Chapter 86: There's something wicked in the castle.
The week went by without further incident until Saturday. Aerie found herself being roused out of sleep early Saturday morning by Alicia Spinnet.
“Come on Aerie, time to get up.”
“Why? No, don’t tell me, Wood wants to do practice, doesn’t he?”
“Bingo.”
“Like I need to practice,” Aerie grumbled as she started to get up. “Aurora… Aurora… let go.”
“Aurora, why are you in Aerie’s bed?”
“It’s OK, we’re married,” Aurora replied sleepily.
“Married?”
“Just let go already…”
“But it’s not time to lower the moon.”
“Aurora, that’s not my job. I have to go do Quidditch.”
“Quidditch? At this hour?” Now Aurora was awake. She let go, Aerie rolled out of bed and onto the floor, and Aurora sat up to look out the window. “Celestia’s not even up?”
“Wood has a bur under his saddle and we’ve no choice but to humor him,” Aerie offered as she got up. “Just go back to sleep.”
“Fine,” Aurora said softly and dropped back. Aerie got dressed and joined the rest of the quidditch team in the common room with a broom in hand still in its store wrappings.
"Morning, Wood," Aerie offered as she entered the common room only to be greeted by a chorus of giggles from the twins.
“Alright, I got everyone. For God’s sake it’s the crack of dawn,” Alicia announced with a protest.
“Exactly,” He proclaimed with gleaming eyes. “It’s part of our new training program. None of the other teams have started. Now come on, grab your brooms, and let’s go.”
“I guess there’s no reasoning with him,” Katie Bell muttered as they made their way through the exit and headed downstairs.
Discovering the Slytherin team at the gate into the Quidditch pitch wasn’t a huge surprise. Seeing the black brooms with gold lettering boldly proclaiming Nimbus Two-thousand on each was a bit of a surprise.
“What are you lot doing here? We have the pitch reserved.
“You mean you did,” countered the Slytherin Team Captain Miles Bletchley. “We've got a note from Professor Snape, ‘I Professor Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, all day, on the Quidditch pitch, owing to the need to train their new Seeker.’”
“What?” Wood protested.
“Professor Snape doesn’t even have that authority,” Alicia countered. “The Quidditch Pitch is Madam Hooch’s domain. Not Professor Snape.”
“You are welcome to protest to her.”
“What say we wager for the morning slot,” Aerie prompted. “I race your new seeker, your new broom, against this store-bought broom of my own.” She held up the broom, still in its wrappings.
“You’re on,” piped up the voice of young Mr Bagman.
“Him?” Fred scoffed. And to be true, the rest of the Slytherin team was looking highly annoyed.
“There’s to be no race,” Miles protested.
“I’m not afraid of her. Bet she can barely ride. She’s just a girl.”
“He accepted my challenge. We race. That’s if you want to save face,” Aerie prompted.
“That’s a store-bought broom?” he seemed a bit unsure. Then again, Aerie could probably beat Ludo on a school broom for all he knew. The only reason they’d allowed it was because of the gift of brooms and he wasn’t going to turn down brand new brooms.
“Indeed it is. Got it in Diagon Alley.”
“So help me… fine. The winner gets the pitch for the morning,” Miles relented. “Bagman, Miss Potter, line up there on the path.”
“She hasn’t a chance,” Ludo Bagman boasted as he lined up.
“Release!” Aerie commanded followed by the wrapping on the broom spiraling away to reveal a brand new Blackthorn Industries QICB (Quidditch International Competition Broom) 51 Mustang. The very broom the Nimbus Two-thousand was trying to copy at a lower price. It was smooth in all the right places, rough where the rider needed to grip, a finely braided sweep, and black as coal with silver lettering that glistened with obvious enchantment. It even had the same silver footrests with that odd Akkadian lettering stating Carnneighge Foundry.
“Just exactly how much money do you have!” Miles blurted out as jaws dropped.
“I inherited the Black estate and my guardians don’t understand wizard money.”
Several of the Slytherins burst out in laughter.
“Ya, well, you better not lose,” Wood ordered as Aerie stepped up to the starting positions.
“Brooms down,” Wood ordered.
“I named her Betty,” Aerie said as she placed her broom on the ground.
“All right, let’s make this a little more interesting,” Miles called out. “On the command to go, you will command your brooms up, mount, race to the Owlery, try not to hit any owls, race back, loop the Quidditch, back to the Owlery, and the first rider back wins.” He looked at Wood. “You may have the honor of starting.”
“Very magnanimous of you,” Wood replied. And he was rightly concerned given his relaxed attitude toward Aerie. “Alright then… Go!”
Bagman’s broom slapped into his hand and he was off the ground in a flash with Aerie close behind. From there it took but a moment to cross the ravine between them and the Owlery.
As the two approached the tower Aerie chose a course that would take her on a wide arch while Ludo went straight at the building attempting to cut around it as close as he could resulting in the need to dodge more than a few owls. A choice that forced him to slingshot wide as he momentarily lost control. Aerie cut tight at that point and found herself in the lead a moment later with a furious young man on her tail as they raced back.
By the time they were halfway around the pitch, they were nearly side by side with Aerie on the outside track. Something that irked young Mr Ludo as he had no desire to wait until they passed over the two teams to head back to the Owlery.
Aerie couldn't help but let a smirk cross her face as Ludo dropped back to cut behind her and make a beeline once more for the Owlery. She turned and was quick on his tail.
Once more around the tower, this time both taking the same path more or less with Aerie pulling up on Ludo’s inside following to turn. He held himself as tight as he could willing his broom faster and faster.
Somehow, inexplicably, Ludo pulled away from Aerie and was a full broom length ahead when they passed the teams on the final leg. Aerie curved down and landed as Ludo proceeded to do loops.
“Good luck with him,” Aerie offered as she dismounted. Wood was just standing there with his jaw hanging open as Aerie put the broom over her shoulder.
“You let him win!” Wood accused angrily.
“Anyone want breakfast?” Aerie asked as she walked away.
“That’s not a denial!” Wood yelled.
“No, I suppose not,” Miles offered with a bemused look on his face. Oh, he knew full well what she’d done, and young Mr Bagman was going to be impossible to deal with now.
“That was awesome!” Colin Creevey exclaimed as he ran up to the Slytherin team with his camera in hand. He lingered only a moment and then took off after the Gryffindor team.
Aerie found Hermione and Ron already eating their breakfasts and went to sit by them.
“You’re back already?” Ron asked as Wood went to his usual place and sat down with an air of aggravation.
“Slytherin got Snape to sign a letter saying that they could have the pitch,” Katie Bell announced as she sat down.
“Brand new brooms,” Fred announced.
“Bet you all wish you could afford new brooms,” Wilbur Nott jeered from the Slytherin table. “Ludo’s grandfather bought them.”
“Bought his way onto the team is it?” Hermione quipped.
“No one asked your opinion! Filthy Mud Blood!” Nott shot back. “Even your skin shows it.”
Thwack!
Isolde had come up behind him, and on hearing what the boy had said slapped him on the back of the head plenty hard enough to make his head swim. There’d also been a flash from Colin’s camera. Now to be true, Isolde didn’t really care for Hermione all that much, but she was in Gryffindor now and she knew full well that the comment was about as uncalled for as could be. That and her new heritage had her seeing skin color just a little differently. Not just skin tone, everything was more vibrant now. Oh, she didn’t know what it was but had overheard enough talk to know that she was more than human now. Sweetie, Louise, and Bloom weren’t far behind and Aurora was behind them. Each with mouth a gape.
“Isolde?” Aurora called.
“Miss Swan, care to explain yourself?” Professor McGonagall demanded as she approached the table.
“Nott was being rude,” one of the older Slytherin boys informed her. And no, the Slytherins had no love for that specific trio. After all, it was almost unheard of for anyone to lose points before they’d even started.
“I’m sorry, Professor, he called her a dirty Mud Blood,” Isolde explained. “My hand just seemed to jump out in response.” Isolde had taken Mrs Silverwood’s advice about getting the truth out front the first chance you get. Coloring the truth was permissible. That and she now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the purer the bloodline, the sooner the decline.
“I see…” Professor McGonagall’s right eye twitched. “In that case, five points from each of you.”
“What’d I do?!” Nott blurted out indignantly.
“We do not go around calling other students vile inappropriate names.”
“But it’s true. Just look at her.”
“Mister Nott! That will be enough out of you. Not one more word. That will be an additional ten points from Slytherin. And for your information, we do not judge people by appearance. Furthermore, you just earned yourself a detention. Starting right now!”
“But?”
“Shut it!”
To everyone's astonishment, Professor McGonagall took a step closer, snatched his ear, lifted him out of his seat, hauled him across the hall, and delivered him to Argus Filch the groundskeeper.
“Professor,” Snape called from the head table. He’d heard the entire exchange. The entire hall had heard. “When Mr Filch is done with him, he’s to come straight to me.”
“Never thought I’d see the like,” Alicia said softly, her voice carrying over a stunned hall.
“He’s worse than Malfoy,” Ron hissed as people started talking again.
“Draco was smart enough not to pull a stunt like that in front of witnesses and mouth off to a teacher,” Aerie added.
“What’s…” Sweetie asked as she and the others took their usual places at the table.
“It means dirty blood,” Bloom offered, anger in her tone. “And I don’t fault Isolde for hitting him. I was about to hit him myself.”
“Bloom?” Aurora asked astonished that she’d know of such things.
“Probably a good thing you didn’t,” Isolde commented. She’d seen the girl’s strength. “Bloom, I thought everyone where you come from could do magic?” Isolde had the understanding that everyone in Akkadia could do some form of magic. Maybe not flashy wizard stuff but they could still do magic.
“Boy in Diagon Alley,” Aerie supplied. “Just because she said her family were farmers.”
“I missed it?” Aurora asked.
“Selena dealt with him.”
“And you didn’t do anything?”
“Oh, I might have, but then they were just kids. Kind of hard not to blame the parents. They’ll probably start next year. And then I can educate them.”
“Planning on educating that trio?” Aurora asked.
“If we must. We must. Although, at the moment I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Professor McGonagall quite so mad. That and I’ve got a feeling there is no love lost among their fellow Slytherins.”
That night Aerie woke with a start sometime around midnight. “Moonie?” Aerie whispered. The fact that she was glowing ever so slightly was a strong indication that something evil was about. But what? Getting no response from Moonie she gently shook Aurora awake.
“What? Aerie? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Check the wards.”
“What? Now?”
“Look at me?”
“Yes, your beautiful, now go back to sleep.”
“I’m glowing. Aurora, I’m glowing. That only happened around… well, you know?”
Now Aurora was awake as she sat up in bed.
“Sweet Harmony, you are. What the hell?” her eyes went unfocused as she began to look at things only she could see and in the darkness, her eyes shone brightly.
“There’s something loose in the castle. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not seeing anything in the wards. No alerts. Nothing.”
“What about Hoshiko?”
“Checking… she’s awake too and headed for the stairs to the observation platform.”
“She must have felt it too and no Moonie short of she’s out investigating.”
“She’s transformed and just settled in with the ponies. They’re all awake too. Why didn’t I sense anything?” The door creaking open had the two frozen in place like a pair of deer caught in the headlight of a car.
“You alright in there?” Mouse asked as she stuck her head in. She was still in pony form.
“Mouse, thank Harmony it’s you,” Aerie replied breathlessly. “Ya, we’re fine.”
“Can we sleep with you?” Scootaloo asked from the landing. Of the first-year girls, the only one missing was Ginny.
“Sorry, but something’s got them all shaken up,” Isolde offered. “And well, me too. What is it? I’ve never felt like this before. Not even around Quirrell.” In truth, she wasn't presenting like the Crusaders who showed every sign of having been sound asleep. No, Isolde was very much awake.
“So, why can’t I feel it?” Aurora pressed.
“Might be your connection to the wards are giving you a false sense of security,” Aerie offered.
“But there’s nothing there?!”
“A nothing that lights me up and has every pony in School on their guard,” Aerie suggested and then gave the girls the go-ahead.
Scootaloo pitched forward, transformed to her pony form followed by Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and Isolde who transformed into a white unicorn. Indeed she looked like she could be Sweetie’s sister.
“You can all do that?” Aurora asked.
“Looks like we are pony piling tonight,” Aerie offered and transformed herself into a pony just as Moonie appeared in nightmare mode. “Moonie?”
“It’s here,” Moonie replied. She mouthed the words it’s huge. “I chased it back into its hole. There was a student… they were using dark magic. Sorry, I wasn’t able to identify who it was. They did the smoke thing to get away.”
“Aurora?”
“Checking the dormitories…” Aurora announced as the fillies climbed into their bed.
“I’m going to go back on patrol,” Mouse offered and trotted upstairs.
“I’m not seeing anyone out of place unless we count Creevey climbing up from the boys' bathroom. Hang on, looks like Nott just got in from his detention.”
“If it’s him we have to catch him in the act,” Aerie stated. “Though to be honest I doubt it’d be one of the Slytherins.”
“I’ll go see if he’s got the book,” Moonie offered. “And then I have got a mind to patrol inside the school.” She vanished a moment later.
“So it’s here, but why isn’t it showing in the wards?” Aurora asked.
“It’s Slytherin’s monster. He must have found a way to mask its presence.” Aerie offered and lay down.
Aurora let out a sigh, transformed herself into a pony, and snuggled in with the others.
Aerie woke to the sound of pandemonium out on the landing. This was followed by the sound of Hermione of all people loudly shushing people, followed by a recital of her expertise on ponies while Alice Tolipan and Parvati Patil tried to reassure everyone it probably wasn’t what it looked ike. Aerie, and Aurora were still in pony form as were Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Isolde.
“Oh, my,” Professor McGonagall’s voice said from the doorway.
“What’s going on?” Lavender mumbled as she set up.
“Mrs Brown, don’t make any sudden movements,” McGonagall whispered.
“Why?” McGonagall pointed, Lavender looked, cracked a smile, and started laughing. This was followed by McGonagall desperately signaling her to stop. “Aerie? Aurora? What the heck?!”
“Lavender?” McGonagall hissed but held back at whatever else she was about to say when Aurora liftup her head. She looked about, dropped back down, transformed back into human form, and then got out of bed.
“Alright, everyone up. Transform yourselves, and get up. We have an audience.”
“What the heck?” Isolde asked as she looked up at the door. The look on McGonagall's face was priceless. “Ah…”
“You’re a little unicorn right now,” Aerie reminded her and then transformed into her human form. “Good morning Professor. If you can give me some time, Aurora and I need to have a word with you and Professor Dumbledore.”
“I’d say you…” Her words were cut off once more as the crusaders, transformed one by one, got out of bed, and made their way past her to go upstairs to their room where they discovered a sleepy Ginny who was just waking up.
“Professor?” Aerie prompted a moment later, now a couple of paces in front of her.
“You… I mean, all of you… ponies?” She asked as the sound of sprightly tittering could be heard coming from upstairs.
“It’s an Akkadian thing. They had a bad dream, and four hooves beat two feet, I didn’t know Bloom, Sweetie, and Isolde could do it.” Isolde was probably the biggest surprise for her.
“And do you sleep like that often?”
“To be honest, wings and a horn just give me that many more things to be mindful of. Scared fillies just feel more secure under a wing though.”
“I see… nightmares was it?”
“My Moonie tells me she was downstairs… It’s what we need to talk about.”
Aurora walked over to Professor McGonagall and whispered. “Every pony and Akkadian in the castle woke up around midnight. Moonie encountered something nasty, someone controlling it, and it never set off any alerts. I still have access.”
“I… see.” Not the sort of thing she wanted to hear. Certainly not first thing in the morning and going from extreme cuteness to unbridled dread was not good for one’s constitution.
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11834832
Yes. Yes she did. Blame Rowling for that one being an easy goal. Or you could blame Wood for it.
i thought this snake was dealt with back ,,,,,,,,,,,i think it was 1920 or about.
a awesome chapter.. i have had snake and yes it does taste like chicken.
look up Forksville pa Rattlesnake round up. it has not been held for a good bit but i use to go if only to the good eats.
i am about 10 miles from it.
11834832
it fits as woods head is full of sawdust.
11835086
Two snakes. Some background into my thought process, and keep in mind I had two snakes in my other HP crossover. The idea is that Slytherin found a way for his pet to create new pets. After all, the amount of time the Basilisk would need to sit under the castle waiting is stupidly long. After all, Hogwarts was founded some time around the ninth or tenth centuries. We are looking at a time period of around a thousand years, and Slytherin didn't have the elements to freeze his pet until needed. Plus, Riddle would need to be able to put the creature on ice when not in use. To create a European Basilisk requires putting a chicken egg under a toad. OK, but what if Slytherin found a way to use a bigger egg? And I'll say no more because I probably just gave it away.
Great chapter
11835132
ahh i understand now, thanks.