Harry Potter - Another Dark Lord

Grasses bowed lightly. The night was young. Iron cages shook with force. The five dragons woke up from their slumber. Their developed senses alerted them of imminent danger. They had to get out. Something was coming for them. The Swedish Short-Snout bathed its metal bars with flames. The cage glowed red. The magical runes brightened the campsite.

Waving their wands with stunner, all the wizards present tried to stop the starting rampage. One reinforced bar bent with more than a ninety-degree angle. The large Romanian Longhorn pressed its left horn's base against the metal. The weight and resulting pressure broke the magic. The cage couldn't contain the dragon. Extending its wings the beast couldn't finish its movement. The fifty magical reserve agents focused on this creature.

Changing tactic, the wizards gathered around the 'free' dragon. Conjuring chains and weight, they divide their group for one part to immobilize the target and the other to stun it. The stratagem showed results as the Romanian Longhorn struggled to lift chains nailed to the ground. The wizards cheered up. They succeeded. The dragon was put to sleep. They didn't have the time to lower their arms when a large explosion sent wood and iron parts flying through the camp.

The Hungarian Horntail slammed its tail against the nearest wizard. Still attached by an iron chain, the dragon raged. Its flame assaulted the wizard group. Repeating their previous tactic, the reserve agent tried to subdue the beast. Unknown to them, the injured wizard had disappeared. Shielding from the flame, the front line wizard erected walls of mud and water to protect the back-line.

The stunner and chains started by dozen, they flew and percussed the beast only to enrage it further. One reserve wizard couldn't maintain his shield. His robe caught fire. His skin suffered under the flame before water could extinguish the fire. Breathing hard, the wounded was put behind the back-line. The Hungarian Horntail was tiring, but continued to swing its claw and tail while its sharp fang knacked on one unfortunate wizard.

Screaming and crying, the rag-doll of wizard's body impacted the earth, rocks, trees, the Chinese Fireball's cage and it lost its voice. The reserve agents couldn't understand what caused such a fury in the creature's mind. The strength and vitality it displayed were far higher from its usual performance. Another rain of stunner and conjured spikes fell on the beast. Desperation lingered in its eyes as it couldn't get up anymore.

Not celebrating like the first time, the wizards hurried to the other cages. Less than half a dozen were still present. The dragons were silent. One of the wizard called for his team leader. There was no response. The campsite was quiet. Turning right and left, the reserve agents counted their number once again. Something was off. Where was the injured, thought the remaining wizards.

Charlie Weasley took out a large bottle of Sleeping Draught. Feeding the Hungarian Horntail, the redhead made sure the beast would stay asleep for the last night in the Forbidden Forest. Lowering his posture, he touched a deep cut between the serpentine scales. No spell of them could have done this kind of cut, he thought. Calling for one the standing dragonologist, the redhead wanted to examine the creature to search for the cause of their frenzy. The lack of response forced him to get up. Scanning around him, Charlie frown. He was alone.

Thin but strong hands grabbed the wizard neck from behind. White fingers clawed deep in his throat. Unable to resist, the redhead suffocated as his lungs couldn't find any air. Another pair of coldness gripped the wizard's legs and arms. Silent tears watered his face. He wanted to scream. He couldn't. He was dying. He couldn't move. It was cold. Only a fastening bump reverberated in his ears. It accelerated. The noise stopped. He was no more.

Still invisible, a floating shape waved its hands. Tendrils of darkness plunged the earth. The remaining cages broke in silence. Green light covered the dragons. One by one, scales peeled off. The beasts didn't react. Their blood gathered in a swirling tornado. Fleshes and muscles fell from the creatures' bones. The red liquid entered a dozen of conjured containers.

Free of the living shell, blue flames burned in the empty eye-sockets. Clawing around, the giant skeletons slashed at the wandering corpses around the campsite while avoiding to damage their faces. Flames from above scorched parts of the ground and camp. The fire avoided all the body remnant except for one. The redhead was reduced to ashes. With a wind blow, all the smoke exited the empty campsite.

HP - Another Dark Lord

Bluebirds flapped their wings. Flying in circles, the animals chirped many salutes to the rising sun. Touching the earth with his hand only, a student kept his body rigid when some of the morning birds rested on his feet. Sweat started to form a small puddle under his head. Gritting his teeth, the wizard focused his magic on his clothes once again. Like the rest of the modified tissues, shoes gained another centimeter thick of lead.

Resisting the pressure for a minute, Mikhael increased the metallic layer covering his clothes by another notch. His muscles slightly trembled as he lowered himself. Nearly touching the ground with his nose, the student started to rise once more. The bird chirped with anxiety before flying away. Thirty-seven seconds just finished when a foreign mass of forty-five kilos jumped and glued itself to the training wizard.

Contracting all his back muscles at the same time as his hands stepped back, Mikhael succeeded to equilibrate himself despite the new constraint. His fingers clawed halfway into the earth. Leaning backward to compensate the newcomer's mass, he found the right position to keep balance and continue his training. He was almost finished. The total weight reached four hundred and sixty kilos.

The superhuman strength gained from ritual started with a fraction of the sacrificed mountain troll's power. The ability started around a lift of two hundred kilos, but now, it had more than double. Going down another round, the student forced his arms to extend for one last set. As he fell and rose, the intruder hummed a song, still clinched to the wizard's body.

With a sigh, Mikhael started hand walking toward the lake. A girl screamed. The cold water refreshed his body as green light repaired his muscles. He canceled his magic. Clothes absorbed water, but no metallic layers remained. Enjoying his rest, the student watch as the intruder exited the water as fast as possible. Luna glared at Mikhael. Sticking her tongue out she stepped back before sprinting forward.

Jumping in the air, the witch almost touched the lake surface when her body just stopped. The wizard magic hovered the blond girl one centimeter above the water. Reflecting the witch drench body, the water condensed. Taking a shade of white, small crystals glued together under the girl's feet. The newly platform floated on the water. Taking a surfing posture, Luna waited as Mikhael grabbed the ice.

Canceling the magic to let the witch touch the solid platform, Mikhael spent half an hour pushing around the improvised flat iceberg in the black lake. Fishes avoided the duo path, but some were caught by the girl's hands. Releasing her game just after the capture the witch marked the ice with three bars. Luna didn't hesitate to plunge into the water to surprise the giant squid. Keeping her head in the water, she formed air bubbles as she screamed with all her might. Mermish she said when asked. Both exited the lake with lips up-risen.

HP - Another Dark Lord

Scents of cooked meals and hot drinks filled the Great Hall. Owls of gray, brown and white feathers flew through the room. Newspapers fell on the students' tables between the bowls of fried eggs and bacons plates. The morning Daily Prophet was different from the previous day, it was a last-minute edition with an intriguing title, 'Weasley thievery'.

Reading only the articles titles and keywords, Mikhael scanned the students crowd, but found no redhead from this very family. They probably were with the headmaster, thought the green robe. Like many of his house-mate, the orphan filled his plate with food, but unlike some, his pudding was stolen as soon as it was retrieved. The thief gobbed the sweet desserts in a few spoons.

The fifth pudding was removed from his plate, but Luna couldn't keep the cadence. She rested for five seconds before attacking the dessert. Her belly was full. The challenge wasn't finished. The witch stared with hesitation to the seventh pudding. Despite the small smirk on her friend's face, she was going to forfeit. Yet, she found solace when Mikhael's attention was caught by a green robe standing up. As stealthy as possible, she waved her wand.

Glancing at his table, Draco slammed the newspaper on the wooden surface. Few heads turned toward him. A white pudding floated back to the central plate. Scanning right and left, the standing green robe saw Potter approaching the table. Half-whispering half-laughing, Draco gesture his hands, pointing to a moving photo of redheads. " My father always knew those blood-traitors were up to no good. ", the blond wizard showed his white teeth.

" Poverty forced that Weasley to kill his coworker... ", Draco was cut off.

" Shut up Malfoy ! ", facing his rival, the young champion restrained himself to not draw his wand out. A white pudding was grabbed by Mikhael.

Draco wanted to shame that family further before Potter ruined his momentum, but he had expected that exact reaction. Passing one hand in his hair, the blond wizard picked up the Daily Prophet. Not breaking eye contact with his rival, he browsed the newspaper before showing an article to his neighbors. Pansy chuckled while Vincent and Gregory almost threw up half eaten-pancakes.

" Look there, some articles on you and your glory whore. ", fingers pointed at an animated image of Harry embracing Hermione in the champion tent. Mikhael didn't reach that far in the newspaper as he had been feeding pudding to the younger witch.

" Leave her alone ferret ! ", Harry lifted his wand. The moment the savior moved his arm, five green robes reacted in unison. Draco didn't bother to move as Pansy, Vincent, Gregory, Theodor, Blaise were ready. In front of such a numerical disadvantage, Harry only stepped back but kept his aim at the standing wizard. Upper Slytherins followed the young champion's escape with annoyed looks.

" Right, go with your tail between your legs as you did with the first task. ", Draco sat down. He noticed his head of house approaching.

" You... ", Harry couldn't retort as his view was blocked.

" Draco, don't disturb our guests' breakfasts, and ten points from you Potter. Like your father, you not only seek attention, but also challenge the school's security. ", Snape didn't look back when he mentioned Draco. With an impassible gaze, he lowered the savior wand. The glowing tip dimmed down.

" But... ", for a second the champion's iris turn red.

" Another ten points for responding to a professor Potter. Stop being a nuisance for once. ", crossing his arms, the potion professor continued as the red robe was walking away. " The headmaster expect your presence in his office. ", Snape returned to the professor's table, sitting next to Karkaroff. Both men whispered while glancing at the two champions present this morning.

Mikhael didn't see Fleur nor Viktor or Cedric in the Great Hall. They were probably trying to decipher the clue from the golden egg, thought the student. He didn't intent to make the first step. It would be rude. The female champion would only see this, as him looking down on her ability. Taking another plate of sausages, the green robe returned to his reading.

The degrading fortune from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families was no secret, but Skeeker found a way to make it look even worst. Their poverty gave birth to a deviant according to the reporter. Living in such a strange house with only second-hand clothes and supplies made Charlie Weasley sought refuge in animals, or more precisely, dragons. To escape this life, this second eldest son of Arthur Weasley worked as a Dragonologist in a reserve in Romania.

The relationsh.i.p.s between that man and the scaly creatures weren't explicitly said, but Rita's way of writing implied some deeper connections. After witnessing their suffering during the first task, Charlie was aggravated. A photo of him tending the Chinese Fireball ill.u.s.trated the newspaper. The last words he said that day were to his younger brother Ronald. 'I'll take care of the dragons, they need help.', the article bold the citation. Such a sentence was heavy of sense now that Charlie had disappeared with those beasts, leaving behind his dead coworkers.

Mikhael finished the newspaper, but only two pages were focused on the actual first task. The first one, entirely for Potter on how such a young wizard of twelve survived the task while the second page summarized the other four contestants' participation. Feeling a weight on his shoulder, the orphan grabbed an apple. After peeling away the skin, he sliced the fruit in eight parts. Lifting his arm, the fruit's portion was bitten.

" One day, will you tell me everything ? ", Luna's arm picked up another part.

HP - Another Dark Lord

Students entered a large room. The school caretaker was waiting for them. Next to him was his cat laying on the base of a two man-size gramophone. As the crowd of wizards and witches filled the place, McGonagall entered by another door. With her stern look, she separated the group. On the left side of the room, the girls had to sit while on the right were the boys.

Unlike many lessons, this special class regrouped all the fourth-year till the seventh. The transfiguration professor waited for all to be in place before starting her speech. " The yule ball has been a tradition of the tri-wizard tournament since its inception. On Christmas eve night we and our guests gather in the great hall for well mannered-frivolity. ", McGonagall paused to glare at Draco who stopped whispering to Mikhael.

" As representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the yule ball is first and foremost... a dance. ", beaming with joy, the professor let the students understand their situation. Groans emerged from the boys in red robes who were listening on. The girls seemed a lot more excited.

" Silence. The house of Godrick Griffindore has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons. ", she advanced in the room center. Biting her lips, she hesitated to further reprimand her house. The Slytherin and the Ravenclaw students wore calm expressions while the Hufflepuff didn't hide their anticipations.

" Now to dance is to let the body breathe, inside every girl a secret swan slumbers longing to burst forth and take flight. ", the main entrance was opened. Four redheads with one celebrity and a blond wizard rejoined the red robes. Seeing their depressive attitude, McGonagall paused to close the door.

" Inside every boy a lordly lion prepared to prance. Mr Weasly, will you join me. ", she grabbed Ron and pulled him up to dance. Not understanding immediately what was going on, the redhead put no resistance. " Now, place your right hand on my waist. ", the professor smiled as Ron colored his cheeks red. A wolf whistle came from the crowd. Potter and the late group kept applauding.

The music started. At the professor's signal, the girls instantly stood up and walked forward. Most of the boys were still seated. Mikhael, followed by Neville, Draco and Blaise stepped forward. As the first to rise, they could choose their partner except for Draco who was taken by Pansy. Kissing Daphne's knuckles, Mikhael took one of her hands while the other wrapped around her waist.

Following the music's tempo with the one two three steps McGonagall showed them, the first couple was rejoined by new ones.

HP - Another Dark Lord

Deep into the forest, the ambient magic dimmed. The wards around Hogwarts reached far around the castle and allowed the magic to gather and regenerate faster inside that zone. A herd of half-human half-horse sprinted between brown trunks and green bushes. They were hunting some giant spiders that stepped in their territory. Extending their bows to shot arrows, they didn't notice the invisible presence above their head.

Not waiting for the centaurs to left, the disillusioned wizard flapped his invisible wings to stand above the trees. In his mind, a cold but raging sea covered by dark clouds surrounded a triangle structure of stone and iron. That place was far away, dark and isolated. Not willing to spend more magic than necessary, Mikhael twisted space. A thin tube of irregularities pressing hard from all directions transported a shadow through the country.

Feeling the ground under his feet, the wizard focused on the sea in front of him. The salted air c.a.r.e.s.sed his face. He didn't need to follow memories of a boat traveling through the waves to find his path. The ambient magic tasted fouler the closer he was to his destination. Flying above the water, the intruder didn't activate the Anti-Disapparition Jinx covering the zone.

The few jailers patrolling the different levels of the wizard's prison shivered. They didn't know why, their bodies reacted by instinct. Fastening the dinner distribution, the jailers accelerated to gather at the prison's bottom. There they exchanged confused looked. The twenty jailers formed two columns of ten wizards. Behind them, dark wraiths descended by dozen and floated in silence.

The metallic entrance creaked. Nothing was there, but all bowed low. Their minds couldn't refuse. They obeyed. Fixing the ground, the felt wind passing. Something tickled their minds. They knew who was there. All attempts to resist ceased. Their bodies relaxed. The jailers stood up. Not watching the newcomer's presence they departed, matching each step as one entity.

Dementors followed the disillusioned wizard in silence. Walking from the bottom level to the top one, Mikhael visited each cell. The prisoners' minds blurred as they noticed the wraiths abnormal presence. Going back to a maximum-security cell, the visitor stopped to watch a hollowed inmate. Time had degraded the woman. Her thick, dark hair were no more. Only dim dark colored her head.

" Come ", the green robe waved his arm. The chains restraining the witch splatter the ground. Eying the metallic bars, the cell opened.

" My lord ? ", Bellatrix crawled. Reaching the newcomer, she started kissing the two feet. " Is it time ? ", her frame trembled under the starring black orbs. The cell shut down. The witch followed the wizard to the prison's roof. " I'm so happy my lord. ", the inmate tried to kiss once more the wizard feet. An invisible barrier prevented her to do so. Facing the element at the top of the stone structure, the wizard retrieved the witch wand from a wraith's hand.

Whispering something to the creatures, Mikhael deployed his artificial wings. The dark guardian bowed as the wizard flew away with the prisoner. During the flight, the tattered clothes the witch wore changed into a black robe. Delighted, Bellatrix spouted her devotion, wanting to prove herself. Her memories kept degrading. Who she served in the past faded away. Only who she was now was important.

Reaching the coast, the flying wizard grabbed the witch's arm before distorting space. Disillusioned, Mikhael and Bellatrix appeared in one corner of the Knockturn Alley. Casting an illusion covering both faces, the duo bought real clothes for the witch before they entered the light alley. Hiding her face with a hat, Bellatrix stayed calm when ministry security agents controlled her. Under an unforgivable, they only saluted her before forgetting the meeting.

Entering Gringotts Wizarding Bank, the prisoner walked proudly. The hall, empty of other customers reverberated with the goblins counting golds and funds. Not lifting their noses out of their occupation they continued writing down some numbers or weighing some gold and silver. Bellatrix approached the nearest desk. Not showing her face, she whispered her purpose coming here and showed her wand. The goblin accepted everything she said.

Under a dark curse, the goblin manager brought the witch to her vault. The small goblin-driven cart sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. When the cart's seats dropped, Mikhael descended with his wings to follow the goblin guide. Gornuk was his name. The goblin took a particular bell to make a dragon squealed in pain as the beast was trained to match this sound with dolor.

The group soon reached their destination, the Lestrange Vault. Gornuk put his whole hand on the metallic entrance. The vault's door melted away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armors, the skins of strange creatures, some with long spines, others with drooping wings, potions in jeweled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown.

Bellatrix entered the vault and retrieved a small golden cup with some Galleons. " You did well Bellatrix. ", the disillusioned wizard took the founder relic, the Hufflepuff's Cup. The witch bit her tongue to not show her appreciation since it was her master order for this mission. The cursed object reeked of dark magic. The legacy of Helga Hufflepuff was said to possess many magical power before being tainted with a soul partition.

Mikhael traced temporal runes with his finger on the golden cup. The two finely-wrought handles were decorated with the form of Eihwaz to strengthen the stability. He didn't want to damage the relic as he did with the diadem. The badger engraved on the side and a few jewels were covered with ice runes, Isaz to contain the traces it left behind. Keeping the goblin under his spell, the wizard also wiped some memories and replaced the blank spaces with fake ones.

That Horcrux was encased inside a transparent container before the group returned to the surface. While Bellatrix had to keep a low profile and find a hideout for the time being, Mikhael played with the goblins' minds. Their warriors and smiths of their kind weren't in the bank but resided underground cities. Gornuk helped the wizard to have a global vision of their society. As an account manager that goblin had limited knowledge about forging, but he knew the residence of many.

Spending the night traveling underground with Gornuk, the ritual adept stayed in stealth the whole time. Meeting with the different goblins' occupation couldn't speed up. If he forced Gornuk to meet a smith right away it would have been too suspicious. The creature guards sniffed the air, but didn't stop Gornuk at the city entrance. Similar to the surface, the goblin's urban place was filled with shops, but their buildings were carved in the earth itself.

Passing by an apothecary to get some medicine, Gornuk browsed the shelves of herbs and glowing rocks. The wizard knew he had a few minutes free to ransack the smith next door. By luck, the goblin was alone while forging a knife blade. No customers were present at that time. Another unforgivable left the green robe body to control the small humanoid. Continuing his craft, the goblin didn't fight the intrusion inside his mind.

HP - Another Dark Lord

A bronze eagle-shaped knocker moved its beak as students with blue and bronze robe responded to riddles. The door frame revealed for an instant a tight spiral staircase before closing down. Unlike the password used with the other house, the Ravenclaw tower was accessible if the person willing to enter resolved a riddle. Such a mechanism had been put in place to emulate the student's curiosity rather than protecting their common room.

" If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't got me. What am I ? ", the bird knocker turned its head toward the newcomer.

" I don't wish to lose my secrets. ", Mikhael waited for the door to open fully before entering the spiral staircase. He didn't expect the door to reveal the entrance to a student who wasn't from the bird house. Anyone responding correctly to the riddle was free to enter, he thought. When the green robe exited the staircase, he was greeted with graceful arched windows, and walls hung with blue and bronze silks.

The domed ceiling was painted with stars, which echoed with the midnight-blue carpet. Tables, chairs, and bookcases covered the expanse of the floor, and a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sat next to the door that led to the dormitories above. Next to a window, a blond witch waved her colorful hands on a meter square canvas painting. Some first-year fled to their dormitory when they noticed the newcomer presence.

Conjuring a fluffy chair with a gold and silver structure, the wizard waited for the girl to finish her painting. The orange shade, mixing with bluish taint colored the center of a painted flame. That fire was burning a city. Buildings were for most, only scramble of broken stones, melted metals and shattered glasses. No human presence was represented in the painting, but their absence made the urban space even stranger.

The witch turned around. Rubbing her hands on her robe, Luna cleaned her fingers of any red and yellow. Seeing a floating orb of water, she didn't hesitate and plunged her hands inside to remove completely any colorful pigment. With a nod of her head, all the stain on her clothing were removed. Frowning for a second, she touched her pink pot. With two fingers, she colored one black hair strand. " That color suits you very well. ", the artist cleaned up her painting material.

" Luna, would you be my partner for the Yule Ball ? ", the wizard glanced at the Ravenclaws observing them from distance. Any idea of prying left their body as they suffocated for one second. The shock was intense as they couldn't even blink, but the duration made it almost unreal. Some touched their throats. There was nothing but a cold feeling. The other returned to their books while their hands closed their ears were.

" Why do you ask Micky ? ", her head said yes.

Mikhael grabbed the last pot. Half the content was empty. Closing the paint container, he floated it into the witch's bag. All the other brushes and pots followed the same path. Luna put a blanket on her canvas before transporting all her belongings into her room. The green robe canceled his transfiguration. One Ravenclaw approached the green robe with their prefect, Marcus Turner.

The ritual adept only gazed at them. They froze. Leaning on the window, Mikhael enjoyed the silence filling the common room. Outside the castle, near the lake-shore, he noticed the appearance of one champion followed by a dozen of other students. Probably witches, he thought. As he watched a group of ministry security agents patrolling near the Forbidden Forest, Luna descended.

She had changed her regular robe and instead wore her Halloween costume. The white worm appearance didn't bother the wizard. When both exited the common room, the immobile Ravenclaws took a deep breath. They returned to their occupations. Slowly, their homeworks filled their memories for the whole day.

HP - Another Dark Lord

A decorated group of monolithic menhirs witnessed the strange dance of a giant worm. The deathly hallows symbols marking the stone didn't fade with time. The wind and rain only deteriorated the top corner of the circle and triangle. Zigzagging right and left while arms were half-lifted half-extended, Luna pivoted on her feet. She was beaming with joy as next to her, Mikhael mimicked her pattern.

The conjured music box played instrumental percussions in chaotic tempo. Water drops didn't cover the sound of the music, they added their own soul. Marking the earth with muddy footprints, Luna removed her costume. The worm skin was too voluminous for her to move as she pleased. Drenching her normal clothes, she added grabbing motion to her dance steps.

Ethereal light glowed from Mikhael's body. Whitish drops peeled from his aura. Among the flattened substance, hundred of fingernail-sized eggs broke up. Thousand of red eyes rose from the ground. The maggots flew in between the wizard and the witch. The buzzing noise of clapping wings surrounded the duo. Like a smoke, most of the pale flies gathered above the monolithic stones.

Following their master command, the fake cloud dispersed and gathered near the Lake, on one menhir and inside the Forbidden Forest. Luna opened one palm. A handful of white bugs escaped the girl's grip. Some tried to speed up back to the witch, only to be burned away. New ones emerged from their remnants. The ritual adept stomped on a whitish puddle. The trembling substance conglomerated. A fist-size maggot emerged.

Waving his hand, Mikhael caught Luna who almost hit a menhir. All the white bug dissolved into nothing. The music box stopped. The metal part thinned to reach half a meter long while the wood formed a half hook. The transfigured umbrella floated above the duo. With one glance, the green robe made all the water disappear from his and Luna's clothes. The worm costume followed back them.

The fourth-year and the younger witch returned to the castle entrance. There he found blue robe leaning on the door, arms crossed. The French student frown. The air around her dried up. Her blue iris stared at the green robe. She advanced toward the duo. " You... ", Fleur couldn't continue her sentence when a redhead bumped a group of Hufflepuff to reach the school entrance.

" Please go to the ball with me ! ", Ron shouted at the same time as his knees touched the ground. " Please... I, I love you ! ", his head became redder by seconds.

" Who are you boy ? Can't you see I'm occupied ? Go play somewhere else ! ", Fleur screamed her last sentence. Her hair rose up, the white-gold color had strands of crimson. Ron paled up. He ran away, shoving away some students. Fleur cursed in her native language. Returning her attention to the green robe, she didn't calm down, but stayed silent. She wanted to know why he didn't propose her for the ball. Her right foot tapped the floor.

" Luna, is a dear friend of mine. ", Mikhael tilted his head. The entrance became clear as students left the place. Understanding, Luna hugged the orphan before returning to her common room. She hummed the sound of buzzing while strolling away. The wizard didn't speak more. His sight examined the foreign witch. Still in her blue uniform, Fleur closed the distance. Almost touching each other face she stopped.

" You are mine. ", the veela's allure exploded. The door shut up. The girl's flagrance filled the wizard's odorat. " Mine, only. Understood ? ", she leaned forward and put her lips on his neck. Her teeth bit his flesh. Just before blood could leave, she s.u.c.k.e.d his skin red. His arms wrapped around her waist. He closed his eyes. Focusing on the small injury to not let it heal too fast, he responded by knacking the top of her ear.

HP - Another Dark Lord

The Yule Ball was coming closer, but classes still continued. Moody choose his last lesson before the holiday to teach the student how to resist the Imperius Curse. The classroom of the Defense Against the Dark Arts was arranged to put all the furniture in a circle. Inside the circle, the professor called the students one by one to face him. Draco started making thirty push up before collapsing on the floor. Ron like Neville and Vincent couldn't resist and end up jumping on their desks to imitate chicken.

" Come in Potter, your turn. Show us what you are made of. ", the artificial eye followed the student every move. Stomping his staff on the floor, some sparkles appeared and shut up the whispers. Moody grimaced as the young champion didn't cower like many of the predecessors. Quickly, the professor gulped down a sip of his gourde. His tongue sorted out fast and retracted back.

Moody stared at Potter and whispered the curse. Harry gritted his teeth. Sweat pearled his forehead. One of his foot lifted half-way before touching the ground again. The savior smile. The expression turned sour as he jumped up. " Anger can help Potter, but you need a stronger will. ", Moody controlled the student to jump like a kangaroo around the desk surrounding them.

The savior returned to his seat, sight bloodshot. Moody didn't call the next student instead, he followed the champion. Echoes of wood hitting wooden surface stopped when the professor towered the savior. " Stay back after the lesson Potter. ", the magical eye analyzed the student reactions. " Now, miss Granger, your turn. ", the older wizard dragged his body to the room center to test the witch.

Hermione resisted a few seconds before singing the Great Britain anthem, one arm on her heart. The lesson advanced. At Mikhael's turn, the green robe hesitated to resist the curse. The voice compelling him to dance had no effect. Still, the orphan reproduced some sluggish movements. Moody lifted his lips corners. The rest of the students underwent humiliating behavior under the curse.

HP - Another Dark Lord

The 25th of December was a festive day. That day, all the participating witches and wizards prepared themselves to attend the Yule Ball. The ball was open to students in the fourth year and above, the younger year could attend only if they were invited by an upper-year. The foreigner students wore red uniforms for the Durmstrang sons while Hoghwarts and Beauxbatons students appeared with tradition suits and robes of white and black for most.

Waiting in the corridor near the Great Hall, Mikhael observed the lawn area in front of the castle which was turned into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights for this night. Hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.

The orphan was rejoined by Draco and Theodore. All three Slytherins respected the tradition with their black suits. Draco wasn't nervous. He boasted about his personal experience. His father had organized balls in his mansion every year at this period of time. Many pure-blood attended this event. It was more of a formality than an actual gathering, he said.

Pansy in a white robe hurried to glue on Draco left side. She forced him to enter the Great Hall in advance to get the better place. Both left behind Theodore and Mikhael. The two wizards didn't discuss anything. They observed and tilted their heads when they saw different clothes. The oriental robes of Cho and the Patil twins were easy to spot among the sea of black, red and white.

The crowd of waiting students in the corridor split in half. From the front, professor McGonagall led all the tournament champions to the Great Hall. They were required to attend the ball with a dance partner, as tradition required them to open the dance. The only witch participating in the Triwizard Tournament winked at the orphan when she passed before the two Slytherins.

A golden robe with three rings of blue and eight triangles of green approached the Great Hall. Bowing his head, Mikhael took Luna's hand before kissing her knuckles. The girl was wearing the sunglass he offered her last year. With it, she could see in the dark. Luna chuckled with the greeting. She responded with an exaggerated bow before she grabbed his arm to enter the main room.

Mikhael nodded at Theodore who was still waiting for his partner, Tracy Davis. The couple rejoined the crowd surrounding the champions in the Great Hall. Harry nervously put his hand on Parvati's waist when the music began. Fleur, in contrary kept her partner Roger Davies to lower his hand while dancing. She was smiling, but her grip made the partner grimaced.

As Hermione finished her first round with Viktor, Cedric and Cho followed McGonagall one two three steps. Jacob stepped on Lavender's dress. Unable to salvage the error, that couple fell on the floor. The music didn't stop. Awkwardly they got up. Looking around him, Jacob became all red and Lavender moistened. Continuing their dance to open the ball, the duo almost fell a second time when they passed near Draco who boo them with Pansy discretely.

The first dance finished. All the couples entered the dancing area. Mikhael and Luna were no exception. As they entered the ball, three couples exited. Harry, Ron, Jacob and their partners sat at a table, sulking the event, waiting for it to end faster. Ron was in deep thought, since his sister's death and elder brother disappearance, he couldn't help but accuse the savior to not save them both.

He knew it was irrational. Yet, he felt better with a culprit, even if Harry was innocent. Sharing similarly dark thoughts, Jacob feared for his life. He knew he lost his honor during the first task, but he was alive. The second task was months away and yet, the death's presence didn't lighten. He had no idea what he had to expect for this round. His magic and heart ached for hours after fleeing the first task. The magical contract was pressuring him to really participate.

Among the students, Mikhael grabbed Luna's waist with both hands and lift her in the air. She was light. He rotated. Pivoting on his feet, he made a full circle before reposing her to the ground. The couples exchanged partners for the next song. Luna went with Cedric and Mikhael was picked up by Fleur. Keeping their bodies close, the veela bit the suit collar. Her teeth shone white. She saw the red marking. Fleur embraced the orphan.

The song finished, but the female champion refused to change her partner. A few words made Roger Davies cried and sprinted toward the exit. Fleur glared at all the other wizards and witches. The fifth song started for half a minute when the music changed from the instrumental theme to a more energetic style. The wizarding band, The Weird Sisters made the conventional couple jumped around with the percussion tempo.

Fleur excused herself. She had to go. To control her allure, she murmured. A golden robe with many patterns grabbed the ritual adept to fetch some food on the tables. The younger witch found her p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e with the many cakes and sweets displayed on one of the refreshment and food tables. Mikhael used this opportunity to feed his belly with some beef and chicken plates. The duo enjoyed their second serving when Blaise and Daphne joined them to restore their energy.

" Look at them, they are such a shame. How old do you think his... dress is ? ", Blaise directed his gaze at the three Griffindors sitting seats away.

" From another ages if we listen to Padma remarks. ", Daphne sipped a drink of butterbeer.

" Let's just enjoy the night. ", Mikhael lifted one drink. Daphne, Blaise and Luna cheered up with their own beverage. The wizard conjured a paper and wrote down a message before the object changed into a bird and flew away. Before being asked anything about the action, Mikhael took the younger witch to dance once more. Luna beamed. This time, the two didn't follow the conventional dance and reproduced their worm's movements.

The night continued. Some couples changed, but Mikhael kept an eye on the young witch to prevent the new partners to take advantage of her. Luna tired. All smiling she confessed her fatigue. Understanding, the orphan bide farewell to Daphne before accompanying Luna back to the Ravenclaw tower. Leaning on his body, she rested for a moment. The wizard lifted her on his shoulder and finished the travel. She giggled all the time. Kissing her knuckles after the door opened, Mikhael left the corridor to get fresh air.

A flying paper flew and floated in front of the student. Reading the message, his lips' corners lifted up. " You have been a naughty girl. ", Mikhael responded on the paper before heading toward the second floor.

HP - Another Dark Lord

The month preceding the second task, the Black Lake was visited daily by new students. At first, the Durmstrang champion jogged along the shore, but then, he started swimming inside despite the cold. Some of his fans tried to follow his example. The temperature in and out of the water discouraged them. Two days later, the other foreign champion visited the lake to swim inside.

Fleur removed her clothes. Her sister played and kept an eye on the lake's borders. Shivering, the witch in swimsuit casted a spell to breath underwater. She entered a zone with no footing. Bracing inside the liquid, she waved her arms to advance or send spells. The power behind her magic was reduced by half. A shadow came closer. " The second task is horrible. Water is not my fort, especially with my nature. ", the champion slashed the water. The motion was too large to be fast.

Just in u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, the newcomer also used the same spell to breathe underwater. " You already know the Bubble-Head Charm. ", Mikhael stood behind her. Grabbing her right arm with the wand, he guided her contorted her wrist more. This way, her moves were harder to do but required less space. Instead of fighting the water resistance with her full arm, the hand and wrist only motioned.

" I'm not some second rate witch. ", Fleur rotated her wand. Her wrist was the only thing moving. Rocks and seaweeds were split in half. " I need just more practice in the water that's all. ", she stopped to enter the wizard bubble. The witch restrained herself. She was training. The second task was in a disadvantaged environment. She had to prepare more. Rest and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e could wait for the night.

HP - Another Dark Lord

The long awaited day came. On the 24th of February, three towers were erected in the Black Lake to allow the spectator to see the champions entering into the water. Still in bath suits, the five competitors started to undress. Karkaroff grabbed Viktor's shoulders, his grave look didn't need any words. The champion nodded. Fleur searched for one green robe. He wasn't at her platform.

The Hogwarts' Headmaster lifted a loudspeaker. " Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. In order to win each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. ", the old wizard tilted his head. Harry and Jacob put gilliweed in their mouths.

Fleur recognized the blond head of the third-year witch sitting at the top of the tower in the right. Next to her was the person she sought. Not moving a lot, the viewer rose his thumb toward the sky. She smiled. She was ready. Dumbledore adjusted the power in the loudspeaker. All the champions were in swimsuits. " Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that they'll be on their own. You may begin at the start of the cannon.", the wizard shot his hand high. The cannon fired and the champions entered the water. three of them dived in while Harry is pushed and Jacob hesitated.

Jacob couldn't breathe. His hands tried to remove an invisible pressure in his neck. He stumbled on the platform before falling into the lake. Underwater the effects of gilliweed took hold. The champion's hands and feet become webbed. He felt water passing through his throat, air enter his lungs. Adapting his sight underwater, he swam among the fish and rocks. He was the last one. The champion perceived far away the webbed feet of his house-mate.

HP - Another Dark Lord

Singing voices started echoing. Similar to the sirens' chants found in Greece, the lake's water reverberated with songs. Complains of a lost city and servitude lives guided the champion to their destination. Deep inside the lake, two villages of Merpeople alternated to guard the hostage. The Selkies from Scotland and Merrows from Ireland came in agreement for the event.

Disillusioned, a shadow swam past a group of bounds wizards and witches. Ron muffled a scream in his torpor, but the other hostages were quite in their comatose state. Avoiding a face of wild, dark green hair, the intruder focused his magic on the grayish creature. The yellow eyes dimmed. Removing a thick rope around its neck the guarding Merpeople, opened and closed its broken teeth.

Another creature of the same kind approached. Putting away its trident, the water inhabitant emitted screaming sounds. Different from conventional mermish, the creature was going to ask the reason for the call when it fell forward. Something hit its head from behind. The auxiliary guard returned to its post. The first champion was coming. While the guardians made sure only one hostage was taken by the witch, the surrounding Merpeople started to freeze before returning to their position.

After the first contestant retrieved her hostage, the guardians changed their positions. Leaving behind a dozen of guards, the remaining twenty swam forward. Hiding among seaweed, the group passed between rocks and fishes. A shark head competitor accelerated his legs motions as he passed above the group. In less than a minute, the champion was outside of their view. The group advanced.

The invisible guest followed the creatures. They arrived in front of a cavern. Half of the group entered. Among empty shells and shiny rock, fishes carcasses laid on the sand floor. The second task guardians returned to the main group with forty sickly green creatures. Their sharp little horns trembled. They stayed calm. Not seeing the danger, the Grindylows were at unease. Flexing their long, spindly fingers they followed the Merpeople in silence.

Closer to the surface, the group perceived a lone competitor. The webbed feet and hands helped the champions to swim faster than his natural anatomy permitted, but it was inferior to the speed the giant limbs the lake inhabitants could use to soar in the water. Turning translucent, the task guardian didn't express any surprise. The Grindylows wanted to flee away, but they couldn't move.

Wand glowing blue to illuminate the water, Jacob focused on his ears. He listened to the song. Ha was coming closer. Turning back, he waved his wand. There was nothing. He bit his lips. The water made him nervous. He couldn't see as far he used to. Lining up his arm to swim faster with his leg, he was unprepared when cold fingers gripped his feet, legs, hands and torso.

Screaming all his lungs, the champion twisted his body to escape the grip. He couldn't see the things that touched him. He was going deeper in the water. Kicking an invisible arm, he felt something broke under his feet. Another hand grabbed his legs. Unable to remove his arm from his body, the champion cried. His wand was robbed from his hand. The light was dimmer.

Touching the sand underwater, Jacob was closed his eyes. He wanted this to be a dream. It couldn't be real. He choked up. He was cold. That was unfair, he thought. Why him, he was supposed to continue the Ava family back, not dying like a nobody in the black lake. His eyelids were forced to open. He was incredible. Now he could see the dozen of Merpeople binding his body. Something distorted the water before his eyes.

" For you brother, I make an exception. ", the presence in front of the champion took the shape of two black orbs. From the two dots, the nose, forehead and cheeks revealed themselves. At the end of the first phrase, the shin and ears were visible. " I shouldn't waste time for that. ", the twin waved his hand. The champion's wand in his grip, the brother could speak. Only bubbled formed from his mouth.

The wand cracked. Small flames of green devoured the wood. All the floating ashes were gobbed by ugly heads. " And yet, I just wanted to see your face one last time. ", a silver blade was conjured. Floating right into the champion's left hand, the blade pierced the skin and reached the center metacarpal bones. Bubbles escaped the contestant's mouth. " Say hello to mother. ", the blade cut to the right. Red liquid tainted the water. Grindylows shook with impatience.

Unable to speak nor scream, Jacob propelled all the air in his lungs as the injury traced a line from his left palm to his right one. The water creature couldn't restrain themselves. Jumping in abandon, their broken teeth bite the champion flesh. The first one to eat shivered. The taste was great. Seeing no retribution from the danger, the other creatures followed the first example.