A great many thanks to everyone that participated in the poll, which I will leave up for another 2 weeks to snatch any stranglers that have not yet added their opinion. I truly wasn't expecting such a great response as I received, and the top pick was not a story I had though would be so popular, let alone first, although I have to say the rest went more or less as I predicted. luckily 2 of the 3 are ones that I have partially prepared a beginning, so that will make life somewhat easier as I proceed along, if such holds as it currently stands.

PS, moving out to college this week, so I am posting both AoM and TSR at the same time, so that I do not forget to do so on Thursday when I'm traveling. I do not anticipate any other sort of jarring effect to my schedule otherwise, barring internet problems in my new place.

So, without further distraction from myself, on with the next chapter! Enjoy! ~F

Chapter Thirty Three

Refinement

Sirius hadn't the foggiest clue where to start looking for Harry, once Dumbledore allowed him to leave the Hogwart's grounds some days after he revealed himself to the Headmaster, but the older man had given him all the information that he himself had, although it wasn't much to go on. Apparently Harry had been hiding out at the Malfoy's large manor house when he was taken by some strange creatures, so that was where Sirius went first. Luckily, all Pureblood families had knowledge of the relative location of the homes of each other, especially the Blacks, who were related to most if not all of them in one way or another, to it only took a week or two to travel down to Wiltshire, and the private estate of Lucius Malfoy.

Staking out the expansive grounds in his animagus form, Sirius started to literally sniff about for any scent of Harry. having played with James' son often enough when he was a baby, Sirius had that scent memorized, and knew what he ought to be looking for.

But what he ended up finding increased his worry all the more. Harry's scent was still present, along with residue of the boy's magic, but it was foul and twisted with dark corruption. It was similar in feel to Voldemort old power, when Sirius used to sniff out the Death Eater's hiding places during the first war, but at the same time the context of the magic was completely different, unlike anything that Sirius had experienced.

It was more raw and chaotic, if he were to describe it to himself, but there was a clear trail to follow, but unfortunately, it seemed that as with most long distant travel magic, it was spread out over the entire distance of that travel, meaning that Harry could easily be hundreds of miles away. With no wand, and little means to acquire food or shelter for himself, Sirius was not sure if he could easily track Harry by that method.

That was when his keen canine senses heard the approach of heavy boots on gravel, and he dove into some bushed to escape being seen. Watching the pathway, Sirius had to stifle a growl as Lucius Malfoy himself appeared, walking with some of his other Death Eater friends, talking softly among themselves.

A human's audio range would not have heard them, but thanks for the power of his grim-like form; Sirius could overhear them just fine.

"It's been over a month since he left us, what could be so important that Lord Nobu'tan stays away from Britain?" One of them, Yaxley if Sirius remembered correctly, asked.

"He stays because of Dumbledore, and Durmstrang is a far better place for him to recruit more potential than at Hogwarts, with the Headmaster looming over him every waking moment." Lucius replied coldly, "I had thought that would be obvious. Don't you all have practice and other work to be doing, rather than shadowing me and what important matters that I have to accomplish?" he said suddenly, and the others departed in several directions, but Sirius stayed in the bushes, waiting for the Malfoy Lord to move on.

But rather than that, Malfoy seemed to stand frozen in place for a long time, either thinking or something else; the bush covered the upper part of Malfoy's body from Sirius' view, so he could not tell exactly what the man was doing.

That was, until he smelled the small flare of dark magic that came from the direction of Malfoy.

A mass of shadows formed somewhere near to Lucius, and for the briefest of moments, Sirius thought that the man had conjured a dementor. "Grak'dok…" the Pureblood said, and Sirius shuddered as the raspy voice of the blue creature replied.

"You've called… and I have answered…"

"Come, we've much to discuss while I prepare an item for the master, I desire to learn more of what the Legion will expect of us once the portal is opened." Lucius said, and mercifully he and the strange creature started to depart, leaving Sirius to sneak out of the bushes and depart from the Manor's grounds. Whatever madness that was with Malfoy's dark magic, Sirius simply filed it away for later, far more important was the slight reference to Durmstrang Institute of Magic, which he had a marginal idea where to find.

At least it was some sort of lead to bring back to Professor Dumbledore. But even as he made his way stealthily out of the manor, Sirius couldn't help but take note of the other ex-Death Eaters were doing. If he was to take a guess at the chaotic magic that they were using, Sirius would have to say that they were preparing for a war.

Handfuls of strange creatures seemed to be teeming from various magical gateways that the former servants of Voldemort were powering, while others worked armor and weapons, clearly crafting powerful enchantments into the metal and cloth, far more items than the number Sirius counted could possible use or wear.

Dire tidings if ever Sirius could contemplate them, and as quickly and quietly as he could, he made for the exit, keeping low to avoid the eyes of the many bizarre creatures that seemed to be almost able to sense that something was amiss as he passed by them. Luckily, even though he had to have been seen at least once or twice as he escaped, nothing challenged or attempted to harm him, the animal form giving Sirius a less than threatening appearance. Emaciation combined with an almost wild appearance probably saved him there.

Starting the long trek back to Hogwarts, Sirius wondered if Albus had even looked for Peter in Gryffindor Tower yet, as he had postponed any such thing until Sirius was farther away, stating that the rat would probably be on guard if Sirius was sighted anywhere near the school. So Sirius had allowed himself to be seen only a handful of times further south, and not going in the direction of Hogwarts, in the hopes that that would aid the Headmaster in whatever scheme that he had prepared for the traitor.

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Severus was starting to grow bored this term. Normally this was still the case, but that was in regard to the dunderheaded students that he had to teach, while this time it was for a far different reason. The constant feel of something being needed to be done hadn't gone away, and classes took priority over his personal experiments and even his practice with the powers of the Arcane that Albus was so insistent that he learn.

It had come as no surprise to Severus that he was exceptionally gifted with the concepts of frost magic, able to conjure blasts of frigid water and hurl icicles with great force from his fingers. And while he was rather content with the abilities that he had gained from this new category of magic, even the water elemental that he could summon and dismiss on a whim, he found himself wondering what limits he could possibly reach, if there were even any to be had.

Granger's group of mages, as they coined themselves, were far behind in comparison to what Albus had been pushing both Severus himself and now Moody through, wanting to make sure that their side had something that could counteract and fight against Potter and his dark magic. Granger herself naturally would probably be able to keep up with Albus' sessions, but the rest would be hopelessly lost in the attempts to break through barrier after barrier of Arcane secrets.

Speaking of Granger, Severus blinked as he reasoned that he bell had already sounded for dinner, and his last class, which contained the girl, had left, aside from the other Mage, who had approached him.

"Professor Snape." She started gently, "I was wondering if it would be possible to know when I could meet with Professor Dumbledore regarding some things of a certain magic we both know of."

Normally, Severus would have been offended that anyone would assume that he knew the Headmaster's schedule, but at her mentioning the Arcane, Severus had no choice but to comply. Dumbledore had all but predicted that eventually the girl would come back to them, for instruction as well as with information.

It was rather annoying that the old man was proven right yet again. "I was on my way to meet with the Headmaster now," he lied, knowing that Albus would want to meet with Granger immediately, "I shall escort you and allow you to meet with the Headmaster."

"Oh, if you have important business, I wouldn't want to…" the girl started, but Severus glared darkly at her.

"We shall go now," he insisted, gesturing at the door even as he wave his wand, banishing all the cauldrons to start cleaning themselves in the deep stone sinks at the back of the classroom. Elves took care of most of the cleaning, but it could be dangerous for some of the unfinished potion remnants to be affected by the little creatures, so Severus had routinely set for the cauldrons to be cleaned by his students in detention, or by magic if they were lucky enough to not draw his ire.

The walk up to the head office was quiet and awkward, but Severus wouldn't have had it any other way. At least in this way Granger was silent, instead of desperately trying to prove her intelligence by asking and answering every possible question conceived by wizard-kind.

Naturally, in his almost frighteningly impossible way, Albus knew they were coming, and seemed extremely pleased at Miss Granger's appearance. "Headmaster," the girl started when they were settled, all having refused the irritating muggle sweets that the old man kept trying to promote in the wizarding world, "I am some rather concerning news, as well as a request."

"Then I suppose you're going to tell me that you suspect young Mr. Malfoy and his Slytherin friends of practicing some sort of dangerous magic, taught to them by Mr. Potter, as it differs so much from the powers of the Arcane that we three, plus others, wield?" Albus correctly guessed, judging from the girl's reaction. Sometime Severus suspected that people greatly underestimated the accuracy of all the rumors of how brilliant the Headmaster truly was.

"I…well…yes, that was in part what I wanted to mention, but as it is clear you already know, then I'll move along with what…" Granger started to continue, but Albus held up a hand.

"No please, I just desired to clarify what you were to begin discussing before the start, elaborate on your concerns regarding their magic, what gave you the idea that it might be dark in nature?" Albus said, redirecting her attention back to the topic that they wanted without her being any the wiser of what they wished to understand concerning the nature of Nobu'tan's magic.

"Well, aside from being connected to some sort of otherworldly source, rather than ley lines like the arcane, its rather hard to locate and study through magic, almost as though someone was trying to protect it from detection within the castle. But it's more the aura of those boys that gives away the possible nature of the magic. They don't seem changed by it, but they are suitably darker in magic, and growing ever more secretive." The girl explained.

"Yes," Albus mused, "we'd been having the same sort of reaction with Harry, before recent events."

"Yes, Harry, I wished to speak regarding him as well, but I'm afraid I don't have much to contribute." And the girl went on to explain the ritual magic that she herself had designed, only for the scrying to be rebuffed by the same creatures that Severus had heard of at both the Department of Mysteries and Malfoy Manor. Severus felt that it couldn't be coincidence any longer that these creatures, which had never been seen nor heard of in wizarding history, would suddenly make an appearance at the same time that Potter vanished. There had to be some connection, and he highly doubted that it had anything to do with those creatures coming out of darkness to kidnap the powerful young boy.

Granger also made a request for more instruction in the Arcane arts, recognizing that Albus, even after beginning the process of learning this magic after her, had advanced to a state far beyond her own powers.

"We'll have to think on that for a short time, at least not till after the term ends, as there is still so much to do and learn, but perhaps the term after…" Albus said noncommittally, but the girl was pacified by it regardless. She denied that there was anything else for her to discuss with the Headmaster, and after thanking them both for their time, excused herself to go down to dinner.

"Such a delightfully insightful girl," Albus said, filling the silent moment after Granger departed, "but somewhat naive with some things."

"This ritual showed some promise, and I do not believe it a coincidence that it simply failed or was rebuffed so easily." Severus said, and Albus nodded in agreement.

"There is much evidence that Miss Granger, who has always held close to the rules, wouldn't violate the anti-ritual laws without a clear reason, and even more so jeopardize the safety of her friends and herself in the process. I doubt that her ritual had any flaws in the Arithmancy or the runic layout, a high achievement for a third year."

Severus said nothing, continuing to think for a moment, before a thought struck him, "You don't suppose that it was sabotaged by one of those standing within it?" he asked, and Albus smiled with his eyes twinkling madly.

"I do indeed, and am pleased that you noticed the signs yourself, Severus. I'd wager that Mr. Malfoy or one of his associates disrupted the ritual with their dark magic, warping the spell to show either real or false visions of other things rather than actually locate Nobu'tan, which would meant that they are still in workings with him, somehow, and possible even know where he is already."

"At the least, they know that his location has to remain secret from us, and the Miss Granger would stop at nothing to locate the boy herself, which would be why they made sure to recruit themselves to this joining of magic." Severus continued, speculating somewhat to himself.

"The question," Albus said, "is whether to give Sirius time to locate Nobu'tan himself, or gather what allies we can and attempt this ritual again, without interruption from those loyal to the boy's dark magic interfering."

"And what of Granger?" Severus asked, curious, "are you going to train her further in the arts of the Arcane, perhaps even bring her into the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Train her, most likely, have her join the Order, not until she is of age, like anyone else." Albus said, seemingly stung that Severus would even suggest that, "Magically powerful or not, it is important that every child has some time to act their age, and just off the responsibilities of adulthood for a time. Hermione Granger will have plenty of time to worry and scheme, but we will allow her the time needed to do as she pleases on her own for now."

"Understood, so I'll leave that aspect of the process to you then, as no doubt you could tell that as a Mage, Miss Granger rivaled even my current connection and power," Severus said.

"Well, if you devoted a little more time to your practice, that would not be the case," Albus chided, but allowed the subject to drop immediately afterward.

Severus grunted, not willing to admit that the old man was even remotely right as he turned to leave. "Seeing as that is taken care of, what did you summon me for?" he asked, hoping to change the subject and return to his work as soon as possible. Severus had been tirelessly trying to replicate the strange alternate potion-making that Potter had displayed, with very limited results.

"Primarily to tell you that despite the Ministry refusing to look into Sirius' innocence in the matter of Lily and James, they have Peter in custody, but I feel that Cornelius is trying to cover up the matter altogether. Regardless, we are working with Sirius in locating and stopping whatever Nobu'tan is up to, so you may run into him eventually. I thought you'd like to be forewarned." Albus said.

"Thank you, I will be prepared accordingly…" Severus said testily. It was mercy that he had not as of yet encountered Black in person, despite knowing that the man had been in the castle earlier in the last couple of months. Severus refused to forgive the attempt to get himself killed through Black's taunting about Lupin. The sallow man was having a hard time with just the werewolf in the castle, despite knowing in his heart that the man was not at fault so long ago.

He departed, locating an empty room that house plenty of desks and fixtures that no one would miss, and allowed the Arcane to well up inside him. Cold vengeful fury frosted over him, and the mild chill of his ice magic ran down his arms.

A blast of chilling wind send shards of ice flying before him, before Severus let loose, flinging icicles and rays of wintery chill in all directions, and soon the temperature in the room had dropped significantly. Ice shards formed on the very tips of Severus' fingers, and as he swung his arm in a tight curve, they flew into the wood of a desk, expanding until the ice was a long as his forearm, and wickedly sharp. Soon enough ice covered most of the objects in the room; creeping up from the floor as well as being embedded into it from the projectiles Severus was unleashing.

Then, in one catastrophic moment, Severus wrenched his arms up, and all the ice shattered into millions of tiny sharp pieces, cutting an equal number of gouges and cuts into every exposed surface in the room, barring Severus himself. The ice disappeared instantly, melting away to nothing, and Severus was left in the chilled and thoroughly trashed room.

A wave of his wand repaired the damage, and he left, allowing the cold fog of his breath follow in his wake as he returned to marginally higher temperatures of the rest of the castle. Let the students think he was a vampire or something, with the air in his lungs momentarily colder than the air around them, perhaps it would finally make them think twice before messing around in his class.

Severus expected such sessions of practice with his new magical abilities would become regular once Black returned to active duty in the Order of the Phoenix, but all in all that may not be a bad thing. At the least it would quiet Dumbledore from mentioning that Severus needed to practice more.

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Nobu'tan relished the looks of fear and horror on the faces of the other Durmstrang students as he led his new servant, Tegramm the ogre, around the small castle to a clearing that he had prepared previously. Using the enchantments that he knew, he had made it so that the creature could understand and speak English, and would in time learn the differences between it and the ogre language, which was making the human warlock's voice raw to continuously speak.

"Here is where the spell shall be performed, to give you the ability to use magic," he explained slowly to the ogre. Although quick minded for his race, Tegramm was still blundering and stupid when compared to orcs or humans. But he was sharp enough to understand when Nobu'tan spoke slowly and used smaller words.

"We need six tall stones, on each of the marked areas," he explained, gesturing at a spot that he had scorched away all grass and snow, leaving the bare dirt exposed, "and a smaller one here in the center. Fetch them for me, while I work out some of the other aspects."

The ogre nodded, lumbering off in the direction of water. "And don't attack anyone on the way!" Nobu'tan called after him, just to make sure. At least the ogre had left his club with Nobu'tan, which meant that at the least none would have their brains bashed in… yet…

While his servant was away, Nobu'tan referred to the journal, where he had carefully inscribed all that he could remember regarding the ritual of the ogre magi transformation, which was quite a lot mercifully, but he was pulled from his thoughts as someone approached. Without even looking, Nobu'tan could tell it was the irritating Headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff. The man's weak gait was distinctive.

"May I be of assistance, Headmaster?" Nobu'tan said snidely, not turning back, but watching the direction his new servant lumbered off to, waiting for his return with the first of many stones.

"Why have you led a mountain troll back to the school?" Karkaroff asked, more demanding them curious, which was a great disappointment to the warlock. If the man applied his intelligence, such a question would have been unnecessary.

"Clearly, I wish to use it to distract the school while I destroy it from without…" Nobu'tan replied sarcastically, before sobering quickly, "You idiot, clearly I'm using it for all the raw strength that it possesses, among other things that you do not need to concern yourself with… yet, perhaps. In time you may have a new student out of him for your school…"

"I might… what? Teach a troll, never!" Karkaroff retorted, even as the hulking mass of flesh apparated back over the rise, and Nobu'tan smiled as the brute approached, a five foot tall boulder in its arms. As the ogre set the stone into place, at the head of the five points that Nobu'tan had indicated, the warlock walked around it, making sure it matched his specifications.

"Excellent Tegramm, four more like this one will do perfectly." He said, and the ogre smiled dumbly at the praise, before lumbering off to do as commanded.

Nobu'tan ignored the still fuming Karkaroff as he set to work on the first stone. As the chief stone that would used, simply because Nobu'tan would have to power the entire circle on his own, the runes here needed to be precise and flow around the stone to direct the magic from one source, namely himself, to the other four stones simultaneously.

Naturally, orcish runes were the preferred choice of Nobu'tan, as he could express his needs and work the Fel magic easiest through them. As soon as it was clear that he was being ignored, the irate Headmaster started to advance on Nobu'tan, but stopped when he saw the intricate work that was being poured into the stone, "Just what are you up to?" he asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"If you would be quiet and let me finish, you might get to witness it today instead of a week from now. I only have a full moon to power the ritual tonight, and need to get all five stones worked and powered before that time." Nobu'tan retorted, continuing to work. Thankfully, the runic systems he needed were rather basic, as the raw magic flowing through the stones would serve to substitute for the others. Tegramm brought the next stone just them, placing it just to the right of the main stone along the circle.

Nobu'tan waved his wizards wand, and precise cutting hexes started to etch the runs into the receiver stone, which would cause the stone to hold energy within itself as much as the quality of stone could manage, which was all that was needed. Once the five stones were filled, Nobu'tan would draw the excess power from them directly to start the ritual.

It took hours, which in the fading light was time that was needed to be rush as much as possible, but not to the effect of compromising the necessary runes. When the first stone was finished, and the others place, Nobu'tan directed Fel energy into the stone, even as he physically started to work the last two stones. The sun had just started to touch the horizon at last when he stood, finished with the manual part of preparation.

Karkaroff had conjured himself a seat, and had a small table of refreshment ready for them, and Nobu'tan was grateful for the small kindness. Apparently he had managed to impressed the old fool with his knowledge, or the man was simply curious as to what he intended and couldn't leave until he knew for certain what was going to happen.

Even as he rehydrated himself, Nobu'tan was already opening the portals of his magic, allowing vast quantities of Arcane and Nether power to flow into the main stone as quickly as possible. By his calculation, they would be powered and ready just in time for the full moon to be at its highest point, which was when he had to start.

Being honest with himself, Nobu'tan was irritated that he needed such a limiting outside source to assist him. Gul'dan hadn't needed such things when making his magi, but granted the rune stones of the Quel'dori had stood for ages, gathering far more magic that Nobu'tan little alter ever would hope to acquire.

At long last, with the moon high overhead, the runestones flared to life with a green glow as they were fully charged. "Now is the time, Tegramm stand in the center of the circle."

The ogre hurried to obey, placing itself directly on the flat center stone that Nobu'tan had indicated. Once in position, the warlock wasted no time in channeling the energies of the new Altar of Storms that he had built, allowing the magic to flow into the ogre, forcefully changing the being from the inside out.

The moon served to finalize the changes, as well as divert off excess energy that could have killed the new creation by accident. The ritual itself only lasted several long minutes, and Nobu'tan could tell that Karkaroff had fallen out of his seat at the end, when the now taller, and two headed, ogre stood up tall, and looked around with its bright new intelligence.

"Tegramm," Nobu'tan called, and both heads turned to look at him.

"Yes Master?" one head responded, while the other asked, "What do you desire?"

Nobu'tan smiled widely, even as Karkaroff chocked out a gasp of surprise at the now two headed ogre mage speaking perfect English.

"Congratulations are in order…" Nobu'tan said, even as the ogre mage looked puzzled, "You've taken the first great step toward becoming the powerful leader of your clan, and many more."

"We do feel the magic flowing through our body," the second head said, even as the first nodded in agreement. "When shall we start refining the techniques of this power?"

Nobu'tan was surprised. Apparently Tegramm had been far more intelligent that the other ogres had guessed, as even the ones created by Gul'dan hadn't been this self aware of their own magic or powers. "Soon, but I've used much of my power to grant you this gift, and need to rest before I can begin your training."

"As you wish." One head responded, while the other asked a follow-up question, "Might we go and explore the area around this school while practicing some of our new powers on our own in the meantime?"

"Yes, just keep yourself away from the other humans for now, they would not understand what to make of you and may try to attack you. Unnecessary bloodshed is not desired at this time," Nobu'tan instructed, even feeling the weight of his body as the ogre nodded and wandered off, meandering through the various stones and sparse trees that littered the small grounds.

Nobu'tan would've just retired to his room then and there, but alas he had the gawking Headmaster to deal with now. Turning to look at the man, Nobu'tan waited for him to actually muster the ability to speak again, as even his mouth had been hanging open as Nobu'tan conversed with the blue, rune covered creation.

"…T…that was a mountain troll…. What have you done to it?" he asked, still seeming extremely faint, and the warlock suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the man's weakness.

"Improved it…" he responded, not even willing to give the man any details. "Tegramm is a mage now, and will be taught by me, as you clearly wanted nothing to do with him before, so I will teach him the magic that I used to create him… your loss I suppose…"

And with that he walked away, leaving the Headmaster next to the now depleted circle of Runestones. There would be time enough to recharge and use it again, once the ogre clan was fully convinced to ally with Nobu'tan and become part of his arsenal.

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Tegramm walked through the cold, snow-covered grounds of the human mage school, deep in thought between his two heads, contemplating his new place in life. With his newly expanded intelligence, and awareness of that fact, came a multitude of new questions. He was aware that the master couldn't answer them all right now, as even Tegramm could tell that the small human was exhausted from the ritual that empowered the new mage.

That left him with one massive, talking problem to answer… "What am I to be called?" said the newly created head, a side-effect of the ritual if the original head of Tegramm could guess.

Thinking hard for a moment, the original head decided it would be simplest to share his name between both heads. "We shall be Teg'Ramm, I alone shall be Teg and you alone shall be Ramm."

The other head nodded, seemingly pleased at the acknowledgement of its independent existence. It was odd, having two minds that were separate, yet connected, somewhat. There was a mental link that allowed both Teg and Ramm to communicate base ideas, but nothing overly complex, and they shared memories and experiences as well.

And then there was the unbridled power that now surged through his body, craving chaos and destruction. It was hard to keep the energies completely under control, but the new mage was learning fast. Fire flared in a massive open hand easily, but the flames were unlike anything the creature had ever seen before, tinted with the green of some otherworldly force.

Even still, it pleased Teg'Ramm to be able to express himself in such a fashion. He had always stood out among his clan, creatures known for brute strength and fury, as something calculating and for their kind, an intellectual. Now however, he would be heralded as a genius, and one that used magic. He could be many things within the clan, even chief, or greater. And it was all thanks for the master, whom he would forever owe this debt to.

Returning to the circle of stones that had granted him this power, Teg'Ramm waited for the sun to return, warming his thick hide somewhat and making the world bright again. There was a newness to everything that pleased the mage, and it was with a pair of smiles that he greeted the small human that had gifted him when he reappeared.

"Are you well, Tegramm?" the boy asked.

"We are…" one head answered, while the other followed up with a small correction, "and we are called Teg'Ramm now, the name shall be shared between us."

The boy paused, actually looking interested, "I had wondered how that was going to work out, and now some things make sense from your kind that I met in the past."

"There are more like us?" the primary head, old Tegramm's, asked.

"Far from here, on another world, the same where I learned the magic that created you." The boy answered, "The people of this world call you troll, but I disagree. To me, you are ogres, and you are the first of the ogre magi, the most power of their race. Three weeks we have to train you in using your new powers, and then we shall return to take control of your clan, and find others who are capable to become magi, and from there plans can be set into motion."

"What plans?" Teg'Ramm asked, and the small being waved his hand dismissively, "There'll be more than enough time to discuss that later, for now I can sense that you have built up plenty of magic within yourself, until you find the right way to channel it there will be no progress made."

The ogre mage nodded both heads, before sitting on the ground before his master, ready and willing to absorb every scrap of knowledge that the young human would impart. The Fel secrets and the powers of the Nether distilling immensely upon the twin minds, already brimming with so much power, simply yearned to get started.

Within minutes, Teg'Ramm was channeling the demonic energies, conjuring blasts of shadow magic to strike his would-be foes of nearby rocks and trees, while still listening to instructions of the first summoning of a demonic companion. Even while perfecting his aim with one arm, Ramm focused outward, calling into the Void for a creature to aid him.

Within moments, with the sputtering of Felfire, an imp hurtled out of the summoning circle, skipping madly as it became the ogre mage's new target for practice, cackling madly with the novelty of the ambush.

Turning back to his master when he was ready, the ogre mage swelled with pride at the smirk on the human's face. "Now I understand my old master's great pleasure to work with those of your kind. You are a natural at channeling the Fel magic, and will become a great focus of devastation and chaos. Come, now that we've practiced for a time, let us rest, and discuss more of what is to come."

"Yes, Master." Teg'Ramm said, allowing the imp to trail behind them as he followed the human toward the front of the building, pausing only a moment before entering.

There were no others in the entrance hall to see, but the ogre mage could sense that there was a great many humans here, and he momentarily wondered if they would take offence to his presence.

The young human led the way through the slightly cramped corridors, finally opening a door large enough for Teg'Ramm to fit through, and settled himself in a room filled with tables and chairs. None were big enough for the ogre mage, so he made his seat on the stone floor, in front of a fire that crackled merrily, despite the green tint of the fire.

"So then, you probably have many questions, and I will answer them, once I explain all that I have set in motion, and my eventual goals, which all tie into the reason that I sought you out to train you in the arts of Fel magic." The boy started, and the ogre nodded in response.

The tale that the boy spun was fascinating, especially when he spoke of the far away land called Azeroth, with its varied creatures, not the least of all being fellow ogres, and even magi. Many of the arts of magic, and all of the names of things were naturally beyond his knowledge, but the two-headed ogre made sure to put all of them to memory, as it was becoming clear through the boy, Nobu'tan's, description of the place that he desired to return as quickly as possible.

The magical catastrophe which led to Nobu'tan returning to this world was baffling, and quite a surprise for the ogre, albeit he was pleased that it happened, naturally, as it resulted in his creation and ascendancy to a higher plain of thinking. The set up of other warlocks and eventually the flight from the land of Britain was also intriguing, although the ogre was not sure how he and his clan were to fit into this grand scheme.

"So, you want us for strong warriors and more warlocks, as to need to rely less on the Legion itself?" the other head asked once the story concluded, clearly grasping the situation a little more than Teg was.

"Precisely," Nobu'tan admitted, "the ogres were one of the great weapons of the Horde, and one that I wish to imitate as much as possible, as not only are they formidable warriors, but like you they will be gifted magi and cunning powerhouses of devastation to my enemies."

"And what do we get in return?" Teg added, wondering what the other ogres had wanted from this Horde, in exchange for their strength.

"The lands that they came from were dying, devoid of life and things wherewith to sustain them. green pastures awaited in Azeroth, which is what I offer to your clan, a place rich with magic that ogres can carve out a home, one where they may indeed become a forceful power in the world, and be respected and not only feared and attacked on sight." Nobu'tan replied.

Teg'Ramm considered this. It would be promising to his people, even enticing for them to not have to live in fear, far away from humans, but actually own lands other than the rocky inhospitable sections of the world, although most would choose those regardless, but he himself craved something more. "And I shall rule over this new empire of ogres?"

"If that is your desire, then we will make it so. I heard rumors from the orcs from Draenor that a might ogre empire once existed, but I do not know the details. It would be fascinating to learn firsthand what your people are truly capable of, with a little help from us to get them started of course." the boy agreed, smiling.

"Then we are in agreement. I will help your Burning Legion enter this world, in exchange for safety of all ogres that join us, and passage into this new world of Azeroth." The ogre mage said, sitting up straighter and nodding firmly.

"Excellent," Nobu'tan replied, "then our work begins in earnest, to make sure that your magical might is sufficient to impressed and frighten even the strongest of your clan's warriors."

The twin heads of the ogre mage smiled. This was going to prove most enlightening. Soon they returned outside for more practical work on spells and powers of the Nether, bypassing several of the humans that lived in the castle, which fell back afraid of Teg'Ramm as he passed. The twin-headed ogre mage merely looked at the young human children with curiosity, and a small amount of pity, for their race was so small and frail, but he chose not to interact with them. It was probably wisest, as they might had attacked if he tried to so much as pick up the boy who had fallen when spotting the massive ogre moving through the corridor.

Drilling through the same spells again to warm up his connection to the Nether, Teg'Ramm listened intently as Nobu'tan provided even more of the basic spells and approached to the ways of a Warlock, through either internal corruption of an opponent, and the second demonic summoning that was taught every learner, the mighty Voidwalker.

Again and again the ogre magi seemed to impress his master, taking in each new spell and mastering it within minutes, only stumbling slightly on making a stone from the soul of a small animal, which could sustain life temporarily if needed. He had accidentally made the stone too small, and crushed it with his powerful hands by mistake.

Still, the raging fire within himself soon demanded to be released, and Nobu'tan obliged to show the ogre magi the ways to conjure blasts and waves of the Felfire for himself, as well as bolts of pure chaotic energy, which could annihilate his foes on a whim.

These spells of pure destruction would be most impressive to his clan, and Teg'Ramm knew that this marked the beginning of a new era for his people, the ogres. After hearing the stories, the new mage understood why Nobu'tan disagreed with the wizards of this world on the name for his race, and he found himself agreeing. If they were to go to this Azeroth and mingle with the ogres already living there, then his clan would need to adopt some of their same mannerisms and traits.

But not all of them, if they were to rule over these other ogres and recreate some vision of a mighty empire. Through this Legion's power, all doors had been opened to Teg'Ramm, and he gloried in the simply irony of the situation. Where even Nobu'tan was subservient to these demons, the ogres were only loyal as far as their bargain was concerned. Soon that pact would end, and they would be free to pursue their own agenda, even if that opposed their old masters…