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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.

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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.

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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.

!!