is a lonely soul, and she is genuinely happy to meet you."
"Thanks, I guess. I like her too. She is like the little sister I always wanted?" Freyja laughed.
"I know. Her existence revolves around her family and her dragon. She is still afraid of being alone, and she offers freely in the hopes that she will be useful to others. I want her to learn that her value is not in her inventions and her accomplishments. She has much empathy in her when she isn't poised to fight," Master Skallagrimson explained. Freyja thought about the observations and sent the equivalent of a mental nod.
"Now it makes sense. I realised that her oaths were really meant to protect her brother, more than her. She didn't seem too concerned about herself. Although I can't blame her. I think we should get a couple of these Thunderbolt-IIs for the dragon reserve, along with their armour. That spinal interface is quite useful."
"The boy can certainly transfigure far better than the old Nordic Werewolf shamans. I know of the Transfiguration guild in Sweden, where Albus specialised many decades ago. They would not manage with what Harry Potter does on a casual evening. He is the best at Transfiguration, in the world."
"His father had a talent for it too. Hermione had mentioned that. The Peverells also invented wands too, so it makes sense that wand lore was advanced. Their weapons are scary. But now that I know the story, I can't blame them. Sometimes I wish we could intervene when such terrible things happen," Freyja explained.
"I feel the same way too, Freyja. However, the security of the Dragons comes first. I understand why Albus is terrified. Albus could have avoided this by offering to be transparent. I do not know the entire story, but I want to believe that Albus caused this mess."
"Exactly that Master. Albus had planned to sacrifice Harry. And now that Harry is dead because of public misinformation, Albus is planning to sacrifice his godbrother."
"For Helvete's sake, not this again. I think after Grindelwald, Albus lost his stomach for fighting. Well…Albus' adversaries wanted war? Now they will get it."
"What projects or innovations should we get from Hermione?"
"The first project to prioritize is improved harnesses for us at the reserve."
"What about the combat augmentations? I do like the predator vision and the dragon-lung augment. I was a big fan of the movie too! Do you think she is worthy of being tested?" Freyja asked.
"She is worthy of being tested right now. I have foreseen some events, and I will need to visit India. I want her to enjoy her time here, in the meanwhile. She being bonded to Daffodil, makes her one of our own. Let her make new friends and discover herself. Her friend Ronald has much to learn. At the end of August, you will instruct her to make the journey to my residence. And if she can manage without any external assistance, she will join our guild and work towards helping the Dragons to prosper."
"Have you considered what they managed to install in her hand?" Freyja asked.
"Yes. It is far inferior to what the body can naturally produce, long term. However, as something that can be implanted? It is excellent for all-out combat, as an overnight operation. You will teach her how to control water. Ronald seems to be predisposed towards controlling the earth. He will learn wandless magic from us when it manifests. He will also teach Víðarr and Týr to use guns. That pair needs someone sensible and grounded to help them."
"That might be a good idea. Do you know anything about her aunt? I saw the pictures on the wall. I had no idea her aunt was Priya Singh. Even our part-time healers who also work at the hospital in magical Oslo, know about her achievements. They recently got brand new Medi-Bracelets too. Hermione has given us a lot of free medical equipment."
"I do know that those two, are on their final trek to Sage Atri's Ashram. So yes, Priya and Hermione's brother Harry, are safe. Atri and I meeting soon, to divine the future together. Something is amiss. As for the boy, Atri has told me that Harry must learn about himself. He sees everything as a threat because deep down he only understands pain. He will never form constructive relationships with people besides his family."
"Hmm...so we are international rehab then. How was the food?"
"Best I ever had, in a long while Freyja. I will insist that Albus and I meet at the kitchen to discuss issues. And I will make him pick up the tab too, just for the fun of it."
"Well master, I will see you later then!" Freyja replied brightly.
"Indeed child. Don't stay up too late gossiping. Jörmungandr and Níðhöggr would like to meet Hermione rather early, tomorrow. They are very excited. Jörmungandr has insisted that he and Magni will teach both of them combat, personally." Master Skallagrimson replied, as the mental link terminated
Part X: The Dragon Parentals
Hermione awoke the next morning rather early, and was surprised when Freya was already bustling about. Hermione then asked the obvious question:
"Do you people do morning exercise?" Hermione joked.
"I like to take a run. We do have an obstacle course for fitness and agility, but only a couple of people use it." Freyja replied.
"Why only a couple of people, though?" Hermione asked.
"People generally use wands for everything. The course is there to train our warriors, but those two who you fought yesterday have generally taken comfort in their house magic. Until you arrived, they had been untouchable. They have subscribed to the idea that their ancestors have rightfully provided for them, and they would be fine." Freyja explained.
"So…the others who do use the course. What about them?" Hermione asked as she listened to the redhead girl.
"Honestly? Some of the younger people want to get laid. Others have to meet a certain level of fitness to qualify to pass their exams. Kind of like a Bootcamp, I guess. But we do have some of the older people who genuinely want to be physically fit too, out of self-interest. And finally, we have battle masters, our Drótinn. They train to upkeep themselves."
"How big is the place? I can run 10km in about 15 minutes. I could teleport to somewhere else for my exercise, but I want to see the sights and sounds, here." Hermione joked.
"Ah…I think I have just the thing for you!" Freyja replied as she threw a Storm-bolt at Hermione.
"Ah, this is funny. We made these brooms too. Harry brought 40 per cent of Nimbus. Let me get Ronald, he likes a morning run too." Hermione replied.
After a small three-minute trip via broom, Hermione and Ronald were now in the lower part of the mountain. While they did not have direct access to sunlight, the giant sweeping arches that had been carved into the mountainside did let some light into the living quarters. Hermione realised that the cost of having the Dragons so well protected meant that the mountain dwellers only received little sunlight. Now it made sense why everybody seemed extremely pale, even by Scandinavian standards.
"I suppose you are wondering about the sunlight?" Freyja asked.
"Yes, the place certainly has a magnificent ambience, but it does feel disconcerting for us. And Britain is already a dreary rainy place?" Ronald replied.
"Yes, it is one of the sacrifices we have made to preserve our dragons. Although, we will go flying out of the mountain to help with that. Some of us, go with brooms too." Freyja replied as the group approached a well-worn track.
"Who knows, maybe I can ask Harry to make you a sun." Hermione suggested
"That was a discussion that we had many times. There are ways to cast enchantments that feed off the planet's magical energy, but they don't take well to constant fiddling. The ebb and the flow of planetary energy can introduce long term instabilities," Freyja replied.
"What if we used our approach, with everything being done the mechanical way. Artificial, maybe full of giant machines, but pretty controllable? We like making big complicated things!" Hermione joked.
"That will be welcome, as we are not familiar with those methods. Anyway this is a track that is on the outer perimeter of our training ground. Twenty kilometres. And then we have an agility course over there. Dodge the logs, duck and avoid the arrows, miss the swinging poles, jump on the barely extended platforms out of the rock wall, that sort of thing. And yes, no wanded magic."
"Ah, standard movie affair then?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, but….." Freyja replied before Hermione immediately began to speed through the obstacle course. Ronald shook his head, as he laughed. A man apparated silently, and he stood next to Ronald, and looked on.
"Well met Mr Weasley. My name is Magni Løvenskiold. I happen to be the combat instructor at the Dragon Reserve, if you could describe my job in English. A pleasure to meet you. Freyja, heil ok sæl."
"Heill ok sæll. Well, she is already on the move. And no, she doesn't know that there are magical traps." Freyja replied.
"We will see if she manages. She looks fairly skilled. Jörmungandr and Níðhöggr are excited to meet the girl. They were quite happy to speak to Daffodil. A humorous name for such a small, fierce dragon," Magni replied. The man then put his hand on Ronald's shoulder.
"Mr Weasley? I am aware that you are fairly well trained with firearms. I have an offer to make you. I believe we at the reserve can benefit from expertise with rifles. In return, we would be willing to help you cultivate your wandless magic. I can feel it."
"Oh, that would be nice, but I was trained by Hermione's father. I am not sure what I can offer that he would not do better?" Ronald suggested.
"Perhaps that is indeed the case. But my two most obstinate students don't respond well to authority figures. I was hoping someone their age, might be able to level out some of their more enthusiastic behaviours." Magni suggested.
"I would welcome such a thing. But I don't think they like me much. And I don't think their dragons like me much either?" Ronald replied.
"Not to worry about the Dragons. They will settle their disagreements on their own. Daffodil's lineage comes from this place, and she is one of ours. She and her rider will be trained as if they were born and grown here. The magic of the hatchling has accepted your friend, and that is to be respected. What are your talents?"
"I can track objects very well. I have a fair amount of brute strength." Ronald replied.
"When your magic is channelled, does it feel….solid? Unmovable? Unbreakable?" Magni enquired. Ronald nodded.
"Perfect. There is a special part of the mountain that will do you well. You will learn much. Do you happen to prefer war maces?"
"I do actually. How did you know?" Ronald asked.
"Many English people have the latent magic of the Vikings buried deep in their blood. However, it must be awakened, and it requires brutal physical stress to force the attributes to manifest in magicals. And yes, I think even your hair might be a gift from us, although I do acknowledge others are red-headed, and are not necessarily from our lineage."
"Oh, that explains a lot of things. Hermione seems to be dodging the traps?"
"Yes, your friend is sensing the environment. She is quite agile and flexible."
Hermione expertly ran across the challenges at breakneck speed. A trio of large wolves were looking on, as they loitered around the track. Víðarr and Týr arrived on their Dragons and were observing Hermione as she worked through the course, in an unstoppable manner. There was a nod from both of the Dragons, and Ronald was surprised – perhaps the Dragons held their own counsel. A small crowd had gathered, as Hermione flipped through the final obstacle. She landed on her feet and pinged the three large wolves. The magic made one thing clear – they were intelligent, and they desired to test her. Hermione then yelled:
"Catch me if you can!"
As she ran off into the track, the three wolves howled and ran after her. Hermione wondered how Harry and the rest were faring. After Hermione had disappeared, three large shadows appeared from the reflected light, and there were whispers.
Jörmungandr and Níðhöggr, the two eldest dragons had arrived with their one and only daughter, Daffodil.
Part XI: Welcome to Sanjeevani
After the offering was given into the fire, Priya and Harry looked on as the bridge built itself from random rocks that appeared out of nowhere. Harry and Priya continued as they were tested with all types of religious puzzles that required a deep knowledge of Hinduism to work. Harry was surprised when even he was able to volunteer some answers, if only because he could remember most of the characters in the Mahabharat.
"I always forget about Shikhandi. You would think I would remember him, with my mother's name being Amba." Priya joked.
"I still feel like I cheated. I can see the page in my head. Being able to store textbook pages has allowed me to get through my exams very efficiently!" Harry laughed.
"Well…..looks like someone is at the gate. I guess we did okay enough. Grace, no snarky comments. And sweetie, no sailor language." Priya warned Harry, but not unkindly. As the pair walked up to the woman dressed in orange, she greeted them in English and they both felt relieved.
"Namaste. Welcome to the land of your ancestors, Priya Singh. Welcome to you too, Harry Potter and Grace Storm-Talon. My name is Siddhi and I suppose you can consider me the concierge, if we were to think about my job in Western terms!" the woman joked.
"Oh, I am sure you do much more than that. But I don't speak any of the Indian languages, so some things will be lost in translation," Priya smiled.
"I am the head healer at this place. Oh, don't worry about that, you will learn many of the languages here. We are very multilingual at this place. We have frequent international visitors. This place has many names in many of India's countless tongues. I suppose one of the more recent names you can use for us, is the Sanjeevani Ashrama. We have certain rules before you enter.
You will remove all weapons and communication devices and leave them in that box over there. Then you will be asked to take a bath and to prepare yourselves to interact with the others. I see that you don't have any food and drink which is problematic, so no worries there. And then perhaps we can sit down and have a chat, to ascertain why you three came here."
There was no reply as Priya and Harry followed the instructions, but Priya's excitement could be seen on her face. Harry on the other hand was looking on and seemed unsure of himself. As they followed the procedures, Siddhi closed her eyes and prepared for the group of mercenaries to arrive later, through the secondary passage. Suddenly the primary path was cut off as the bridge and other places disassembled themselves. Now the intruders would be forced to only arrive via the secondary pathway. Harry looked on and realised that she could control the magical enchantments with only her mind.
One hour later, Harry and Priya were properly garbed in the Ashrama's clothing and were now sitting on the ground with their feet, folded. As Harry looked around, he saw a large cobra as it slid across the floor and stood deathly still in front of Priya. As he looked on there was a small nod from the snake before it looked at Harry and quizzically shifted his head. Then, he slid off, almost as if he had business elsewhere.
"Well….even the snake thinks I am weird…" Harry laughed.
"Not necessarily, young Harry Potter" an old wise voice replied, as a positively old sage appeared silently out of nowhere, with a fluidity that surprised both of the visitors.
"Welcome children. My name is Sage Atri and I have been at this Ashram for the last eight hundred years. And yes I do know why you are here. Vasuki does not think you are unusual young Harry. He too is a warrior and he merely acknowledges your sacrifice. The passive magic that you give off can tell stories. And I can sense the enduring love for your mother. It is indeed a precious thing. I understand your sacrifice. You did your duty."
"Thank you. That is…..amazing that you know so much, at a glance. I do feel uncomfortable, honestly?" Harry laughed.
"You are welcome, young man. Uncomfortable? No, there is no threat here. Understand this young man. You have doubts about yourself. And yes, some of the things you have done are not ideal. But you have tried your best, and you have bought hope for many. And that will be good enough. It is not my place to judge your karma.
I merely offer knowledge, if you can understand that every action has its reaction, and if I believe you are ready. And trust me, child, you have not seen darkness yet. You will eventually see for yourself, the terrors of the old night. And yes, would you like to see the magic in the air? Please use your eyes as much as you want. You will find that we do not carry secrets here. We speak freely here and your curiosity is encouraged. As for you dear Priya…."
Priya was looking on and was very excited. Sage Atri continued:
"I am happy that you have arrived. It is good that you have come home to learn how to unlock your potential. I am aware that you believe that you have come here to learn our style of Magic but I can assure you that it isn't Magic."
"It….isn't…magic?" Priya asked.
"No child, you, merely like many, are resuming the genetic capability that all humans had in the Satya Yuga. You are merely manipulating a different type of energy, that is all. Do not worry much, as Varuna will give you a good introduction."
"I always wondered….about if the siddhis or supernatural gifts that humans could possess in Hinduism were related to magic. This bag of mischief already can see and hear from far distances. Good at seeing the atomic structure of things. That is two of them he has, I can't remember the names." Priya smiled.
"Consider your mental capability in comparison to one of the several earlier humans that were here millions of years ago. Magicals are just humans who are resuming their former genetic constitution. And yes Harry, we are saying that there were several human tribes, both primitive and advanced that co-habited the planet for millions of years. No different to how we share this planet with many primates right now, and we aren't concerned about what they do. So those fossils that exist, do represent the primitives."
Harry was now laughing, as he realised that he was a transparent piece of glass in the presence of the great sage. The old bearded man continued:
"I am aware of your circumstances, Priya. Carrying some of our methods to the Western world was something that we debated, as we do not wish for many to come looking for us here. However, we have decided that some of our methods can travel into the West, particularly as nobody has figured out your Medi-Bracelet. Whatever you store in it, is boiled down to numbers and expressions and therefore sanitises our information. You Priya, will be thought the mind arts extensively, as you will be required to memorise the one thousand and eight mantras that are part of the beginner course of education to become a novice Ayurvedic Healer. All of them are in different Indian languages by the way."
Priya's eyebrows raised, as she realised that she would have to undertake intense studies.
"As for you Mr Potter, I am aware that many will try to harm your mother with the politics back in England. You will spar with Nakula, who is our best swordsman. He lives a little away from the Ashrama, and he will help you to sharpen your skill. When you are finished with the sparring, you will be given an artefact, and you will contemplate what you see. You will solve many of your problems for your experiments, through this project. You will also be taught merely how to get more efficiency from your mind. We are the culture and the institution that invented the mind arts, after all."
Harry was trying to keep a neutral face, but Sage Atri laughed as he saw the excitement on the boy's face.
"Finally, Grace will fly with the other Garudas or Phoenixes. Here she will learn to judge the wind and get attuned to projecting her senses and magic as she flies. To control the lightning to the full extent, she will have to return to Norway. However, she cannot embark on that journey not until you have had your magical maturity. You are connected to her. All things come at the right time."
There were nods, from both Harry and Priya. Grace was listening from some distance away, and she was pretty excited herself.
"Excellent. We have evening Satsangh. You will observe the religious traditions of the Ashrama and give seva or selfless community service. I don't think there will be any problems, as you already understand the requirements. And yes Priya on your downtime, you may leave to continue your dance class. You can ask for your transporter, and we will reactivate the device. It is good that you are maintaining the culture of your ancestors. I even believe your studies here will complement your mastery of the performing arts. Yes Harry we do have many potatoes and other vegetables to peel, you will get a chance to put your skills to work. I love your enthusiasm!" Sage Atri smiled.
Harry and Priya were now in a full belly laugh, and there was a serene smile on the sage's face.
"Carry on children. Go and sit with Varuna. I will take my leave of you…" Sage Atri replied before he disappeared fluidly. While Harry and Priya were taken to a small hall with many others, Sage Atri smiled.
"Tom Riddle you poor boy. You came here looking for power. And you got your power elsewhere after I sent you away. And your power is your undoing. You gifted the boy the tools to defeat you, when you struck his family down. I warned you," Sage Atri thought to himself, as he remembered the weedy boy who had shown up many decades ago, as he hunted for arcane knowledge that was not his to have.
Varuna specialised in Hindu history. She guarded many tales that had been lost to time.
As the group got seated on the floor comfortably she prepared her presentations. For most, the idea of a presentation included a PowerPoint slide, and probably some type of P.A. system. Varuna was fairly adept at wandless magic and could conjure illusions and project her voice. It indicated that he had been doing magic for a very long time. While she seemed to be approximately Priya's age, Harry immediately suspected that the woman was probably born into ancient magic and had been surrounded by it since she was a child.
Varuna's presentation covered the great cycle in Hinduism. It stated that humans were not recent to the planet. Rather that they had established civilisations many times for many millions of years, and nature or their hubris would come and completely clear human existence away regularly. And while these 'genetically advanced humans' existed, they certainly shared a planet with many other mammalian primitives at the time.
Eventually, terrible weapons and other wars caused the ancient, advanced humans to perish and the co-existing primitives of that time eventually evolved into modern-day humans. In some cases, the ancient humans had left behind pieces of their culture, and often a primitive human would come across the rubble, and it would help to bootstrap our development.
Varuna then explained that magic did not exist – rather humans were powerful and long-lived in the Satya Yuga, or the Golden age. This golden age was approximately three million years ago, and at that time, the baseline biological constitution of the standard human was far better, and human biology was far more advanced. Therefore humans from this period of time could do any number of things that would be considered supernatural by today's standards. They were far bigger, stronger and far more intelligent on average.
By the start of the Kali Yuga in 3102 BCE, humans had lost most of their capabilities, with a few very small communities still possessing genetic gifts. Kali Yuga was the age of darkness and represented a time when humans would primarily depend on technology instead of their bodies to extend their reach. This dark age was expected to last 432,000 years, and it would not be a continuous stretch of history. Rather it would be filled with many periods of utter upheaval for the entire human race. Every time humans would defeat the problems, and fall deeper into technological dependence, which would eventually corrupt them.
Varuna then explained that visitors who had arrived at the Ashrama were not going to learn magic – rather they were going to learn about themselves and in the process would use their gifts as they saw fit. Those who were undertaking healing would commit themselves to lessen the pain of others in the world.
There was then a small meet and greet as the small group of fifteen people got to know each other. Some of the men and women were from different parts of the world, and the conversation was filled with smiles and colourful accents. Harry was the only person who was a teenager, and Priya was the youngest. The other local Indian girls who had passed the test, warmed up to Priya quickly as she told them that she was English with Indian and Hindu heritage.
"Not to worry, we are all in the same boat. So Harry is...adopted?" Lakshmi asked.
"He is. It is a long story, and I will tell you more, later. He is talented with Transfiguration and conjuring lightning. He has his special assignments, which include his kitchen shift tonight. He will be peeping potatoes like a madman." Priya teased.
"I like the kitchen very much, thanks!" Harry replied.
Later that evening after the Satsangh or the prayer service, the paltry one hundred people at the Ashrama were alerted to the loud voice.
"You! You men of the cloth! Imposters. You are not holy. You believe in silly legends and religious fairy tales. You will give me your secrets, or I will take them from you!" the man announced in Sanskrit, as he used a voice amplification spell on himself.
As the visitors on the rocky ledges looked on at the fiasco, the regulars at the place seemed to go about their business as the thunder crackled in the background. Suddenly Sage Atri appeared. Harry out of curiosity looked on with his mage sight. The full moon was out, and most normal people could not see any particularly discerning details. Harry was not running his augments, but he managed to tune his eyesight and compensate, as he looked on. Strangely enough, many of the unconcerned Ashrama regulars seemed to possess a visual acuity that was similar to him.
Some of them began to shake their heads, as they evaluated the arrivals as a pest.
Harry began to suspect that this was something that had happened before, and then he relaxed. He could feel the powerful magic in the air, as lightning crackled in the far-off sky. He continued to closely examine the men and offered to show his mother what was occurring, through his mind link.
The assembled company of soldiers watched on, impassively. Most of them seemed young and inexperienced. The pathway has been too steep and narrow for any vehicles. Harry noted that the men were carrying SR-25s DMRs and an assortment of weapons that were appropriate for fighting in the mountains. There were even some RPGs and sniper rifles. It also seemed like the majority of the men were not magicals, as Harry could see no trace of magic in their bodies. However, some of the commanders were magicals. Harry could feel as if some kind of shield was summoned, and yet what had been created had absolutely no visual footprint. Even the magic seemed very faint. Harry and Priya as they traded thoughts realised that things were not going to go well for these men.
"I cannot give what I do not have. I have no secrets. That which you seek is inside you if you can merely draw it out." Sage Atri replied, very calmly.
Suddenly a young man appeared out of nowhere, and if Harry had to guess, this was probably Nakula. He seemed to be in his early twenties and wore absolutely no armour besides the orange clothes on his body. In his hand was a single Khanda-styled sword which Harry immediately recognised. On the other hand, there was a golden shield that was engraved with beautiful images that depicted stories from Hindu mythology. He was far bigger than Harry and he seemed to walk with an unearthly grace as he began to draw his sword. Strangely enough, Sage Atri gave him a look, and he slid the sword back into its scabbard. The snake that Harry had seen earlier had arrived on the rocky ledge and curled around Nakula's neck.
There was a cold laugh from the man, who had threatened the ashrama residents As he removed his hood, everyone could see that his face was necrotic and pale. His face was full of black veins and his head was full of many ritualistic tattoos and other paraphernalia. There were even holes in his cheeks and the jaw bones were partially on display. Two bones that were reminiscent of boar tusks projected out of the man's mouth. Another two horns were positioned on the man's head. His eyes seemed to be pools of blackness, with no discernible characteristics. There was an immediate recognition of what had occurred. The man had probably delved into whatever was considered the darker magic in the Vedic tradition. Priya and Harry were looking on at an honest-to-god rakshasa or a Hindu demon.
"So you show your face then, and now we know what you are. Foolish boy. You deliberately went digging into darker practices." Sage Atri commented.
"I did, and I have learnt that there is the only power in the world. Those who have it, and those who must follow. Don't you have power over your disciples? They follow you! I never had power when I was hungry. Tonight I will feast on your flesh….." the disfigured man replied.
There was a sudden slashing hand motion by the mutilated man, as all the men began to fire off all of their weapons. Not a moment too soon, all of the bullets were returned as they hit the invisible field, and their directions were suddenly reversed. The demon-looking man became a whispy shadow and his associates began to drop like flies. The other commanders could not shield themselves against their own RPGs.
Harry then whispered, "Mum, I am so stealing that if I can figure that out. The spell isn't invisible. I think he is summoning exactly the type of magic I have been having problems with seeing directly with my mage sight. I think he is summoning quarks directly. Subatomic particles…" Harry whispered.
Priya's eyebrows lifted, as the offending man seemed to chant some type of obscure garbled incantation in Sanskrit. Sage Atri just seemed to nod his head sadly as he looked on, rather unconcerned. The dead men were now reawakening, and their flesh was now twisted and contorted. An army of Inferni was summoned, and Sage Atri looked at Nakula.
"Hmm, think you and Vasuki want some practice?" Sage Atri asked jokingly in Sanskrit.
While Harry could not understand the language, the body language was obvious enough. Suddenly the small snake apparated away on its own. Then the surprise was revealed. Vasuki has easily become one hundred times bigger and his hood had split into nine heads. Now he coiled and looked over his enemies, as Nakula jumped off the ledge and charged into battle, no differently to Harry and his vanguard charge. Soon enough the unearthly snake was batting away men with its tail and breathing magical fire from its various heads. Nakula was charging into the men at a speed and fluidity that made Harry for all his vaunted power look like an amateur. He also summoned lightning, earth, water, air and fire as he seamlessly switched between every type of elemental wandless attack. These attacks were also combined with point-to-point apparition, as Nakula powered through the men like a total machine. His body was flexible and there were all types of low, bending and whip-like sword strikes. Clearly, his methods had little to do with European swordplay. Nakula looked like a high-powered slinky as he weaved around in directions that Harry could never bend. He had to be hyper flexible.
Harry realised that whatever was on display at the entrance to the courtyard, had to be some type of dark ancient magic that had been lost to time. The reanimated bodies could move much faster and jump unnatural distances, and yet Nakula had it all handled. The reanimated bodies even seemed capable of using tactics, and could even adapt to the situation. Harry always assumed that zombies should be clumsy, but something about what was on display made him genuinely concerned. Harry scratched his head before he and Priya had a full belly laugh.
"Well….always bigger fish in the sea. Damn, he is talented. I don't want to spar with him….he is scary." Harry laughed.
"Oh, he is very confrontational. He will ask you what business you have here as a coloniser. He does not trust the West, and will not like the fact that you are English. You will have to figure out how to deal with that. As for what I did young Harry, you are not ready for that yet. Inverting space-time in a selected localised area requires some foresight." Sage Atri replied as Vasuki and Nakula continued to obliterate the enemy.
Harry blinked before his jaw opened. Did he just…invert space-time? He made the projectiles follow the curvature of reality in an alternate path? Even Priya was surprised, as she considered Harry's thoughts through the shared mind link. Many bodies were knocked off the cliff face, and Nakula reduced the reanimated corpses into twitching body parts. The primary antagonist had summoned a sword out of shadows, and Nakula was duelling the man. Nakula easily held the upper hand, as he landed blows that injured the man badly. The thunder continued to build under the pale moonlight, and Harry and all the others who were watching on could feel a great enchantment was being wrought. Sage Atri was now raising his forefinger very slowly, and there was a slight violet glow in his eyes.
Nakula then apparated back to the ledge with not a single drop of blood on him. The gigantic lightning bolt forked and hit the demon-man and all the remaining bodies, simultaneously. The bodies became dust, as a powerful breeze blew away the remains. There was an unearthly screaming as the aggressor and his entire party were stripped into nothing. Sage Atri put down his hand calmly and went about his business almost as if he had been taking an evening stroll.
Harry's jaw was still agape, as he saw how the magic had broken apart the atoms, as the subatomic particle soup just wandered off into the environment.
Harry arrived in the kitchen about a half hour later and proceeded to peel the potatoes and other vegetables. There was a smile on his face, as he grinned. Later that night as he slept in the room that was shared between him and his mother, he giggled. He also wondered about the state of Remus, Hermione, Sirius and finally Neville, as he considered Bellatrix was now on the streets. Tomorrow he had his first assignment – he would spar with Nakula. Then he would report to Sage Atri for his afternoon activity. His mother would begin with meditation the next morning and would begin to unlock the potential in her mind.
Neville and Luna were slowly working through the various henges. Each druidic site at the henges taught Neville a different skill. Once again a common maxim in magic had made itself known – there was always a trade-off. Harry had often explained that he had to juggle between strength and lightness, energy consumption and capability, and all other types of issues. Neville began to realise that while he could uniquely tailor and strengthen any aspect of the plant that he wished, some other part of the plant was left weakened. He could however see that his dream project was a possibility, with enough time.
His back felt healed, as he immersed himself in the magic.
Luna felt the ancient magic as it coursed through her body. While she was not learning any new skills, she was quite meticulous as she documented everything. Particularly the veil butterflies loved to sit on Luna, as she would listen to songs from the stones multiple times until she was sure that her transcription was correct. As soon as she and Neville were finished, the night time was full of visits to odd concerts, theatres, opera houses and small street food vendors.
"So where to, tonight?" Daphne asked.
"Skipping across to Mayflower Theatre. Pretty nice spot from what I heard. Do you want to come Daffy?" Luna asked as Neville took a shower in the Airbnb place they had found.
"Maybe another day. I am working on a project, and I have got to push." Daphne replied.
"You are sad because you aren't getting to see Harry?" Luna asked gently.
"I guess? Padma is good company for now, although she is your friend." Daphne joked.
"She is now our friend. Don't worry, he will be fine. Heard anything from the rest?" Luna asked.
"Hermione is making good progress. She met Daffodil's parents earlier today. I will have to visit her and Ronald, as they are installing some of our things across there. Remus, I haven't heard from yet. Sirius is on his own after he finishes with his training."
"Keep yourself busy. I get the feeling that this is the year that many amazing things will happen, despite the death trap at Hogwarts." Luna joked.
"See you later Looney!" Daphne joked.
"Later Ice Princess!" Luna replied as the call terminated.
The next morning, Harry found himself walking away from the ashrama, as he approached Nakula's house. Sitting outside on the edge of the cliff, was Nakula. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be deep in meditation. While Harry could only see his back, he was quite sure that his presence had been detected. Harry sat down on a nearby rock and observed that both Nakula's weapons and his halberd were on a small mat.
"Well, well, well….Mr. Potter. A great…..displeasure to meet you. I fail to understand why colonisers arrive into our sanctum looking for knowledge after your kind were responsible for burning down a great deal of our culture. Guruji is aware that I do not wish to spar with you, but I respect his instructions so here we are….."
"Colonisers generally arrive without permission. I asked before I entered. And how did my kind participate in India's colonisation? I happen to be a middle-class white boy. The colonisation was the old Victorian Lords and Ladies. They financed the East India trading company."
"Ah….and your middle class people did not enjoy the products of the Industrial revolution? The initial wave of machines was built on the steel that the British took out of India. Funny eh, the resources of my people were not for them. And then you say you civilised us? My ancestors were doing mathematics when Europeans were trying to put sticks together. Take up your halberd."
Harry had outstretched his hand, and the pieces assembled themselves. The protego blade flared, and Harry decided not to switch on the Fiendfyre. Harry was not mad about the comments. Rather he had spent much time thinking about these types of issues, and he considered that after his own experiences the questions were reasonable. Harry's magic became resolute as he felt like it was his responsibility to help everyone he could.
Harry wanted to save the world because he didn't want anybody to cry like him. He considered that he was in an ancient place and was sure that Nakula knew far more than him, after seeing him in action. Harry decided that he would openly learn anything that would help him protect his mother.
Nakula bent his knees and began to approach slowly, in the standard position for Indian sword fighting. He began to immediately strike the halberd, at the places where Harry had preferred to grip the weapon. Harry was quite aware that Nakula was ridiculously strong.
"You forget I have an Indian mother. I know what they destroyed. I was given kindness by a Hindu family…"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"And you think that makes you one of us, Harry Potter? That you understand who we are?" Nakula replied, as he slowly began to raise the level of difficulty. Harry was barely managing to hold him off.
"Never claimed as such. But we do have many projects that are going on at my place that could help with the issues.…."
Nakula paused, as he taunted Harry.
"I heard you were a killer, who likes to pretend he is a philanthropist! Self-righteous, much?" Nakula laughed, sarcastically.
"Me? Self-righteous?" Harry exclaimed before he doubled over on his knees and began to laugh. And the laugh was not one of pure humour. Somewhere in the laugh, his voice cracked, and his face became haunted.
"I think not of myself. I think of those who could be hurt by the arrival of Tom Riddle. Innocents. I will do what I must to ensure their safety. It has nothing to do with being righteous. I want people…to survive. I want my family to survive. I want everybody's family…to survive. And if that means technological progress and overwhelming economic might, so be it. And I understand that there is a cost. I will suffer greatly for the blood I will spill. I will shoulder any kind of pain, to spare others and to protect my family. And that might include me being occasionally cruel, if necessary. Duty is Sacrifice."
"Very well Harry Potter. I do not like you, but if you will protect innocents that is acceptable. I know your story…it does not take much for Guruji to instantly judge the character of people. Vasuki sees your faults but thinks you are workable. You protected your mother and the people in the street, I suppose. You saved the women in the forest. Many countries have offered aid to India, as they push their foreign policy and religious colonisation through unscrupulous means. What would you do to help us, with your projects?" Nakula asked curiously.
"I believe in the ability of local community institutions to do the best work if they are properly equipped. I would ask my mother and my grandparents to donate to religious grassroots organisations that are native and loyal to India's longstanding heritage."
"Arm yourself again. I do not trust you, but I will work with you on Guruji's request. Let us have another round, Harry Potter. To face me is to face the might of the old Empires of India. To face that lineage of warfare. And do not think I have not studied warfare in other cultures. Today you will show me your process for charging into the enemy and I will help you refine it…" Nakula replied as he decided that perhaps Harry Potter was acceptable.
Sword and Halberd clanged for hours at a time. Nakula essentially interrogated Harry while they fought. Nakula was surprised by many of Harry's opinions. He was quite happy to explain that his grandfather had many discussions about India, with him. Harry understood the misconceptions about India, better than many other Indians that Nakula had met. Nakula then asked Harry what was his view on being pacifist, after three hours of combat instruction. Harry responded:
"I admit sometimes killing the enemy is satisfying, even if it is wrong. And what about when you are attacked first? No, sometimes we have to defend ourselves if conflict is instigated." Harry replied.
"I agree. Perhaps we are not….wise. I like to fight." Nakula grinned.
"No, we are not….wise. But we will fight. I like a good scuffle," Harry replied, as Nakula accompanied Harry to a small quiet spot under a banyan tree.
While Harry was getting a workout with his Halberd, Hermione was ten kilometres into her run, and the wolves were on her heels. As she extended her magic into the area, she realised that the wolves enjoyed the competition. As she sped through the track, she had the opportunity to see much of the reserve. While the reserve was not twenty kilometres big, multiple winding tracks were all tucked away at multiple levels on large rocky outcroppings, that meandered up the side of the mountain. Hermione had a chance to see multiple dragon hatcheries where eggs were kept warm, and many other smaller play areas for juvenile dragons as they often got into small fights that were no different to cats. As Hermione changed direction, she began to make her way back to her starting point, as many of the adult dragons and riders flew above her.
The dragon reserve was already quite an experience. It almost seemed like a fantasy novel had been brought to life. Many of the other women who were busy around the reserve, yelled "Hail the All-father" in English at Hermione, which seemed to be the greeting that they used for outsiders. Fifteen minutes later, Hermione found herself approaching the starting point. Present was Daffodil, and her parents.
The first dragon looked distinctly male, and his scales were almost golden, and reflective. He resembled a king, as the top of his head was framed with a fantastic collection of horns that were like a crown. The dragon looked very stocky and Hermione realised that his wings were massive. He was easily sixty meters tall and looked like a small hill. His tail also sported a collection of spikes that could be used like a wrecking ball. The arms and legs were full of brilliant red fins, and his talons were like backhoe claws.
Hermione then ran right up to Daffodil, before the hatching curled around Hermione in a very contented manner. Hermione who considered that she was meeting truly ancient figures, stood solemnly and gave a respectful bow.
Suddenly there was a chucking sound from Daffodil's mother. She was pitch black and was dotted with blue and green features. Her head was far less angled, and she was slimmer and possessed far longer wings. Her spikes ended in curls and there was this glossy sheen to her entire body that looked like she had waxed herself. Her green eyes were piercing, in comparison to the amber eyes of the other dragon. The claws were elongated and knife like – Hermione as she bowed even considered them to look dainty. And even with the ferocious look on the female dragon's face, there was a composure that was venerable. There was a small shuffling noise as Hermione slowly straightened, and she felt as Daffodil initiated a mind link. Hermione could feel as the ancient dragons accessed her subconscious knowledge.
"Hello little hatchling Hermione, bond-mate of my daughter. Welcome to Norvegr, or in your tongue, Norway. I am Jörmungandr, and this is my mate, Níðhöggr" the ancient dragon greeted, as his door sized eye arrived just above Hermione's head. The voice was very baritone and felt like the entire mountain had chosen to have a conversation with her.
"A pleasure to meet both of you. I feel as if my efforts were fruitful…." Hermione replied as Níðhöggr felt curious about Hermione's battles. Hermione gladly opened her memories and made herself completely transparent.
"You are brave, little girl. Brave and clever. Daffodil might be approaching two years old for you, but we had her egg here at the reserve for three centuries. She refused to hatch. She was our only child. We could not produce another egg. We wondered if some type of sickness had taken her. And when she was stolen, we were sorrowful. And you brought our daughter back home. Alive, healthy and even happy…." Níðhöggr explained.
"A promise is a promise. And my word, is good." Hermione replied confidently.
"As you say, child. A ritual is often invoked to bond a dragon and its rider. And yet after examining your link, we found no aspect of your bond to be lacking. We are satisfied with the love you have given our only daughter." Níðhöggr replied.
"I think of her as my child too. I love her until the end of the earth. Life would not be the same without her. And I do think Daffodil loves Mr. Crookshanks too!" Hermione laughed.
"Oh, your feline is very cheeky. I have seen my daughter's memories. And I know of your little family. Blessed by Odin All-Father you are child, even if you do not believe it to be so. We knew Grace's parents. She could not have a more appropriate match. We hope to meet all of your family soon enough. We foresee that they will be successful in their endeavours. After speaking to you, my daughter refuses to be parted from you. Your fight is her fight. You fight like a Valkyrja child. Magni and I will teach you to fight from dragon back. I will do for my daughter, what your father William did for you, Hermione."
"I would be honoured. I also happen to know an extremely good scrap iron dealer. Loves to invent things. Whatever you want, let me know?" Hermione joked.
"Oh, you will provide us with much laughter. Summon your harness child and prepare yourself. Do you trust your friend Ronald to have your back?" Níðhöggr asked.
"Unequivocally." Hermione replied.
"Excellent child. When you may not ride Daffodil, your friend Ronald will do. Tell him to prepare himself. You will not use any jetpacks as we fly over the sea. While we have never concerned ourselves with airplanes, Freyja has adapted your radar cloaking into our harnesses. Today you will learn to trust us, and by extension Daffodil…" Níðhögg replied.
There was a chucking that came from both dragons as they slowly turned around. A saddle was brought for both dragons and it was magically attached to both parents. Hermione explained the situation to Ronald.
"Hey red, you have been volunteered for dragon rider training by Daffodil's mum. No jetpacks." Hermione grinned.
"Well, it can't be all bad. It might be fun?" Ronald suggested.
Víðarr and Týr had a knowing grin on their faces. Ronald gulped as Jörmungandr took off with Magni, and Hermione and Ronald followed on Níðhögg. Daffodil flew along by herself, as she could not carry a person yet.
Before the end of the day, Ronald Weasley was screaming bloody murder. He became a Quaffle for two of the eldest dragons in Norway and a human sized snitch for Daffodil, as she attempted to track Ronald and Hermione and catch them gently while flying alongside them. Ronald was sure that this counted as the ultimate form of Quidditch practice.
Suddenly being thrown around like an object began to give Ronald insights about how objects behaved when thrown long distances, as they were affected by crosswind and all other types of factors. Hermione being the mad lass she was, spent most of the time laughing as she wondered what Harry and the rest were doing.
