Harry Potter - Another Dark Lord

No leaves covered the black tombstone. Kneeling down, the wizard c.a.r.e.s.sed the cold stone. Deep in his mind, the orphan lost control of his hand for a second. Black webs of tears decorated the tombstone and yet, only when his fingers dug deep into the rock, a cracking noise awoken the wizard. Looking into the cracks, he hesitated. He could take the bones, start dark rituals, find the right sacrifices. And with enough time, find another way for the soul's binding. There had to be another way. If not, he could make one.

After an unknown amount of time, the kneeling man covered the damage marks with his palm. The touch was faint. Blueish lights emanated under his hand. All harm done to the dead residence returned to nothing. Moreover, above the carved portrait, a single lilac flower was added. As the earth trembled, new roots erupted and flowers of white, red, yellow and violet surrounded the grave.

Mikhael shivered. A part of him still whispered in his ears a sweet dream. That low voice, heard by him only, was by far, the most painful thing to endure because it could become a reality, but to what price. Without a second glance, he walked away. He had to keep his mind focus on something, anything, as long as it kept his own demons at bay. Covered in disillusionment, the wizard deployed his wings. He had to keep his promises, for her, for him.

Hidden by giant trees, the graveyard was invisible to most inside the French south mountains. Flying above a river, the wizard continued his path as he observed far away, the high towers and buildings of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic protected by powerful wards. At the Pyrenees' feet, the stream divided in two parts, one going north and the other to the West.

Following the one with magical traces, the flying wizard reached a wizard village after half an hour. Unlike the one near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this small community was just a set of magical mansions sharing a common central street with no trade but only wards protecting each house. Comparing the different mansions with the information he gathered, the newcomer stopped at the borders of the last building.

Summoning a third eye, the wizard scanned the property while a second third eye checked the surrounding. The well-kept garden displayed a variety of different trees but only a handful of them bore leaves and fruits. Moreover, a dozen of stone knights decorated the place. Under the magical sight, numerous runes revealed themselves on the armed statues as well as many buried wards stones.

Those securities measures allowed the mansion to detect the presence of hidden intruders, alarm the inhabitant and activated a wide shield covering the building as well as commanding the stone guardian to attack the enemies. Without a family member's permission, the wards would activate the moment he entered the area. Analyzing the ward stones, Mikhael retrieved from his suitcase a blank ward stone before.

Casting the doubling charm on the magical stone, the foreign wizard repeated the feat until he obtained the needed amount of ward stones. The copies were not perfect, over time, they would start to rot or tarnish more quickly than the original and then, they would become unusable. Conjuring the same amount of silver knife, the intruder craved the same set of runes on his copies before adding some changes to make him invisible to the security.

As he was switching the original ward stones with his, the second third eye detected the arrival of a local wizard. Despite the magical fluctuation kept at minimal, the French wizard passed by the gate without noticing the presence of the disillusioned intruder just next to him. With a box under his arms, the guest rang the main entrance's bells and waited for a servant to open before leaving the box.

None of the servants and the local wizard realized that their minds altered the time fluctuation and that they froze an instant when they passed the box to each other. For them, it was like a tenth of a second, but it was longer, and the intruder went unobstructed. As the foreign wizard scanned the building again for any hidden security, a third eye watched as the Delacour finished dinner.

Sitting next to a round table, Gabrielle pushed away an empty bowl of soup. With no enthusiasm, the girl glanced at the empty seat on her right. Both her parents exchanged pained looks. The father opened his mouth, but no words came out. He gulped down and squeezed his wife's hand. She shook her head. Unlike her daughter, she didn't touch her food. Her sad frown changed for a second when the maid entered the place with the box.

As the box revealed a three floors fruit cake, the intruder entered the last chamber of the mansion second floor. There he focused his gaze on the moving photo of the family of four. All of them were smiling while a similar cake was present in the background. The high metallic construction behind should be the city of Paris' main feature thought the wizard.

Deposing a letter next to a teddy bear on the bedroom, the wand tip touched the wizard head. As a vial was conjured, a white ethereal liquid exited the head and glued itself on the magical tool. With precaution, making sure to not spill anything out of the transparent container, the intruder closed it. This could lead to future problems, but he was ready anyway. It was something he had to do.

The moment Mikhael returned all the original ward stones to their right places, he froze an instant. His third eye monitoring the family had shown him, Gabrielle finishing the cake. For that instant, she smiled. A sad smile, but the facial expression was the same as her older sister. The wizard canceled his magic. He didn't want to see them anymore. Deploying his wings again, he flew away before twisting space.

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<center>HP - Another Dark Lord</center>

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A finger-size pebble leaped in the air. As it rose above a scorched earth, the forest went silent. Another pebble rose above the ground. One hand put the last candle in place. The floating stones froze in the air. Sulfuric scent propagated. All of the black cylinders lit up. With no wind, clouds of smoke gathered at one point. The wizard stepped back. Hovering above the ground, a dark gate had opened.

The moment a white sleeve appeared on the other side of the gate, silver chains fell from the sky. The newcomer didn't have the time to react when his body was bound by the metal. Forced down on the clearing floor, the victim screamed in pain. The chains pierced its legs, arms and stomach while glowing with intensity. In less than a minute, all its vitality was drained. The body lost all its original charm, only skin over bones remained.

The wizard shook his head. He didn't get any information from the demon. Its mind was almost empty of anything but the pain it felt and a unique link toward the gate and further away. Fire engulfed the bounded body. With a wave of hands, the wizard flattened the remaining ashes with his telekinesis. The chains' runes stopped glowing before all faded away. The first test was done.

Summoning a third eye, Mikhael probed the thread of magic coming from the demon's body. While its corpse was destroyed, the thin link wasn't. Instead, it just lost a bit of its initial intensity and was moving back into the black gate. Following the magic in the other dimension with his third eye, the wizard noticed a starless sky and dark fog but couldn't continue more than ten meters inside when another person passed through the aperture.

Harboring the exact same white clothes, the new demon waved his hand to greet the wizard. " As I said before 'Joshua', the key... ", the newcomer froze. His symmetrical face couldn't muster its usual smile. A clean-cut drew a red line around his neck. The disillusioned thread of condensed fire retracted away after painting the body with a dozen of other marks. As the bloody parts fell apart, a six spells chain hit the corpse, reducing it to nothingness.

Summoning another third eye, the wizard counted seventy seconds since the death of the first demon and the arrival of the newcomer. A bit more than a minute before another one would come he hypothesized. Scanning the place with his magical eyes, he found another thread of the same nature than the first retracting toward the other dimension. This confirmed his thoughts, yet, more tests were needed. With one third eye scanning this side, the second floated into the other side.

The sky stayed frozen on the side while the fog sometimes dissipated to revealed giant creatures looking like deformed trolls with more than one pair of arms or legs. All unique, all decorated with deformities or for some, missing limbs. Passing close to one of those inhabitants feasting on a smaller one, the third eye noticed the two threads interlinked together. A few meters away, both links converged and merged into a bigger thread.

With another wave of his hand, the wizard disposed of a third vessel of the demon appearing after seventy-two seconds. The third eye continued its tracking. The now, unique, and bigger thread went into a rock formation. The fog dissipated completely. Composed of red and gray rocks, a mountain of many peaks displayed the presence of the thread intertwining with a thousand of other branches. All of them, coming from all directions, dug in the mountain's depth, far, far inside the abyss.

Mikhael canceled his magic. He learned what he needed to. This wasn't worth the risk now. The foreign land and the demon full ability were not his priorities for the moment. What he had was enough. Still, he kept in a corner of his mind, all the data found and counter-measures that could be required. He turned his gaze on the remaining candles. Half of them were burned away. His suitcase needed to resupply.

Laughers echoed in the wood. Seventy-five seconds the wizard counted.

" My dear contractor... ", the demon's new vessel walked through the gate with a green apple in his hand. Tilting his head, he winked. Waiting like that for a moment, he smiled. No magic had destroyed his body. " Whatever you d.e.s.i.r.e is. We can make it, a reality. ", El bit the fruit. His gaze stared at the circle border. A lamb's blood covered the ground while its body twitched a few feet away.

" Don't forget our deal. ", the wizard focused his magic. He was tired. Covered with layers of disillusionment, anti-tracking, anti-detection and wind barriers, an iron projectile flew through the air. Lifting his hand to take another bite, El didn't hear anything before his hand was pierced with a nail. Golden drops colored the earth.

" Such a shame, only a few were willing to go as far as you did. ", the demon liked his blood before finishing the apple. With his other hand, he removed the key. " I'll have to wait for now. ", El licked his left palm. There were no traces of any injury. " Seven generations, such a long time... ", he didn't have the time to finish his sentence when waves of magic propelled his body back into the gate.

Mikhael sighed. Soon it would be the start of a new school year. He didn't have much time until then. Shaking his head, the wizard straightened his back. It was such a bother for him. He wondered why he was still doing that. He wanted to rest. Just like her, maybe he would find peace. He closed his eyes. It could be easy, so easy. There were plenty of ways he could achieve it. A green flame floated around the wizard.

With just a thought, he could end it for good. As a cold rain refreshed his face, the wizard lifted his eyelids. A small corner of his mouth rose. He knew one that loved the rain. Focusing on his magic, he grabbed the flame with his hand. The green color turned pale white before contact. Converting into parts liquid, the flame divided itself and fell on the wet earth. Buzzing sound filled the air. From the many puddles, pale larva emerged. Shrieking in pain, they developed wings.

Facing the thousand of red dots, the ritual adept waited for all of them to be ready before whispering his commands. With a speed greater than a bird's flight, the insects departed in the sky. As the noise faded away, the wizard made sure to erase all traces of his activities in the forest's clearing. The earth returned to its original state and all magical traces dissipated.

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<center>HP - Another Dark Lord</center>

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Established in the year 1654, the bookshop Flourish and Blotts was one of the favored shops for all the Hogwarts students. Here, they could purchase their schoolbooks easily as the first rows of shelves contained the necessary goods for their scholarship, from the first to the seventh year schoolbooks. Still, there were plenty of other books stacked on the other sections for the other customers.

Hidden behind books as large as paving stones bound in leather, the shopkeeper frown. This week was the one which should be the most profitable with the new year's Eve period, but only twenty clients came this morning. All of them were gloomy. The death of the previous minister was still recent in their mind and the amount of patrolling wizards didn't reassure the citizens.

The shopkeeper couldn't blame them. She too felt anxious. This was bad for the market. Last year, almost all of The Triwizard Tournament's champions died and now the wandmaker was kidnapped. Who might become the next, she feared. Diagon Alley wasn't as safe as before. Maybe the Daily Prophet was right. It didn't help that strange-looking and foreign wizards became more present near the dark alley.

As the bookshop owner debated in her head if she should close the shop for some time until the streets were secure again, a new client entered the front door. With a smile, she welcomed the student who asked for the fifth-year of Hogwarts curriculum books as well as another book. The first part was easy for her to meet but the latter was a bit harder.

She was running out of this book since its popularity was decreasing every year despite its renowned. Hopefully, she always kept an exemplary in the back of all the books. Dusting out the fine gray layer on the front-page, the shopkeeper presented the only 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' exemplary she had for the moment to the student. Receiving the paid with a professional smile she returned to her wonders as the student went out with his supplies.

With Albus Dumbledore, it was impossible for any dark wizard to rise again the witch believed. This leader of light fought against two dark lords and both lost in the end. She lifted her newspaper higher to hide her face. She noticed someone watching through her shop window. Gulping down, she prayed for the hooded wizard to leave. All those foreign wizards were bad people she believed.

Why did they come now, did Knockturn Alley became too small for them, she gripped the journal tighter. They would dare to assault her in her own shop in daylight ? Inhaling with difficulty, she reassured herself that security agents patrolling the street would come as fast as possible if there was any problem arisen. Slowly, she peeked an eye above her paper. Maybe they were gone, she hoped.

Three pairs of faces with long fang stared through the showcase. The shopkeeper didn't try to get any more details of them and lowered her head back behind the frail obstruction of the newspaper. Cold sweat pearled her back. They were vampires. Even if they were tolerated now in society, they were still not the kind of creatures any witch wanted to be associated with, just like the werewolf.

Still her face behind the journal, the shopkeeper tightened her grip over her wand. With the door's bell, she would know when they entered the shop. And then, she would be ready. She wasn't really good in class, but she knew how to perform an Expelliarmus. With it, at least, she hoped she could alert the security agents. The vampire didn't need a wand to suck her blood.

The Disarming Charm wasn't enough, she needed something more, stronger, to get rid of them if they came in. She gritted her teeth. She should have listened more in class. She regretted not paying attention. Her vision blurred a bit. The newspaper articles looked distorted. She breathed in. Her lungs were crying. She breathed out. She wanted to go home and stay there. Business was business, but life was life too.

The door creaked. The bells rang. Someone entered the bookstore. The shopkeeper couldn't keep her facade. Her knees trembled. She fell and shivered behind the counter, holding her breath with both hands. No magic gathered through her wand, she couldn't focus with the approaching newcomer. Her ears amplified the steps echoes coming closer. The sound stopped. It was close. It was in front of the counter. The shopkeeper didn't dare to look up. Her c.h.e.s.t hurt.

Sound of moving papers and ink scribing resonated. She didn't know what was going on. She stayed in her position. She wanted to know what happened on the counter, but her body didn't respond. She didn't even have the courage to cry. Frozen like a statue she waited. Someone was writing or something was writing on paper. The shopkeeper teared up in silence. She blenched for a moment. A book was put on the counter.

After an unknown amount of time, some metallic objects hit the counter before the presence exited the bookstore. Waiting until her body could move again, the shopkeeper didn't notice the Galleon and put the close panel on the door before running back home. In the dark, three shadows followed the scared witch.

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<center>HP - Another Dark Lord</center>

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A warning whistle sounded. The students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train. The ministry security agents patrolling the place divided in two teams as the new protocols dictated, one staying here and the other embarking for the students' security. The team of ten Aurors separated into five duos to check every wagon from any danger or unwanted passengers.

Closing the door, a blond witch put her luggage on the wagon's table before removing her shoes and laying on the cushioned seats. Her head rested on the only student inside the cabin. With one hand, she searched inside her bag for something while her eyes watched the wizard controlling disillusioned targets and flying spells chains. A cold surface made the girl smile, she found what she sought.

" You look tired Micky. ", Luna grabbed two pudding and two spoons out of her bag.

Leaning forward, Mikhael accepted the dessert. His mouth lifted a bit, it was too sweet for him, but that was how she liked her pudding. His face relaxed a bit. " You keep getting better at this. ", he took another spoon. The texture and baking were done well. " What's on your mind. ", he witnessed his pudding getting attacked by a foreign spoon.

" Some days ago, I saw something, but I'm not sure. ", the girl enjoyed a second stolen spoon of pudding. As she was going to continue, she paused. Mikhael had grabbed her hand. With a swift motion, he removed one of his silver rings and put it on her left little finger. The metallic ring wrapped around her and adapted the right just size. Unlike the other rings, this one had a dragon decoration on its top.

" For safety, don't remove it. ", he stared into her eyes. He was serious. She smiled.

Looking away, she examined the artifact. " Even the dead can be happy. ", she rubbed the rings carefully. As she c.a.r.e.s.sed it, she showed her tongue toward the questioning wizard. Before speaking again, the girl put away the finished pudding and cleaned the spoon. " My eyes can see what others cannot. My mother, she was a quite extraordinary witch, you know. She did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine... ", she couldn't finish when the cabin's frame slid open.

Two students in golden and red robes froze when their gazes met with the green robe own.

" Hie Harry, Hermione. You are prefect ? Congratulation, I hope next year it's my turn. ", Luna awoke the two Gryffindors from their torpor.

" Thank Luna. ", Harry touched his forehead. He was uncertain. It was itching, even more when he faced the Slytherin. " Just some bad dreams Hermione, don't worry. I'm fine. ", Harry refused to be comforted by the girl next to him. Turning toward the green robe again, he clenched his fists. " I'm sorry... I couldn't save them. ", Harry felt lighter after apologizing to the green robe.

The golden robe nodded and exited the cabin, but Hermione stayed a bit longer before following Harry to the prefect wagon. " It was nice to see you too Mikhael. ", she gulped down and hurried away. As a new prefect, she wanted to show the perfect example and needed to stay impartial to everyone. Her stomach hurt. For four years, both were more than classmates but less than friends. With her new status, she hoped only for the best now.

Not in the mood to continue the previous discussion, Luna, instead, rested her head on the green robe l.a.p.s to enjoy a pleasant nap. Few hours after the girl slept comfortably, a pale maggot hit the wagon windows.

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The Great Hall with its four long House tables and its staff table set at the top of the room was decorated as usual with floating candles that made the plates below glitter and glow. For minutes, the candlelight illuminated the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eying one another's new haircuts and robes.

Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly. " The very best of evenings to you ! " he smiled broadly. His arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room. Strangely, the left part of his body didn't move. Some noticed the strange behavior and whispers flourished in the room.

The headmaster, interpreting them correctly, merely smiled again and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve over his left side. " Nothing to worry about. ", he shook his empty sleeve to relax the student and continued his speech. " Now... to our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back ! Another year full of magical education awaits you... ", he filled the Great Hall with his magic to end any whispers.

" ...We are pleased to welcome new members of staff this year, Professor Slughorn. ", he turned his head toward the new professor who stood up. Slughorn bald head gleamed in the candlelight while his big waistcoated belly cast the table into shadow. " A former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master. ", Dumbledore invited him to sit back, but his words echoed all over the Hall as people wondered wheel they had heard right.

" Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. ", the headmaster rose his voice so that it carried over all the muttering and hit the students with the news.

" No ! ", a single cry resonated. Harry, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction, did not care. He was staring up at the staff table, incensed. How could Snape be given the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after all this time ? Hadn't it been widely known for years that Dumbledore did not trust him to do it ? As the staff merely reacted to Harry stunt, he was put down by Hermione for the speech to continue.

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right side, did not stand up his mention of his name. He just raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table, yet Harry was sure he could detect a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much. The headmaster cleared his throat and listened to the woman sitting next to him, at the seat of Hagrid who was nowhere to be seen.

She looked with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then she turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet which exposed on her face, a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes. With a forced smile, she rose as her name and new occupation for the year was mentioned.

" ...Professor Umbridge who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons and the position of the overview of the team of Aurors working for the protection of the student body. ", Dumbledore introduced the woman who cleared her throat with a forced 'Hem, hem' for her own speech but didn't pursuit as the stern look the leader of light gave her was enough for her to reconsider.

" ...I'm getting old, so I'll make it quick. Enjoy the feast ! ", the headmaster returned to his golden seat. The staff table entered a low voice discussion with the clear disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of the last introduced professor. Mikhael filled his plate with some mushrooms and grilled meat as the dishes appeared. Next to Zabini on his right, he faced Nott and had near Daphne on his left.

" So, Zabini. ", said Malfoy. " What did Slughorn want ? ", he jerked his head toward the professors' high table. Pansy grabbed this opportunity to catch Draco's hair and brush them a bit.

" Just trying to make up to well-connected people. ", Zabini sneered at Goyle. " Not that he managed to find many. ", his nose pointed toward the table in the other side of the Great Hall, where high flags of red and golden roared.

" Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at the golden boy. ", sneered Malfoy. His gaze mocked the golden boy before it returned on his house-mate. " Well, I pity Slughorn's taste. Maybe he's going a bit senile. ", the blond wizard smiled a second before waving his wand under the table. A thin barrier surrounded the few people around him before its appearance faded away, as the ambient noise.

Crabbe and Goyle were gawping at Malfoy. Apparently, they had no inkling of any plans. Even Zabini had allowed a look of curiosity to mark his haughty features. Pansy resumed the slow stroking of Malfoy's hair, looking dumbfounded. She wasn't used of a serious Draco. Mikhael put another steak onto his plate and keep quiet. They seemed to forget his own presence.

Draco scanned the surrounding with his gaze. The students on the other tables continued eating and chatting, not perturbed by the small magical wave he produced. His face relaxed a bit. He could speak freely now. " When the Dark Lord takes over, he will clean our society and reform it as it should be. He will reward... ", Draco was cut short.

" And you think you'll be able to do something for him ? ", asked Zabini scathingly.

" I'm special, I'm different from you Zabini. I met him. He, he is... He tasks... He had plans for me. ", Draco glared at the black student. He wanted to get their help for his job, but now, he saw it as impossible. They were not ready. They didn't understand. He would act alone. He caught Pansy's hand. She was still puzzled by his actions. The blond wizard was going to further his thought when cold sweat gathered in his back.

" Draco, the task... ", Mikhael split in half his plate with his fork and knife.

Draco gasped for air but couldn't move. Tangible fear forced him into immobilization. Unlike the dark lord, this pressure reached a physical state. It pressed every part of his body, even his magic couldn't flow and stayed frozen-like state. Only his gaze could wander in the limited space his skull's position allowed. With a sigh, the broken plate returned to its original state and the pressure disappear on the blond student.

" No... It, doesn't concern you in any way. I assure you. Believe me... ", Draco rubbed his throat and avoided eye contact. He knew Mikhael was an orphan, but he didn't believe that wizard to be a real muggle-born. This level of magical prowess, wasn't something one of their kind could reach, he believed. There had to be a fraud, his true origin should be from an unfortunate pure-blood family. His hair weren't the same as his 'brother', this was a proof. They weren't from the same family.

" Choose wisely, Draco. ", Mikhael bite his food while his mind-probe the blond wizard's memories. The Malfoy mansion wasn't different from the last time he visited, but in the main hall, the memory displayed the dark lord speaking to a group of foreign wizards, some were probably vampires and werewolf with their bestial aura and long fangs. Malfoy didn't lie. The dark lord didn't mention him at all. Draco had to recruit and prepare a new generation of followers like his father did in the past.

What Mikhael noted from the memories, were the new body the dark lord had. Behind his black clothes, he looked just human, more than in the graveyard. The Longbottom and another ritual gave him this appearance, a bit older than his memories in his diary. The orphan proceeded to speak a bit to his other neighbor about the new professor and the pink lady. She spelled troubles. It was sure.

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<center>HP - Another Dark Lord</center>

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The headmaster's office was in half-darkness. Strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did. The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames. Behind the door, a magnificent red and gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing despite the discussion between two wizards.

" ...Even now, the dark lord won't mention a single thing about the incident after the third task. ", Snape closed the office window. His steps weren't as confident as they were hours ago. There were mysteries about this event. " He didn't leave any clue, only Malfoy and Crouch survived, but they weren't even there until the end. ", his frustration got the better of him and he ended up by getting louder. " It's a new body Albus, not a second but a third one ! ", the potion master calmed himself as soon as he realized his negligence.

" So many things left in the dark, Severus. ", Dumbledore opened a fourth sorbet candy before speaking. " Our forces keep getting shorter and he is more dangerous than ever. ", each of his words was carefully spoken as he recalled in his mind the duels he had with the dark lord in the past. " How could he incinerate a whole city by himself. ", the old wizard never witnessed his old student perform magic to such a degree.

Gulping down the last bit of the sweet, the headmaster summoned a book from his personal library. Not even looking into his new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he waved his wand to open his office door. " He is our only hope. ", he turned the page to the chapter he was interested in.

" He is just a child. ", Snape strolled to the exit.

" I know. ", Dumbledore closed the book and summoned three other. What answer he sought, he didn't find it yet. There were many things that could achieve the d.e.s.i.r.ed result but most required a really large amount of magic. Footsteps echoed through the stair leading to his office. The old wizard closed the books and waited for the invited to enter. With a spell, he re-started the flames in the fireplace.

" Harry my boy, please sit down. ", the headmaster mustered a kind smile. " How was your time ? ", he conjured a chair in front of his desk for the student to use.

" I'm so weak Headmaster... I don't think I can do it. ", Harry buried his face between his hands.

" It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ", Albus stood up. With his only hand, he patted the savior's back. At this contact, a small wave of warmth magic propagated. The boy stopped shaking. His breath steadied. " Remember Harry, Molly loved you as a son, Ron as a brother. Don't let them down. ", he lowered himself to face the student.

" Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love. ", the headmaster's eye glowed deep blue. He watched as Harry regained some self-control and stopped his almost crying. He knew it was hard for him. " We need that memory Harry, more than ever. ", he removed his hand from the boy's back. A flying paper fell between his fingers.

" I'll do my best. ", Harry accepted the Weasley family photo from the headmaster before leaving the room.

The old wizard called for a house-elf when the shadow of the last visitor disappeared. The hot drink warmed his body better than the fireplace. It brought him back some memories of a peaceful time. When he had fewer worries. When he was happier. He missed those times. He regretted some of his choices. But, he was sure if he wished to change them if he could as they would lead to, potentially, a worst outcome.

" Headmaster. ", a black-haired student walked in. With a quick check, he didn't see anyone else in the room. His presence was faint. " What happened to your arm, Albus ? ", he stared at the missing limb, not taking a seat nor a cup of tea.

" Rather unpleasant to behold, isn't it ? The tale is thrilling if I do say so myself, but I'm afraid now is not the time to tell it. ", the headmaster chuckled. He remembered the face Harry made when he received the same treatment. Something he enjoyed nowadays. Taking a sip of the hot drink, the old wizard returned to a serious expression. What he had to express wasn't a joke.

" The first wizard war brought so many deads, so many families broken, a terrible tragedy. ", he put down the drink on his desk. His single arm supported his body standing up. " There will be another one. ", he grabbed one of his books. Despite the old looking aspect, the tome was in perfect condition, not missing a single page. The old wizard handed the book to the student but didn't release his grip. " Don't make the same mistake as I did. ", the book changed its appearance.

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Unlike the usual Care of Magical Creatures lessons, the new professor preferred to stay inside the castle rooms. Already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head, she waited patiently for all of her students to proceed. The class was quiet as it entered the room, but many hold questioning looks.

Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown variable and nobody knew how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be. " Well, good afternoon ! " she said, when finally the whole class had sat down. A few people mumbled " good afternoon. " in reply. It wasn't a correct answer. " Tut, tut. That won't do, now, will it ? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge'. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class ! ", she harbored her artificial smile while tilting her head, waiting for them to act.

" Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge. ", they chanted back at her.

" There, now. That wasn't too difficult, was it ? Wands away and quills out, please. ", she wrote her name on the blackboard behind her desk.

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks. The order 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Mikhael, in the back of the room, cast a disillusionment on his wand before pulling out a quill, ink and parchment from his back with his left hand while he continued practicing with his right. With a small tilt, he conjured invisible silver chains. With any new wand motions, he incorporated runes on the metallic surface.

The professor opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it. Words appeared on the board at once: Care of Magical Creatures A Return to Basic Principles. " Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it ? Some of your previous professors didn't even have the decency to protect their students. I learned that, even one of you was injured by a dangerous beast, a three stars danger level... ", she couldn't complete her sentence when a student interjected.

" It was his entire fault ! Malfoy didn't respect... ", Harry couldn't stop himself from intervening. He lived that moment, he couldn't let that pink woman lie.

" Mister ? ", the professor kept a professional facade and didn't get angry but interrupted the student from continuing. " You will not speak mister Potter, when you are not given permission. Am I understood ? ", she nodded as Harry was silent. She turned back to the whole class. " Unfortunately you are being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year... ", she cast a spell to the student that got up.

Harry didn't control himself. His body stood by itself. Hagrid was his friend and someone he admired. He couldn't let that Umbridge belittle him like that. As his mouth moved, no sound was produced. The golden robe almost reached for his wand, but was stopped by Hermione. Both were now prefects, they couldn't disrespect their professors like that. Dolores watched the scene and waited until it was all calm.

" You will be pleased to know, that we will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of Magical Creatures Prevention this year. Copy down the following, please. ", she rapped the blackboard with large letters. 'Course principles :

1 Magical Creatures are not wizards or witches equals.

2 Magical Creatures needed regulations.

3 Magical Creatures are dangerous. '

For a couple of minutes, the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three courses, she asked : " Has everybody got a copy of Magical Creatures Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard ? ". There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class. Not satisfied with this behavior, she cleared her throat. They weren't educated as they should, with a half-human teaching before, it wasn't unexpected, she thought.

" I think we'll try that again. When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge' or 'No, Professor Umbridge'. Understood ? ", she waved her wand and undo the spell on Harry.

" Yes, Professor Umbridge. ", rang through the room.

" Good, I should like you to start reading chapter one. There will be no need to talk. ", the professor left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those toad's eyes. It was desperately dull for almost all the students, quite as bad as listening to Professor Binns. Several silent minutes passed.

Hermione had not even opened her book. She was staring fixedly at Professor Umbridge with her hand in the air. She merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she was not about to answer questions to any of her house-mate inquisitive looks, and continued to stare at Professor Umbridge, who was looking just as resolutely in another direction.

More and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye rather than struggle on with the first chapter which recalled the reader over and over to be careful and keep security measures when dealing with magical creatures. When more than half the class was staring at Hermione rather than at their books, the pink woman seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

" Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear ? " she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

" Not about the chapter, no. I've got a query about your course aims. There's nothing written up there about meeting any magical creatures. ", Hermione was curious. She couldn't let any of her questions without answers, it would become a headache for her.

" Ho my dear, we are not as foolish enough as confronting the student with potential dangers like some of my predecessors. The theory is large enough for you. If you interrupted me again Potter, I'll have to remove house points and put you in detention for rude behavior and disrespecting school authority. ", the professor smiled brightly. She had expected something different than this practical approach.

" I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school. but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards, very irresponsible indeed, not to mention, extremely dangerous half-breeds. ", she gave a nasty little laugh. Unlike many words uttered before, this laughter was filled with real emotions from the pink woman. Her eyes glowed a bit with anticipation as some students reacted.

" If you mean Professor Lupin, he was the best we ever... ", piped up Dean angrily.

" Hands up Mister Thomas, last warning to the whole class. ", the pink witch couldn't let a twitch escape from her facade. " This is why, theory and proper security protocols... ", she finished her lesson in silence as she removed ten points for any questions that didn't treat about the book. Her pink clothes strolled through the classroom as the lesson progressed.

" ...this is why Hagrid... ", the professor drawing on the blackboard the shape of a famish humanoid beast couldn't finish her line when magic gathered in the classroom. She just turned her head back to the students when an explosion percussed the blackboard. A fragment cut her left cheek as reddish eyes stared at her and a 11" long magical tool made of holly wood targeted her forehead.