Agents of Discord

by KittyrinnAiko

Chapter 38: A Canterlot View

“I can’t remember when I’ve had such a lovely time,” McGonagall offered as she went out the door.

“Would you like to see the vault?” Aerie asked. “It’s right down there.”

“As a matter of fact, I’d love to see this floo hearth you’ve got,” She replied. The key was fetched followed by Professor McGonagall, Aerie, and Basil going down into the trench in front of the building. They’d only just entered the room when a greasy little bald-headed man who looked like he hadn't bought any new clothing since the seventies popped out of the fireplace.

“See here, old man, what are you doing in my floo?” Basil asked.

The little man looked at the trio with much the same look a child might have after having been caught getting into the cookies.

“Mundungus?” McGonagall asked.

“Ah, Minerva. What an unexpected, and I must say, pleasant, surprise.”

“Mundungus Fletcher?” Aerie asked.

“Who’re you?”

“This is Miss Aerie Potter,” McGonagall informed him.

“Ah, I see. Well, if Dumbledore was going to have you fetch her why’d he ask me to arrange her removal?”

“So, that’s the way of it, is it?” McGonagall asked.

“Ya, only the guys who volunteered to help seem to have mucked things up, and I was just about to, to, um…”

“You were using this floo because no one uses it anymore, and there’s access to the underground, is that it?” Aerie asked. “Or were you going to attempt to snatch me having learned of our floo and how to access it?”

“Well, um, actually, that is… I honestly thought no one ever used this, It’s abandoned, isn’t it? After the guys mucked up so badly I thought it’d be a good idea to make myself scarce for a while.”

“It’s my vault, my street vault. It doubled as a shelter during the blitz,” Basil offered. “To be honest, my son is the first in several generations who wasn’t an outright, squib.”

“Your wife seems to have managed to rekindle her magic,” McGonagall offered. “But never mind that.
“Mundungus, whatever machinations Professor Dumbledore had in mind, last night’s kerfuffle had put an end to it. I don’t know why he’s so set to micromanage every aspect of Aerie Potter’s life, but if you know what’s good for you, you’ll have nothing more to do with Aerie. Furthermore, no one is to attempt to move her or do anything of the sort.”

“A confession to the right people concerning certain activities might make your life a little easier in the future,” Aerie offered coldly as she brought up her right hand and flexed her fingers. As she did so, little sparks of electricity danced about in her hand.

“Aerie? Now Aerie, none of that,” Aurora scolded softly from the doorway followed by entering the room. Aurora came up behind Aerie and put a comforting hug around her.

“If, if I go against Dumbledore…”

“Dumbledore made me famous to use me as a patsy. No point in denying it. And now he’s got it in his head to try to gaslight me no doubt. Convince me I have to go somewhere else of his choosing, no doubt.”

“Actually, that was Hagrid who made ya famous.” Mundungus let out a laugh. “Funny how he always had the name right but everyone heard Harry.”

“I’m to understand that Hagrid arrived at the house to collect me shortly after the attack. To collect me. He certainly wasn’t there to fight off Death Eaters, and if he was… By himself? Well, either way, how’d he know to be there at all? That little tidbit has given me quite a bit to think on.”

“Minerva?” Mundungus prompted. She had chosen to be quiet concerning Aerie’s accusation. “Maybe, just maybe, Hagrid showing up with Aerie as a babe at the Leaky Cauldron, a babe who somehow survived the killing curse, was all some kind of game, but when people heard that You Know Who had failed, it gave us hope.”

“It could have been false hope,” Aerie offered. “Everyone took Hagrid’s word like he’d been there when it happened and Neville Longbottom’s parents were attacked several days later. It wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

“That night did embolden the Ministry into action,” Professor McGonagall offered. “And people who’d been under his sway started coming forward to renounce him.”

“True enough, I suppose, but you can’t deny the possibility that the family of Harry Potter had been used like a game piece. We were expendable.” Aerie took a breath. “He’s still out there biding his time. Without his followers he’s nothing and he knows it. But that doesn’t really matter. Professor Dumbledore was bound and determined to flush him out at any cost.” Aerie gave Professor McGonagall a look. “That’s why I had to endure all those years of abuse at the hands of the Dursley family. The boy who lived could have just quietly vanished far from England, but that’s not what Professor Dumbledore wanted. And for that matter, I can see no reason, no logical valid reason to leave me with the Dursley family. I’m lucky I survived.” Aerie refocused on Mundungus. Never mind that it hadn’t actually been her. But that’s beside the point. “Mr Mundungus Fletcher, if you are not willing to do whatever you can to end the cycle of violence, then I’d suggest you get out of England.”

“Miss Potter, aren’t you kind of pushing it,” McGonagall cautioned.

“If things blow up again, he’s likely to find himself right in the middle of all the trouble. Even now Nova Silverwood wants to have words with him.”

“Which is exactly why I thought it a good idea to lay low. Then again, I doubt any place is beyond her reach.”

“Just out of curiosity, how do you access this specific floo?” Basil asked.

“House of the Fletcher. Found me here by pure chance one night. I admit I may have had one too many drinks that night. I’d thrown down my floo powder and instead of saying my destination properly, I announced that I was off to the house of the Fletcher. And to my surprise, away I went.”

“And you escaped out the back door no doubt?” Minerva McGonagall asked.

“Actually I tried using the floo powder in the pot on the mantle there.”

“Isn’t it too old?” Aerie asked.

“Aye, that it is. That’s when I discovered that if the floo powder has gone off it’ll just take a person as far as there is magic for it, and dump them in the first available hearth. I tried experimenting. The hearth doesn’t even have to be connected, any old hearth will do, and if there isn’t enough a body just won’t go anywhere.”

“I’d imagine that’s quite useful in evading people you don’t wish to talk to,” Minerva McGonagall observed.

“Listen, being that you were just a go-between,” Aerie offered as she slowly let the energy in her hand dissipate. “We might just let you go.”

“And the catch?” Mundungus asked.

“If Dumbledore asks for any more favors we’d like to know,” Aerie offered. “That and you might pass the word that doing favors for Professor Dumbledore may well be fraught with hazards.”

“I too would appreciate it if you could let me know what he’s up to,” Minerva offered. “I fear his judgment may be far more questionable than I had ever realized.”

“Aye, I can do that.”

"One more thing," Aerie prompted. "Where exactly was I to go? The Dursleys are still at Her Majesty's pleasure, and the house on Privet Drive is nowhere near being rebuilt."

"Back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore said you'd be safer there."

"Back to Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked sounding as though she was astounded. "Do you mean to say that Profesor Dumbledore manufactured a crisis just to drag Aerie back to school? That is outrageous! I'll be having words with him. That I will."

Minerva McGonagall made some rather interesting mutterings, and saw Mundungus off, followed by using the floo herself with the aid of a bit of floo powder she had in a pouch she carried. if Aerie thought the night was ready to wind down, Kreacher was good enough to let her know that there was someone at the back door. Which meant a pony.

Scootaloo and Aurora quickly set to making it look like they’d been in the front room the whole time while Aerie went to the back door. All three had transformed back into pony form the moment they hit the landing at the top of the stairs.

“Mrs Heardital? What brings you here so late?” Aerie asked moments after opening the door. “Come in, come in out of the cold.”

“Oh, I won’t be but a moment,” Mrs Heardital offered and then walked in anyway. She looked about the kitchen. Nothing had changed position from her previous inspection.

“Already cleaned up,” Aerie offered as Mrs Heardital entered the hallway. She poked her head into Scootaloo’s room, and then went forward to find Aurora and Scootaloo going over Scootaloo’s homework.

To Mrs Heardital’s keen eyes it really looked like no one had been in the house save for the fact the fire showed signs of having burned for a fair amount of time.

“Oh, hi Mrs Heardital,” Aurora offered.

“Mighty clean house you keep.”

“You’ll have to give us a bit more time to mess the place up,” Aerie offered. “We’ve been away at school.”

“And will you be going back?”

“We’ll be commuting in the future.”

“I see…”

“We will be sure to make arrangements so that there will always be some pony who can lend a hoof,” Aurora offered. “Scootaloo has at least proven that she is both resourceful and mature enough to keep up on her school work on her own.”

“Very well then,” Mrs Heardital replied, and showed herself out the front door. A moment later she’d returned and went back to the back door muttering something about the front being way too high.

“Way too high?” Aerie asked and then looked out the front to find she’d a balcony that overlooked Canterlot. A quick glance at the dial showed her that a new dial setting had been added.

“What’d she mean by too high?” Scootaloo asked.

“The front is a balcony overlooking Canterlot,” Aerie offered as she opened the door and poked her head out.

“But Canterlot is in the other direction?” Scootaloo pointed out.

“Ha, I can see Ponyville from here!” Aerie announced and then started laughing. No sooner had she stepped out the door did she turn into a filly maybe a few years older than Scootaloo’s age.

“Wait, what?” Aurora asked, got up, and rushed to the front door. Scootaloo was quick to follow. Both were out on the balcony a moment later. A quick look around located Canterlot castle directly below and to the right. A staircase dropped down to a garden that was behind the main Keep where Princess Celestia lived.

“Moonie, which Equestria is this?” Aerie asked excitedly.

The white-haired Selena in pony form appeared in the doorway a moment later.

“Selena?”

“I think… I think it’s home.”

“Our home? Can it be that easy?”

“One more test by Discord I think?” Aurora offered.

“Sorry, it’s not your Equestria.”

“So, this is a completely different Equestria?” Scootaloo asked as Aerie ran back in and upstairs.

“Aerie?” Aurora called.

“Do we dare have a look?” Scootaloo asked.

“I think we better go see why Aerie ran off.”

“Ya, alright. Really cold out here too,” Scootaloo offered and a moment later the two followed Aerie upstairs.

Through the door and once more human they found Aerie up on the third floor talking to Mrs Silverwood on her phone.

“Aerie?” Aurora asked.

“She’s going to come over and give me a second opinion.”

“You think Moonie might be wrong?”

“Identifying the subtle difference between dimensions isn’t exactly one of her primary functions.”

They met Mrs Silverwood at the front door a short time later. The Sussex street door, that is.

“Well, let’s have a look,” Nova Silverwood offered as she entered.

“Make sure to pause a moment on the landing,” Aerie cautioned.

“Why’s that?”

“With both lower doors set to Equestria, it puts the portal on the upstairs door. You’ll transform.”

“Actually, no, I won’t,” Nova offered as she stepped through, and sure enough she remained in human form.”

“You didn’t transform?” Aurora asked confused and just a little concerned. She, Aerie, and Scootaloo all transformed, necessitating they back down the stairs like it was a ladder.

“I don’t. I have to use a transformation spell. I’m surprised Aerie isn’t equally afflicted short of she’s just doing it subconsciously.” She cast a spell using her fox fire to get a look at the environs of the floor they were now on and then transformed to her pony form. Both Aurora and Scootaloo couldn't help but notice that pony Aerie and pony Nova Silvermane were nearly identical. Aerie was a little younger and had no scars to speak of. Unlike Nova Silvermane who’d more than her fair share. Mostly on her plot for some odd reason. (Always the plot armor.)

“I recall you said I’d be stuck here for a while,” Aerie pointed out.

“I did at that. But then that’s what the condition of the time streams was at the time. And this floor seems to be some kind of Wizard space that takes on the properties of the world it’s connected to. Two connections to Equestria, and it’s just like we are in Equestria. And it doesn't seem to matter if it's two different Equestrias.”

She then went to the back door to verify her previous readings, followed by going to the front.

“Well….” Aerie was anxious to get the verdict.

“Looks like it’s your world, post-Grand Galloping Gala, the return of Discord, and Nightmare Night. About a week out from Hearth's Warming.” Meaning little Nova AKA Aerie Potter had been gone for no less than three to four months. Had Discord Lied? Perhaps. But that was the last thing on anyone’s mind at that moment.

Nova raced past her, sprung from the balcony, spread her wings, and raced down to Canterlot castle.

“Is this portal stable?” Aurora asked.

“Yes, it is. This shouldn't even be here, but it is and it’s stable. The time streams must have shifted. Might also explain why Discord was so concerned with putting an end to Riddle.”

“Listen, I’m going to go after her and make sure she’s going to be alright,” Aurora announced. “Scootaloo, you should probably stay here. Just in case.” And with that Aurora took off after Aerie. Nova Silverwood followed a short time later after admonishing Scootaloo to stay put. Sure it was Aerie's home world, but Nova Silverwood's experiences in dimension hopping gave her plenty of reason to be concerned.

Author's Note:

If I haven't already mentioned, the dials by the door are based on the ones used in Howl's Moving Castle.

A dial in the form of a stained glass window makes an appearance in Spirited Away.

Comments

[harts fire]

and the Dumbledore roast has built up speed. hay Discord get the pop corn out i will get the dogs, hot dog's silly this is going to bee good.

this is a awesome chapter.

[Flashgo]

Just get some jiffy pop and the roasting will give u all the popcorn u need to watch the roasting.

Yes I know that's circular but I did not have the jiffy pop ready for the first roasting, tho might be safer with regular cause the jiffy pop might just get incinerated next to the next roasting.