Chapter 4 Reunions
As the Remnants returned to their camp, they pondered over the recent events that had transpired. Qrow was about to ask what had happened.
"I know you have questions, but you might as well wait until we all get back together," Ozpin said, tapping his cane and sending out shockwaves. He repeated the action just before boarding the train, catching sight of the others who had Oscar lying on one of the cots with Ruby's cape covering him.
"How's he doing?" Yang asked as she checked on their youngest member, noticing her sister had some wrappings around her hand.
"It's fine," Ruby assured, still concerned about her friend who was murmuring in his sleep and mentioning the name Jay. "Do you think we misjudged Potter? He seemed confused and unaware of what was happening."
Her team, on the other hand, had different opinions. "Ruby, for all we know, it could've been just an act," Yang said.
"Then it's a good idea to put my wards to the test," Ozpin said, raising his cane to absorb some of their aura before tapping it to the ground again, causing a wave of energy to surround them.
"What are you talking about?" Blake asked.
"When the Hogwarts headmaster tried to read my mind, I picked up a few things like these barriers, which I placed around the area; the first one would alert us if anyone approached, the second one if anyone with malicious intent would get redirected elsewhere, and the final one would only allow those with an aura to pass through or have to be let in by someone with an aura, so be mindful of who you let in, and one more thing, Oscar doesn't leave these barriers without someone watching him."
After Ozpin said that, the rest of the Remnants seemed to have questions on their minds, but a loud bang got their attention, and Ozpin raised his hand to quiet them down.
"I know everyone has questions, but it appears we have some company," Ozpin said, getting up to check the wards.
#
Earlier in the Dream Realm.
Jacob made his way up the steep rocky cliff, his heart pounding in his chest. As he climbed higher, he spotted a young child who looked strikingly similar to the boy in the locket he always carried with him. "Harry?" he called out, his voice echoing through the empty landscape.
"Jay, where were you? "I called out for you and waited, but you never showed up." The boy's voice was filled with hurt and anger. "You abandoned me."
Jacob's heart sank at these words. "No! That's not true, Sirius and I tried. If I had known where you were, I would have come for you," he said, trying to calm the child down. He took a few cautious steps closer. "Come on, brother, let's go home."
But before they could move any further, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. Harry lost his footing and fell. Jacob lunged forward, trying to catch him, but he was too late. The boy dangled precariously over a pit of sticky, black tar.
"Hang on!" Jacob yelled, his voice choked with fear. He could only watch helplessly as a strange, horse-like woman and a hippo-like man emerged from the tar pit. They yanked Harry away from Jacob's grasp, preventing them from falling into the pit and being swallowed by the thick, black liquid.
Jacob could only scream for his brother before he was knocked down by something that emerged from the tar pit. As he turned over to see what it was, he realized it was a woman with pale skin, bleached hair, and glowing crimson eyes. Her hands crackled with purple energy as a beam struck him, jolting him awake from his deep slumber.
"What the hell was that?" Jacob wondered as he walked to the bathroom to wash his face. As Jacob gazed upon his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't help but notice his ghostly complexion, his tangled, matted hair, and the dark circles that lurked beneath his eyes, when he paused to admire the view outside, he paused to take in the glowing light in the forest. After a moment, he returned to his bed packed some clothes stuffed them in a backpack then turned into Minzi, hopped onto the scaffolding, and made his way down to the ground level before disappearing into the forest. However, just as he was about to reach his destination, he collided with an invisible barrier and exclaimed, "Ow!" while shaking off his dizziness. When he looked up, he saw the occupants of the place coming out and staring at him in surprise. Suddenly, he heard a menacing growl emanating from behind him and spun around to see Padfoot, his godfather's Animagus form. Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Jacob gave Padfoot a sheepish look before both of them transformed back into their human forms.
" Dammit Kit, do you have," Sirius said only to stop and notice his godson's sickly appearance and ask if he was okay. Jacob brushed off the question and turned his attention to Ozpin. He noticed that some of the students were looking at them curiously.
"I came here to talk to my brother. I don't care about your issues with my family. I'm not leaving until I speak to him. Now, open this barrier up!" Jacob shouted, standing his ground despite some Revenants reaching for their weapons. Ozpin stopped them with a wave of his hand and then opened the barrier for Jacob and his godfather to pass through.
"Gentlemen, please follow me. I will show you to Oscar, but first, we have some questions for you," Ozpin said, leading them into his encampment. They walked into one of the train cars and were surprised at how vast it seemed. They noticed a few of Ozpin's students eying them before He waved them over to a pair of seats next to a coffee table.
"So what are these questions?" Jacob asked eagerly, wanting to get the questions over with so he could speak to his brother.
"How did you transform into an animal?" Ruby asked out loud. She stood behind the door where Jacob sensed Oscar was, deciding it might be a good idea to get on his brother's girlfriend's good side.
" I took a very special potion, which takes about a month plus a week at best, and fair warning—the potion tastes like a very potent hot sauce," Jacob answered as Ruby stared at him in fascination. "How is Harry doing? I brought a change of clothes, which should fit him."
He tossed the book bag over to her and she gave it a calculating glance before attempting to turn it into an intimidating expression. "Oscar's doing fine," she said. "What do you want with him?"
"He's my brother, and I will talk to him. And I'm not leaving until I do. I have people who know I'm here, so if I disappear, this will be the first place that they will look." Jacob channels his Gryffindor courage and stubbornness.
" And who says these people can stop us if we did make you disappear? I believe I overheard a few people that Ozpin easily whooped some of the strongest Wizards of the time," Yang said, her lilac eyes turning a reddish purple.
" He might have, but everyone has a lucky day. and as much as I hate to admit I'm a big thing here," Jacob said. 'Though it cost me everything until now,' He whispered, which only Blake caught.
"Yes, the so-called boy who lived," Ozpin said as he looked over at Sirius. "I believe I don't have your name, Padfoot was it?" he asked.
"It's Sirius Black," Sirius replied as the Remnants gave him distrusting looks.
" Don't mind my students. They knew a Black and were not friendly with him, but let me continue, there was this dark wizard who attacked you and your family when you were only fourteen months old," Ozpin said.
" No, Macdonald, a friend of my mother and my godmother was babysitting us then a friend of my father's let Voldemort inside of our home where he killed her then he turned the wand on us and used a spell that no one has ever survived from," Jacob asked.
"Do you remember this?" Weiss asked. "I doubt even an infant could remember all of that."
"Professor Dumbledore said that I survived that spell because my godmother sacrificed herself, which activated some type of spell that involves love, but as far as I'm concerned, I survived and my brother didn't. And I thought that for thirteen years." Jacob said, keeping his temper in check. 'Just focus on what you want, Jay.'
" What happened to your brother," Someone called as the room turned to see Oscar standing in the doorway holding Ruby's cloak around him.
"Oscar, you need to rest," Ruby said softly, stepping closer to him. However, Oscar seemed to be determined and made his way into the room, his legs wobbling a bit. Jacob quickly came to his aid before Ruby could reach him, and the couple sank onto the couch together. "I want to hear what they have to say," Oscar said, "And they won't leave until they talk to me, so I might as well speed that up."
"Now, where were we?" Ozpin asked as he noticed his former host's attention was now divided between him and Jacob.
"No one knew; people suggested he was weaker than me because I had survived, leaving a blast mark next to me," Jacob said, his voice shaking as he talked about it, but his eyes never left Oscar as Ozpin hummed.
" How, how was your home life? Har- Oscar was it," Jacob asked Oscar who gave him a nervous look.
"I have it on good authority that Oscar's current home, his aunt is strict but caring. making sure he has a room of his own in the main house as well as his living quarters as a farmhand is acceptable," Ozpin said as Jacob and Sirius soaked up the knowledge.
" One last question, do you have any relatives from your Mother's or Father's side that happened to look like a walrus or a horse?" Ozpin asked as he and the other remnants noticed Sirius's look as they leaned in anticipation, especially Oscar.
" Why are you asking that?" Sirius asked them only to realize what they were asking shooting up from his seat and pacing around the room. " No, no, no, that's not possible even in the worst-case scenario neither one of them should go to them,"
"I take it you know these individuals," Ozpin said as he looked back and forth between the wizard pacing.
"Wish I hadn't," he said. "One of them matching the description of Lily's sister, who had cut off all connections to her and Lily nineteen years ago, and who shouldn't have guardianship of the boys; even in the worst-case scenario, they should have come to me first, then Alice, and if neither of us were available, they should have been put in an orphanage nowhere near Petunia Dursley!" Sirius said loudly.
Oscar recognized the name as his heart raced; his friends began to notice his distress as some of the nearby windows cracked. Jacob immediately recognized that Oscar was experiencing a panic attack. He jumped over the table, knelt in front of him, and grabbed his hand.
"Oscar, look at me. They're not here, you're safe," Jacob reassured Oscar, who looked up at him. Before Oscar could say anything, Jacob pulled out a golden pendant and showed him an animated picture of himself with two young boys. In the picture, the younger boy with reddish hair was being held by the older boy with black hair and green eyes. "This was taken on our first birthday," Jacob explained.
Oscar gazed into the photo to see the black-haired boy grinning at the camera while holding his younger brother by the shoulders, whispering something to him. Oscar could only interpret it as "Mine, JJ." His friends looked on in concern as Oscar clenched his head in pain.
"Oscar!" Ruby called as she looked over at Jacob before Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from doing something she might regret.
"Easy, he's not hurting Oscar," Ozpin said.
"How do you know he's not using any of that hocus-pocus on him?" Ruby hissed as Ozpin gave a light chuckle.
"Miss Rose, your loyalty to Oscar is admirable. I can tell that you care about him very much. However, if Mr. Potter intends to harm Oscar or anyone else, he will be promptly lost in the forest," Ozpin stated sternly. Ruby grew flustered and turned to glance at Oscar, who then looked back at Jacob.
"Oscar. You probably don't remember, but please give me a chance to be your brother. I swear on my life and magic, I will never leave you again. As Jacob swore, Oscar placed a shaky hand on his cheek; the emerald green glowed as Jacob started to illuminate a sapphire blue before he jumped back, clutching his head as the crescent moon scar on his temple burst open. Black vapor began to pour out, forming a tentacle that wrapped around Jacob's throat.
" Hey, let him go!" Oscar calls trying to get the tentacle off him only for the vapor to turn into a humanoid shape backhanding him into a wall.
Ruby turned around and looked back at the vapor while her Silver Eyes started glowing. Suddenly, a bright white light filled the room, causing the creature to let go of Jacob and disappear. Oscar got up and noticed that Jacob was down. Ruby kneeled next to him and asked Oscar, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Ru," Oscar replied, not noticing Ruby had blushed at her nickname or the rune marks on his arms, which the adults saw as he spotted Jacob. Blake went over and checked on him. She noticed him moving before she put a hand on him, and then pulled it back.
"He's burning up!" Blake cried out in panic as she saw her hands covered in blood. She quickly cut off his shirt and noticed some scars on his wrist and three large blue scratches. "Can anyone please find me some tweezers? I think there's something inside the wound." Sirius, who was nearby, noticed the scratch marks and conjured up some tweezers, which Blake took immediately. "Qrow, I need something to sterilize this!" she shouted.
Qrow handed the flax to her. She poured a small amount onto the scratches and then used the tweezers to remove some claws. Sirius saw the claws and muttered, "Someone will pay for this."
"What happened here, Black?" Qrow asked. Sirius then explained the story which made the Remnants reconsider their opinions on Jacob, as Blake's last claw was removed, the wounds began to close and Jacob's aura flashed, causing his hair to turn pitch black with spots.
" What the! What just happened to Jacob?" Blake questioned as Ozpin looked over at Sirius giving him a look that Sirius caught.
A few moments later outside the train.
" Can you tell me why you are having me stand out here?" Sirius asked as he got dragged outside and now had a bronze-colored energy field around him.
" Just a little experiment to discover how your godson turned into a Faunus. It was either those claws or him being a shifter like you, also if you do this I might give you a chance to talk to Oscar's aunt," Ozpin said as Sirius considered the offer of talking to his godson's aunt for the chance of negotiating.
" All right, what do you want me to do?" Sirius asks, scratching his tailbone which catches Ozpin's attention.
Ozpin looked at him and said, "Look out there and tell me if you notice anything."
"It's clear despite being nighttime," Sirius remarked as he scratched his tailbone. Suddenly, he stopped when he felt something furry. He pulled his hand back and realized that he now had a thick, black dog tail. In shock, he exclaimed, "What the hell!"
Sirius noticed his tail spinning around like a dog chasing it. Ozpin chuckled. "We found what changed Mr. Potter," Ozpin said with amusement.
Sirius retorted, "Oh, shove off Oz, the Git. Something tells me you know how my godson was raised."
Ozpin replied, "I doubt you would believe me if I told you." Sirius gave him a look that said try me.
"All right, I can reincarnate into like-minded people. Oscar was the most recent one, who I convinced to track down Qrow and the others and voluntarily join their group."
"So technically you're supposed to be dead," Sirius said as Ozpin nodded. Sirius started pacing around and asked, "What happens to the people you possess?"
Ozpin responded, "Usually, my abilities and muscle memory are inherited by most of them, but there are some cases where they fade away." Ozpin then switched to a lighter topic and added, "As for your question, except for his first year with her, Emily Pine has treated him very well." Considering she just lost her brother and his family, she did quite well raising him into a fine young man." Sirius pondered over Ozpin's words before noticing a crow perched on a tree branch above Ozpin.
" Ah, Qrow you have everything you need," Ozpin asked as the Corvette flew down transforming into the man.
"For hunting down those pieces of Grimm and rounding up the others?" Qrow asked.
" Fortunately Mrs, Dursley gets to live for another day, for now, track down Glynda, Peter, and Bartholomew," Ozpin ordered as Qrow nodded before he turned to Sirius. " Mr. Black, You will be coming with me to pick up a few students and finish off a mission and if you behave yourself I might be able to get you a meeting with Mrs. Pine."
" What about the children? " Sirius asks. " Now, they seem they can take care of themselves I just think it might be a good idea to have an adult here in case someone sticks their nose here," Sirius said.
" Well there's that little old lady," Qrow said as said the old lady was behind him.
"I may be old, but this lady still has enough kick in her to take you down," she said, causing Qrow to jump.
" Sorry I don't believe we have your name Miss," Ozpin asked.
"It's Maria, Maria Calavera," she said.
" Well, Mrs. Calavera I know I don't want to be a bother but the both of us have some work to do and you probably want to get back home," Ozpin said only to be stopped midway when Maria raised her hand.
" I know what you want to ask and yes I'll keep an eye on the young ones, I have nothing better to do anyway," Maria said.
" Are you sure? I know kids can be a bit of a handful," Qrow said.
As Maria re-entered the train, she exclaimed, "These kids are a piece of cake." I was once a legendary Huntress." Qrow looked over and noticed the walking stick she was using was familiar only to realize it a few moments later.
" I think the kids will be just fine as the Grimm Reaper is watching them," Qrow said, sounding like he had a change of heart about leaving to meet his Idol.
" Qrow, you can meet your hero later, we have a mission to do," Ozpin said only to notice his proximity ward triggered. "It looks like we have a guest,"
Ozpin made his way over the aura ward as Qrow and Sirius followed behind him before catching sight of a scared man with a peg leg and a glass eye, which Sirius recognized as Alastor Moody.
"Impressive wards, proximity, and redirection are an impressive combo. The first we'll let you know when someone is coming, and the second one it seems like anyone with harmful intent will get redirected back to the entrance if they're lucky," Moody said as he used his cane to tap the last one, giving it an intriguing look.
" This one right here seemed to more work into it than the others,"
"Is there a reason why you're here testing our wards?" Ozpin asked as Mad-Eye gave a peaceful chuckle.
" I saw Black come down here so I followed to see what all the fuss about this new Wizard that kicked Dumbledore's ass," Moody said as his glass eye looked Ozpin up and down.
" You're looking at him, what's your business?" Ozpin asked.
"Something is telling me that little barrier for yours, which is pulsing by the way, means your magic is getting stronger," Moody observed.
" Oz, what is he talking about?" Qrow asked.
" Tell me Qrow have you been feeling different since we came here?" Ozpin asked Before answering himself. " It seems like the magic in this world is recharging mine. I Wouldn't be surprised by the time this tournament is over. I'll be right where I was before I split my magic to the Maidens, maybe more than that."
" Well that's good news, but what does this have to do with me," Qrow asks.
" Am I the only one that's not going to question that the person who defeated Dumbledore is not at full strength," Sirius said surprisingly as Moody looked over at Ozpin with a shocked look. 'Just who in Merlin's name is this guy?' They thought.
" You think my magic is the only thing that's getting a boost I believe the student's aura and semblances are as well, it wouldn't surprise me that after Yang leaves here she can bring down a building with a love tap," Ozpin answered to Qrow who suddenly develop a dread look.
" Then what am I doing here, you know what my semblance is, so come on Oz open the portal home I'll get out of here," Qrow said urgently which surprised the wizards who at first glance Qrow seemed to be a stoic man.
"I thought you wanted to do some hunting?" Ozpin asked which got Qrow thinking for a bit before Ozpin lifted and upward slashed his cane creating a portal that Qrow eagerly jumped through as Ozpin tossed something through before it closed.
" What Is his problem?" Moody asked.
" Well in our world we can develop a semblance or in English a superpower. Qrow is living a bad luck charm." Ozpin said as the wizards nodded in understanding. " Well then, Mr. Black are you all set to go?"
"And what will we be doing?" Sirius asked.
"Well, apart from picking up my students, we were on a mission when we got called in. But if you are well-behaved, we can stop at Pine's Farms. However, if you don't feel like it, it might be a good idea to have another person keep an eye on Oscar," Ozpin said before Moody interrupted.
"If you need someone to keep watch, you might as well have someone inside the castle," Moody suggested.
Sirius turned to Ozpin and asked, "Can you excuse me for a minute, Ozzy? What's going on?" before walking over to his friend.
"I can see the look in your eyes, Sirius. You want to go and see your godson's world. So what's stopping you?" Moody replied.
" Oscar's friends believed that James and Lily hurt him and his aunt still believes that, if I go and she realizes who I am I'll be eating lead," Sirius said.
"When has that ever stopped you?" Moody said bluntly.
" Okay fine just keep an eye out here, Don't let anyone come this way until we come back not even Dumbledore," Sirius said as Moody nodded giving his good luck as he walked back to the school.
Sirius turned to Ozpin. "Okay, Mr. Wizard of Oz, take me to the Emerald City."
"I just need to clarify a few things in a moment. When you're in my world, I'm in charge. If I tell you to run, you don't look back; if I tell you to drop someone, you do it." Ozpin said, snapping his fingers for emphasis as Sirius nodded in understanding.
" Good," Ozpin said, swinging his cane up to open another portal which Sirius took a running jump through feeling a burning sensation as he entered. Ozpin followed a few moments later.
#
Ozpin's home, Remnant.
Sirius exited the portal and took notice of the small hose in front of him and a broken moon. "All right Ozzy, where are we?"
"We're just making a pit stop real quick," Ozpin said stepping up to the door and looking around to find a key he found and entered the home Sirius followed him a few moments later attending on not losing his way back home which he found himself in a study where he found a few books of fairy tales a few which have been open, the girl in the tower and story of the season to name a few.
"Didn't take you for a man into Children's stories Ozzy," Sirius said as you noticed the headmaster was now dressed in a black and green suit.
"Don't let those looks fool you, there are some truths in those stories like in your world there are a few children's stories that might have more truth in them than you think, Here you're being needing this," Ozpin said tossing Sirius a pistol that was in the shape of some type of Beast.* "Do you have any idea how to use that?"
"Pull this little switch here and anything this thing is pointing at is going to die," Sirius said. "And why do I need this?"
"Well, It's just in case," Ozpin said before they heard an unnatural howl.
"What's that?" Sirius asks, looking outside to see a jackal the size of a human, with black fur and a skull mask covering its fire-red eyes.
"Mr. Black, I suggest you shoot it before it calls for backup," Ozpin said as Sirius aimed as he lined up the site the creature turned to look at them as he pulled the trigger the pistol shot out a fire bolt which hit the creature in the head causing it to turn the ash as it hit the ground.
"What in Merlin's beard was that?" Sirius asked, shaking off the ringing in his ears.
"That was our local pest problem," Ozpin explained, only to hear more howls. Ozpin opens up another portal, Sirius not being told twice jumps through finding him in the middle of an alleyway where it appeared to be around noon.
" Now where are we?" Sirius asked.
" Argus, I believe," Ozpin said as he tapped his cane a compass construct formed in his hand as he left the alleyway, Sirius followed him before having a feeling he should hide his tail and the pistol which he did.
" Tell me, Mr. Black, how is Jacob's life at Hogwarts?" Ozpin asked.
" What do you want to know?" Sirius asked.
" Just want to know if it is true that a very valuable stone was hidden there, and was there a beast that my Huntsman would have trouble with," Ozpin said, getting a curious glance from Sirius.
" Why yes there was, the headmaster seemed very surprised to see us when we came to investigate. Why are you asking?" Sirius asked if they came across a small apartment building.
" Just natural curiosity," Ozpin said before he knocked on the door I said open to show a woman with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Yes," Saffron said.
" Good afternoon Mrs. Arc, is there a Jaune Arc here?" Ozpin said in a business-like manner.
" No, he and his friends are off somewhere, are you friends of his?" Saffron asks.
" You can say that, do you know where they went off to?" Ozpin asked.
" Well, they should be back in a moment. Why don't you stay for a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa?" Saffron offered the sound of hot cocoa to tempt Ozpin.
" Perhaps a cup of cocoa wouldn't hurt,"
" How about you young man interested in any refreshments?" Saffrod asks Sirius and she lets them into the main living room.
" No, thank you," Sirius said as he took a seat Saffron left the room turning to see Ozpin with his hands together in anticipation. " What are we doing? I thought we were in a hurry?"
" Patience my students will be coming here shortly, Besides do you have any idea how long it's been since I had tasted a cup of hot chocolate," Ozpin said, only to notice a young toddler waddling into the room.
" I see you met Adrian," Saffron said as the toddler waddled over to his Mother. who picks him up.
" Cute kid," Sirius comments as they hear a phone ring.
" Oh, Can you excuse me, gentlemen I believe this might be for me," Saffron said before passing Sirius Adrian. "Can you two keep an eye on this one for a minute? Thanks."
Saffron left the room without letting them answer as Sirius balanced Adrian on his knee he turned to see Ozpin left, leaving him with Adrian who looked up at him with curious eyes, as Sirius tried to think of what to do in the situation.
" Hey, want to see a magic trick," Sirius said awkwardly while Adrian clapped excitedly.
A few hours later.
Jaune Arc walked back home disappointed in half not receiving any messages from his friends and the other half getting denied transport to Atlas again.
" Oh cheer up Fearless leader, it's not our fault that boot lady was being a dick," Nora said only to be called on by Ren for her language which proceeded to become an old married couple argument which Jaune ignored and he got back home.
" Hey there baby brother, some people just came here asking about you," Saffron said as Jaune was about to ask who before a man in a black and green suit came in Surprising team JNR.
"OZPIN?!"
" Hello there, Team JNPR," Ozipn replied, swirling his coffee mug.
" Hold on, if you're here, where's Oscar?" Nora asked frantically.
" Ms. Valkyrie young Oscar is fine for the moment along with the others," Ozpin said calmly, getting them to sigh with relief.
" Hold on, where is team RWBY?" Jaune asks.
"They got delayed, but we should be seeing them soon. We have a mission to carry out," Ozpin stated.
"Well, that's easier said than done, Wizard Oz. The Argus base is not being cooperative," Nora replied as Ozpin finished his mug.
" Perhaps, I might have better luck," Ozpin said, putting the mug down on a countertop. " Mr, Black I believe we are a bulkhead to catch?"
Sirius didn't answer as Ozpin walked back to the living room to check on him to see a site of a napping Adrian hugging Padfoot who gave Ozpin a look of help only for Ozpin to laugh in amusement at him.
" Hey Saff, when did you get the dog?" Jaune asks when he comes across the site as Nora cooed at how cute they look.
Saffron picked up Adrian as Sirius shifted back to Human form, surprising the room outside of Ozpin.
" You said we're all set to go, Ozzy," Sirius said, holding his side not expecting a toddler to be that strong, which got him concerned looks from Saffron.
Sirius smiled at Adrian nostalgically, recalling their past times together with Jacob. "It's fine, I wasn't expecting the kid to be that strong. You raised him well," he said, waving it off. However, at that moment, he realized that Harry had missed out on those precious moments.
"Mr, Black," Ozpin called as Sirius followed them to the base only to be stopped by the guards.
" Holt," One of the guards called.
" We have business with James Ironwood," Ozpin said.
"That's General Ironwood to you civilian," His partner said.
" Well, I'm sure James wouldn't mind his friends using his name, " Ozpin said, which ruffled the guards and got the commander's attention.
" What's going on here? " Cordovin asked.
" We have business in Atlas, my dear friend, James is expecting us," Ozpin said only Cordovin to rent about how superior Atlas is to everyone else, Ozpin noticed a few security cameras nearby lightly tapping cane to release a green energy surge which flowed into the cameras as they moved over to where they were and activated.
A moment later Cordovin received a call and she picked it up. " General. You don't need to worry about them. What! Why?" Cordovin asked before she turned the one in the green and black suit. " Do you have a name Mr?"
" Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy," Ozpin introduced as Cordovin turned back to the scroll only to pull it back as a loud yell erupted from it.
" I said put him on the SCROLL!"
Ozpin grabbed the scroll and took the call. " Evening James."
" Ozpin is that you?" Ironwood asked.
" You know James, I remember the time you were at Beacon," Ozpin said only to get cut off by Ironwood who didn't want that story floating around him.
" I'm guessing you need a transport correct," Ironwood said as Ozpin agreed as he headed the scroll back over to Cordovin.
" Sir, It will be done, General," Cordovin said, hanging up the scroll and she signaled the guards to let them through.
" You might have the General's good grace but I'll be watching you," Cordovin said.
" Sheesh, who put a dumb bomb in her coffee," Sirius said, causing Nora to laugh, the others had mixed reactions, some curved their lip or just pinched their nose before they noticed Saffron who had Adrian in her arms walking up behind them.
"You're leaving already?" Saffron sounded disappointed as Jaune made his way toward the bulkhead. "Sorry, Saff duty calls," Jaune replied, sounding equally disappointed, although in truth he was relieved to have escaped his embarrassing family gathering.
"Will you at least call me occasionally or write, baby brother?" Saffron asked, pleadingly. Sirius playfully threw his arm over Jaune's shoulder, "Don't worry, madam, I'll make sure he keeps in touch." Adrian laughed, "And you better behave for your mama, got it?" he teased.
"Doggie," Adrian giggled, which earned a smile from Sirius as he, Adrian, and the others made their way out. As they walked, Sirius overheard one of the guards talking.
"Blasted animal, contaminating the minds of the youth,"
This got Adrian upset, as the guard received a glare from Saffron and Jaune. Sirius's eyes flashed red, thinking how funny it would be if the guard slipped on some ice and ripped his pants.
The guard gave the child a disapproving glare before turning around to walk away. As he took his first step forward, his foot landed directly on a shovel that had been lying on the ground, causing it to fly up and hit him square in the face. The force of the impact knocked him off balance, and he stumbled backward before ultimately falling to the ground.
The guard's coworkers, who had been standing nearby, immediately burst into laughter at the sight of their colleague struggling to stand up. As he tried to regain his footing, he slipped on a patch of ice and fell forward, landing face-first on the ground. The embarrassment of his predicament was only compounded by the fact that his pants ripped open, revealing a pair of hot pink boxer briefs.
"They're not pink! They're just light red," the guard said, his face flushing with embarrassment as he quickly got to his feet and tried to make a hasty exit. Unfortunately for him, his luck didn't seem to be improving - as he turned to leave, he tripped over a stray rock and tumbled straight into a nearby cart filled with manure.
The sight of the guard flailing around in the stinky mess sent the onlookers into even more fits of laughter, with Adrian at the forefront, clapping his hands in delight.
Ozpin was searching the skies to see if a crow was flying around, but he didn't see any, he and his team stepped into the bulkhead as it took off. "Did you do something?" he asked, looking over at Sirius, who looked at himself in fascination.
"Well, I didn't think that guard had pink boxers, but you have to admit that one had it coming," Sirius defended as he tried to think about how that happened itself.
"Uh-huh, just try not to use your Semblance here as we're flying overseas, and I believe we only have a limited number of parachutes," Ozpin said.
"So you're saying I can prank people just by thinking it? Why didn't I know about you guys sooner?" Sirius said as he laid his hands behind his head.
Soon the flight made it into Atlas's airspace before they knew it, they were landing as Ozpin and his group stepped off the bulkhead and they caught sight of James Ironwood and Winter Schnee.
" Ozpin, hope you had a nice flight," Ironwood said.
" For most of us, it was," Ozpin said, looking over at Jaune who had a slight green color to him. " But I believe you have some discussion in private."
Ironwood nodded as he led them to his office where they met some others that were in there.
"General," Clover said as he and his team still had an intention.
" Operative Clover," Ironwood nodded as you took a seat and his deck when he noticed Sirius. " Who's this?"
" This is Sirius Black, a new acquaintance I made recently, but I think we're getting off point. I have something that needs to be put in the vault," Ozpin said.
" There is a problem with the Winter maiden, She's been feeling under the weather lately," Ironwood said as Ozpin looked over to see the Ace-ops didn't seem surprised, Ozpin pushing his annoyance to the side and turning to Sirius.
" Mr. Black, do you know how to make this Fidelius charm?" Ozpin asked him before Sirius could answer Ozpin pulled out a green stone with a fluid in it and was beeping. "never mind, we got more guests coming,"
" What hold on here, what's," Ironwood asked as he was lost here before Ozpin presented a but was on the stone rolling it on the floor as a green portal burst from it, surprising the room as Qrow and the rest of the beacon teachers stepped through.
" Qrow, What's the meaning of this?" Goodwitch asks in a no-nonsense tone. only to notice her audience. "James?"
" Glynda?" Ironwood asked as the three Beacon professors noticed their Headmaster.
" Hello there," Ozpin greeted.
" Ozpin!" Port and Oobleck shouted.
"I'm Sirius here," Sirius chimed in, which helped to alleviate the tension.
" I suggest everyone take a seat, it's going to be an explanation," Ozpin said as he conjured up some chairs.
One long explanation later.
" So let me get this straight you reincarnated with like-minded people and your recent Incarnation into a farm boy from Mistral who happened to be born in an alternate dimension where a secret society of witches and wizards live and are hosting a tournament of three of their top schools," Oobleck said as he was still processing this information, as he looked over at the Headmaster partly in shocked.
" Are you the Ozpin that we have known for years?" Port asks.
" That Ozpin had long faded before I took the position at Beacon," Ozpin said as he noticed team JNR was glaring at Sirius who was cautiously sipping on tea avoiding their looks which got Oobleck's Attention.
" And you are one of these wizards, and this Oscar Pine's Godfather, who has been missing for the last 13 years and has been living with unsupportive guardians," Oobleck said.
" Yes, and I'm still not sure how he got there," Sirius said.
" I think we're getting off point, why does this concern us, Mr. Pine is technically where he belongs and we have bigger problems to worry about," Harriet said, which got a glare from Sirius and JNR and a groan from her commander, as Harriet took a sip of her drink only to spit it out. She somehow put salt instead of sugar.
" It's simple Ms. Bree. I don't trust the Headmaster at the school, as how does the new generation say it? As fast as I can whoop him." Ozpin said as Harriet looked down in embarrassment.
" Does this have something to do with him reading your mind?" Sirius asks as Ozpin nods.
" Hold on, someone tried to read your mind? Is that even legal in that world?" Ironwood asked as he held his temples as Sirius made a so-so-hand motion.
" Partly, and when he did attempt to read my mind I saw a glimpse of his, and let's say I'm not leaving Oscar there and neither is team RWBY. " Ozpin said.
" What did you see?" Ironwood asked.
" I saw if I leave Oscar alone there he'll be in danger and I don't like how he runs that school of his, for the last four years he planned shenanigans that shouldn't be played in a civilian school," Ozpin said.
" Like what?" Marrow asks as his curiosity takes over.
" Well during what would have been Oscar's first year he hid a precious stone where if a psychopath that didn't have any quorums of hurting children found out and whose main method of transport is a standard steam engine," Ospin implied which got a cold shiver from everyone in the room.
" Please tell me, the Headmaster at least put some protections on it?" Elm asked.
" Why yes he did, but they were so simple it wouldn't surprise me a group of first years could you pass them," Ozpin sarcastically explained before renting on said protections where most of them could've been solved just by blasting through.
"The year after a cursed object was smuggled in and released a creature that even my best Huntsman would have trouble with," Ozpin said before he conjured up an image of a Serpent-like creature that looked 50 feet long.
" By the brothers," Port said as he looked the beast up and down.
" The Basilisk is a serpent-like creature capable of growing to 50 ft long, thick scales which I believe it's going to take something like Ms, Rose's weapon of choice to pierce, along with a mouthful of 13 Inch venomous fanes where just a drop of its venom could kill everyone in this room 13 times over and finally it's deadliest weapon its eyes with one direct look and its instant death," Ozpin explained as the others even the Ace Ops look the creature and shocked.
" How in the hell did you kill that thing?!" Vine said surprising his comrades as he is usually the most stoic of the group.
" We simply tossed a rooster down there and it did the job," Sirius said, which got deadpan looks from the Ace Ops.
" What happened the year after that?" Marrow asked.
" Well then on paper he didn't do anything but when they had a breakout at their prison he didn't stop the ministry from placing their prison guards around his school," Ozpin said as he conjured up an image of a wraith-like creature whose mirror image sent chills around the room.
" This is a dementor, the closest thing they have to Grimm in that world," Ozpin Introduced as he noticed everyone else in the room gripped their weapons outside of Sirius.
" Those things are prison guards?" Clover asked as Ozpin nodded.
" Why yes, these abominations patrol their main prison as they use their aura to drain the will and happiness from their victims, and they are their main method of exclusion which they suck your soul away," Ozpin said.
" Ozpin, I think we get it, the people in that world are idiots but something's telling me something is stopping you from just removing Oscar from there," Ironwood said.
" There is a tournament going on that has a habit of never leaving its contestants un-harmed and the reason why I can't remove Oscar is, there's a contract that if I do I may end up killing him," Ozpin explained.
" Now, what do you want us to do, Headmaster?" Goodwitch asked.
" Fortunately, the contract had a loophole. If a champion desires they can change their school. So the closest thing he had to a school is Beacon Academy," Ozpin explained as he got deadpan looks from his professors.
" Ah, I need the Lien anyway, I am in," Oobleck said.
" Sounds like quite an adventure, count me in," Port said, not warning to disappoint his colleagues as Goodwitch folded as she saw she was outvoted.
" If it's as dangerous as you say perhaps a few of my," Ironwood about to suggest sending a few ships with them before Ozpin cut him off slamming his cane into the floor.
"James Ironwood! You can't send an entire armada to another dimension! Do you remember what happened to Beacon when we were outsmarted? Your fleet only made Vale more nervous," Ozpin spoke. A green aura surrounded him as he spoke, causing everyone to stumble back as the room lit up. Even Ironwood's iron will was broken, and after he calmed down, his aura dissipated.
" If you want to help, You can send a few Huntsman," Ozpin said calmly as he looked at the Ace-Ops.
" Hold up, what exactly are you planning? if you're saying we join in with these kids," Marrow said as he pointed to JNR. " Not sure if you noticed this teach, but we're not technically school age,"
" I'm more considering teacher's aids, I understand there are some other problems I need to worry about, but if you ever change your mind, it seems like that world is recharging my magic and in theory, it should supercharge our semblances," Ozpin said knowing that would get their attention.
" General, perhaps it would be wise to have some extra eyes down there," Winter suggested as Ironwood seemed to think for a second before nodding.
" I take it you volunteering Specialist Schenne," Ironwood said knowing his second in command worried about her sister
" I'll go too, General," said Marrow as Elm nodded along, as Ozpin tapped his cane again to open up another portal.
" This should get you close to our campsite," Ozpin said as the others looked at the portal nervously before Nora ran in.
" I'm coming, Cute Farm Boy!" Nora said and she left through the portal the rest of her teammates followed behind.
" Go on Peter, get in there," Oobleck said, pushing his colleague through.
" Why don't you go first?" Port asked as Oobleck gave him a look as Glenda pulled out her riding crop and Ford swung both the men in before they could continue arguing.
" Men," Goodwitch murmured as she looked over at Ozpin. " Are you coming, Headmaster?"
" Sadly not yet I have one more job to do. And Glenda makes sure our group stays out of trouble and reminds them we are a lot stronger than our host," Ozpin said Glenda nodded as she walked through the ace-ops barely making it through as the portal closed.
" Well it was nice knowing you all but Mr. Black and I have one more stop to do," Ozpin said, tapping his cane again before they stepped through the portal as everyone that was in Ironwood's office exhaled.
" Now I know why he's the headmaster of the top academy," Clover said.
" I just realized something, did he just say the more time you spend in that world the stronger he's going to get," Harriet said which got the room dreading.
" Operative Vine, I believe there is some Menagerie rum behind that counter. Can you grab that in a few glasses if you don't mind," Ironwood asks now, feeling like he needs a drink. Vine grabbed it along with a few shots of glasses as well.
#
Beacon campsite.
Jacob woke up feeling groggy and noticed a slight ringing in his ears. He recalled the images of his brother's life, but they quickly faded. As he looked around the room, he realized he was lying on a cold bed. He picked up his glasses from the nightstand, but then he realized that his vision was clearer without them. He glanced over at Oscar and saw that he was sitting up, asleep, with Ruby sitting next to him. She had her hand locked with his, and Jacob couldn't help but notice how caring Oscar's friends were. A part of him felt happy for Oscar, but another part of him wished that Oscar would come to him with his troubles. Shaking those thoughts away, he got up from his seat and decided to explore the place. He realized that he was wearing only his pajama pants and quickly turned to look in the mirror. Jacob couldn't believe his eyes as he stood in front of the mirror. The image staring back at him was a far cry from the one he was used to seeing every day. His once dull and lifeless hair had transformed into a glossy and lustrous curtain of jet-black tresses that cascaded down his back in perfect waves. The reflection in the mirror showed a muscular and toned physique with bulging biceps that seemed capable of crushing anything in their path. He was now the epitome of physical fitness, boasting an impressive eight-pack that rippled with every movement he made.
As Jacob examined himself more closely, he was amazed to discover that he had undergone a complete transformation overnight. The crescent moon scar on his left temple and the scars on his wrist had vanished without a trace, leaving behind clear and unblemished skin. His once plump face had transformed into a more chiseled and refined appearance, lending him an air of maturity and sophistication. Even his teeth and nails seemed sharper, predatory even, giving him an aura of power and strength that he had never experienced before.
Jacob stood in front of the mirror, admiring his toned physique. Just as he was flexing his biceps, Ruby stirred and greeted him with a sleepy smile. Her eyes widened as they scanned over Jacob's bare chest, causing her cheeks to turn a rosy hue. She quickly averted her gaze and glanced over at Oscar, who was still asleep. A whisper escaped her lips, "Are all guys built like that?"
As if on cue, Oscar stirred and opened his eyes, only to find Ruby's hand intertwined with his. Both of them quickly pulled away from each other, a sudden awkwardness filling the air. However, Jacob found the situation amusing and let out a hearty laugh. " Um, Ruby, can you give us a minute?" Oscar asked as Ruby walked out of the room Oscar turned to Jacob awkwardly scratching his neck "So, how are you doing?"
" Fine, you?" Jacob asked.
" Still taking everything in, are your folks coming down here?" Oscar asked.
" Dad will be coming for sure," Jacob said, noticing Oscar's look. "You know you don't have to talk to them when you're not ready,"
Which only made both the brothers have an awkward silence. " So, that Ruby girl, how close are you, First base, second base?"
" What do you want to know? And for your information we're not exactly public," Oscar said flusteredly about his relationship with Ruby.
" Just asking sibling to sibling, and why? it seems like you two are very close anyway," Jacob said.
"Well, he doesn't want to get in trouble with Yang or Qrow," Blake said as she and Weiss stood in the doorway, making the brothers jump.
"Bloody hell, do you mind?!" Jacob asked annoyedly, only to become self-aware when he realized that the two were staring at his new body. Weiss had a similar reaction to Ruby's, as Blake was the only one who didn't seem to show any reaction.
" Sorry to interrupt your family reunion, but we came down here to check on you, no doubt you feel the change in yourself," Blake said.
" Yeah, I noticed what's with this blue glow that's around me?" Jacob asked, raising his arm as said glow flashed.
" That would be an aura, an energy field that we can form around ourselves protecting us from harm," Blake explained as Jacob listened with interest only to get distracted as Weiss placed a laser thermometer on his forehead.
" How are you feeling, any discomfort or any other signs of illness?" Weiss asked as she looked at the thermometer to see it was at a hundred degrees which was normal for a faunus.
" No? Well, outside of my new look," Jacob said, gesturing to his now pitch-black mane.
"That's what we believe is a side effect when your magic and ours mix, In this case turning you into a Faunus in this case the mane and physique of a Jaglion," Blake said as she explained the brief biology of Faunus.
" How are Faunus treated in your world?" Jacob couldn't help but ask.
" It depends on where you go, outside of Menagerie at best you get a second look, At worst well," Blake implied.
" I get it, it seems like your world has some flaws of its own, Already face similar for being a half-blood, we also have your occasional bigot but they complain about different things," Jacob said. Just as Blake was about to inquire about what he meant, they were interrupted by a commotion outside.
As the three of them left the room, they heard a voice calling out for Potter. They quickly made their way towards the noise and found two young women standing outside the barrier. Jacob recognized them as Hermione and Daphne.
Jacob's inquisitive gaze swept the area as he asked, "What's going on out here?" Catching the attention of the two witches, they were momentarily frozen, mesmerized by his newly chiseled physique.
A teasing smirk played on Jacob's lips as he asked, "Like what you see, ladies?" Daphne tried to shield her eyes, flustered by Jacob's display. "Can you just put a shirt on?" she pleaded, her face burning bright red.
Jacob chuckled and made his way back inside the train, leaving the two women behind. Yang couldn't help but be impressed by Jacob's muscular build for a second only to hide it with a scowl, " Don't stare at the pretty boy," she murmured to herself noticing Hermione's intense stare at Oscar, the others became aware of her observation of the resemblance between Oscar's facial structure and Jacob's.
" What are you looking at?" Ruby snapped before Hermione could say something, A portal appeared spitting out a woman with orange hair who looked around at her surroundings as she noticed Oscar.
" There's my favorite Cute Farm Boy!" Nora said before tackling him with a bone-crushing hug Ruby made her way over to separate the two before Nora snapped Oscar's spine.
A moment later Ren and Jaune made their way out, the latter trying to keep his lunch from coming up before Port and Oobleck fell out of the portal with the former landing on the history professor, as Glenda stepped out of the portal looking over at her colleagues with an eye roll as she noticed Oscar for a light blue tinge as Nora was trying to squeeze the air out of him.
" Miss Valkyrie, do you mind releasing the boy, looks like he could use some air," Goodwitch said.
Nora released Oscar as Ruby leaned over to check on him when Moody made his presence known.
" Morning, I take it you are the Beacon professors Ozpin told me about," Moody said.
" We are, and who are you?" Goodwitch asked.
As the Remnants noticed other children in what they guessed were the school's uniforms, Alastor Moody, former Auror and current defense of the dark arts professor at Hogwarts introduced himself. "And what are you doing here?" Winter asked as her team stumbled out of the portal just before it closed.
"These two were worried about their friend, and he was last sighted down here. So, I escorted them here to see if they can find him," Moody said. Jacob, dressed in his school robes, stepped out of the train car and caught the attention of the new arrivals.
" Hello, I'm Jacob Potter, it's a pleasure to meet the friends of my brother," Jacob said, anticipating a cold reception as the Remnants stared in surprise.
" I thought there wasn't any Faunus in this world?" Marrow whispered to his companions as his senses were telling him to get away from Jacob.
" Apparently if you mix aura with what they call Animagi, someone that can shapeshift into an animal, they receive a part of the said animal that they can turn into," Blake said gleefully at the dog Faunus's nervousness.
"And what are you exactly?" Marrow asked.
" I'm a Jaglion," Jacob answered as he walked over to his friend Marrow's dog tail curled around one of his legs.
" Sorry about breaking up this reunion but I believe Hogwarts and the other schools are expecting you," Moody said, getting the Remnant's attention.
" Can we just stay here? Technically we're not supposed to show up until the first task starts," Yang said.
" True, but we're not going to be your only guest, more will come down here to see what's going on and the next person might not be as friendly," Moody pointed out.
" He's right, even if we do stay here we will still get their attention, might as well get our introductions over with," Ruby said as her team slowly agreed.
" By the way, where is Sirius?" Jacob asked noticing his godfather was not there.
" I believe he went with the Headmaster for something, but they will probably be joining us shortly," Qrow said as Goodwitch led the group to the school as Oscar fell behind the others.
" Hey, are you all right?" Ruby asked, slowing her pace so she was walking beside him.
" Should I get to know him?" Oscar asked, looking ahead at Jacob who was walking with his classmates.
" Whatever you decide, remember you still have us," Ruby said brushing her hand against his which went unnoticed by most except for Jacob who saw it.
" Cat got your tongue, Potter," Daphne asked when she noticed his jealous look.
" Are you seeing this?" Jacob asks, pointing his thumb at the couple.
" And what's wrong with them?" Hermione asked.
" What do we even know about that girl?" Jacob asks, glaring at Hermione as she has to cover her smirk.
" Sorry, it's just amusing that only a few moments and you're already acting like you had a sibling for years," Hermione explained before they made it to the school.
After some hesitation and a bit of shoving the Revenants made it through the barrier as they looked upon the school.
" Nice place you have here," Ruby said.
" Thanks, now if you excuse me for making myself scarce there are a few people that wouldn't appreciate me being seen with people below my social life," Daphne said as she made her leave.
" You know what I think I got somewhere to be as well, I'll be back in a moment. I suggest all of you stay close to Hermione," Jacob said before racing up back to his room to change.
" Students remember what we discussed," Goodwitch said.
" We know, teach, don't start anything," Nora said like she had been told eight times. " But we will defend ourselves if they do," she whispered as Goodwitch rolled her eyes believing this was the best she was going to get before walking the group forward into the Great Hall getting the few people that were in their attention, as the students followed Hermione to the nearly empty Gryffindor table. the teachers on the other hand had made their way up front.
" I take it you're the Beacon staff?" McGonagall asked.
" Well yes we are, I'm Glenda Goodwitch deputy headmistress and the combat Professor," Goodwitch said.
" Goodwitch?" McGonagall asked as she looked over at the Beacon students and noticed some of them resembling some fairy tales her father told her about.
"Is there something wrong?" Goodwitch asked.
" It's nothing," McGonagall said, as she noticed the other students walking into the great hall before they noticed their new company. Her lions, in particular, tried to make themselves presentable hoping to impress the ladies.
" What's with them?" Nora noticed the men slicking their hair back and blasting themselves with their wands.
" I believe they are trying to impress some attractive people. Then again it doesn't help that outside of Hogsmeade everyone wears these cloaks which doesn't show off any of our assets," Luna said to the remnant's attention.
" What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked which Luna ignored as she looked over at Ruby and gasped when she noticed her Silver Eyes.
" Are you a grim slayer?"
" I'm a Huntress actually," Ruby said as a pair of twins came over.
" Why hello ladies, We hope you enjoy your stay at this wonderful assessment, and we believe Potter forgot to mention how beautiful you are," the Weasley twins said, causing the Remnants to bounce their heads back and forth as they talked.
" Can one of you speak at a time?" Weiss said rubbing a headache away, only for another headache in the form of a white hair ferret to arrive.
" I don't know why you're even trying Weasels, It seems like these individuals are above your pay grades anyway," Malfoy snarked which got the twins flustered as he turned to the Remnants.
" So how about it ladies, we'll show you around the place," Malfoy said, waiting over for Crab and Goyle. We looked over at them with some type of gleam in their eyes.
Recognizing the look in their eyes, Weiss said, "How about a no?" Malfoy, undeterred, turned to the youngest member.
" So you must be the lost Potter, I'm Draco Malfoy and I would like to welcome you back to where you belong," Malfoy introduced himself.
" There's no doubt that you have been away from the wizarding world for a long time. I would like to assist you in getting a grip back on this world and keeping those undesirable people away."
Malfoy glared over at Blake and Hermione eyeing the cat ears on Blake which the Remnants caught on to.
" Personally the only difference I see between you and them is their looks and background, They have a soul like us and bleed the same color," Oscar said which got thankful smiles from the two, as Malfoy gave him a disappointed look.
" Shame, it seems like you are just as foolish as your brother," Malfoy suddenly felt a slight vibration on his bones, prompting him to turn around and see who it was. He was surprised to see a figure that resembled the size of both Crab and Goyle combined, with shoulder-length pitch-black hair and a Gryffindor cloak. It took him a few minutes to recognize the person as Jacob.
Jacob gestured towards a table on the far end and said, "Your table is over there, Malfoy." In a hurry, Malfoy and his two companions made their way over there, trying to avoid any further attention from their classmates who were staring at Jacob's new appearance.
"Jacob?!" Dean exclaimed in shock. "What happened to you, man?"
"I've been eating my greens," Jacob joked as he sat down across Oscar. Several first-year students who were watching him started piling up anything green on their plates, clearly taking his joke seriously.
"That's one way to get someone to eat their greens," Hermione chuckled as she saw Ruby helping herself to some greens while Jacob dug into food fit for a carnivore. The conversation then shifted to the upcoming exams and the students' study strategies.
" So," Jacob said, trying to think of a way to start a conversation with Oscar. " You lived on a farm right, what did you do down there?"
" Well, I mostly tend to the crops, but I believe we have a few other branches that have cattle as well," Oscar said as Jacob headed to his words before he noticed his father snuck into the room.
"Is that your father?" Wiess asked as James approached the teacher's table.
"What's your Aunt like, Oscar?" Jacob asked, trying to change the topic.
"She's the kind of person who would make you jump and you'd be asking mid-jump how high, and if she found out you hurt a loved one, you'd better pray to any deity you know that she gives you a 3-second head start," Oscar replied with a look of dread when he mentioned the last part. Yang gave him a knowing look.
"I knew heartbreakers make good fertilizer," Yang said, causing some of the witches who heard her give a knowing smile that made the wizards uneasy.
"What is it?" Ruby asked, noticing his expression.
"I believe I know where Ozpin went off to," Oscar replied, hoping his aunt was in a good mood.
#
Remnant Mistral Pine Farms
A middle-aged woman with a beefy build, tanned by the Sun, sat at her kitchen table looking over a few photo frames. In one, a boy of about ten years old worked in a garden and smiled at the camera. In the other, a couple in wedding dresses posed together, the man with one arm around his wife and the other on her shoulder.
"I wish you were here, Oakey, to tell me what to do," Emily Pine said to herself as she pulled out a small note from her nephew. The note indicated that he had to leave and would return later.
Emily wondered if her nephew's strange behavior was due to teenage hormones or if it had something to do with the news of Beacon falling. "Oscar hasn't been the same since then. It almost seems like he's a different person," she thought. As she sensed a familiar presence approaching, Emily walked over to the main door to see who it was, only to sense another person with them.
"I suggest, Mr. Black, that you let me do the talking," Emily overheard one of them say. Quickly grabbing her brother's weapon, a lever-action shotgun that could convert into a three-pronged pitchfork, she opened the door using the stock of her weapon to knock one of them down. She then spun the lever on her shotgun and pointed the barrel at a middle-aged man with long black hair who raised his hands above his head.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Emily asked the one in the green suit, not taking her eyes off the other one as she took in his handsome features.
"Miss Pine, I'm Professor Ozpin, and we have information on your nephew," Ozpin said as he held his sore jaw.
Emily replied by putting the safety back on her weapon before resting it on her shoulder. "I'm listening," she said.
a/n *think of the quantum blaster from Time Force.
