Hogwarts Legacy

What If…?

What If Your Closest Friends Joined the Battle Against Ranrok?

A Hogwarts Legacy One-Shot

By Loki B. Mohammad

Disclaimer:

Obviously, I don't own anything regarding the Wizarding World, Hogwarts Legacy, or Harry Potter, but that's not the point of this message. The point is, I can't stand J. K. Rowling or her growing distaste for the LGBTQ+ community or self-identifying as a TERF. As the parent of two LGBTQ+ children, Rowling's opinions are trash and are not shared by me or others in the fandom. We can make this world that was created by a monster into a world of love and unity with or without her and show her that she is not welcome even within her own creation. Intent without action is complicity. Words without a voice is complacency. Silence is compliance. Stand together, and we will stamp out the hate, bigotry, and silencing of our LGBTQ+ brothers, sisters, and friends using the Wizarding World itself as our platform.

Never stay silent.

Thank you,

Loki B. Mohammad

Zaria Toombs raced through tunnels beneath Hogwarts alongside her mentor, Professor Fig. Time was running short, and they needed to get to that repository before the goblin Ranrok did. Even as she ran alongside Fig, Zaria couldn't help but feel alone. Here she was, running to meet the danger head-on, but she hadn't been the only one trying to get to te bottom of Ranrok's scheme. She had help. In the short year she had been in Hogwarts, Zaria had befriended several other students, even in rivaling houses, who aided her in her search for answers. She wished they were here now.

Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the massive goblin drills broke through the wall to her left. Dozens of heavily armoured goblins poured out of the machine and attacked her and Fig, forcing them both to concentrate on the battle at hand. Mentor and student flung spells left and right, taking down the surrounding goblins with some effort. However, the moment they were cleared, Zaria's mind flew back to her friends. She tried to focus on the task at hand, shaking her head clear of distractions.

"We must press on," Fig said, "Ranrok must be here somewhere."

"This drill stands between us and him," Zaria pointed out, "We need to move it."

"I shall handle it…Depulso!"

The drill shot back in the direction it had come, clearing the path for the pair of them to move forward. Fig encouraged Zaria to follow, and the two of them continued down the winding stone trail. They weren't safe for long. A wall burst open to the left as a massive troll battered its way through, banging his club on the ground in challenge. At the same time, another wall to the left crumbled, revealing a second troll flanking Zaria and Fig. They immediately went on the offensive, holding the trolls back with everything they had.

"Where are the other professors?" Zaria shouted, ducking out of the way of a troll's massive club.

"I don't know!" Fig responded, almost panicked, "We can only hope they'll arrive soon!"

Another hoard of goblins jumped into the fight, but Zaria couldn't let that alarm her. She and Fig battled on until every last goblin was down, and the trolls were vanquished. As the skirmish ended, they found themselves at an apparent dead-end with no apparent egress. Again, that did not thwart the young Ravenclaw's determination. She carefully walked around the clearing until traces of Ancient Magic appeared beneath her feet. She followed the trail to what looked to be a glass wall. It suddenly reminded her of how excited Sebastian had been to learn of this ability during one of their treks near Feldcroft. He would have loved this—well, if there weren't a potential legion of goblins waiting on the other side.

"Professor!" she called out, "That wall! It's the way forward!"

"Well done, my young friend," Fig praised her as he blasted the barrier clear, "Let's go!"

They ran through the new opening, and, as expected, ran into more goblins. They dispatched them as quickly as possible, only for more to take their place. Zaria was getting tired, and she could see Fig was, as well. We must keep going, she thought to herself, they're all depending on us. She bolstered herself and tossed several Chinese chomping cabbages into the approaching line of goblins before pulling a mandrake from her satchel and incapacitating them while the cabbages chomped away. It was short work to finish them off, and Zaria and Fig continued through the seemingly never-ending maze of stone. They passed through another glass-like barrier, stopping short of a cliff overlooking a vast open cavern. Zaria's heart dropped at the site. Several goblin drills had breached the cavern, which was now swarming with goblins and trolls, blocking the way forward.

Zaria looked on, disheartened at the site. How were they going to get through this? Charging forward would be absolute suicide, even with her powerful connection to Ancient Magic. She wasn't unbreakable, and she knew it. She looked to Fig who had the same look of hopeless defeat upon his wizened face. He nodded to her. She nodded back, and the decision was made. They raised their wands and prepared to run headlong into the horde. However, before they could take a single step forward, the sound of bodies apparating into the cavern echoed all around them. Zaria looked up to see as Professors Onai, Hecat, Ronen, Sharp, and Weasley appeared along the high ledges of the cavern, brandishing their wands to attack.

"The goblins have somehow evaded the castle's defensive charms," Professor Ronen stated as he blasted three goblins away.

"Steer them this way," Onai ordered, "We shall make quick work of them!"

"Come on," Fig said to Zaria, "They've got this!"

He ran on ahead of her, but she still could not see a way through. Yes, the professors were making a dent, but even they wouldn't be able to hold out long against the massive army they were up against. They needed more help! She knew there were others in the castle more than capable of turning the tide. She also knew it was too late to send for that help. She squared her shoulders and ran after Fig, pushing back the front line of goblins back towards a ledge. She never saw the one creeping up behind her until he was right on her. She turned just in time to see him run at her with his two axes, but not in time to throw up a shield charm as she tripped backwards over a fallen Loyalist. She gasped in shock and threw her arms up in an attempt to protect her face. Then…a familiar voice echoed nearby.

"Crucio!"

The goblin suddenly collapsed to the ground, writhing at Zaria's feet. She put her arms down and opened her eyes to see…

"Sebast—!" she began.

"Mr. Sallow!" Professor Weasley all but shrieked from her loft.

Both Sebastian and Zaria looked up at the Deputy Headmistress, her face contorted with shock at what she had just seen. Sebastian held his hands out innocently. "What?" he asked as he looked down at the cursed goblin thrashing bonelessly in the dirt, "He was going to—"

"We will talk about this later, young man," Weasley interrupted, blasting two more goblins from above the kids, "You're lucky we seem to be in a bit of dire need at the moment, but don't do that again! Ten points from Slytherin!"

"Only ten?" Sebastian said to Zaria as he offered her his hand, "Worth it. Are you alright?"

Zaria eagerly took his hand as he helped her to her feet. "I am now," she answered with a brilliant smile, "How did you find us?"

"Oh, I didn't. We did."

"We?"

Zaria barely got the word from her mouth when the wall above one of the drills caved, creating another opening. There was a mighty roar as a Hebridean Black Dragon flew through the breached wall with four people riding astride it. Zaria recognized the dragon as the same one she and Poppy Sweeting had rescued from poachers only a month ago. It swirled around the cavern, breathing fire and scooping up goblins in her jaws, swallowing them whole. One-by-one, all of the passengers except Poppy vanished from the beast's back, and Natsai Onai, Ominis Gaunt, and Amit Thakkar appeared in a protective line beside Sebastian and in front of Zaria. Together, they all fired upon the goblin horde and their troll accomplices, their spells flying like fireworks into their targets. When another Crucio flew threw air and into the chest of the final goblin, Professor Weasley glared down at Sebastian.

"Mr. Sallow!" she bellowed.

Sebastian looked up at her innocently then down at the goblin. "Merlin's beard!" he said in feigned surprise, "Who did that? Someone's throwing forbidden spells! Ominis, who did that?"

"I didn't see a thing," Ominis shrugged.

Amit started laughing nervously. "Oh, that is very clever," he said, "because he is blind, and—"

"Yeah, we get it, Thakkar," Sebastian rolled his eyes, "no need to overanalyze."

Professor Weasley huffed indignantly. "This is your last warning, Mr. Sallow," she said, dusting off her skirt and blouse, "If you ever—"

"I solemnly swear," Sebastian interrupted her, holding his hand over his heart, "that it won't happen again."

Even as he said it, he blind-fired one last shot into the downed goblin. Weasley scowled at him, but she said nothing more. Just then, the cavern echoed with the battle cry, alerting them to more goblins on the way. Professor Fig got everyone's attention.

"This is all very lovely," he said, only slightly anxious, "but we need to go."

"Of course, Professor," Zaria agreed and led the way down the path.

Her friends followed, but they once again found themselves surrounded on all sides by the enemy. The goblins suddenly parted as four of the biggest trolls Zaria had ever seen plowed through towards the kids. All five on the ground moved as quickly as possible out of the way to avoid being trampled, but Poppy, riding her dragon steed, swooped down to assist. The mother Hebridean crushed one troll under her massive feet, knocked another two off the edge with her neck and tail, and burned the fourth to a crisp before shoveling several goblins into her maw and feasted. But the goblins kept coming. Some began to pile onto the dragon as Poppy blasted them off with her wand.

"There are too many!" Poppy shouted, urging the dragon to take flight to shake off the goblins.

Zaria dug deep and called up a storm of Ancient Magic, bringing it down on the goblins' heads. She held it steady, sending continuous bolts of lightning from the conjured thunder clouds, but the longer she held it, the weaker she felt. It was such a draining process.

"Zaria, stop!" she heard someone call out, "You need to conserve your strength! Mr. Gaunt! Catch her!"

It was Professor Fig. A second later, she felt herself fall back, only to be caught and steadied by both Ominis and Sebastian.

"Professor Fig is right," Ominis said, "You can't expend all your energy here. Get to the repository; stop Ranrok. We'll keep his Loyalists off your trail as long as we can."

"I can't just leave you all here," Zaria argue, regaining her footing.

"We'll be fine," Natty said, "We are not alone. You must go and let us handle this while you deal with whatever awaits you below. We owe you that much."

Zaria only hesitated a moment before nodding in acquiescence as Sebastian helped her back to Fig's side. He stayed with her until he was sure she could stand on her own, then he turned to face the next wave of enemies.

"We will cover you and Professor Fig!" Natty shouted, "Now go!"

Sebastian turned to Zaria. "We'll be right behind you, Zaria," he said with a grin, "I promise."

Zaria nodded with determination and took off down the path alongside Fig.

The pair eventually came to a door that looked a lot like the entrance to the Map Chamber. As they got closer, two massive sentries moved to stop them.

"Zaria!" Fig urged, "Quick! The Keepers' Wand!"

The young girl pulled the special wand from her satchel and walked forward, holding it up towards the sentries. A brilliant light emanated from the tip of the wand, a ball of sparkling Ancient Magic that the sentries reacted to by stopping their advancement and plunging their swords into the floor. With a twist of the blades, the door to their destination opened up, allowing Zaria and Fig to pass through.

Teacher and student walked down the path of ancient silver structures, overgrown with vines. There, hovering at the very end of the trail, was the last repository filled with magic created from stolen emotions.

"We made it," Zaria said breathlessly.

"And before Ranrok," Fig observed, "that's a welcome surprise."

"I can't believe this is it…the repository has been beneath Hogwarts this whole time! For hundreds of years!"

Fig turned to look at her, his face marked with concern for what was to happen next. "Yes," he said, "It's marvelous, but think of all the pain that went into its creation. Miriam, George, your friend Lodgok, and countless others…they all died for this, believing this forgotten magic could be used for such good. The risks, however, were unknown to them, unlike you. You've seen what the Keepers saw, and the importance of keeping this hidden. That's your responsibility now, Zaria. What are your intentions with this magic?"

It was difficult for Zaria to not feel some hurt by the insinuation that she would do anything with it, especially anything untoward. At the same time, she supposed she understood Fig's fears. After all, people like Victor Rookwood and Ranrok wouldn't have thought twice to take this power unto themselves for nefarious reasons, and Isadora Morganach had intended to use it for good but went too far with her ambitions. It wasn't unreasonable for Fig to be worried, but it still pained Zaria to feel untrusted.

"I plan to leave the repository as it is," Zaria said firmly, "unbroken and untouched by anyone, including wizardkind."

"I am pleased to hear that," Fig said with a sigh of relief, "but I've been thinking…I've spent all year trying to keep our investigation a secret from everyone, asked you to keep it from your friends, but I wonder if I—we should have shared it with someone, trusted one or more of my colleagues or your peers a little more. However, the Keepers wanted this to be kept a secret forever. How long will you keep it?"

"It should remain secret forever," Zaria agreed, "The Keepers were right to say this magic is too dangerous. However, no one should expect me to do so on my own, should they? The Keepers were many, but I am only one person. This is such a burden for one person to bear alone and would be a great strain on the friendships I've built in such a short time. I need help, people I can trust, people who have stood by my side."

"You've made so many connections, Zaria. How will you know which ones to trust to help guard this from those who would attempt to use it?"

Zaria pointed back down the path they had come. "By recognizing who came to my aid today," she said, "I've fought by every single one of them that showed up to battle against Ranrok's Loyalists; they've proven themselves without even realizing it."

Fig nodded and smiled. "Good," he said, "and I hope I am included amongst those you trust. I will do all I can to help you, Zaria."

"Thank you, Professor. I couldn't ask for—"

The sound of footsteps approaching stole their attention from each other to the entryway. Slowly coming towards them was the goblin Ranrok, his eyes and armor pulsing red.

"Ugh, the arrogance of wizardkind," he growled, "Goblins built this repository; it belongs to us."

"Enough, Ranrok," Zaria scowled as she and Fig brandished their wands, "It was never yours, and it never will be."

Ranrok grinned as he reached behind his back and pulled an intricately woven wand of bleached wood from beneath his armor. Fig's eyes widened at the sight, but he couldn't find his voice to say what he wanted to.

"I've waited a long time to play with this," the goblin snickered, "I can tell by your expressions that you're just as excited as I am."

"Miriam's wand!" Fig gasped, "Murderer!"

"Pah! If she had simply handed over the capsule, all of this could have been avoided, the imprudent, pompous witch."

Fig let out a yell of fury as he blasted Ranrok with his wand, but the goblin easily batted it away with a shield charm. He laughed darkly.

"Seems you're two of a kind," he taunted, "She didn't know when to give up either!"

With that, he fired a blasting curse between the two wizards. It flew past them and struck the silver orb that contained the emotional magic, breaking it open and releasing its contents. The resulting explosion demolished the walkway leading to the repository and knocked Zaria and Fig to the ground. Ranrok used the power he had taken from the first repository and joined himself to the now released magic, his body disintegrating into red smoke before flying into the heart of the mass. The wizards watched helplessly as Ranrok was reconstituted into the form of a massive dragon swathed in goblin silver and pumping with the stolen emotions of ancient wizards.

Ranrok hovered above them in all his glory and bellowed: "Goblinkind will answer to no one!"

He then swooped down, breathing pure, dark magic at his enemies. His motions caused the rocks in the walls to come loose, and Zaria watched in horror as one came down on Fig. She screamed as her mentor vanished from her sight over the side of the cliff. Before she could do anything else, the ground beneath her feet gave way, and she found herself sliding down slick pebbles to another platform. Ranrok was flying around the cavern, blasting balls of magic at the walls in an apparent attempt to escape. Zaria couldn't let that happen.

"You'll pay for what you've done!" she shouted, firing a blast from her wand to get Ranrok's attention.

Ranrok obliged and flew at her, spewing magic from his mouth at her. Zaria dodged out of the way just in time and rose up and fired at Ranrok again. It didn't seem to have any affect, as he seemed to be feeding off the lingering magic of the repository. She needed to find a weak point. As she ducked and dodged the dragon's breath attacks, she searched and found pockets of the magic feeding into him. Instead of attacking Ranrok directly, she destroyed these pockets, making the goblin-dragon more vulnerable to her spells. Ranrok made several attempts to flee and locate other pockets of magic, but Zaria stayed on him, ducking and weaving through Ranrok's attacks. Finally, she saw her chance to end him once and for all. She took aim at the last pocket of harnessed magic.

"This one's for Lodgok!" she shouted firing once, "and this is for Miriam!" Both shots struck true, cracking through the shield charm around the pocket. She launched one last blast and declared: "And this is for Professor Eleazar Fig! Confringo!"

The blasting curse pierced straight through the shield, causing a massive explosion that struck Ranrok with enough force to expel all the pent-up magic within him and slam his body to the ground. Zaria heard bones cracking and Ranrok's final breath release from his lungs. Carefully, she approached his lifeless form and picked up Miriam Fig's stolen wand, storing it safely in her satchel. But it wasn't over yet.

The cavern walls began to break apart as the ground shook from the stress of the battle. Zaria glanced around at the crumbling stone, unsure of what to do. She knew she needed to reseal the forbidden magic, but what good would it do if she and everything else were crushed? In that moment, she made a decision and aimed her wand at the falling debris in an attempt to hold it up and repair it. She wasn't strong enough, but she held on as her strength began to wane. Just as she was about to give in, a second stream of magic joined hers, piecing the rock formation back in place. Zaria looked back over her shoulder.

"Professor Fig?" she exclaimed in confusion.

He gave her a quick nod and continued holding the rocks up. He was visibly struggling from injuries sustained in his fall, but he held his magic steady. The emotional magic swirled around them aggressively as they tried desperately to keep the cavern from collapsing on top of them. It actually began to attack them!

"You must contain it!" Fig shouted to Zaria, "Quickly!"

Zaria hesitated to release the stones, fearing Fig would not be able to keep them up, but she knew he was right. She focused all her strength on the well of Ancient Magic, calling the stolen emotions to her as she slowly created an orb to contain it in. As it began encircling her, bits of it tried to enter her, causing her pain and zapping her strength. She looked back at Professor Fig just as he collapsed, overwhelmed by his injuries and the effects of the loose magic. Zaria lost focus on the orb as she had to catch the newly falling cavern. No, no, no! she thought, I can't! I can't stop this!

"I found them!" a voice echoed from above her, "Look! Down there!"

It was Poppy! Zaria couldn't risk losing concentration again, but she felt a sudden surge of relief hearing a friend's voice.

"There is a path this way!" That was Amit, "Come on! We must get closer!"

The voices became lost in the storm of magic. They weren't going to make it to her…all the paths had already been destroyed. No matter how close they would get, Zaria would still be alone. She fell to one knee, straining to keep her magic on the falling stone as she was bombarded with the painful emotions flying around her.

"Everyone!" the muffled sound of Natty's voice barely breached Zaria's senses, "Together now!"

Zaria looked up to see five steady streams of magic hit the archway.

"We've got the ceiling, Zaria!" Ominis called out, "Fix the repository!"

Zaria rose shakily to her feet and reconcentrated on conjuring the orb. It took longer to gather the energy, causing her to faulter slightly. Somehow, she knew the negative emotions in the chamber were affecting her, and it was getting harder and harder to resist it.

"Sometime this century, Zaria!" Sebastian shouted, sounding slightly pained himself.

Oddly enough, that wasn't very encouraging. The storm continued to rage. Must…keep…going… she thought, her mind fogging. Then, one more voice, soft as a breeze on the wind, drifted to her ears.

"You can do this," Fig encouraged weakly, "You are stronger than you know…"

Everyone she cared about was with her and counting on her. With that thought overtaking her, her magic surged once more. She grunted with effort and threw all her energy into the conjuration, mentally demanding the loose, dark magic to converge on the forming cage that would hold it forevermore out of the reach of any who would dare use it for the wrong purposes, even if with good intentions. The repository reforged, and the cavern returned to stability with the help of Zaria's closest friends. As the storm settled, they all ran to her as she hunched over Professor Fig.

"Professor?" Zaria said as she kneeled beside him.

"Miriam…" Fig responded weakly.

Zaria quickly pulled Miriam's recovered wand from her satchel and laid it on Fig's chest, resting his hands on top of it. The old wizard sighed with relief as a smile made its way across his face. He looked up at his pupil, struggling for breath.

"Oh, Miriam would have loved you, my young friend," he said, and glanced at each of the students who had come to their aid, "She would have loved all of you…the wizarding world…could not be…in more capable hands."

And with that, Professor Eleazar Fig drew and released his final breath.

Sebastian laid a comforting hand on Zaria's shoulder as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Ominis, Natty, Poppy, and Amit followed his example as the six friends mourned in silent solidarity.

Professor Fig's eulogy was delivered to a somber room of mourning students and staff. Though it became quite awkward as it was given by Headmaster Phineas Black, but it was easily saved when Professor Weasley stepped in. A toast was raised to the memory of Professor Fig, and as the students filed out, Zaria met up with her five closest friends who not only helped her throughout her journey but also came to her aid in her most desperate time of need.

"So," Natty spoke up, "what happens now?"

Zaria looked at each one of them one after the other. "I've been given a great responsibility," she said, "as the new Keeper of the Repository of Ancient Magic. I…I can't bear the thought of carrying this burden alone, and I will need the help of those I trust the most to help me guard this secret from those who would abuse that magic should they ever find it."

"And…" Poppy hesitated, "you want that to be…us?"

"Of course! Who else could I possibly trust with this if not those who stood by my side through the whole ordeal?"

Sebastian laughed. "You need to make better friends," he teased then softened his tone, "I wouldn't normally agree to hiding such power when the potential to help others is there, however, I know I will never be able to repay you for being there when I needed you. I trust your judgement, Zaria. Count me in."

"If Sebastian agrees," Ominis said, "then I do, as well. He needs someone to keep him in line."

"I will not be able to write about this, will I?" Amit asked, and when Zaria sadly shook her head, he added, "Well, perhaps this is one discovery that should not be made public. You have my promise."

Natty crossed her arms and smirked. "As if you really needed to ask," she said, "I will absolutely stand by you."

"So will I!" Poppy said excitedly as she held her hand out palm down in the middle of the group, "Best friends forever!"

Everyone looked at her, slightly taken aback by her exuberance. It did not diminish her expression in the least as she grinned expectantly around the circle. Eventually, Sebastian, Ominis, Natty, and Amit all stacked their hands on hers before looking up at Zaria. She had the look of pride on her face as she witnessed these five very different people standing united together.

Zaria placed her hand at the top of the pile and repeated: "Best friends forever."

The End.