//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty Three // Story: Sweetie Belle and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry // by AnnonyMouse //------------------------------// Disclaimer: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This is a free fiction, not to be sold or traded for any money, services or goods. Please refrain from commenting on any spelling and / or grammatical errors. Rather, PM me and I will see to fixing them in due time, thank you. For more information, see my profile. Sweetie Belle and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 33 Hogsmeade, The Hog's Head Inn and Tavern. A pair of humans, a tall lady and a shorter, squat man, sat at one of the tables in the back of the tavern, mulling over the cheapest drinks they could afford. They'd since changed their appearances, so nobody would instantly recognize them, but if you knew them well enough, you could tell who they were. Vivian and Carl, as their current names were, whispered back and forth. "So, there's a new pony at Hogwarts." The woman smirked. "And this one is an adult. I can't believe our luck. Maybe we can catch this one to make up for your earlier bad luck." "My bad luck?" Carl fumed. "I think it was more my 'good' luck that got us Scott free from spending life in Azkaban." Vivian sipped her bitter drink and frowned. "If you say so. I still would prefer to forget that ever happened, and once we can get our hands on this new pony, this Pegasus, then we'll make out like bandits." "Never have to worry about money again." Carl and Vivian clinked their mugs together. "Time to make some plans and contact our mole in the school." The woman added before taking another sip. "Ugh, this stuff is worse than the water in Azkaban." ... A Pegasus mare trotted down one of the halls of the school, pausing to try to get her bearings. If there was one thing she didn't like about Hogwarts, it was that the castle seemed to enjoy going out of its way to ensure she was lost most of the time. Her natural Pegasus instincts, at least, let her know north from west, though all her attempts at mapping this place had proven fruitless. "How do the students ever make it to their classes on time." She mused, just before spotting a lone student walking down the hall. "Ah, pardon me, but might you help me?" Adalade Crouch looked up from her book as she wandered down the hall. "Oh, it's just you Professor..." She didn't really care to remember the teacher's name. It was 'something' Heart. "What do you need?" She asked flatly. Radiant Heart blushed a little. "I hate to admit, but I seem to have gotten lost. Would you know where the Great Hall is from here?" The girl shrugged. "It's on the far side of the school from here. I can show you the way." "Thank you ever so much, I do appreciate this. I hope I am not putting you out too much." Adalade just shrugged and turned around. "I know some shortcuts." Radiant Heart smiled and trotted along next to the taller girl. She was familiar, but the Professor wasn't sure what her name was. "You're a first year, yes?" Adalade nodded, her nose buried back in her history book. "I thought all the first years were attending my class. Are you not interested?" "Not particularly." Adalade replied, her tone still flat and showing no interest. "May I ask why? I believe you are the only student not attending my lessons." "Not interested. Got my hands full with normal classes as it is." Radiant Heart frowned a little, just for a moment. "Are you falling behind your classmates?" Adalade shook her head slightly. "Top grades of my year. I attribute that to the fact that I try not to get distracted with unimportant things." "Yet you are guiding me." "I'm hungry, so why not get a snack." She shrugged. "Guiding you is just a side effect of doing so." "I see." Radiant Heart smiled. "Then I am glad you are wanting to snack. If ever you need anything, well, within my knowledge or power, feel free to ask." Adalade didn't respond as she rounded a corner. "Actually, there is one thing." She paused. "You could most likely get this done with faster than any other teacher." "Oh? What might that be?" The Pegasus looked up at the slightly taller girl. "When I started classes, I left something of mine back in Hogsmeade. You're a Pegasus, so you're most likely a faster flier than any witch or wizard on a broom." "I'm sorry, but even though I am a teacher, I am not permitted to leave the castle grounds unless it is to go back to Equestria or if it's a very dire situation." Radiant Heart bowed her head a little. "I am sorry for this." "It's no trouble. I can do fine in my classes for now without it. I just hope that I can pass my next few lessons without it." Radiant Heart was no bleeding heart, and she knew an attempt at a guilt trip when she heard one. It had to do with dealing with the children of nobility for quite a few long years at Celestia's school. "I guess you will either have to make due, or ask a human teacher to fetch it for you. I can relay the message if you tell me what it is you left behind, and where it might be picked up." Adalade cursed internally, but showed no reaction. "I'll ask my teacher if they can help me when they have the time." She rounded another corner, making adjustments to her plan. Plan A had failed, thanks to the pony being smarter and more responsible than the girl had expected. Plan B it was then. Adalade led the teacher into a room. "Is there some secret passage in this room that can help get us to our destination?" She turned to Adalade, and watched almost in slow motion as the girl drew her wand, a snarl on her face. Pegasus reflexed were, thankfully, superior to that of humans. With a flick of her wing, she had her wand out. "Expelliarmus!" She called out, just before the girl could aim her own wand. The girl's wand went flying across the room and into a corner. "What is the meaning of this?" Radiant narrowed her eyes, keeping her wand trained on Adalade. Adalade backed up, feeling the wall at her back. "Just a prank. I was going to turn your mane the same pink as your eyes." She looked nervous. "Really?" The Teacher frowned, then drew out a second wand, the training wand she'd been given when she started. "How about we go speak with Headmistress Mcgonagal about this. Oh yes, and twenty points from Ravenclaw, for failing to prank me." She gestured to the doorway with her wand. "Now, lead the way." Adalaed glanced toward her wand. There was no way she'd be able to fetch it before she got hit with some charm or curse. She really didn't know what this mare's repertoire of spells was. Had she attended Prof. Heart's lessons, she would have known the mare really was lacking in any real spell knowledge of her own, other than the one spell she'd picked up earlier that week. But she still had an ace up her sleeve, her Plan C. Turning toward the door, she reached into her robes, unseen by the teacher, and drew out a small pouch. She reached in and took a handful of the contents. Before Radiant Heart could react, she found a strange gold, glittering powder in her face. She inhaled in surprise... and suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. She couldn't even see thanks to the stuff getting in her eyes. Adalade made her move for her wand, diving and rolling once she gotten hold of it, and used one of the pillars in the room for cover, in case Prof. Heart recovered faster than intended. Peaking out, she grinned. The teacher was struggling to wipe away the dust from her eyes, using her wings. That meant they were occupied and not in position to cast any spells. "Dormitabis!" She cast her spell at the Pegasus. Radiant Heart stopped in her tracks, stiffened momentarily, then started wobbling for a few seconds. Suddenly she fell over onto her side and started snoring softly. Adalaed stared in mixed disbelief and joy. "Well well, now to get you out of here and into the hands of the jerk who's making me do all this." She cast a few other spells, removing all evidence of the crime, before pulling out a sack. "Capacious Extremis!" She cast the spell onto the sack, which expanded the inside of the sack while seemingly doing nothing to the outside. The girl then started stuffing the mare inside. A quick disillusionment charm on the bag, and it was now indistinguishable from an ordinary sack, no magic aura at all. The sack didn't look like it was carrying anything, so the girl was able to just fold it back up and hide it back in her robes. She picked up the dropped wands and looked them over. "Can't have these laying around to be found... Evanesco!" With that, the wands simply... vanished. Now all she had to do was to deliver the sack to the drop off point and send a message. Once done, she would hopefully be set free from the damn magic contract that forced her to do as her 'employers' demanded of her. To Be Continued...