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Paintbrush · 09-30-2008, 10:16 PM

Here goes a fanfic which mostly focuses on action and adventure, but holds some romance in it too (think Dramione

)

Five years have passed since Voldemort's defeat, but it seems that he has not been vanquished completely. And so, foes and friends alike must join in order to get rid of his evil once and for all.

_______________________

Chapter Guide

Prologue - Part 1 / Part 2
Chapter 1 - Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
Chapter 2 - Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6
Chapter 3 - Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
Chapter 4 - Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

_______________________

Prologue - Part 1

Sybil couldn’t sleep. Try as she might, her whirling mind would not allow her to sink into the desired blissful ignorance, and she tossed in the bed, unable to find a comfortable position. She had just experienced (if her assumptions were correct, that is) her third ever true vision. The Hogwarts Divination professor seriously doubted that what she saw could be classified as a prediction, as it clearly related to the past, rather than the future, yet that didn’t change the fact that her Inner Eye had seen once again…

Salazar Slytherin laughed aloud at the sight of his three old friends, now enemies, who faced him across the meadow. The shadow of his ghost floated in the air, unmoved by the raging wind. It was late spring, the time for sudden and strong showers that would momentarily dispel the lingering humidity. It was also the fifth anniversary of Salazar’s death.

“You killed me once, Godric, I shall not let you do that again!” He yelled, his voice carrying over the open space between them.

There was no response as the scarlet-clad man opposite gripped the feathers of his hippogriff tighter, his jaw clenched. He had promised himself he would not rise up to Salazar’s taunts, but this was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

The last time he had encountered his fellow school-founder, they had been about to fight an honourable Wizards Duel. The quarrel which had led to it had something to do with Salazar’s treatment of the Muggle-born students admitted into Hogwarts, and they’d decided to settle the matter once and for all. Unfortunately, things had gotten out of hand as the curses illuminated the school grounds, and after a severe dose of Crucio which Godric had been subjected to, the bearer of the lion’s crest had cast the third and most terrible of the Unforgivable Curses himself; Avada Kedavra.

Godric Gryffindor had regretted losing his temper that day ever since, but there had been nothing he could do to fix that. Rowena convinced him that turning bad time could have dire consequences and was too dangerous a choice in the circumstance. She had always stood by his side – unlike Helga who, since that day, had been less open towards him than ever before.

What neither of the trio knew then, however, was that Salazar hadn’t just died. He had divided his soul into Horcruxes, and so had remained in this world for weeks before they realized what had happened. Once they did, of course, they set off to destroy what still remained of their corrupt companion.

They spread the rumour that Salazar had simply decided to leave the castle, after disagreeing on exactly which students should be admitted to the school, and set of to destroy the three Horcruxes. This was the version of events recorded in the vast majority of history books years later, and only the selected few found out the truth about what really happened.

Their job had been accomplished, but now, five years later to the day of his ‘death’, Salazar was back to make his final stand, to fight for his life one more time.

The ghost’s eyes blazed with a sudden light of determination, their emerald depths glowing eerily as he swept across the ground towards the trio facing him. A maniacal laugh escaped his lips as he neared them, and the trees bent under the power of the wandless magic the human founders of Hogwarts were suddenly attacked by. Salazar had mastered this art to perfection, and despite having no solid form, he fought as well as he ever could.

“Stupefy!” Helga shouted, aiming her wand at the silhouette which brushed past her, but her spell only evaporated through it, causing the shadowy form no harm.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Godric had attempted to repeat his phenomenal victory from five years ago, but failed miserably. Nothing happened.

Horrorstruck, he stared at the soaring figure of his old friend. How was he to be defeated?

“Normal spells won’t work on him!” Rowena bellowed against the growing wind. “We need to combine our powers, and that of…”

But whatever else her wisdom had whispered to her, it was swallowed up in the cackle of Salazar’s voice as he passed right through her and her hippogriff, enveloping the witch in a thick layer of milky mist for an instant.

When the mist dispersed, Helga and Godric were left alone. Where Rowena had been seconds earlier, was now naught but a black hole filled with dust.

“You cannot destroy me!” Salazar circled them, obscuring the sky. Godric and Helga’s mounts rose into the air, too, but the shadow only floated higher, out of reach.

“He’s right, and we don’t stand a chance without Rowena,” Helga muttered, teeth clenched against the fury and grief clutching at her.

“No, we have to win this!”

Even Godric’s faith quelled, however, as the figure they were craning their necks to see began to divide into identically leering faces. Now, three forms flew above them, taunting and smirking. Then, without warning, they dived.

Nothing but blackness surrounded the duo for what seemed like infinity. Then slowly, very slowly, this began to give way to a dawning light, out of which grew the solid figure of Godric Gryffindor.

There was something different about the way he stood, however, and it would have been obvious to anyone who had known him well. His mouth was twisted into a sneer uncharacteristic of his features, and his once-brown, warm eyes were now a deep, emerald green.

Salazar’s soul chortled to itself through Godric Gryffindor’s body. He had won.

Sybil sat up, her large eyes wide with fear, breathing hard. She had never known… never suspected even that something of this nature could occur…

And how could it possibly have been kept from the public, from any history recordings? How could nobody have known about it? A battle of such importance should have been recorded somewhere, surely.

A memory flashed across her mind, then – this time her own. The Ministry of Magic’s private library, to which the entrance was heavily guarded at all times, by the same goblin tricks which Gringotts back was known for… only the privileged could enter there.

And none ever disclosed the information kept hidden in the secret chamber.

No wonder nobody knew.

evanna11 · 10-01-2008, 01:48 PM

Yay, very nice! Write more soon!

hpObsessed · 10-01-2008, 08:12 PM

Wow! That was great!

PAMS!! I want to know what happens next!

Daffy.Potter · 10-01-2008, 09:26 PM

Wow! That was awesome! Great job, Mia!

Hm... wonder where you got that awesome banner...

PAMS!!

MsMorgan · 10-01-2008, 09:41 PM

This is pretty interesting... I'd like to see where you're going with it.

Nat nat · 10-02-2008, 01:43 PM

PAMS PAMS PAMS>>>

Great MIa...

I'll be checking this everytime for updates...

~nat~

Paintbrush · 10-02-2008, 05:43 PM

Thanks, guys

Glad you like it.

I'll be posting more very soon - hopefully before the weekend, or during it anyway. Just schoolwork on top of my head the whole time...

Anyway, thanks again

Gryffindoll · 10-03-2008, 03:09 AM

PAINTBRUSH!
This is amazing, keep more coming, I can't wait to see what happens next!

Paintbrush · 10-04-2008, 05:55 PM

Hehe thank you.

OK, here's the second part of the Prologue. There will be more coming, of course, though I'll have to manufacture some spare time to write, and that could be a bit difficult, so... patience shall be appreciated

Anyway, enjoy!

_________________

Prologue - Part 2

Minerva McGonagall paced her office impatiently, a deep frown of worry creasing her brow as she tried in vain to determine the reason for her insomnia. She had been dozing off when a disturbing feeling awoke her, a sense of foreboding which she simply could not ignore. She had gone to her office in the hope of finding some inspiration there, and tiring herself out enough to be able to sleep, but so far she had had no luck.

“Still pacing, I see?” a familiar voice spoke up from the wall.

“Apparently,” the elderly witch replied testily, glancing at Albus for less than a second. “I still don’t know what it is. Something’s wrong, I can feel it, but curse me if I know what…”

“Perhaps a short trip to the library may stimulate your brain accordingly,” the white-bearded wizard suggested kindly.

“The library?” she rounded upon him so fast that her spectacles wobbled on her nose precariously. “I don’t even know what I’m looking for! There’s nothing special about today, what could there be? No anniversary of anything!”

She almost sighed as she felt the warm weight of Fawkes alighting on her shoulder. He always seemed to appear at the moment when she most needed calming down – and, somehow, the phoenix never failed at distributing peace to those needing it. Except this time, her uneasiness remained. Shaking her head once, she glanced at Dumbledore’s painting, which had now quirked a silver eyebrow at her expectantly.

“Oh, very well, I shall go to the library,” she agreed, heading out of the Head’s office and down the spiral staircase, Fawkes still balancing on her shoulder.

The corridors of the school were silent and cold as she crossed them, her footsteps echoing in the darkness. Rubbing her upper arms, Minerva wished for the hundredth time that winter that spring would come soon; she simply couldn’t stand the falling temperatures.

The door was locked, but a swift “Alohomora” did the trick, and Minerva closed the door behind her. As soon as the lock clocked shut, Fawkes spread his wings and flew up, turning his head as he momentarily hovered above his mistresses’ head, before slowly flying off into the darkness of the library. Frowning, Minerva followed, suspecting that the unusual creature had something to show her.

Her assumptions were, of course, proven correct as she observed the phoenix landing lightly on the top of the shelves containing History of Magic books. An expression of consternation crossed her features as she stared up at he bird, wondering what all this was about.

By way of answering her, he flew right by her, cawing as he passed a new-looking book, one that stood out against its ancient companions.

The Reign of the Dark Lord, Minerva read, whispering the title aloud to herself.

“But what does this have to do with him?” she wondered aloud. “He’s been gone for almost five years now, all the pieces of his soul vanquished, and…”

Minerva stopped, realization dawning upon her as she stared absent-mindedly up at the phoenix. The bird, in turn, regarded her with an intelligent look which held the hint of self-satisfaction at having delivered the hint successfully.

Not many people realized just how vain and proud phoenixes could be.

Gryffindoll · 10-04-2008, 06:08 PM

Mooooooooore! *O*
I love it, please update as soon as you can!

I really want to know what Minerva found out...

MsMorgan · 10-04-2008, 06:33 PM

This is really good... need to know what happens next!

Alice Granger · 10-04-2008, 07:15 PM

new reader
hey i'm alice
great story can't wait for more,i want to find out more
PAMS
Alice

love this story
more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

evanna11 · 10-05-2008, 01:58 PM

I just love this story! It's really mysterious..

*is already looking forward for more*

Nat nat · 10-05-2008, 04:26 PM

Fawkes...

PAms PAms Pams

...yeah more..

~Nat~

Daffy.Potter · 10-06-2008, 01:51 AM

Eesh! Really great!!! Pamsies!!!

hpObsessed · 10-06-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paintbrush

Not many people realized just how vain and proud phoenixes could be.
[/FONT]

lol!

This is great! PAMS please! I don't know if I can stand the suspense!

Ginnie Weasley · 10-21-2008, 10:42 AM

New reader!!!!!

Great story!! Pams Pams Pams!

~xX Yvonne Xx~

Blackened · 11-21-2008, 05:03 PM

Last Update: 10-04-2008

Blackened · 12-28-2008, 05:35 PM

Reactivated upon request.

Paintbrush · 12-28-2008, 09:26 PM

I'm so very sorry for the long absence, please, please don't hold it against me.

Anyway, here's some more, hope that you haven't all lost interest in me yet and will enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, by the way!

______________

Chapter 1 - Part 1

Hermione walked into the office, stifling a yawn as she walked out of the lift. Smiling at the coworkers she passed, she was almost at her desk when she heard a familiar voice behind her, calling her name.

“Luna!” she grinned in greeting as she hugged her friend. “I haven’t seen you since Wednesday… how are you?”

They had spent Wednesday night, New Year’s Eve, together. Almost all her friends had been at the Burrow, where Ron had hosted a party full of firewhisky and butterbeer. Of course, as expected, there was barely any firewhisky left by midnight, and almost all the butterbeer still remained the next morning. It had taken Hermione the best part of the following day to vanquish her headache and nausea; she had never had a strong head for alcohol, and no matter what Muggle pills or charms she used, nothing seemed to work on her.

Most of the DA members had attended. In fact, now that Hermione thought about it, all of her year, and the year above (thanks to Fred and George), not to mention at least half of the students from Ginny’s class, had been there. She remembered how Ron had struggled with the enlarging charm in order to fit everyone inside. Mrs Weasley would have certainly had something to say about that if she knew, but luckily for Ron, she and her husband had been celebrating with some of the old Order members.

“Fine, thank you,” Luna smiled her dreamy smile. “I just wanted to tell you that there’s an owl trying to smash the window in your office, it’s making a terrible racket and annoying everyone around. I don’t think people have quite recovered from New Year’s Eve yet, you see, and the constant thumping probably isn’t helping with their headaches.”

Hermione never quite understood how Luna never changed her tone of voice; it would remain almost level no matter what news the Ravenclaw was relaying. It didn’t change even last month, when there was a dragon crisis down in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where Luna currently worked.

“Thanks, I’ll go get it then,” she smiled. “I’ll see you around!”

And with that, Hermione rushed off in the direction of her small office at the end of the corridor. At any other time of the year, she would probably wonder why her coworkers were nursing headaches four days after the party, but she had worked in the Ministry department of International Cooperation long enough to know that some of them knew enough people to attend numerous parties one after the other, and each in a different country.

Besides, she had heard of the party Pansy Parkinson had thrown; she had advertised it all over the Daily Prophet, and Hermione had heard from Parvati (whose sister had attended, as her boyfriend was an old Slytherin) that it lasted no less than three days and three nights straight. It figured that all the Slytherins were there; none had come to the Burrow, that much was certain. Even four and half years after the war, the old enmity between the houses had not decreased, no matter whether their members had graduated from school or not. Granted, in public everyone acted all polite and friendly, but as they say, old habits die hard. And despite the public announcement, Hermione was sure that if an old Gryffindor turned up on Pansy’s doorstep, they’d be kicked out faster than they could say “Happy New Year’s”.

“There, here you go,” Hermione threw her handbag on the desk and unlatched window, letting the large barn owl swoop in with an indignant hoot at having been left waiting for so long.

“Sorry!” she called out into the corridor, before shutting her door and untying the sealed envelope from the birds’ scaly leg.

She sat down, noting that the owl did not fly out immediately; it had probably been instructed to bring a reply with it. Breaking the seal, it was only then that Hermione noticed the Hogwarts crest which kept the letter inside away from prying eyes.

Frowning slightly and wondering who on earth would be writing to her from Hogwarts, she unfolded the parchment with no small amount of curiosity. All her friends had already graduated, and though she did keep in loose contact with her old Transfiguration professor, I was more through Ron’s parents than of her own volition. It was that old familiar handwriting, however, which met her eyes when she glanced at the black ink inside.

Dear Ms Granger,

It is absolutely essential that we meet as soon as possible. I have had a most startling revelation lately, and there are some matters we should discuss.

Please, do not be unduly alarmed, for this is more to settle my own possibly unjustified concerns than for any other reason.

I’ll be awaiting an immediate reply with the same owl that delivered is letter. How about lunch today, at 2PM in Hogsmeade? I’m sure Madame Rosmerta will be as glad to see you as I will.

Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizadry

Eyebrows raised in surprise at this cryptic message, Hermione swiftly wrote back, agreeing for the meeting, and let the owl out of the window, closing it against the sudden chill which seemed to sweep through the room.

Paintbrush · 01-11-2009, 10:41 PM

Come on, people, please someone tell me you're reading this! It's not that good writing for a non-existent audience...

______________________

Chapter 1 - Part 2

She sat behind her desk again, but her mind could not focus on any of the letters she was due to write that day. Instead, it kept drifting to the letter she had received from Hogwarts, and running through all the possible things the Headmistress might want to discuss. As far as she was aware, nothing out of order had happened recently – and Hermione was an avid reader of the Daily Prophet, just as she had been during her old school days. Life in the magical world had been running more smoothly than anyone could have imagined since Voldemort’s downfall.

She suspected that were something to happen to Harry or Ron, McGonagall might want to contact her as well, knowing that Hermione had a strong influence over the two troublemakers even now. But Harry was playing Quidditch professionally, probably yelling instructions to his teammates at this very moment, one of whom was Ron.

Hermione smiled fondly at the thought of her redhead friend. He had finally gotten over his nerves while saving goals, and after graduation, he was the first to join Harry’s newly formed team. There were more than enough volunteers to try out for all the other positions vacant (excluding Seeker and Keeper, obviously), and just as many companies prepared to sponsor the famous Harry Potter’s talent and devotion to the game.

And so, merely a year after starting off, Hogwarts United was off, playing against the Chudley Canons and Puddlemore United (much to Oliver Wood’s surprise), and winning. Then came numerous trips abroad, and so their careers flourished.

Hermione remembered how after one such trip the boys returned, celebrating a victory against Victor Krum’s Bulgarian team and claiming he wasn’t half as good as he used to be. She was sure Ron had added this comment for good measure, just in case she decided to renew contact with the famous Quiddtich player, but she never did. They had stopped writing to one another sometime during her last year at Hogwarts, what with the war raging on all around the Magical world.

A knock on her door brought Hermione out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see one of the newer workers looking into her office timidly. Smiling, Hermione beckoned her inside, recognizing a fresh Hogwarts graduate when she saw one.

“Miss Granger, I’ve just been sent by Madame Weasley to inform you that she would like to speak with you,” the girl said, rather nervously.

“Oh, all right,” Hermione looked rather surprised, and took a moment after the girl’s exit to wonder why Fleur hadn’t simply sent her a paper bird with the message.

Must be something important again, Hermione thought, standing up and heading to the door. It would be unwise to keep Fleur waiting; she seemed to be inheriting the temper of her mother-in-law.

Hermione had worked under Fleur ever since she had graduated, almost four years previously. She and the blonde French got along perfectly fine most of the time; ever since Fleur had married Bill and nursed him back to health, she was welcomed into the Weasley family with open arms. This, of course, meant that Harry and Hermione accepted the Beuxbatons graduate just as easily, with time.

Fleur, fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, English, German and Russian, had swiftly made her way to the Head of the Ministry Department of International Cooperation, and she was an extremely popular boss. Especially, Hermione couldn’t help thinking with an inside smile, among the male part of the office.

“Here I am,” Hermione said, knocking on the oaken door before pushing it open and smiling at her boss. “You wanted to see me?”

“Oh, Hermione!” Fleur rose from her padded seat and walked over to the Gryffindor, air-kissing her. “How are you? Have you recovered from Ron’s party yet?”

“Yes, thankfully, otherwise I’ve no idea how I would have managed to do a day’s worth of work,” the brunette replied.

She had not changed vastly since her Hogwarts days in this aspect; she was still a genius workaholic who had the undisputable brains of a Ravenclaw. Her friends – Luna, Ginny and Fleur, frequently teased her about this, and said that if Fleur were not Hermione’s boss and didn’t occasionally force her employee to go on holiday, the young Granger would probably spend 365 days a year in the office.

“Oh, having an easy day once in a while never hurt anyone, you know,” Fleur looked at Hermione carefully before, returning to her seat across the room. “All right, I wanted to speak with you about that assignment we discussed at the end of last year. The Scandinavian Minister would like to speak with a representative from our department soon, and I would like you to go.”

Hermione stared at Fleur for a moment, perfectly aware of how important an assignment this really was. She would need all her skills and diplomatic attitudes around her in order to fulfill the job appropriately, but she felt sure she was up to it.

After all, I wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing, she thought.

“That’s… woah, that’s brilliant!” Hermione couldn’t help the grin which spread over her face slowly, but it stilled before reaching its prime at Fleur’s less than enthusiastic face. “What is it?”

“Well, there’s one catch which you aren’t going to like…” the blonde began. She knew exactly how much her friend despised flying.

“What is it?” Hermione repeated, this time impatience embroidering her tone.

“The Scandinavian Minister is extremely traditional, and so in order to make any sort of deal with him, we need to uphold old Ministry traditions as well.” She paused for a moment before continuing, but she avoided Hermione’s eyes. “You’ll have to learn how to fly a hippogriff.”

LizzieEvans · 01-12-2009, 03:38 PM

It's a great story!!! Wohoo I love it!
Keep writing, even if I'm your only audience..

See you around

Lisa

Paintbrush · 01-12-2009, 04:01 PM

Heh thanks so much

driveunit1 · 01-16-2009, 02:41 PM

New Reader!! Awesome!!
Luv!! it!!
PAMS PAMS PAMS

Paintbrush · 01-18-2009, 09:53 PM

Oh great, new readers!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting, you've no idea how much it means to me. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story. This is a small section, but there's more coming soon!

------------------

Chapter 1 - Part 3

“A hippogriff.” Hermione repeated, her voice as blank as her expression. “And… why exactly would I need this particular skill?”

Fleur sighed before answering. She could tell by the precision and sharpness with which Hermione was pronouncing her words that the former Gryffindor was anything but happy at the moment. There wasn’t anything she could do about the situation, however; she had known for a long time that she wanted this particular girl to be the one to visit the Scandinavian Minister. Hermione’s intelligence and persuasive skills, combined with her fame in the Wizarding World (she was, after all, one of the closest friends of the Harry Potter), would all work to their advantage. But were she to abandon old Ministry traditions, Fleur was convinced the Minister would not perceive her as adequate to do business with.

“You need to travel by one. Hermione, I don’t need to tell you that in the past simply Apparating into Ministry meetings had been considered inexcusably rude. Years ago, brooms were generally used for Quidditch only, they were not seen as elegant and classy enough for travel. And so, hippogriffs were trained for precisely that reason. Besides, the fashion for them is slowly coming back, and I’m quite sure that all the other Ministry workers present will have travelled by hippogriff.”

“You want me to fly from England to Scandinavia? On a hippogriff?” Hermione exclaimed, shocked.

“Hermione, please. That’s the way tings are, the way they have to be. I didn’t choose this, but if the issue creates such a problem for you, I’m sure I can find someone else willing to fill in,” Fleur looked up at her most competent worker, knowing there was absolutely no way the young woman would back out now.

Hermione didn’t disappoint. “No, I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Fleur smiled. “Now, I’ve contacted the best trainer in England already, he’s prepared to give you lessons immediately. You have just under four months to overcome your fears concerning flying and learn to control on of the beasts, so I suggest you put your mind to it. I’ve scheduled the first lesson for tomorrow afternoon for you.”

“Great,” Hermione offered a strained smile. “Merlin, how I hate traditions.”

“I know, I share your feelings,” Fleur laughed, drawing out another smile from the brunette, this time a genuine one. “All right, well, now that we have this settled, I still have some work to do… though, Hermione I expect a full account of this first lesson. Apparently your teacher is quite the looker.”

“Oh? Who is it?” Hermione asked, curious.

“I’m not sure, actually, I talked to him through Bill actually. Apparently they have a mutual friend or something, but I’ve heard rumours,” she winked. “Ever since you and Ron broke up last year, you’ve been walking around and refusing every guy who’s asked you out. It’s time you get back out there, have some fun, Hermione,” Fleur grinned.

“Yeah, whatever, I have time,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Oh, I was going to ask you if I can leave a bit earlier today. I had an owl from Minerva earlier this morning, she wants to meet with me.”

“Yes, of course, and send her my regards as well,” Fleur nodded, already turning her attention back to the papers cluttering her desk. “Oh, by the way, you’re coming over to the Burrow on Saturday, right? Molly’s making brunch, I’m pretty sure she said she invited you…”

“Yes, she did. I’ll be there,” Hermione assured her boss, her hand on the door handle.

“Perhaps you’ll be able to bring that instructor of yours as your date so we can all meet him,” Fleur added, and looked up, her eyes twinkling mischievously as the door shut loudly behind the Gryffindor.

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