The Crystal of Tempest

1. Prologue

The Crystal of Tempest

E. C. R. Potter

Summary: Third installment of “The Mage Knight” series. Peace has returned to Magiterran, and happiness reigns throughout the Four-Kingdom Alliance. Yet, there is a shadow on the horizon for evil has survived, in the form of an ancient crystal.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Prologue

It all began when four warriors followed a calling from the One Deity, to an island in the northern seas. Four warriors of magic, named Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. Together, they named this island, Magiterran and set up four kingdoms in a single alliance, each kingdom named after one of the four founders. Many flocked to Magiterran, which was promising to become the greatest paradise in the world. But, that was not so...

For among the creations of the One Deity were the Beings of Light, and the most powerful of them, known only as Tempest, rebelled against the One Deity in hopes of usurping his place. War descended on Magiterran as many, including founder Salazar Slytherin, joined Tempest in his rebellion.

In the war, the ideal paradise that Magiterran was once was lost. Yet, the One Deity prevailed. The rebellion was crushed and most of its followers, including Slytherin himself, were killed. Tempest was captured and sealed in a mysterious crystal hidden somewhere in Magiterran. To prevent further strife from erupting on Magiterran, Godric Gryffindor created the Mage Knights of Hogwarts by the One Deity’s guidance. The Mage Knights wandered around the four kingdoms freely, protecting the lands from any possible intrusion of Evil into Magiterran once again.

Millennia passed. History became legend, legend became myth and the Crystal of Tempest eventually left people’s minds as peace reigned. Yet, if people hadn’t forgotten the crystal, the sorrows that were to follow might have been prevented. For who would’ve imagined that Evil would return in those created to fight it: from amongst the Mage Knights themselves.

For one day a young overly ambitious Mage Knight, Sir Tom Marvolo Riddle, the illegitimate son of the King of Slytherin, challenged the great mountain, Parselrock the Unclimable. Riddle became the only person in all of Magiterran’s history to ever be able to climb the unclimbable volcano, yet the world would’ve been better off if it had never been climbed. For hidden within the volcano was none other than the Crystal of Tempest itself. And when Riddle discovered the Crystal, it bonded with him and they became a single new entity: Tempest himself was incarnated in the body of a Mage Knight. Thus was created the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort killed his father, the King of Slytherin, whom he had longhated for abandoning his mother, and became the new ruler of Slytherin. He immediately waged War against the remaining three Kingdoms and nearly overwhelmed them. Yet he was constantly kept at bay by the sheer military power of King Edward IV of Gryffindor and the Mage Knights led by Sir Albus Dumbledore. For many decades, war raged between the kingdoms and Magiterran was once again ravaged.

* * *

There was much talk within Hogwarts those days. For nearly fifteen years, Voldemort had waged war against the Alliance and morale was growing low. Furthermore, news that King Edward had fallen ill was met with much grievance. People once again looked toward Dumbledore and the Mage Knights for hope.

“Hey Prongs, why’re you looking so blue?” asked a young, hyperactive, 17 year old Gryffindor Mage Knight with slightly long black hair and a devilish grin. Sir Sirius Black was known as the resident prankster and party animal of Hogwarts, but he was also counted amongst the best of the Mage Knights.

Sir James Potter looked up from his tankard of butterbeer, his messy black hair sticking out from behind his visor and his dark brown eyes glazed with gloominess and frustration that looked much older than his own 17 years. “You’re asking me why I look sad?” he replied, looking quite annoyed.

“Well I just don’t like seeing my best friend looking like life isn’t worth living.”

“Is it really worth living these days?” asked James. “Is it really worth existing in this endless cycle of misery and despair during times so dark?”

Sirius placed his hand on James’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about your father, James. We’re all sorry about what is happening to King Edward and I can imagine how much his illness is affecting you.”

James smiled weakly. “Thanks Padfoot, but it’s more than just my father.” He stood up and left the room. Sirius sat down in the seat his best friend had been sitting in just moments before. About a minute later, Sir Remus Lupin came and sat in a chair next to Sirius.

“You know what Prongs is so gloomy about, Moony?” asked Sirius.

Remus nodded and simply said, “Lily.”

Sirius nodded in understanding. “You know, even if King Edward didn’t approve of James wanting to marry a farm girl, James could just wait until he’s king to marry Lily. No one would object if he’s king.”

“That’s not the point, Sirius,” said Remus. “James wants King Edward to recognize Lily as his daughter in law. He wants his father’s blessing before he and Lily tie the note. It’s just that the King hasn’t truly been healthy ever since the queen died seven years ago that the thought of his son marrying a muggle-born might be what finishes him off.”

Sirius sighed. “Well I just hope that this mess is cleared up soon,” he said.

* * *

Not too far from Hogwarts, on the very southwestern tip of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw was the village of Hogsmeade. It was dangerous times those days and it was certainly not safe for a woman to be walking alone at night. Therefore, it was quite a surprise when a young girl of around seventeen, walked into the local pub, the Three Broomsticks. She was a beautiful young girl with long wavy dark red hair and sparkling emerald green eyes. She was wearing brown and white travel robes and a weather worn maroon cloak. She was also carrying a long staff made of mahogany. Although she was quite clearly only a farm girl, she carried herself with an air of dignity that was matched only by the highest of the nobility. She sat down on a stool in front of the counter and ordered a butterbeer.

As if on cue, a pair of burly looking men, whom were clearly bandits made their way over to the girl. “Babe,” said one of the bandits, looking a little drunk. “You’re looking a little lonely there. Why don’t ya come with us and we can have a little fun.” The other bandit chuckled stupidly.

The girl simply took a sip of her butterrbeer and didn’t even face the men. “Just because a girl enters a pub alone at night doesn’t mean that she’s available for the pleasure of people like you,” she said, malice dipping into her words.

“Aww, come on, babe,” said the bandit. He tried to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, intending to pull her toward them. Before he could even get close however, the girl whipped around and pointed her staff into the face of the startled bandit.

“Don’t even think about it!” she hissed, her green eyes glaring. “I can dish out so much damage on you that you will be calling for your mommy’s before you can even regret it.”

The bandits looked furious. “Why you bitch!” hissed one of them as he drew his curved sword. The girl looked ready to fight.

“I would leave her alone if I were you,” said a voice from behind the bandits. Getting angry, the bandit spun around and swung his sword out, only to have it caught on the blade of a ruby encrusted sword with the name Godric Gryffindor written on the hilt.

With a quick twirl of his sword, James disarmed the bandit and pointed his blade at the frightened bandit’s face. “This is where you run,” he said, looking smug.

The bandits darted out of a pub as fast as their cowardly legs could take them. They may have ended up the laughing stock of the pub but they weren’t crazy enough to fight and get killed by a Mage Knight.

“Lily,” said James, with a large smile on his face. He and the girl hugged each other and shared a passionate kiss.

“James. I missed you,” said Lily Evans, her green eyes sparkling with love.

“So did I, Love,” said James. They hugged each other again. “You’ve been gone for nearly a month. I was afraid that you captured or killed by Death Eaters.”

“It wasn’t a walk in the park,” admitted Lily. “But it all went well.”

“You mean, you did it?” said James. When Lily nodded James said, “You reached Deis Rowena?”

“Yes,” said Lily. “And I found out everything I needed to know.”

“We’ll talk about the important stuff later,” said James. “In the mean time, I want a nice long walk back to Hogwarts with the love of my life.” Lily blushed as she took James’s hand and the two strolled out of the pub.

Later, as they walking through the Forest heading toward Hogwarts, James and Lily were filling in on what had happened to each other during the month they were away from each other.

“Did I mention that Petunia is getting married?” said Lily.

“No kidding. So, who’s the ‘lucky’ soul?”

“Vernon Dursley, a driller who lives in a village near the banks of Privet Drive, a pig of a man if you ask me. Mum and Dad think that the marriage would boost the Evans family name.”

“Now why would they want to do that?” said James. “The Evans’s are probably the richest farmers in Gryffindor and their name will really be boosted when we get married.” He gave her a huge grin that made Lily’s heart melt.

Lily smiled at James. They had been close friends ever since Lily had been selected as a muggle protégé worthy of being trained in magic at Hogwarts alongside the Mage Knight squires six years ago. About a year ago, James and Lily had fallen in love almost naturally and were planning to get married, hopefully with James’s father, King Edward’s approval. Thoughts about King Edward sobered her up. “So, how is your father?” asked Lily, a little apprehensively.

James sighed. “To be honest, he’s only got a few months left. He’s looking toward me rule Gryffindor well after his demise, and I promised both him and myself that I will be a great king for Gryffindor, or at least try my best. But I still want his approval for my choice of queen before he leaves me in charge.”

Lily placed her hands on James’s cheeks. “Don’t worry about it. King Edward and I have always gotten along well before our relationship changed. He will be willing.”

James nodded and smiled. As he gazed into Lily’s emerald eyes, he felt a burning curiosity inside of him. About a month ago, Lily had been having strange dreams about the ancient Crystal of Tempest. Feeling disturbed, she had embarked on a pilgrimage to the holiest city in Magiterran, Deis Rowena, hoping to find some answers. She had already told him in the pub that she had found what she was looking for.

“Lily, what did you find out in Deis Rowena?” he asked.

Lily became silent and lowered her eyes, showing that she was in deep thinking. She looked up, her green eyes boring into James’s. “James, you must promise me that you will never tell anyone I’m about to tell you. Not Sirius, not your father, not even Dumbledore. If news of the truth got out, then the panic would be virtual doomsday.”

James was startled by the extreme seriousness in Lily’s tone. He gulped and said, “I promise.”

Lily took a deep breath and said, “Voldemort is Tempest.”

At first, James thought Lily was joking. However, when he saw her sincerity, he decided that he had heard wrong. “I beg you pardon?” he said.

Lily released a deep breath and said in clear tones, “James, Voldemort is Tempest incarnated.”

“No,” said James, his eyes starting to bulge and beads of sweat forming on his face. “No, NO! That can’t be true! It mustn’t be true! It just can’t!”

Lily shook her head. “Its true.”

“Tempest,” whispered James. “Voldemort is Tempest.” He let out a wry laugh. “Well, there you go Lily you’ve just predicted the doom of Magiterran.”

“Not necessarily,” said Lily. “There’s something else I found out at Deis Rowena.”

James looked up, suddenly looking hopeful. “There’s more?”

“I found out that on this island, there are eight rings: the Eight Rings of the One Deity. They’re magical rings that One Deity gave the founders millennia ago. They are said to have the power to destroy Tempest himself if all eight are used. Unfortunately, they never were all used since Slytherin betrayed Magiterran and joined Tempest. The rings were lost long ago but I’ve managed to find out where two of them are hidden. I’ve hidden the knowledge of that location in the Mirror of Erised.”

James nodded. “I think we should at least tell Dumbledore about these two rings and hint that they can be used to destroy Voldemort. But everything else should be kept as a secret between us. We’ll write everything onto a piece of Parchment and hide it somewhere. In the mean time, we’ll try to find out where all the remaining rings are.”

Lily nodded and the two continued on their way to Hogwarts.

* * *

As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about when James and Lily went to King Edward for his blessing, for Edward loved Lily dearly. So James and Lily were wed shortly afterwards in an elaborate ceremony in the Gryffindor Royal Capitol of Godric’s Hollow. Edward passed away about three months later and James became the king of Gryffindor. Although his reign only lasted five years, he and Lily were hailed as amongst the greatest rulers of Gryffindor and even the Alliance.

After that, the war against Voldemort lasted for another twenty years until it finally ended in the foreign lands of Durmstrang, in the Battle of Snow- Covered Fields with the apparent demise of Voldemort. And peace, had finally returned to Magiterran, or at least that was what people believed.

Six years later, in the lands of Durmstrang, there was a young woman walking across the plains where the Battle of Snow-Covered Fields was fought. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair, icy blue eyes, and a dark black winter cloak. She appeared to be searching for something in the snow. Finally, she found what she was looking for.

From the snow, she pulled out a small, blue crystal that was shaped like a heart. It was giving off an eerie light that seemed to grow stronger when the woman lifted it up. She started laughing hysterically and said, “At last, it is found. You shall return Lord Tempest. You shall return.” Throughout the night, the laughter of the woman was heard.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N I’m back. And I’m better than ever. After I finished “Return of the Lion”, I was intending not to write another multi-chapter fic but I just couldn’t resist the calling. The third installment of the series is here, and I ask that you would please read the prequels to this fic as well as my other stories.

!!

2. A Lost Parchment

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 1: A Lost Parchment

“Your highness, get over here right now!” A shout rang throughout the Royal Palace of Godric’s Hollow. Six-year old Crown Prince James Potter, named after his grandfather, ran through the courtyard of the beautiful royal grounds, laughing his little heart out. He had messy brown hair and emerald green eyes. Aside from his hair color, he was a virtual carbon copy of his father and if you ignored his green eyes, of his grandfather as well.

“Catch me if you can, Lavender!” shouted little James, laughing his heart out. Lavender Brown, the nanny of the Royal children gave chase after the hyperactive child who was running away, zigzagging through the legs of the many servants of the palace. In this process of chasing, Lavender ended up colliding into Lady in Waiting Parvati Patil and the two ended up sprawled on the floor, very annoyed. James started laughing hysterically.

“Oh, when will James ever grow up,” said the voice from the courtyard. It had come from James’s twin sister. Her name was Lily, named after her grandmother, but people preferred to call her Lin. She had bushy brown hair and slightly large teeth. In fact, if you ignored her green eyes she was a carbon copy of her mother. “He just had to interrupt my reading with his antics.”

“What’s ‘antics’?” asked a slightly shyer voice from right next to Lin. It was from James and Lin’s younger sister, five-year old Virginia. She was also a carbon copy of her mother from the bushy hair to the brown eyes, but in her case, her hair was black. Lin was currently reading to her.

“Antics are basically what James was just doing,” said Lin with a cute smile to her sister. “Running around and making a fool of himself.”

“Oh,” said Virginia. She was a shy girl and didn’t share James’s hyperactivity or Lin’s bookishness. She often spent a good deal of her time in her mother’s lap simply being cuddled although she did like having Virginia read to her.

James was still laughing at Lavender and Parvati who were unsuccessfully trying to detangle themselves and get up. Lavender did not look very happy. “Your highness, when their majesties hear about this...”

“I would imagine Harry to be delighted to hear that his son is growing up his and his grandfather’s footsteps,” said a voice from behind the two women.

“Grandpa Sirius!” shouted James, looking delighted. He ran into the outstretched arms of Lord Sirius Black.

“Ha ha, Jimmy. You sure are growing up quickly. Your at least more heavier than I remember,” chuckled Sirius.

“Grandpa Sirius!” Lin also came forward and leapt onto Sirius. Sirius stumbled a little from the added weight but kept his balance. He laughed as he placed the twins down.

“You two really are growing up so fast,” said Sirius. He spotted Virginia who was hiding behind a pillar nearby. “Come on Virginia, give your Grandpa Sirius a hug,” he said. Sirius crouched down and outstretched his arms.

Timidly, Virginia walked forward and Sirius gave her a strong hug and picked her up, much to her surprise.

“Oh, you’re getting big too,” said Sirius. “As far as I’m concerned, you guys grow up too fast, right Remus?”

“Too true,” said Lord Remus Lupin as stepped forward. James and Lin tackled him and gave him a huge hug as well.

“Grandpa Remus!” they shouted, huge grins plastered on their faces.

“Hey little ones,” said Remus while laughing. “Are your Mum and Dad here?”

“They said they wanted to be left alone for a while. So Romantic time I assume,” said Lin sounding very know-it-all like.

“What’s ‘Romantic’?” asked Virginia.

“Know-it-all,” coughed James. Lin glared at him.

“Well then, I suppose we can see them later,” said Sirius. “So, why don’t you three show us around the city?”

“OK!” shouted James looking excited. “So long as you two tell me what’s been happening outside these days.”

“Deal,” said Remus.

“James, Mum said we’re not aloud outside of the palace!” hissed Lin.

“Don’t worry about that, Lin,” said Sirius. “Your Mum and Dad trust us and they wouldn’t mind so long as we’re with you.”

“Come on, let’s go,” said James as he dragged Lin along. Virginia timidly followed behind them.

* * *

“So what’s been happening these days?” asked James as they walked through the streets of Godric’s Hollow. “I want to know all the details.”

Sirius laughed out loud. “I can see a lot of the Potter blood in you little one,” he said. “Well life’s pretty much the same as it was the past six years, the Alliance is at peace, the citizens are happy, Mage Knights don’t have much of a job, for which we are all very thankful for.”

“Did the Mage Knights really go around fighting bad guys and saving people?”

“They sure did James, and they still do. That’s their job.”

“I’m growing up to become a Mage Knight,” declared James. He struck a heroic pose that caused Lin to roll her eyes while Sirius and Remus burst out laughing.

“You will be one, James,” said Remus. “Just you wait, when you turn eleven, your Mum and Dad will send you to Hogwarts to begin your training as a Mage Knight. And Lin will probably go with you as well.”

“I’ll decide whether to become a Mage Knight myself or not, thank you,” said Lin, sticking her nose up into the air. James started laughing.

“Well, whether you decide to become one or not, I’m sure your parents will support your decision no matter what,” said Remus. Lin beamed at him.

“And how about you, little Virginia?” asked Sirius smiling sweetly. Virginia simply squeaked and timidly ducked behind Lin. James rolled his eyes.

“You’ll have to forgive her, she’s very shy,” said Lin.

“Too shy,” said James, leaping around Lin and Virginia. “Come on Virginia, you’re a Potter. Only wimps hide like the way you are.”

Lin scowled at James.

“Well, we better get you two back home, now,” said Remus. James started to pout as Sirius dragged him back to the palace.

* * *

“Where have you three been,” asked an exasperated Hermione Granger-Potter as James, Lin, and Virginia came running up to her. Hermione was wearing queen-like purple robes, and her bushy golden brown hair showered out from below her silver tiara. Although the tone of her voice was stern, her brown eyes were shining with mirth.

James grinned sheepishly and said, “Grandpa Sirius and Grandpa Remus took us outside, Mum.”

“You shouldn’t have gone outside,” said Hermione, sounding stern, “even with your Grandpa Sirius and Grandpa Remus.” She sat down on a sofa and gave James and Lin a look that Hogwarts trainer McGonagall was known to show her trainees. James and Lin cowered a little from the look while Virginia sought her safe place and crawled into Hermione’s lap.

“I told Grandpa Sirius and Grandpa Remus that you told us to stay in the castle,” said Lin. “But James dragged me outside anyways.”

“Lily, what did I tell you about pointing fingers?” said Hermione. Lin immediately shut up.

Sirius entered the room with Remus right behind him. “Aww, Hermione have a heart. I just thought that we could spend some time with the kids while you and Harry had your ‘romantic’ time,” he said.

Hermione blushed and said, “I’ll speak to you about this later.”

“Sirius, Remus, you’re here,” called a voice from across the room. Harry Potter, king of the Kingdom of Gryffindor strode forward, wearing kingly scarlet robes. His black hair was as messy as ever and his emerald green eyes were filled with glee.

“Dad!” shouted James and Lin. They ran up to Harry and jumped into his arms.

“Ah, so what did you two do today?” asked Harry as he ruffled his son’s and older daughter’s hair.

“Grandpa Sirius and Grandpa Remus took us outside,” said James escitedly.

“Didn’t your mother tell you to stay inside?” said Harry. When James looked sheepish, Harry grinned and said, “Next time, I’ll take you out myself instead of Grandpa Sirius and Remus.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, “You’re no help.” Harry laughed and kissed her on the temple.

“Well, as much as I love seeing my godson spend time with his family,” said Sirius, “we should really discuss the issues of the Kingdom. That’s why we’re here after all.”

“Right,” said Harry. He ushered James and Lin out of the door. “You two go play somewhere in the palace, your Grandpa Sirius and Remus have some grown up stuff to talk about with me and your mother.”

“Aww, Dad. Can’t we stay?” pouted James.

“Well sure, if you want to here about tax cuts in the agriculture or trading with Hufflepuff,” said Harry.

James grinned. “Uh, I guess not. I guess we’ll go then.” He ran down the hallway dragging Lin with him.

Virginia had fallen asleep in Hermione’s lap so Hermione gently picked her up and strolled out of the room. “Go ahead and start without me,” she said. “This little angel probably missed her nap time. I’ll go put her to bed.”

“OK,” said Harry. He gently kissed Hermione before she left to take their little daughter to her bedroom.

* * *

“Hey Lin, look at what I found,” said James. He was at the end of a secluded corridor of the palace and appeared to be studying a crack in the wall.

“What is it?” asked Lin. She saw that James had found a small protruding of rock sticking out of the crack. James grinned like he had struck gold.

Alarmed, Lin warned, “James, don’t touch that.” However, James ignored Lin’s warning and pushed the protruding into the wall.

There was a low rumbling sound and one of the brinks suddenly slid out like a drawer. Looking excited, James examined the brink and discovered that it was indeed a hidden drawer. He looked inside and discovered an old parchment.

“What’s this?” he said. Despite Lin’s protests, he pulled out the parchment and glanced at the names written on it.

“James? Lily?” he wondered out loud. “I’ve never seen this parchment before. Why does it have our names?”

Lin rolled her eyes. “James, its probably our grandpa and grandma’s names. Their names were James and Lily. We’re named after them.”

“Why did Mum and Dad give us these names? Its so confusing.”

“They wanted to have our grandparents remembered through us.”

“All well that doesn’t matter,” said James. “What matters is this parchment. Do you think its something important? Lets go read it some place where no one can bother us.”

“James, we should show it Mum and Dad.”

“Oh come on Lin, what Mum and Dad don’t know won’t hurt them”

“What won’t hurt us,” came a kind yet stern voice from behind the twins. Startled, James looked up sheepishly to see Hermione looking down at them.

“Mum! James found a parchment in a secret drawer,” shouted Lin.

“Really?” said Hermione while raising an eyebrow. “Well then, hand it to me James.”

James scowled at Lin and handed the parchment to Hermione.

“Hmm. What is this that it would be hidden here?” Hermione wondered out loud. She noticed the signatures of Harry’s parents. Finally, she read the first sentence on the parchment:

“Here follows the account of James I, king of Gryffindor and his Queen, Lily Evans concerning the Crystal of Tempest and the Eight Rings of the One Deity.”

Hermione thought her heart had stopped and it suddenly became hard to breathe. Herr face visibly turned pale and beads of sweat were forming on her brow. She nearly lost her footing but managed to barely keep her balance. Yet the words, “Crystal of Tempest” continued to reverberate back and forth through her head.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” asked James: both he and Lin and looks of concern on their little faces.

Hermione slowly staggered out of the corridor. “I need to speak to everyone,” she whispered and ran down the hall, leaving behind a confused James and Lin.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Well, there you have it, the genuine first chapter. Sorry if the prologue was a little confusing considering the time period: I’m sure that this chapter clarified the fact that this sequel takes place six years after “War against Magiterran”. Sorry this took a while but Real Life has been so hectic recently.

On a brighter note, my website which I promised oh so long ago is FINALLY up! Just visit author’s section and click on my homepage. Oh, but I don’t think you should book mark it yet, I plan on changing the server. The one I’m using right now shuts down after you view 20 mbs worth of pages and you have to restart the computer once to see it again. At least, that’s my theory as to why the site some times shuts down. Whichever way, although I do plan to switch the server, the site is up for the time being.

So, just read and review this chapter. Next: what was written in that parchment? And we’ll also get to see Ron and his family.

3. The Children of Tempest

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 2: The Children of Tempest

“Well, that’s a wrap,” said Remus, as he wrapped up a map of the kingdom.

“I still think we should lower the commercial taxes,” said Harry. “And maybe we should consider having another census...” They were abruptly interrupted when Hermione barged into the room looking distressed. Harry was up at her side in a second.

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” he asked concerned.

Hermione took a moment to catch her breath. Finally, she handed Harry the parchment. “Read that,” she said, her face very pale.

Harry noticed his parents’ names on the parchment and skimmed the writing. His reaction to the words was not good: his face became deathly pale, beads of sweat formed on his face, and Harry’s own heart felt like it had stopped.

“Harry, what’s wrong? What’s written there?” asked Sirius.

Before anyone else could read the parchment, Harry hurried over to the fireplace and threw floo powder onto the flames. He yelled, “Hogwarts!” and disappeared in a whirl. Hermione immediately followed him.

Sirius and Remus shared a confused glance with each other before they too proceeded to Hogwarts through the floo powder. They tumbled out of the fireplace in Dumbledore’s office, only seconds after Harry and Hermione had arrived.

Dumbledore was currently in a meeting with Hogwarts Trainer Severus Snape. Snape did not look too pleased at seeing some of his least favorite people come through the fireplace.

Dumbledore smiled, his twinkling. “Harry, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus, what a pleasant surprise,” he said. “What brings you here this time of day?”

“We were wondering that ourselves,” said Remus.

Wordlessly, Harry handed the parchment over to Dumbledore, still looking pale. Dumbledore nodded and began to read out loud:

“Here follows the account of James I, king of Gryffindor and his Queen, Lily Evans concerning the Crystal of Tempest and the Eight Rings of the One Deity. We feel grievous this has come up during our times and dearly hope it will not come to affect our children.

For the past ten years, the Alliance has been at War against a former Mage Knight by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort. Dark Lords and Evils have always plagued Magiterran but had always been crushed by the Mage Knights and the world at large believes Voldemort to simply believe the next in a long line of Dark Evils, soon to be crushed by the Mage Knights once again.

However, about a year ago, Lily was plagued by mysterious dreams about a mysterious crystal, which she believed to have been the lost Crystal of Tempest. Seeking answers, Lily set out on a pilgrimage to Deis Rowena. What she learned there has practically sealed our doom.

For Voldemort is not simply another Dark Lord like many believe. He is in fact, the very incarnation of the root of evil himself, Tempest. This is the one secret that must be sealed for all time, for if the masses were to learn that Tempest himself had returned, the chaos that would ensue would be catastrophic. What this news signals, is the destruction of Magiterran and the end of our fair world.

And yet, there is still hope. Hidden somewhere in Magiterran are eight rings, eight rings presented to the founders by the One Deity himself: Phoenix, Lion, Serpent, Dragon, Unicorn, Badger, Eagle, and Sphinx. These eight rings contain portions of the power of the One Deity himself and it is these eight rings together alone that can defeat Tempest.

We have managed to learn the location of two of these rings, the Lion and the Phoenix. Their location is hidden within the Mirror of Erised and it must be noted that only a Muggle-Born can take these rings. We will tell these facts to Albus Dumbledore and tell him that they are necessary for the defeat of Voldemort. However, we shall not tell anyone, not even Albus Dumbledore about Tempest’s Incarnation until we have learned the locations of the remaining six rings. If less then eight rings are used, then Voldemort would be stopped. However, the effect would only be temporary and he will return more powerful than previously, for with each rebirth, Voldemort gains more of the power he lost as Tempest. For him to be truly defeated, all eight rings must be used against him.

We leave this account behind in case we ever leave this world prematurely. It is a burden we wish to never have had on our children and pray that they will forgive us. The Eight Rings must be found for the sake of not only Magiterran but of the world. I simply hope, our children will find this parchment before it is too late. Our prayers go out to the generation who find this parchment. May the power of the One Deity be with you, always.”

By the time Dumbledore had finished reading the room was deathly quiet. Sirius, Remus, and Snape were extremely pale, and seemed to be shocked. Dumbledore’s eyes had lost their twinkle and his face was grave. Harry and Hermione, whom had already read the parchment, were sitting in chairs and clutching each other’s hands.

“So what does that mean?” whispered Sirius.

“It means you fool, that Voldemort is going to come back some time soon, more powerful than previously,” yelled Snape. Sirius scowled at him.

“I never knew any of this,” said Dumbledore. “James and Lily had good intentions but I wish that they had at least shared this with me,”

The silence of the room was suddenly disrupted when Hogwarts Trainer Minerva McGonagall burst into the room, looking clearly distressed. She seemed surprise to find Harry, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus there, but she quickly composed herself.

“Yes Minerva,” said Dumbledore, “what is it?”

“Albus,” she said, clearly out of breath, “Godric’s Hollow is under attack!”

* * *

Ron Weasley was feeling content with his life. He lived in a large mansion on the outskirts of Godric’s Hollow with his beautiful wife, Margaret Chapel-Weasley and his four-year old son, Christopher.

As he walked into the Nursery, Ron sighed at the sight of Margaret playing with Christopher, whom was a miniature version of Ron himself, down to the red hair and freckles. Hearing the sigh, Margaret looked up.

“Ron, what is it?” she asked, her long auburn hair swaying and her hazel eyes brimming with love.

“Oh, just admiring the view,” said Ron. “The sheer beauty of it. Sure wish you were able to see it.”

Margaret smiled. She stood up and made her way over to Ron and they kissed passionately. Christopher looked up at his kissing parents with curiosity in his eyes. “What arwe Daddy and Mommy dowing?” he asked.

Ron and Margaret broke apart to make an embarrassed grin at Christopher. “Daddy is just showing Mommy how much he loves her,” said Ron.

“Daddy and Mommy wuves Chris too, wight?” said Christopher.

“Of course we do,” said Margaret. She picked up Christopher and kissed him on his cheek. Ron grinned and circled his arms around Margaret who leaned back on him.

‘I could stay like this forever,’ thought Ron, as he held his wife and son close to him.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in the city. Alarmed, Ron and Margaret broke apart just in time to see a wall of fire go up in the main street.

“Oh my God,” whispered Maragret.

Without a word, Ron dashed downstairs. He was just about to leave when the front door burst open.

Three hooded figures in black cloaks walked in, their swords drawn. The first thought that crossed Ron’s mind was ‘Death Eaters!’ However, instead of the Dark Mark, these figures had images of a heart shaped, blue crystal on their torsos.

“Sir Ronald Weasley, surrender to us to executed or be killed by us right here,” hissed the leader of the three.

“Oh, so I can surrender and die or fight and die, lovely choices,” said Ron. “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?!”

“We are the Children of Tempest,” said the leader.

Ron thought his heart had stopped. “Tempest?” he whispered, visibly pale.

“Crucio!” yelled the lead figure. Ron ducked and narrowly avoided the Cruciatus Curse. He willed himself to emit a dazzling display of white light and in a split second, his blue aristocratic robes had transformed into his familiar red and silver armor of a Gryffindor Mage Knight.

Ron drew his sword and lowered himself into a battle ready stance. “You’re going to pay for that,” he hissed.

“Crucio!” shouted another one of the figures. Ron rolled forwards and dodged the curse. He leapt to his feet and with a yell, swung his sword down at the lead figure. The leader caught the blade on his sword, and the sound of metal hitting metal rang throughout the mansion.

Undaunted, Ron continued slashing his sword at the lead figure, the two blades constantly clashing against each other. Finally, he landed a high kick on the figure’s chin and knocked him back.

Another one of the figures had crept up behind Ron and was about to curse him. Ron however, spun around and shouted, Expelliarmus!” To the figure’s horror, his sword flew out of his hand and into Ron’s. Ron then bashed the hilt of his sword onto the figure’s head and knocked him out.

The third figure leapt at Ron, brandishing his sword forward. With a quick turn over, Ron managed to fling the figure through the window out into the yard. Ron carefully stepped through the broken glass into the yard just as the figure was standing up.

The figure brandished his sword and charged at Ron. Ron twirled around the two swords in his hands and deflected all of the figure’s blows. He then spun around, his own sword first hitting the figure’s sword, then the sword of the disarmed figure knocking it out of his hand, and finally he landed a high kick on the figure’s chin. The figure reeled back.

Not finished yet, Ron threw the sword of the disarmed figure at the other figure. It twirled through the air and finally, the hilt hit the forehead of the figure, knocking him out.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Ron turned around and saw a horrifying sight. Four more hooded figures had entered the yard. They were holding a frightened Margaret and a crying Christopher at sword point.

“Surrender or they die!” shouted one of the figures. Margaret, though frightened, shook her head vigorously, trying to tell Ron to not surrender.

Ron however, would’ve rather died before Margaret and Christopher were harmed. Defeated, he started to turn his sword over into a surrendering position.

“Stupefy!” A stunner that had been fired from behind suddenly hit one of the figures. Not missing his chance, Ron darted forward and swung his sword at the figure that was holding on to Margaret and Christopher. The figure immediately let go of them to defend himself. Margaret and Christopher managed to scramble away as Ron knocked the figure out.

The remaining two figures tried to get away, but were suddenly stopped by the red haired, female Gryffindor Mage Knight whom had fired the stunner.

“Ginny!” shouted Ron. Sir Virginia Weasley smiled at her older brother once before turning toward her adversaries.

The two figures pulled their swords out just as Ginny pulled hers out. Without a word, the two figures charged at Ginny. Ginny simply lowered herself into a battle ready stance and waited patiently.

The first swung his sword down at Ginny. Ginny twirled her own sword upwards and deflected the blows of the figure. She swung her sword forward but the figure managed to deflect her blow. Ginny spun around and landed another blow on the figure’s blade.

The other figure finally caught up and swung his sword at Ginny. Ginny twirled her sword around and deflected all the blows. Finally, she managed to ram her hilt into the faces of one of the figures.

Realizing that he was now alone, the last figure disapparated away. All of the unconscious figures also disappeared as well.

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and made her way over to her brother’s family. Ron was holding Margaret and a crying Christopher close to him.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Margaret. “I’m all right. Oh, but Ron, Chirs.”

Christopher was crying into his Dad’s shoulder. Ron hugged his young son close to his chest. “You’ll be OK, son,” he said.

“Daddy,” wailed Christopher.

“Ron,” said Ginny, “The city, its still under attack.”

Ron nodded. He turned to Christopher and said, “Son, I want you to do me a favor.”

Christopher managed to will himself to stop crying. He sniffed and nodded.

“Chris, Daddy has a job to do. So I want you to protect your Mommy while Daddy is away.”

“OK,” sniffed Christopher. Ron grinned.

“Good Luck,” said Margaret. She kissed Ron sweetly.

“Come one Ron, lets go,” said Ginny. Without a word, the two Weasleys ran as fast as they could to save the city.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Enjoyable was it not. Well, this time my website is positively, truly up. So go visit it in my author’s section and tell me what you think! People who have visited it so far have told me that they like it.

I am going on a three week trip to Oregon starting today, so I’m sorry to say that the next time I update might very well be three weeks from now. However, if I’m lucky, I just might be able to get a hold of a word processor and some internet access and upload a little faster. However, I am not making any promises. Oh yes, in case some of you have forgotten, female Mage Knights go by “Sir”, not “Dame” or “Lady”.

Next: Godric’s Hollow is under attack! What are James and Lin going to do?

4. An Attack on Godric's Hollow

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 3: An Attack on Godric’s Hollow

“What’s all that shouting?” asked Lin. She was reading a book in the Royal Nursery while James was swinging around a wooden sword. Virginia was asleep in her bed.

“I dunno,” said James. “Maybe its New Years.”

“James! New Years was a month and a half ago.”

“I know that Lin.” James stood up and made his way to the window. He looked out and gasped at what he saw. Lin clearly saw that look of horror that crossed her twin’s face.

“James what is it?” she asked. When James said nothing, Lin also made her way to the window. What she saw was horrified her beyond belief.

The outskirts of the city were on fire! A lot of shouting could be heard and there were bright green lights flashing in the flaming zones. Screams were carried by the wind and heard quite clearly in the West Wing where the nursery was.

“Oh my God,” muttered Lin. Her face was pale, her body was shaking, and tears started to build up in her eyes. “The city...all those people...what is going on?”

Before another second was lost, James ran out of the nursery and dashed down the steps. Lin shouted, “James, don’t go! Stay here!” But James completely ignored his sister as he ran as fast as he could toward the city, evading panicking servants in the process.

* * *

Godric’s City was under attack. Such an event hadn’t happened for years, since the conclusion of the War against Voldemort. For this reason, the residents of the city started panicking as hundreds of mysterious cultists, calling themselves “The Children of Tempest”, started putting buildings on fire and killing off commoners and muggles that lived in the city.

However, Godric’s Hollow was the Greatest Fortress City in all of Magiterran and the capitol of the most military oriented kingdom of the Alliance. As a result, the cultists had to face the greatest soldiers and Mage Knights in all the Alliance.

Standing at the front line of the battle was General Oliver Wood, second in command of the Gryffindor military. It was Wood’s cool organization that kept that Gryffindor forces from falling out of control. Wood himself was fighting cultists at the forefront, twirling his spear around skillfully. However, enemies soon started to overwhelm him and before he knew it, cultists surrounded Wood.

“Damn!” he cursed. Cultists swarmed around him brandishing their weapons and Wood twirled his spear around, mustering all of the self-defense techniques he knew. However, one cultist finally managed to kick Wood in the gut. Wood bent over in pain and the cultist was about to run him through when suddenly, a sword flashed and the cultist was decapitated. Wood looked up to see who was his rescuer.

“General Weasley,” said Wood, instantly recognizing his commanding officer.

Ron helped Wood to his feet. “You OK?” he asked. When Wood nodded, Ron said, “Come on, we’re needed elsewhere.” He and Wood took off to sections where the fighting was thicker.

In another part of the city, Mage Knights Sir Angelina Johnson, Sir Katie Bell, and Sir Alicia Spinnet were fighting off cultists. During the duel, one of the cultist’s battle-axes grazed Angelina’s right shoulder. Angelina grimaced in pain and sank to her knees.

“Angelina!” Sir Katie stabbed the cultist whom had wounded Angelina and made it over to her friend. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll live,” said Angelina, despite her pain.

Sir Alicia was meanwhile fighting another cultist. After deflecting a few blows from the cultist’s sword, Alicia made a flying leap over the cultist’s head, kicked on the wall of a house behind the cultist, spun around midair and landed a kick with her right foot onto the cultist’s face. The cultist was knocked out for the count.

It was then that Alicia noticed that there was another cultist about a hundred yards away, holding a dagger at the throat of a young boy about ten years old. “Oh my God!” she muttered.

Starting to panic, Alicia made a mad dash toward the cultist. But when she had only made a few steps, an arrow flew past Alicia’s face from behind and hit the cultist between the eyes. The cultist fell over dead as Alicia gathered the crying boy into her arms.

It was Ginny whom had shot the arrow. She quickly placed another arrow into her bow and shot another cultist who was trying to ambush Angelina and Katie. Ginny made her way over to Alicia and asked, “The boy, is he hurt?”

“No,” said Alicia. “But he’s in shock. I’ll take him to somewhere safe.” Ginny nodded and Alicia carried the boy away from the battle zone. Ginny then made her way to Angelina and Katie. She inspected the wound on Angelina’s shoulder.

“Its deep,” said Ginny. “But not fatal. You should get it disinfected now.”

“I can still fight!” demanded Angelina.

“If you continue fighting, you’ll lose your arm to infection,” said Ginny. “You’ve done enough, let us take care of the rest.” Angelina reluctantly agreed and started to make her way out of the battle zone.

Ron’s voice was heard saying, “There you are.” Ginny looked behind her to see Ron and Wood make their way up to them. “There are more cultists down by the southern gates,” said Ron.

“Lets go,” said Ginny. She, Ron, Katie, and Wood started running toward the south where the battle was still raging.

* * *

A battle zone was not the place for a six-year-old child. There were some things that a six year old boy should never have to see and one of those things should be people being hurt and killed. But James couldn’t just stand still. He was old enough to know what pain and suffering was and he could not just stay still in the palace while the citizens of the city suffered.

James had snuck out into the city on a number of occasions. He therefore knew the city backwards and forwards and had no problem making his way to the forefront of the battle. What he saw there were things that a child should never see. Yet, James was still determined to help people who were suffereing.

He came across a young woman and her baby. The baby was crying and the mother was trying to calm the baby despite the fact that her right leg was injured. James made his way over to the woman and took her arm.

“Come on, lets go,” he said.

The woman was completely startled. “Your highness?” she asked, shocked to see the young heir to the throne out in the midst of a battle zone. “Your highness, you shouldn’t be here.”

“That doesn’t matter!” hissed James. With strength that was amazing for a six-year-old, James helped the woman to her feet and started to lead her away.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” came a cold, cruel voice from behind them. James froze in fear, and he slowly looked behind to see a sinister looking cultist brandishing a sword. “Three more victims,” said the cultist, “this must be my lucky day.”

James’s fear was suddenly replaced with a burning anger, which he had never felt in young life. He yelled as loud as he could and tackled the cultist! The cultist was completely caught by surprise and was bowled over by the small boy.

Not yet finished, James caught sight of a large dagger (which for him was a short sword) on the ground near by. He picked it up and started swinging it at the cultist whom had just got up.

The cultist was completely caught off guard the young boy with his short sword. James had a natural skill with swords, just like his father, and was putting up a good fight against the cultist. However, the cultist was far more older and far more experienced than the young boy, and he soon disarmed James.

James adrenaline rush cooled down and the fear returned. He stared, paralyzed, at the cultit’s sword as the cultist lifted it over his head. “Too bad,” said the cultist. “You would’ve made a great Mage Knight.”

The cultist was just about to kill James when none other than Sir Harry Potter leapt from the side. In a roar of rage, Harry landed a flying kick into the cultis’s face. The cultist quickly scrambled back to his feet as Harry readied himself for battle, his silver and scarlet Mage Knight armor gleaming, and the ruby-encrusted sword of Godric Gryffindor shining in his right hand.

James was floored by relief when he realized that his father had just saved his life. As he wearily sank to the ground, his mother came ran forward, wearing glistening Mage Knight armor herself, and pulled James into a strong hug.

“Oh James, are you all right? What are you doing here? Where are your sisters?” questioned a half panicked Hermione as she hugged James closey to her body, tears in her eyes.

James barely registered the fact that this was the first time he had never seen his mother in Mage Knight armor, though he had seen his father wearing the armor often. As Hermione hugged him fiercely, reality dawned on James and he slowly realized that he could’ve died because of his rash behaviour. He started to cry in Hermione’s arms.

Harry meanwhile was dueling the cultist. The cultist vainly tried to fight the enraged Mage Knight off but Harry was far superior in terms of both magic and sword skill. The cultist tried to land as many blows as he could on Harry but Harry simply parried back and forth and deflected all the blows. Finally, caught the cultist off guard. He shouted, “Stupefy!” and knocked the cultist out for the count.

Having won the duel, Harry made his way to his wife and son. “James?” he asked, his emerald green eyes shining with worry and concern.

“He’ll be all right,” whispered Hermione. She gently lifted James up who did not seem to want to let his mother go. “I’ll go take him somewhere safe. You go save the city.”

Harry started to protest but Hermione cut him off, “You’re a king, Harry! People are depending on you!”

Harry sighed. He would’ve much rather have fulfilled his role as father than husband than that of king but Hermione was right: the people needed him. “OK,” he said. “Just be careful, alright?”

Hermione smiled at him and started to walk away from the battle-zone. Harry took a deep breath and started running toward the thick of the battle. Many Gryffindor soldiers recognized him as he came.

“The king!” they shouted. “The king is here! The king is here!” The soldiers and Mage Knights were suddenly boosted with morale and started fighting far more valiantly than they all ready were.

Harry fought his way over to Ron whom was keeping a whole battalion of cultists at bay. “Harry!” he shouted when he caught sight of his best friend. “Where have you been?”

“I was kind of busy,” said Harry as he stabbed one of the cultists. He didn’t think that now was the time to explain to Ron about the Crystal of Tempest.

“If you say so,” said Ron. He blocked the blows of one cultist and slashed at another.

Harry shouted, “Reducto!” Blasted some twenty cultists away. The Gryffindor Mage kNights also started firing powerful hexes and curses at the cultists who were now getting over whelmed.

Finally, the cultists must have realized that they were fighting a losing battle and disapparated away. Most of the unconscious cultists also disappeared though some remained. There were still a lot of bodies of those that had been killed in the battle.

In this way, Godric’s Hollow survived an attack of some nine hundred or so cultists.

* * *

The attack wasn’t necessarily catastrophic, the damage done was still terrible. About seventy Gryffindor soldiers had been killed along with some thirty two civilians, including fifteen women and three children. Although this was nothing compared to the six hundred fifty one cultists killed, the damage was still felt.

Harry spent much of the night comforting the residents of the city whom had lost loved ones in the battle. It was his duty as king to care for the people he loved and many were grateful for having the king whom comforted them in their grief.

As Harry was looking in on some of the wounded soldiers, he caught sight of James, sitting on a log near one of the medical tents that were treating the wounded. James had a far away look in his eyes and was staring at nothing in particular. The normally hyper active boy was sitting very quietly and still.

Harry felt a lump forming in his throat and tears stung his eyes. James was too young to have experienced what he had that day. No one should’ve ever gone through what his son had that night. Harry gently made his way over to his son and whispered, “James.”

“Dad,” James whispered back.

Harry knelt down in front of his son and placed his hand on James’s shoulder.

“Dad, they were hurting everyone,” said James. “They were hurting everyone. Why Dad, why?”

“I don’t know, son,” whispered Harry. James didn’t seem to have heard him.

“I saw those people, in those black cloaks. They were hurting everybody, Dad. They were hurting everybody. I wanted to stop them. I wanted to stop them. I tried. I tried to help, Dad.”

“James...”

“Why do people hurt other people, Dad?”

“I don’t know. But that’s why there are Mage Knights. To stop people from hurting other people.”

James looked up into his father’s eyes, tears finally starting to brim on his emerald orbs. “I want to become a Mage Knight, Dad.”

“James,”

“I want to become a Mage Knight, Dad. I want to stop people from hurting other people.”

James had often said that he wanted to become a Mage Knight but that was mostly when he was dreaming and because of his craving for adventure. Now, as he stared into James’s eyes, he saw the determination of someone far older than six-years-old who truly wanted to make a difference in the world. It was in that moment that Harry realized that James would indeed become a great Mage Knight.

Harry leaned forward and pulled James into a strong hug. As this was some kind of cue, James burst into tears and started sobbing on Harry’s shoulder. They just remained in that position for a few minutes.

Hermione caught sight of Harry and James as she left one of the medical tents. She felt a lump in her throat as she saw Harry and James hug each other, James sobbing like the child he was. Hermione slowly made her way over to her husband and son.

Harry looked and caught sight of Hermione as she also kneeled in front of them. Harry gently switched a still crying James into Hermione’s arms and he gently wrapped his arms around Hermione and James.

Slowly, James cried his emotional turmoil away in the arms of his parents. He had been through so much that night but he was now, already an older person, though he was still definitely a child. Exhaustion started to creep over him and he soon fell asleep in Hermione’s arms.

Harry and Hermione noticed that James had fallen asleep. Wordlessly, they looked up a t each other and shared a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, there was much sadness in their eyes, but there was also relief that James was OK. They gently got up and started to make their way to the palace.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Well, what do you know. I am in Oregon, my vacation is no where near over, and I still manage to get another chapter ready for the uploading! Dang, I’m so glad I decided to bring my floppy disks that contained this story!

So, how do you like this chapter? Was it good? Did I make James realistic enough? That’s my number one fear, that James isn’t acting realistically in this chapter. So please, tell me. Next: The trio embark on another mission.

5. To Ravenclaw

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 4: To Ravenclaw

It was a very subdued environment that Harry and Hermione returned to in the palace. Without speaking a word to any of their subjects, they slowly carried a sleeping James up to the West Wing where the Royal nursery and their bedroom were. When they arrived there, Lin was nearly hysterical.

"Oh James!" she wailed, when Harry and Hermione walked in carrying her sleeping twin. Tears were streaming down her eyes and her body was shaking. As Hermione laid James down on his bed, Lin went to their side, her tear full eyes filled with worry and terror. "Mum, Dad, is he going to be OK? If anything happened to James..." Lin swallowed a sob and burst into more tears.

Hermione kneeled down and hugged Lin close to her. Harry also crouched down and stroked Lin's hair as Lin sobbed in Hermione's arms.

"He'll be all right," whispered Hermione, assuring both Lin and herself. "He's a strong boy, he'll be all right." Hermione wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek. Lin said nothing, and simply continued crying until she to eventually fell asleep.

As soon as Harry noticed that Lin was asleep, he gently lifted her out of Hermione's arms and put her into bed. He bent over and kissed her forehead and whispered, "Good night, Angel." He then did the same to Virginia, whom had blissfully slept through the whole ordeal, and gently led Hermione to their bedroom.

* * *

That night, Harry awoke to the sound of soft sobbing next to him. He looked over and saw Hermione crying.

"Hermione?" he whispered. "What is it Love?" He gently wiped the tears away from her face.

"James," whispered Hermione as she choked back a sob. "He could've died today. Our son could've died today, Harry."

Harry said nothing. Harry remembered so clearly earlier that day, when he felt as if his heart had stopped when he had seen James out in the battle zone. He pulled Hermione closer to him as she burst into another round of sobs.

"Harry," whispered Hermione. "Do you really want our children to grow up and become Mage Knights?" There was so much worry and concern in her voice that Harry didn't know what to say. Harry knew that James had his heart set on becoming a Mage Knight, especially after the events of that day. He also knew that Lin would most likely follow her twin into whatever he chose. Harry was well aware of the extreme dangers that Mage Knights faced on a daily basis. And if indeed Voldemort was going to return, than the dangers would be magnified.

"That would be up for them to decide," said Harry. "If our children want to become Mage Knights, than that would be their choice, not ours."

Hermione nodded. For a few minutes there was complete silence. Finally Hermione spoke, "I'm scared, Harry."

Harry knew exactly what Hermione was talking about. "I know. So am I."

"He can't be coming back, Harry," whispered Hermione, her voice shaking. "We've already defeated him twice. How many more times do we have to fight him?"

"I don't know," said Harry, his voice trembling as well. "Twice, we've defeated Voldemort and yet he still returns, when we least expect it. It's like a never-ending cycle. But at least now we can give that cycle a name, even if it is 'Tempest'." Both of them shuddered at the name. "I'm scared as well, but I also firmly have faith that we will be able to pull through."

Hermione nodded. She shifted deeper into Harry's arms and laid her head on Harry's chest. Her fear started to subside and Hermione felt herself relax. Harry's arms were her comfort zone; she always felt the safest when she was lying in Harry's arms. She often wondered how a lowly muggle-born peasant girl like herself could have gained the love of the most amazing man in all of Magiterran. Sure he was the king of Gryffindor and amongst the greatest of the Mage Knights but to Hermione he was always and forever her best friend, lover, and husband.

Hermione looked up into the green eyes of her husband that she loved so much. The two pools of emerald shone with so much love for her that Hermione nearly started crying again. "I love you," she whispered, feeling the need to assure herself for the dark times that were coming once again.

"I love you too," whispered Harry. He lowered his lips down to Hermione's and they kissed with an urgency of needing to assure each other that they would always be together, no matter how dark the times would become. The night silently crept along as passion was exchanged, skin was felt, and husband and wife joined together like they had many nights before.

* * *

The next day, there was a council held at Hogwarts. It was a meeting held in top secret, and the only people who were attending were people who either already knew about Tempest's return, or were suspecting it. Those present that day were Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Snape, McGonagall, Ron, and Ginny.

"This is perhaps one of the greatest crisis the Alliance has ever faced," said Dumbledore as he opened the meeting. "All of us here are fully aware of what Voldemort is capable of. And we have reliable sources surrounding the power of Tempest. If Voldemort were to come back, with the full power of Tempest, than not only Magiterran but the world will face its doom."

Ron knew the consequences of the news of the Dark Lord's return very well. However, there was one question he had that was simply itching to come out: "So what does this all have to do with the attack on Godric's Hollow?"

"It’s the Dark Lord's pattern," said Snape while sneering at Ron. "Whenever the Dark Lord or his followers embarked on a campaign of sorts, he sent in his assassins to eliminate potential threats to the campaign. In this case, the greatest threats to the Dark Lord mostly reside in the Gryffindor Capitol."

"True," said Remus.

"This Crystal of Tempest," said Ginny. "Can't we go to Durmstrang try to find it at the battle site before these cultists do?"

"Think fool," hissed Snape. "If the cultists were going to attack without finding the crystal first the attack would've come six years ago. The reason why they attacked now is because they have just found the crystal and are preparing to use it to bring the Dark Lord back!" Ginny looked a little embarrassed but she and Ron still glared at Snape.

"The question is about preventing Voldemort's return or not," said Sirius. "He's coming back, we can't do anything about that. The question is how do we defeat him when he does."

"Which means that there is only one answer," said Dumbledore. "We must find the remaining six rings of the One Deity."

Harry and Hermione glanced down at the gold and scarlet bands around their fingers. They looked up into each other's eyes and nodded. "We'll go search for them," said Harry.

"I wouldn't have entrusted the job to anyone else," said Dumbldedore, the twinkle back in his eye. "However, this operation must be kept a secret and that would not be possible in great numbers. Therefore I suggest that you take only one more individual on your quest."

Harry and Hermione both nodded and said, "Ron," at the exact same time Ron said, "Me." The three stared at each other and grinned.

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "Since we don't have any clear idea where the rings are, my suggestion is that you head to where Lily Evans learned of their existence, in the holy city of Deis Rowena. Floo powder can take you as far as Deis Uno, the capitol of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw, but from there it is a treacherous journey on foot through the Northern Mountains."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron nodded. Remus suddenly spoke up and said, "You should also take your families with you."

"What? What for?" said Harry. He and Hermione were clearly confused by Remus's suggestion. Ron opened his mouth to say something sarcastic but though better of it and shut his mouth.

"Camouflage," said Remus. "If you make it look like a family vacation, than no one, especially the cultists, would think that you were on some secret mission. You should simply leave them in Deis Uno while the three of you head to Deis Rowena. Nobody ever watches the mountain passes."

The three started discussing Remus's suggestion amongst themselves. Finally Hermione said, "OK, we'll do that."

* * *

Meanwhile, James had more or less recovered from the trauma he had experienced the previous day and was out near the lake, playing with his sisters and Christopher.

"You should've seen me," he declared. "I was like lightning, swooping down there to save the day!"

"James you could've been killed!" cried Lin. "I was so worried! Don't ever do that again!"

James didn't make a comeback like he usually did; he completely understood that Lin was right. He had nearly been killed.

"Yeah I know," he said. "I'm sorry. I was stupid." He picked up a small rock and threw it into the lake.

"Yes you were stupid," said Lin. "I've known that for a long time." James glared at her but said nothing.

At around that moment Rubeus Hagrid, the giant Hogwarts groundskeeper came toward them carrying a large crate. Virginia and Christopher (whom were very close) looked up from the sandcastle they were making. Hagrid was one of the few people whom Virginia wasn't shy around, despite his large size. She stood up and ran over to him crying, "Hagrid!"

"Hey, li'le 'irginia," said Hagrid as he picked up a giggling Virginia in a strong bear hug. Christopher also leapt onto Hagrid, clearly happy to see his favorite giant. Lin and James were meanwhile staring apprehensively at that crate Hagrid had brought.

"Um, Hagrid," said Lin, "What's that?"

"Aw, this?" said Hagrid, pointing at the crate. "This 'ere are meh new beauts."

The crate wobbled a little indicating that there was something alive inside. James swallowed and said, "And what exactly may those 'beauts' be?"

"Glad yeh asked," said Hagrid, his face filled with glee. He pried the lid of the crate open. Lin and James apprehensively glanced inside.

Inside the crate were about a dozen tiny creatures that looked like some ugly cross between a crab and scorpion with black exoskelotons. Lin yelped and sprang back when one of the creatures suddenly propelled itself out of the crate with a burst of flame from what must've been its rear end. Hagrid chuckled as he caught the creature and shoved it back into the crate.

"I call 'em Blast-ended Skrewts," said Hagrid. "Ain't they beautiful?"

"Um, yes," said Lin, perhaps a little too slowly. Hagrid didn't seem to notice as he was gently pulling a gleeful Virginia and Christopher off his shoulders.

"Want ta help meh feed 'em?" asked Hagrid. "I have no idea wha' they eat but we'll figure it ou' if yeh give meh time."

Lin seemed horrified by the idea and even the adventurous James seemed terrified. He decided to try to change the subject: "So what are the grown ups talking about?"

"That is top secret," said Hagrid. "You ain't suppose' ta know that yeh parents are taking yeh all ta Ravenclaw." Hagrid suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth and mumbled, "I shouldn't a' told yeh tha'."

"We're going to Ravenclaw?" said Lin, excited all of a sudden. "Oh James, we can go see all those temples of the One Deity. And there're are so many libraries there."

Virginia, whom also liked books, excitedly said, "Libraries? Yaaaay!"

James rolled his eyes. "Lin, you'd be happy anywhere so long as there was a library. I for one want to see how Ravenclaw Mage Knights are different from Gryffindor ones."

"Are Mage Knights all you ever think about?" said Lin. James stuck his tongue out at her.

"My Unca Percy wives in Ravenclaw," said Christopher.

"Will we see Chris's Uncle Percy?" asked Virginia.

"Oh, yeh'll be seein' lots a him," said Hagrid. "Yeh parents are leaving yeh there while they head towar' Deis Rowena..." Hagrid must've said too much since he started muttering, "I shouldn't a said that. I should not 'ave said that."

Lin was completely startled. Her Mum and Dad were going to leave them and go to some other place. She was about to confront Hagrid with what he had just said when James suddenly clamped her mouth shut and innocently asked, "What? What was that Hagrid?"

"Nothing, Nothing at all," said Hagrid, a little too quickly.

Lin stared at James while James grinned at her. When Hagrid was out of ear shot, she hissed, "All right James, what are you thinking."

"Just a little planning for a new adventure," said James with a devilish grin. He proceeded to whisper his plan into Lin's ear.

* * *

"Well, lets go," said Harry as the troupe gathered in front of the fireplace in Hogwarts. The troupe consisted of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Margaret, Ginny, James, Lin, Virginia, and Christopher.

"Awre we weally going to see Unca Percy?" asked Christopher.

"Yes we are, Chris," said Margaret as she picked her little son up. "And your Aunt Penelope as well." She tossed some Floo Powder on to the flames and shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" before disappearing into the flames.

Virginia was a alarmed to see Margaret and Christopher suddenly disappear. "Chris," she moaned, clearly worried about her little friend.

"Hey, he'll be OK," said Ginny. "In fact Virginia, lets go follow them, that is if your Mum and Dad don't mind me taking you with me."

"Go right ahead," said Hermione.

Ginny smiled and offered her namesake her hand. Virginia timidly took Ginny's hand and Ginny shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" The two disappeared in the flames.

"I should go next," said Hermione. She looked toward Lin and asked, "Do you want to go with me, Lily?"

Lin rolled her eyes. "Mum, I know how Floo Powder works."

"OK," said Hermione. Just remember to tuck your arms when you go in." Hermione briefly kissed Harry before she shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" and disappeared into the flames.

Lin was about to walk into the flames when she suddenly turned toward James and started whispering into his ear. "Are you sure that that plan of yours is a good idea?" she hissed quietly so that Harry and Ron couldn't hear.

"Relax," whispered James. We probably won't have go with until at least tomorrow. Trust me, sis," James gave his twin sister the famous Potter grin.

Lin still looked a little doubtful but she said nothing and simply walked back to the fireplace. She shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" and disappeared.

"What was that about?" asked Harry.

James simply grinned and said, "Oh nothing important Dad. At least I don't think its that important."

Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow at James while Ron started laughing. "You gotta admit Harry, he's your son all right." Ron was still laughing as he stepped into the fireplace and shouted "Deis Uno Palace!" and was whooshed away by the Floo Powder.

Harry turned back to James and said, "So are planning another stunt of sorts?"

James grinned and said, "Aw, come on Dad. Do you really think I would be planning some stunt?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm not telling," said James. He shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" and disappeared into the Floo network.

Harry shook his head before he too shouted, "Deis Uno Palace!" and disappeared into the flames.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N There you have it, my next chapter. Please review and tell me if you liked it or not. Constructive Criticism is appreciated. But flames will simply be ignored or sent right back to the flamer.

For those of you who wished to know, "Magiterran" is Latin for "Magic- Earth" ("Magi" = "Magic", "terra" = "earth"). At lest I think it was Latin, maybe it was Greek. Also the URL, http://members.fortunecity.com/ecrpotter/map.html contains a map of Magiterran so you can follow the adventures of the Mage Knights.

Well I sure hope this story is shaping up well. Next: We see Deis Uno, the capitol of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw and there are some appearances by one Percy Weasley and possibly some more Weasleys. And what is James's plan?

6. Toward the Holy City

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 5: Toward the Holy City

“Deis Uno?” questioned a woman. She was a beautiful woman with waist length black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore black priestly robes that showed off her figure clearly. It was the woman whom had found the Crystal of Tempest at the site of the Battle of Snow-Covered Fields.

“That is what the intelligence reports, your eminence” said one of twelve hooded cultists surrounding the woman. They were the Children of Tempest and were gathered in a dark gloomy chamber that was built in the form of a temple sanctuary. “The Gryffindor Royal Family has traveled to Deis Uno.”

“No why ever would the Potters go to Ravenclaw?” muttered the woman. “Especially at a time like this.”

“Perhaps they are heading toward Deis Rowena,” said another cultist.

“Perhaps,” said the woman. “Of course, it may be possible that they are only going on some vacation but somehow I don’t think so. If they are indeed heading toward Deis Rowena, that could mean trouble for us.”

“What are your orders, your eminence?” asked a third cultist.

The woman closed her eyes and started thinking for a moment. Finally, she sighed and said, “I will pray to our lord, perhaps he can answer for us. You are all dismissed.”

With that, the cultists bowed low and left the chamber. The woman turned around and walked up a sinister looking black altar decorated with black serpents. Placed on the altar was the Crystal of Tempest.

The woman kneeled in front of the alter and started saying, “Speak Lord Tempest. Speak and grant orders to your servant, High Priestess Cassandra Frost.”

On top of the altar, the Crystal of Tempest started to give off an eerie glow.

* * * * * * * * * *

Deis Uno, the capitol of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw was one of the most beautiful cities in Magiterran. Located on the northern mouth of Eagle River at the southernmost tip of the Northern Mountains, the city had Greco- Roman style architecture and was built on many slopes. Whereas Godric’s Hollow had buildings of many colors, Deis Uno’s buildings were all white and conveyed a sense of purity. On the hill within the city stood the Royal Palace, though it looked more like a temple than a palace. It was here that Queen Penelope Clearwater resided, with her husband Prime Minister Percy Weasley, one of Ron and Ginny’s older brothers.

“Things are going well I must say,” said Percy while he dipped his spoon into his soup. He was sitting next to Penelope on the high table with the Gryffindor Mage Knights and their families seated around them. “Literacy Rates are higher and cauldron production has never been better.”

Ron didn’t bother hiding his yawn. Percy had been boring them about the statistics of the Kingdom for the past forty-five minutes and the children were all falling asleep at the table. “Wonderful news, Perce. Now can we please get down to business?”

Percy looked disappointed. “I would’ve assumed Ronald, that my stories of my success would be a good source motivation for you.”

“Yeah, they’re a great help,” Ron said sarcastically. “But as much as hearing tales about cauldron thickness is enlightening, that’s not what we’re here for.”

Percy was about to retort but Penelope shushed him and spoke up, “Its very dangerous to travel to the Holy Lands during this time of year. It’s the breeding season for Dragons and the largest population of them in Magiterran lives in the Northern Mountains, where you are heading.”

“Its important that we arrive at Deis Rowena as soon as possible,” said Harry. “The Mountain Pass is the only way to get there, especially since those Apparation preventing wards created by the Death Eaters are still up.”

“What is the whole point of going to the Holy Lands than,” Percy demanded. “Shouldn’t any vacations you have be spent setting up censuses in Gryffindor?”

Ron and Ginny burst out laughing at Percy’s pompous attitude. Harry simply grinned and said, “That is for us to know and for you to never know.”

After dinner, Hermione took Penelope aside to speak to her. “I can’t thank you enough for looking after the children while we are away,” she said. “Harry, Ron, and I will probably gone for a few days but I don’t want to burden you for so long.”

“Its no problem, Hermione,” Penelope said. “You just go take care what it is you need to do. Your children are in good hands here.” Penelope placed her hand on Hermione’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Hermione couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

* * * * * * * * * *

That night, the entire palace was asleep with the exception of a pair of twins.

“Are we really going through with this,” hissed a worried Lin. “We’re going to be in big trouble.”

James rolled his eyes and said, “Lin, would you rather stay here and waste away a great first hand learning experience.”

“Well no, but still...”

“Don’t worry about it, trust me. Everything is going to be alright.”

Lin was still worried but she still helped James set up his little plan. After all, she didn’t want to be left out either.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were about to begin their three- day journey to Deis Rowena.

“We’re going to be gone for about a week,” said Hermione as she kneeled down and James a quick hug. “Stay out of trouble during that time.”

“Oh don’t worry Mum, we won’t get in trouble here,” James said with a devilish grin. A soft chuckle nearly drifted out of his mouth but Lin quickly elbowed him before James let anything out.

“Why is it that I don’t trust you,” Harry said.

“Trust me Dad, we won’t get in trouble here.” Harry thought James had emphasized the word “here” but decided to think nothing of it.

“Just do everything your Aunt Ginny and Aunt Margaret tell you,” Hermione said as she gave James a hug. She then gave Virginia a strong hug. Hermione noticed that Virginia wasn’t protesting the fact that her parents were leaving, which was very strange of her. ‘All well, my little angel just must be growing older,” she thought with a small sigh.

“OK, lets go,” said Harry. Hermione nodded and started to follow her husband. Ron quickly kissed Margaret and Christopher before he trotted after his two best friends. When he caught up with them, he whispered into Harry’s ear, “Do you think James is planning something?”

“When isn’t he planning something,” said Harry. “Yes, he definitely is, but I doubt we’ll find out what his next plan is until we get back.” It would be only be about five hours later when Harry would find out just how wrong he was.

* * * * * * * * * *

To the west of Deis Uno was Deis Rowena, the holiest city in all of Magiterran. It was the place where the One Deity had given the whole of Magiterran to the founders and it was also the first city in Magiterran ever to be built. The founder Rowena Ravenclaw created the city as the original capitol of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw and it was also the site of the great Temple of the One Deity. Unfortunately, the city was located high up in the nearly inaccessible Northern Mountains. So about eight hundred years ago, the capitol city of Deis Uno was constructed at the base of the only mountain pass to Deis Rowena. To this day, people can travel to Deis Rowena solely through the Mountain Pass beginning at Deis Uno.

It took three days to get to Deis Rowena through the pass. Located high up in the mountains and often covered by snow, it was a journey made only by the strongest of people. Furthermore, travelers were also in constant danger from the dragons that lived in the Northern Mountains.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been traveling for nearly five hours and were starting to grow exhausted.

“Are we there yet?” Ron moaned as he dragged his feet through the foot deep snow.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Ron it’s only been five hours. We’ve still got two and three quarter days of traveling before we even come close.”

“I need a break,” Ron groaned. “My feet are turning into lead and I think I lost a few toes to the cold.”

“All right, lets take a break,” Harry said. “I was getting hungry anyway.”

Ron let out a cheer and shouted, “Food!” He started bounding around the place happier than a lark.

“I thought he was too exhausted to move,” Hermione said with a soft chuckle.

Ron ignored Hermione as he pulled out one of the supply sacs they had shrunken. “Come on, help me prepare dinner,” he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she enlarged the sac back to its original size. She was just about to open it however when the sac started wiggling. A split second later, the opening of the sac burst open and James and Lin sprang out.

“Couldn’t you have had dinner earlier?” moaned Lin. “Its very tiring having to stow away in those sacs.” She looked up and saw the looks of surprise and amusement on Harry and Ron’s faces as well as the combination of shock and fury on Hermione’s. “It was all James idea!” squealed Lin.

James made a bow and said, “Thank you, thank you.”

“How...W...what...” Hermione was so angry she couldn’t even put a coherent sentence together.

Harry spoke in her stead, “What your mother is trying to say is, how did you do this?”

“Oh it was easy really,” James said. “Last night while everyone was asleep Lin and I enchanted the sacs so that they’re insides were large enough for us to stay in comfortably. Then, earlier today, we just enchanted a portkey that would leave us in those sacs.”

Hermione still looked angry but Harry simply chucled and said, “Hermione, they’ve upped us this time. We can’t take them back to Deis Uno so we’re going to have to take them with us.”

“Fine,” snapped Hermione. “So long as I know Virginia is safe in the palace, I’ll be able to handle you two here.”

“Um Mum...” Lin said hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“Virginia’s not in the palace.” Lin nudged the sac a little and a full head of bushy black hair shyly pocked out of the opening.

Much to Ron and Harry’s amusement, Hermione lost her temper.

* * * * * * * * * *

Far to the south, in Malfoy Manor, the capitol of the Kingdom of Slytherin, A young man with platinum blonde hair, pale gray eyes, and elegant green robes was sauntering around the palace.

This was Draco Malfoy, a Mage Knight and the king of the Kingdom of Slytherin. Although Draco was the one of the rulers of the Alliance as well as a War Hero who fought for the Alliance during the War against Voldemort, many people in the Alliance regarded Draco with suspicion. And for good reason, for Draco was the son of King Lucius Malfoy, one of Voldemort’s devoted servants as well as his puppet ruler for Slytherin. Although Draco was a Mage Knight, people knew just how much he regarded his father.

On this day, Draco was not in a good mood as he stormed through his palace. He considered bullying some of his subjects just get himself to feel better as he made his way to his bedroom. When he opened the door to his bedroom, he stopped short, for someone was already in there.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. This chapter should’ve been out at least a week ago but RL has been so difficult recently that this chapter was delayed. Whichever way, its finally here and I hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed my three weeks in Portland but home is often much better. Anyway, please review. Don’t ever think you are not enough to review because every singe review matters. So please, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Next: who is that in Draco’s bedroom?

7. Nomie

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 6: Nomie

“Who the Hell, are you?” Draco demanded.

The beautiful young woman simply smiled seductively. She tossed her long black hair back and studied Draco’s profile for a while. Draco wondered how the woman had found her way into his bedchambers but after a little thinking, he realized the oh-so simple answer. It was a known fact that Draco’s father Lucius Malfoy had kept a personal harem before he had married Draco’s mother, Narcissa, and there were many rumors floating around that Draco kept one as well. Although these rumors were unconfirmed, it was a fact that Draco had a LOT of women “visitors”. The guards must’ve thought that this strange woman was simply another one of his “visitors” with an invitation.

“Greetings young Malfoy,” the woman said. “I am Cassandra Frost, High Priestess of the Children of Tempest.”

If Draco flinched at the name “Tempest”, he hid it well. “And what may a beautiful woman such as your doing here without an invitation? Not that I am complaining,” he said with a smirk.

Cassandra grinned and made her way seductively over to Draco. “I am here to offer you an invitation, to the Children of Tempest.”

Draco laughed out loud. “And why would I even consider,” he said, still with a smirk. “I for one am more interested in you, my dear.”

“I am flattered,” Cassandra said. She paused to think for a moment and said, “Tell me, what do you think about Harry Potter?”

Draco was clearly thrown off guard by the abrupt change of topic. “And what does Potter have to do with anything?” he hissed.

“He has something to do with everything the last I heard,” Cassandra mused. “That’s always the way it is isn’t it. Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. Harry Potter the greatest of the four rulers of the Alliance. Harry Potter, the most heroic and powerful of the Mage Knights. Harry Potter the vanquisher of the Dark Lord. Harry Potter the victor, the conqueror, the champion, everyone’s wonder boy, beloved husband, father, and friend. Harry Potter with his beautiful wife, mudblood as she is. Harry Potter, loved by all.” Cassandra paused for a moment before continuing. “And what about Draco Malfoy? War hero, so and so ruler, and eligible bachelor.”

By this time Draco was seething with anger, years of buried jealousy resurfacing. “Your point,” he hissed.

“Don’t you want to best Harry Potter once and for all?” Cassandra asked as she looped her arms around Draco’s neck “Join us Draco. Take a part in the glory that comes with our Lord, just like your father did.”

When Draco remained quiet, Cassandra pulled away and made her way over to the door. “I will be back in five days,” she said. “I will have your answer then.” She then left Draco alone with his thoughts.

* * * * * * * * * *

In the north, the troop of Gryffindor Mage Knights and children were walking through the snow toward Deis Rowena. Harry had managed to send an owl to Percy and Penelope, telling them that James, Lin, and Virginia were with them. Since the three kids had taken a one way portkey, they couldn’t go back to Deis Uno.

Hermione was a little subdued as she trudged through the snow. Virginia timidly went up next to her and asked, “Mommy? Are you angry with me?” She looked considerably nervous.

Hermione sighed and smiled at her younger daughter. “No Virginia. I’m not angry with you or Lin and James. I’m just...frustrated. You should’ve stayed behind.”

Virginia looked close to tears and Hermione instantly felt bad. She knelt down and gently scooped Virginia into her arms. Feeling better, Virginia cuddled into her mother’s arms and started to drift off.

Noticing how tired Virginia was, Hermione looked up at Harry and sent him a silent message. Harry immediately understood and said, “OK, lets take a break here.”

“What?” James said. “But we can go on all day!”

“Speak for yourself,” muttered Lin.

Within an hour, the troupe had fallen into a simple routine. Harry and Ron were teaching James had to sword fight and Hermione was telling Lin and Virginia stories in a separate corner, Virginia curled up in Hermione’s lap. James was a very fast learner and even managed to disarm Ron a few times and Harry once.

“That’s excellent James,” Harry said, beaming with pride. “Keep that up and you’ll be unbeatable in a few years.” He parried a little and thrust his sword out a few times. James successfully blocked each blow.

“Am I really that good?” James asked modestly as he deflected another one of Harry’s swipes.

“Good?” exclaimed Ron. “You’re a bloody natural! I sure wouldn’t want to be some cultist facing this six year old with a sword.”

Meanwhile, Hermione was telling her daughters tales about some of the adventures the trio had when they were younger.

“Did you really offer yourself to a dragon?” asked Lin, clearly interested in what Hermione had to say.

“Yes,” Hermione smiled at the memory. “We were traveling away from Hogwarts when we found out that Hogsmeade was under siege from a Horntail. I volunteered myself as a sacrificial decoy and convinced your father and your Uncle Ron to fill in as Dragon Slayers. It was pretty chaotic.”

“But weren’t you scared?” asked Lin. She was bouncing around excitedly. “I mean, weren’t afraid that the dragon could’ve killed you or Dad or Uncle Ron?”

“Yes I was,” Hermione said. “At the time, I thought I couldn’t ever be more frightened of anything like I was that night. I was soon proven wrong when I was taken to Azkaban...”

“Azkaban?!” Lin and Virginia both exclaimed. They had both grown up listening to horror stories about the great Slytherin Fortress Prison.

“Well, Yes,” said Hermione. She didn’t want to relive the horrors of the time she spent in the prison but she had brought it up. “But your father eventually came for me.”

“Mommy, there’s a dragon,” said Virginia.

At first Hermione thought her younger daughter was referring to her story about her adventures years before. However, a sudden whoosh of wind and a bellowing roar alerted her of what Virginia had really seen. Hermione grabbed Lin and Virginia and leapt out of the way as large black dragon swooped down.

“Harry!” she yelled. Harry and Ron immediately looked up and spotted the large Ridgeback that had come crashing down into their camp. James looked excited.

“Wow! Dad! It’s a dragon! Are you going to fight it?”

“Yes we are going to fight it and no you may not join us,” Harry said as he brandished his sword. “Go hide your sisters behind those rocks.”

“OK,” said James. He bound forward to his mother whom was currently in the process of hiding his frightened sisters behind a medium sized boulder.

“James, take care of them,” Hermione said. James seemed to be taking his job seriously and set about keeping a hyper Lina dn subdued Virginia in place. Hermione ran off to toward Harry and Ron whom were currently parrying around, dodging the flames issued from the Ridgeback’s mouth.

“Harry?”

“It’s a Ridgeback. Not as dangerous as the Horntail we had to fight off before but we still need caution.”

“Oh bloody Hell with caution” shouted Ron. He let out a yell and charged at the dragon only to be blasted away but a burst of flame. He was clearly unharmed but a little dazed.

Hermione couldn’t help but chuckle as Harry groaned and buried his face in his hand. “Why does he always charge in like that,” he muttered.

Whatever mirth they were able to share was broken however, when the dragon charged at them, claws slashing. Harry and Hermione leapt out of the way and Hermione successfully managed to swipe her sword into the dragon’s paw. The dragon let out a yelp of pain before Harry stabbed his sword into its throat, killing it instantly.

As soon as the large creature lay dead, Ron came up to the other too and said, “Whew, lucky that thing wasn’t much of a tough one.” Ron was completely covered with soot and some smoke was rising from around his body, making him look ridiculous. Harry and Hermione glanced at Ron and burst out laughing, much to his annoyance.

* * * * * * * * * *

That night, Lin shook James awake. “What is it?” he asked groggily.

“I was thinking. James, I’ve read all about dragons,” Lin ignored her brother’s snort and continued, “and I was able to tell that that dragon that was attacking us was a nesting mother.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“I was wondering, if we killed a mother dragon, then what would happen to the baby dragons? Won’t they die without their mother?”

“Better them than us becoming their next meal.”

“James, I want to go find that nest, make sure the baby dragon’s are all right.”

“You what?!” James couldn’t believe what Lin was proposing.

“Oh come on James. It’ll be an adventure.”

“You’re not serious!” Never in his life would’ve expected James expected that he would be the levelheaded one of the two. It was always James planning some escapade while Lin fretted and discouraged him; never the other way around, like this situation. But Lin’s proposal of searching for a dragon’s nest was outright dangerous. And if there was one thing that James learned from his experiences with the cultists in Godric’s Hollow, it was that there was a fine line between mischief and danger that must never be crossed. James may have caused mischief but he certainly didn’t go looking for danger.

“James, please.”

“Oh all right, Lin!” James started grumbling as he and Lin left their beds and went higher up the mountain they were on. After searching for about twenty minutes, they finally found a small crater in the side of the mountain lined with rocks and wood. In the center of the crater was a single black, dragon egg.

“There it is,” said Lin. She slowly crept up to the large egg, which was about the size of a human head. James’s adventurous nature soon took over and he also went up to the egg.

“Hey, it’s shaking,” he said.

“Well I suppose that means it’s almost ready to ha...” Lin didn’t get to finish her sentence when the egg suddenly burst open causing pieces of egg shell to fly around.

A tiny version of the dragon that had attacked them early popped out. It squeaked and coughed up a little flame. After that, it opened its eyes and stared into Lin’s green ones.

“Oh my, he’s cute,” Lin said, a large grin adorning her face.

“That’s...cute?” said James.

The baby dragon started rubbing its head on Lin’s legs. Surprised, Lin started to walk around and was a little startled to see the dragon follow her around, step by step. She looked up at James with a questioning look.

“It looks like the dragon’s imprinted on you,” said a familiar female voice. Startled, James and Lin whipped around to see their parents standing at the edge of the nest, Harry looking bemused and Hermione looking annoyed. “It thinks you’re its mother,” Hermione finished.

At first, James and Lin were too shocked to say anything. However, as soon as Hermione’s words sank in, Lin gleefully picked up the baby dragon and sprang toward them saying, “Oh Mum! Mum! Please? Can I keep him? Please? I promise, I’ll be the best mother to this dragon there ever was. Can I keep him?”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. “I don’t know,” said Harry. “Dragon’s are very dangerous. I mean, its imprinted on you so I doubt it’ll attack humans on purpose but they’re still a handful.”

“Oh Dad! Please let me keep him! I promise to be good. Mum? Dad?”

Hermione sighed. The baby dragon was already imprinted on Lin so they probably wouldn’t be able to get rid of it. “All right,” she said. “At least till its grown up.”

Lin let out a cheer and James couldn’t help but join her, though he was still a little apprehensive about the dragon, while Harry and Hermione sighed. As they made their way back to the camp, Lin hugged the baby dragon close to her and said, “I think I’ll call you Nomie.”

Baby Nomie happily purred his approval.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N I kind of got this chapter out later than I wanted to but at least it’s out now. Hope you enjoyed it. Please Review! Reviews are highly appreciated and everybody who makes one gets a gold star in my book. Well, OK, maybe not exactly a gold star but they will really make me happy. BTW, is anybody else as excited about the World Cup as I am? Next: The troupe finally arrives at the Holy City. What happens there?

8. Deis Rowena

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 7: Deis Rowena

The rest of the trip to the Holy City went along without much incident. Lin had decided to utilize a near revolutionary method of dragon raising by placing Nomie under a strictly vegetarian diet. The effect seemed to slow down the dragon's growth but at least he didn't develop an appetite for human meat.

Within the next 36 hours, the troupe finally arrived at the mystical city that was Deis Rowena.

Carved into the side of a mountain, Deis Rowena was a relatively small city, whose buildings were all built in a classical Greco-Roman style. Virtually all of the buildings had at least one shrine dedicated to the One Deity. At the northern edge of the city was a clearing, paved in marble with a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw standing with a few books in her arms and an eagle on her shoulder. Behind the statue was an uphill path of steps leading to the High Temple of the One Deity. This was the final destination of the Troupe.

At the entrance of the temple, the troupe met an old woman who seemed to have been waiting for them. She was an old woman with wisps of gray hair and elegant purple robes. She smiled at them with warm inviting eyes.

"Hello everyone, I am Arabella Figg, High Priestess of the One Deity in the Temple of Deis Rowena. No need to explain yourselves; I already know why you are here: you seek the rings of the One Deity."

Harry and Hermione shared a look and shrugged. Arabella Figg continued speaking, "There is a devise at the back of this temple that you must use. Follow me, and I will show you."

The troupe followed the high priestess into the sanctuary of the temple. It was a long corridor built out of marble with classical pillars supporting the arched sealing. Gothic Cathedral would be the word that would come to mind if one saw it. At the end of the chamber was a simple altar built of marble as well. On the surface of the altar was an opening, large enough for a person to lie down in.

"This is the soul searching chamber," Arabella Figg said, gesturing to the opening in the altar. "When a person enters it, they will be able to communicate with either the One Deity himself or with one of his servants if he chooses that. For some reason, it works best if a muggle-born uses it." She turned to the troupe and said, "If you seek answers, one of you must step into this altar."

Hermione bit her lip and said, "Well, if it works best on muggle-borns, then I should be the one to use it."

Harry gripped her hand and said, "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure someone else can do this. You know what, actually I think I shou..."

"No Harry," Hermione said as she fought back her fear. "This is my duty, I should do it!" Harry immediately recognized the glint of determination in her eyes.

"OK," he said a little reluctantly. He gave her a quick kiss before Hermione stepped away.

"Mommy," Virginia said in a longing voice.

"She'll be OK, Love," Harry said as he picked Virginia up and hugged her close. He seemed to be reassuring himself as well as his daughter.

Hermione swallowed as she climbed into the altar and lied down. To her delight, she found that the bottom of the altar was a soft cushion and not cold, hard marble. "May the protection of the One Deity be with you," Arabella Figg said as she closed the lid of the altar, leaving Hermione in the dark.

As the High Priestess walked toward the troupe she saw the fear in Harry's eyes as he held his youngest daughter close to him. Ron, James, and Lin were staring the the altar worrisomely, Lin looking near tears.

"She will be all right, we just need to leave her there for about an hour," Arabella Figg said in a reassuring voice. She turned to Harry and said, "Your mother also spent an hour in the altar when she came here."

Harry nodded but remained quiet.

* * *

For what felt like an eternity, but was in fact only about thirty seconds, Hermione lay in the darkness, the altar closed in around her. She was scared and part of her wondered if she was claustrophobic. But she knew that her mission was important and if the fate of all of Magiterran rested on her lying down inside a boxed altar, then so be it. Besides, she could easily blast out of the altar with her magic if something happened.

Finally, Hermione felt something happening. There was a tiny, ever so slight sound of ringing in the closed space and the air started to move around. Suddenly, without warning, a sound of an explosion rang through out the space and the wind started to pick up as if it were being sucked into a vacuum. Hermione tried to scream in terror but no voice came from her throat. The darkness was now starting to close in one her, trying to consume her, leering at her. She suddenly felt as if her clothes had been torn off and she lying naked and vulnerable in front of a hostile darkness. Feeling like a lost child, Hermione curled up into a ball and started to cry.

Then, as suddenly as it started, it ended when a soft hand touched Hermione's shoulder. A soft hand that was stroking her back softly, the way her mother used to when she was sad or sick, all those years back when she was just a child. Hermione felt like she wanted to curl up in cry in this motherly person's lap, something she hadn't been able to do ever since her family was murdered by Death Eaters all those years ago.

"Its OK, my dear. You're safe here," a loving motherly voice said. No it wasn't Hermione's mother, it was a voice she had never heard before and yet it strangely made her relax. Apprehensively, Hermione looked up to stare into oh so familiar green eyes, framed be long, wavy dark red hair and a loving smile. With a shock, Hermione instantly recognized her.

"L-Lily?" she asked.

Lily Evans Potter smiled at her daughter in law and said, "Yes dear, its me." She gently lifted Hermione to her feet. With a start, Hermione realized that she was not in the small dark altar, but in a beautiful meadow that stretched toward a small stream and forest. Birds were singing and the sun was shining in a cloudless sky. Hermione was wearing her old blue and white travel robes and she also noticed that Lily was wearing something similar, only hers were maroon.

"Lily, how?"

"The One Deity sent me, specifically to help you find the rings. Or at least to tell you where they are."

Hermione bit her lip and looked down at her feet and said, "Does Harry know you're seeing me here?"

"Yes he does," Lily said plainly. She gave a kindly smile to Hermione who was nervously shifting around on her feet. "You're worried that he's going to be angry at you for seeing me in here, is that it?" When Hermione remained silent, Lily smiled and said, "That is nothing to worry about. He loves you more and though he may be a little disappointed at having missed the chance to see me, he'll understand, especially after my husband and I go visit him in his dreams tonight."

Hermione couldn't help but smile a little. "He misses the two of you so much," she said.

"As much as my James and I miss him," Lily said. "How much we wished we could be with him all this time. He grew up unloved and unwanted: he never deserved any of that. But then, someone has now come into his life to love him as much as we did and even more so." Lily gently took Hermione's face in her hands and kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you, Hermione, for loving our son as much as you have."

Hermione smiled weakly at Lily. Lily let her go and walked away a little bit before turning back to Hermione, her expression suddenly serious.

"Too business," she said. "You came to Deis Rowena to find the remaining rings, I'm here to tell you where they are. As I'm sure you know, the eight rings were divided amongst founders, two each. The Rings of the Lion and the Phoenix are the rings that were given to Gryffindor, I'm sure you know that."

"Yes."

"Good. Now when you wake up, you must go to the Kingdom of Hufflepuff. Head for Diggory Manor and there, you will find a path that leads into the very heart of the Wilderness of Creepers."

"The Wilderness of Creepers?" Hermione said suddenly alarmed. "The forest is filled with..."

"Acromantulas? Manticores? Chimaeras? I'm afraid you're going to have to brave them all. Whichever way, the path will ultimately lead to a cave called the Creeper's Lair. That is where the Rings of the Badger and the Unicorn are hidden."

"OK."

"I have no idea where the Rings of the Dragon and the Serpent are. But I'm sure that once you have the other six rings, you'll be able to find them." Lily looked up and saw that the sun was starting to set. "I have to go now. Tell Harry that we love him, and will always be watching over him as well as you and our three grandchildren. Give them my love. Goodbye, Hermione." With that, Lily started to fade away, a soft smile gracing her features.

"Wait!" Hermione shouted. "Where are the Rings of the Eagle and the Sphinx?" But by that time Lily was long gone. Before Hermione could even blink, she was back in the darkness of the altar, lying on the cushions.

Just as she started to become aware of her surroundings, the lid to altar was lifted open and Hermione was looking up into the faces of Arabella Figg, Ron, Harry, and their children.

"Hermione, you OK?" Ron asked, clearly concerned.

"Yes," Hermione said as she sat up.

"Mum!" James shouted as he Lin and Virginia threw their arms around her, the girls bursting into tears. Hermione held them close to her as she timidly glanced up at Harry.

"Harry, I..."

"I already know," he said.

"You do?"

"You met my Mum, right?"

"Yes. Are you angry?"

"I'll admit that I'm a little jealous. But I can't argue with what happens." He smiled and pulled Hermione into a hug. Hermione smiled and gave Harry a kiss, chaste enough to be seen in front of the children, yet deep enough to convey the love she felt for him.

Just as Hermione pulled away, Harry suddenly noticed something. "Hermione, your hand!" Hermione glanced down at her left hand and gasped. Two more rings had now joined the Ring of the Phoenix: a blue one with a picture of a sphinx and a bronze one with a picture of an eagle on it.

"Two more rings," Ron said. "Maybe you two are meant to be together twice."

* * *

Draco Malfoy was sitting in his bedroom, waiting patiently for some one to come. The rest of the palace had already gone to sleep which was a little strange considering Draco was usually one of the first one's to go to sleep. What was even stranger in the opinions of the palace workers was that he didn't have a woman visitor with him that night. However, in reality, Draco was about to receive a woman visitor.

A swift movement in the air of the room indicated that Cassandra Frost had now come into the room, wearing a seductive black robe. She smiled and said, "Why, Draco dear, have you been waiting up for me?"

"Would you have preferred it if I hadn't?" Draco smirked. Cassandra grinned maliciously and came very close to Draco.

"So, do I have an answer?"

"The answer is yes," Draco smirked, "so long as I have something in return."

Cassandra knew what Draco's request would be and was more than willing to accept. "And you shall have it," she said.

With that, their lips met in a bruising kiss, as the two tried to over power each other. Soon, Cassandra's robes were on the floor and Draco led her to his bed.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N (ducks rotten tomatoes being thrown at him) OK, OK, before you all flame me, their's more to Draco's actions than I'm letting on here. Just don't give up on the guy yet. There will still be other stuff happening later. On another note, I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to come up. But then, some of the blame should go to fanfiction.net. Well please R/R. Next, we'll go to Diagon Alley again. And Cornelius Fudge is there (grumble).

9. Dementor Warriors

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 8: Dementor Warriors

Diagon Alley was pretty much the same as it had always been. People were going about shopping, browsing, eating, and just being people. It was always in the great commercial center of Magiterran that people were able to forget about their troubles outside and simply enjoy being people. Although the royal capitol of the Kingdom of Hufflepuff was Badger's Hand where the royal family lived, the true cultural and political as well as commercial center of the Kingdom was Diagon Alley.

It was on a sunny weekday where a number of Gryffindor Mage Knights could be seen with a number of children. They were sitting at a table at the entrance of Flourestean's Ice cream parlor.

"Well, I'll get you children some ice cream," Margaret said as she made her way over to the order stand. "What flavors do you want?"

"Rocky Road, with lots of chunks!" James shouted, the glee in his voice obvious.

"I would like two gallons of mint chocolate chip," said Lin.

James stared at Lin if as if she had gone mad. "Two gallons? How can you eat that much?"

"Its not for me, its for Nomie," said Lin as she petted the baby dragon sitting on the floor next to her. "I will have vanilla."

"Chocolate!" Virginia and Christopher chorused together.

"OK, I'll be back soon," Margaret said as she silently hoped the ice cream parlor actually had enough mint chocolate chip to feed a baby dragon.

Meanwhile, Hermione remained silent, fingering the rings newly added to her fingers.

"Knut for you thoughts?" Harry asked.

"Nothing really," said Hermione. "Just wondering how much longer all of this is going to take. Wondering if we're doomed to be fighting evil for the rest of our lives."

"It'll end Hermione," Harry said as he held Hermione's hand. "It can't continue on forever. It'll end someday."

Hermione nodded and sighed. "I just can't help but remember my childhood, everything so much more simpler back then. It was just wake up in the morning and help my parents out in the fields. Go read a book in my spare time or tell the younger children stories." She sighed once more and said, "I could've have possibly imagined how much and how quickly my life would change."

Harry frowned and said, "Hermione, do you regret..."

"No Harry, I don't regret meeting you or my life as it is now. It just, gets so overwhelming at times."

Harry started rubbing the back of Hermione's hand with his thumb. "We'll get through this," he said.

Hermione smiled and was about to lean in for a kiss when Ginny's voice broke in and said, "Hey, that isn't Fudge, is it?"

Harry groaned. "Oh no, please not Cornelius Fudge. Anybody but Cornelius Fudge."

"Sorry mate," said Ron with a grumble, "It's the bloody minister all right." The Gryffindor Mage Knights let out a collective sigh as a middle aged, pudgy man stepped up to them, a megawatt smile on his face.

Cornelius Fudge was the Minister of the Alliance, the supposed elected head, of the Four-Kingdom Alliance. In truth, he had no actual power. The true rulers of the Alliance were the four monarchs with their respective parliaments and the Guradian of Hogwarts, Dumbledore. However, on print at least, Cornelius Fudge was in charge though he was more concerned about his funding and his status in the polls than the affairs of the Alliance.

"Hello, Cornelius," Harry said, forcing a grin onto his face. Hermione smiled at him apologetically.

"Your majesties, how great to see you here?" Fudge chuckled. Twelve burly Hufflepuff soldiers whom were clearly his bodyguards surrounded him. "Whatever brings you out here, with so little security and services."

"We really didn't need them, Mister Fudge," Hermione said, a polite smile on her face.

"Surely you don't mean that?" exclaimed Fudge, looking like he had been scandalized. "What is the point of the monarchy going out if not to make sure the common folk pay their dues to their rulers."

""Sure, Minister," Ron snorted. Harry and Hermione meanwhile were starting to look a little worried. They had been browsing around Diagon Alley anonymously, hoping to avoid the reverence that came with monarchy. Now, Fudge was threatening to blow their cover and was suggesting Harry and Hermione do precisely what they had been hoping to avoid.

"Well I must go, have some potential voters to please," Fudge said. "And I'll make sure that everybody you pass will be groveling at your feet." He ruffled up the hair of the four children (much to their annoyance) and walked away.

Hermione groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, I sure hope he doesn't blow our cover."

"Don't count on it," Harry muttered. "I suppose that ends our freedom of wandering around Diagon Alley. Maybe we should just head out to Diggory Manor right now."

The children did not seem to be too happy at this idea and were just about to start a round of protest when the screams came.

The Mage Knights sprang up on instinct. "Again?" Harry exclaimed.

"What is it this time? It better not be vampires again, they're such a pain in the neck?" shouted Ron. He turned toward his wife and said, "Margaret! Watch over the kids!" Margaret nodded and gathered the four children around her as the four Gryffindor Mage Knights dashed into the street.

There was an air of extreme gloom and depression in the air that hadn't been their just a few minutes earlier, as if the very joviality and cheerfulness of Diagon Alley was being sucked away. Hermione couldn't help but feel as if she had felt this sensation somewhere before, but she couldn't recall it.

As the Mage Knights started to gather closer toward the source of the atmosphere, they couldn't help but notice what was happening to the people. They were starting to fall to their knees in pure terror, some trembling very hard while others started to sob. They even found Cornelius Fudge hiding in one of the dark corners, weeping like a baby. The four shared a glance, wondering what on earth could've caused this to happen.

It was right around then that it hit Hermione, a cold creeping chill that rattled through her bones, terrorizing every inch of her soul. Panting, Hermione sank to her knees, clutching her head in her hands. And before she could blink an eye, she was back in Azkaban, tortured by the Death Eater Icicle and believing Harry to be dead. "Oh, Harry..." she moaned.

She snapped out of her depression when she suddenly felt Harry's hand grip her own. Hermione glanced up at him and saw that he was also suffering: his eyes had tears welled up in them his body was shaking as he whispered, "Mum...Dad...Voldemort no..."

'Oh my God, he's reliving his parents' death," thought Hermione. She squeezed Harry's hand tighter, which caused Harry to snap back to his senses as well. He gritted his teeth and angrily swiped at his eyes before he pulled himself and Hermione up to his feet.

"Thanks, Love," he whispered. Hermione gave him a faint smile and turned toward the two Weasleys who seemed to be extremely worried.

"We're all right," she said.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Hermione affirmed. With that, the Mage Knights turned to their adversaries. They already knew what they were after experiencing the terror of the effects on people: Dementors.

Or at least they looked like Dementors and had the same effect on people as Dementors. There were twelve of them crowded in the center of the street and being led around by one of the cultists known as The Children of Tempest. They were tall and wore black cloaks with their faces hidden within the shrouds of their dark hoods. But unlike most dementors, these ones had a pair of gauntlet wearing hands carrying swords protruding from their clocks and a pair of booted feet.

"Citizens of Magiterran!" the cultist proclaimed. "The time has come! Soon the Dark Lord shall return to us in the power and guise of Tempest and our time shall come! Join us now! Join us now!"

The cultist suddenly stopped his shouting when he spotted the Gryffindor Mage Knights standing near by. "A, Mage Knights of Gryffindor," he said. "For years you have stood in the way of Tempest, but no more!" He gestured toward the dementor like creatures behind him. "See our new weapons of the War, the Dementor Warriors. They can match a Mage Knight in battle any day and furthermore have the depressing powers of an ordinary Dementor, including the kiss."

The Four Mage Knights drew their swords. "Leave this city, right now!" Harry demanded.

The cultist threw his face back and laughed out loud. "And what position are you to make such a demand?" he said. "You are clearly in the disadvantage here. Can you not see how you are outnumbered by the Dementor Warriors?"

Ron grinned and said, "Actually, we're not the ones who are outnumbered. You are."

As if that were the cue, a hundred or so more figures crowded in and surrounded the Dementor Warriors, all with swords drawn and wearing armor with capes that were either red, blue, yellow, or green. The cultist realized that about a hundred Mage Knights now surrounded him and his Dementor Warriors.

"You should study espionage more," said Ginny. "You should've known that its virtual suicide to attack Diagon Alley in broad daylight. Any Mage Knight who wishes to have a time off comes here whenever they have a free time and believeme, none of them are happy about having their free time disrupted."

"You're right, we should study espionage more," the cultist said reluctantly. He glanced up at the various Mage Knights and saw how angry they looked, especially the Slytherin ones. The cultist took a deep breath and continued, "Whichever way, we didn't come here today to start a fight. We're here simply test how well these Dementor Warriors and I'll be pleased to announce to High Priestess Cassandra Frost, that they work perfectly."

With that, the cultists and the Dementor Warriors apparated away.

As the Mage Knights cleared out and went back to their own businesses, Ron slapped his forehead and said, "When the hell is Malfoy going to remove those bloody anti-apparation wards? Its so frustrating seeing your enemies apparate when you can't!"

"Who knows what goes on in the mind of Draco Malfoy," said Ginny. "We have worse things to worry about than Malfoy's mind though."

"And what may that be?" Ron said.

"Those Dementor Warriors," Harry said sullenly. "They have the same powers as demntors and yet they can fight like soldiers. That does not hold well if it culminates to war." He shared a glance with Hermione and saw their own worried and frightened faces reflected in each other's.

"We have no idea how many of those there are," said Hermione. "But we can be assured that there are a lot more than what we saw today." She shuddered, remembering the effect dementors had on her and Harry. "I just hope, we can live through this."

"We will," said Harry as he gripped Hermione's hand.

People around them them were waking up and starting to go back to their various occupations, though they were more silent and fearful. Cornelius Fudge was nowhere to be seen. 'Probably ran off to save face,' Hermione thought.

"Well, I suppose we've been here long enough," Ron said trying to cheer up the mood. "So lets pack our things and head off to Diggory Manor."

Hermione finally smiled and said, "Yes, lets go."

A/N I did not get enough reviews for chapter 7. So please, please when you review this chapter, please review chapter before this one as well unless you already have. Sorry that this chapter was a little short but it acts as a filler between this chapter and the next one. Next: Ginny has some confessions to make to Harry. Can you guess what they are?

10. Confessions of the Past

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 9: Confessions of the Past

Diggory Manor was probably the most unique of the Hufflepuff cities. Aside from the fact that it was the home of the House of Diggory, the city was the only fortified city in the Kingdom of Hufflepuff. This was especially unique compared Gryffindor where virtually all of the cities, Godric's Hollow, the Burrow, Lupin Manor, Black Manor, Lion's Head, Mynestria, which were all fortified. Furthermore, Diggory Manor was the only Hufflepuff city not built along Unicorn Tail River. Rather, it was inland, at the very edge of the Wilderness of Creepers.

Gryffindor Mage Knights were of course welcomed here, but Harry generally tried to avoid the place. It reminded him too much about his first partner, Hufflepuff Mage Knight Sir Cedric Diggory. Hermione had only heard about the in small bits but had never pressed Harry to reveal the whole story to her since she knew it was too painful for him. She had still managed to figure out generally what had happened.

The Gryffindors were welcomed to the Mansion of the House of Diggory and were invited to dinner, much to the delight of the children.

"Food!" James shouted as they sat down at the table. "I need food! Give me food now!" He clanged his knife and fork together.

Lin slapped the back of James's head. "James, show some manners! We're visitors here. Look at the grown ups, they aren't making a scene."

As if on cue, Ron slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "I want food now!" Lin buried her face in her hands as Ginny and Margaret both slapped Ron. James started sniggering.

"Look who's making a scene now, sis."

"Shut up, James."

The food finally came and James and Ron started to stuff their mouths up like pigs. Lin and Margaret rolled their eyes and started helping themselves to some of the food. The others all started eating except for Harry who simply spent his time picking at his food. Hermione glanced at him sympathetically.

"Say, where's Lord Amos Diggory?" Ron asked between chewing on a piece of bread.

One of the maids sighed and said, "Lord Diggory rarely comes out in public these days. He took the death of his son very hard and despite all these years, he still spends most of his time moping in his chambers."

That was the last straw for Harry. He pushed his plate aside, stood up, and said, "I'm going outside for awhile."

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, concerned.

Harry smiled at her and said, "I'm fine. I just need a little fresh air."

Hermione nodded as Harry walked out of the room.

Harry eventually made it to a graveyard right behind the manor house. He slowly walked passed the various tombstones until he stopped in front of one. Written on the tombstone was, "Sir Cedric Diggory, Mage Knight of Hogwarts from the Kingdom of Hufflepuff." The date of death was around ten years ago. Next to Sir Cedric's tombstone, was another tombstone with the following written on it: "Sir Cho Chang, Mage Knight of Hogwarts from the Kingdom of Ravenclaw." The date of death on this tombstone was six years ago. Harry sighed sadly as he stared at the two tombstones.

"Its still hard on you, isn't it?" came the voice of Ginny Weasley from behind him.

"It will always be hard on me," Harry said. "Like it or not, its something I have to carry with me for the rest of my life."

Although Harry had never told anyone about the details about Cedric's death, people had a general idea of what had happened.

10 years ago, Harry had just been become a Mage Knight after spending three years as a Hogwarts squire. For his first mission, Harry was partnered with Sir Cedric Diggory and was sent out to scout areas near the Hufflepuff- Gryffindor border for rumors about Death Eater activity. An anonymous tip had led them to a deserted graveyard, only to run into an ambush there. It was an assassination attempt on the heir of the throne of Gryffindor. Sir Cedric was killed outright in the fighting that followed and Harry barely escaped with his life. Since then, Harry had always lived with the guilt that Cedric had died in an assassination attempt on Harry while Harry had survived.

Ginny placed a hand on Cho's tombstone and said, "I suppose that's at least one thing we have in common."

Harry raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh?"

"We both lost are partners on our first missions as Mage Knights." For Ginny's first mission, six years ago, she and Cho were assigned to Godric's Hollow Palace to protect Hermione and the newly born James and Lin while Harry was away at international negotioations. Unfortunately, that night Voldemort's minions attacked the palace. Cho was killed and James and Lin were abducted. Obviously things turned out for the better but Cho's death weighed heavily on Ginny's conscious.

Harry chuckled bitterly. "Yeah how about that? Something we have in common."

"I wish we had more in common," Ginny muttered.

"What?"

Ginny took a deep breath and said, "Harry, I have something to confess to you." She took another deep breath and blurted out, "Harry, I love you!"

Hermione, whom had just been coming out to join them heard Ginny's words and froze in shock.

Harry blinked. "Um, sorry Ginny but for a second I thought you said..."

"I said I love you, Harry."

Harry was absolutely speechless. "Ginny...I...I..."

"Love Hermione, I know. I have no intention of coming between the two of you. The love you and Hermione share is something I can't even touch, and that's what hurts me the most."

Harry still didn't say anything and simply stayed rooted in his spot. Hermione remained where she stood where she was still hidden from the two but could hear everything that was being said.

Ginny continued, "You no, maybe I'm not really not in love with you and it's just an infatuation. But I definitely have feelings for you. For years now, ever since you first came to the Burrow to visit Ron back when you were eleven." She sighed. "For years, I tried to attract your attention. But you never even batted an eyelash toward me. To you I was always just Ron's little sister, but I figured if I kept trying, maybe you'd finally notice. Then, low and behold on my 16th birthday you show up at the Burrow with this farm girl, and before either one of you realized what had happened you both completely wrapped up in each other."

Hermione, listening in the conversation didn't even know what to think. Harry was still speechless.

Ginny chuckled. "I might sound bitter, but I'm not really. When I first met Hermione, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Here was this muggle- born farm girl, completely clueless about everything and yet through no fault of her own had been caught up in events far beyond her control. I instantly realized how she felt about you but I couldn't help liking her despite that. After all, all's fair in love and war. But when she kissed you that night at the dance, and you had that dazed yet ecstatic look on your face as if you had suddenly realized the greatest mystery in the world." She took a breath and asked, "How did you meet her by the way? You've never told me the story."

The question about Hermione instantly snapped Harry out of his stupor. "Oh, well that's actually quite a story," he said. "It goes back to about nine years ago, back when most of Gryffindor was still under Death Eater control. Ron and I were patrolling the northern Gryffindor forests not too far from the Burrow. I was in a weird mood that day since Trelawney had just made a prediction that my life was going to forever change that day.

"Anyway, traveling around Gryffindor was dangerous those days, as you know, since the lands were controlled by the Death Eaters. So we were just going on a quick patrol when we noticed the smoke in a distance, the result of a Death Eater attack on another innocent village. By the time Ron and I made it there, all that was left was some smothered ruins and bodies. From what we were able to scrape up, Ron concluded that there were no survivors but I just couldn't get the nagging feeling that we were missing something. So I left Ron behind and took off into the forest where I encountered a farm girl whom had been captured by a troll. Long story short, a knocked the troll out and saved the girl who promptly passed out in my arms. Ron and I took her back to Hogwarts."

"Really," said Ginny. Harry nodded.

"Once at Hogwarts, Dumbledore discovered that Hermione was a magical prodigy, like my mother was. If the Gryffindor Kingdom wasn't under Death Eater control, she would've been identified years earlier and taken to Hogwarts as a potential Mage Knight. Dumbledore figured never late than never and offered training to her, which she accepted. Ron and I helped her adjust to life at Hogwarts and we just grew closer." Harry suddenly looked alarmed at Ginny's sad face. "I'm sorry Ginny, I didn't consider how our story might affect you."

"No, I'm glad you told me," said Ginny. "There was never anything I could've done to bring myself in and now I truly no that. For years, I used to think up all of these 'what if's, but now, I no there never were any 'what if's."

With that, Ginny kissed Harry on the cheek and walked away. On the way back to the manor, she passed a sad looking Hermione.

Hermione started to stutter, "Ginny, I..."

"Don't say anything, Hermione. I just wanted to tell you, that you're probably the luckiest person I know."

Hermione closed her eyes and looked down at her feet. "I know," she whispered.

Ginny smiled at her and squeezed Hermione's shoulder before she strolled back into the manor house.

Hermione felt her eyes tearing up and took a few calming breathes. She made her way over to Harry whom was sitting on the ground looking a little gloomy. Without saying a word, Hermione sat down next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. For the next few hours, they just sat like that, saying absolutely nothing, just absorbing the comfort and love they radiated from each other.

A/N Did you like it? The inspiration for this chapter came to me a few weeks ago and I simply couldn't resist writing it despite the fact that it really doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the story. So, R/R. Sorry it's a little shorter than what I usually produce. Next: It's the Cave of Creepers and the Mage Knights are going to run into a surprisingly (or maybe not) familiar face there.

11. At the Cave of Creepers

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 10: At the Cave of Creepers

"So, how long are we supposed to wait out here?" asked James, as he kicked a pebble around. The three Potter children were waiting in front of the entrance of a vast cave. Surrounding them, was the great forest none as the Wilderness of Creepers. At was a vast land, filled with creatures of great size and wonder, not to mention danger. People seldom ventured into this wilderness and even the Mage Knights generally avoided the area if possible. The Potter's however, especially James, could care less about the great dangers of the forest. To them, it was a grand adventure.

Harry and Hermione had ventured into the cave about forty minutes earlier to search for the Rings of the Badger and Unicorn. Leaving the children with Ron. Ron had noticed that things had gotten a little awkward between Ginny, Harry, and Hermione, but they had refused to explain what had happened between them to Ron. Therefore, Ginny had decided to stay behind at Diggory Manor with Ron's family.

At present time, Ron was dozing on some moss near the entrance while James was impatiently waiting for his parents to return. Lin and Virginia were busy feeding Nomie, whom was now as big as a horse, some carrots and potatoes.

"Give them some time, James," said Lin. She stroked Nomie's chin delicately as she fed him a carrot. Nomie purred with contentment.

"Easy for you to say," growled James. "You could probably have no problem waiting for the Hogwarts acceptance to come, so long as you have either a book or that dragon."

"Well I say that you need to learn to wait more, James," said Lin. "Patience is a virtue."

"Well I think waiting around is too chicken like. I need to get down to some hard action!"

"Well, maybe, if you can get something else other than trouble into that head of yours..."

"Will you two shut up?!" Virginia suddenly yelled. James and Lin instantly shut up and stared at their usually quiet little sister in shock.

Virginia continued and said, "Just drop to silly argument and wait for Mommy and Daddy to come out. If you want to pass time, just sit down and start playing a game or something. But no more arguing!"

With that, Virginia stomped her right foot on the ground and gave her older siblings a glare that Hermione often gave them when she was angry with them.

Still startled by Virginia's sudden outburst, James and Lin sat down, both of them with a slightly dazed look. Virginia smiled and went back to feeding Nomie.

It was only a few minutes later when it happened. Ron suddenly snapped up and looked around fully alert.

"What is it, Uncle Ron?" asked Lin.

"I felt something," said Ron. "Some kind of magical activity just took place in the cave."

James sprang up, clearly excited. "Maybe Mum and Dad found the rings!" he exclaimed.

"No," said Ron. "This felt slightly different. Like somebody had just apparated into the cave."

"But that can't be right," said Lin with a confused frown. "You yourself always complain about how there are these wards up in Magiterran that prevent anyone from apparating except..."

"Except the Death Eaters!" Ron exclaimed. "Or the Children of Tempest. Wichever way, Harry and Hermione are in trouble! Come on!" With that, Ron ran into the cave, the three children and their dragon following close behind him.

* * *

"How deep is this cave?" asked Hermione as she strolled down the dark path.

"Hopefully not too deep," said Harry as he suddenly picked up Hermione. Just as he did so, the area she had been previously been occupying burst into flame.

"Why thank you my handsome knight in shining armor," she giggled as he put her down.

"My pleasure my beautiful queen," said Harry with a grin. He gave her a brief kiss before he became serious again. "OK, that was the eighth fire trap we've encountered. How many more can there be?"

"I wouldn't know," sighed Hermione. "I just hope we can find those rings soon." She looked up and grinned. "And there they are."

Indeed she was right. The path led to a small hill about fifty meters away. On the top of that hill was a small table, and on that table were two rings, a yellow topaz ring with a picture of a badger on it, and a black onyx ring with a picture of a unicorn on it.

"There they are," said Hermione excitedly.

Harry nodded. "Remember, only you can pick them up."

"I remember. Just wait here for a second. I'll be right back."

Hermione started to make her way to the hill. However, when she had only taken about five steps, a wall of fire suddenly sprang up behind her, separating her and Harry. In fact, a ring of fire surrounded Harry now. Hermione spun around alarmed.

"Harry!"

"Go, Hermione!" Harry shouted. "Just get the rings. I'll take care of whatever's going on here."

Hermione only hesitated for a brief second before she turned and ran to the hill.

Harry turned around when he heard footsteps coming from behind. However, he received quite a surprise when he saw whom it was coming through the flames.

"Draco Malfoy?"

"Potter," said Draco with a smirk. "Fancy seeing you here."

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Despite the fact that Draco was one of his allies, Harry felt nervous about the way Draco was smirking at him.

"Oh you know," said Draco. "Sightseeing, shopping, just having a nice vacation, doing Lord Tempest's handiwork..." Suddenly, Draco pointed his sword at Harry and fired two curses at him! Caught by surprise, Harry barely managed to dodge the two curses.

"Malfoy, what..." Harry didn't have time to complete his questioning as Draco suddenly pounced on him, thrashing his sword. Not having time to draw his own sword, Harry blocked Draco's blade with his scabbard.

Now that Draco had attacked Harry, Harry's battle instincts suddenly kicked in. Balling his hand into a fist, Harry took a swing and clobbered Draco in the face. He drew his sword out as Draco staggered back in pain.

"How much did it take for you to betray us?" Harry hissed. He made a swing with sword. Draco, blocked Harry's blade and took a swing himself which Harry also blocked.

"Would you believe me if I said all it took was an invigorating tryst with a beautiful woman in bed?" said Draco with a smirk. He thrust his sword at Harry. Harry swung his sword upward and knocked the blade away.

"With you, somehow that makes perfect sense," sneered Harry. He spun around and slashed at Draco. Draco blocked the blow and rammed his left fist into Harry's cheek. Reeling back a little, Harry managed to knee Draco in the abdomen.

"It was really a perfect deal," said Draco with a smirk. He parried forward slashed at Harry who successfully blocked each of Draco' blows. "You get power, a good amount of recognition from Tempest, plus sex. You should give it a try."

"Sorry, but I'm spoken for," said Harry. Saying that suddenly reminded Harry of Hermione. Harry stole a quick glance behind himself a saw that Hermione was nearly at the top of the hill.

Draco did not miss this chance. He leaped forward and rammed his left fist into Harry's face. With his right hand, Draco swung his sword around as fast as he could knocked Harry's sword out of his hand! It flew away and landed on the other side of the ring of fire.

The sound of the sword hitting the ground caught Hermione's attention. Worriedly, she spun around called out, "Harry!"

"Just get the rings!" Harry yelled. Reluctantly Hermione turned around and started to make her way up the hill again.

"Surrender Potter, I have you beaten," hissed Draco.

"Yeah right!" said Harry. He suddenly swung wide and hit Draco in the jaw. As Draco stepped back, Harry leapt forward and landed a flying kick into Draco's chest. Her then swung an uppercut into Draco's chin, causing Draco to fly back. To round off the deal, Harry blasted a burst of magic into Draco while he was still in the air, causing him to fly even further back. He landed on the ground with a painful thud.

Draco groaned in pain as he pulled himself back up on his feet. He knew full well that although he could possibly best Harry in a sword fight, he was absolutely no match against him in terms of sheer magical power.

Harry was advancing on Draco, looking very menacing. Thinking quickly, Draco shot a curse toward Hermione whom had nearly reached the rings. The curse grazed Hermione's left shoulder and she yelped in pain.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he spun around to see if she was all right. Draco did not miss this chance as he incanted another spell.

Twelve, thick steel chains sprang out of the ground and wounded around Harry's body, effectively trapping him on his feet.

"What the?"

"You're coming with me, Potter," hissed Draco. He staggered his way over to the trapped Harry and grabbed his right shoulder.

* * *

Hermione had finally reached the two rings on the top of the hill. Ignoring the stinging pain in her shoulder from Draco's curse, she placed her hands over the rings. In a flash, the rings disappeared. A split second later, they had joined the other three rings on her fingers.

Now that she had claimed the rings, Hermione was ready to help Harry. Just as she turned around however, she saw Harry and Draco disappear with a pop, the sign of apparation.

"Harry!" Hermione ran down the hill toward the place where Harry had just been. The flames had died and there was nothing lighting the cave now. All alone, Hermione hesitantly stepped up to where Harry had been only minutes ago.

"Harry?" she whispered hopefully. There was no answer.

* * *

Ron hadn't bothered to count how many traps he had passed as he raced down the cave's path. His mind registered the fact that Harry and Hermione's children were following him but he trusted them enough to follow him directly, thus avoiding all the traps. All that really mattered to him now was that he get to Harry and Hermione as fast as he could.

Ron suddenly stopped when he saw Hermione slowly walking toward him. Her head was bent down and she looked close to crying.

"Hermione?" he asked. "What happened?"

Hermione said nothing. She simply walked passed Ron and knelt down in front of her three children. She pulled them into a tight hug as if her very life depended on it. James, Lin and Virginia looked at each other confused as their mother held them tighter.

It was finally Virginia who spoke, "Mommy? What happened? Where's Daddy?"

Fighting back tears, Hermione simply said two words, "He's gone."

A/N Draco Malfoy fans, please do not do anything to me (gets on knees and begs). I've told you guys earlier that there is more to what Draco is doing then I am letting on. So please, please, PLEASE, keep that in mind. Anyway, please R/R. Next: Hermione reminisces, and Harry finally sees the Crystal of Tempest.

12. Tempest Incarnate

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 11: Tempest Incarnate

Hermione's strength was something to be admired. After the first few tears she had let out initially after Harry's capture, she managed to bottle up all the grief that was threatening to overcome her. It was for her children mostly. When James, Lin, and Virginia learned that their father was gone they burst into tears like any young child would. For the next few hours, Virginia refused to let Hermione go, her arms wound tight around her mother's neck. Lin spent that time trying to comfort a wailing James, despite the fact that she was sobbing herself.

By the time the Gryffindor troupe had portkeyed back to Godric's Hollow, the children had cried themselves to sleep. Hermione however, still wore her unemotional mask even though Ron could clearly see the devastation in her eyes.

"Hermione." he said. He tried to lay a hand on her shoulder but Hermione brushed Ron's hand off.

"Call all the army captains," she said, her voice filled with authority. "Gather them in the meeting chambers within an hour. And tell them to keep a lid on Harry's disappearance; we don't want any wide spread panic."

Ron simply stared at Hermione in shock.

"Move!" ordered Hermione. Ron snapped out of his trance and ran off to gather all of the captains and commanders of the vast Gryffindor military.

Hermione sighed as she walked through the chambers of the palace, her sleeping children levitating behind her. She led them to the nursery and tucked them into bed for it was already quite late that night.

"Daddy," murmured Lin in her sleep as Hermione tucked her in. Hermione stroked Lin's brown hair and kissed her on the forehead.

"He's OK," Hermione said. "He'll be OK. We'll save him. Don't worry my angel." Hermione walked over to the window and gazed at the star filled sky. "I'll save you Harry," she whispered.

* * *

About an hour later, the meeting chamber was in chaos. Every single army commander and captain of the Gryffindor Military was in panic concerning Harry's disappearance. Some were whispering amongst themselves as if this were some rumor of conspiracy. Others were shouting at the top of their lungs making suggestions that ranged from full frontal assault and rescue to covert rescue missions. There were even some shouting at the others to keep it quiet. One of those was Ron Weasley.

"Quiet!" he shouted. His voice was lost amongst the babble. "Yo! Keep it down! Shut up!"

"Order! Order!" shouted General Oliver Wood. His voice was also lost in the chaos. Things were starting to look dirty. Ron and Wood shared a look that showed each other that they were at a loss.

"Silence!" said Hermione in a firm voice. The commanders instantly shut up. It was now so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

Ron couldn't help but grinning at Hermione. When she and Harry had just gotten married, there were a few people who spoke out against having a muggleborn farm girl as their queen, just as they had with Harry's parents. Those few quickly disappeared in the next few months for Harry's rule was clearly a dual monarchy. While Harry was the one who commanded the power and strength to rule a kingdom, the brains behind the throne had clearly been Hermione from the start. Still, it was sometimes amazing to see just how much respect and influence Hermione carried.

"Now, will you please make your suggestions one at a time," said Ron. The first person who spoke was Lord Sirius Black, or rather he sprang up.

"Full frontal assault," he said quite loudly. "Seek out these Children of Tempest, beat the stuffing out of them and get Harry back! Seek and Destroy!"

"Usually I'd agree with you," said Ron. "But maybe we should save that idea for when we can actually find where these cultists are."

"That's my godson they got!" shouted Sirius.

"Isn't he our king as well?" said Ron a little sarcastically. "We all miss him, OK. But now is not the time to panic."

"And if he were hurt or worse?" said Sirius.

"Then we can panic," said Ron. Murmurs ran through the crowd again but they remained quiet.

Lord Remus Lupin next stood up and said, "Even if we can where these cultists are, they'll probably have an army there. I've already contacted Dumbledore and he's sending word to the other kingdoms to mobilize their armies. He's also gathered as many Mage Knights as he could and is sending them here..." It was at that moment when a large eagle-owl flew in through an open window, deposited a letter on Hermione's lap, and flew away.

Curiously, Hermione opened the letter and read it. Ron also read the letter over her shoulder and he did not like what was written there.

"Why that little twerp!" he shouted. "Of all the nerve! To write such stuff after all that's happened..."

"I'm doing it." Hermione said.

"What?!" asked an incredulous Ron.

"I'm doing it," repeated Hermione. "This is the only lead we have. I'm using it."

"You can't possibly trust that thing," Ron demanded.

"Harry would've trusted it," Hermione said. That sealed it.

* * *

Later that night, Hermione was all alone in the west wing, in her bed that felt far too big and empty without Harry. Now that she was all alone, away from her servants, her friends, and her children, Hermione was finally able to remove her emotional mask, no longer having to deal with the crisis of the disappearance of Harry and needing to appear strong. Hermione wept. She cried long and hard that night, the sobs never stopping.

As she cried, Hermione's thoughts went back to the time when Harry and she had made love for the first time ever, all those years ago. It was in that very room, on that very bed, on their wedding night (Ron had once rudely commented that he was surprised that Harry and Hermione had waited till their wedding night considering the way they were going at each other. He didn't dare mention it again after the hexing Hermione gave him). She remembered the way Harry had gently peeled her pure white wedding gown off while their lips were still fused with each others. She remembered how softly Harry had caressed her bare form as he carried her over to the bed and laid her on it. Harry then saw the small amount of fear in her eyes and had actually suggested that they could do it some other night, but Hermione didn't want that. It was awkward since it was both their first times after all, but Harry had been so gentle with her that Hermione had started to cry. She knew that although that night was only going to be the first time of many times between them, that she would never forget that night. It was something dear and precious to her.

Coming back to the present, Hermione angrily swiped away the tears in her eyes. 'There will be more nights with you, love,' she thought to herself. 'I'm going to save you, Harry. That's a promise.' Tomorrow, she was going to follow the lead on the letter and she would need her energy if things did get ugly. Soon she had fallen into a peaceful sleep, dreaming dreams of Harry.

* * *

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was walking down the corridors of some dungeon located somewhere in the Kingdom of Slytherin. He had a stoic, unreadable expression on his face as he approached one of the cells. In that cell was none other than Harry Potter.

Harry was sitting on the floor, his legs and arms crossed. He was crouched over since a number of chains were wound around his body, pinning him to the ground. He was still wearing his Mage Knight armor. This was because of a special safety charm that made it so that only a Mage Knight could will his or her own armor off, a charm that had served to save many Mage Knights' lives. It had also saved many captured female Mage Knights' dignities.

Harry glared at Draco, his green eyes burning fiercely. Despite the fact that Harry was pinned down in a crouching position, he still looked intimidating.

"Traitor!" he hissed. Draco flinched briefly but he quickly regained his cool.

"Don't get me wrong," Draco said. "I did what I did because I had to. I couldn't just back out after all the fun times the high priestess and I had." Draco couldn't help but grin when he said the last part.

"Maybe if you get your head out of your pants, you might do something worthwhile," Harry suggested sarcastically.

"Very funny," said Draco. "You know, Potter, you might've done the same if you were in my position."

"What makes you so sure? I would've never betrayed my friends and allies for a slut."

"Ah, but you've never met Cassandra Frost."

Harry was about to make a retort when the high priestess herself walked in the chamber. If Harry hadn't been completely in love in Hermione, he would've been highly attracted to the beautiful Cassandra Frost with her long raven hair and deep blue eyes. But he still doubted that he would've betrayed his friends to sleep with her.

"How is our guest doing?" asked Cassandra.

"See for your self," said Draco as he gestured toward the cell.

Cassandra walked up to bars of the cell door and peered inside. "So, how are you doing, your majesty?"

Harry glared at Cassandra and remained quiet.

"I sure hope you are comfortable," said Cassandra. "We wouldn't anything horrible happening to you before your execution."

"What do you want?" demanded Harry.

"I am not the one who has business with you. That would be my master. And here he comes." Indeed, Harry could now hear footsteps coming closer to where he was.

Cassandra stepped back as the owner of the footsteps came into view. He was a tall man with raven black hair and blood red eyes. He was wearing black armor and mail, had a black cape flowing down his back, and had an emerald encrusted sword holstered under the cape. And imbedded in his breastplate, was the Crystal of Tempest. Harry recognized him instantly; it was Lord Voldemort.

"Oh, you again," Harry said in an exasperated voice.

Voldemort laughed his familiar high pitched laugh. "Why Harry, I would've thought you'd be overjoyed to see me," he said.

"Actually I was hoping you'd remain dead," replied Harry. "One can get so tired of constantly putting down a loser who simply doesn't know when to quit."

"You are lucky I am in a good mood right now," Voldemort said. "Such insolence would've merited the Cruciatus Curse otherwise."

"Why not use it anyway," Harry challenged. A part of him couldn't believe he had just challenged his arch nemesis to torture him, but he was relying on instinct right now: fighting down the fear that was trying to burst forth with wisecracks.

"Tempting," said Voldemort. "But perhaps, some other time." Apparently, the Dark Lord was in a really good mood.

Harry glanced at the Crystal of Tempest. "So, Tempest Incarnate, eh?"

"Surprised," said Voldemort with a grin. "I admit, I was surprised myself when I first learned the truth. The power to challenge even the One Deity was placed on me." The Dark Lord started pacing. "Originally, I would've been content just to have Magiterran for myself. But now, I won't stop till all reality is mine."

"Surprised?" Harry said. "You mean you didn't know who you truly were?"

"I didn't," said the Dark Lord. "Your parents found out my true nature long before I even had a clue. I always knew there was some kind connection between Tempest and myself since I first found the Crystal, but I never would've dreamed I was his incarnation. That was until you and your mudblood wife used the rings on me the first time."

"What?"

"Initially, I wanted the Rings for myself simply because they commanded the power of the One Deity within them. When I survived my first encounter with the rings, I started to wonder if it was some sort of power within me that helped me survive but I figured that my curse had weakened the effect of the rings. I only became fully certain after the second time the rings were used on me." Voldemort stopped pacing and gestured toward Cassandra. "After my dear servant, Cassandra Frost found the Crystal and released me from it, I set about to gather what powers I could gain as the incarnation of Tempest."

"And Malfoy?" said Harry.

"Young Draco is the son of one of my most loyal subjects. He will have a high place in my new order, much like his father had."

"You killed Lucius when he failed you," Harry reminded the Dark Lord.

"True," said Voldemort. "But Draco has shown far more potential then that fool. He will not disappoint me." Voldemort glared warningly at Draco when he said the last sentence. Draco said nothing, remaining unemotional as ever.

"So, what are you going to do with me?" Harry said.

"There will be a public execution tomorrow at noon. Basically, I'm going to release you into my arena, bound up, and in the company of a manticore, an acromantula, and a chimaera."

"What? No basilisks?"

"I considered using one. But since you're also a parselmouth, I figured you might've been able to talk it out of eating you and might've even persuaded it to turn on me."

"Damn!"

"So, what do you think, Potter?"

"I'm surprised you didn't want to kill me yourself."

Voldemort laughed again. "Oh but I will Harry. No matter how powerful these beasts are, I still have faith in you that you will overpower them. Then, I will simply step down into that arena and finish you off, after you are worn out from fighting the beasts. What do you think about that, Potter?"

Harry said nothing.

"I must be leaving you now," said the Drak Lord. "I have an execution to prepare." With that, Voldemort strolled out of the dungeon.

"Come with me, Draco," said Cassandra. "I know of many ways we can entertain each other until the time of Potter's execution arrives."

"That should be fun," said Draco with a grin. "I just hope we have the stamina to last that long."

With that, Draco and Cassandra also left the dungeon, leaving Harry alone. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N R/R please. I have an announcement. This story is going to be the last story I ever post on FF.net. From now on, if you want more fics from me, you're going to have to join my Yahoo Group. It's called Fanfiction by E. C. R. Potter and its url is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecrpotter_fanfiction/. Oh, and if people ask me in their review, I might write an NC-17 cookie of Harry and Hermione's wedding night. Next: Harry's execution! Whatever is going to happen?

13. Public Execution

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 12: Public Execution

All too soon, the time for the public execution of Harry Potter came. Harry was bound up in chains and led out of the dungeons by two Dementor Warriors.

'So ends the King of Gryffindor,' Harry thought wryly. 'Well, one thing's for sure, I'm not going to go out without a fight!' During his time in the dungeons, Harry had secretly been building up his magical powers, so he would still be able to last for some time against Voldemort's creatures before being finished off.

Also, Harry had silently been hoping that Hermione would be able to find him. Harry trusted Hermione with his life and he knew that she wouldn't give up on him no matter what. Furthermore, the connection between Harry's Ring of the Lion and the various rings Hermione had indicated that she at least knew the area where Harry was confined. However, Harry knew that was a vain hope.

For Harry knew where he was, at the top of the great Volcano, Parselrock the Unclimbable, located in the heart of the Kingdom of Slytherin. It was here where Tom Marvolo Riddle had first found the Crystal of Tempest and become Lord Voldemort. And it was also here whee the Children of Tempest had created their headquarters, where it was impossible to be found. Even if the Mage Knights knew where Harry was, it would be impossible for them to climb the mountain and storm the headquarters of the cultists. Still, Harry continued to hope.

With a jolt, Harry suddenly realized that he had been led to a wide metal grate. With a creak, the grate opened and Harry was led into the sunlight of a vast empty space. 'Correct that,' thought Harry as he was led out. 'This isn't a vast empty space after all.'

It was a coliseum, built in full Roman style. Harry was standing on a wide, gravel covered, circular space that had a diameter of about 80 meters. The auditorium that surrounded the space was about vast and wide, seating hundreds, perhaps even thousands of cultists. Every single one of them were jeering for Harry's blood but Harry couldn't make out any distinct words since they were all lost in the cacophony of cries. And seated in a balcony, exalted above all the seats were Voldemort, Draco Malfoy, Cassandra Frost, and few other high ranking cultists.

As soon as Harry was alone in the bottom of the arena, Voldemort stood up and beckoned for silence. The cries of the cultists died down in a second.

"Welcome, Harry Potter!" said Voldemort in an amplified voice that boomed throughout the coliseum. "I hope you've enjoyed your stay here."

"I've had better!" shouted Harry. A roar of noise filled the coliseum as the cultists started laughing at Harry. Voldemort signaled for silence and the arena quieted down immediately once again.

"It is rather unfortunate that I'm going to have to terminate you, Potter," said Voldemort.

"Yeah, very unfortunate," muttered Harry sarcastically.

"But, I do wish you a fond farewell. It was nice knowing you," said Voldemort with a smirk.

"Oh really?" said Harry. "Come down here, coward! Come down here and finish me off your self instead of letting your pets do your handiwork!"

"You shall bot speak to my master that way!" shouted Cassandra. She sprang up in wrath, kicking her chair out of the way. "Release the beasts!" she commanded. Voldemort however raised his hand and had the order stopped.

"Patience. Patience, my dear Cassandra." He then turned his attention back to Harry and said, "I just may spare your life, Potter, if you grovel on your knees and beg for your life." The coliseum burst out in laughter once again, only to be silenced by Voldemort.

"I'd rather kiss Malfoy," hissed Harry.

"I resent that!" said Draco.

Voldemort simply shrugged and said, "So be it, Harry." He turned to the nearest Dementor Warrior and said, "You may release the beasts now."

With a clang, three more grates opened, and three horrific beats burst out, snarling and snapping in such menacing ways. The first one, was a great red beast with a body of a powerfully built lion but with a man's face. It had three rows of razor sharp teeth in its mouth. But the most frightening aspect of the creature was the large scorpion's tale and its deadly stinger, a Manticore. The second creature had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. Puffs of smoke and flame were issuing from the chimaera's mouth. The last creature was the largest one of the three. It was a monster size venomous spider that made a clicking noise with its pincers, an acromantula.

Harry swallowed as the creatures closed in on him. His arms were bound tight by the chains wrapped around his body but his legs were free, meaning he could move freely. The ability to move around, combined with some quick thinking was adequate enough to keep Harry alive for the time being.

The manticore was the first to reach Harry. It swung its lethal tail down at the Mage Knight, but Harry managed to leap out of the way just in time. The manticore growled and swung its tail toward Harry again. Harry skillfully dodged each blow.

In the mean time, the chimaera leapt toward Harry, brandishing its teeth. Harry rolled out of the way and put a distance between himself and the chimaera. With a roar of anger, the chimaera spewed out a burst of flame. Harry polled out of the way of the flame only to barely dodge the manticore's tail.

'This isn't working,' thought Harry. 'I'd better change my tactics.' Slowly, Harry started moving sideways, drawing the manticore and the chimaera closer to him.

"What's he doing?" Draco wondered out loud. Voldemort simply continued looking at the scene with mild interest.

What Harry was doing soon became apparent. When the chimaera burst out another round of flame, Harry rolled out of the way and the flames hit the chimaera in the face. With a roar of anger and pain, the mantiocre leaped at the chimaera nd stabbed the stinger of its tail into the chimaera's back. Hollering in pain, the chimaera slashed at the manticore with its teeth and burst even more fire into the manticore's face. Soon, the manticore and the chimaeara were locked in mortal combat.

Harry didn't have a time to take a breath of relief however since the acromantula was on him now. Harry leaped back, barely avoiding the spider's menacing pincers. The acromantula made a gurgling sound and snapped at Harry once again. Harry simple took a leap back and avoided the pincers. He started to edge away from the giant spider.

Roaring in frustration, the giant spider shot some webbing at Harry. Harry ducked as the webbing sailed over his head. He then tried to make a run for the other side of the acromantula. However, another shot of webbing got him square in the legs and Harry toppled over , his legs trapped in webbing.

"Dammit!" Harry cursed out loud. The giant spider was now closing in on him. However, a sudden scream indicated that the chimaera and the manticore had killed each other. Harry looked toward their bodies and saw that the chimaera had ripped the manticore's stinger off its tail.

Utilizing all of the magic he could channel with out a magical core, Harry yelled, "Accio stinger!" The stinger came sailing right next to him. Harry then utilized a quick banishing charm and impaled the acromantula in the chest.

As the giant spider roared in pain, Harry said, "Incendio!" and burned the webbing off his legs. He sprang up to his feet, ready to dodge anything more the spider could do to him only to realize that the manticore's poison had already killed the acromantula.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Harry turned toward the high balcony. "Is that all you got!" he shouted.

Voldemort simply shrugged coolly, but Cassandra jumped to her feet and yelled, "Curse you, Potter! You will pay for that! Dementor Warriors, kill him!"

With that, about fifty Dementor Warriors glided into the arena, brandishing their swords. However, with the entire coliseum focused on Harry and the Dementor Warriors, nobody had noticed that someone had snuck into the high balcony and was now standing unnoticed behind the fuming Cassandra. No one that is, except Harry, and he couldn't help but grin.

Cassandra was dismayed to see Harry grinning. "What is so funny?!" she demanded.

"Why don't you ask the person holding the sword at your neck?" said Harry.

"What?" shouted Cassandra. However, before she could say anything, a sword was indeed placed at her neck. The people in the balcony all turned around to see whom it was that threatened them. It was Hermione.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Did you people notice something? Here's a little hint, "Attack of the Clones". Yousee, the entire climax of this story is taken directly from the climax of Star Wars Episode II. I know its not exactly original but I just couldn't resist using that plot line. So please, R/R and tell me what you think. And don't forget to join my Yahoo group. Next: The final battle starts! Mage Knights against the cultists and their dementor warriors!

14. The Battle of Parselrock

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 13: The Battle of Parselrock

"It ends here," said Hermione, her sword digging into the horrified Cassandra's throat. Holstered on her waist was Harry's ruby encrusted sword that had originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor.

"You?!" shouted Cassandra. "How did you get up here? There's no way you could've gotten up this mountain."

"Yes indeed, how did you get up here?" asked Voldemort. He only seemed mildly surprised and appeared to be very cool about the whole ordeal.

Wordlessly, Hermione pulled out the parchment that had been delivered to her during the council of war. On it was written the directions to the pinnacle of Parselrock that was only known to the Children of Tempest, in full detail.

"Curios," said Voldemort. "Only one of my followers could have written such directions in so much detail. Now, who could've done such a thing?" He stared pointedly at Draco as he said this.

Draco stood up and made his way over to Hermione. "Well, I suppose you should've known," he said to Voldemort and Cassandra who looked shocked. "My father taught me all the secret trades and techniques of being a double agent: never thought I'd actually have to use them some day."

Cassandra was absolutely furious. "You," she spat out with full loathing. "You dare betray me! After all I did for you! After I offered myself to you!"

Draco smirked and said, "Well, if I was going to play the spy game, I figured I could take any advantages I had and made sure I had the most fun possible playing this little game."

Hermione rolled her eyes in clear disapproval. "Do you always think in your pants?" she asked, obviously exasperated.

"Oh look who's speaking, Miss 'I got pregnant with my youngest daughter only weeks after the twins were born'," said Draco. Hermione at least had the decency to blush.

"Either way," said Voldemort, "you're not going to get away with this. I will have you both killed, and then we will see who's laughing."

"Give it your best shot," said Hermione. She raised her free hand into the air.

With a flash, swords were drawn in various parts of the stands, and hundreds of Mage Knights were revealed to be in the coliseum, all ready for battle.

"Impressive," said Voldemort. "But it's going to take a lot more to defeat me. Crucio!"

Dodging the curse, Hermione and Draco leapt into the arena. Other Mage Knights also fled into the arena. Hermione ran over to Harry and with one swipe of her sword, slashed his bonds off. She quickly drew out Harry's sword and tossed it to him.

"I knew you'd come," said Harry with a quick smile. He pulled Hermione into a brief, yet sweet kiss.

Hermione smiled and said, "I would go through fire for you." Harry grinned at her, causing her insides to melt.

"KILL THEM!" Cassandra screamed at the top of her lungs. Multitude upon multitude of Dementor Warriors swooped down into the arena that was packed with Mage Knights.

With a great cry, the Mage Knights charged at their opponents, wielding their swords over their heads. With a clash of blades, the foremost Dementor Warriors soon fell prey to the battling Mage Knights, and the one's right behind soon followed. Dementor Warriors may have been able to suck the fighting morale of their enemies, but the sheer ferocity of the Mage Knights was overwhelming them.

A number of Dementor Warriors were closing in on Draco, deeming him a traitor. Draco managed to keep them at bay using all of the sword techniques he knew but he was slowly being overwhelmed. Finally, one of the Dementor Warriors managed to butt its hilt into the back of Draco's head. Draco crumbled to the ground in pain. "Dammit!" he cursed as he waited for the end to come.

Before the Dementor Warriors could finish Draco though, Ron Weasley, leapt toward them with a cry. He spun around in the air, and kicked two of the Dementor Warriors away. He managed to fight off the remaining with expert sword techniques that the Dementor Warriors simply couldn't emulate. After he had dispatched his opponents, Ron turned to Draco.

"Weasley," said Draco as he pulled himself to his feet.

"I don't trust you Draoc," said Ron, his words dipping with disgust. "But you came through for us this time so I saved your arse. Besides," he suddenly grinned, "now you owe me your life."

Draco felt like he had just been sucker-punched. He had a life debt to Ron Weasley!

"Give him a break, Ron," said Ginny not too far away from them. She strung an arrow into her bow and shot a Dementor Warrior that was closing in on her. She shot another one when she felt a presence behind her. Drawing her sword, Ginny spun around only to come face to face with Harry."

"Ginny," he said.

Ginny said nothing. For a second, a tense silence passed between them. Finally, Ginny broke the silence and said, "Um, Harry. About what I said..."

"Ginny," said Harry as he beat off another Dementor Warrior. "Nothing you ever say is going to destroy the friendship between us. I admit that you took me by surprise but I really appreciate the fact that you finally came clean with me. And besides, now is not the right time!" Harry placed a swift kick into one of the Dementor Warriors and slashed into another one. Ginny couldn't help but smile at Harry, the tension between them completely dissolving away. She barely registered the fact that she had successfully stabbed another Dementor Warrior.

Although the Mage Knights had initially held the upper hand, the armies of Dementor Warriors simply kept on coming continuously, and the Mage Knights were starting to get overwhelmed. "We need reinforcements," said Harry as he blocked the blow of one of the Dementor Warriors.

Hermione slashed another Dementor Warrior and said, "They should be coming very soon. Don't worry." It was a minute later when they came.

Griffin Riders. The Mage Knight Griffin Riders of the Kingdom of Griffindor swooped down into the arena from the air, hundreds upon hundreds. The Gryffindor Mage Knights started to blast the Dementor Warriors away from atop their airborne beasts. "Well now, this is a good sight," called out the familiar voice of Lord Sirius Black as he landed his griffin right next to Harry and Hermione.

"Sirius." Harry quickly gave his godfather a brief hug.

"It's great to see that you're al right, Harry," said Sirius. Lord Remus Lupin also landed his griffin right next to them.

"Harry! Thank the One Deity you're all right," he said.

"I've never been better now that the people I love are here," Harry said. He took Hermione's hand and laced they laced their fingers together.

"Well, we're not the only ones," said Remus. "Dumbledore should be showing any minute with the Alliance armies. He's even got veteran Mage Knight Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody out of retirement to lead it this time."

"Excellent," said Harry. However, his smile instantly vanished when he saw something flying with the griffins. "Uh, Sirius, Remus, why is there a dragon with the griffins?"

"Dragon?" Sirius, Remus, and Hermione looked up into the air. There was indeed, a small dragon flying with the Griffin Riders, firing bursts of flame at the Dementor Warriors. A second later, the dragon landed right next to Harry and Hermione, and to their shock, it was carrying two small children.

"Ta-da!" proclaimed James, as he struck a heroic pose on the dragon's back. In front of him, Lin simply rolled her eyes as she pulled the reins on the dragon to bring it to a halt. The next moment, the twins leapt out a gleeful cry of "Dad!" and leapt onto Harry hugging him close.

Harry didn't know whether to be ecstatic or furious, so he opted for the former and hugged the twins close. Hermione chose to be furious.

"James! Lily! What are you two doing here?! This is war zone!" she said, putting on a very stern look.

"We just wanted to see Daddy," said Lin rather sheepishly. "It was James's idea, but he needed me because I'm the only one who can make Nomie listen."

"Look," said Harry. "I'm really happy to see you two again, but your mother is right. This is a war zone, its too dangerous for you two." He picked them up and placed them on Nomie's back. "Stay in the air and stay out of the way. At the first sign of trouble, fly back to Hogwarts as fast as you can."

James and Lin nodded and Nomie flew away. Soon, he was but a speck amongst the griffins. "Those children," Hermione spluttered. "I can't believe they'd actually do a stunt like that."

"What would you have expected from James?" said Harry. "So long as they stay in the air, they'll be safe. I just hope they have the sense to stay there." Hermione nodded and wistfully stared into the air.

The battle was still raging around them. Cultists had now joined the fight alongside the Dementor Warriors and were firing curses at the Griffin Riders. Harry and Hermione returned to the front of the battle as quick as they could go and started hacking at their enemies once more.

"This isn't going to work," hissed Harry. He glanced up at the balcony where Voldemort was seated, coolly looking over the battle. "The real enemy here is Voldemort, and that bloody Crystal of Tempest of his. Fighting his servants isn't going to end the war."

"Well, the answer to that is quite simply," said Draco from nearby. "Get the last two rings you need to destroy him. They're in that passway over there," he said, pointing to an opening in the stands.

Harry and Hermione stared at Draco. "Why didn't you tell us sooner," Hermione hissed.

"Draco shrugged and said, "You didn't ask." He turned back to the Dementor Warrior he was facing and slashed at its arm.

Hermione quickly glanced back at Harry and their eyes met. "Go!" shouted Harry. Without a second thought, Hermione took off, running as fast as her legs could carry her to the place where the last two rings needed to defeat Voldemort were hidden.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Did you like it? Did you really like it? Well review and tell me so. Also, you can read the first chapter of "Different Paths" on my Yahoo Group and on Schnoogle. The url to the story in Schnoogle is http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/E_C_R_Potter/Different_Paths/. Read, review and tell me what you think. Next: Hermione and Cassandra are going to duel for possession of the rings.

15. Duels

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 14: Duels

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Hermione soon made it to the opening that Draco had pointed out. It was about as tall end wide enough for a single person to enter, but it opened into a chamber about the size of the throne room in Godric's Hollow Palace. It was dark inside, the only source of light aside from the entrance, was a small light illuminating a podium in the center of the chamber.

'I wonder," Hermione thought. She slowly walked over to the podium until she was close enough to see what was on it in detail. Sure enough, there were two rings on the podium, an emerald one with a picture of dragon on it and a silver one with a picture of serpent.

"There they are," Hermione whispered to herself. She broke out into a run, trying to get to the rings as fast as she could. However, her sharp ears just barely caught the words, "Crucio!" being called out. Hermione barely leapt out of the way as the curse struck her earlier position, leaving a crater.

Cassandra Frost emerged from the shadows, looking menacing. "Not so fast, your majesty," she hissed. "I will not let everything I worked for crumble to dust over this."

"Oh, give me a break," Hermione muttered. She drew her sword out and held it in a battle ready position.

"If you wish to have a break than I will provide you with one. Imperio!" Cassandra shot the Imperius at Hermione. Hermione however placed a protective charm on her blade, and deflected the curse with her sword.

"Impressive," said Cassandra. She fired another curse of lightning at Hermione as Hermione shouted "Stupefy!" The two spells met in midair, clashed at each other with force, and ultimately dissolved away.

"Hmm," said Cassasndra. She started circling around Hermione. Hermione also started moving in a circular motion around Cassandra, her sword ever ready. With a swish of her arm, a thin rapier like sword appeared from no where in Cassandra's right hand. She held her sword downwards in a 180 degree angle from her arm while Hermione held her sword in a ninety degree angle upwards. The two women continued to circle each other for another tense second.

Without warning, Cassandra pranced forward and struck at Hermione. Hermione however was ready, and with a few twirls of her sword, blocked and deflected each one of Cassandra's blows. Catching Cassandra briefly off guard, Hermione spun around and swung her sword at Hermione. Cassandra blocked Hermione's blow and the two blades started rubbing against each other, neither one relenting.

"I'm impressed, your majesty," said Cassandra. "The last I heard, you were abysmal at sword play."

"Well, I'm afraid your information is a few years out of date," replied Hermione. She abruptly sprang back and swung her sword downward. Cassandra stepped back and avoided the blow. Hermione started parrying toward Cassandra, twirling her sword as Cassandra blocked and deflected every one of her blows. Cassandra swung her sword upwards and managed to hit Hermione's sword away, but Hermione hurriedly regained her balance and blocked another one of Cassandra's blows.

"You're quite good yourself," said Hermione, her neutral tone masking the fear and anxiety that was starting to build up. Hermione may have picked up a few sword skills during the years she was a Mage Knight, but she was no natural like Harry.

Cassandra smirked and said, "Oh, I could defeat a mudblood any time I wished."

Anger silently coursed through Hermione's veins. "Don't you dare call me that!" she hissed. She shoved Cassandra away with a burst of strength she never realized she had. Cassandra quickly regained her footing and the two women were once more parrying around, their swords hitting each other in a whirlwind of movement.

* * *

Outside, the battle was still raging on. "Where are the Alliance's reinforcements?" Draco hissed.

"They'll be here," Ron yelled. However, he was clearly starting to get a little anxious. There were uncountable multitudes of Dementor Warriors, and combined with the Children of Tempest, they were virtually unstoppable. The Griffin Riders, provided the ground Mage Knights with much needed support, but they were starting to get affected by the Dementor Warriors' depressing powers. Unless the Alliance armies showed up some time soon, they would be in deep trouble. "Dog gone it, Dumbledore, Moody, when are you getting here?" he mumbled.

"Oh no," said Ginny right next to him. Ron looked up to realize that he, Ginny, and Draco were now completely surrounded by Dementor Warriors and cut off from the other Mage Knights.

"No," he muttered. Slowly, the soul sucking powers of the Dementor Warriors started taking effect. Ron slumped to the ground as every horrible thing he had ever experienced started rushing into his head. "No," he whispered again, tears pricking at his eyes.

"No! Not again! Cho! Please no! Harry!" Right next to Ron, Ginny was barely conscious, the tears falling freely from her eyes. Draco was clearly the least affected by the Dementor Warriors as he fought back, but the panic filled look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was also being overwhelmed.

From nearby, Harry looked up to see Ron, Ginny, and Draco being surrounded by the Dementor Warriors. "Ron? Ginny? No!" Harry didn't have the time to conjure up a patronus and besides, he had no idea if one would work on a Dementor Warrior as well as it could work on a regular Dementor.

Desperately, Harry looked up into the air at the Griffin Riders. Sirius and Remus were too preoccupied fighting off curses fired by the cultists as were most of the other Griffin Riders. However, another flying creature caught his eye. "James! Lin!" he shouted.

Harry's two children looked toward Harry off of their dragon, Nomie's back.

"Can you make Nomie breathe flame?" he yelled.

"Of course, we can," said Lin. "Just stroke the Nomie's chin with an upward motion and he'll burst out fire. I've read all about dragons you know."

"Just tell us what you want to do, Dad!" shouted James.

Harry gestured toward the Ron, Ginny, and Draco. Getting the idea, James stroked Nomie's chin, causing the dragon to breathe a burst of flame toward the Dementor Warriors surrounding the three Mage Knights. At the same time, Harry shouted, "Reducto!" The combined fire and Reductor curse caused an explosion that blasted the Dementor Warriors away. Harry made it over to the three to find that they were barely conscious, but very much alive.

"Thanks," Ron whispered right before he passed out. Ginny and Draco soon followed.

Satisfied that his friends were OK, Harry stood up and turned around, only to come face to face with Voldemort. Silently, Harry drew his sword forward and placed it in a battle ready position. Voldemort already had his sword out and continued to glare at Harry, as their surroundings seemingly vanished. As far as they were concerned, at that moment all who existed were the Dark Lord and The Gryffindor King.

Voldemort was the first to strike, flailing his sword out. Harry blocked the first blow and deflected another one. He parried forward and made three downward swings at the Dark Lord, each one deflected. Voldemort caught the fourth one on his blade and the two swords started rubbing against each other.

"So it comes to this doesn't it, Potter?" said Voldemort. "At the end it always comes down to you and me." He pushed Harry back and struck at him with a few twirls of his sword. Harry deflected all the blows with a twirl of his own.

"This time, it's going to be the last time, Voldemort," said Harry. He spun around and tried to land a blow on the Dark Lord only to have it blocked. He tried a few more times, all of them deflected. "This is going to be the last duel between us!" said Harry.

"What makes you so sure," said Voldemort with a smirk. "Use those rings against me again and I will simply return, more powerful then before. The power of Tempest resides in me, I cannot be defeated." He struck at Harry a few more times and eventually pinned him to the wall.

"The One Deity is more powerful than Tempest can ever be," hissed Harry. "Hermione is going to find the last of the rings, and with them, we'll destroy the Crystal of Tempest once and for all!" He landed a swift kick on the Dark Lord's groin. Voldemort reeled back as Harry sprung away from the wall, swinging his sword around. Voldemort blocked every one of Harry's attacks.

"Don't be so sure," replied the Dark Lord. "Your mudblood wife isn't going to get the rings so easily!" He struck back at Harry with more fierceness. Harry barely managed to block every one of Voldemort's blocks. He then managed to ram the hilt of his sword into Voldemort's chin, causing him to rile back a little. The two parried around each other, the twirls of their swords getting faster and fiercer with every clang of metal.

* * *

Hermione meanwhile was starting to be worn out by Cassandra. "You're growing tired, aren't you mudblood?" taunted Cassandra. She twirled her sword around in a few more blows which Hermione barely managed to block.

"Now, whatever makes you think that, Miss Frost?" said Hermione as she deflected another one of Cassandra's blows. However, she was afraid that her face betrayed the true panic she was starting to feel. Cassasndra was clearly a better sword fighter than she was and Hermione couldn't last much longer.

Cassandra smirked and parried toward Hermione, her sword twirling around a lot more viciously. Hermione just managed to deflect every one of the blows, but she was clearly on the defensive now. One of Cassandra's attacks, deflected Hermione's sword away a little too widely. Not missing her chance, Cassandra struck at Hermione's right arm!

Hermione screamed in pain as the blade slashed through her arm. She lost her grip on her sword and it flew away with one "Expelliarmus!" from Cassandra. Fighting tears back, Hermione slumped to the floor as she clutched her bloody, wounded arm. With a nauseating jolt, Hermione realized that if it hadn't been for her armor, she could have very well have lost her arm.

Cassandra walked behind Hermione who was still on the arm, clutching her throbbing arm. Cassandra swept Hermione's long bushy, brown hair out of the way, leaving her neck exposed. With a sinister grin, Cassandra placed the blade of her sword on Hermione's exposed neck.

"Goodbye my mudblood Queen," she said. "Give my regards to your mudblood mother in law."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Cliffhanger! Mu ha ha ha ha ha!!! I am so evil! Review and I just might put the next chapter up quicker. The next chapter to could very much be the last chapter of this fic, and then there's the epilogue. Next: The battle continues and the two duels come to an end. But how does it end?

Colonel-DCR: (sarcastically) Thanks for reminding me, Dad. But I would've preferred it if you had e-mailed me. Capt.Coran Horn Jedi Knight: Go on ahead. Just remember to give credit to me and I won't complain at all!

16. End of it All...

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Chapter 15: End of it All...

Grinning sinisterly, Cassandra raised her sword up fully intending to behead Hermione right there. For an awful moment, it looked like Hermione had finally been defeated. She was simply sitting there apparently in a daze. However, just as Cassandra's sword came swiping down, Hermione ducked and avoided the blade.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted. Cassandra's eyes widened in shock and surprise ad her sword flew out of her hand and into Hermione's hand. She didn't have time to blink as Hermione spun around and stabbed her in the abdomen. Hermione stood up and said, "Accio." Her own sword flew into her other hand of the arm that had been wounded by Cassandra. While Cassandra had been taunting her, Hermione had been secretly applying healing charms to her wounded arm.

"You won't be waiting for long," hissed Hermione. "Your master will be joining you soon." With that, she slashed Cassandra's throat, cutting her life short.

Hermione fell to the ground panting with exhaustion and on the verge of crying. She absolutely loathed taking a life but Cassandra Frost had given her no choice. At the moment, Hermione simply wanted to curl up and sob her feelings of guilt and remorse away, preferably in Harry's arms. 'Harry,' she reminded herself. 'He's still fighting outside.'

Hermione wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes and stood up. Slowly, she made it over to the podium where the last of the rings of the One Deity were. She reached her hand over the rings.

With a flash of light, the rings disappeared off the podium and reappeared on Hermione's fingers. 'That's all of them,' she thought. A new feeling of determination welled up inside her. 'Now to finish the threat of Tempest once and for all!'

* * *

Meanwhile, the Alliance military had finally arrived and were now laying siege to the coliseum. Commanding the army on horseback were two older men. One of them was of course Albus Dumbledore. The other man had a peg leg, a face covered with scars, and a magical eye. He was Alastar "Mad- Eye" Moody, a retired veteran Mage Knight whom had been called back into duty to lead the final battle against the Dark Lord.

"Archers Fire!" he screamed. Alliance archers fired their arrows into the coliseum taking down the remaining cultists on the walls and stands. Catapults also released their projectiles, causing great damage to the coliseum. Meanwhile, the battering rams were still working to break down the great doors.

"Come on! Come on! Work it up! Them Mage Knights need our help in there," yelled Moody at the battering rams. The battering rams started working harder, but they still could not bring the heavy-set doors down.

Suddenly, Moody heard a throat being cleared behind him. Moody turned around to see Severus Snape standing there.

"Allow me," said Snape. He pulled out a small vial containing a dark gray potion and tossed it at the doors. There was a huge explosion, and the doors came tumbling down.

Moody was speechless for a second while Dumbledore beamed at a smug looking Snape. Moody quickly recovered and shouted, "Charge!" Alliance cavalry and infantry charged into the coliseum to aid the much-overwhelmed Mage Knights. Soon, the tide of the battle had turned against the Children of Tempest.

However, there were two swordsmen completely oblivious to the battle raging around them. Harry and Voldemort were now dueling on the very stands of the coliseum, the swords whirling around in high speeds with clashes of metal.

Voldemort swung his sword up in an upward movement, deflecting Harry's sword away. "It ends now. Avada Kedavra!" he shouted. Harry rolled out of the way, avoiding the green light.

"Oh, so now we've moved onto the killing curse have we?" said Harry. He readied his sword into a battle ready position.

"This is the end!" screamed Voldemort. "Victory is mine, in the name of Tempest! Avada Kedavra!"

Harry avoided the killing curse by leaping in the air. He somersaulted and landed behind the Dark Lord. He spun around, swinging his sword out. Voldemort flicked his sword behind his back and blocked Harry's blow. Harry twirled his sword around into a battle ready position as Voldemort spun around, his own sword lifted in a battle ready position. The two duelers circled around each other, their glaring eyes burning into each other.

Harry struck first, thrusting his sword out in a sudden move. Voldemort deflected the blow and stuck at Harry with and downward strike. Harry blocked the sword and spun around, lashing his sword out. This attack was also blocked. The two duelers continued lashing out at each other, their swords moving faster and faster in a whirlwind of motion. However, Harry was now starting to get exhausted.

"You're tiring, Potter," taunted Voldemort. "It looks as if I will be the victor this time. Avada Kedavra!" Harry leapt out of the way and landed on a low wall near by. He quickly regained his balance as Voldemort also made his way onto the wall.

"We'll see who is victor," hissed Harry. He let out a cry and swung his sword down at Voldemort. The Dark Lord avoided the first blow by backing away and blocked the second. He backed away a little more, clearly intending to send a curse at Harry. Harry braced himself for Voldemort's curse. Voldemort grinned and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Harry, whom had been expecting the killing curse was caught by surprise and his sword flew out of his hand.

Voldemort swung at Harry but Harry ducked and avoided the blade. He rammed his fist into the Dark Lord's gut as hard as he could, causing Voldemort to reel back. This gave Harry the time to edge away from Voldemort and summon his sword. Harry's was panting rather heavily and was having a hard time catching his breath.

"You can't win," said Voldemort. "Even if by some stroke of luck you win this duel, I will come back even more powerful. Before the power of Tempest, none can stand. Tempest is undefeatable!"

"Well that's about to change," said a voice from behind.

"What?" Voldemort spun around to see Hermione there with rings. With a flash, have of the rings disappeared off of Hermione's fingers and reappeared on Harry's fingers.

"This is the day history changes," said Hermione. "This is the day the war between us and you, good and evil, the One Deity and Tempest ends once and for all." She raised her hands up, as did Harry.

"No," said Voldemort. For the first time ever, he truly looked frightened. "NO! Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione rolled out of the way and readied herself next to Harry. The two tried to gather power into the rings. Unfortunately, another killing curse from the Dark Lord.

"NO!" screamed Voldemort. "I am Tempest Incarnate! I am invincible! You cannot defeat me! You will never defeat me!" He charged at the couple, his sword raised in front of him. Hermione was knocked out of the way but Harry blocked the blow on his sword.

"Its over," said Harry. "One way or another it's all going to end here, today." He pushed back and rammed his hilt into Voldemort's chin. The Dark Lord reeled back but soon recovered and started lashing out at Harry.However, he was clearly letting his emotions control him and Harry now had no problem deflecting all of the blows.

Voldemort finally landed one particulary nasty blow on Harry's sword, causing Harry to buckle a little. However, Harry suddenly uppercutted the Dark Lord's right hand with his left hand, causing Voldemort's sword to fly into the air. Faster than an eye could blink, Harry grabbed the sword and stabbed it into Voldemort's abdomen!

Voldemort backed away a little, clearly in shock. This finally bought enough time for Hermione to pull herself up and rejoin Harry. Voldemort stared at them in shock and fear as Harry and Hermione lifted their hands and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

What emerged was not a scarlet and gold griffin like the time when only two rings were used. All eight rings together produced a dazzling light, brighter and more brilliant than any ever seen before and music, majestic to the ear and yet soothing somehow. In a flash, the light engulfed the Dark Lord.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" screamed Voldemort as his body crumbled up into dust, leaving behind only the Crystal of Tempest. A shadowy wraith slowly emerged from the crystal and a small writhing voice cried out, "One Deity! Why do you still stop me from having what I want?!" With that, the shadowy form of Tempest dissolved away in thin air.

Not satisfied yet, Harry took up his sword and with one swipe, shattered the Crystal of Tempest into pieces. Thus the threat of Voldemort and of Tempest was eliminated off of Magiterran once and for all, for the last time.

Harry took a deep breath and sat on the ground. "This had better be the last time," he muttered. He felt Hermione snake her arms around him from behind.

"I'm sure this is the last time, love," said Hermione. "After all, I'm sure even Dark Lord's get tired."

Harry smiled and tilted his head around to face Hermione. Their lips met in a sweet, blissful, and passionate kiss that left them breathless. As far as they were concerned, thye didn't want this kiss to end, but like all of their previous kisses the issue for air had to finish it.

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" said Harry.

"Quite often," said Hermione with a smile. Harry would've kissed her again if a small dragon hadn't suddenly landed right next to them. Lin and James leapt into their parents' arms, laughing in glee.

"You did it!" yelled James with a laugh. "You won! We won! We won!"

"Oh Dad, Mum, I'm so glad you're both OK," sobbed Lin. Hermione hugged their daughter close as Harry spun their son around.

The coming of the children and served as a prelude for larger crowds that now drew near the Royal Family. Ron and Ginny had recovered and were now giving their fellow Mage Knights hugs and backslaps as Draco stood nearby, cool as ever. The Griffin Riders had landed, including Sirius and Remus and they were all now congratulating Harry and Hermione and cheering. The Alliance army had just moped up the last of the cultists and was now letting out a victory cry.

"Well done!" said Dumbledore as he and Moody made their way over to Harry and Hermione, "I knew you could do it!"

However, Harry and Hermione's attention was centered on the figure of Hagrid lumbering toward them, with little Virginia sitting on his shoulder. "Daddy! Mommy!" she cried with glee. Hagrid let her down and she ran up to Harry, hugging him tight as her small arms could.

"Hello, little one," said Harry. "I missed you." Hermione led the twins over to Harry and Virginia and the Potters gathered into a family group hug. Around them, Mage Knights and Alliance soldiers were cheering while Ron released fireworks into the air.

"Where did you get those?" asked Ginny.

"From Fred and George," said Ron with a grin. "I paid them a visit before the battle, thought I'd prepare for the victory party."

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were still having a private moment with their children. "Is it all over?" asked Hermione. "Is it really over this time?"

"That depends on your definition of over," said Harry. "The war against Tempest is over, but the rest of our lives is just beginning."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N Could everyone please do me a favor? Please go read and review the works of Colonel-DCR a.k.a. my Dad. He's posted an original western on FF.net. Just check my favorite authors list in my author's section. Thanks a lot. Next: Epilogue.

17. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.

This chapter is dedicated to Richard Harris. God bless his soul.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Epilogue

5 years later.

"I'm going to be a Mage Knight today! I'm going to be a Mage Knight today!" yelled 11 year old James as he tore through the hallways of Godric's Hollow Palace with a look of pure joviality. He apparently didn't seem to care about the fact that it was barely dawn and most of the palace was still fast asleep. Or at least, they were until the crown prince came racing by their hallways shouting at the top of his lungs.

"What's all that shouting?" said a yawning Lin Potter as she emerged from her bedroom, still in her nightgown.

"I'm going to be a Mage Knight! I'm going to be a Mage Knight!" yelled James as he zoomed passed his twin sister.

"Well actually, we only become squires today to begin our Mage Knight training at Hogwarts. The actual promotion to Mage Knight is going to happen for a few years," said Lin with a smirk.

"Oh fine! Spoil my fun!" said James while crossing his arms.

"That's what you get for disturbing my sleep," said Lin. James stuck his tongue out at her.

"What's going on here?" asked a sleepy looking 10 year old Virginia as she came out of her room, also still in her nightgown and clutching a stuffed bear.

"James is sugar high," said Lin.

"I am not!" said James rather heatedly. "I'm just excited that we're finally going to get go to Hogwarts today. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"You can say that again," said Lin. "These past few years it's been nothing but, 'when do we go to Hogwarts? When do we go to Hogwarts? When do we get to become Mage Knights?' Gave me plenty of headaches." James decided to ignore his sister.

"I'm going to miss you two," said Victoria. "It's really not going to be the same around here without you two. I don't know if I'll cope." She started to get a little teary eyed.

"There, there now," said James with a soothing voice while Lin rubbed Virginia's back. "It'll only be one year until you join us at Hogwarts. Than, it'll be the three of us once again."

"Four, if we include Chris Weasley," said Lin. This brightened Virginia up considerably.

"Take care of Nomie while I'm away, OK," said Lin.

"Or at least until we convince Dumbledore to allow us to keep a dragon on school grounds," said James. "Hagrid will love that."

"It's against the rules!" said Lin rather icily.

"But you know it's what you want," said James with a trademark Potter grin, that caused even his sisters to stutter a little.

"Where are Dad and Mom anyway?" asked Lin, changing the subject. "Didn't James's childish display wake them up as well as the rest of the castle?" James stuck his tongue out at Lin again.

"I'm not sure," said Virginia. "I stopped by their room and they had silencing charms on the doors, not to mention they were locked."

"Grandpa Sirius says to just leave them alone when it's like that. He's says Dad and Mom will explain it to us when we're ready, whatever that means," said James.

At that moment, Harry and Hermione emerged from a nearby hall, still dressed in their nightclothes and their hair messier than usual. Despite the fact that their two older children were leaving for Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione were in an unusually good mood.

"Good morning children," said Hermione. She bent down and kissed first James then Lin on the forehead. "I'm going to miss you two. My angels are growing up too fast."

"Oh, we'll come back by Yule," said James. "And besides you two practically live at Hogwarts whenever there's a Mage Knight emergency."

"Except those Mage Knight emergencies are very few now, especially after the Children of Tempest were defeated," said Harry. "I suppose that's a good thing. It means peace is finally coming back to Magiterran."

"I don't understand," said Lin. "If peace is coming back, why do we still need Mage Knights?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know how to explain that, but we'll always need Mage Knights to keep the peace, to put it in simple terms. The one of biggest mistakes a nation can make is to relax and laze off during a time of peace, because otherwise, they'll be caught unprepared when evil return. Because it will return, one way or another. If there is one unbreakable law, it's that evil never cease to exist." Harry smiled at his older daughter. "There, did that help answer your question?"

"A little, yes. Thank you, Dad," said Lin.

"Well then come on, we need to get you children dressed," said Hermione.

"I can take care of that," said Harry. He clapped his hands two hands and with a flash of light, their clothes were changed. Harry was dressed in his usual Mage Knight armor and Hermione was now in royal, violet robes and a golden tiara. The children were also now dressed in royal clothing of scarlet and white.

"Hmm, I really should learn that spell some tiem," said Hermione. Harry grinned at her.

* * *

A few hours later, the twins were packed and ready to go.

"Remember to write to us as soon as you get there," said a tearful Hermion as she hugged the twins close.

"We will, Mum. I promise," said Lin. She and James held onto Hermione another few seconds before they turned to Harry.

"Take care," he said while he ruffled the twins' hair. "And remember to wreck havoc in Snape's classes."

"Oh, we'll remember all right," said James with a mischievious grin. He gave Harry a high five and a hug. Lin also hugged Harry before she went over to pat Nomie whom was now as big as a house.

Only about a hour later, James and Lin were at Hogwarts, Virginia was at Ron's place playing with Chris, and Harry and Hermione were making their way back to Godric's Hollow. As they made their way back, Hermione stiffled a sob.

"You're not getting sentimental are you?" asked Harry.

"I suppose I am," said Hermione. "Their growing up so fast. It only seems like yesterday when they were so small and adorable. Before I even realizing, their going to have me take care of the gandchildren."

"Whoa! One step at a time! They haven't even become Mage Knights yet."

"It's going to pass quickly," said Hermione. She started thinking for a few minutes before she said, "Harry, do you really believe that evil will never truly be banished."

Harry sighed and said, "Yes. I suppose that's why it's called the never- ending war. But I'm sure our part is over now."

"Do you really think it's fair, passing this burden along to them? They don't deserve that."

"No one does," said Harry. It was their choice to make, not ours. They're the ones who decided to take on that life."

"I know. I'm just worried. Motherly instincts I suppose."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm feeling the very same fatherly insticnts." Harry grinned at her and said, "Now, I just want to sit back and enjoy the rest of our lives together."

"No how can I resist that?" said Hermione with a smile. Their lips met into a long passionate kiss. When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless.

"You know I love you right?" said Hermione.

"I know. I love you too."

"I'm just going to continue reminding you that I love you, for the rest of our lives and beyond."

"Oh? Really? Even beyond?" said Harry with a grin.

"That's right, because you're stuck with me, Harry Potter."

"How can I say no to that, Hermione Potter?" Hermione's answer was another kiss.

THE END

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N That's it! That's the end. Finished! Concluded! Ended! Comprende? It's over! Thank you so much to all of my readers who never abandoned me through this story. It was because of you lot that I was actually able to complete this story.

If you go to Schnoogle or my Yahoo Group, you can read my latest story, "Different Paths". I MIGHT post this story on fanfiction.net some day but I have no immediate plans to do so. So if you want to read my next story, I'm advising you to go to my Yahoo Group or Schnoogle.

Once again, Thank you so much for sticking with me on this story. It has been a joy to write, and I am truly overjoyed to have written it.