Welcome back one and all to another chapter of "The Heir and the Champions", in this chapter, Fleur finds out why you don't challenge Zoë to a sword fight, Zoë finds out why Albus Dumbledore is the Headmaster, Gabriella meets another girl and has a bad time, and Macha gets to meet Harry in person at long last.
On with the show!
Hogwarts, Fleur Delacour
"I may have made a mistake here," Fleur thinks to herself as she back peddles from her opponent, blocking and dodging each strike the other girl lashes out with, after her initial barrage of fire and spell work, Fleur got the rear sight of someone cutting through her magic like it was child's play. Every time Fleur would step to the edge of the Hedge to move through the mist to gain some distance between her and the hunter because it was all too obvious that Fleur had not a snowball chance in hell betting the girl in armed combat, she had fallen back to her spell work. But every time she had stepped away, the hunter would immediately know right where she was going and was on her in a heartbeat, not even enough time to raise her wand.
And the worst part? Even if Fleur could get enough time to cast any spell, she wouldn't be able to cast her best spells. She was in a corridor of a castle, and to use any of her Blast Magic would bring the ceiling and walls crashing down on both of them, and Fleur was sure to cause collateral damage to the castle was breaking her word of "Doing her best to avoid getting into trouble," which would be bad for her to say the least.
Fleur sidesteps a lunge from the hunter before knocking the hunter's sword down with her own, a blade she was sure was loaded with something to do with the concept of water seeing that the blade had snuffed out a majority of her first blast of fire by simply passing through the flames, just before bring up her wand to do something foolish.
"Mortarium et ignis," Fleur thinks as she steps back into the mist just before an explosion of sound and fire shakes the corridor with a bang sending the hunter flying away for her and rolling down the hall.
The hall itself looked like a burning warzone, with suits of armor knocked over and scattered along the ground, portrait frames were ablaze and the occupants fleeing for their existence, and fire and burning debris were scattered across the ground. It was a wonderful sight to Fleur, so rarely she was allowed to cut loose like this and cause some real damage, but it was always worth the wait in the end. The fight, the hunt, and the anticipation before the kill were all worth the wait and she loved every moment of it. She stands in the destruction, basking in it for a moment before she watches in slight awe as the hunter begins to stand up again and shakes the dust off herself before popping her neck.
The Hunter opens her fully amber eyes now before sliding back into stance, Fleur watches as the veins in the hunter's neck and forehead begin to bulge, giving her a much more feral and beautiful look of death and danger, before, in a blur of movement, the hunter charges at her. Fleur's eyes widen at the speed the hunter moved at and bring her sword up just in time to block the strike that causes her arm to go numb from the impact. Fleur tries to take a step back but the hunter moves with her, swinging twice more, and if it wasn't for the basket hilt of her saber, Fleur would have lost a few fingers as the hunter efficiently and brutally disarms Fleur before she grabs the Fae by the collar with one hand and headbutts her, sending Fleur reeling and scrambling her thoughts as the hunter picked her up off her feet and throwing her into the nearby wall with a thud that echoes throughout the corridor.
Fleur looks up just in time to see the hunter standing above her, about to bring the silver blade she wielded down on her, Fleur focused on the mist, to slip into the Hedge before the hunter could kill but she wasn't sure she could make it before the blade could pierce her, but she didn't have to as another voice yells out, old and full of power and command.
"Enough!" the voice of the Headmaster of Hogwarts commands before a blinding white light fills the corridor and a sharp bang echoes in the mind of both Fleur and the hunter above her before Zoë is flung back to the opposite wall. As Zoë strikes the wall it morphs into liquid before wrapping her limbs in stone before shifting into iron to hold the Lieutenant of the Hunt back.
As Fleur tries to stand and step into the hedge, the scattered armor comes to life, extending and shifting into iron chains to wrap around Fleur and drag her to the floor before bolting themselves to the stone flagstone of the corridor. Both women look up to see Albus Dumbledore walking forward, his arm raised and wand pointed forward, a look of anger and disappointment set on his face, both of them could feel the overwhelming power rolling off the man and filling the corridor.
"In all my years presiding over this school in one way or another, there have only been two incidents that were such a threat to the students that called this castle home as you two fighting in the corridors," Dumbledore says to them with the look of anger in his eyes never leaving, "This ends now, do you understand me?" He tells them both leaving no room to argue, for the Headmaster of Hogwarts had spoken with the full authority of the castle he swore to protect.
Harry Potter
"we'll take you to the girl for another drop of blood! Right now! We promise!" the mangy fleabag of a cat had said after Harry had killed the Nekomata with the Curse of Dún Scáth and had grabbed the little bastard by the scruff of his neck while it stood still in shock, the curse still flaring off his spear.
"And why the hell should I trust you!?" Harry had asked through clenched teeth as he shook the damn thing, it takes a lot to get Harry angry at any animal but this cat had pushed his limit and then broke them and he was seconds away from skewering him.
"Because when a Fae gives their word they have to keep it, and adding in the blood makes it a transaction, not a gift, so we can't take it back once given, we swear on Oberon and Titania!" The cat said in a panic, trying to save itself from the Curse Spear that it eyed with fear.
Harry had heard that before, the transaction part, he narrows his eyes trying to recall from where but it was like a dream that he half-remembered with a crow, rat, and snake talking about something. In the end, Harry had agreed before tossing the cat to the ground and told it if it left his sight he would kill it as he reapplied the iron coating to his spear before they left the golden field of wheat as they moved back into the Hedge maze. Charging back through the mist, the cat never once left Harry's side as they moved through the Hedge, Harry cutting down each Fae as they stepped from the Hedge, trying to say something before an iron spear found a home in their hearts and minds. Left, left, right, straight, left, right, right, left, until finally, the cat stopped.
"What is it? You better not be buying time or something," Harry warns the cat with a glare as he stops and the cat turns to look at him, its smile all but gone.
"No, no, nothing like that, it's,..." it pauses looking deeper into the hedge, its tail puffing out, "Nothing, the next left should take you right to the girl, we swear, but we will go no further than this spot," it explains with no small amount of trepidation in its voice, "Three drops of blood in a saucer of milk, Boyo, remember that," it says.
"And how in Poseidon's banana hammock am I supposed to give you that? Because like hell I'm coming back here ever again," Harry says, as the cat looks at him in amusement at his words.
"Just say our name three times before the first drop of blood, three times before the second, and three times after the third, we will hear you and come to you," it explains with a slight grin as its too-wide eyes flick back and forth between Harry's spear and the Hedge path.
"Okay, what's your name then?" Harry asks.
"Oh, you can call us Big Ears," it says tossing its head back, its large floppy ears flicking back as he does, "Seeing how we hear nothing at all," the cat grins at its own words as it looks back at Harry.
"Whatever," Harry states as he begins to walk down the Hedge's path, his spear at the ready to defend and kill anything and everything that would block his path home.
"We'll be seeing you again soon, Mister Nobody, in the not here," Harry hears the cat say, but when he stops and turns around to tell the cat to go fuck himself, he found himself alone on the path. Harry sighs out loud before turning around and continuing forward, as he walks he starts to hear an odd sound in the dark and twisted hedge maze, the sound of clapping.
"Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, baker's man, so I will master it, as fast as I can," a young voice sings followed by the sound of swift slaps and smacks and sobs, "Pat it, Prick it, and mark it with an H," the voice continues, heedless of the cries and sobs of the other voice.
"P-Pl-Please," Gabriella's voice says, her voice cracking with pain, "St-Stop, it-it h-hurts," she begs, causing Harry to start running.
"And pop it in the oven for Harry and me!" the other voice says, ending the song with a thunderous clap and Gabriella screaming in pain, "Aww, you lost again, Gabriella, we'll have to play again!" the other voice says with a cruel giggle.
"Please, I-I-I don't want to pl-play a-again," Gabriella begs, and this was the last straw for the Heir of the Hunt as he charges down the path before taking the first left.
"Aww, but you need to learn not to touch things that aren't yours," the childlike voice growls out in anger and ancient power as Harry finally sees who was tormenting Gabriella, and it was a girl he had seen before. He saw her outside of the Gate of Skye in a dream, she wore the same long red hood and cloak, and he could make out the blond ringlets poking out of the hood, the sleeves of her white dress crawled up her arms as she held her hands out and together like she was praying, mirroring Gabriella stance perfectly. Gabriella on the other hand had tears running down her red face, her hands were also bright red and quickly turning black and blue from how hard the girl in the red cloak and hood had been hitting her hands.
"Now," the girl in the red hood says with cheer in her voice, "Let's play again!" before clapping her hands, and Gabriella sobs again.
"Leave her the fuck alone!" Harry screams as he charges into a garden, his spear drawn back to pierce the tiny body of whatever was harming Gabriella, anger and rage evident in Harry's tone. The girl in the red hood's head snaps to Harry, her Fathomless black eyes widen as she sees him with his spear raised.
"STOP!" The black-eyed girl orders and Harry freezes, he couldn't move a muscle, he couldn't blink, he couldn't even draw a breath, let alone finish his thrust to defend the tiny Half-Fae child, and the girl just smiles at him, "Finally, I've been waiting here fooooooorever for you to finally show up," the girl says in a high playful voice, she drops her hands and looks back at Gabriella, "It seems like I have no more use for you, Aos sí, I have what I want, so let this be a listen to you about not touching other people's things and return to Hogwarts and tell the old Headmaster Harry will be along momentarily, now," she tells Gabriella, and the young half-fae looks to be fighting something for a moment before looking at Harry with sorrow and horror before she is pulled back into a swirl of mist and disappearing from the garden.
Hogwarts
It was with a simple wave of his wand that Dumbledore restored the corridor to its former unburnt state before Ron and Hermione had joined him, he had sent Alastor to get Madame Maxime to fill her in and show her to his office, he turns back to the two older girls still restrained eyeing them both with displeasure before speaking, "I am now going to release you both, and then you will act your ages and put aside you mutual dislike for one another so I may speak with Miss Delacour, without interruptions," he says turning to look at Zoë when he mentions age.
Zoë's mouth is set into a firm line and glaring at Fleur who was glaring back at her, just nods before Dumbledore waves his wand and releases both of them before turning to Fleur, "Miss Delacour, my apologies for skipping over pleasantries, but time is of the essence, not an hour ago your little sister, Gabriella had ambushed a student and taken him, we must find him and bring him back," he explains quickly as Fleur stands up and dusts herself off before looking at Dumbledore, a smirk barely suppressed.
"Ze little nugget took ze halv-blood, didn't ze?" Fleur asks with a raised brow and a look of pride in her eyes while Dumbledore remains stony, "Check ze carriage, ze is probably playing a-" Fleur begins to say before Dumbledore cuts her off.
"We have ways of checking who is and isn't on grounds Miss Delacour, and neither your younger sister nor Mister Potter is on Hogwarts grounds, we have reason to believe that she has taken him beyond the Hedge," Dumbledore explains and watches Fleur's face crumple into shock and fear.
Fleur's mouth opens and closes a few times before she starts to curse in French, "Foolizh little girl, zat was ze thinking!?" she says before turning to back to Dumbledore, "Headmazter, ou muzt believe me, ze doez not know zat ze iz doing, ze-" but before the Half-Fae could continue Dumbledore holds up a hand to stop her.
"I believe what she did wasn't out of malicious intent, but out of misplaced mischief," Dumbledore states calmly, "All I wish for now is the safe return of them both, which is why I must ask you to step beyond the Hedge to look for them," the Headmasters says, looking at Fleur with steely eyes, but Fleur hesitates for a moment before speaking.
"Dumbly-door, ou muz underzand, ze Hedge iz not a place like zis world, it iz an ever twizing and zifting place, even if I were to know exactly where Gabby brought him I zill would not be able to get zere, becauze ze zere would no longer exizt," Fleur explains with a look of uncertainty on her face as she crosses her arms, "Ze only places zat are like ziss world iz ze Courtz, but Gabby haz never been zo zem, ze iz to young, and if zey did make it to one of zem, zan ze boy iz already dead or wizhing he waz," Fleur says causing Dumbledore to close his eyes with a pained look on his face as Zoë face was a mask of horror matching that of Ron and Hermione's.
But before any of them could do or say anything else, a twisting gray mist swirls around the group as Gabriella stumbles out weeping and crying cradling bruised hands and speaking in sharp fast French about a girl in a red hood.
Harry Potter
Harry was still stuck fast as he watched the girl in front of him tilt her head and inspect him with a smile, before walking over to his side and reaching up for his spear.
"I don't think you'll need this for our little chat, Boyo," she says sweetly, and Harry feels his spear collapse into the swiss army knife as the iron covering falls to the ground and burns the grass as it lands, "There we go, now we don't have to worry about Scáthach's curse getting called out all willy-nilly and putting a damper on our talk, huh, Harry?" she says with a giggle as she walks away from Harry tossing Serpent-Hunter up into the air and catching it, "Oh, I guess I can release you now to talk, before you pass out, you may move now," with words thick with power reverberating in his skull Harry takes a breath and falls to his knees.
Harry doesn't take his eyes off the young-looking girl as he takes in oxygen into his lungs, she simply stands there looking at him with familiar eyes and a soft smile, "Who the hell are you?" Harry asks, and the girl's smile widens.
"Why I'm Macha of the Morrígna," the girl introduces herself with a curtsy of her dress before standing straight again with a smile before pointing at Harry, "And your Harry James Potter, born July 31st, 1980 in Saint Mungo's hospital to Lily and James Potter, godfather Sirius Black, godmother Alice Longbottom, on October 31st you became the boy who lived when the self-styled dark lord Tom Riddle came to visit you that night, killing your mother and father before trying and failing to kill you thanks to Lily Potter's selfless sacrifice in the name of love, protecting you from the killing curse," Macha says, rattling off Harry history, her smile never leaving her face, "You were sent to live with your aunt and uncle behind some very powerful wards based on your mother's sacrifice, where your aunt and uncle neglected and abused you for almost ten years, locking you in the cupboard under the stairs until one Rubius Hagrid came and gave you your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, and over the next few years you went on whimsical adventures with your two best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, in the school of Hogwarts," Macha says as she started to skip around Harry in a carefree way, how she knew about the abuse, Harry had no clue, but He pushes himself to his feet watching her circle around him.
"Then in your third year at Hogwarts, your godfather broke out of Azkaban, as well, and this is the important part, you found out you're a demigod and not just any demigod, oh no, but a child of Artemis of the Olympians, her first and only child," Macha says as she stops and pirouettes into facing him with an even larger grin, "So, did I miss anything?" she asks Harry as he just stood there eyeing the girl wearily.
"How do you know all that?" Harry asks because of some of those things only a handful of people even knew about.
"Because it's about you, silly," Macha says with a roll of her eyes, "When we finally found out about what happened in the forbidden forest we were very Thoreau in our research of you, we couldn't leave a stone unturned, and we only figured out the Artemis part recently," she says with a grin, before, in a childlike manner, she hops foot to foot like she was playing a schoolyard game up to him as Harry takes a step back, "And I've been wanting to meet you face to face for a while now, well awake that is, but you're under so many protections it's hard to even get close to you," she says with a sigh.
"And seriously, if it's not Dún Scaith, then it's the blood wards, or you're with too many people for any of us to approach, not counting that time Anand got lucky," Macha says as she rolls her head back in aggravation, "I mean, come on, how many stupid protections does a half-blood need!"
"You were at the gate," Harry says slowly, remembering the little girl from his dream, Macha looks at him in surprise before he continues, "You wanted me to be the one or something like that, and through a tantrum about it," he says as he watches the girls face turn red and her face screws up in embarrassment.
"I didn't throw a tantrum, I was just upset that I couldn't talk to you, okay!" Macha yells at him, her cheeks puffing out as she leans forward with her hands on her hips.
Harry takes another step back from the tiny girl, "What were you talking about anyway?" he asks.
"Oh!" Macha says, standing back to her full height, "Perfect Segway into why I'm here when that little Fae brat brought you past the Hedge, she took you away from most of the protections that you were hiding under, allowing me to get the answers we need," she says with a bright smile, and Harry narrows his eyes at her.
"I'm not telling you a damn thing," Harry snaps at her, making Macha's face fall into a frown, "You tortured a child, and then forced her, my only way home, away, to get me alone!"
Macha's twists in anger, "She shouldn't touch things that aren't hers!" Macha yells back at Harry.
"I don't belong to anyone!" Harry screams right back as Macha's face goes flat and blank.
"That's where you're wrong, Boyo," Macha tells him in a flat voice, "You've belonged to us since the moment you drew your first breath," Macha says, and before Harry could say anything else, she speaks again in a haunting tone of voice as if she was reciting something she had longed remembered, "And they will come, born under ill omen stars and the zenith moon, under mars red glare they will be marked by death and usher in the end of the bloody feast of crows, with the blood of the conquerors they will come, wrapped in the belt of a great hunter they have been marked by death and so will meet death three times and be loved by it, the one who carries the blood of conquerors will be born under the zenith of the moon," She says causing a chill to run down Harry's back.
"That was the prophecy handed down to me and my younger sisters with a warning we would only get three tries to find the person the prophecy spoke of and we are on our last try," Macha explains as she takes a step forward, "That's why we need to be sure, without any doubt that it's you, so I ask of you, Harry Potter, Son of Artemis, did you free Cernunnos?" she says, her voice thick with divine power demanding an answer to her question.
Words crawled up Harry's throat, unwanted and without thought behind them, the truth wanted to escape when all Harry wanted to do was tell the little girl to jump into a wood chipper feet first, "No," Harry growls out through clenched teeth, "The Centaurs freed him," he spits out at Macha and watches with a faint sort of pleasure as her face falls in horror, confusion spilled from her eyes like he had just told her that Aphrodite decided to turn celibate.
Her gaze hardens as she looks back at him, "Did they use your blood?" she asks in desperation, walking closer to him.
"Yes," rips from Harry's throat, his face twisting in hate giving this little brat the answers she wanted, because after Harry says that single word Macha's face morphs into a look of unbridled joy, like a child seeing the sun for the first time in a long time.
"You're the one," Macha says breathlessly, looking at him in awe, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes before she charges at him with arms thrown wide open and leaping at Harry, she jumps high enough to wrap her arms around his neck and clambers to climb up him repeating the words "You're the one," over and over again, crying as she does so. Harry tries to push her off of him, to get the sadistic little girl off away from him but all she does is squeeze him tighter.
"Anand is going to be so happy," she murmurs into the crook of his neck before giggling madly, "Badb is gonna be so pissed, she didn't think it was you and sent Fáfnir to test you or something stupid like that, but she was wrong!" she says, throwing her head back, her hood falling backwards, and laughing wildly before screaming into the air, her tiny fist shaking as she does, "YOU HEAR THAT BADB, YOU CAN SUCK MY DICK! WE WERE RIGHT YOU OLD BITCH!"
"You sent that dragon after me!?" Harry snaps at Macha who turns to look at him with a surprised look.
"Oh, shit, I wasn't supposed to tell you that," Macha says as she hops off of Harry, "but no, not me, Badb did that because she is an ornery old bitch," Macha says in clear distaste of who she was talking about.
"Are you the ones that entered me in the stupid fucking tournament as well?" Harry asks, backing away from the manic little girl.
"What? No," Macha says, as if he had insulted her, "That was old snakefaaaaaaa-" she begins to say before trailing off and looking to the side before looking back at Harry, "I mean, yes! Yes, that was us! All a part of the grand plan!" she says with a large smile.
"You're lying," Harry says deadpanned.
"And I'm also not telling you, so," Macha says before sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry at him, "Besides, we can't abandon the plan this late into the game, if you'll pardon the expression," she says with a smile.
"I'm not going to help you," Harry tells the little girl as she spins in half circles making her dress and cloak fan out as she smiles cruelly back at him.
"Oh, we know that, but it won't matter in the end," Macha says like it was already a foregone conclusion, "The cauldron sits ready and waiting, and when the time comes, the queen will rise again, nothing you can do short of suicide will stop us and we both know you want to know what's life is like outside that cupboard and room of discarded and broken things far too much to do that," Macha says, watching Harry's face fall into shock with a look of glee on her face, "But, I think we're done talking now, so," Macha says before tossing Serpent-Hunter back to Harry, who with seeker reflexes, snatches it out of the air and unfolds his spear in the span of a heartbeat before Macha raises her other hand, "It's time to send you home," she says before snapping her fingers right as Harry lunges at her, slipping through the thick gray mist and back beyond the Hedge.
Macha stands alone in the garden, smiling softly to herself before turning to look over to the chair made from darkness and blades with a renewed fire in her eyes.
"Well, did you find out what you needed, little Macha?" A voice that reminded Macha of a cool breeze on a hot summer's day asks before Macha turns to it and curtsying low to the speaker who now occupied the other seat of light and flowers.
"Yes, Queen Titania," Macha says, bowing her head as she does, "You have the Morrígna eternal gratitude for acquiescing to our request so quickly and without forewarning," she says without raising her head or raising herself out of her curtsy.
The woman laughs softly, the sound of wind chimes escaping her lips, to call her beautiful would be like calling a stained glass window drab, or the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel just another work of art. Her skin was flawless and pale that seemed to shine like the sun was reflecting off of it even in the gray lifeless mist of the outer Hedge, her hair was spun gold that fell to the floor and spilled out over it, and her otherworldly features of sharp edges and long, pointed ears looked as perfect as a cut diamond and as sharp as a freshly honed blade, her dress seemed to be woven from the white mist and fog and morning dew that sparkled like clear white gemstones, and when she smiled at Macha, it was like the glory of the morning dawn after a long, cold, and bitter night.
"But of course, little niece, we are all too happy to help you," Queen Titania says, "After all, we wish for the return of our sister as much as you wish for the return of your mother," The Queen of The Fae says with a soft smile.
Hogwarts
As Harry Potter smashes face-first into a wall, all he can do is curse his luck from the bottom of his being, that, and curse out loud as he lands on his back.
"Motherfucker!" Harry screams as he holds his nose that was flattened while slamming his face into the stone walls of the castle he had called home as he rolls over to his side, almost sighing through the pain as he feels his connection to the Hunt flood his body once again.
"Harry!"
"Mister Potter!"
"Oh, look, it iz ze halv-blood,"
" 'arry!"
The calls of his name from Ron, Hermione, and Zoë fill the halls along with Dumbledore and one Fea he didn't like, and Gabriella fills him with relief as he rolls onto his back, and opens his eyes to see a slightly charred Zoë looking down at him with concern.
"Gabriella?" Harry calls out, before getting back a small "Wee?" from the girl, "Next time you want to play can we stay in Hogwarts, Please?" Harry asks, much to the confused little Half-Fea not understanding his words.
"Are you okay, my boy?" Dumbledore asks as he walks within eyesight of Harry, kneeling to speak to him.
"Other than greeting the wall with my face, you mean?" Harry asks, words thick with sarcasm and anger, "Yeah, I'm fucking peachy, oh, I also found out who sent Fáfnir after me," Harry says as Dumbledore's face falls into a frown.
"Then it seems that we should go up to my office to speak, as well as decide on the punishment for young Gabriella, Fleur, and Lady Nightshade," Dumbledore says before standing, and all Harry could think of was why he smelt smoke.
The Sun
…The picture shifts to show a young girl in a red hood holding the Sun in her hands, looking down at it with fathomless black eyes and a smirk that speaks of ill intentions, and as the sun throws light behind the young girl, we also see two silhouettes standing behind her, one of an older taller woman with raven black hair in a red dress, and another of an elderly woman leaning on a staff with a red shaw pulled over her head.
Chapter Done!
And we are out of the Hedge boys and girls!
And to answer the question that will no doubt come up:
Who is Queen Tatiana: if you don't know who this is, y'all need to read some Shakespeare, but Queen Tatiana is the Queen of the Fae and the wife of King Oberon. In this fic, the fae is divided into "Courts", the two main ones are the Summer court and the winter court, and each one is ruled over by a Queen while Oberon rules over both, Tatiana is the Queen of the Summer court while her twin sister is the Queen of the Winter court.
Now, will this ever come up again? Probably, but I'm trying to avoid diving too deep into the Fae courts because fuck that, those could be their own fics by themselves.
But the next chapter is gonna be a bit of a time skip, just a few weeks, but don't worry, we will be going over the three big points of Harry telling Zoë and Dumbledore about Macha, what happens to Gabriella and Fleur(and Zoë) along with some backstory for the two Fae sisters, and we find out which Hunter passed away along with some mourning rights of the Hunters, as well as a proper introduction to that odd cat.
The next chapter:
Ace of Swords
Kingsaxcul, Out!
