Chapter 4: Passing the time.
Part I: Of the Wolves
Remus spent most of his time learning the Werewolf lore from the elders. It was delivered via theatrical performances. It was full of drama, instruments, and costumes. Also were various occlumency exercises that focused not on repressing the werewolf, but on melding with only the wolf and making it dominant. His body was covered in ancient Futhark runes and drawings, as his blood was used to conduct arcane rituals. The elders would often gather around and chant ancient Nordic cantrips, as he ingested any number of special potions to strip away the werewolf.
An entirely new dimension of senses opened up to Remus, as his eyes became golden and unearthly. And while his impressive frame could hardly get bigger, he became far stronger. His sense of balance became sensitive, as he easily walked across tightropes, completed many training exercises, and ran through the Norwegian forests at a far faster velocity. He did not have the absolute top speed as Hermione, but he could now run for hours without stopping.
As the weeks passed, Remus often asked Daphne and Cyrus to send his tools and other materials, after getting permission to communicate outside the village, and swearing the correct oaths. He, Bjark and Thorsten got busy as they mixed concrete, did rebar, and installed solar power and elementary magical shielding for certain parts of the community. While similar construction projects had been done before by the community, the graphcrete along with the holographic formwork and other optimisations allowed them to quickly erect massive structures. Remus had offered to sponsor the materials, as the possibility of curing his condition was priceless.
He had explained his shame of not being a part of Harry's life.
Then, the selective magical snubbers, device shielding and titanium wire mesh for power cables were installed. The area was quite breezy, and many small windmills were placed in the higher spots. Many of the residents who were mundane born, already possessed technology that they would keep elsewhere. Now they could use their phones, tablets and other items, within the wards. The Elders eventually asked for oaths, and allowed Sirius to visit occasionally, to help Remus. Remus and Sirius got involved in replicating the same upgrades that they had done at Greengrass and Davis Manor.
Sirius even offered to cook for the small 'home improvement' team, after Ylva had convinced the elders to make an exception. While that would not have been usually allowed, the Skaði had allowed the recent full moon transformation to be an uneventful thing. People stayed outside to watch the moonlight.
"I will have a good day at work tomorrow. No late night excursions. This potion will change things for us!" Bjark replied, as he drank a beer that night, under the full moon. The village was having a meal around various fires and many danced the night away.
"Hermione had looked upon me when I came into Harry's life and plainly said that they would cure me, even if it took genetic engineering. She never gave up." Remus insisted.
"Maybe she might cure us indeed. But as of right now, to take a potion four times year? That is as good as cured for the rest who cannot control the wolf." Bjark replied.
"Hermione loves to ensure she plans for everything. She considered that the potion could lose effectiveness, have long term issues, or create problems. I undergo regular checks. Priya and Hermione can use the village as a research group. We can ensure that the potion works in the long term. This will help our brothers and sisters who have no help, to rejoin society as useful people. And for those who could undertake the purification trial? No there must be others who could manage it." Remus insisted.
"Bouncing around and being discriminated against isn't nice. Our country is fairly progressive and even we had issues too, in the magical world. We all know it, too well. Yes, the research would be wise. I will speak to the Elders and discuss the issue," Ylva replied, as Remus prepared himself for the evening session of listening to the werewolf lore, as it was dramatized and orated on a small stage.
By the time the fourth week had arrived, Remus understood most of the story. He also had learnt enough of the unique old Norse pidgin language to speak it well enough. One of the other things that aided in this language acquisition was his time with the Óðrerir.
The Óðrerir was a small earthen vessel that held the collective experiences of the community. Many of the memories were from various werewolf battles and transformations that had been made into songs and intuitions. Remus would sit and touch the item with Ylva, Bjark and Thorsten as they guided him to understand the wolf. As time passed, Remus eventually understood the perspectives – There were tactics for coordinating a pack of wolves. Often sounds, and smells helped them to communicate their intentions. There was intuition when they fought against humans, with weapons. This motley collection of information spanned almost two millennia of cultural heritage, and Remus was honoured to be a part of it.
The Wolf Animagus transformations were the first skills that the ancient Nordic shamans had discovered. The wolf forms were summoned when the village needed to be protected against marauders or even other raids from nearby places. The ancient shamans, now warriors, began to openly use the magic of the wolves as they embedded iron claws, teeth and other weapons into their hands and feet. For a time, those magicals who could call upon the wolf were celebrated and were the protectors of the various small magical havens that existed throughout the Nordic area of the world.
Then it was rumoured that an evil enchanter or töframaður had lost his son during a raid many centuries later, and he vowed revenge upon all the wolves of the world. He wrought a great enchantment and then cursed many of the shamans of an opposing community while they were asleep. The man had apparated silently into their tents and used their hair and blood, to conduct a foul ritual.
And so, one full moon night the shamans had transformed into werewolves and proceeded to slaughter their village, as they killed their own families, and infected others. Those who survived could not remember anything. Many of them were confused about what had happened when they found their loved ones dead, the next morning. No – some great beast had attacked the village and had taken away their memories. The magicals soon found themselves in bloody fights every month, and the small populations began to thin out. One of the shamans had suggested that the village lock themselves into cages, and a non-magical would keep the watch for the night.
And finally, the curse was discovered.
There was a great assembly of all the Völva or the witches who were blessed with foresight. A great Blót would appease Odin-All Father and then he would surely send the cure to end the sickness. But Hati, who loved to chase Máni, wanted to outrun the werewolves, so he stole Odin's cure and held it in his mouth. But Odin-All father had foreseen this plot. He sent his faithful wolf Geri with the real cure, while Hati would continue to be fooled. However, Odin-All father was unpleased that his people had abandoned him, and had chosen to pray to other gods from foreign lands. Therefore, only those who were worthy and devoted in Odin-All father's eyes would be freed from their eternal curse.
This was more or less the legend within the village. Of course, the elders in the village were not werewolves. They were merely lore keepers and Ylva had a problem with this narrative.
Ylva was only too happy to explain that many of the ideas in the legend did not make sense. After all, even the Nordic researchers could not figure out who chased the sun and the moon between Skoll and Hati, respectively. She was a linguistic expert, and she argued that legends would continue to be legends. But more interestingly, there was a knowing glint in her eye. She knew something that the others did not. She also explained that besides the legend which was told in the village, she had not heard anything similar anywhere else. She even complained that the other Europeans all had different stories about how the werewolves arrived.
"So why teach the tale at all?" Remus had asked.
"Because it is a part of the mythology and tradition. It might serve the purpose of maintaining the village. More importantly, the story holds us together. Mind you Bjark and the others do not see it like that."
"Differences of opinions are good. They help us to become balanced in the way we deal with things." Remus replied.
"As long as we are having constructive conversations, yes that is good. Ylva was a name that was given to me by the elders. When I was born in the hospital in Oslo, my mother named me Ella!" Ylva joked.
"Ella? A Spanish name?" Remus asked, curiously.
"Sure. International names are common in Norway now. Your preparation to undertake the ritual has been impressively quick. Have you heard from your family?" Ylva asked.
"Yes, they are safe and good. Hermione has been bringing some of our innovations to the reserve. She could not freely speak of everything. I only got vague details that were appended to her existing oaths. Ronald has a good hand with the animals, they like him." Remus replied.
"I have only heard legends about them. Knowing that they exist for sure, is heartening." Ylva considered.
"Perhaps you could initiate contact with them? They don't seem to know that your community exists, because of your efforts to stay separate. I know there have been concerns about infecting others, but that isn't an issue. And Hermione did tell me that the Rune-Priestess tradition starts at the reserve."
"Maybe I should go. I was qualified by the elders as knowing enough about the runes and was given the tattoos on the basis that I could conduct the rituals for the purification rites. Maybe I can learn much over there." Ylva considered as she helped Remus with installing the lighting emitters.
"Perhaps. It might require an in-depth conversation with the authorities here, however." Remus suggested.
"If I have to bribe the elders with food, I certainly will. Magic provides for us, but sometimes being agrarian and tending the crops can get frustrating to the children. They often feel like they have been denied modern conveniences. And then, nothing much grows in the soil too." Ylva explained.
"Dragon dung can fix any type of soil problem, and we do have some modified crops that grow quickly. Our Neville loves the earth and is our farmer in the group. And we celebrate him for that – somebody has to grow the food," Remus smiled.
"I will bring the ceremonial knife and carry you to your starting place in the forest, two days from now. Your senses and nature around you will tell you the rest. Just remember – your final decision is crucial. That is all that I will say."
"I hope I succeed?" Remus laughed. Ylva already had a knowing glint, in her eye.
During the last five weeks, Amelia Bones had been dealing with a rollercoaster of events.
The primary concern was whether Bellatrix Lestrange would go out into the mundane public and murder indiscriminately. And yet Bellatrix had not been sighted by the muggle public. Even the security cameras in highly populated parts of town had not detected presence, as Amelia coordinated with the local mundane police departments. So, what had occurred?
Invictus and Daphne had merely decided to become the vacation trolls.
Bellatrix was convinced that some new type of Ministry of Magic enchantment had been cast. Every time she apparated into the mundane world, she was immediately stunned by a cloaked drone. Then the drone would carry her to the same place in the countryside via a transporter module, and she would wake up in exactly the same place. The English countryside was now full of Bellatrix's screams and complaints. She even fired off all types of curses, changed locations, tried glamours and was unsuccessful. Pyrites and Rodolphus had also tried some of the same apparition spots and found themselves in similar trouble. Hell, they even tried side-along apparition and there was no success. Pyrites then tasked Malfada to investigate if any new types of Wards had been developed. There was even some snooping around with the Unspeakables, and the news worried them even more – none of the Ministry divisions was aware of anything. This caused Bellatrix to become even more frightened, as she paced up and down Lestrange manor.
"Could it be the Storm-Lord and the Rune-Priestess?" Pyrites asked Bellatrix.
"It….It has to be…they developed a ward to protect filthy mudbloods. They are….powerful. Perhaps we might deal with this issue in another way," Bellatrix commented.
"Oh? What do you suggest?" Pyrites asked.
"Perhaps we can work within the magical world. The Dark Lord had a talent for removing wards. When he arrives, he will break them. Until then, we can operate in magical places and recruit for his army." Bellatrix suggested.
"That sounds reasonable. Should we reach out to Severus?" Pyrites asked.
"No. leave him be. The Dark Lord will test him. Many werewolves will not aid us. Many of them have deserted Greyback. Of course, these are the rumours that Pettigrew has heard, but I plan to meet Greyback soon. The Dark Lord will have to approach the Giants and the Acromantulas. Problem Pyrites?" Bellatrix asked.
"I do not know….something feels off. I can't say what it is, but why would the Guild assist with the Werewolf cure? That is counter-productive to the plans of our master, when he returns." Pyrites enquired.
"Perhaps for the purpose of showing a good face. Lucius does it all the time. But make no mistake, the language in their catalogues is the hint. They speak and behave like us. I would know, as a Black. And they have to be offered a chance to join us. We might even have to make some concessions to ensure that they are happy. They could be problematic if they were to turn on us." Bellatrix suggested.
"I suppose the Dark Lord might even appreciate them. He never liked weakness in his followers. But what if they are our enemies?" Pyrites considered.
"The Dark Lord will end them and might even take what they own and use it to advance his own interests. A win for us, either way!" Bellatrix cackled madly.
"Oh, Lorna does know how you lot think!" Invictus muttered to himself, as he spied via the hidden recording devices.
He continuously sent Neville funny video clips of Bellatrix and company getting stunned. Neville and Luna would sometimes watch her escapades, if they were on a break or had finished for the day. Suddenly Bellatrix Lestrange became an amusement. She was not a threat anymore – she had no privacy, and her plans were well known.
Amelia Bones had received a message from some anonymous party. Amelia was drinking with Rufus in her office, and they were not discussing sensitive business. Then saw the notification. When she grabbed the data slate, she saw only one name for the contact Information.
GIP-II
As she opened the message, she was pleasantly surprised. The message stated:
Afternoon Head Auror.
Bellatrix Lestrange has been having a hard time. She has no business in the mundane world, and we have been keeping an eye on her. These are magical addresses that she likes to frequent:
· Malfoy Manor - #7, 19th Newtown Street, Trowbridge, Whitshire.
· Madam Puddifoot - under glamour every Friday, likes coconut ice-cream. Takes the single seat on the west wall, at 4 p.m.
· Lestrange Manor - 7th Crail street, Anstruther, Fife.
· The Hydra - only ever drinks an Old Fashioned. Random hours.
· The Leaky - her new favourite thing is Tom's Shepard Pie, which is a recipe Molly Weasley taught Tom, recently. Saturday night, for 8:00 p.m. when she feels like it.
· Twillfit and Tattings - likes everything black, very goth like my grandson.
She has left the country recently and is travelling all over Europe to look for recruits. Our neighbourhood unfriendly bird nest head has tried her best to terrify muggles, but that hasn't been going too well. See the attached video. By the way, congratulations. I am indeed one of the Storm Lord's co-conspirators. And this data slate is indeed our product. Funny enough, my grandson did bet 1000 pounds that you would figure it out. Looks like the Rune-Priestess will have to pay up.
He likes you a lot, funny enough – he thinks you are the right woman to deal with the magical world, but you need resources and weapons. We would be willing to provide you with information on Death Eater activities, after we have established who they work with in the Ministry of Magic. So far, they use Malfada. She is not to be trusted. She is not a blood purist, but she is just too chatty.
And yes, I am aware you could voice your complaints about the devices. I don't think anybody is giving up their conveniences. But I think being able to provide you with intelligence in the long term has its benefits too. As my boy says…Hook…line…..and sinker. Gotcha.
Best wishes in your endeavours, otherwise. Yes, we will send whatever you need off the books, as long as you can rein in Moody. We don't want him making the entire of Diagon Alley into Swiss cheese, with the 'BYE-BYE' mode on the pistol. We will give you live updates of Bella's location when she returns.
GIP-II
Amelia had shown Rufus the message, and both of them had to empty the scotch bottle.
"I still don't like them. But they are providing invaluable information. Hell, we even know where Malfoy Manor is, if we wanted to assault the place with a team of ward breakers. Always wanted to nail that cunt to the fucking wall." Rufus commented.
"Considering what he did to my sister-in-law, and my brother? I honestly want to ask the Storm Lord and the Priestess for a big fucking bomb, and visit them this afternoon. But I have a feeling things are going to be a lot worse for the blasted peacock." Amelia considered.
"Should we send someone to monitor Bellatrix at the mentioned locations, when she gets back?" Rufus asked.
"Actually there is a new recruit at the Auror Academy that might be suitable. Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks. Easily the best. Those of us who know the finer details are aware that she was brought into House Black, and therefore reports to her Head of House. I cannot think of a better person to have a chat with Bellatrix. She is a metamorphagus, by the way." Amelia suggested.
"That…..is devious. Having her niece tail her? Might be time for a field commission, indeed?" Rufus laughed.
"Might be time, indeed. When the junior instructor had disarmed her in a training exercise, she took him up and tossed him over her head, backwards. I believe it is a muggle wrestling move called a suplex." Amelia joked.
"Muggle wrestling?" Rufus asked.
"Susan watches all types of strange things, don't ask. Anyway, he needed two days in the ER because she broke a lot of his bones. She is adequately prepared. We will deploy her during the first week of the term." Amelia reasoned.
After his first spar with Nakula, Sage Atri explained the situation to Harry, during the first week of his stay at the Ashrama.
"Well, I do know of your war. And I know that you are seeking solutions to complex problems, along with anything that might enhance your combat. I can offer you an opportunity to obtain the knowledge…but there is a cost. I can see the future, in a limited fashion and I have a very good idea of what is coming….." Sage Atri explained gently.
"Well, the question is if I am getting good value for my money, I suppose?" Harry grinned.
"Spoken like a true businessman. Ask away at your problems." Sage Atri suggested, as the man smiled.
"I want to figure out how to block the Cruciatus and the Imperius curse. The killing curse is often stopped dead by titanium, but these curses seem to bypass shields and even our heavy armour. Light cover does nothing, whether they are common materials or conjured matter. Unless the object is thicker than seventy five centimetres, the curses get through. That has been perplexing for both me and Mione." Harry asked.
"Ah – I take it you will build armour to defend against these spells?" Sage Atri enquired. However, Harry reasoned that the sage was making small talk – he seemed to already know everything.
"Yes. Mass produced. I want to save lives. I could block these spells with my battle transfiguration skill, but I am thinking about something minimal to block these issues." Harry continued.
"Anything else?" Sage Atri asked.
"Well, I wanted to help Hermione with the gravity or the mass reduction equations. Have a look at this…." Harry continued.
Harry then summoned the gravity configuration of his House magic, and Sage Atri merely extended his finger and changed some configurations on the atom, and the arithmantic points of magic.
"I think I have just the thing you need. But now the cost - this knowledge that I give to you, will allow you to build terrible weapons and ships. I know enough to see how this could be utilised, after watching your halberd and other weapons. If you choose this knowledge, you and your sister will suffer greatly."
"Will I or Hermione lose someone I love?" Harry asked.
"No, not like that. Your family and many of the people that you and your sister wish to protect, will be fine and even thankful. The pain will come from elsewhere – you and your sister will be robbed of a personal dream. Both of you will never achieve it, and will still manage to build all the devices that you wish. You will make the discoveries. The loss of this personal dream will cause great pain to both of you." Sage Atri explained.
"By receiving this knowledge, will I minimise the amount of innocent children who will be killed? Will I keep good people together? Will innocent children be able to go home to their parents?" Harry asked.
"Yes. But you may not be fulfilled in life…." Sage Atri explained, as his face became introspective. Harry paused for ten seconds.
"I…I guess I will have to make the sacrifices. Many people die unfilled anyway. If this sacrifice will allow children and their parents to smile at family dinners? No…I will do what I must. Hermione will...understand. Pain is an old friend." Harry explained, resolutely.
"Understand this – I do not judge you for your choice. Your karma is your karma. No, you saw true evil last night. And I am afraid that there are far worse things. A necessary young man, for a necessary time you are, Harry Potter."
Sage Atri raised his hand, and a small wooden box appeared.
"Are you familiar with a Kalasa?"
"Because of mum, yes?" Harry replied to the sage.
"If you want to understand mass, gravity and how exotic matter behaves you must observe it. And you must see it with the Shakti in your eyes. You need to push into subatomic territory. I know you can see some of the particles, but you must be able to focus on the small subset of quarks within the nucleus of an atom. And trust me, you will find some other things that are missing from your science textbooks. While these particles are fields, your mind will make the necessary abstractions and present it to you. Remember an atom cannot truly be seen. "
"I am aware of some of the technicalities," Harry explained, as he scratched his chin.
"You could have done this same exercise at home by yourself, You needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of your business, and other things. Do not concern yourself with such things. Only the problem is your greatest concern, while you meditate. Better yet….use the mind arts as your mental workspace. Hold the puzzle there and manipulate your magic there. If you can forgo the paper and pen, you will advance your mind much." Sage Atri kindly suggested.
"I will try. I am very…excited?" Harry laughed.
"Yes, I know. And yes this leads me to something that is preventing your mind from reaching its full potential with what Westerners call the Mind Arts."
Sage Atri merely flicked his finger and the 'pacifier' disconnected from his arm and floated away.
"You must learn to control your desires without chemical suppression. Let the mind be unaffected by the flesh. Only then will you be able to see that which you need. I assure you that your solution is here. You will hold the kalasa in your hand, and fall into an occlumentic trace. Your bodily temptations will interfere, and it will break your concentration. Start over again, and continue to persevere, no matter how hard. When you are done for the day, you resume your seva around the ashram, and you may relax with your mother after the evening satsangh is done.
When you quest around the phenomenon, be careful that you go too close. The magic of the phenomenon can trap you in a black void of nothing. You are gazing into a magical and material abyss where the rules of everything are stripped away. Should you find yourself trapped, you will have to make it out on your own. And you will have to work quickly, because your body will not last long. Not even I can interfere."
Harry nodded, as Sage Atri disappeared.
Harry opened the wooden crate and saw the clay kalasa which was a small earthenware pot usually used for Hindu rituals. As he scanned the item with his eyes, it seemed to be entangled to some type of unusual object that was very far away.
"Well, that is weird. Anyway….let us see….what we have here….what abyss could he be possibly talking about?" Harry wondered to himself.
One hour later Harry had fallen into a sustained occlumentic trance after ignoring his roaring sex drive. The annoying temptation had bugged him, and Harry had managed with great restraint to somewhat tame the hormonal issues. Finally, he engaged with the magic of the item, and what he saw shocked him so much, that his surprise forcefully kicked him out of the meditative state. He was now looking at Grace.
"Hello bighead." Grace replied. She was able to speak mentally to him, and keep her thoughts private.
"Well, that one is new?" Harry laughed.
"Agni showed me that trick. I also can't read your mind. What did you see?" Grace asked.
"I was literally watching the black hole at the centre of the galaxy. Sagittarius A. Some madlad who made this did a galaxy wide quantum entanglement to some object which isn't falling into the black hole. And I have no idea what that object, really is?" Harry replied, utterly flabbergasted.
"Well….that is something?" Grace replied, as she laughed.
While Harry was fighting Nakula earlier that morning, Erilaz Njǫrd Skallagrimson had transported directly to the Ashram to have a word with Sage Atri. Both men had been friends for a long time, as they delved into the study of esoteric magic.
Erilaz Njǫrd Skallagrimson was far more powerful wizard than Albus Dumbledore. However, Albus had never seen the man in a fight. For all the comments that English Purebloods made, there were only one or two rituals that were performed for magical pureblood children. Magical England's lineage was not old enough to compare to the Scandinavian practices. Albus had always basked in the comfort of his recognition, when his colleague could easily summon enough lightning to destroy a whole Hogwarts wing, without breaking a sweat. Naturally, with so much power, he did not need a device to apparate directly to India. He also often utilised the planet's magical leylines to assist him. When the man arrived, there was a smile on the face of the Indian sage.
The relationship between both men had started when a dragon had fallen ill about seven centuries ago. The previous Erilaz at that time could not find any cures for the problem, so he decided to ask for assistance by casting a message into the planetary leylines.
And the Sanjeevani Ashrama had answered.
The primary head healer of the Ashrama at the time, had never seen a dragon. However, she had offered to try her best to resolve the issue. That was the first time that outsiders had come into to reserve, on a limited basis. The young dragon was cured after three days of Sanskritic recitations by an entire group of healers. For all those who were assembled, it was a heartening moment.
The forces of the northern light had met the cradle of the Indus Valley.
And so, the reserve offered something in repayment. Sage Atri was far younger and he merely suggested a small get together and a theoretical discussion of magic. Eventually, one thing became obvious with the extended visits – India's capability to do magical medicine, and the mind arts was outstanding. Respectively, the Rune-Priests and Priestesses had a talent for Arithmancy, casting the runes and looking into the future. As the mechanisation of the Industrial Revolution and the World Wars arrived, both communities became concerned. Erilaz Njǫrd Skallagrimson had known Sage Atri for a long time as one of the distant successors to the reserve. A decision was made – along with sharing each other's expertise, they would slowly connect to other magical communities and would keep an eye on humanity's future. Sage Atri's contribution was his deep understanding of how to squeeze extra efficiency out of the body, and his ability to project his mind to far off places. Combined with the right type of mind link, both of them often listened to the whispers of the Earth and communed regularly to see what the future would hold.
Sage Atri had felt the disturbance as of recently. Something that seemed to echo from the darkness of the void. After following the trail, he was able to queue into a magical nexus that had arrived in England. When he and Skallagrimson had discussed the issue, they were surprised to see a phoenix approaching England. That had been an easy five years ago.
"Their lineage has gotten involved in all sorts of trouble. The Storm-Talon lineage? Just utter upheaval. This is the first time in three centuries that a phoenix has left the grove. We will have to look at this situation more carefully." Skallagrimson had explained.
"Indeed, friend. But there is something deeper. I can feel almost as if the heavens is upset. This is the first time that magic around the planets in our solar system is whispering. And the pathway leads beyond the Galactic rim."
That had caused Skallagrimson to raise his eyebrows, but he trusted Sage Atri. If he said so, it was definitely so. And when they found the abject horror beyond the stars, they began to make plans.
Now Nakula and Siddhi had been called, and Sage Atri explained the impending threat that would come, eventually. Both of them looked at Harry in the distance, as he seemed fascinated with the artefact he had been provided. Siddhi began to sweat, and Nakula was silent, as they considered the implications that some great plague was coming to the solar system. It would envelop the planet and could be some type of space fearing insect.
"Guruji, how can you be so calm about this? This is the end of civilisation!" Nakula asked in Sanskrit.
"Because he chose exactly what we suspected that he would choose. He chose to suffer and sacrifice himself." Sage Atri replied.
"And if he didn't?" Nakula asked.
"We would have given him the solution anyway, and then we would have to see how our choices would play out. We would have to do some extensive modifications. However, fate will test him now. I even have a pretty good idea what will happen in the next five weeks too. But for his curiosity, I think he will be granted a great blessing." Sage Atri replied.
Nakula was now confused, as he did not bother to analyse any further.
"I do not like Westerners with the exception of the current company. But this is bigger than me. I will train him, his mother and his friends as best as I can, if this will not cause any …..unforeseeable trouble."
"Yes Nakula, that will be advisable. His innovations will provide the foundation for us to fight back this terrible plague. Many of the immediate things that we will need, will come from him and his sister. So we play our decisions against the fates. The details are unclear, but this is all that I can ascertain." Sage Atri explained to the warrior.
"I don't want to be you for a day, I cant cope with that burden Guruji. Harry Potter suggested that we were stupid, and that we both liked to fight. And I do guess he is right." Nakula continued.
Sage Atri laughed – He understood that warriors were warriors.
"What is his sister like, Master Skallagrimson?" Nakula asked, in English.
"A lonely soul looking for acceptance. Loyal to her brother and her family. She has shown much talent with fighting on Dragon back. We have several advancements being installed. She gives freely without a second thought. And yes, she like her brother will be in trouble, soon enough."
"I…understand. Sometimes we have to forged between an anvil and a hammer."
"Indeed Nakula. Hermione and Freyja are two peas in a pod. She, however, has a unique talent for thinking like a magical and a non-magical at the same time. Her issue is not her intellect. No, she must learn about herself. We will test her and see if she can make the rank of Master Rune Carver. I suspect that she will manage easily."
"Where does Vedvati fit into this?" Nakula asked Sage Atri.
"Harry Potter does everything in the name of her and his deceased parents. For all his faults, he does everything in the name of love. And yes, he is an imperialist. And he takes inspiration from the old empires of the West. However, he has a firm idea of what he considers to be his kingdom. He has no interest in World domination. He is tempered by his mother's kindness and her values.
He only desires to win the upcoming war, and then wishes to fade into invisibility. So, he is quite mild-mannered. And he has a genuine appreciation for world culture and spiritual knowledge. After he conquers the issues in his backyard, his next goal will be to conquer the stars and tame the environments to make them fit for living. And he in his past lives, certainly lived in Bharat, I can tell." Sage Atri replied, with a smile on his face.
Nakula who had lost his mother as a child, nodded solemnly. He understood that while he did not like Harry, he would carry out the responsibilities that his Guru had asked of him.
As Harry continued to study the black hole after his morning combat sessions, he began to unwind the issues of the Cruciatus and the Imperio. The weeks began to pass, quickly. One evening, after observing how material fell into the event horizon, he saw something that gave him a clue. There was a certain behaviour he saw as the matter was 'spaghettified'. In reality he was looking at the gaseous jets that were given off at the axis of rotation of the black hole, and the phenomenon was so large that it looked like a large beam of light. He was observing a giant phenomenon from a distance of 18 astronomical units – his mind was receiving an image that was 2.7 billion kilometres from the black hole, as he gazed at the titanic forces of the universe.
The Imperio and Cruciatus were made purely up of up-quarks which were attached to a magical particle. These quarks were so small that they could often pass between the mostly empty space that existed between an atom's orbitals and its nucleus. Harry did not see how he could block the path of the up-quarks as they propagated through thin materials. However, if the material was thick enough, the particles could be deflected with enough probability. As he studied exotic matter he could now zoom in on atoms and pull apart the nucleons in the nucleus. He even began to see how magic could be applied to materials to alter standard atomic behaviour. One evening, as Harry gently squeezed the Ganesha pendant and the Crucifix between his fingers, he suddenly had an idea. He figured that he could dope the gold with magic, to facilitate a new set of alloys he had read bout in a recent research paper. He was initially hoping that the structure of the metal would block the unforgivables. The crystalline structure of the steel would be very dense, and the radius of the orbits would be artificially 'squashed'. He continued to ponder his idea.
After he was finished with his morning meditations, he would often spend the evenings crafting many experimental materials. He began to make slow steady progress with subatomic manipulation. He was now able to stream small clumps of atoms with precision. Now his magic had much better fine control, as he actively modulated it. This type of control would not have been possible, but seeing the high-energy physics of a black hole had provided Harry with live science as it occurred on the spot. Harry also could use his active breathing as a type of cantrip, as the magical energy flow was related to the amount of air that was rushing into his lungs. However, he was still stuck with the Cruciatus and the Imperio problem. Not all the information was being transmitted by the artefact. His proposed alloy still did not block the unforgiveables.
Harry then approached Siddhi one morning.
"Is there a place where I can just take a walk? I am stumped with a problem and I just want to watch the snow as it falls," Harry asked.
"We do have a little track around the Ashrama, that you do not know of…come I will show you," Siddhi replied.
Nakula continued to teach Priya sword fighting. She had been learning for a while, and she was far from harmless. The conversation happened in Sanskrit, and Priya did not struggle at all. She had learnt the language and many hundreds of mantras quite quickly over the past weeks.
"Namaste Nakula."
"Namate Vedvati."
"How has he been going?" Priya asked, as she assumed the stance, and Nakula attacked. There was a loud clash and Priya tried her best to hold him off with a shield.
"Learning quickly. He is picking up the tactics, but his body doesn't have the familiarity of the magic. He hasn't had active magic for more than ten years in his body."
"True. But I am no different."
"Your magic and your ability to heal comes naturally. So it is manifesting in a fluid way. His house magic is forcing itself through his body. It is very brute force, and very taxing. It is almost…unnatural. I haven't seen anything like it. Almost like nature is forcing the development?" Nakula replied, as Priya used the magic in her body to enhance her strength and augment her movement.
"Yes, good. Good. You can even tap the magic to put extra force on your body. Like having internal weights and resistance in the body. Good for building muscle mass, quickly. I was initially surprised that he wants to help us. Of course, now I understand – he truly sees you as his mother." Nakula continued.
"You know of him, as he arrived here with kills under his belt. I knew him as a scared, lonely child fighting death off, when none of it was even his fault. And he is trying his best. Perhaps you would say that as his mother, I would take his side. But he is far more interested in contributing to the culture, than many other people who were born into it. At the end of the day, it is less about ethnic and religious identity, and more about what characteristics we inculcate in ourselves. One day you will be a father – a parent. And then you will understand." Priya explained, gently.
The sword and shield continued to clang. Priya continued to chat, as Nakula listened very carefully to Priya. She and Siddhi had become close friends, and Nakula respected anyone who held Siddhi's confidence. The woman had acted as his older sister after she had found him orphaned.
"Perhaps I was angry - I often wonder why many of our people are not inculcating their gifts?" Nakula asked.
"Because the majority of our people have practical concerns to deal with. And eventually, when the wounds of our people are fixed, there will be resurgence. After being colonised for one thousand years, you expect that our people will fix themselves in less than a century? Surely it is more complex than that. And how do we get the consensus of so many people, without leaving them behind? Leave them be they will improve on their own schedule.
About his magic which is being forced through his body - I did some recent research. It might just come down to a unique genetic mutation, that is a recessive trait. Even the others have been curious about the issue of his physiology. As for agreeing with you, he naturally wants to help everybody. I understand your caution. When he told me of your initial comments, I even laughed. He understands our problems, however." Priya replied.
"He is unusual and…tolerant. That was surprising." Nakula replied.
"He is, with family members. And he respects you deeply, even with the reservations that you have. But I have seen what he does when he is angry. Oh, he has a lot of rage in him." Priya replied.
"Has his time here, helped with that? It has been a month." Nakula asked curiously.
"Some of it has gone away. He loves the Kalasa that was given to him. Every day he has been looking at it. I know him though - the rage will eventually come back. He and you are similar. You give off the vibe that Lakshmana would have. At least, I think so?" Priya commented as she blocked a sword strike.
There was some laughter on Nakula's face, as he actually found the comment funny. Lakshmana was the brother of Lord Rama in the Hindu mythos, and he was openly combative and sometimes a hot-head. Nakula found the observation to be strangely pleasing.
"Perhaps you are correct….. Guruji has spoken to me about my…temper. While you are a healer, I can see there is some talent with a sword. I will instruct Harry on how to appropriately challenge you, and even your friend too." Nakula replied.
"Thank you, Nakula. Although, I don't know if I can truly kill. I don't know if I am made up, like that. I am a healer."
"Nobody is made up like that, Vedvati. You will be forced to take life to protect the innocent, and then you will know it for what it is. And you will have regrets, and yet duty will call again. I hope that this will not come to pass."
Priya nodded. So Nakula had his innocence taken from him, already.
Grace was having the time of her life.
She was happy to meet other phoenixes. Of course, the Phoenixes also went by the name Garuda, as a matter of convention. Garuda himself was the flying mount of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology and his duty was offer support, combat and transportation in the name of preserving righteousness. The other fire phoenixes preferred to use Sanskrit as the common language for worded communication, although they knew many other Indian languages. Agni, Tejas and Anala often flew with Grace as they showed her the ropes around the inhospitable winds around the various mountain peaks. Tejas had heard enough English to act as a translator, and often taught Grace in a combination of pictures, words and intuitions.
"Your physical strength has improved greatly over the last month. Now you will have to make adjustments to the amount of magic you can channel in your wings. You can shape the magic over your wings to create better surfaces for flight. And yes, you have to brave the cold." Tejas explained to Grace.
"The cold doesn't feel too bad. The air is thin…..I am having trouble…..breathing." Grace replied.
"Just keep at it, the body will adapt. Considering where you are from, I don't think the cold should affect you, much. It is positively freezing for the rest of us." Tejas replied, as Grace clutched the heavy rock in her claws and attempted to glide around.
"Good. Now, you are going to toss the rock, and apparate at the right location and prepare yourself to receive it. Like if you were playing catch with yourself." Anala suggested.
"Oh boy…." Grace replied, as she prepared herself. There was something akin to gentle laughter from the other phoenixes.
"Every type of phoenix has a hidden ability. We can collect the sun's energy, add magic and toast entire battlefields. I want to suspect you might be good at mass electrocution. These exercises will develop your sensitivity and judgement so you can channel these massive attacks. It also helps you navigate the leylines around the planet." Anala explained.
"So flying battery much, girlfriend?" Grace asked, through Tejas as he translated.
"As long as you can meld with the lightning after summoning it, you could be a power station. Might have to get some practice with the Vikings up north. We visited a couple of times to have a chat with Master Skallagrimson. We have friends who are earth and water phoenixes?" Anala replied.
"What?" Grace asked, excitedly.
"Phoenixes as magical creatures can adapt to any element if they manipulate enough of it. We are merely magical birds, and we are a product of the environment. And it also means that many magical creatures elsewhere in the world can manipulate substances.
There was a legend of a phoenix in South America, at the height of the Inca Empire. Kolash. He could manipulate crystals and gems. He had built a great fortress out of only gems by channelling the energies that bleed across the various dimensions. He eventually took his crystal fortress and left the planet, to travel the cosmos." Tejas explained.
"Am I getting introductions to your friends?" Grace asked.
"When you pass your trial? Yes." Anala replied.
"Well, birds of a feather flock together and all that. I wonder how Hermione is going?" Grace asked, both to the other birds and herself.
"Well enough I want to guess. The Vikings are very hospitable, at the reserve. You will see, she will be more than what she currently is, when she returns." Agni replied.
Part II: The training montage
Daphne had visited the Dragon Reserve after taking the necessary oaths. She would often work away at problems with Freyja, while Daffodil and Hermione were put through a brutal training program. The young dragon was often required to grab heavy rocks and fly long distances while making acrobatic manoeuvres. She was also forced to drop Hermione and Ronald, and dive at a faster velocity and catch them, by using magic. She had to shape magic in her wing muscles, to modify the air as it travelled over her wings. Hermione and Ronald were forced to learn how to control their drops only by spreading their limbs. Hilmir and Fáfnir often stood by on pickup duty and helped when Daffodil missed. On other days, they dealt with wanded combatants. Daffodil learnt how to push through stunners, as she continued to fight until she collapsed. Then she was enervated, and the process was restarted to build mental conditioning Daffodil was encouraged to dodge and abruptly throw objects that would force wand wielding combatants to stay off-footed so they would not cast any spells.
Her ability to breathe a constant stream of fire was increased, as she was encouraged to liquefy rocks. She also learned how to augment and control the splash area of her fire with magic. Outside of the mountain, she practised how to carry out fire bombardment. Some days the streams were wide and short range, and other days they were long and thin. She even learnt how to shoot fire 'bullets', as she manipulated the flammable mucus that came from her body into little spurts. She hunted magical beasts and was given access to any number of special plants that helped with her digestive health. With the right kind of diet and exercise, Daffodil began to put on muscle mass quickly. Special charms and runes were also used to assist with her growth.
Víðarr and Týr did not like Ronald at first. He nonetheless introduced the group to rifles, pistols and shotguns. He also took them through his armour system and other things that Harry had developed, with the promise that Harry would design something for them. The pair of young men began to ask questions, as Ronald went through his HUD, the suit computer, and all the other features that Harry and Hermione had engineered.
Eventually, the boys warmed up to the redhead. What had been a common bonding experience for Víðarr and Týr was the discovery of the Nordic Heavy Metal scene. Very soon, Amon Amarth, Borknagar, Einherjer and others became the favourites of the pair. Heavy Metal in the name of Odin-All Father was something that the pair both loved, even with the lyrics being sung in English.
Ronald did a lot of work around the reserve after his flying practice with Hermione. In the evenings, he would spend time reading or brewing potions, as he learnt about the Nordic reagents. On other more quiet days, Ronald had been asked to meditate in a special part of the mountain. He even made friends with a small Sea Serpent in a pond, and some of the Dragon hatchlings loved playing catch with him.
Víðarr and Týr listened to his story of being a pureblood who did not understand much about mundanes, until rambunctious Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had shown up. He even talked about his insecurity of being in a large family.
Then the real problem became obvious, as Víðarr and Týr confessed that 'family was complicated.'
Víðarr and Týr were just two normal boys who felt like they had to live up to a lot of traditions. They had grown up in so much magic and rituals that they never had experienced any social interactions with other children. Both of them were personally tutored and were given the best of everything, with the expectation that they would dominate without apology. Týr admitted that both of them were essentially pedigree horses.
For them, Ronald was the first person whom they felt like they could talk to, even with their parents asking incessant questions about the new 'visitors.' They even admitted that the prestige of their house depended on making certain outward appearances because news generally travelled back. They were expected to 'act the part' and their parents were unpleased when they had been beaten in the duel. They had instructed them to learn whatever new magic or items had been brought by the 'outsiders' but to not get involved with them. And when they were ready, then they would be given the full strength of their ancestors, in time.
Initially, Víðarr and Týr's parents wanted to confront Hermione about the destruction of the heirlooms, until Master Skallagrimson had gotten involved. The parents had taken a look at the Thunderbolt and backed off immediately. Finally, they had accepted a deal - far better replacements would be forged for the family by a Master Artificer and the art style and other traditional embellishments would be carried forward. Víðarr was nearby, and was listening to a conversation that he should not have heard. Then, he shared the conversation with his childhood friend and Ronald, that evening.
"Do you have regrets about making a new…friend?" Ronald asked, as he referred to himself.
The pair were eating some food from Molly's kitchen and were idly talking. Víðarr and Týr were happy to try something different, while Ronald ate some Lapskaus from the reserve's kitchen – it was a case of trading dinners. The Lapskaus was a classic Norwegian dish and Ronald had a soft spot for stews in general, because of his mother. He even asked for the recipe and decided that he would learn to cook it himself.
"No, our friendship is worth something. I like your philosophy books. The stoic philosophers…..are truly something…" Víðarr had replied, after reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. Týr had loved The Republic and The Nichomachean Ethics.
"Won't this cause problems for you? Your folks already don't like me?" Ronald asked, genuinely concerned.
"Maybe, but we don't get to laugh with others much. But you make us laugh. If they decide that they won't speak to us….I say fuck em'. I have had enough of the expectations. And honestly, it's our fathers that are problematic. Our mothers have always been accepting. The advantage of our Berserker Magic was to charge into people and get enhanced strength, but you can do it with scientific knowledge, in any case. Hermione's ability to selectively channel magic in the body to gain strength with the mind arts was surprising, even without Berserker House Magic." Víðarr explained.
"If anybody can be taught this method from scratch, I think it is better. Having large numbers of capable people is better. Numbers will always win, unless you have the kind of weapons that your friends have." Týr considered.
"Well, I have been spending time in the cave as mandated by Drótinn Magni, but I haven't seen any results. But if the ability to control earth doesn't come, I am not going to fuss. Sometimes 'fuckitol' is a good medicine." Ronald explained.
"There is something we can do…but it is dangerous. We could try Ancestor Regression." Týr suggested, as Víðarr's face became deathly pale.
"I don't know. The rune stone is in my father's personal study. I know Arvid wanted to attempt the ceremony but my father told him no. And we hear the arguments sometimes, often. My father would not give that to red over here, as he would call him an outsider." Víðarr answered.
"Ancestor Regression?" Ronald enquired, as he frowned.
"It is the most painful thing you will experience. So it works by…." Víðarr began, as he continued late into that evening, with the explanation. Ronald's face was terrified when he understood what the process entailed.
Ancestor Regression was an ancient ritual where a person would be put under great pain via an enchantment. This 'enchantment' worked almost like magical waterboarding. Essentially it would attempt to strip a person of their magic, but just before the process occurred, the foreign magic would back off and allow the host's body to recover. The magic within the person would evolve, as it tried to counter the foreign, invasive magic. The enchantment would continuously probe the person's magical core in many different ways, until the host's magic had evolved, and was strong enough to fight the enchantment off. The process was brutal, and very painful. Screaming was not uncommon. Some people often begged for death during the process, and the runestone had no problem with granting that wish.
Weakness was not to be tolerated.
Ancestor Regression was something that was not taken lightly. The process came from a time when the Vikings lived a harsh lifestyle, where pain and misery were expected realities for the warriors. It was rumoured that the Berserker magic was descended from the older families where many warriors had managed to survive the regression process. These warriors would then father children and pass on the genetic gift that had been awakened. While the process had its name in Old Norse, Ancestor Regression was an acceptable name in English, because the process 'awakened' many dormant gifts that had been passed on by a person's ancestor. Both boys had inherited some of it as family magic, but the final ceremony was a decade away.
"Is Ancestor Regression only something you practice, or did other cultures have their versions?" Ronald asked.
"I think all cultures had some version of it. Why do you ask?" Víðarr inquired.
"To answer your question, I have an idea why our Harry is that powerful. Harry has given me permission to tell people certain private snippets about himself where I believe it will be useful.
So what I do know is that Harry's lineage comes from Rome and it is possible that many of his ancestors were centurions. Career soldiers for the Roman Empire. Now assume that the magical warlocks all underwent the rituals, married, had children and passed the gift on. So we have the Potters. Now imagine this also happened with the mages, healers, artificers and those types of people too. Now you have the Marius line, and that became the Peverell lineage. All out mage-caster types.
The gifts on both sides become dormant, and then the Potters meet the Marius line, aka the Peverells because of a marriage. Marcus Potter and Lucretia Preverell got married as the last surviving heirs of their family. Approximately four centuries later, Harry had a freak accident that almost kills him. It forces the old magic of both lines to awaken, and then we get a guy who decided to smash buildings on a weekend." Ronald mused.
"That is quite possibly what happened. Magic was something that thrived under pain in the old days. Magic is more accessible via a wand, but it lost its capability and potency. Many people in the reserve move away from wands, especially those who are in the runes and other disciplines." Týr explained.
"So I suppose the people who want to go through with the process hope to gain access to wandless magic? After all, you suggested I could go through with this to unlock my…magic?" Ronald asked.
"Yes. A person can become predisposed to wandless magic if the body is altered slowly. Certain rituals slowly can shape a child from birth, and we begin to practice from early. That was how we were predisposed to it. Blood Runes were used on us as children. However, sometimes people can start to learn even in their adulthood and still catch on. Freyja was like that. No traceable lineage and she is far more powerful than us. One of the most powerful witches, among the juniors." Víðarr explained.
"Wandless magic is a myth in magical England and most of Europe. Europeans are really big on wands. Back home, wands are even fashion statements to a certain extent," Ronald laughed.
"Hermione is one of the few people who can summon wandless magic for combat. There are two other people we know, also. Nakula from Sanjeevani, in India. And his friend Sato, from Japan. We have never seen her fight by the way. But we have heard the rumours about her…." Víðarr replied.
The pair of boys then explained briefly about the relationship the place shared with India – they often hosted Healers from India when medical cases became complex. Similarly, many of the seniors were sent to India to be trained in the mind arts. They explained that Nakula was younger than them, and was essentially the guardian of the Mountain. You did not cross him. Sato was a mutual friend of his from Japan, and her lineage stemmed directly from the Imperial courts. She was known to take on hundreds of other combatants, at once.
Little did Ronald know that Nakula was currently terrorising Harry daily, and that he had found his way to the infamous ashrama.
Ronald was teaching the pair to play All Fours. It was one of the classic English card games that he liked. He continued to chat with the boys, as he picked up unique knowledge that was linked to the history of the reserve – the pair had even clarified that their own people from the local magical Norwegian schools were also very wand-heavy types.
The boys after recovering from the initial duel, had a discussion with Master Skallagrimson – he had openly admitted that he had sent them to face the girl, so that they could learn a lesson. He had even reiterated that she could have lopped both of them in half without hesitation, because she had done far more violent things in reality. There needed to be an agreement between their dragons was also considered – Daffodil refused to be parted from Hermione, and they (the reserve) would have to make sure that the young hatchling and her new rider knew what they needed to fight, effectively. After all, Jörmungandr and Níðhöggr had demanded the most intense training for their daughter and Hermione for the rest of her holiday.
Víðarr and Týr found themselves curious about her battles. Hermione volunteered some of her memories, as she explained that taking a life was a terrible affair. When the pair had felt the terror of Priya's kidnapping, and the drone deployment from her memories, they understood death, first hand. Then came the Diagon Alley fight, as Hermione had swallowed hard before lining up headshots and blowing heads off. Finally was the beheading of a man, in Madam Pomfrey's changing room. Even a faint recollection of the feelings in the pensieve memories had caused both boys to vomit. Hermione had patted their backs.
"Welcome to the real world where battle is bloody, necessary and not one bit glorious and romantic. We are very much the anti-heroes." Hermione explained.
If a picture was a thousand words, a pensieve experience was easily millions of them. It was enough for the pair to understand the hard lessons that Hermione had experienced. The pair now knew of Harry and his mother, even though they had not met them. Týr insisted that he wanted to learn how to fly the Thunderbolt and Hermione explained that she would continue to visit the reserve regular
Víðarr had noticed that Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley both liked each other. As he thought about Freyja late into the night, he decided to ask for some advice, as they all drank a beer.
"I have liked Freyja for a long time. But she hates me. Any advice for me?" looked on incredulously – his friend had to be very desperate to reveal such a thing.
"Hmm – I won't say I am good with that sort of thing. But my friend Tracey? We call her the Love Doctor. I could put you on to her. She..might..be able to help?"
"I always wonder if she might find someone soon. I know she hasn't been seeing anybody because she is busy, but that could change. I will take any help I can get." Víðarr replied.
"And I am glad to help," Ronald replied, with a knowing smile. He too, knew what was love at first sight.
Sirius had learnt a fair deal of combat during his time at the Ashrama or more correctly, the Kalari, in Kerala.
Bheema continued to knick Sirius regularly. However, Sirius soon learned to draw upon Herald as he ignored the pain and soldiered on. Sirius even became quite good at dodging, as Herald started to manifest in his movements. The evening time was spent as he received medical treatment, replenished his strength by eating the local cuisine, and then left to see Hindustani classical music and dance performances. Sirius was not an expert at the weapon, but he was beginning to get competent enough to knock away mock wands with sudden strikes, and he could even target necks and wrists, accurately on the wooden, animated dummies.
Even Bheema was impressed, as he did not endeavour to brutalise Sirius. There was a conscious nod that always occurred, as Bheema understood how much to push Sirius. Bheema often gave Sirius Ayurvedic massages as he reworked the flow of the prana in his back. Sirius now had an acceptable fluency in Malayalam along with Tamil, and was just one of the random foreigners who had come to India to enjoy himself. Sirius became family to the people at the Kalari. Some of the other men in the area affectionately referred to him as Pāmpu. Priya would often check in on him, after her dance class was finished, and both of them talked about his experience with the Dementors. There was also the discussion of Orion and Wallaburga who were two raving nutcases. He often spoke about Narcissa and Bellatrix who would visit Grimmauld Place regularly. They were formerly princess types before they had become vindictive. Andromeda was the only person who would stay with him, until he ran away. Finally, the discussion about Marlene McKinnon had arrived, along with her rape and killing by Lord Nott.
Priya had finally decided to talk about Akash, who was a person like herself – he was a mundane Indian wizard who had attended Illvermony. He had all of the same challenges that she had – they had met through a pen pal program and were happy to discuss the cultural adjustments of attending a magical school, while also being an Indian immigrant. Finally, he had moved to England and was killed by a drunk driver, as he was taken by surprise one evening.
Only later she would discover that Death Eater attack had caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. St Mungos could not do anything for him, as he had already spent too much time in the mundane hospital. After his transfer, as the healers ran the Bonham Triage, and he expired before her eyes. Priya explained that she didn't bother to date after that event, and she decided that she was going to get a 'muggle job' because she was 'tired of magical shit'. Her job application had gone missing around that time, and it was too much. Voldemort was present, and she was scared after Cassius had tailed her and Lorna in Hogsmeade.
These conversations had paved the way for deeper understanding between the couple. They were two people who had lost someone they loved, in different ways. Priya had been asked not to exercise any form of physical intimacy, until her basic training was complete – there was a lot of time to talk.
"What has Harry been doing?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, just causally watching Black holes at the centre of the galaxy, and gushing about high energy physics and all types of things I don't understand. When he isn't doing that, Nakula gives him a workout."
"He sounds like a badass. He is better than Harry?"
"Harry is fairly good, but he is far from Nakula. A lot of old magic was weaved into him as a child, and he has a fast brain. He is good with any weapon, and can cast multiple elemental spells wandlessly." Priya replied.
"Not surprising. Bheema is an absolute terror when he fights. And when he speaks to you elsewhere, you would swear he is the nicest person in the world. Tamil is a language that sounds round and non-threatening. Only when he takes his Urumi out, then you realise that you are in trouble."
"Do you have any scars?" Priya asked.
"No. They do not damage me, unduly. I think I am being accommodated and given an accelerated program. I did promise upon my magic to learn the art form to the fullest, as pass it down to our children." Sirius replied, with a small blush on your face. Priya gave Sirius a radiant smile.
Anybody from far away could see that they were smitten with each other.
"That would make me happy. You should see Vasuki! Looks like a normal cobra until he is ready to wreck everything when he upsizes to nine heads, and begins to breathe fire. Even Grace looks a bit bigger. She has almost doubled her speed, and makes a lot of tight turns and dives now for fun. Harry likes to toss rocks and have her collect them. High speed fetch."
"What about you?" Sirius asked, as the pair entered their room, and prepared to sleep.
"My mental mindscape is changing. I am less anxious now. It's dark so you cant see it, but my eyes have become…..settled? Well, I don't know how to explain it….it is hard…."
"My mother used to call that Pureblood eyes. It is something that usually occured by your 120th birthday. Magic became part of your visage. Only the most powerful and pure of the Purebloods were supposed to have that gift. I was surprised to see that many of the elders here, do have that look about them too. However, it makes sense why that is the case. In the morning you can show me those lovely eyes, won't you!" Sirius joked, as they both prepared to go to sleep.
"You rascal. Very smooth eh…." Priya laughed.
The next morning, both of them surprised each other when they each had "Pureblood" eyes.
"I guess our magic has been forced to manifest under challenging conditions." Priya commented.
"Definitely. I didn't know my eyes had changed, I haven't watched myself in a mirror for a long time. I hope you and Harry will come and watch my combat exhibition when we are ready to leave?" Sirius replied.
"Of course we will. I want to see you in a loincloth while you fight, haha!" Priya laughed, before she prepared to go to her dance class.
"If that is the tradition, that is the tradition! I found it somewhat….homoerotic!" Sirius laughed, as he wiggled his eyebrows. Priya nodded her head, with a small smile on her face.
Neville was now at the final chamber at Ynys Môn or the isle of Anglesey.
Neville had spent the last four weeks, visiting the various henges daily. Some of them he had visited before he had found Caturix. On the quieter days, Neville and Luna managed two henges daily as the locations were familiar. As they entered the hidden antechambers, they undertook the activities, and documented the songs.
Neville had learnt much. The rite of passage for a magical Druid was often a passage into adulthood, for many young men in the ancient days. Neville's back was alive, as he could often feel the characteristics of the plants in his body. As he touched the stems and the stalks, the magic in his back mirrored the plant, as its structure became a bodily experience. As he closed his eyes, he could see the entire plant as a living breathing organism, as the biochemical processes that occurred.
Neville had learnt to control the flowering times, the maturation time, the chlorophyll count, the flavour profile, the nutrient requirements, the resistance to disease and all other types of characteristics of various plants. Of course, he could not modify indiscriminately. Rather any one issue when addressed and tweaked, incurred penalties elsewhere.
There were any standard number of wanded charms that could stimulate plant growth. However, they only helped existing flowers to bloom fully and did not change the characteristics of the plant. Neville, as he touched the cold hard stone in the final antechamber, knew what was his challenge. He would have to take non-magical seeds, modify its characteristics into a magical plant, modify the yield, and use purely wandless magic to accelerate the plant's growth. There were any number of seeds in a small stone jar, but Neville thought about what he and Hermione had discussed, and he rummaged around in his backpack. Luna through the spinal link, knew exactly what Neville wanted to do.
"So, go big or go home?" Luna laughed.
"I guess. Look I don't understand the biochem, but even with traditional growing methods, having magical soybean plants with higher densities and faster maturation times means more fresh Tofu for you. And Hermione will want to get some of that too. As for engineering some type of bacteria to convert the milk? Sorry that is above my paygrade!" Neville laughed.
"When you are finished here, will you be able to complete the modified rice?" Luna asked.
"When? How about if I will finish?" Neville wondered, as he attempted to shuffle all the challenges before him. The cold stone hinted at him shuffling at least thirty variables for his final test. He was undertaking decades of learning, in a compressed span of a month, after all.
"No, you will succeed. I have faith in you." Luna replied, as she sent her feelings of reassurance. She was quite pleased to let him know that, he was the best farmer that existed in the world. Poor Neville did what any young man would do – he blushed profusely.
"You are the best girl a guy can ask for. I might be able to speed the process up the rice a little. But some plants need time and exposure to the elements for magical adaptations to…..ah shit…."
Neville had paused.
"So this is what a discovery feels like? Now I understand why Harry never wants to leave his lab!" Neville considered, before he ended in a full belly laugh.
"What did you discover?" Luna asked, as she had not been paying attention to Neville's thoughts through the spinal link.
"The best way to get plants to take to magical adaptations quickly is to artificially stress them with harsh conditions while the magic is actively guided to protect the plant. The biology of the plant will interface into the magic as it makes the assumptions, and it would be carried on in the plant's genetics…."
"So like….exercising the plant actively? Like how we train? It actually makes sense. Like…forced survival of the fittest?" Luna asked.
"I guess so. We could try with the soybean seed. If we are right, oh we might have something fantastic to show to Harry and Hermione, when we see them next. I would love it if we could present some nicely modified plants and a record of all the Gaulish songs we learnt…."
"Well, it's a good thing that we have been saving seeds. How about if you adapt a Scorpion pepper into maybe a Dragon pepper?" Luna suggested.
"If we are successful with the soybean, we will do some others. Alright let us learn the song and we will get started," Neville replied.
Over the next two days, Neville's haphazard discovery not only allowed him to sprout a soybean seedling into a mound of dirt. There was also a pepper plant, along with random fruit plants that he had managed to grow from his small container of fruit salad seeds. These plants were different from non-magical versions. Neville from his intuitions was able to tell that these seedlings would have far larger yields, enhanced crop sizes and would be hardened against disease. The only drawback was that they required almost thrice the light of the non-magical crops, as it was used by the extra chlorophyll to allow the plant to produce its crop faster.
After Neville had managed the initial challenge with the soybean, he had been given a golden Celtic torc, that was full of twisting vines and holly flowers. The neck bracelet also ended in two bears which had their jaws snarling. This was not a coincidence – the Longbottom house Magic was a bear, after all. As the item appeared on the cold stone, Neville had taken it and placed it on his neck. Strangely enough, a smaller wristband appeared, and it was a miniature version of Neville's accessory that was perfectly sized for Luna's dainty hand.
"Look honey, you get something too!" Neville laughed, as she slipped on the item.
"I was thinking that I wanted something just like yours to match, but something smaller. Looks like I got what I wanted!" Luna laughed as realised that she was also a druid – or correctly, a Druidess.
The magic in both of the conjured items had informed that they were both successful. And yet after they were done, they did not leave immediately. Neville and Luna spent the next two days buying agricultural supplies and even hydroponic nutrients, as the pair of lovebirds returned to the antechamber and carried out all types of experiments. Daphne even had to develop a protego containment field that could supply concentrated carbon dioxide and increased light from an emitter.
And the stones hummed in satisfaction. The knowledge of the Druids would survive, once again.
After the both of them were satisfied that they had made enough progress, they dragged back the apparatus and the other flowerpots out of the antechamber and packed everything on the Thunderbolt trainer. Then after some flying, they were back at their starting point, at the yew tree.
Once again, Caturix and the rest of the men were waiting as Neville and Luna arrived with their hands, all filled with all types of highly modified seedlings. As Caturix stretched out his hand, he closed his eyes and a smile lit up his face. He made his way over to the pepper and soybean plants which were in a sterilised environment and were growing so quickly that Caturix could sense that in two weeks they could have a viable crop.
"Both of you have been recognised. You have added something new to the lore. The natural harsh weather conditions of our time stressed our magical plants naturally. You have found a way to introduce it deliberately, and to accelerate the growth even more. No, the old ways have come back thanks to the efforts of both of you. What will you do now?" Caturix asked.
"Win the war. Then, fix world hunger. Let everybody's table be bountiful." Neville explained, confidently.
"And I will help him every step of the way. No, the creatures and the leylines that I have seen? Their relation to the magical plants? They will be officially named and codified, and published for all to see between the Veil. Let us know the magic of Mother Earth and her organisms, much more deeply." Luna replied.
"The magic of the Celtic people is satisfied. We will have to make an adjustment. On the wall is the tattoo that Druid Neville will take on his back and on his upper arms. But what about you, Druidess Luna? You are eligible for this tattoo too. I can conjure it, for you too." Caturix suggested.
"We will do custom tattoos, that carry your blessing. I will link into Neville's mind, and guide his hands as if they were mine. And that will be satisfactory. I trust him" Luna replied, with a dreamy smile.
"So be it then. Come and take this ink, and use it exactly as it is. You may however load it into a tattoo gun if you prefer. We used metal pins in the old days and they were not sharp. It was terribly painful. As long as the ink is delivered under the skin, the ritual will be complete." Caturix instructed, as he prepared to fade into nothing. Luna hilariously took out a tattoo gun that had been bought beforehand. Ginny had modified the reciprocating mechanism with a small magical solenoid and power crystal. Caturix howled in laughter.
"Excellent Druidess Luna, you will ensure that your future husband is always ready. When you are both done, you will give back the jewellery that was summoned. I will observe this, as it represents the reawakening of the Druids after two millennia of sleeping," Caturix explained.
"Could we take a copy of the jewellery items, and make versions for ourselves?" Neville asked. Caturix nodded, and Ginny was put into action as she sent scanners to the Thunderbolt Trainer Cargo bay, via a small inbuilt transportation pad.
When Luna started to tattoo Neville with the indigo ink, because of her shared Druid magic with Neville, It did not take long for her to figure out how much of the needle should penetrate into the skin. She also was able to guide the ink even when it was under the skin, with her left hand. Luna began to copy the patterns Caturix provided into Neville's back, as she added on embellishments and many of the flowers that they had seen throughout the journey they had taken. Neville's magic began to hum, as the pain from the flesh was silenced, and his body welcomed his ancient birthright. Luna lovingly did Neville's upper arms and even went for some of the shoulders. When she was finished, Neville looked at his arms and then his back with a conjured mirror.
"You have much talent in your hands, Druidess. But I did see your magnificent paintings, in your mind. That even the songs have been written into his back is a great honour for us," Caturix commented – the tattoos were ancient, modern and full of Luna's style and her love too.
"Thank you. Now Neville will draw many of the creatures that I have seen…." Luna replied as she took off her T-shirt and bra and laid flat on the cold stone. She gently took control of Neville's arm and he began to work, as their new magic was shared between the pair. She used his eyes, and his hands, and soon found the right rhythm and speed as she got as creative, as she desired.
It was the middle of the night when Neville had finished. With the Druidic magic and Luna aiding him, he had managed to draw something so beautiful that even his involvement as a puppet humbled him. Luna's arm and back were filled with a menagerie of strange creatures, as they all fluttered around and got about their business – it was the equivalent of having a living zoo on her back. Yet the lines and the style looked sophisticated, cartoonish and sacred all at the same time. Neville then realised that this was the essence of Luna's personality. As both of them sprayed their bodies with Medi-Spray and executed some of Priya's healing spells, the torc and the wrist bracelet disappeared. Neville had already captured a copy of both items with a scanner, and Neville and Luna had intoned the necessary oaths.
They promised to pass on the skill, and to send others on the journey when enough changes had come to magical society.
Luna and Neville had now left the antechamber and were making a final check on the Thunderbolt trainer. Luna decided that she would fly them home and take the scenic route. She had gotten enough practice, and was not afraid of the sticks. Neville and Luna hugged each other under the moonlight, as they looked up at the twinkling stars.
"Not a bad holiday after all?" Neville asked.
"No best one yet. And funny enough, this is my first holiday without daddy!" Luna laughed.
"Let us get back and see Mum and Dad. Then we can see your father."
"I wonder if everybody else had a good time?" Luna asked.
"When we get into the workshop, we can ask?" Neville replied.
Sten Mustaparta was a little bit different from most at the Dragon Reserve. While he was Norwegian, his lineage had come from Finland. His great grandfather had migrated many decades ago. Sten had no knowledge of magic, until he had received an invitation to attend a magical school in Norway. Sten demonstrated a great aptitude towards magical creatures and was a savant at charms with a wand. Based on his skill, he eventually got admission to the Dragon Reserve.
And that was where he had met Maja Nystrøm.
Maja was a rather beautiful girl who specialised in Arithmancy. She too was not born into a magical lineage and she had gotten into the Reserve based on her excellence. She had attended an all-girls magical academy that was essentially a magical private school. Maja's parents were mundanes, but her father was one of the many well off Norwegians who could spend large amounts of money. He ran a business that moved hundreds of shipping containers daily, and his daughter would only have the best.
Maja believed that she was wealthy, beautiful and deserved someone interesting and dashing. When she arrived, immediately made friends with Sten, as they worked on projects and saw each other regularly. Later on, Maja had seen Víðarr on his dragon as he practised his flying, and that was it. Maja and her small group of friends considered Víðarr and Týr to be real life representations of prince charming on a dragon, with a sword. Then, their prowess and ability to charge in and deliver heavy sword strikes on the training dummies had most of the young girls looking on with admiration. Many times the girls had tried to approach the pair, but Víðarr and Týr had been instructed by their fathers not to associate with those who were weaklings.
Their apparent aloofness only added to their mystique.
Sten's curiosity was aroused, when Arvid had approached Víðarr and Týr to ask for something. Immediately they gave a look that said "Absolutely Not".
Sten eventually heard about the Ancestor Regression – Arvid was a person who had a traceable Berserker lineage and was interested in seeing if he could undergo the ritual to unlock additional access to his wandless magic. He could already cast wandless magic, but it was not as powerful as the others. The scope of the argument was sound – he was making the case that he needed a little push. The other boys who descended from Viking lineages often accused Víðarr and Týr parents of withholding power from the rest, as they falsely believed that the ritual was painless. Víðarr's father continued to ignore them, as he kept the rune stone in a protected wooden box, with every type of ward and trap that would kill a person.
Sten knew that Maja would never pay him any attention. When he returned home for occasional holidays, only had his parent's farm to keep him company. The issue of Maja not paying attention, began to feel like the same drag at the reserve where he was supposed to have his adventure – once again he was an invisible academic. With the newly acquired information, he saw how he could refashion a new identity to impress the young lady of his dreams. And perhaps it was foolish, but Sten's heart wanted the girl.
Sten often listened to Arvid as he argued with his parents. While Sten did not speak the old Norse, he had eventually become fluent. He now had a actionale plan to secretly get the item - The wards were for killing persons, not anything else.
Sten got hold of a Glumbumble, and then guided the insect as a spy, with a custom developed spell. He was able to see through its compound eyes and hear what was being said. While the insect's perception was garbled, it didn't take too long for Sten to figure out where the special runestone was stored. Sten observed the box and eventually found a replica. Then, he trained a Niffler to find the box and bring it to him, with the aid of a mockup. For many months he had planned the affair. He would carry out the ritual, and receive the power and skill, before asking his Niffler to carry back the artefact.
And then the outsiders had arrived.
Sten had been watching on, next to Maja and her friends when Víðarr and Týr had challenged the visitors. Maja was sure that Víðarr would win, until Hermione's armour had assembled itself and the force field shield had appeared. The English girl's eyes had gone dead cold, when she explained that she was a killer. Sten had the happiest look on his face as Hermione had trashed Víðarr. Then the redhead boy had put down so much gunfire on the dragon, that it had dropped from being stunned.
Sten loved the pair. Maja and her friends were surprised, and the rumours had passed around the reserve. The English girl was the rider of Daffodil, the last of the two eldest dragons at the reserve. Better yet, Maja had tried to cosy up to Ronald when he had looked Maja dead in the eye one afternoon and explained that he wasn't interested. He preferred his women "more down to earth" and he didn't "cater to the princess types." Sten should have ideally observed that Maja was no good for him if her affections shifted so easily. Sometimes, infatuation could truly be blind. Everybody suspected that the visitors were a pair, and there were disappointed young people everywhere.
Sten soon made friends with Ronald, as they occasionally helped each other on certain days. He found the redhead to be friendly, liked to tell jokes, and even had a quiet confidence and persona that encouraged excellence in others. Ronald's competence had reached the parents of his two hated enemies, and he was glad that Víðarr's father often discussed the visitors, and was hardly in his study.
It was a Monday evening. Sten had executed his plan successfully, and the box in his hand. Sten then went to an isolated cave at the end of the reserve and put the box on the ground. He did not know how the entire process worked, but it looked like he could touch the stone.
Ronald Weasley who had been assigned to his evening meditation, heard the disturbance. An initial blood curdling scream was heard, before the deserted environment went silent. Ronald cast his magic with his wand and felt the source before he messaged Hermione one of their agreed SOS codes. She was transported to his location twenty seconds later, with Freyja in tow as they began to look for the source of the event.
Twenty minutes later, Baldr Trygveson, father of Víðarr had arrived at the reserve hospital, as Sten's body convulsed. There was a sad look on his face, as the other families had assembled around the issue. The conversation happened in old Norse, but Hermione and Ronald understood enough to follow along. The healers had the Medi-Bracelet clamped to the boy's arm as they tried to keep him alive. They had tried to remove the artefact but upon pointing their wands at the item, the pain that had been induced into the healers had caused them to stop.
"Jarl Trygveson, you better explain what type of dark artefact is this!" one of the healers roared, as she questioned the man.
"This is the Angurvadal." the man replied quietly, and the room went deathly silent.
"But why is it killing him?" another healer asked.
"Because the boy is not strong enough. Many times those who wanted to do the ancestor regression approached me to use this runestone. I explained that the process is painful and that it kills. You have to be at least thirty to go through with the change. The rest of you did not believe me. You accused me of hoarding power. Well, see for yourself." Baldr Trygveson replied, calmly
"Can the process be stopped?" another healer asked.
"No. The Shamans who created this artefact, considered that warriors might change their minds when undergoing the process. If you attempt to remove the item, cancel the magic, or destroy the item, it will kill the boy instantly." Trygveson explained.
"But he is dying in any case! Can Master Skallagrimson do anything?" Freyja asked.
"No. This enchantment is ironclad. The enchantment was wrought by 1000 shamans conjuring the magic into the runes. It is one of those things that is either unbroken or broken. And would you honestly destroy a piece of our priceless heritage to rescue a common thief?" Bladr Trygveson asked.
Now the other magical clans were watching on, and they were debating the validity of destroying the artefact. It would kill the boy anyway. Was the best thing to leave it be? Baldr went into a small primer as to how the item worked, and the rest of people paled. Freyja closed her eyes, and contacted Master Skallagrimson.
"Master?"
"Yes Freyja?"
"Sten stole the Angurvadal from Víðarr's father. Can anybody at Sanjeevani do anything?"
"Foolish boy. This has happened once before, about two hundred years ago. I could easily destroy the artefact and save the boy, but it is not my place to tell people what they can do with their private property. Nonetheless, I am going to call Sage Atri and ask him to send who he thinks is appropriate. They also have magical readings that they captured from the last time this happened. I have a feeling I will ask Sage Atri to send Priya. She and Hermione might provide a different perspective. You may tell those who are gathered, of this conversation."
Freya then exited her mental conversation and explained to the rest:
"Master Skallagrimson is going to contact Sanjeevani and they will send their best. Master explained that about two centuries ago the rune stone was stolen, and Sanjeevani tried to deal with the issue the last time. And they did not succeed. He is hoping that their methods have advanced." Freyja replied. There was a slow nod, as everyone hoped that perhaps the boy might survive. Hermione who knew the meaning word from Harry's religious escapades asked:
"Sanjeevani?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Best place in the world for learning healing. Sage Atri has been running that Ashram for eight hundred years. And better yet, your Aunt, Harry and Grace are staying there. If Sage Atri thinks that your aunt might be able to contribute, she will come."
"You know where Harry and Aunty Pri are?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Master stepped out to India recently, and it is complicated. Sage Atri knows who you are, in passing too. I was instructed to stay silent – not that I didn't want to say anything. That is a place in the Himalayas, that needs to stay secret." Freyja replied softly. Hermione nodded, and hoped that she would see her favourite 'aunt' soon.
"We might not have that much time. We might lose him in the next twenty minutes. His body is beginning to shut down!" a healer replied, as Hermione shuffled over.
"Please, don't be concerned. I built this with artefacts my brother. I am accessing a prototype suite of functionalities that we haven't rolled out yet," Hermione replied, as she entered the administrative interface and called Daphne.
"Daff?"
"Hi Mione how are…"
"Love, I need the entire rev3 medical suite deployed to bracelet 5657-ABB-21 right now. Life and death situation." Hermione cut across, urgently. The snake went silent and scrambling was heard in the background. There was an impatient fifteen second wait as the bracelet turned off and rebooted in five seconds. Now the full holographic suite was scanning the body, as it summoned a projection of the organic systems and magical map of Sten's core. Then, there was a small crackling noise, as Freya who had stepped out of the room, walked in with Siddhi, Amarnath and Priya. There was a small hug between Hermione, Ronald and Priya as she looked at the bracelet.
"Hello, you two. Sweetie, is this the rev3 suite?" Priya asked.
"Yes?" Hermione replied.
Siddhi began to look through the Sanskrit compendiums from the previous time the issue had happened. Siddhi issued her instructions in Sanskrit:
"Pri, you will keep an eye on the bracelet and work with me to repair his body. Amarnath, try to see the magical tendrils and see if they can be severed," Siddhi replied, as the reserve's internal healers stayed on hand to assist with the matter. Eventually, the visitors asked the others to leave, and only for Baldr Trygveson to stay as Siddhi questioned the man through Freyja, who translated. Ronald and Hermione were about to leave, but Priya firmly said:
"Stay both of you. A familiar face is good for me. If we get stuck you might be able to help…."
Both of them nodded and Hermione attempted to take an arithmantic dump of the magic of the item, from her toolkit. The magic of the item seemed quite pleased that its functionality could be replicated, and there were no hostile reactions. The magic had sentience, and that was brand new. Hermione considered that it was somewhat similar to a Horcrux.
"Gramps? I need a data dump." Hermione asked. She soon saw the most complex evolutionary algorithm she had ever witnessed.
Daphne exclaimed, "Well crap, this is damned hard-core..."
"This might be useful for another project" Hermione replied behind the privacy ward, as they began their work.
Three hours later, Siddhi was able to keep the boy alive, and to lessen his pain. Hermione had parked the Thunderbolt-II outside, and had requested Whootsy and Bootsy send the cradle over. Siddhi was able to interface the item, and the reactor was pumping large amounts of magic into the boy. The enchantment was still attacking the boy's magic and all they had managed to do was to flush his system regularly. However, his body was still shutting down, and while Amarnath continued to mutter entire pages of endless mantras, the enchantment in the artefact became more aggressive. Master Skallagrimson also made himself available as he brewed many unknown potions to assist the situation. he also worked with Siddhi, to attempt to remove the artefact without damaging either party.
Ronald was a lifesaver as he helped with cables and getting everything quickly connected. Baldr Trygveson did not speak English, but Víðarr and Týr had helped with the translations. The man even with his reservations, appreciated the engineering of the craft. Freyja continued with the potions, and three extra healers had been sent along with Nakula, to see if the additional help might slow down the curse. Priya had provided all the 'muggle' ideas that had not been available the last time. Siddhi continued to look over the records, and Amarnath and the rest continued to rapidly heal the boy. So far the fusion of modern and arcane had only done one thing – it had delayed the inevitable.
"We made a lot of progress. My predecessor had not managed to keep the previous person alive for this long. But he will not last until the morning!" Siddhi said sadly.
Out of the blue, Ronald walked up to the edge of the bed and said, "Perhaps, he deserves to be punished for committing the wrong actions. I work with him every other evening. I know why he did this. He hoped to become charming to impress a young woman. He had not said anything, but I know the look…."
The rest of the healers looked in surprisingly. Víðarr translated for his father.
"So, for love. There was a time, when I would have done the same thing. I suppose I am foolish too. I would like for him to survive. So, I will carry him through, and I will take his burden away from him so that he may live. Sometimes we must sacrifice for other's safety." Ronald replied, as he looked at Hermione and nodded.
Hermione was about to open her mouth and stop him, before he said, "The rest of you, save him…I will manage. I offer myself so that he may be protected…."
He then put his hand on the item, clenched his teeth and roared in pain before he cast his intention at the object and said:
"He is not ready. He did not know what he was asking for. You want a body to pay the price? Have mine. If a piece of me is what you want…..A piece of me is what you shall have. Come and have your ten pounds of flesh…."
The stone disconnected, and echoed in his mind in old Norse. The voice of one thousand shamans was heard. Ronald knew what the reply meant.
"We accept your sacrifice, warrior."
Part III: Sacrifice
Ronald was now clutching his body on the floor and there were tears in his eyes. However, there were no screams. Rather there were roars of pain, as he began to sweat. He was now on his knees, and he could feel as his magic was leaving him. Even his blood seemed to boil, within him.
"No. You may not have it!" Ronald roared, with gritted teeth. There was a small convulsion but Ronald threw it off. Nakula who understood what had occurred, asked the obvious question to Freyja who he knew in passing:
"Ancestor….Regression?" Nakula asked.
"Unfortunately…..but he seems to be managing…." Freyja replied.
Nakula went to Ronald's side and said, "Breathe. When the Magic is attacking your core, hold your breath. Hold the prana or the magic in you. It becomes a shield…."
There was a deep gasping as Ronald nodded, and complied. Magni had arrived, and Baldr Trygveson told his son in Old Norse:
"He has offered himself willingly as a warrior. You have studied the lore. Guide him, and he might survive. Let the boy call upon his ancestors to help him. They will contribute the best of their blood. Now the challenge is if he will survive the night. He is not out of danger, yet…"
Ronald sat on his knees as Hermione and Freyja provided him with water and company, as the pain came in numerous episodes. As the ritual began to take effect, Hermione was able to strap a Medi-Bracelet. Somehow, the magic of the artefact was satisfied that it was getting to claim a body, and it made no attempt to attack Ronald, as he was assisted into his transition. Sten on the other hand, was being repaired at full speed by all the healers as Siddhi and Amarnath worked on rebuilding many biological systems. Priya then began to openly chant her mantras, as she worked on the heart. Hermione realised that her aunt had learnt much. The young man was literally stitched back together from being on the edge of death.
Somewhere around midnight, Ronald became delirious as he laughed like a madman.
"The cruciatus mighta only twickle me now…..my nerves ar on fiya. My bones hurt. Steam-ruller in my head…wheee….Hehehehe. Tickle, Tickle, Tickle!" Ronald laughed, as Nakula smiled.
"Want a sandwich with that?" Hermione asked, as she held his shoulder.
"I want you….." Ronald said, before the room got quiet for three seconds.
Hermione suddenly began to sweat, and Freyja noticed that her eyes danced in delight. Priya was completely out of sight and was laughing. Suddenly some clarity came to Ronald, and he continued, "to make some paaaasta for me.…."
Hermione's face deflated and became frustrated, but Freya understood that the rest of the line was just a smooth save. Nakula immediately figured out the dynamics of the situation and said…"Do you have a vegetarian option?" as he grinned at Magni. The combat instructor held an unchanging face but there was mirth in his eyes.
"Yes. Vegan actshuwally. Peerrrfeck for yur re-lishius…religius reeequairmeeentz." Ronald laughed. Nakula blinked and found himself laughing at the redhead.
"Say about five hundred grams of pasta should be good for you?" Hermione asked, as she tried to keep a straight face. Ronald nodded and crawled up in a little ball, before he fainted.
Three hours later, Ronald was garbling absolute rubbish, but it was very endearing. Ronald spilled the contents of his big heart in slurred English.
"When the dorkwanka arwarives, I will takes my warmaces and put it their behinds. Goona quack some skullz and make sures that nobodies gets hurts. Goings to be the best shots with a guns, gonna fulla da bwastards with holes! Gunna protects my fwamily. I miss my fwiends….cant waits for skools agains…I wants to spendss times withs my familliez, pweease?"
There was a little pause, and Nakula held Ronald by his shoulder and spoke:
"Hold the breath when the magic works its way through. When the foreign magic has finished its attack, expel the contaminants….breathe Ronald, breathe." Nakula explained.
"Close your eyes Ronald. Father says you are almost through. Sten will eventually make a full recovery. You saved him." Víðarr replied, as Ronald became happy.
"He was jussss lonely. Wanted to bwee seens. Like….me….I wanted two beee sween…I wanted to be guuudddssss enough. I changed for …my family. I was…..scarwed…scared…" Ronald confessed.
"Good enough? You are exceptional. And I trust that you will always have my back." Hermione replied, as she stooped down and caressed his face gently and sincerely.
"Think about your family, and think about the people who mean the world to you," Magni replied, as he saw the interaction and found himself reminded of his deceased wife. Ronald gave a small nod, and sat on his knees as he stilled his mind and tried to see beyond the pain. There was a moment of crystal clarity as he saw images of his father, his mother and his family at the table. Then there were images of Neville and Luna, followed by Daphne and Tracey. Finally came images of the extended family which included Harry and his troupe of troublemakers. After all those images had passed, Ronald then looked upon a picture of Hermione as her hair fluttered in the wind, and there was a brilliant smile on her face. She was beautiful, angelic and she was the girl who he loved.
His body suddenly became unnaturally still…
"Beautiful…..Beautiful beyond compare…" Ronald whispered, as his face took on a look of pure joy. The magic of the runestone suddenly faded, and it detached itself from his hand and fell on the floor. Ronald then fainted and Víðarr and Týr smiled.
"It is over. Let him sleep. His magic needs to settle," Víðarr replied. His father looked on the entire affair, and gently put the stone into the box. Then it became quite obvious, that the man had undertaken the ritual already.
He looked at his son and said, "We are lucky tonight. The boy survived, and your friend is now a warrior. He was able to transition because he is disciplined, he works hard, and wants to fight to protect others. Not for fame, and glory. He wants excellence for himself. For many years I have told you that there were the things we were striving for. But sometimes excellence demands the right circumstances. He was pushed. You are too comfortable. Perhaps with death over your head, you might improve rapidly." Baldr Trygveson replied, as he attempted to scare the boy.
For those who spoke the old Norse, everybody understood the point – a foreigner had managed to transition, before his son. However, Víðarr walked up to his father and replied calmly:
"I agree."
There was a silent pause, as the others considered that a family issue was being settled. Freyja looked on curiously as Víðarr composed himself, scratched his chin. Magni had a small smirk, as he looked on. The boy's father was known to be very unreasonable, and he was sure that tonight the tables would turn on him.
"I think you wanted so much excellence for me, that you forgot that excellence must happen not as a singular deed, but as a deed that is connected to the people we serve. And how could I do that after living my whole life in a little bubble? We never played with other children, and are pedigree horses that are socially stunted. We have done what was asked of us, unconditionally. This will no longer happen because our efforts are not appreciated. I say, we will train and we will make ourselves available to serve those who are suffering. Stýrimaðr Hermione Granger and Smiðr Harry Potter undertake regular missions for the I.C.W. I will…."
"We will…." Týr replied as he stood next to Víðarr.
"We will go out there, and we will learn what is necessary. I saw some of Hermione's memories. Plenty who deserve Hel out there. Time for the Dragons to return to the world. Let them see us, let them die in fire and claw. I think both of us will pack from tonight. And if war is coming to England, how could we forget about Ronald?" Víðarr asked, sincerely.
Suddenly there was a look of terror on the man's face. Then everyone realised that the idle threat that had been suggested, had backfired on Baldr. It was at this moment, he knew he fucked up
"I will not give you a single cent, and you will only go with the clothes on your back. You will never receive the gift of the transition. Your new outsider friend will be the last one." Baldr Trygveson replied.
"Good riddance. Traditions and lineage is good, but we cannot afford to get stuck in old ideas. We will learn to be powerful in other ways. And while I may not be welcome in your house, you do not own the reserve. I will ask Master if I am still allowed to visit. I will work as an operative and take on direct assignments to ensure that the fate of the Dragons is secured." Víðarr replied.
"And should you die?" the old man asked, as his voice became doubtful.
"Let Valhǫll receive me then. As the Spartans of Greece would say, I will come back with my shield, or on it..." Víðarr answered before he walked up to Freyja and bowed somewhat.
"Forgive me. I was misguided, as I did not understand non-magical culture. But I have been speaking to Ronald. I hope you will accept my sincere apology for my past behaviour. I thought that if I blindly followed instructions, perhaps I could get a kind word of encouragement. And then, I would get what I deserved.
And this would fill the giant hole in my heart. And I was foolish to think that. I am going off on my own, very soon. I wanted to look upon that which I am familiar with, because I am honestly frightened. I have no idea of how your world works. Goodbye, I guess..." Víðarr replied, in English. Freyja was stunned, and then Víðarr dipped his head and walked off.
Týr smiled as he loudly said, "Time to leave the nest. You got a place to stay Hermione?"
"Between Harry and I? Too much space. I will be glad if you could utilise some of the rooms!" Hermione replied, as she realised family drama was being settled.
"Is your life always filled with so much activities and odd events?" Nakula asked Priya, quietly in a corner.
"Yes. I honestly call our little haven a madhouse. It is always something." Priya replied, before Siddhi temporarily closed her eyes, as Sage Atri contacted her. There was a ten second delay and, Siddhi's face was now grave.
"Pri, Harry slipped away while using the Kalasa. He has been committed to the Abyss. While his physical body is not in danger, you will need to watch over him. His mind is orbiting a black hole, and he did not establish an anchor to find his way back. Tell Hermione the particulars. We are going now..."
Nakula looked on and shook his head. Then he remembered a passing comment that had been made by Sage Atri.
"I know what will happen next week…."
Nakula understood that life itself tested people with trials and tribulations. Harry Potter was being tested. Priya was now explaining Harry's latest project, and now the girl was worried. Hermione wanted to cry, and Nakula came over and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Your brother is being tested. And he will survive. I have fought with him. He will fight to the end. I would have liked to meet you under better circumstances, but we do not have that luxury."
"I realise. Thank you for your reassurance. I try to keep an eye on him. One holiday without supervision and now he is playing with black holes. I am going to have words with him, when he gets back…" Hermione smiled, with a single tear dripping down her face.
"That would be appropriate. I believe we will be seeing each other, in time to come. Goodbye Hermione Granger." Nakula replied as the other healers prepared to transport back to India. Everybody held hands and Priya activated the transporter.
ZAP!
The group was now back in the Ashrama.
"Bright niece you have. Guruji used to conjure energy to send us as a group, but going by ourselves with this transporter is convenient. Come, let us see what we can do for that rascal of a son of yours. We cannot afford to lose our best potato peeler!" Siddhi replied.
Priya despite the situation, managed a melodious laugh.
Harry strangely was not outside under the banyan tree. He was sitting cross legged in his room on the floor. With the kalasa in his hand. His breathing was even, and focused and there was a faint energy residue on his skin. On the small dresser was a note. Siddhi took up the note and read it:
"I do my best work under pressure. I will manage. Wish Hermione was here - Harry."
"What is the meaning of this?" Siddhi asked, although she suspected what was going on.
"Harry was aware that he needed to be careful, not to fall in. But he chose to let the item pull him on, on the risk that the pressure of death would force him to find a way out. He wanted a closer look, because he is trying to solve a particular problem" Priya replied, as she put her hand over her face. Siddhi held Priya's hand, and comforted the woman.
"That was irresponsible. His astral form has been pulled out of his body and is close to a nexus of destruction. You did say he liked to rush into dangerous situations…."
There was a small crackling of lightning, as Sage Atri and Master Skallagrimson appeared. They walked towards the room, and the healers cleared out of their path. Sage Atri touched the boy's head and observed the state of the ongoing crisis. Priya did not want to be rude, so she wanted impatiently for something to be said.
"Child, do not worry about your son. He is safe. He altered the base vibrational frequency of his astral body and now he cannot be harmed by gravity. Let me confer with my friend, as to how we can get him to come home." Sage Atri replied before he chose to mentally communicate with Master Skallagrimson.
"He is learning much, but he has no way out. If he reverts to his standard quantum frequency, he will perish. He is evaluating the possibility of streaming his consciousness back, it seems…" Sage Atri explained.
"Ah. Clever. But the issue is that he didn't take a reading of the earth's magical signature, before he left. He improvised that too late. He might need a…anchor." Master Skallagrimson replied.
"Indeed, but not just an anchor. He needs somebody who he is familiar with. Somebody who understands enough Astronomy to consider the issues. Perhaps, his sister?" Sage Atri suggested.
"I want to suggest that she can get him home. Not the original plan. But it is a sound idea. Time for the child to make the climb. She will have to both save her brother and become worthy." Master Skallagrimson replied as he communicated with Freyja.
"Prepare Hermione Granger for her trek in the Russian Mountains. Disable her magic with the Andvaranaut and turn off her combat amplifier."
"Yes Master. May I ask why we are completely disabling her magic? I am merely….worried. I was allowed some when I tried." Freyja asked.
"If the magic is not completely suppressed and Daffodil senses her distress, she might tear the place down to get her rider. And then her brother is trapped in the abyss. She will have to lead him home. She has to be pushed – remember what we have foreseen. Travel to my residence and wait to receive her, after you explain the situation to her."
"The Abyss?" Freyja asked.
"The Sagittarius A black hole. That will be enough for her to understand. Her brother's mind has left his body. Go and prepare your friend." Master Skallagrimson commanded, gently. There was a mental acknowledgement that was similar to a nod, and Freya terminated the mind link.
"Come Priya, you will continue your studies. I am working on a solution for him." Sage Atri replied, as he weighted out all the possible events.
While the fiasco was in full effect, Remus was listening to the final story before he would embark on his journey to his purification. In the story, those who were willing to do what was right would be cured. The story in excruciating detailed a wolf in the final stage, as it led to a goblet of wine. For the elders who had attempted the trial before, there was a frown on the faces of the people who were gathered. Many of the younglings were excited, but Remus somehow felt that something was suspicious. Some words that Harry had shared with him, came to the front of his mind:
"Machines might break, intel could be wrong, but eyes and ears always work. Trust nothing until it has been verified and even tested for authenticity. Otherwise, you will end up like the whole of Magical England!"
Remus decided that he would be suspicious of everything, and take his time during the rite. He would use his senses on the track. As he walked to the small outhouse that bordered the dense Norwegian forests, he was given a set of medieval era Viking robes, a single knife and an odourless, tasteless potion.
"Here, drink. This will bring the wolf forward. Good luck, Remus Lupin." Ylva stated.
Remus gulped down the drink, and as the full moon filled the entire night sky, Remus heard the howls in the forest and ran off. The potion had cleared his system of the Skaði, and his challenge was to resist the complete werewolf change after he had been extensively prepared. Tonight, he would roam the forest as half man and half werewolf, and only one side of him would survive.
Ronald awoke groggily and found Víðarr and Týr, along with Magni waiting at his bedside, the next morning.
"Hey…." Ronald groaned.
"Jorufægir Ronald Weasley, welcome. Gave us a scare last night. You know when I suggested Ancestor Regression, I was merely joking." Týr explained.
"I took you seriously, and considered I didn't want Sten to suffer. Everything hurts. What happened?" Ronald asked, as he looked over and saw that Sten didn't look too bad for a near death experience.
"Besides you surviving the transition, Týr and I got put out of our houses, you almost revealed your feelings to Hermione although the pasta was a nice save. Harry your friend is in trouble, and Hermione is being tested to become a Rýnstrmaðr."
"I had a panic attack about that, despite all the pain. Harry is in trouble?" Ronald asked.
"Yes. Hermione has to save him, or at least she said so to us. Something about a black hole, and being stuck at the centre of the galaxy. Does that mean anything to you?" Víðarr asked.
"Yes, but how? Anyway, I still won't understand. Harry's idea of scientific genius is a bloody bag of mad cats. What does Hermione have to do to pass her test?" Ronald asked.
"We don't know. That is a secret among the guild. All I can tell you is that she spoke to Daffodil this morning, and the dragon was upset. We all have unconscious bonds to our dragons, and Hermione's journey requires her to terminate her bond, completely. So Daffodil does feel like she is missing her next half." Týr explained.
Ronald was in absolutely great pain, but in comparison to what he had experienced last night, it was merely an annoyance. Ronald was bareback from last night's escapade, and he got out of bed and went to grab his shoes which had been removed. To his surprise, he managed to pull the shoes easily and even the socks were wandlessly levitated. Ronald had a slow coordinated grace to him, almost as if he was dancing. Ronald did not pay the new changes any mind, but the other two had seen these movements before. Magni and Móði were two people besides their parents who had this type of grace.
"Aren't you in great pain?" Týr asked.
"Positively. But it is like an annoyance. I could see why that thing is useful, even though it felt like my nerves were on fire and my bones were being cracked. I am going to spend the day riding with Daffodil. She could use the company."
Half hour later, Daffodil was properly harnessed, and Ronald was flying with the rather upset dragon. Ronald's mindscape had become far more powerful and was able to talk to Daffodil directly. The dragon looked around in Ronald's head, and saw the boy's feelings for her rider, and laughed.
"Oh, you poor boy. Smitten since she arrived at your house. I miss Hermione but at least I can get a laugh from you. I do admit you have been working hard to get her attention. I will keep your secret, although I had already suspected." Daffodil giggled, even though she missed Hermione.
"Well thank you. There is no guarantee that because you might have ideal qualities, that someone will like you. Hermione could fall in love with some random stranger, and it would be my fault for having such an assumption that I might eventually get her. But all is fair in love and war." Ronald replied.
"Not so sure about the war part. We like to make it unfair for our enemies. From what Hermione explained, Harry's mind is somehow floating around the black hole at the centre of the galaxy. Like, how the hell did he manage that?" Daffodil asked.
"Grace is probably off her rockers. She might kill him, after he comes back." Ronald replied.
"I am…scared Ronald. Hermione has no magic, no combat amp, no wand, and she has to trek ten kilometres, with hardly any warm clothes. How will she survive the cold?" the concerned dragon asked.
"By clawing her way through the snow if she must. Harry could be halfway across the universe, and Hermione will find him. And wherever Hermione is, you know where I will go." Ronald replied.
Daffodil hid the recollection of Hermione's incessant pondering of "Does he like me, or did he want only the pasta" from Ronald, and grinned.
"Don't be shy Daffodil. Show me the full extent of all the manoeuvres that you learnt. And we can practice some combat drops with the jetpack. Oh look, it is the other two. How about a competition? We can race them?" Ronald suggested.
There was a small mental communication between the dragons, as they all lined up, and prepared to race.
During the previous night, there was an arctic fox. It faded in and out of the forest clearing as it bolted from tree to tree. Remus considered that no clues were given to him and was in the forest without any instructions. For the past hour, he had chased the animal without any success. He was aware that the special potion in his system would only keep the partial werewolf transformation in check for the morning, until the morning. Remus was tempted to run the fox down, as the werewolf roared in him. Remus stopped and stilled his mind. Instead of using the werewolf, he forcefully brought the man forward.
"If the cure is magical, track the magic. If I will conquer the werewolf tonight, then the cure has to be….similar to how the rest of them smell….it must be…wolfish. Not unrefined and full of the werewolf's taint…."
Remus stretched out his hand, and began to project his magic, and only relied on his sense of smell. Then he felt a faint sliver of magic in a completely different direction. Remus then ran for at least a half hour until he came upon some stones, that were inscribed with runes. As he looked on, he laughed. He could fondly remember when he was introduced to video games many years ago. Remus did not take a liking to 3-D games, but he certainly loved Tetris and other classic titles. As he looked at the rune tablets, he realised that he had to complete a game. The first rune stone on the left had any number of Futhark runes that were flashing sequentially. The second stone tablet on the right, was full of common runes that were used in the community. There were even some new ones he had not seen, but it did not matter.
Match the runes on the right in the correct order, to what was blinking on the left. Remus had most of his human consciousness at the front of his mind, quickly tapped the runes and they began to glow. When he was finished the tablet dissolved, and then he saw some patterns to complete.
"Hmm…ABAB..this one looks like AABB, this one looks like ABBA…" Remus mused aloud as he quickly breezed through all the pattern problems, easily. A pair of wolfish green eyes looked on in the distance, as a cold breeze blew through the forest.
Remus continued with the puzzles, before the stone slates eventually blanked itself. Then the old Norse svefnþorn or the sleep thorn symbol was displayed on the rock. It was an ancient symbol, and Remus knew the meaning of it. The rightmost 'arrow' lit itself up, and then Remus reasoned, that he had three more steps to take.
"I suppose the werewolf will sleep forever, after tonight" Remus laughed, as the magical trace became stronger, and he ran into the forest. As the physicality of the running occurred, the werewolf wanted to take over. Remus often had many moments, where he stopped and closed his eyes, and actively allowed his pulse to decrease. During this moment, he considered that the werewolf had kept him away from Harry, and that his only goal tonight was to suppress the beast.
No, the cost of failure was too high.
"Back in your cage…." Remus whispered to himself, as he snarled and took deep breaths and cast his magic out.
After one hour of tracking the magical trace, Remus found himself at the entrance of a depression in the ground. To others, it would seem to be an empty patch of ground, but Remus could feel the mundane repelling wards. As he gingerly dipped his foot into the ground, he realised that there was an illusion. As he gingerly descended, he found himself looking at a large hollow, where a hefty stone was blocking a tunnel. On the stone was the svefnþorn, along with the triquetra, which glowed ominously in the moonlight. Remus walked up to the rock and felt the weight. There was no way he was moving this with human strength. Perhaps he could bring the werewolf forward and…
"Aha. Nice one. Once I go there, I won't be coming back. Hmm, I don't have a wand, but I could probably use the runes to lift the object. What can I…"
Remus realised that he had a knife. As he dragged the tip of the knife across the surface. He realised that it could make a shallow enough scratch in the stone. And what could he use to ink the rune? Normally a person would use ink but, then the choice of liquid became obvious. Remus would have to use blood. Blood was the original liquid for runes, before ink became commonplace. As Remus began to wonder if this was the only way to solve the problem, a small tree trunk that had fallen recently, caught his attention. Remus had a idea - as it seemed that the magical trace became stronger when he solved problems with his human side.
"Well Archimedes, you are on tonight. Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." he whispered to himself.
Remus then took his knife and sharpened the tree trunk to a point. The sharpness of the knife and the tapering shape of the medium sized trunk did not leave much work to be done. He then examined the crock, and decided that he only wanted to move it a small distance, so that he could slip by the gap. While Remus did not have a watch, he was sure that it was approximately midnight from the position of the moon. He took a little while, but as he gently pried the space open, the magical tendril that he was following, became far stronger. Remus eventually pried the rock off the cave and the two petals of the triquetra lit up red. The svefnþorn now had the two of its symbols illuminated.
Remus realised that he could have access to a flashlight, if he had just made one from some rocks and his knife. Remus then started a small fire using traditional methods and burnt some dry twigs on the ground. He took the ashes, mixed them with water from a nearby stream and improvised a runic flashlights out of some stones, with his knife. The ashes had provided the ink, and the runestones would hold enough magic as a single use objects. He also made some bombarda grenades, improvised flash bangs, and some miniature general healing devices, soon afterwards. When we was assured that he had items that he could use, he ventured down the tunnel.
Remus felt as he was transported to a distant place. He emerged from the small cave and realised that he had travelled many miles. Even the scents and the magic of the area, felt different. Now he was in a small clearing and saw a large dire wolf as it looked at Remus and beckoned to follow him. Remus followed and yet, something seemed to bug him.
He could not make any new decisions until new events presented themselves, so he decided to trudge along.
Harry was now gazing upon the Black Hole at the centre of the galaxy. He had felt the location of the energy in his Occulumentic state and had decided to follow it. When he had arrived, he realised the clever trick of the creator of the item - The creator had entangled the actual-space time itself around the blackhole. The ring of entangled space time would stay unaffected, as long as it was far away from the event horizon. He realised that he had no control of his direction as some type of magical current carried him along. While there was no physical body that could be affected, who knew what rules applied out here. Harry could mildly feel himself beginning to accelerate and decided he needed to minimise the effects of gravity, as he felt himself being stretched. He was now speeding into the accretion disk.
He thought about how he could prevent his death, and decided to attempt to switch the phase of his particles. Many theoretical physics papers had discussed that several dimensions could exist next to each other, if the base particles vibrated at different frequencies. Harry based on what he had observed about Luna's abilities, tried this shortcut and thought about slipping into an alternate dimension. His magic seemed only capable of entering another single phase, and he realised that this was something that was probably related to apparition. There was some success as the impromptu idea bought him some time, before he received another curveball.
Now the Black Hole wasn't physical – there was a magical black hole that was smaller, and it was interacting with a different type of matter. Apparently multiple cosmological phenomena could overlap in the same physical space, and black holes were nexus events for these types of brain boggling type of physics and magic. Harry quickly considered that the black hole was not only a gravity well. In the magical dimension, these magical black holes shared some unusual relationship with their bigger physical brothers.
After Harry started to hit objects, he realised that he was actually inside a lot of trash. Then the other titanic realisation occurred. These magical black holes had the ability to recycle matter into magic. There were all types of random objects that were floating about, and many pf them didn't seem human. As Harry swatted away the items, he even saw an empty jar of marmite that floated in front of his face. As he examined it, he could sense the spell that had been applied to it.
It had been vanished.
Harry even in his utter panic, had to laugh. So this was where the vanished objects went. It went into bloody black holes, and it would be torn apart and recycled. And somehow, a Marmite container had found itself quite out here. Suddenly another revelation occurred. His attempt to generate gravity via magic was quite possible, if he understood the relationships of these two phenomenon. Was it possible that if there was an entire universe inside a black hole, and that the magical black hole seeded the same universe with magical energy? There was some other type of energy that was being pumped into the area and Harry could feel it.
"Gah, all the good discoveries when I am about to die. Common Harry think…you will eventually be pulled in, if the body back on earth doesn't give out..." Harry whispered as he floated about aimlessly for five minutes.
Harry understood that while he was far from the event horizon of the magical black hole, he would eventually be pulled in. Or worse he could stay in orbit around the phenomena, and suffer so much time dilation that he would have no body to return to. What if a million years had already passed on earth? He realised that he had bitten off more than he could chew, and he was scared. He tried to stay in his current form and to apparate his consciousness back, or to entangle himself to the surroundings. He even tried to feel out his mother, Hermione, Sirius, Remus or anybody at all.
He felt absolutely nothing.
Harry hit some type of strange conduit and he began to bounce around unpredictably. Harry was now attempting to use his mage sight. However, he could not make head or tail of what was happening. Then he understood the issue. He was within some type of magical leyline that was present in space. And worse, he was like a grain of sand in a massive ocean. The event horizon of the smaller magical black hole was probably a couple of million kilometres, and this magical stream was so large that Harry had no perspective to see its underlying structure. He found himself at the mercy of the titanic forces of the universe. His power and mind counted for nothing. So he did the only thing that he knew how to do.
He prayed.
He had always believed that God was a part of everything – down to the smallest subatomic particle had divinity. He closed his 'eyes', blanked his mind and centred his perception and thoughts on the people who were important to him. He thought about his mother, his sister, his grandparents, his godfather, and his uncle. He thought about Lilly and James Potter, his biological parents. He thought about his godbrother, his friends, and everyone else. He even thought about Lady Magic. Then finally, he thought about Grace. He told himself:
"The magic will make the assumption. The universe is connected. Our Father..who art in heaven…hallowed be thy name…"
That was when Grace who had left for an extended flight the night before, knew that her Wizard was in deep trouble.
Lilly and James Potter had not been paying attention for quite a while. Suddenly all of them felt the ping, and Lilly became suspicious.
"James….something is terribly wrong. That is Harry, and he is very scared." Lilly panicked.
"I know, but I can't find his magical essence. Not at the manor?" James replied, as he frantically scanned the globe.
"Check for Pri, he wont be far away….." Lilly instructed.
Lilly and James were now looking at the Ashrama. As the information became available to them, they looked at previous events, and found themselves flabbergasted at what Harry had done.
"I can't believe this. He streamed his consciousness near to the Sagittarius A black hole? WHAT WAS HE THINKING! WHY WAS HE SO IRRES…" Lilly screamed, as Invictus and Glaucon appeared.
"Hush Grandaughter. We do not have administration of that area. But we can reconfigure the pathways for his family to provide an anchor. Smart boy, he is sending out the magic across the branches." Invictus replied.
"We will reconfigure the pathways through dead solar systems. Take detours if necessary!" Glaucon replied, as all four of them got to work.
"I am finding all of them, immediately. And….ah crap they are all over the world. Grace is somewhere in China, Ronald is…..flying a dragon? Sirius is….what does Sirius have on? Remus is…..curing his furry little problem. Hermione is….well shit!" James exclaimed, as he shared all of the information he found with the others. Lilly then touched the mind of Sage Atri and Master Skallagrimson, and then became white with fear, as the entire plan was made clear. Now she saw what was coming, and then the rest of them knew. They even saw some of the calculated descisions that had been taken, based on certain eventualities.
Death was coming to the entire human race unless they rescued Harry.
"Now it makes sense. He was never in line to receive the Peverell lineage. It was forced upon him by Lady Magic!" Invictus wondered.
"It has to be. But why? Let us work quickly. I have the new star roads almost done." Glaucon replied.
"There. Direct link through the deserted areas." Invictus replied.
Lilly looked at the entire fiasco, and realised that her boy had moved away from being a lynchpin of Albus Dumbledore, to being a lynchpin of fate itself. Her son would have to suffer to build humanity's foundation as a space fearing people. She decided that in his time of need, that she would talk to her son and assure him that he would be rescued. Lilly felt Harry's tiny sliver of broadcasted magic, as she connected to it and spoke gently:
"Help is coming, my dearest boy. I am here, son. Keep the faith."
Lady Magic felt the ping and knew who was in trouble. When she located the boy, even she was surprised. She was aware that interfering with magic at the core of the galaxy could have catastrophic consequences. She could easily readjust the major systems and not have Harry be dragged along, but that could kill billions elsewhere.
"Really Harry? This is a new level of impossible from you….let us see what is going on and….ah. Right. So those two men have it handled pretty well. I can trust them to do a fantastic job. Excellent intuitions, bit risky but good predictions." Lady Magic replied. She decided that Harry would manage well, as the others were chipping in. Hermione would be key, in getting this situation resolved. She could save Harry without massive amounts of interference. She just needed to help Hermione see the solution. And as far as she was concerned, after she saw what was coming and considered the blatant manipulation from her great enemy, Lady Magic made up her mind.
"Let us see that four…...yes ingenious. Took some great backdoors. Right…so the problem is that Harry cannot do everything by himself. Hermione needs a little more upliftment. She needs to restart the guild, and she will need several powerful women to provide the right type of perspective to balance the male energy.
The rest of them are looking good. Daphne is Hermione's right hand now. Ronald is unbreakable. Neville and Luna will nurture the surroundings. Tracey will become the calvary, so she should be specialised for bodily sensitivity and bearing high neural loads. Remus is taming the beast, and Sirius will protect. And the others are keeping things organised. You who belong to the Shadow Council? You will not succeed. These children and their families, will eventually cure the suffering of all the other children in the long term. One day the slavery will go away. So will the hunger. So will the infighting and the fear. You my great enemy who would destroy life will do what you must.
So, I will do what I must. Yes – time to connect the dots. Gracie you are up, once again…." Lady Magic replied.
"My favourite primate is not home! His consciousness is somewhere far off! He is in big trouble!" Grace realised as she explained to the rest of her Phoenix friends.
"His mind wandered off and left this body. I have seen it happen a couple of times over the last few centuries, at the ashrama. It normally ends in death, when people are not careful. But you can bring him back. It has been done a couple of times. Summon the lightning and quest the entire aether for him. he needs a anchor." Tejas replied.
"I don't know if I can summon that type of energy yet?" Grace said, as she felt unsure.
"Who said anything about it coming from you? Use what is around you. Your ability to fly comes from the air that you can move, with your wings. What provides you with the ability to apparate? Not your body. Your body is only accessing a larger system. And you have used a piece of it before. Now, see the whole structure of it. Do not doubt yourself. Meld into the leylines of the planet and seek out his essence. Let your love for him, guide you. The situation is not ideal, but you do not have much time. We are veering off…." Anala replied, as Grace began to soar up onto the clouds.
"Harry, I am coming. Wherever you are, I will find you. Just the way I found you that evening. I am coming." Grace replied with finality, as her eyes glowed and she began to summon a thunderstorm. She began to quest for any type of pattern, as she became purely energy and she saw a conduit. She dived right in. As she accelerated, many revelations became quite clear.
Meanwhile in Russia, Hermione was making the trek up the mountain. She had been delivered to the location by Freyja, and had been shown the required pathway mentally. Hermione was told that that if she could not manage, she could always try again later. However, Hermione was worried about Harry. Somehow Harry's consciousness had left his body and was observing a black hole. While he was not dead, he was trapped and there was nothing that could be done. That explanation did not satisfy her yesterday, and she insisted that she wanted to see Harry. Priya had to explain that you just did not barge into such sacred places as the Ashrama and that she would have to sit tight.
That explanation while reasonable, annoyed her. Soon enough the cold, and her inability to use magic eventually forced her brain not to consider Harry, as she tried to prioritise her survival. That was when she realised that while most of her magic had been stopped by the artefact. However, she had some passive reserve magic in her body. Hermione decided to take a risk - she ran the first five kilometres of the trek at top speed in the cold. Her speed was severely decreased, but she was already halfway up the ascent. She was confident that she would manage the rest easily.
Then, she then trudged along for the next hour as she took tiny little steps. Now that she had expended the last of her magic, the cold came rushing in, entirely. Hermione dropped to her knees, and began to shiver. Her muscles refused to comply, and she was not sure if she had the courage to go on. Hermione was just about ready to give up, as she started to fade into unconsciousness.
Daffodil and the others had landed in Storfjellet. While the small island had roads and many domestic businesses, the locals were unaware that three dragons were camping on their island. Hermione and Freyja had made an add-on with Harry's enhanced emitters. Now dragon riders could cast large invisibility bubbles. Daffodil could feel Hermione's distress, and became frightened.
"Ronald! Mum is in trouble!" Daffodil shouted mentally, as she became unsettled. I have to go! I am…."
"You cannot arrive in Russia in ten seconds. But you can probably help her from right here." Ronald explained.
"How?" Daffodil asked.
"Ever heard that love is magical? I know it is supposed to be a meme and all that. Close your eyes, stay still and reach her. Remind her to keep fighting." Ronald suggested.
"But her magic has been disabled!"
"No. All humans are magical. They don't have enough to cast spells. And Hermione is a powerful witch. Reach out and touch her. Use the link. You are providing the magic from your end. You are sending magical mail, essentially? Freya and the rest can send one way messages, internationally. You have to do the same. And you are much more powerful than a human." Ronald replied.
Ronald stepped over to Víðarr and Týr and explained the situation.
"Call out to her. The Priestess trials are quite difficult and many fail them, even though we do not know what they entail. Find your rider. Find your bond-mate." Týr explained, as he put his hand on Daffodil's snout.
There was a small nod from the young dragon, as she extended herself and closed her eyes. She focused on her connection and began to push. As she found a faint trickle of energy, she realised that her rider was barely there. She then found a block and decided that she was having any of that. Daffodil did the only thing she could do.
She roared, with all of her essence and magic fuelling the call, as it travelled. Everyone heard in the nearby town, but she didn't care. She could feel as Hermione, who was on the edge of becoming unconscious, became alert.
Freyja who was monitoring Hermione, was in a complete panic. She got up, and prepared to leave before Master Skallagrimson said:
"Wait…."
"I….Master she wont survive…She isn't fourteen yet!" Freyja panicked.
"No, she will. Give her three minutes after she goes unconscious. And then you may get her." Master Skallagrimson replied, as he looked on.
"Three minutes? As soon as she goes unconscious, I am going for her whether you approve or not!" Freyja replied.
"Freyja, do not get angry. Prudence is understanding how much to push to cause growth, but not necessarily to break a person. Have you so little faith in your friend?"
"Sorry Master, I am just worried. This is absolutely extreme, even by our standards," Feyja complained.
"Her primary lesson is to draw upon magic from the environment and shape it, without taking it into her body. Oh, she and her brother have a fantastic understating of how to wield, store and modify internally stored magic. We need lessons from them, in that regard. She has had a comfortable life and has been loved by her parents. A little lonely perhaps, but she hasn't been physically pushed. Always far stronger than her environment. No, today she must rise above her surroundings." Master Skallagrimson replied, as he hoped what they had predicted would occur.
Freyja nodded, uneasily. There was a reason why there were only six others like herself at the reserve, which was home to almost one thousand people.
At the Ashrama, there was a thunderstorm in the sky as Grace flew around in circles. She began to generate lightning, as the thunder crackled, and the entire sky became cloudy. Priya was now on the ledge, and Sage Atri appeared and held the woman's hand.
"See...she is going to get her favourite primate. I believe that is what she calls him, yes?" Sage Atri laughed.
"That is...Gracie?" Priya asked, as she truly witnessed the power of the nonchalant bird. Suddenly, Grace was a terrible force of nature as she tore the sky open.
"Yes. Quite an impressive thunderstorm. She is accessing the pathway to go to Svarloka. These pathways can take you to many places physically. Even to Dhruva Nakshatra if you wanted. But why send the body, when you can send the mind? When Harry gets a little older, he will learn how to adequately prepare himself before doing such things. You can say he arrived in a new place, and he didn't pack a map or check his steps along the way to work backwards. Off she goes…." Sage Atri replied, as a titanic lightning bolt filled the sky.
It was so bright it temporarily illuminated the entire area.
Priya began to put the legends together and realised the entire scope of the first lesson that she had been introduced to – no this was not magic. It was merely a better understanding of the universe. And it meant that old legends had many hidden truths with the right interpretation.
"Did Narada Muni get around like that?" Priya asked.
"He might use something even more sophisticated. I mean if your son can access a shred of these things right now because of a slight genetic gift, imagine what we humans were like in the Satya Yuga…" Sage Atri explained.
Priya rubbed her face, as she grappled with the implications.
Grace did not concern herself with knowing where to go. No, the magic would help her know where to go. She had arrived at Harry's location as a boy in this manner, and she was aiming for a repeat performance. As she became a bolt of lightning, she felt her mind as it accessed the leylines. As she pinged for Harry, she found herself rising above the planet in her purely magical form. Now she was just a stream of energy with consciousness, and she saw the path to take towards Harry. He was far off, but Grace sent back a ping and yelled:
"You silly primate! I supposed you wanted to be a spaceman?
Well now you are a damned spaceman!
I am coming, you moron!" Grace yelled, as the message travelled across the magical tendrils of the universe. Harry was quite surprised when he heard Grace's voice, and began to breathe easier.
Hermione was now delirious from the hypothermia. She had managed to sit down on her knees, and she stooped into the snow. Her mind was becoming disconnected from her body, and she could suddenly feel that Harry was in life-threatening danger. Hermione looked at her condition and began to sob. As her body began to shut down, and she was just about to close her eyes. Then, she heard a deafening roar in her mindscape. With this roar was a huge amount of magical energy. Hermione drank every little bit of it up, as she shook off the cold.
"Thancks yuu ovahgrown whh-reptile" Hermione replied, as she tried to fight off the cold.
There was a dim acknowledgement from the dragon, as her partner demanded that Hermione put herself together and soldier on. Hermione began to feel as the little sliver of magical energy in her body began to fight the artefact. Hermione realised that this was the natural magic in her body, that came from just being a human. This was the magic that all humans had – and she realised that Daffodil had passed that thought somehow inside of the deafening roar.
Hermione was not religious, but she did not know what to do. So she surrendered and she prayed in the only way she knew how - in a garbled tone of voice, she said:
"Iffff da univeerse is ahwiive, help me fiiinnndddd himmmm. I loovee mmmyyy brother. Seiðr, leadsss meee. Yourrrsss magiiiccc, nooootttt mineesss."
There was a small gasp, as Hermione collected herself for a split second.
"I surrender to your will." Hermione whispered, before her body began to recover very slowly.
She immediately realised what was occurring, and she touched the snow, and began to draw on the magic. Even with the Andvaranaut ring blocking most of her access, it did not matter. She was drawing magic from the environment. She was now being sustained by the environment. The ice around her melted and suddenly many little blobs of water began to float in the air. Then as Hermione warmed her body, the advanced healing took over. She was now conscious and she looked at the sky and whispered:
"Show me the secrets of the universe. Show me what the runes….represent…" Hermione asked, as she surrendered all of her worries. Lady Magic who was shuffling trillions of events that were similar to Hermione's story all over the cosmos, looked on and silently replied:
"Gaze upon the magnificence of the universe, beautiful child. Understand what you are fighting for, understand what you are spilling blood for. Many of my children suffer everyday. I hope to end their suffering by providing the right people with the right tools. Gaze upon the secrets of the universe. See the cosmos as Morgana before you did. Let this be your rite of passage..."
Hermione then felt her mind leaving her body as it slowly absorbed the familiarity of the entire planet. In that moment she saw the solution to her problem. She didn't need coordinates for interplanetary apparition because the road was already there in any case - They were alive and it rotated with the motions of the entire solar system. The highest concentration of the tendrils occurred on the surface of the planet. As they extended into space, there were thin wispy passageways, and some far thicker ones, with many large voids above the surface of the planet. Suddenly the Thunderbolt disorientation made sense.
"Yggdrasil. It spans the cosmos. Take me to Harry….." Hermione whispered as she cast her intention into the great tree of cosmic magic.
There was a sentience in the structure that acknowledged her request, and she began to speed along the paths. The rest of the stars and places in the cosmos began to look like a rapid, illuminated streaky set of multi-coloured blurs as she travelled at superluminal speeds without any relativistic effects. It looked like a multi-coloured rainbow as she saw all types of light frequencies, and other strange physical phenomenon. And while her brain was not physically present, she could feel as magic itself provided her with any number of advanced arithmantic statements and mathematical equations. Soon enough she grasped the parrterns and her brains began to make the compoutations almost unconsciously.
Hermione's mind began to zoom through all the corners and pathways that felt like backroads. Many different tunnels began to collapse, almost as if she was joining a big river. Hermione could sense that she was moving towards the centre of the galaxy. Suddenly the magical stream was filled with other presences. Hermione became silent as this meant without question that there was life elsewhere in the universe. Suddenly, Grace became visible as she flew into the tunnel and was surprised to see Hermione. The ghostly phoenix glided over to Hermione, as she took a closer look.
"Am I seeing right?" Grace asked.
"Yes. Apparently, we are going to rescue your favourite primate. How did you end up here?" Hermione laughed.
"Sensed he landed himself into hot waters. Or more like hot gas...if you think about where we are going. Who are the other people?" Grace asked before the most surprising thing occurred. Suddenly, one of the other essences moved in closer and it seemed to probe Hermione very gently. Before Hermione could begin to worry if the essence was malevolent, the voice replied:
"Child! The Synchotron Empire! The machines are coming! They are at the rim. Ru…raaaahhhhaaaaa..."
The voice was suddenly silenced as it seemed to fade into nothing, after being in great pain. Hermione realised that the entity had been friendly and had managed to decode her language. What was she running from? As Hermione and Grace continued along the pathway for some time, Hermione considered that the energy and intent of the message had a lot of panic in them.
And the idea of a Machine Empire?
"Grace, do you think there might be hostile extra-terrestrial machines? Just the words Syncrotron Empire doesn't sound too good. Are we in trouble?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe? The Galaxy is a huge place. There could be millions of simultaneous large scale battles between civilisations and our backyard is quiet. But the idea of terminator shit out there in the stars is not a comforting idea!" Grace commented.
"When we get back, we will see what is going on. We have to be careful. Now I am wondering if the Voyager program was a good idea…" Hermione wondered.
"Hey, we are slowing down. Oh, that is quite a sight. Beautiful, if it wasn't for how deadly that thing is." Grace commented.
Hermione and Grace were now approaching the black hole, and now they could navigate the World Tree easily. Hermione continued to feel out Harry's presence and eventually accelerated along a magical filament that was directly parallel to the Accretion disk. Hermione slowed down and found Harry bouncing around all types of trash. She approached him from behind and tapped on Harry's head.
"Oi Bighead!" Hermione stated, crossly.
Harry opened his 'eyes' and saw Hermione with her hands completely folded, and Grace sitting on her shoulder, completely pissed off.
Lady Magic grinned and Harry began with, "Uhhhh…Whoopsie?"
Part IV: Slaying the Werewolf
As Remus continued his journey the previous night, he was now approaching a split in the track. After picking his brain, he finally realised the trick – the current riddle was related to Fylgja, which were animal spirits in Norse mythology. While the term itself was open to many interpretations, one of the stories suggested that the spirit animals represented the character of the person. Those who had an untamed nature, would be represented by dominant apex predator animals. Those who were gentle, would be something more domestic. As Remus considered that the Werewolf was pushing to the front of his mind he stopped, and took some deep breaths in as he cleared the werewolf out of his system.
As he looked on the other side of the track, he saw the same small arctic fox that had been mauled. It appeared to be in the last stages of its life. Immediately, Remus veered off and looked at the small creature. While he did not have a wand, he had two rune stones he had made with some healing charms. He used the improvised runic flashlight to properly illuminate the animal, before he got to work. Then, he looked back, and he saw that his wolf guide had left him. He looked upon the injured animal and said:
"Harry would be disappointed, if I didn't help you, little friend. No more abandonment. I will stay little one, and do the best job that I can..." Remus whispered.
While others would have been concerned, Remus felt as if the human side of him had re-asserted control and was happy that he was not being misled. Then, an inhuman snarling was heard, and Remus looked back and saw that three fully grown werewolves were stalking him, far off into the distance.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOO – AW -AWOOOO" the three of them howled in a staggered manner, as they began to approach Remus. For most, they would have run away. Remus took out his stun and exploding runestones and primed them. He then shouted quite loudly.
"You would do well to leave me alone. But if you insist, I Remus Lupin will oblige…."
As the werewolves ran towards Remus, he threw the makeshift stun grenades or rather runestones, at the heads of the animals. Now they were trying to correct their disorientation. Remus held his dagger with a military style grip as he waited for the beasts to come in closer, within arm's length. As the second set of stun grenades blasted a high charged Lumos into the face of the werewolves, Remus vanguard charged in and let the knife do the work, as he gashed one of the werewolf's necks completely open. Remus was covered in arterial spray, as the beast screamed and collapsed.
Remus then apparated in front of the other werewolf and weaved and ducked, as the clawing motion by the antagonist missed Remus every single time. Then he delivered a signature set of punches and kicks that broke bones. Remus was silent, deadly and depended primarily on the training he had received. While his inner werewolf was there, and it was assisting to augment his strength under the full moon, one thing was clear – the beast was on a tight chain, and it had to do as it was told. As Remus channelled the werewolf selectively, he grasped the head of the second attacker and snapped his neck, easily.
Now there was only one werewolf to deal with. Remus ran forward before he entered a sliding motion and apparated. He then reappeared much closer to the animal and even added some momentum and slipped under the werewolf. He proceeded to open the entire torso of the werewolf with a single clean stroke of his knife. While he had not broken the werewolf's ribs, he had done enough damage to tear open the entire abdomen of the werewolf, as blood and intestines were being emptied into the environment. Remus was now covered with blood and apparated towards the fox, to find him looking much better.
"There we go. Would you like me to carry you back to the village? I am sure I can heal you. Priya has some nice spells, you will be good as new I promise." Remus explained, as he petted the animal's head gently.
Suddenly the animal got up in his injured state, began to walk towards the dead werewolves. As Remus looked at the ground, the flesh and the spilt blood reverted to sand and wooden dummies.
"Well….alright I suppose. Come little one, lead the way…" Remus replied, as he felt the werewolf receding out of his consciousness.
Half an hour later, Remus walked onto a small stone platform, that was located in a small abandoned village. The Viking dwellings were made out of stones and wood, and Remus could sense the powerful magic that had been cast to preserve the buildings. Many small fires suddenly lit themselves, as a single direwolf walked in and confronted Remus. Now the triquetra was on display on some nearby stone tablets, and it was fully illuminated and red. The svefnþorn was conjured into the air, and now three of the hooks on the right were brilliantly lit. The dire wolf was large enough that its eyes were slightly above Remus's head. The creature confronted Remus, and spoke surprisingly in English:
"You are the first outsider to come to our shores and attempt the purification right. And yet, you finished the rite the quickest. I have been watching you, Remus Lupin. I am called Geri." the direwolf answered.
"I am surprised you are female. The legends indicate that Geri and Freki are…..male? Although I do think there is something more?" Remus laughed. There was some chuckling, and Remus figured that the wolf woman had a sense of humour.
"You remind me of Ylva. When she met me after barely managing to finish the trial, she demanded that I tell her if the legends were true. What do you think, though?" the wolf asked.
"I think you gave her a rational explanation that has her so angry that she goes about hinting the real reason, in a passive aggressive manner to anyone who would listen?" Remus replied, before both of them laughed.
"That is her. A sensible woman. I used to be a völva when my people raided your country regularly. I have seen how Norway has advanced, but seeing your memories has been fascinating. I have seen many other parts of the world, as you are well travelled in your memories. Good, we humans are growing. The Skaði that your niece has invented, will change things."
"How did all of this start? are you just a magical creature? Or you used to be a person then?" Remus asked.
"I used to say that it was a disease that came into its own. But from looking at your knowledge, I can now say that it was simply a genetic mutation. In sharing your memories, I have learnt much. Once upon a time, I was just Inga Estriddóttir, and I made a sacrifice to Goddess Freyja. I promised magic that I would roam the earth until those who were broken by this disease were healed if I could be provided with a cure. My husband had killed our children during a transformation, and he killed himself after out of the pain. I was hoping for inspiration for a new kind of potion when I offered the oath, but I was changed my magic itself and my blood became the cure. Sacrifice often fuels powerful magic."
"How long ago was that?" Remus asked.
"Fourteen hundred and thirty one years ago. I cannot change into a human, but I can possess animals and work through them. I have learned many languages and other things, passively. I can also cast illusions and animate objects, as you have seen. None were harmed tonight. Even your little fox friend is perfectly healthy. He has been let off. Your experiences are so rich, and full of…colour and much love."
"Thank you. I was…fortunate. My nephew demanded this of me. I drew upon this, tonight. So what will happen now?" Remus asked.
"You will be cured as was promised. You will take the cup and draw off some of my blood and drink of it. I can decide how much power to give you, and how to specialise you to work within a pack. I will give you the most primal form of the wolf to carry with you, as you have shown you can control the beast within. Magic itself tells me to give you the prehistoric Fenrir to carry in you, as the battles that are coming will require it."
"Thank you," Remus replied reverently, before the she-wolf spoke again.
"….and yes, I am not finished yet. I want something more from you, Remus Lupin. I am looking at what your niece does, and I have a gift for her. You will carry a sample of my blood to your niece. I want her to create a vaccine so that even if a child is bitten, no infection happens. I will naturally require you to keep our secrets. You may tell your immediate family, however. There is also news that is reaching my ears that is concerning. Many do not want the Skaði as they prefer to inflict pain. Fenrir Greyback leads a pack of rabid beasts across Europe. He asked that his followers swear allegiance to him to willingly not take the potion. And I know he bit you."
"I hunted him for many years," Remus replied.
"Indeed. Time to resume it. Time to bite his neck out. Although you just might put him on the end of your favorite cannon. Whatever you prefer. I want all of his followers hunted down and executed, when your final great battle arrives." the great wolf asked.
"My pleasure. He had spread too much pain."
"Indeed. Come Konungr Remus John Lupin. Come, Konungr Fenrir ov Bretlandseyjar, and drink of me," the she-wolf asked as the moon started to fade away. Remus took the enchanted cup and observed as a tiny slit formed in the wolf's neck. A small sip of blood was collected into the cup. Remus then looked upon the blood as the wound in the wolf's neck healed itself and the woman comically said:
"We drink towards your good health."
The tall strapping man understood the subtext. The cure was going to be painful. Remus gulped down the drink, and fell on his knees as he snarled, and his bones and nerves readjusted himself. His green eyes became golden coloured, before the pain came. As Remus shook himself and fought the pain, the triquetra blinked rapidly. After about a half hour of bodily readjustments, Remus stood before the she-wolf.
"Go Konungr Remus, touch the triquetra and it will take you back to before the tunnel. From there you will walk slowly until the moon fades and the dawn comes. You will also tell Ylva that Inga says hello. You will keep my personal history between you and her, as the others are not ready. Go forth, and let my will be known….."
At the core of the galaxy there was an interrogation in progress. Hermione had dragged Harry out, far enough. Now Harry had returned to his resting quantum frequency, and he was safe.
"Whoops. That is all you can say?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. I thought I would have managed to find a way out. This was…..foolish." Harry replied.
"Oh, we are happy that you are safe. But the words that Aunty Priya will have with you? What was the need to do this?" Hermione asked.
"I had a possible solution to the Advada Kedavra and the Crucio. I had to take a closer look up close and be sure. I also have a partial solution to use magic to generate gravity. I saw a lot of gravitons. Actually…lots of discoveries. Look, I don't want those unforgivable curses to terrorise no child, ever again. Now I am sure I can easily deal with all of the unforgivable curses." Harry replied. Hemrione understood the value of the discovery and became vexed.
"Argh. I hate you, Harry Potter." Hermione replied, before she held Harry's hand and dragged him farther out. Harry could now see the magical veins that were present in space, far more clearly. Hermione considered that Harry had meant well, even though the entire affair was irresponsible.
"Look, we are going back home. I am taking a single orbit at subluminal speeds as we are mostly shielded from relativistic effects inside the Yggdrasil. You will make your notes while we orbit that thing. Grace, take us out and I will provide additional guidance. I am seeing an easier way to get home." Hermione replied.
Lilly and James who were looking on were surprised to see how quickly Hermione was navigating the star roads. Invictus dialled into her body on earth and observed as she sat in the snow completely warm, as she drew upon the earth's magic to fuel her extra-terrestrial trip. He and Glaucon had joked that when they figured out how apparition worked that they could travel light-years. But travelling 25,000 light-years in mere minutes?
Hermione was a powerful witch, who was truly Morgana's successor. She was powerful, of her own accord.
Invictus and Glaucon were still wondering about what the girl had learnt. She had to pay the price of pain to become powerful. Magic depended on sacrifice. But sometimes the sacrifice could come from oneself, instead of another being used. And magic knew who owed her the appropriate dues.
"She knows now. I went looking for the machines. They are not in our sector. We won't know when they will arrive. We do not know where they might come from?" Invictus wondered.
"Let us not worry about such things. If they die in the war with Voldydick, we have bigger problems. But they are being helped. Oh look, Hermione is making a pass around the orb of death and…oh that is a nice way to get home." Glaucon commented.
"Just the other day he was just building brooms. Now he is watching black holes. Safe travels, son. Your ancestors are proud. We are proud, son." Lilly replied as Harry who was following Hermione felt a small whisper of the universe.
As he listened he whispered, "Nothing is created or destroyed. It only changes its form, constantly. Hello, mum and dad. I am fighting for all of us. As you did….wish me luck."
"Good boy. James and I are proud of you, and everyone else, too. Fight evil, with no reserve." Lilly replied as she began to undo changes to the star roads.
Harry nodded, and now he knew. He had heard the small whisper in his ear.
Invictus already decided on what actions could be taken, to harden the solar system.
"Put a tag on any objects travelling close to Earth. We have a lot of dead space as we have no assignments in those areas. That is our planet and no jackshits from anywhere else, are having it. Maximum dead ends. We only open them up if that bunch are passing through…"
"We are barricading everything. Send the Voyager 1 and 2 down the Shrike corridor. There is enough empty space not for any delayed radio signals to do any harm." Lilly suggested.
"We could probably get some absorbent materials and scatter it, try to deal with what radio transmissions they have already sent out," James added.
The four of them began to barricade the solar system, actively.
Lady Magic looked on and said, "If you can cheat, my shadowy enemy…so can I. Just watch me. I will make whatever arrangements I need to bury the lot of you. Out of my damned backyard, you silly machines."
Hermione had been travelling for a while, as she carried the rest along. Harry realised that his sister almost had an ethereal character to personality. Harry could even sense as complex equations and mathematical formulas just rolled off the tip of her brain. She had been changed by being exposed to such powerful cosmic magic. Even Harry understood that he did not possess sufficient skill to make the mental computations to travel the world tree. Hermione laughed as the entire group traded memories. Harry was too proud of his sister. However, he kept the memory of his mother's words private.
"Say what you want this is the best holiday, we have ever had." Harry grinned.
"Yes it is, but how about nothing so daring next time? Oh wait, it is night." Hermione asked, as arrived at the moon.
"Looks so. Spent a couple of hours, Maybe the lap cost us a bit of time. Good thing it wasn't a couple of million years. I think I learned enough. I have a new steel recipe, and I can miniaturise a lot of what we have. I learnt to sometimes relax too."
"Good. I learnt about myself. I am not my inventions, even though they are important. Grace, back to India?" Hermione asked.
"I am coming to keep you company. I need a change of scenery. Something is telling me I need to be there. Alright Harry, take this leyline here, and go straight, no damned turns…" Grace insisted, as Harry followed the instructions exactly.
Harry then saw his body, as it sat still in the standard lotus position. He jumped back into his body and immediately disconnected himself from the artefact, mentally. Priya who had become sensitive to magical energy had even looked up, long before Harry had become conscious. Harry opened his eyes and found his mother still reading the scroll.
"Well…well..well….good night, son."
"Hello!" Harry said brightly as prepared himself for the worst.
"You know most children stay out late at night as a form of misbehaviour. I heard you took such a big trip, that you forgot were home was. Now what was worth putting me through that?" Priya asked, in a voice of anguish.
Harry decided to hold his tongue, because no justification was worth the sad look on her face.
"Nothing. I was excited and I got carried away. I generally think things through, but I…dunno. I promise I wont take any galactic trips to the centre of the galaxy." Harry replied, as Priya massaged his temple in frustration.
"I guess I can give you a pass for your first ever misdemeanour. What did you learn?" Priya asked curiously.
"Many things. But those things aren't important. I should have thought about you and everybody else, first." Harry replied.
"Oh, Hermione is going to have to hear this. What do you think she will say?" Priya asked, with a small smile on her face.
"She and Grace already gave me her comments. They literally sped through a set of magical tunnels that are located all over the galaxy, found me and dragged me back home. If Hermione had not managed to save me, I would have been dead. Hermione learnt how to do astral travel this morning?" Harry replied.
"You can make it up to me, by giving me the memory?" Priya asked.
"I think this was supposed to happen. I got an answer to something I wanted to know. Something about my parents." Harry explained, as his eyes were now full of long tears.
Was it worth it? Your answer?" Priya asked genuinely curious.
"Yes. We aren't alone as we think, even when our loved ones leave us. Lilly Potter said hello and I know it was her. My mother spoke to me, across the stars." Harry replied, as his face was now filled with a brilliant smile.
Priya realised the titanic scope of the statement. The boy had met his...parents? Priya walked towards the boy, and gave him a hug.
"Please be a little more careful. Satsangh is in twenty minutes. If you are sure it was her, I can forgive you. Please, be a little more careful. Get clean, and let us enjoy the night. And then you can eat something?" Priya suggested as she hugged the boy tightly.
Lilly who was watching on, smiled. So he did understand her whispers.
Hermione opened her eyes and found a thick coat around her shoulder. Off in the distance were three boys who were huddled around a fire. She reasoned that the kind strangers had placed the coat on her. As she stood up, she took the coat off, and approached.
"Ah, welcome there stranger." a voice replied in a thick Bulgarian accent.
"Hello to you too. Thank you for the coat. I was a bit…busy." Hermione replied.
"We know. I do not know much about this trek that goes upwards. All I do know is that many Norwegians come here looking for enlightenment, and they must beat the cold. And many do not succeed. It is an ancient type of magic and our only job was to look after you." the tallest boy replied.
"Indeed. I have been sworn to an oath, and I cannot say anymore." Hermione replied, as she examined the face of the tallest person, carefully.
"English?" another boy asked.
"Vesta-Priestess Lady Jean Von Neumann. Specialist in Runes and Arithmancy."
"Victor Krum. My friends are Ivaylo and Kosta," the boy replied, as Hermione laughed.
"Ah Mr. Krum, I wondered if it was you. I don't think you are chasing snitches up here. Although that would sharpen your skills spectacularly. I am aware of the black market traders who pass through these parts. Instability between your folks and the Romanians I suppose. And then you probably have to track down the special types. Criminals?" Hermione wondered.
"Can you read minds?" Ivaylo asked.
"Somewhat, actually. But I did not do that. I merely pay attention to international news. I can sense that you were genuinely concerned about me. So, have you found your prey?" Hermione asked, as she took her hood off. For the boys, the eyes looked old and powerful, and they realised that some type of ritual had occurred in the snow.
"Sadly, no." Victor answered.
"Hmm. Would being completely invisible while flying help you greatly?" Hermione asked.
"Is such a thing possible without an invisibility cloak? We have some but they wear out?" Kosta explained.
"Oh, I can fix that. Mr. Krum, is that a ruby on your finger?" Hermione asked.
"Yes?" Victor asked completely confused.
"Good. Give me that ring and I will make an artefact that can detect people via their heartbeats. I will have to make do with whatever supplies you have on you. I will also build a small artefact that will project an invisibility bubble that is large enough for the three of you to fly and not be seen. I would actually enjoy the challenge of using minimal things….."
Two hours later, Hermione had bootstrapped some crystal power storage devices from her rune kit, and had only used the magic of the environment to craft. She even used her combat amp selectively, as she merely ignored the ring on her finger and tricked it into believing that it was on a non-magical person. The boys were flabbergasted to see wandless magic with such familiarity. When she was done, the group now had small rune stones on neck strings that shielded their faces, and an invisibility bubble that Hermione had made from Ivaylo's spare wand (he complained that he lost wands when flying). Finally, the tracker used illusions to project a radar-like scan of the environment. Of course, the crafting had not taken too long – Hermione had decided to relax with the boys. She even had some tea in her pockets, that everyone shared.
"Oh look we have some blips. Good hunting gentlemen. I have an appointment with my Master. Thanks for the jacket, and for looking out for me when I was spaced out. Till we meet again. This is my address. Write to me, and if you ever need anything else, and let me know. or you can call the phone number if you are familiar with mundane technology. E-mail is great too. And I have my addy for the MagicMessenger." Hermione replied.
She ignored the ring as she summoned enough energy. Then she travelled up the mountain path in a set of small calculated vanguard charges. The boys looked on as they realised that the ritual had been successful. They were also terrified, as the girl scaled the inhospitable mountain with no issue. Her movements were punctuated with small popping motions that were illuminated by blue whispy magic, which were almost silent.
Ivaylo then turned to his friend and said, "I have never seen such powerful artefacts created so easily. Who is she?"
"I do not know. By giving these items to us, there is no debt to be paid by her. It confuses me why she offered to additionally help us?" Victor wondered.
"Maybe she is beyond political problems. I have only ever heard legends about wandless magic. But after what we just saw?" Ivaylo wondered.
"I am not complaining. Most warming charms wear off in this type of weather. But I feel good. Let us see if we can beat Nicu's thugs. I hope my sister is safe," Kosta replied, as Victor put his arm on the boy's shoulder. Suddenly a carriage and many brooms appeared, on the scanner. Victor marvelled as the options on the sanner included arrows and directions, along with distance calculations and readouts.
"I think we will do just fine," Victor replied.
Hermione had arrived at the door of Master Skallagrimson's residence. Outside on a small branch was Grace, who was relaxing.
"Well, had fun?" Grace asked.
"Sure. I could tell Mr. Krum was very distressed. I think a family member or friend is missing. I sensed a single girl in the carriage. I am leaving them to handle their own business, but if they don't manage I will get involved. I could find the girl easily for the next three hundred kilometres, easily."
"Sensible. I guess you will ping the world tree for the signature?" Grace asked.
"Yes. It is like an entirely new dimension has opened up. And my brain has changed. It bloody hell hurts. The items were a good chance to improvise in the field without using my own magic too." Hermione replied, before the door opened, and revealed a smiling Freyja.
"Well you took your time. Come in." Freyja insisted as Hermione made herself presentable, and removed any snow and other contaminants off of her body. Freyja gave the girl a sisterly hug, and Hermione began to giggle. This morning had been impossible by her already high standards. Then Hermione was ushered to an empty chair that she suspected came from IKEA.
In the other chair, was the man himself, Erilaz Njǫrd Skallagrimson. He looked like he was in his sixties, but looked strong, vibrant and his eyes almost reminded him of hers – he had a raven's look. There was a finely trimmed black goatee and shoulder length hair. His clothes were not surprising - They were many layers of medieval Viking tunics, and small pieces of tasteful jewellery. He looked like a character out of a movie with his chiselled jaw and his sharp features. His eyes were sapphire blue, and he looked somewhat unearthly. As the girl seated herself, the man poured off some mead for her, as was tradition for passing the trial successfully.
"Heil ok sæl, Rýnstrmaðr Revna Hermione Jean Granger. I take it we had an entertaining day?" Master Skallagrimson remarked humorously. Grace flew in and sat on a perch next to a white owl, who seemed happy for the company.
"Yes. Took a fantastic trip to get my brother sorted out. Travelled the Yggdrasil, saw a couple thousand stars pass by, but most importantly learned that magic is not just what is stored. It is also what can be channelled. A person can use what is there in the environment if they can model the behaviour. Most importantly, I learned that I am more than my achievements, and I will be having a conversation with a particular beloved friend of mine, when I get back to see my ever dependable dragon child. Actually…."
Hermione closed her eyes and sent a ping to her dragon, after opening the link fully. She told Daffodil that she was in one piece and she was coming home soon. She could feel as Daffodil somersaulted.
"Good. I saw that you chose to help the young man. You could tell he was looking for someone important. You are your empathy. Something else on your mind?" Master Skallagrimson asked. Hermione opened her hand and floated the Andvaranaut and placed it on a stool. She then enabled her combat amp, and looked over herself with any of Priya's stored magic.
"Yes. Let me tell you the entire tale, in case there is any important information in there….." Hermione replied.
Hermione related her entire journey and rescue of Harry. She mentioned how the lifeform had signalled her – it was friendly and it only cared to warn her about the Synchroton Empire which seemed to be some type of machine lifeform. Master Skallagrimson was surprised that their closely guarded secret had been discovered totally by coincidence. Even they could not have predicted that Hermione would obtain that information by travelling the Yggdrasil. And she had a name, and knew the nature of the beast.
"We suspected that some type of plague was coming. But they are…..machines?" Master Skallagrimson asked.
"Yes. How about I give you a crash course in A.I. and we will tell you why it is a dangerous technology." Hermione explained as Freyja immediately caught on, as a person who was a mundane-born.
When Master Skallagrimson was finally done listening, he closed his eyes and passed the information to Sage Atri, silently.
"Something else is amiss" Sage Atri suggested.
"Perhaps we have another….party that is involved? We must ascertain if the party is friendly or not. We will investigate who among Harry's family or friends could be someone like us." Master Skallagrimson suggested.
Master Skallagrimson explained to Hermione, his journeys and the other places he had visited via astral travel, and some of the more esoteric skills that were unheard of, for the majority of wand wielding Europe. He even mentioned the metamorphagus and Animagus expert Chieftain Ikemba of Tanzania, and other associates from small, dotted magical communities. Hermione came to understand that Percy would go crazy if he knew what was out there to be explored. There was an antire ecosystem of 'old magic' that existed within the standard expectations of I.C.W nations. Magical England was a mere babe in the scheme of things.
"I didn't blabber to anyone yet because….even the idea of it is terrifying. I have a confirmation that life does exist out there. Some are friendly, but we have evil space machines too." Hermione exclaimed, as she scratched her head.
"This information is only known to only six people besides you, between the reserve and the Ashrama. And you have filled in some of the blanks. I need a…." Master Skallagrimson replied as he tried to ask for an oath. Hermione had already fired off, exactly what he was thinking.
"I give you my oath not to tell a word of this to anyone, until you or sage Atri give me permission. On my magic." Hermione blurted out.
"Easy Hermione, take a deep breath…" Master Skallagrimson suggested, as he looked at Freyja and ginned. Hermione seemed to ponder something, and she made her concerns known.
"I still have two questions. Harry can see magic and is brilliant. He will figure out what I am doing. So that is problem number one. And then, am I allowed to use whatever I learned today to advance our artefacts? Because I am tempted to go and wrench on the Thunderbolt-II when I get home. I want to make a jump about three hundred kilometres out, saw a nice place." Hermione explained, before she opened her palm and showed a fairly accurate recreation of the local star roads in the solar system, and the route that she had taken to get Harry.
"Yes, you earned that knowledge. Harry is acceptable because he has learnt his lessons at the Ashrama and we trust our students to work together. That knowledge is too dangerous for anybody else. I can trust you to be responsible." Skallagrimson replied.
"Agreed. I will keep the other one, in line.." Hermione replied.
"Question for you dear. If we understand such esoteric things, why are we interested in the devices that you have built?" Master Skallagrimson asked. Hermione stopped for at least two minutes and was stumped. Then, the idea came to her:
"Magic doesn't have any alternative to….mass manufacturing? So that everyone can get access to complex magic without being Gandalf the White?" Hermione joked. Freyja cried out of laughter. Her laughter sounded as if birds were chirping, and suddenly Hermione realised that this was one of the reasons why Víðarr had fallen for her. Her beauty was full of innocence.
"Master, you do look somewhat like him. The….younger version who still has some black in the hair!" Freyja replied, as she laughed. Master Skallagrimson nodded, before he confirmed Hermione's suspicion.
"I consider that a fine compliment, as I saw the movies. Correct you are Hermione. We have many seniors who are very powerful and can do any number of fantastic things. This place is one of many where we do dangerous projects. I could probably apparate hundreds of people to anywhere in the globe. But global apparition is not practical for the average people. And finally, you do have better weapons. Probably the best. You have a talent for it. That is your area of expertise, and you do know better than us."
"If you want mundane logistics and that type of pragmatic thinking for mass manufacture, you are talking to the right people. Old Hermione would have never believed that the Yggdrasil was real, but I know myself better now. I am good with Mathematics, Runes and Arithmancy. Esoteric things, I need a lot of help. I am getting there, though." the blue-haired girl mused.
"Indeed. Your time at the reserve is primarily over, in terms of your qualification as a master rune carver. However, you have much to learn in terms of fighting on a dragon. Master Magni and Móði also brought up some valid points that I need consideration – we do not understand how to fight tanks, and modern artillery and guns. I am suggesting we get your father involved when he can manage.
We want modern armour for our dragons which includes every advancement you can manage. And with the incident that happened with Víðarr and Týr, I see an opportunity to learn from a changing world. As for the implants….we will be interested in them for some of the guards who do not have the fine control that the seniors have. We have many people who don't manage to move beyond wands, and I do see large amounts of magical guns as useful."
"As long as I have Aunty Pri and Harry, we can do whatever you want or supply what you need. You know, there is a joke I made with Freyja. Do you want a miniature sun at the top of the mountain? Freyja told me about the difficulty of casting enchantments in the area.
I think we could make something that will at least produce enough light and heat so you will have normal sleep cycles? That is gratis on me for the fantastic time I had here. And I would be willing to share the research that we have, to teach you to build your own devices. We built a synthetic wand material that requires no harvesting of wand cores from magical animals."
"Oh, that one we definitely want. What will you need?" Master Skallagrimson asked.
"Harry for the engineering, and Remus and Sirius for the tools and assistance." Hermione replied.
"Very well. I think we have covered most of the issues. The tradition of imprinting the runes on the skin is not done for functionality. Rather it is done as a rite of passage. The ink is only visible when magic is applied, so you won't have to worry about the appearance."
"What if I want them visible? And what if I can make them functional?" Hermione asked, as she conjured all the patterns that Luna had designed for her. They were a matrix of Morgana's water manipulation runes, along with newer runes she had recently learnt, all integrated into a circuit pattern that framed her arms and legs. Under the eyes were some small tastefully done runes that were done in the style of Viking warpaint. As she showed Freyja the patterns, the older girl got excited.
"Oh, we are doing that! ANd then I am redoing mine, a little bit later on!" Freyja replied.
Master Skallagrimson left as Freyja carried Hermione to another wing, where two other senior girls who were working on advanced projects, offered to help with the tattooing. After half an hour of work, the magic had been used to ink the skin appropriately. Hermione was now in a sports bra and her briefs, and was examining the patterns.
"Oh, you look beautiful. And you look modern too. Those circuit patterns are fantastic. Preparing for a date with a young man?" Freyja asked.
"Yes, I am actually. I am going to go to my cave and get myself clean. then I am going to ask him to take a night time stroll with me, like a true witch?" Hermione laughed.
"The pasta has become a running joke now. It is considered the smoothest save ever, by the nursing and healer staff." Freyja joked.
"Maybe I can corner him two ways. He can have me and the pasta. For double the effect." Hermione replied, as she smiled. Freyja laughed, as she handed Hermione her transporter.
"Good luck!" Freyja giggled.
"Thanks for everything!" Hermione replied as she hugged the girl and disappeared, as she returned to Norway.
Part V: Viminal
"Ah Harry Potter, I see you are back!" Sage Atri commented as Harry stood on the ledge an looked up at the night sky.
"More like Hermione and Grace dragged me back. I should not have assumed that I would figure the problem out, under pressure." Harry replied.
"No, but sometimes we make mistakes. My primary assignment for you was one that I did not tell you about – I merely wanted you to relax. And you have moved away from being threat driven. You found some healing. I can tell."
"Maybe because I had a chance to see something beyond me. That is what I experienced out there – the forces of the universe are utterly titanic. I was a little fly. I thought we were leading the charge for magical research. That is hubris. Much that I don't know. Mum and the rest said hello too."
"Everybody has their duty. Your parents have theirs in the afterlife, as you have yours. You are primarily a weapons manufacturer no differently to how your mother is a healer. But I sense that you want to do good. Were you successful in what you wanted to find out?"
"Not reading my mind?"
"Oh no, I can be funny sometimes. No jokes tonight, as you seem contemplative." Sage Atri laughed.
"Partially. I have a solution for creating gravity, but it isn't efficient. But I could manage with it, until I refine it. I have answers to the killing curse and the Cruciatus. It was my lineage that made those spells for healing, and then they became misused." Harry explained.
"Ah, you felt personally responsible." Sage Atri replied, sympathetically.
"Somewhat. I understand that you can solve my problems quite easily. But this is my burden. The world needs people like you to keep these traditions safe. I think you being isolated up here in the mountains is a good prudence. I still remember my first night."
"Indeed. There are many dark things. Necromancy as the Westerners call it, is a terrible form of magic. And yet, there is far worse, than what you have seen. As I said, you have your faults, and you have drawn blood. But you are not evil, as you would believe. I have a project for you. Use the knowledge you have gained and make anything that you desire. Show me what you have learnt. You should also know that I took away your communicators because I did not want life back home to interfere with your development. Routine had been established, I know you can balance both. Go and collect your wand and your personal effects."
"Can I get materials from home? I will need billet steel and other raw materials. I will ask Grace to pick it up somewhere else and to deliver it here, so we don't compromise the location?"
"Acceptable, as long as the materials are inert and are not connected to anything. Whatever makes you comfortable and is reasonable not to upset anything at the ashrama, is allowed."
"Good. Ah, I know just the thing to build and….wait why do I feel fuzzy and feverish…..and ….oh dear. I think my magical maturity is here."
"Indeed Harry Potter. This has been long overdue. The magic of all of your ancestors is settled. Go and rest yourself. You can control your mind now and have conquered some of your more basal desires. Guide your magic, via meditation. Spar with Nakula when it has passed by tomorrow morning and get started with your project."
"How has my mum been going?"
"Ah, you wonder if your mother is still angry with you, because she did not speak to you. No child, she is not. She is preparing for her final exam. She will be required to sit from tomorrow morning and recite every prayer she has learnt for 36 hours, all from memory. All one thousand and eight of them. She will not be given a rest nor will she stop. Her magic will be used to keep her awake, and to assist with the fatigue. We have spent much time teaching her fine control, and this will be tested. Many of them are at least two minutes of constant recitation."
"No wonder she seemed nervous. That is some big brain energy over there?" Harry asked.
"Yes, your mother has great demands placed upon her. Pray for her success. I take my leave of you, young man. Namaste Harry Potter."
Sage Atri disappeared and Grace who had apparated from Russia earlier sat on the ledge.
"Hello silly. So baaaasically…."
Grace gave Harry an update on Hermione's full qualification as a Master Rune Carver, and the two new misfit Dragon riders who were joining the fold. Harry was deeply appreciative of Ronald's sacrifice. Harry considered that Ronald had grown into his own type of competence. His compassion and his strength had saved a person's life.
"Ronald is a madman. But he is just the type of guy who will pick you up bodily and drag you off the field if you are unconscious. Ronald is the foundation of our little group. I am sorry to hear it was painful for him. But, it will work out for him. All this just leaves Remus unaccounted for. And then we don't know what happened to Neville and Luna. I suppose we will find out, eventually." Harry wondered.
"Ronald is not the clueless young man, anymore. He was quite busy this holiday. I hear he might give Hagrid a run for his galleons. He is good with the animals now..." Grace joked.
"No complaint about that. I heard that Potter Manor has Griffins that guard the main house. I wanted to break into the house, but my Potter ring told me to wait until it is time." Harry laughed.
"Then we wait. I want to see the ancestral Potter Manor very much, one day." Grace replied.
Remus was now having his final meal in the community hall.
He had arrived earlier that morning, and the elders asked him to display his mastery of the beast. That was when Remus became a great shaggy Fenrir. He was a easy five hundred kilogram monster – he was even bigger than the famed Siberian tigers. His fur was pure white, and his eyes were the most startling shade of gold. Remus changed back, into his human form and then explained himself, as Ylva gave him his wand and inscribed a final blood rune on his hand.
"On my magic, the great she-wolf has tasked me with an assignment. I am to hunt down Fenrir Greyback and his followers and terminate them, at the cusp of the English civil war. I have promised to fulfil her will. Lumos!"
That caused many gasps from the elders. They were aware of the man. He had taken the opposite route from the people in the community. He had engaged in being so bestial, that even in his human form he looked wolfish and disgusting. He was an anathema and probably responsible for turning many. The others in the village who were around gathered and offered congratulations. Torsten and Bjark were happy to see their friend.
When Ylva hugged Remus he whispered, "Inga says hello…"
The woman looked at Remus and grinned. So she had been correct, after all. Later in the afternoon, the elders had a discussion with Remus. They explained that they would be open to slowly accepting certain innovations. Remus looked upon the situation and suggested:
"It is quite possible that the Skaði will give many the option to live and work in the mundane world. And that could mean that the community could fall apart. So instead of letting that occur, I would love for the community to work for my nephew. We need numerous magical things built for our operations and having it done by an isolated community ensures our privacy. We are honestly struggling to meet broom demand for the Asian market. The responsible ones could even come to our workshop in England and work. We pay good."
There was some back and forth. The idea that the community could stay together, continue the traditions, and not necessarily lose young people seemed attractive. One of the other things that drove the negotiation was the promise that the children would have exciting things to amuse themselves with – how much farming could a child do until they complained? The elders agreed that the developments would happen slowly as they tested the effects of having things changed. Remus considered that position prudent enough.
Remus at the dinner table, was relating a silly story where Sirius had tried to ride him into battle as a dog Animagus and then he had clawed both him and James that night, in an accident in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. The story included the impossible explanation given to Madam Pomfrey, and there was laughter from the children. He even explained that the famed Priya Singh who had become a healing heartthrob internationally, had to fix him and his group of friends that morning. Finally, Remus ruefully admitted that now, he might consider letting Sirius ride him into battle, as a terror tactic to intimidate people.
As Remus drank some of his water, he saw a message from Hermione. She was now a master rune carver. She also had two new friends who needed a place to stay, and they were bringing their dragons. She had also seen Harry, recently. Sirius would have a weapon demonstration where he would showcase what he had learnt to his family, and then they would return to England.
Later into the night, Remus got fully armoured and primed his transporter to go to India. Ylva and the rest had been given modified data slates and transporters, and any further visits would be planned with the necessary preparations.
"Come to England when you have downtime. Wherever you want to go. Bill, on me!" Remus laughed.
"We certainly will. See you, around Konungr." Ylva replied.
When Ronald had gotten a message that said to "dress up nicely, we are going for a stroll," Ronald was unsure what to do. He wondered if there was romanticism the message, and decided that he would just let things happen – however it went, it went. Ronald slipped on some of his clothes, after having a bath and cleaned himself up nicely. The final touch was a cologne, that Hermione had gifted to him when they celebrated his birthday at the apartment. He then reported to the landing pad, and waited.
That was when Hermione appeared and Ronald found himself utterly surprised.
Hermione had chosen a plain blue spaghetti strap dress, and her hair was long and straightened, unlike her usual messy bun. But the new thing for Ronald was the runes on her arms. On her shoulders and arms, were circuit patterns that were plastered on her skin. The runes under her eyes only served to highlight her features, even more. Hermione had a look on her that was not even guarded – it seemed openly expressive, almost as if…
She was into him. Could it be?
Ronald wondered if this was the case, but decided to keep his cool. He started with. "Goodnight Master Rune…"
Ronald was immediately stopped by Hermione as she put her fingers on his lips.
"Only Mione tonight, handsome. Now, how about if we stop dancing around each other and if we tell no lies tonight? Then, might I suggest a prank that to get the drop on everybody at home?" Hermione suggested.
"But isn't the dancing part the best part?" Ronald suggested, as he probed the water carefully. Hermione had a giggle on her face, and Ronald considered that he had been made. She continued:
"Well…I remember that little comment. You want me….to make you pasta. Nice save. But then I thought about it. You do want me, and the food too. So I decided to do both." Hermione answered, as she unveiled a sizeable container.
"Mione, are you on…..drugs?" Ronald asked.
"No. But I had an experience that was so impossible I would need a metric ton of weed to be that fantastic otherwise. I did learn something about myself." Hermione replied.
"Which is?" Ronald asked.
Hermione then closed her eyes and pulled Ronald in, and invited him to kiss her. Ronald responded with a lot of enthusiasm. After they were both satisfied, Hermione whispered into Ronald's ears.
"I am not my achievements. My biggest achievement will be when I can touch the lives of people. When I can protect the innocent so that they may share in love and warmth. And while it is good to serve others, sometimes you have to take care of yourself too. So tonight it is about me. And I want to spend time with someone who supports me. And I even brought the hot pasta."
"I know a nice park. Daffodil and I went there earlier. Even has streetlights too. So, night time picnic?" Ronald suggested.
"Yes please. By the way, aren't you pleased? We technically beat Daphne and Harry." Hermione giggled.
"That is one win I want to celebrate. Why don't you tell me about what happened that made you a big fluffy kitty?" Ronald joked, before Hermione roared with laughter.
Two hours later, Ronald was rubbing his eyes. Hermione had easily conjured entire star maps and many other things from her memories including the trip around the black hole. She even explained which pathways she took, and how magic was a far more complex thing than they imagined. Then she mentioned meeting Victor Krum, who had other problems that had little to do with his illustrious Quidditch career.
"He used to be one of my heroes. Now I am hoping my brother Charlie will outperform him." Ronald joked.
"His friends were not rude, and looked after me while I was vulnerable. Of course, Freyja would have fucked them up if they did anything stupid, but there were real gentlemen. I hope they manage." Hermione replied.
The rest of the conversation included a recap of what the transformation had felt like, and Ronald had explained that he had access to wandless magic. His physical strength had almost doubled and he wondered if he could shrug off the Cruciatus curse.
"I would rather if we didn't find out sweetie." Hermione insisted.
"Well, I did manage to keep my fitness in order. Could be argued I improved, greatly. I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon, as we need to get ready for Hogwarts. I do like the idea of keeping all this a secret." Ronald suggested.
"I know. I like us being secret lovers. I will ask Invictus to wash out all of our conversations and to cover for us." Hermione replied.
"Heh. I like the excitement. I love your tattoos. I know they are functional, but I want to say you do look like an ancient powerful witch. Then somehow you look like a model with that dress too. No complaints, I will have both of them please?" Ronald laughed.
There was a lot of hugging and talking that night. When Hermione and Ronald were done talking, they returned to the reserve and then both decided to visit Daffodil, as a couple.
"Hi….Dad!" Daffodil replied cheekily.
"Hello to you, too!" Ronald replied.
"Are we all going for a romantic flyby next time the moon is out?" Daffodil asked.
"Not tonight. But we will put that on the list?" Hermione replied.
That night Hermione slept in Ronald's bed as they cuddled, and she felt happy and content. Lorna who always knew more than she let on, rubbed her hand cantankerously, as she had won the bet.
Harry sat at the banyan tree, as the wind howled. His eyes were closed, and he felt as the Peverell House magic asked of him what he had wrought, as the atom buzzed and transmitted the intuitions without words. This was incredible for Harry, as his house magic was outright talking to him, almost like a guide. Harry wondered if his trip to outer space had cleared him for a certain amount of additional knowledge, and the Peverell atom buzzed him and said:
"Yes, indeed. Hermione and Grace also qualify. So tell me how you intend to apply what you have seen?"
Harry's first reply was:
"I can stop the unforgiveables by cycling down quarks in a spinning motion around a person. It should knock the magic out and make some harmless neutrons with what remains. It can fit over the standard shields. We can vary the speeds and velocities to introduce some chaos in the system and that should amplify the effect. So…Cyclonic Shields?" Harry explained.
The Peverell Atom buzzed with excitement, and enquired what else he had brought after his pilgrimage. His second explanation was as follows:
"I have designed a theoretical High Entropy Alloy which consists of Aluminium, Chromium, Molybdenum, Tantalum, Titanium and Zirconium. The additional gold will magically stabilize the seven metal matrix and ensure that every atom is surrounded by an atom of something else. From the other papers I have read and from the structure that I can see, we could be looking at over 130 Gigapascals, easy. As hard as diamond and it can be mixed as nanoscopic powders and fused for additive manufacturing on the spot. While this was originally an idea for solving the unforgivables and it will resist the unforgiveables, it matters not. We has da spaceship alloy!"
The Peverell atom was still buzzing. Harry then explained:
"Finally, I have millinites. They are one million times bigger than nanites, but they will do the job. They are assorted shapes that are 1 mm^3 that can interlock. We can make the entire armour adaptable. We have to produce enough of it, but even in its basic form it would really something amazing," Harry explained.
The Peverell atom generated an expression that was almost equivalent to "Hell yes. Keep the train rolling….." as it danced around like an animated character.
"I know magic can generate massive amounts of gravity. I have a partial solution to that – I just need to figure out how to stimulate the gravitons and we will be fine. The Arithmantic points need to be configured properly. I also want to attempt a magically assisted muon based cold fusion, that will generate both magic and heat to run turbines. These are on the back burner, as Hermione will have to help me. But I am seeing where it is possible."
The Peverell atom then asked Harry via his feelings if he had learned anything about "Lab Safety."
"As long as Hermione is there I will be safe. But I ought to be more careful. No trips to deep space without a map. Good thing Hermione is an excellent pilot. I will try not to get carried away, withoutn thinking about the consequences."
"And what did you learn about life?" The Peverell Atom suggested through the mind link.
"There is life after death. Maybe they live in some higher dimension. 'Beyond the Veil' is not heaven, but it is a real thing. Had no idea Yggdrasil was so….titanic. The next step is to figure out if it is extragalactic. But would not be surprised. Happy?" Harry asked.
"Yes" the atom buzzed in its unique silent form of communication before it transmitted some more intuitions:
"You have been promoted to…Viminal Artificer Lord Peverell. The Peverell ranking system is based on the order that Aegeus Marius visited the seven hills of Rome when the magic had sufficiently gathered to become a corporeal entity. Skipped you two places. Worked pretty hard for this holiday!"
"If I ever needed evidence that magic was alive, I have it now. Not organically alive, but after the shit I just saw? The universe has its own intelligence. Thank you for having a chat with me, as I acknowledge you are part of that too." Harry replied.
The Peverell atom seemed to deliberate and then transferred the following message silently into his mind:
"You are welcome. Your marrow will be enhanced for artificial ossification, and your neural density will be increased. We will also boost the density of the secondary nervous system, and integrate it into any implants. We know about the augmentation project, which will be eventually possible. We also like the sound of Dr. Potter, Aerospace Engineering and Materials Science. Get cracking, Lord Peverell," the Peverell Atom replied.
Harry meditated the rest of the night, as he felt the changes being made to his body. And better yet there was no pain, as he could analyse his own body and see what occurred with his house magic.
The morning had arrived.
Harry could feel the presence of a much bigger magical core. But his mind? It felt like a great haze was lifted from his mind. He also felt a little bit unsure and somewhat uncoordinated. Nonetheless, he made his way over to Nakula. The expert swordsman saw a large increase in the boy's fluidity as Harry began to block him regularly, even if he could not go on the offensive. Nakula then began to channel more magic into his attack, and Harry got a couple of embarrassing hits.
"Magical maturity?" Nakula asked.
"First one. I feel more fluid now. Still feel a bit unsure on my feet." Harry replied.
"It takes years for the magic that we have, to settle. Do yoga every morning. I cut my development time in half, as I consciously managed the prana in my body. Do you practice the western gym style exercises?" Nakula asked.
"Besides the morning run, it is my bread and butter, to be honest. Then combat practice with the dummies that I have, is generally next." Harry replied.
"Make the yoga the last thing that you do. It also settles your mind. Guruji has mandated that I ensure that your mother is well trained to defend herself. So I will come by, and give all of you drills from December. Understand that many in Japan and China could hold you off. These people are specialist types like yourself, who have access to old, wandless magic. You are not unique. But you are very talented. From the historical accounts that we possess, the style and form that you have inherited from your ancestors is very Roman. And that is your lineage."
"Is there anyone who has surpassed your skill?" Harry asked.
"Yes. A good friend of mine. Fujiwara Sato. Or in the Western style of having the family name last, Sato Fujiwara. Her lineage comes directly from Imperial Japan. Loves to trouble the Yakuza. Wanted by the four syndicates. They will work together to attack her. I have even seen her dodge what you call vanguard charges. And...regularly"
"I want to see two of you fight. Can she run fast?" Harry asked.
"Like a blur. When you are ready to leave, come and see me with your mother."
"Thank you. My main exploit is a set of small items that fly around, attach themselves to wands and then explode them. After that, they are defenceless. A wooden stick could take them out."
"I am aware of the wand dependency. You never needed my help to be effective on the field. I saw memories of your combat operations from your mother, and I know about your wand shunts. I asked her to provide them to me, to refine you. Now….summon your lightning. The muscle exercises for the last five weeks come from the Vajra style of combat. And yes, don't feel shy about the combat amplifier." Nakula smirked.
Harry then summoned his lightning and stretched his hand, outwards. His range had almost doubled. Harry estimated that he could cast at approximately thirty metres. He had far more control, and as he experimented he could even shoot the lightning in small charges, like projectiles. He could toss lightning beyond the range of most wanded combatants with extreme accuracy.
"Excellent. I have that type of control with all the elements. I must admit I like your pushing, pulling and gripping of bodies. I picked that one up from you. From watching the way your body moves, I figured out how the magic propagates." Nakula replied, as he demonstrated all of Harry's common tactics with a big rock.
Harry started to laugh loudly as his halberd disassembled, and he walked away. Nakula has learnt all his magical techniques silently, while Harry struggled everyday, without any open demonstrations of his own capability. Then Harry realised that most of the comments that Nakula made, were to see how quickly Harry would take to get annoyed, and unbalanced. His immediate response would tell a lot about himself, what he believed and how he would think about situations. Nakula had even probed his magical response, and dug deeper into his convictions.
Harry decided that he would give Nakula a gift, as this was the first time somebody had trolled him, instead.
Harry took the next two days to strip the combination of the seven metals to nanoscopic powders. Then he used controlled amounts of Fiendfyre and atomically sterilised environments within Protego fields to forge his new alloy. He easily changed the magical composition of the Gold to create alloys with different properties. He did not need any emitters as he could control the magic with his bare hands. To him, it felt like his capability as of right now was miles ahead of where he was approximately two months ago.
His first alloy was a thin metal thread that was flexible, light and full of magical emitters. A cross section of the metal thread under a microscope would easily reveal the hidden secret. The thread was not solid but featured many bone like structures that left at least seventy per cent of the internal shape with multiple distributed hollow pockets. An emergency request for a couple of Kenyan yellow sapphires was made, and Harry powered the gemstone into a microscopic powder, before integrating it into the metal thread structure. Then, he had weaved standard shields along with new improved cyclonic shielding, into the thread.
Harry then asked the ashrama weaver to spin the flexible metal thread into the highest quality yellow cloth that was appropriate for a sari. Harry knew what his mother liked, and had made suggestions. He also happily related the Black Hole incident to the older Indian woman who specialised in Astronomy, and he even got tips for doing astral travel effectively. The weaver was only too happy to embed multiple yantras and other sacred geometry into the cloth. Then they both took a trip far outside the ashram. Harry threw unforgiveables and watched as the spells became unimportant sparks as the sari just shrugged it off, while on the conjured wooden mannequin. To get the hatred required to cast the spells, Harry just imagined Albus's and Snape's heads on the mannequin.
"Ah. Very Good. Super. This is fantastic." Pranusha asked.
"I am aware that seniors don't need this type of thing. But I am manufacturing this for my mother, as a gift." Harry commented.
"No. Very good. I had a problem once. How to quantify magnetic fields from magnetars while doing astral travel. Guruji gave me three assignments to force me to figure out the issues. I took fifteen years and I learned only fifty three deadly mistakes that I could have made." Pranusha explained.
"Holy. Magnetars?" Harry asked.
"Yes. If he has shown you anything, you take exactly that direction and run with it. You won't have to die. He wants to help you eliminate dangerous mistakes." The older woman explained.
"Thank God he is friendly then?" Harry grinned.
"Yes, he is. I know him well enough. You were tested, and there was a lesson to be learnt." the older woman replied.
"I began to suspect that was the case. He…..always knows. Anyway my second project I want to make some metal powder that will imitate the Sagittarius A behaviour. All the nice things you would normally see, but no need to cast your mind out. For overzealous beginners, like myself…." Harry grinned.
"Now Mister Harry would you laugh if I told you Guruji gave the Kalasa and told me to wait for you, this morning?" the woman smiled.
"I honestly consider him to be…the wizard…" Harry joked.
"Show me how you plan to make this metal powder, and I can help you to entangle the right behaviour," Pranusha replied.
The night was full of hot tea and laughter as Harry freely shared his recipe for his custom HEA or High Entropy Alloy. He also explained his plan was for self-assembling armour and other weapons, as they undertook missions to deal with crime lords. Harry also forged some small pocket monomolecular blades with the materials and his suspicions panned out. The materials despite containing gold absorbed all magic, and it was converted into a negligible amount of heat. They did not ablate, under magical spells.
Harry undertook forging a Khanda style sword. Then he placed some choice emitters that would give the blade his standard halberd functionality – now the blade had a FiendFyre envelope and a Vibroblade function. Finally, it was studded with small gems from the set that Lorna had sent to him.
Later into the night, Harry and his new friend completed the object. A football sized representation of the Black Hole was displayed by the small amount of milli-nites. It included all the unusual magical patterns and it tried to best replicate the trippy bending of light that usually happened around such an object. If one pointed into the metallic sand the material merely shifted around the person's fingers.
"Pranusha, thank you very much. I like that the behaviours seem accurate." Harry explained.
"When you become old enough, you will do all of these things naturally without machines. I have studied black holes for many years. I do have a secret for you…." Pranusha replied, as she touched a button and the smaller magical black hole appeared, and the bigger physical brother fell away.
"Aww thanks, that is neat Pranusha! I think I will want to come back here again. Being away from things back home was good." Harry replied.
"Go, carry your project. I will ask somebody to replicate your methods for the thread. I do want to see this sari on your mother," Pranusha explained, with excitement.
"Harry Potter? Come along your mother is looking for you?" Siddhi stated as she poked her head into the little shed. Pranusha waved her hand and packed everything neatly. Pranusha gave Harry a customary hair ruffle, as his man bun was shaken playfully.
Everybody was now in the main prayer hall.
The healers were given the traditional Chandan, which was a sandalwood paste that was used to anoint the forehead of Hindus during religious ceremonies. There was a small consecration as all the successful healers received a single gold bangle from the ashram as a gift. Harry suspected that it allowed the healers to keep in contact with each other, or made sure that they were safe. As the hall emptied, those who had interacted with Priya, Harry and Grace stayed. Even Grace's three Phoenix friends were on a nearby window.
When Priya was asked to demonstrate what was a unique thing that she had built, she presented a couple of new modules that would allow Medi-Bracelet users to get access to the Ashram's powerful mantras. These would help people who were in critical condition, or on the edge of death. She even explained that Siddhi had vetted the work, and she would carry back ancient Hindu magical knowledge to the Western magical world. She was hoping to save lives, and she was proud to be the ambassador of the Ashrama, even if people would never know where the magic had originated.
The sage had lifted a finger and suddenly Grace's voice could be heard by everyone. Harry grinned as he realised that there was always some type of surprise around the corner.
"Well I learnt I have to keep an eye on my human, as he does tend to wander off. Learnt how to shape my magic to make efficient aerodynamic surfaces. I have doubled my speed and I can make sharp manoeuvres. I also got a chance to see a bit of the cosmos." Grace replied, as she remembered her oath to not talk about the message from the foreign lifeform.
"And you Harry, what did you learn? And what did you build?" Sage Atri asked.
"I learnt that those who have left us are still with us in our hearts. And they might be out here too, in the cosmos. One should be prudent when you decide to do anything. Not everything is a threat. I made a model of Sagittarius A that is far less…risky? Pranusha helped me," Harry replied, as he demonstrated his device.
"Excellent. A good advancement of what you call your transfiguration skills. I see a sword there? A Khanda?" Sage Atri asked.
"This is for Nakula. I am aware he already has a family weapon, but I would like him to have this, out of respect. I don't want to wave it around, but it is the hardest steel I can create, and has other features like a cutting and vibrating mode." Harry replied.
"Ah, he will love that. He likes when we get hostile visitors. He shows up and is prepared to fight them!" Sage Atri smiled.
"I know. Finally, I made this sari for my mum. The thread itself is made from a brand new theoretical alloy, and it can resist the Western unforgiveables. All of them. It can also project shields which si the second layer of protection. And I left the method for the alloy thread if you wanted to share it or use it for an emergency or something else."
Sage Atri lifted a forefinger and the Sari was unfolded in the manner that it would appear, as if it was draped over a mannequin. The metallic nature of the cloth made it look like luxurious and almost satin-like. Sage Atri then lifted his pinky finger, cast some spells and nodded. Then he illuminated the sari with some light, and then the magnificence of the Yantras and the embedded yellow sapphire powder gleamed, as if there were thousands of little orbs of light on the cloth.
"Oh child, you will enjoy wearing your son's creation. Bulletproof, bombproof, fireproof, curseproof, stainproof and rustproof. The cloth has micropores and is breathable, has self cleaning, warming and cooling charms, does not block your magic and can become silenced and invisible if you touch that little petal there."
There was laughter from the group, as Sage Atri folded the cloth and packaged it into a bag wandlessly. He reminded all three of the recent visitors of the oaths and the other arrangements for continuing to visit, occasionally.
Siddhi then walked the three of them to the edge of the Ashram and there were hugs between the both women. Nakula had arrived, and Harry presented him with the item. Nakula then summoned a rock wandlessly, and cleaved it in half, before toggling the two buttons and trying the two modes.
"Your real talent is at weapon creation. I can tell that the steel is far harder and dead sharp after the cut. The burning mode and the vibrating mode might be useful one day. Exactly the same weight and balance too as my family sword. You only ever held the blade three times. Even the grip texture is the same too. Impressive."
"Praise from you is an achievement. I am better at building than destroying. I never asked, but how old are you? You look like nineteen." Harry replied.
"Turned sixteen last week. I like you, definitely a case of advanced development. Perhaps that is a good thing you are better at building than fighting, in the long term. Priya, you will duel with Harry every morning and afternoon when possible. Come let me show you what I want both of you to practice…." Nakula explained, as he continued with the drills over the next five minutes.
Harry committed them to his memory, and when they were done the mother and son pair gave their goodbyes. Grace gave a little nod, from Harry's shoulder.
"Gracie? Kerala please?" Priya asked, as Grace disappeared with nothing but a small spark and raced everyone across the leyline.
Even before Harry had been dematerialised, he was excited to see Hermione. She would be coming to see them in person. After straightening out the workshop and doing a rain check with everyone, all of them would visit the Dragon Reserve and do a special project.
Ronald transported into the workshop, and sitting on the couch were Neville and Luna. As he looked around he realised that the skeleton crew had been busy. Tracey was pushing weights and Daphne was working on a very large robot, that had an impressive claw and a minigun. The tank chassis was almost finished and it was waiting for internal components before the final panels were installed.
"Hey look who is back!" Neville yelled as got off the couch, walked up and hugged Ronald. Luna followed after before Daphne descended the small ladder.
"Had a good holiday, both of you?" Ronald asked as he looked at Neville's and Luna'stattoos.
"Yes. Apparently, I am Druid Neville. And we have Druidess Luna. What happened to you?" Neville replied.
"I had to deal with a Viking Berserker ritual. Harry got rescued from certain death and…..don't ask….too complicated," Ronald laughed, as Daphne came over and gingerly hugged Ronald.
"Harry…..almost died?" Daphne asked as the other three people became concerned.
"He cast his mind out, left the planet, went to observe the black hole at the centre of the galaxy, and could not get back. Hermione had to take some galactic backroads to get him. Look, it is complicated and has to do with the mind arts, astral travel, and all types of weird esoteric magic that they learned. They swore oaths, but you might be able to hear the non-crucial details, eventually." Ronald replied as everybody's face contorted in all manner of disbelief.
"Sounds fucking wild! Oh, we got to drink to that story!" Tracey yelled from across the room, where she continued to lift the weights.
"Well Daphne and Tracey had asked us what happened on our holiday and we said that we would all share stories when you got back. We might as well get some food, and get comfortable, if you are game?" Neville asked.
"Sure. Why not. And we need to check in with Antoc, and Clara?" Ronald suggested.
"As the person who drummed for them while the three of you were away, oh we have a surprise for you!" Tracey laughed.
Neville and Luna talked about the Celtic antechambers they had visited throughout the henges. He was glad to inform the rest that at the beginning of November, they could have an entire set of new crops. He and Luna were also quite happy to show off their tattoos. Luna showed off her sketches of the migration patterns of the veil animals, along with her animal sketches. Ronald immediately saw the overlaps between Luna's sketches and what Hermione had shown him, via her illusions. As he listened, the pair were happy to talk about their primary discovery of applying pressure to crops to force them to adapt magically. Ronald also explained he and Hermione had experienced a lot of pain to advance their wandless magic.
Tracey and Daphne were quite proud to relate how Mr. Crookshanks had been the catalyst for a little of their wandless magic to manifest. Crookshanks had been chasing a bird, and decided to speed along the work table. Daphne in a fit of panic went to grab her coffee and the cup slid into her hands. In Tracey's case, she was trying to pull the open pizza box. She had managed to slap the item closed, as the ginger cat stampeded over everything. Parvati and Padma were present, and everybody had laughed for fifteen minutes – it was a great developmental marker for both of the snakes, and it happened while they had been doing rather boring things.
Ronald was rather curious about how much progress the Indian twins had made. As he listened to the particulars, Tracey and Daphne spared no detail about what had occurred. Invictus was happy to show off the battle footage of Daphne and Padma taking on Tracey and Parvati. While the Indian twins were not accomplished all-out fighter types, they had managed to get accustomed to moving from cover to cover. Padma could occasionally shield after Daphne had emulated Neville's methods to teach the skill. On other days their father monitored them – he was sure that Padma was responsible, but Parvati liked to giggle and point at boys too much. When he considered that they were dealing with Lord Voldemort, he left his manager to run the broom manufacturing business in India. Then, he would sit and read the papers on the control platform while drinking his tea. As the stun cannons roared off in the distance, his daughters were dropped by the attacks.
After the general progress of the Indian twins had been appraised, Neville and the rest discussed the best option for NEWT subject selection. The agreement was for the group to do Arithmancy, Runes and Charms. Daphne would function as the primary tutor for Advanced Arithmancy and Runes, while Luna would handle charms. After the discussion, he and all the others had sent a single envelope with five separate pieces of parchment requesting the same subjects. Now he was waiting on a reply from the Headmaster, although he suspected that Albus would not object. Why would he? This was good publicity. As Neville looked at the checklist for what the apartment needed, Ronald was talking to Daphne at the special corner in the workshop. She and Ginny had built a rather impressive contraption.
"Daffy, is this a…prank?" Ronald asked as he smiled.
"Yes. I wanted to surprise Harry. We did not build anything new. We used standard designs and made small changes. Ginny and I went through tutorials and then we used whatever Hermione had left around. And I optimised some of the tank manufacturing pathways."
"I think it looks great. Where did the design come from?" Ronald asked.
"Well, we can't draw for shit. So I ripped the Atlas model from Mass Effect 3 and got some of the Warhammer 40K miniatures scanned with photogrammetry. Swapped stuff where it was necessary. We have a mini-knight I guess?" Daphne replied.
"So like sophisticated Lego Blocks?" Ronald clarified.
"Yes! I used blender to put the thing together. We didn't know how to do the engineering for the joints so we went all superconductor and floaty. Kreacher and Snaggletooth helped a lot. This thing fell so many times outside, but we got the movement solid now. Astoria and Ginny made the mini cannon. Some of the days, Penny was bored and helped with the muscle fibres. Those emitters had everything stored in them."
"How is it operated?" Ronald asked.
"Spinal interface. However, the limbs feel heavy when you try to lift them. A lot of neural feedback. Tracey being Ms. Muscles around here makes the thing move like nobody's business."
"Is it ready? I want to have a go at it?" Ronald laughed.
"Sure! Here let me get you in the cockpit, and then we can see how you manage?"
Ronald had a lot of success at moving the object, until he saw video footage of Tracey piloting the object. Tracey was just a natural at moving the mech, as her movements were very life-like and agile. Ronald began to suspect that this was Tracey's innate talent.
Part VI: Crossroads
Parvati Patil was at a crossroads, as she stood in her room and looked into her mirror.
Parvati's best friends were Romilda Vane and Lavender Brown. Padma had given her sister a long discussion about being careful. She would have to balance her activities in a manner where Romilda and Lavender would not suspect anything, and Parvati found herself torn. She had gotten close to Tracey, as the buff Slytherin taught her how to target and fight with pistols and to move from cover to cover. Tracey also was a genius with Magical History, as she bounced around ideas with Percy. The long writing sessions with Tracey were enjoyable, as she realised that she had more in common with the snake – they both liked Romance stories.
And then came the weights.
Parvati looked at her arms and they were far bigger than she remembered them. The plate exercises had built familiarity with wandless magic, and the snake had shown her what to do. Tracey had taught the girl to stun quite easily, as she taught her all of Harry and Hermione's advanced cantrips. She understood that she was different now, and she suspected that she would not fit in with her friends. Parvati realised that Romilda and Lavender did not even bother to message her on the data slate, during the holidays. However, if she had written a message to any of them, they would probably responded and long conversations would have followed.
So the relationship was maintained by her, after all.
Tracey, Daphne and her sister Padma, had forced her to become disciplined. Her routine was now sacred, and her body had been conditioned into getting up, working out, practising her spells, and then hitting the obstacle course. Then they would write a couple chapters of their book, and sometimes Parvati attended band practice for fun. As she looked at herself in the mirror, her mother confronted her.
"Dearest daughter, what is wrong?" her mother asked in Marathi.
"Romilda and Lavender used to be my best friends. But now I am not so sure." Parvati answered.
"What changed?" Aadarsha asked.
"I don't know. They seem immature. They always had bad stuff to say about Luna. Romilda has been trying to get Neville's attention last year but he and Luna are already a permanent thing. Lavender likes Ronald, but she could never find him to talk to him."
"Ah. You think your friends at school are permanent. And that there will be endearing friendships forever? That will happen when people have common experiences to unite them. Do you see that five? They will stay friends. They do useful things. Do you think people stay friends over gossip, and giggling? If you care about them, leave them behind and learn how to heal. Then learn how to fight. So when he comes, you might be able to save them. This is your duty child."
"I feel sad," Parvati replied.
"Better to be sad and safe, than to be happy and unsafe. And you will only be sad, until you make new friends. Here is what I suggest – try to see if you can change their habits. Give it until December. And then you can decide what to do." Aadarsha Patil replied.
Parvati knew deep down in her heart that the final decision would occur during her first week in Hogwarts.
Albus Dumbledore was now looking at the subject requests from his group of all star students. However, he decided that it did not matter much. Albus was pleased to hear that Neville had gone on a holiday to look for something that had been mentioned in the Longbottom grimoire. The boy had explained that his lineage of magic came from the Druids and while they did not exist anymore, any lore he and Luna could capture would be useful. As Albus stroked his beard, he considered his own duel with Grindelwald, and realised that even a small unusual piece of magic could make or break a duel.
"Professor Flitwick, our star five students are requesting the same arrangement as last year" Albus explained in his office.
"Yes, I suspected. After seeing their results from last year, I am ready for all five of them!" Flitwick squeaked.
"Professor Babbing?" Albus asked.
"I am not so sure – Ms. Greengrass is no issue. She is a prodigy. But the rest of them have no background. And Septima and I agree that they should take the basics first." Professor Babbling replied.
"And normally I will agree. But there is also the issue that if they are denied entry they might just not bother to take the subjects. And that will complicate issues," Albus explained.
"How so Albus?" Septima Vector inquired, as she was very confused.
"The families of the five students in question, are contributing to Hogwarts. Either financially, via representation or services. The recent forty per cent raise in salaries is from the money that Lord Davis, Lord Greengrass and Dame Augusta donated to the additional petty galleon fund. Ronald is the English keeper for the World Cup next year. Luna has restored more than one hundred Hogwarts portraits. Hecate forbid this went the wrong way and Rita Skeeter got wind of the issue. The recent migration of our healers to France and loosing Ms. Singh? Magical England needs good publicity." Albus replied.
"Oh. That changes things, Albus. It would be illogical to anger our supporters. If they can maintain the discipline I require, I will give them an opportunity. I demand the best from my students. Only Ms. Greengrass has that in her, so far." Septima replied.
"Give them until December, and you will see results. Ms. Greengrass volunteered to teach the rest of them. If they all do well, perhaps you might get a new Assistant Professor? Teaching the others might develop Ms. Greengrass' talent?" Albus joked.
"Oh…Septima and I can share her. Maybe her capability should be tested. We need more people in the elective fields." Babbling explained, as Septima held her chin and smiled.
"Maybe the girl does have it in her. She is a maverick. I will chart their progress, and let you know," Septima Vector replied, as Alastor Mad-Eye Moody walked into the office with Professor McGonagall.
"Ah Alastor. Welcome back to Hogwarts, my dear old friend. Thanks for coming…." Albus replied.
"Heard you need a…defence teacher?" Alastor answered in his signature half-shouting, half-clipped voice.
"Indeed. Professor Babbling and Vector you may leave us." Albus replied kindly, as both women nodded their heads and left. Flitwick and McGonagall sat down in the padded chairs as Albus revealed his secrets. One hour later, Moody understood the real scope of his assignment.
"So, he is coming back. Albus, what do you want me to do?" Moody asked.
"Do everything to prioritise stunning and shielding. Then, teach standard offensive Magic. You will take over the Defence Club and ask our five best students to assist you. Ensure that Ms. Greengrass and Ms. Davis are fighting the other three regularly in public demonstrations. Privately they will work and support each other. They are all good friends."
"Permission to give them the boot camp experience?" Moody asked.
"No Alastor, not yet. Let them enjoy their time this year. From next year you have my permission to do whatever is necessary." Albus replied.
"Alright, alright. Children are too soft these days. I will get prepared. I want to duel Neville, heard he is good. We will see!" Alastor replied, as he grinned.
Harry had arrived with Priya and Grace in Kerala, and found Hermione waiting for him. Before any hugs could be traded, Hermione walked right up to Harry and Grace flew off his shoulder, as she knew what was coming. Hermione twisted her hand and wandlessly wringed Harrys two ears simultaneously. Priya, Sirius and Remus had to laugh as she summoned a magazine and hit him on his head, between every word in her uttered sentences.
"You…damned….moron. What….were…you…thinking!" Hermione asked, as her runes glowed on her skin. Harry had no idea where her tattoos had come from, and the rest were shocked.
"Okay! Okay! Stop! I thought you gave me the tirade already?" Harry asked.
SMACK!
"Oh no, you deserved that!" Hermione said crossly, before she hugged Priya and Sirius respectively.
"Hello!" Hermione exclaimed brightly, as Priya touched her tattoos and felt the magic and whistled.
"I heard in passing what happened to you. Not nice, but can't argue with the results!" Priya replied as Hermione laughed.
"Oh, you think I went through big changes?" Hermione replied, as she reached and locked the door with her extended hand.
"Might as well?" Hermione snickered at Remus.
"But of course!" Remus replied, before he became a Fenrir in less than two seconds and took up most of the room. Then he reverted, and Sirius began to laugh like a immature primary school student. Now Priya and Harry were surprised, as Harry suggested:
"Alright we need to talk. Looks like everyone had a wild holiday." Harry suggested.
After thinking about what could be revealed and what had to stay secret, the group had gotten a general idea of what had occurred for everybody. Priya had been put through an impressive regimen of learning, meditation and exercises to increase her wandless capability. Also, there were any number of ancient methods and diagnostics that were going to be deployed into the rev3 Operating system for the Medi-Bracelet. Hermione promised to encrypt all of the sacred mantras and other techniques so that nobody would be able to work backwards.
Harry had spoken about being exposed to Nakula and how he had gotten trolled in the end. Also was the awakening of his magic. Now the Peverell atom was talking to him directly via intuitions. He discussed his new alloy, and his rudimentary milli-nites, which was a form of programmable matter. Finally, was the partial gravity solution and the promise of magical cold fusion. To top everything off, Harry demonstrated his cyclonic shielding system with a practical attempt of throwing several unforgiveables.
"I just need some more testing, and we should be okay?" Harry explained, before Hermione leaned over and hugged Harry.
"You promised that you would find a way. This….is amazing. This is what will help us to win the war. Okay I can forgive the incident, I guess." Hermione replied, as Priya smiled. Sirius and even Remus were shocked, as Harry gave both individuals a primer on how he had approached the problem solving.
Hermione explained about learning how to fight on dragon back and how Daffodil had been trained. Daffodil was connected right now via spinal link and was capable of listening and seeing as she utilised her newfound strength and the interface, simultaneously. Her best discovery was the galactic network that powered the apparition system. She even conjured some of what she had seen via illusions and everyone else got a light show as she recreated Harry's rescue. She also spoke highly of Ronald who had offered himself to take away somebody's pain from a deadly artefact. After he endured countless amounts of pain, Ronald was a berserker Viking now, and was inhumanly tough and strong. Finally, two new friends would be arriving with their dragons soon enough.
Remus spoke of the ritual he had undertaken. He had received the ability to transform at will and keep his full intellect, along with a bottle of blood that could provide a vaccination and a cure for Lycanthropy. Hermione understood that she too had an obligation to the great she-wolf. Sirius talked about his new combat skills. His teacher had organised for an exhibition of what he had learnt in the morning. After everybody had a late night, they all went to sleep, happy and excited.
Ronald was not surprised when he returned home, and found the cantankerous Auntie Muriel in the Weasley kitchen of the old house. Ginny had warned him that no type of device or any skills that might cause suspicion were to be used. As he walked in, he decided to be polite as he leaned in, gave the woman a kiss, sat down and asked how she was going.
"Well, it seems that the Weasleys are getting their business sorted out. I remember you boy! You did not have a bright future ahead of you! And yet I almost want to compliment you." Muriel replied, as she hoped to make the boy uncomfortable.
"I agree about not being sure, on how to go forward. No argument absolutely. I decided to consider what I was passionate about and add discipline to it. I am here to have a meal with my family, and then I am off to Quidditch practice. I am the new English Keeper for the World Cup team, next year. Charlie is the seeker, too." Ronald mentioned very casually with not one hint of arrogance. Muriel who was not aware, was immediately stumped. The Weasley involvement in the Quidditch World Cup team was hardly known to anyone.
"I see. I heard you are a Hufflepuff?" the woman asked.
"Guilty as charged." Ronald replied, with a small smile on his face.
Molly then decided to put the woman in her place.
"By the way Muriel, did you know that Ronald attempted three NEWTs last year and received all Outstandings? Quite a brain on him, he is hoping to finish another three this year and will consider what amuses him for year four. He will finish Hogwarts three years early, with porbably eight or nine NEWTs" Molly replied.
Suddenly Muriel was shocked, and she even had to compose herself to deal with the list of achievements.
"Perhaps you have a future then. I visited the kitchen today. I did like the food. I heard the majority of the Weasleys are working and saving their money. Finally, some financial prudence," Muriel replied, as Molly smiled.
"Well, our lineage was big on commerce. We lost our Wizengamot seat because of deception. But I have seen that what comes around, goes around. I don't think the Malfoys have a bright future ahead of them, for long. Especially, when you considered that I boxed most of Draco's brains out, in any case…."
"What was the reason for that?" Muriel asked, with approval in her voice.
"Oh…glad you asked. He likes to grope the girls, so Neville and I dealt with it." Ronald replied, with a small smirk on his face. Even some of the berserker magic showed through his eyes, and Muriel could sense the savagery in the boy. She even felt mildly threatened and decided to investigate the details. She also considered the son of Lucius Malfoy suffering, to be music to her ears.
"Did young Mr. Malfoy touch a young lady inappropriately? And you defended the girl's honour?" Muriel asked, appraisingly.
"It was a group of ten Slytherins. Lower and upper years. Two girls actually, were the victims. Lord Snyde and Lord Oakwood's daughters, Merula and Ismelda. Neville Longbottom and I broke bones and teeth. Most of the Slytherin gang suffered, that day. When we were done they required hospitalisation," Ronald replied, calmly.
"And who are these students?" Muriel asked.
"The children of Death Eater scum, you can't expect them to know any manners," Ronald replied. Muriel stayed silent, as the red headed boy drank a beer and ate some of the chicken paprikash. She observed how he took his time, savoured the food, and was very dainty with his manners.
Muriel nodded with approval as she said, "Let us hope that you get a young lady to match your ambition."
Ronald looked at Muriel and smiled a grin that was too confident. Molly began to wonder if her son had met someone, as she smiled. She began to hope to Lady Hecate it was Hermione.
Ronald when he was finished, prepared himself and left the old kitchen. He took his broom and apparated to the edge of the training grounds, as he flew into his Quidditch practice and landed next to his coach. Mitchell Birch and Leyland Poults who were the assistant and the coach respectively greeted Ronald, as he dismounted his broom and shook their hands. Leyland Poults who was sensitive to how people moved, had a small frown on his face as looked over Ronald and said, "Magical Maturity?"
"Yes. It was an ancient family ritual that demanded a pilgrimage to be undertaken by myself, individually." Ronald replied.
"I have never heard of such a thing?" Birch asked who was genuinely interested.
"Ah. See, Mr. Birch the Weasleys were a Most Ancient and Most Noble House. We do have centuries of family lore. We fell from grace recently because of the treachery of Abraxas Malfoy, but that doesn't mean we should forget our traditions. A family friend gave us the necessary kick in the pants." Ronald replied evenly.
He mounted his broom and waited for the coach. The grizzly man blew the whistle, and everyone broke off their positions and flew towards the benches. The old keeper was the first to approach as he dismounted, and Ronald took his place in the group of loosely floating individuals.
"Alright people! This one is back from his lovely little jaunt. So, I want everyone to take a quaffle and give him some tough love! Weasley if you fuck up tonight, you can fly straight fucking home!" Poults replied.
"Get into action, NOW!" the coach yelled, as the group collected their quaffles and Ronald positioned himself in front of the three hoops. Ronald immediately summoned his wandless magic, steadied his breathing, and even spread out his magic as he had been instructed at the Dragon reserve. While his eyes were open, he felt himself rise into an altered state of consciousness, and he took some of his magic and allowed it to mingle in the broom handle. Suddenly the broom went still, as he realised that he could exert some of his intent on the broom.
As the other teammates flew from all angles with their throws, Ronald caught them without breaking a sweat. As he observed how the quaffles travelled, even the slight breeze on his hands and face cued Ronald into how the object would drift. Ronald was able to catch the quaffle as if he was playing against first years. Normally Ronald would occasionally miss, but he was dead on point. Even the other team members were surprised. Eventually, Ronald got a brilliant idea. His team members were not better flyers than Dragons. He considered some of the occasional explanations he had gotten from Jörmungandr and Níðhöggr, who had collected him often when Daffodil had missed. While he didn't have wings, he had thruster pockets on the broom, and he knew how Harry's jetpacks operated.
He began to use his magic to individually control thruster pockets. He employed techniques and somersaults that dragons would often use. Now he would often leave the hoops open and allow the team members to take shots. When the quaffle was close enough, he would swing in and redirect the quaffle by using graceful turns instead of arresting his movement completely. Now he was tossing the quaffles hard enough, and the other chases and beaters were having a hard time managing with the force. Even the beater bats which were fairly shock absorbent, rattled as the beaters hit the quaffles away.
"Fucking Hecate, what happened to him?" Birch asked Poults.
"One of the things they never discuss is that magical power factors into Quidditch. Whatever he did, granted him a fair bit of power. He also can shrug off a lot of pain." Poults replied.
"But I don't understand?" Birch asked, curiously.
"Krum is good because he probably flies in the cold to hunt or carry about his business. Big, and tough as nails. Wherever Ronald went, it was probably very harsh. He is channelling wandless magic now." Poults replied, with a grin on his face.
"Holy fishcakes! Wandless magic?" Birch asked.
"Yes. Personal House business might be involved. Don't go prying. The Weasleys are making a comeback. Let us see how much pressure he can take. I know many magicals who are easily a century and they do not have his type of eyes." Poults explained to Birch.
"He is easily far better than me now," Jones the previous keeper replied.
Birch pointed his wand at his throat, as said through a sonorous, "Double the shots and give him two at a time since he feels he is so good!"
Atticus was flying next to Charlie asked, "What happened to him?"
"Went Norway, and something happened. Can you see his eyes? He has pureblood eyes?" Charlie explained.
Everyone could see as his eyes had a dim glow in the darkness of the night. Violet and Vaughn who were jokingly called the 'flying Vees' because of their high speed flying, continued to take multiple passes. Ronald calmly judged the drift of the quaffle, and nailed the saves every single time. After a forty minute stint, the other players were panting and Ronald did not seem stressed. Everybody came down and got a drink of Gatorade while Ronald read his messages from Hermione. As Ronald chatted away, there was a bright smile on his face, and everyone else knew that Ronald had a new bird. Even Birch was smiling.
"Alright get some fluids into your system. And then, Charlie you are up. Ronald is doing his job. I want a three prong attack for the world cup. Charlie you need to lock up that snitch quickly, while the others will keep on the opposing keeper. Ronald will keep everything out. We are not depending on one particular person to carry the team." Poults emphasised, as the group got ready.
Ronald whispered into Charlie's ear, "I will teach you how to ping the snitch more efficiently. Learnt some things while I was away." Ronald replied.
"Is the bird…Hermione?" Charlie asked. Ronald nodded a no, but Charlie was not convinced.
"I am not saying anything, alright. It is her, I can tell with that stupid grin on your face. Congratulations." Charlie insisted.
The morning of the weapons demonstration had arrived.
Sirius was decked in ceremonial garments as he held the urumi in his hand. On the other side was Bheema, who was silent and imposing. Normally the training was done with only a loincloth on the body, and the rest of them were disappointed – they had hoped to participate in Sirius' embarrassment. Sirius looked like a warrior as he held the weapon in his hand. Sirius had done any number of gruelling Maipayat, which were overly exaggerated bends that were for conditioning. The results could be clearly seen on his body.
His eyes were alert. His exhibition would not cover the swords, daggers, wooden weapons and all the other skills he had learned. Rather, it was primarily focused on the urumi.
And the fighting, began.
Wooden wand wielding dummies surrounded him as they squirted jets of coloured water. Sirius expertly jumped out of the way, as it became apparent that he could stretch out his awareness and detect objects behind him. In a wanded duel, half of the curses that were fired off by combatants behind his back, would have easily caused friendly fire. Then Sirius began with the first set of swings. The blade of the whip sword travelled from the left to right in a figure eight, that curved around his body. In a crowd, he would have counted as a vertical lawnmower. Harry who understood the pathway of the blade, winced as Sirius could clear entire crowds of opponents easily. The blade was not just a piece of flexible steel – rather the metal responded well to magic and it was being actively guided by both the physicality of the swings and mental control.
Then Bheema got involved, with his urumi. He deliberately surged forward and attacked Sirius, while the wooden dummies continued with their onslaught. Sirius was able to summon a small metal shield wandlessly, as he held off the attacks. Bheema's strokes and throws often ended with the end of the weapon coming at Sirius' face and neck. The crowd soon realised that Bheema could kill quite easily, but he was pushing Sirius regardless.
Sirius responded in kind, as the entire two metres of the urumi was utilised. Bheema over the next twenty minutes stepped up the difficulty as more wand welding dummies joined the fight. Sirius had to bend regularly and stay mobile. While there were several bloody slashes, Sirius threw off the pain and soldiered as he channelled Herald to assist his movements. Bheema at the end of the entire thirty minute demo stopped the exhibition and said:
"Enough. Excellent."
Niravi the head healer at the Kalari, walked over to Priya and saw the bangle on her wrist.
"Come, fix him. Wandlessly. Recite aloud. You are going to get married to him eventually, you should start fixing him now." the old woman remarked, cantankerously. The rest of the crowd had to reply with a loud bout of laughter. Hermione, Remus and Sirius were honestly excited to see what Priya had learnt. Priya walked up to Sirius and opened her hands out and began to chant Sanskrit at a speed that was utterly blinding – she did not seem to breathe as the mantras came consistently. Her voice was resonant, the syllables were clear, and Sirius saw as his skin stitched together even faster than the Medi-spray. And even more interesting, was that Sirius did not seem hungry afterwards, to repay his energy deficit. Hermione immediately caught on – the magic had been drawn from the environment.
"Super! You are a natural. Good. Am I getting an invite to the wedding?" the woman asked humorously. Priya nodded yes, as she grinned. Harry who liked to watch everything excessively with his mage sight looked very confused, until Hermione whispered:
"Relax, I know how they did it. Not a conversation for here." Hermione replied.
Harry nodded, as the staff insisted that the family join them for tea and a small snack, before they left for England. After an hour of laughter and small talk, the group grabbed their possessions and prepared themselves. The group were now standing in a small open space at the back of the building. Grace looked at the sky, and then plotted her course. Harry who was sharing her mind could see the ghostly tendrils, now that his mind had been opened up by his experiences.
"All right you bunch, we are riding the lightning in…..3..2..1!" Grace replied.
The group apparated into the Peverell workshop and Harry and Hermione were now properly confused.
For the band, it was the first practice session after everyone had returned from holidays. The three missing members transported via floo (not to arouse suspicions between Antoc and Clara) found the others were playing a song that all of them were familiar with:
They were playing the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Theme Song.
The guitar riff had been modified and Clara was savagely heavy. The violinist had decided to learn a new instrument. Tracey had added extra pieces to her kit and had a cowbell that she was using to put some contrast in the drums. Antoc was having a good time as he gladly sported a Green Ranger T-shirt. Neville, Luna and Ronald had to do a double take, as the song progressed. When the two Slytherins and the Hufflepuff were finished, there were hugs and hellos as Antoc and Clara greeted the missing band members. Clara loved the tattoos on Neville and Luna. Antoc who came from a pureblood but neutral family, looked upon the three of them and he understood what had happened. They had undertaken some type of major ritual that was related to house magic. Antoc had heard about the "pureblood eyes" and he could see it plain as day.
The rest of the session was spent as Neville and Ronald worked with Clara as their third guitarist. She would play mostly rhythm and leave the shredding to Neville. Very soon the guitars were thumping the walls, and Ronald's powerful falsetto raised hairs on people's body. Coordination came quickly to Neville, and he found himself being able to shred much faster. Luna filled the background with roaring brass sections, haunting choirs and encompassing string arrangements as the song for the beloved children's show became an orchestral, power metal song.
It felt like the Megazord was coming to rip your face off.
When they were finished, and had given each other some high fives. Neville introduced the band to Battle Beast and their 2011 album Steel. He also proposed a revolutionary idea.
"So I want for some of our songs to send the Death Eaters a message. I want them to know that even though the war is over and things have gotten quiet, if they get out of line, the people will crush them. Call it a reminder for the Diagon Alley incident," Neville suggested.
"How do we do that?" Clara asked.
"We ensure that our songs have appropriate lyrics where we can insert our own images and videos. Then we make a mashup of voldyskunk and his followers being stomped into the floor because of mass public revolt. I want us to incite people to attack them if they step out of line…"
"You know…. I like it. We should embarrass them. The Dark Lord is dead in any case. How do we make it controversial?" Antoc asked.
"It was rumoured that Bellatrix Lestrange had a thing for him. Maybe some love Wizarding songs and two people on stage dramatizing funny outrageous things? I want to see a costumed Bella and Voldy smooch on stage!" Tracey suggested, as everyone laughed.
"My parents and even I think the Storm-Lord and the Storm-Priestess are what we need. Mum said that on one morning they did what the Ministry could not handle for at least five years, at the height of the war. Mum lost a friend. Marlene McKinnon." Clara explained, as Neville nodded.
"I know that name. My grandmother mentioned her in passing," Neville replied, as they began to throw around ideas that would troll the Death Eaters. Luna had slowly guided the conversation along the line where Clementine's media house could do the animations from a storyboard and another friend could work up some gigantic displays if they were performing in public. The band had a plan – they were going to support their music with shock tactics and all types of terribly forward ideas that would surprise magical England. After the new songs were discussed, the band reverted to the older songs they had practised six weeks ago. Clara, Antoc and Tracey had been practising for hours daily, and now it was for the rest to continue to build the familiarity.
Harry walked up to the mech, looked around in amazement and then hugged Daphne. The snake didn't need any confirmation that Harry was pleased and very excited. His hug felt warm, as his magic and appreciation were projected into the environment. Harry even grabbed her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze and said:
"You really went apeshit on the weights and the food. I can feel the biceps. You feel stronger too…" Harry replied.
Hermione looked at the reaction carefully and could feel both of them probing each other, before she smiled. She was aware that Harry was off the pacifier, and he was more likely to experience feelings of attachment. Whether he would admit his feelings however, was another thing. She always had suspected that Harry had a huge crush on Daphne, but was terrified to admit his feelings. After Harry detached from Daphne, the snake hugged Hermione. She was very curious about Hermione's new tattoos and actually poked around her face and arms while Hermione just laughed. Daphne also hugged the rest of the Peverell regulars, before the group walked off.
Hermione looked around the contraption and said, "Been keeping busy?"
"Hey it walks! We copied a lot of your designs. Ginny made the necessary modifications." Daphne replied. Harry noted that Daphne mixed her coffee with her fingers wandlessly, before she took a drink. That meant some of her wandlessly capability had manifested. Harry also hugged Ginny, as she poked his nose.
"Not bad private Greengrass, not bad at all. Nice on the wandless magic. Where is Astoria, Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Sleeping. Like our minigun? Not as powerful as yours but we wanted a challenge to build something interesting." Ginny explained.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked.
"Shortened the existing railgun to ten percent of its current size. Also designed a entire heat sink system that increases the surface area and also acts like a fan to pull in fresh air. The challenge was to keep it air cooled and simple. Everything is attached via superconducting mounting points, you can put what you want on the end of the arm." Ginny explained.
"So what did you do Harry, besides almost dying." Daphne asked.
"Ah you heard. I can only tell parts of that story, unless we amend your oath. I made several discoveries while I was away. You know, having this as a template? We can really advance the design, because we have many new things to implement." Harry explained.
"You know when I called you a spaceman, I didn't mean to actually do something to put yourself in trouble. Hermione, thank you for bringing him home! Love your tattoos. Can I get like those too?" Daphne asked.
"If you are willing to tolerate a lot of pain, sure. It was not easy. Involved multiple bouts of fainting and staying delirious in the Russian cold with hardly any warm clothes and no magic. As you took Reserve oaths, I will tell you the full story over a slice of cheesecake." Hermione replied, and Daphne's eyebrows raised.
As Harry and Hermione sat down, they filled Daphne in on the new things they had learnt. Daphne's existing oath had to be amended so that knowledge about the Ashrama would be held in secret - the snake was understanding when names and locations were omitted. She was surprised to hear that Harry had to merely refine an existing solution to completely block all Unforgivables
"That is amazing! But why aren't you celebrating?" Daphne asked.
"Oh, I saw a guy flick a finger and disassemble an entire army down to subatomic particles. I even asked him if I could tell you, as long as I felt out details. Another friend at the place casually studied Magnetars. And the person who gave me a workout with my halberd - Nakula? He is fucking scary. Only two years older than me. Casually summons multiple wandless elemental spells and can learn a person's magic by just watching how their body moves." Harry insisted.
"You are scared of someone?" Daphne asked.
"Are you kidding? I can barely hold him off! He is a one guy army and only fights with the clothes on his body. We saw a lot of old magic, both of us. And we learned that we are talented with the mechanical and engineering approach to magic. But esoteric things? Nah, we are babies. It was humbling and good. I love the people at the ashrama, and I am a Master Potato Peeler Harry Potter now." Harry explained, as he laughed.
"Now I want to go on a holiday too?" Daphne curiously asked.
"That is going to happen next year. We will cover for you, the same way you looked after us. What are the rest doing?" Harry asked.
"I might as well fill you in because they are taking some time off for their….hobbies." Daphne explained, as she tried to hint to Harry that band practice was in session.
On the other hand, Hermione did not seem concerned, as she was busy talking to Invictus about something in the corner of the shop. Whatever was said was quite funny, as the portrait laughed incessantly. Daphne explained that Neville and Luna were both sharing Druidic magic, and that his new talents included an extensive ability to shape plants. She even explained that stressing the plants helped them to adapt quickly, and there was recognition in Harry's eyes.
"I know some things are still secret but…..was it painful?" Daphne asked.
"Very, but it wasn't malicious pain. It is like a personal pain and you have to decide if you will sacrifice for it. I also had to readjust my mind to seeing subatomic particles. I am glad that you are taking up the slack to tutor the rest. I promise from January we will help all of you. I had my magical maturity and my body isn't settled." Harry explained.
"Tracey seems to have a natural ability to move that thing. I don't know if her magic is made up like that. She made the bloody thing dance. Ronald went through big changes, as he can pilot it. But he isn't as fluid. Maybe you can try and see. She is very attached to it, and wants to paint Hello Kitty on it, and make everything pink." Daphne explained.
"I don't mind. I like when we have funny shit. We will get Luna to make it super aesthetic!" Harry laughed.
Harry got an update on the Cronus, and its conversion from a wheeled vehicle to a hover tank, along with its walking ability. Daphne explained the new optimisations that kept the tank light. However, she kept the knowledge of the Raven-II secret as that was meant to be a surprise.
"Woman, I am giving you a raise. Now you are Corporal Greengrass! But seriously, you thought of….everything." Harry exclaimed, as his eyes were lit up with excitement.
"Oh I know that look – you have a problem you need to solve. Spill the beans now, Harry…" Daphne replied, as she read his face like a piece of paper.
"I need you to make some modifications – I would like to use the new H.E. Alloy, and I want you to grow the alloy into the remaining spaces. Even with the ridiculous amount of money I have, we will have to honeycomb the structure. Hexagons are best-tagons and all that."
"If I had to guess, even with the alloy being 1/7 th gold it is too expensive to use liberally. Why don't you make a probe and steal some gold from a asteroid? You and the Goblins could really do the whole Smaug thing? Take the steel and the other precious stones materials. And I am sure there will be enough for everyone else." Daphne suggested.
Harry began to scratch his head, as suddenly his eyes lit up in excitement. Now they understood how the apparition system worked, and it was somewhat feasible to generate partial gravity on demand – it was time to revamp the current propulsion drives. Suddenly Harry began to wonder if magical nexus points tended to accumulate raw materials – it was possible that microscopic amounts of gold and other precious materials could float throughout the Yggdrasil and they could accumulate with enough time and magic. Harry began to suspect how Gringotts had managed to acquire that much gold and other rare gems. Suddenly the idea of the Bifröst being rainbow coloured made sense. And what if there were new types of materials that had formed with the assistance of magic, or the lack of gravity? Harry did see a lot of unusual objects that had been vanished when he had taken his excursion to outer space.
He had suspected that these objects were not human.
"I just realised how Gringotts got their gold. Where it comes from, I mean – the gold itself might be magical. You just uncovered a huge mystery and I think I have a viable method to get enough gold and other rare materials to build the battleship. So thanks, Corporal Greengrass." Harry laughed.
"You are welcome, Commander Potter. I did all this because you are my favourite friend…on the Citadel!" Daphne replied, as she raised a single eyebrow and quoted one of the classic Mass Effect memes.
"That one I really like. So you played the entire series while I was away?" Harry asked, softly.
"Of course. I would like to think we are continuing the tradition of being friends between Lilly Potter and my mother. Now we can include Mass Effect Memes!" Daphne replied.
"We should continue that tradition. Let me get you filled in on the other things, because we haven't talked about mum, Sirius and Remus. They have some wild stories too. Basically, Remus can become a Fenrir on command as the moon doesn't affect him. Sirius learned a new weapon and I want to recreate it with….."
Harry and Daphne talked until two in the morning as they began working towards immediately implementing the milli-nites, which were the first step towards programmable matter. Harry had worked out some interlocking shapes, and now it was to integrate enough of the muscle weave materials and other substances that could be used to build the armour underlayer on command.
