Chapter 22: Out of Dorms at Night
Elsewhere out on the Quidditch greens, Miles and Wood are standing not so far apart that they can’t have a quiet conversation while they watch the first years learning about the proper way to ride a broom.
“I can’t believe you let a firsty have that broom.”
“She latched onto it and wouldn't take no for an answer.”
“Flint is going to be right put out.”
“And how’s that?”
“Well, you’re going to put her in as seeker.”
“So don’t tell him.”
“He’ll blow a gasket. Not like I care. He doesn’t know it but his bullying won't land him any cushy jobs once he gets out of Hogwarts. He’s going to find himself being seriously marginalized… wow, would you look at that!”
Aerie’s broom now had a bright glow behind the sweep and she was rocketing heavenward even as Draco was looping over the gate to make his return run. Draco might well be going as fast as that old broom could go and at the moment he was ahead of Aerie.
Was ahead of Aerie.
Aerie had cut the engines, let it slide back towards the earth in a stall, flipped, jettisoned the fuel, and ignited. Figuratively speaking.
She overshot the school and had to go around.
Aerie was coming in for a landing after her second go around about the same time Draco was approaching the green.
“Woo, who!” Aerie cheered while standing on the footrests, the shaft of the broom nearly vertical.
“Show off,” Aurora quipped. And yes, she was extremely envious.
“Alright, I want the rest of you to put your brooms away,” Madam Hooch called. “Miles, if the Broom Mr Malfoy has doesn’t have an owner go ahead and let him keep it.”
“Yes mam, he’ll love that.”
“Miss Potter… How?” Dumbledore beseeched her as she slowly spun the broom about the group.
“Don’t feel too bad Draco,” Miles offered.
“Did she say I could keep the broom?”
“She did at that. As for being on the team, Flint would never have let a first-year play anyway,” Miles offered to Draco as the two began to head back to the Broom shed. “That’s the widow-maker Potter’s got. If it doesn’t like the rider it’ll try to kill them. Rumor has it it was created by a mad genius who’d both a Night Mare and a Phoenix.”
“In an odd sort of way that kind of describes Aerie. I’m fairly sure that Night Mare looks to her.”
“No phoenix.”
“I’m not so sure. I’ve got an idea that Aurora Summers could possibly count. You should have seen her when Snape tried to brain-rape Aerie.”
“I’ve heard about that. It’s put pretty much everyone on edge around Snape. And that fire could explain why you’ve been so chummy with the Gryffindors.”
“Professional. Let’s say professional. And Aerie is right, we don’t have to be enemies. We can be rivals, but we don’t have to be enemies.”
“Certainly nothing wrong with being on good terms with two girls who could potentially be the most powerful witches England has ever seen. Just have a care. People like Flint will never see it that way.”
“Miss Potter, do come back down to earth,” Professor Dumbledore entreated as the class walked away.
“Aerie, you might as well hang on to that Broom,” Madam Hooch offered as Aerie stepped back onto terra firma.
“You’re going to let her keep it?” Dumbledore asked in astonishment as Aerie and Aurora hurried to catch up with the rest of the class.
“It likes her. That and if she has it, it won’t be in the shed where just anyone might take a crack at it. Aerie’s a natural and she’s got a connection with that broom unlike any of its previous users. I’d imagine that it’d be a hard broom to jinx as well. I’ve tried to analyze the spell craft on that broom. It’s unlike any broom on the market. Now, instead of worrying about that broom, right off hand, I’d think you should be more concerned with who’s trying to jinx our young fliers.”
“Aye, that does concern me. It concerns me greatly. It concerns me because I now have to worry about agents of the Dark Lord trying to target random boys who might possibly fit the prophecy.”
“Neville?”
“Oh, he fits the prophecy and I am at my wit's end because I don’t know what move I need to make next.”
“I’d imagine it’s a rather helpless feeling. Quite possibly why I love to fly so much. It’s all instinct up there. There is no long plan, only that which has to happen right now at this very moment.”
“Which would suggest that what I need to do is to wait for the other side to make a move.”
When it was time for Dinner Quirrel showed up looking like he’d been in a prize fight. That or a window shutter had hit his face rather forcefully.
“So, um… Quirrel?” Aurora asked discreetly.
“Good possibility,” Aerie replied in like volume.
Aside from that, there’d been nothing of note that evening, that is until Alice Tolipan came upstairs and asked if Hermione was with them. The girls were all working on supplemental education packets that had been sent to them by their parents. In short, the muggle government thought they were being home-schooled.
“Aurora, is she in the dorm?” Arie asked.
“Why are you asking her?” Alice asked.
“It’s complicated,” Lavender offered.
“Hermione, Ron, and Neville of all people seem to be out of the dorm,” Aurora informed them after a couple of minutes where it looked like she was just gazing off into space.
“Great,” Aerie griped. “We were lucky we didn’t lose points when Percy got suspended and demoted.
“If we do, your actions would probably gain them back when you caught Peter Pettigrew,” Aurora pointed out.
“Come to think of it, I saw Ron get into it with Draco right after dinner,” Alice informed them.
“Is it just me or is Malfoy actually more reasonable than Ronald Weasley?” Lavender asked.
“Grew up on a diet of Malfoys bad, and we are the champions of the light, no doubt,” Aerie lamented. “The Malfoys aren’t bad, they are opportunists. Looks like the Dark Lord is going to win, switch over to the Dark Lord. Dark Lord vanishes, switch back. Not that there weren’t members of that family that were horrid people, but Draco isn’t one of them. If Ron would just be more reasonable those two could actually have at the very least a cordial relationship.”
“Malfoy’s in his dorm,” Aurora announced.
“How do you even know that?” Alice asked.
“Can you keep a secret? And it’s a big one?” Aerie asked.
“Ya, sure.”
“You do realize that’s the one double positive that can actually equal a negative?” Aurora asked.
“Yes, I can keep a secret.” Alice had a confused look on her face as she contemplated the phrasing ya sure.
“Has to do with her ancestry,” Aerie offered. “She’s a direct descendant of the Sun King.”
“Of France?” Alice asked while possibly even more confused.
“Of Akkadia. She’s an Akkadian Princess.”
“The wards are founded on ancient Akkadian artifacts and spell matrices,” Aurora informed her. “And as an Akkadian Princess, that gives me access. I gained access the other day. It just suddenly gave me access. I can only assume the system must have recognized my bloodline or something.” OK, it was the fact that she’s an Equestrian Princess, but Aurora wasn’t about to try to explain that. “Madam Hooch and a Doc Brown know, but if Dumbledore knows he’s not said anything. And... I got them. They are on their way to the Trophy room. Oh, and Alice, if people like the Weasley Twins knew, they might try to find some way to take advantage of the fact I can do it.”
“Moonie, any chance you can see to it those idiots get back to the dorm without getting caught?”
“Your cat?” Alice asked as Moonie the cat raised her head, and let out a sigh.
“Well our options are, I go after them, or we leave them to their fate.”
“Filch is closing in on them,” Aurora announced. Moonie’s ears went flat, she got up, and raced out of the room.
“She’s a cat, what’s she going to do?” Alice asked.
“She’s very resourceful,” Lavender offered.
“Oh, now those idiots are headed right for the off-limits corridor,” Aurora announced a short time later.
“Idiots,” Aerie grumbled, got out of her bed, took off her pendants, put those on her bed, went to a window, opened it, and stepped out.
“Aerie?!” Lavender shouted as she dashed to the window. “She’s gone?”
“Something tells me she’ll be fine… Nova?” Aurora said the last with considerable surprise. The wards weren’t showing Aerie Potter gliding through the air, it was showing Kitsumi Nova Moon Princess of Equestria in the ancient Akkadian script.
“Nova?” Aurora said softly. She did keep her wits about her and made sure to open a window into a classroom that provided access to the appropriate corridor. She watched the wards, giving a play-by-play, the three idiots were in the off-limits corridor, Fluffy had seen them, Nova was peeking through a door, the dog stopped, and the three idiots are now looking at the dog their minds too befuddled to remark on the singing, they turn, and exit the corridor. Nova closed the classroom door and returned back the way she’d come.
When Aerie dropped back in through the window of their dorm room her hair was white. It didn’t stay that way for very long though.
“They are on their way back now, and I’m not seeing any more obstacles,” Aurora offered while watching Aerie. Aerie had gone back to her bed, put her amulets back on, and then went to her wardrobe to get a night robe.
“Anyone want to go down to the common room to welcome them back?” Aerie asked.
“Sure, why not,” Aurora replied, Idda met them on the way down in her search for Hermione, and a short time later they were downstairs with nearly half the girls in the dorm following them.
As fate would have it Wood and Mr Foley came down the stairs about the same time in search of the two boys.
“What’s going on?” Wood asked.
“We are here for the floor show,” Idda replied.
“I know, let's rearrange the furniture to face the entry hole,” Aerie suggested.
“So, I gather you are missing someone too?” Foley asked as the furniture was rearranged.
“And we have it on good authority that the miscreants will be back shortly,” Idda informed them.
“Foley looked cross, and then he brightened. “Wood, rouse as many people as you can. Might as well turn this into a learning moment.”
Wood Laughed, and rushed upstairs.
“That thing was huge,” Ron said as he, Hermione, and Neville scrambled through the door.
“It has three heads? Why does it have three heads?” Neville asked.
“It’s a Cerberus,” Hermione proclaimed in her I’m a genius, and your not tone.
“Ya, well, Hell Hounds typically tend to be huge slobbering three-headed creatures,” Foley announced. The three idiots froze in place followed by slowly looking in Woods's direction. From there they cast their eyes about the room. Nearly everyone in the Gryffindor dormitory was either standing or sitting, and every last one was watching them.
“Five points each, I think,” Idda suggested.
“From each of us,” Wood added.
“That’ll make fifteen points each then,” Foley added. “Forty-five total.”
“It was Draco, he challenged Ron to a duel,” Hermione stated in her defense.
“And was he there?” Aerie asked. Granted that she already knew the answer.
“No, he chickened out,” Ron stated.
“Duels are to be fought on the front steps right before breakfast. That’s the rule. Unofficially. Officially it’s a hundred points if you get caught. That’s why we do it on the steps, and there are rules to keep it down to a quick fast draw, someone loses a wand, no jinxing, or anything that’s going to raise awkward questions,” Foley stated. “Had a member of the faculty caught you, you’d be missing a whole lot more points, and facing a possible suspension. Be grateful McGonagall didn’t catch you. She would have taken fifty points each just for being out of the dorm after hours.”
“Ron,” Aurora began in a scolding tone. “What Draco did is known as a troll among muggles. The term comes from fishing. Its original meaning refers to a fisherman in a boat who casts out a line in hopes of a fish biting the hook. Draco cast out his line, and you bit. Its modern alternate meaning has a little more to do with someone who has all the personality and intelligence of a Mountain Troll. He as likely never had any intentions to meet you at the appointed place and time.”
Ron’s face fell at the realization that he’d been had.
“Ron Ron Ron, why are you so gullible?” Fred admonished.
“He never learns,” George reported.
“Ron, have we taught you nothing?” Fred asked while shaking his head.
“Looks like the show is over, think I’ll go back to bed,” One of the older boys said, and headed back upstairs.
One by one people started back upstairs until the common room was empty once more.
“Aerie…” Aurora said softly as the two headed up the stairs. “Your name changed? In the ward matrix. But only while you were out of the bedroom.”
“Did it? Curious that.” Aerie looked at Aurora and saw the look of longing. “Multiverse. It showed Nova, I gather. Mrs Silverwood is also a Nova. We are not your Nova. That would be too easy.” Aerie reached out and hugged Aurora. “If you could go back to that place, would you?”
“I don’t know?” Aurora replied. “I have my mom and my friends, but I had a whole family. I was royalty. We’d kept my status a secret, but we never had to worry about secrecy accords or people like Tom Riddle. I could use magic openly, most of the time. And I could fly. I loved flying, and being on a broom isn’t quite the same. It’s fun, and it’s different, but it’ll never be the same. That and broom riding comes with some mighty big limitations.”
“Ya, I know. Kind of had to resist the urge to just stay out there and fly until my heart had drunk deeply of flight.”
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Clues, i love clues.
Ron is going to be a real Prat in this story witch is kind of fitting.
Aerie gets to stretch her wings for a short bit and yet i feel there is going to be more flight time involved.
im enjoying this story greatly, I love all the Kitzumi stories, Fox Pony is Adorable
If he wasn't a fool he remember that the thing said 2 boys but only one would be the hero. If Neville is the chosen one then where the boy who didn't get lucky plus the chosen boy was supposed get marked by the enemy. Where the mark
11666546
Well, Harry was the one originally marked. In that scene right at the beginning, Discord took that bit of Riddle's soul that was attached to Harry and stuck it on Nova (Aerie Potter) Moon. She ripped it off and used her fox fire to destroy it. Aerie is now the marked one even though the accidental Horcrux is no longer part of the picture. Because when Discord is involved logic goes out the window. The fox fire fits the bill for power the Dark Lord knows not. With a few tweaks, the prophesy still works. Nor did it say two boys. It's just that there were multiple individuals who fit the prophesy. When Harry Potter's name was entered into the Book of Admittance as a baby, his family was targeted. The irony here is that JK Rowling broke her own rules because it breaks canon. This is why I pin the deed on Dumbledore by saying he forged the name.
The prophecy we get in the book is as Dumbledore recalled it, which I've established in my narrative... or soon will... may well be misremembered. Even in the book, they weren't sure if what they'd remembered had been accurate. By making it gender-neutral the prophesy can include boys, girls, and anyone in-between.