Harry Potter and the Half Bloods: Chapter 4
by Agent Reptile
Disclaimer: not to seem lazy but for the purposes of secrecy I will only say that those who own some of the stuff in this fic have the rights to them and the stuff that they don't own is mine.
A series of various bleeps and boops sound in the background as the back of a woman is seen hunched over with her upper body hidden within a computer console with various wires in a rainbow of colors strewn about in a very chaotic nature, which was giving said woman and enormous headache.
"Why in the Hell am I doing this? I'm not a computer engineer...Oh Pony where are you when I need you." Eluza complained rubbing her temple. The dark hairs of her hybrid form's coat were beginning to grow as her gloves showed signs of being torn apart as the usually cool headed Solinoid officer was revealing her more recently gained WereSmilodon nature. At this point she was wondering why she was trying to rebuild this stupid relic from the Stardust War. Oh that's right, she wanted to know why her people were dying in the first place.
"Hey Eluza we got some bad news." Rabby said; her voice coming over Eluza's personal comunicator. "The main computer unit seems to be in working order, but the power cells that Rep gave us aren't compatable with our ciritry systems. Catty says that if we plug them in the whole system may blow."
"I don't know about you but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me." Lufy said adding to the conversation from her com unit.
"I think that opinion is universial Lufy, so we need to see if we can get those solar units up and running. So how's it comming." Rabby asked with a smile in her voice.
"How do you think it's going Rabby? I'm way over my head here." Eluza groaned, really wishing that she could have bent her near iron-clad adherence to protocol and worn some unstable molecular clothing, and not have to worry about destroying her uniform.
"Hey calm down Eluza I understand. Look Catty and Dinobot are on her way why don't you calm down and help Rep start this new chapter?"
"Thanks Rabby." Eluza took a deep breath and turned to the camera. "Sorry for that delay folks, as you can tell I'm out of my element with all these computer systems. But that is a topic for another day. I want to welcome you to the next installment of Harry Potter and the Half Bloods, and I would like to personally thank those that have been reviewing this story, since it's what keeps my love writing these things." Eluza smiles as a green garbed ninja runs in. "Speaking of which..."
"Uh sorry I'm late, I got lost in the hallways and such here. Did I miss anything?" Agent Reptile said as he kissed his love on the lips.
"No, right on time actually." Solinoid sarcasm mixed with lover teasing can be very hard to decipher, fortunately a werecat purring is easily understood.
"Anyway. Welcome back to our continuing story and please stand by as we try to get any headway in here. We'll be back at the end of the chapter."
"Hopefully with this looking less like colored spaghetti." Eluza sighed. Agent Reptile places he hand on her shoulder as the screen goes black and the bleeps and bloops of the computers fade to silence.
Harry was feeling slightly better from the days past; no longer troubled every night with horrific images from the mind of one of the most reviled and monstrous enemies of man ever to be wrought from the universe. It was uncertain if this was because the connection between the two had been severed, or if perhaps the vision had only been a coincidental nightmare spawned from some unknown recess of his psyche.
Whatever the reason for this welcome reprieve, Harry was enjoying his well earned rest at night, though it had become shorter than he would like.
*Flashback to the start of last week at around 5:30 am.*
"Alright you little punks this is how it's going to be." Vlad said as he addressed the gathered students.
"From this point on we will be here every morning at the crack of dawn in uniform and formation to exercise your mostly pasty and pathetic bodies just as much as you do your minds in class, or at least as much as you are supposed to." the teacher was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and shirt which mimicked the Hogwarts' staff uniform with gloves and a pair of running shoes. "You already have similar responsibilities for your classes so this shouldn't be a problem."
"Since this is your first day doing this, and since this has never been tried before, I'm going to have to show each and every one of you where you are going to be according to your houses." Vlad looked over the assembled mass of probably sleep-walking students.
"Griffindors you are on my far right." Vlad said pointing his arm in the direction and using his hand to indicate precisely where he wanted that house to be. "Hufflepuff you will be taking my near right. Ravenclaws you will be located in the near left, and Slytherins you are on the far left." the DADA instructed as the students grouped themselves in a loosely formed ball in each place.
"Move it people were wasting daylight here." Vlad said as the last stragglers moved into position. "Good, now that we are grouped together I want every Headboy and Headgirl from each house up here now, the rest of you can stand easy for a few seconds."
"What exactly is it that you want sir?" the Headboy from Hufflepuff asked having no idea what was going on.
"I too am at a loss as to why we are gathered here, could you enlighten us Professor?" the Headgirl from Ravenclaw asked.
"We are here because I have a few new responsibilities to give you. From this point one each of you is responsible for your house's precise and attire for morning P.T." Vlad smiled as he looked at their confused faces. "At the end of this session each of you will be given a list of all the students in your house on a spreadsheet with checkboxes for the student's appearance and if they are in their proper uniforms. For every student not here your house looses ten points, for those out of uniform or for those who don't maintain their uniform it will be five points. This will double if the same person makes the same mistake after its been brought to his or her attention; and before you ask there are also boxes for future exemptions for schedule conflicts that you will be responsible for bringing to my attention such as Quidditch practice and such."
"Professor doesn't this seem a little, I don't know....excessive?" the Hufflepuff Headgirl asked.
"She has a point sir, and an unliked teacher generally doesn't do too well in the school..." The Slytherin Headboy said trying to gain some position with this unknown teacher.
"Alright, if you think this is too hard to just do, then I suppose a little lee-way can be given. Pair up and choose which Perfect you think can help you do this the best and which one you will have for the flag bearor, then we will switch who does which responsibility at the half-year point." The Head students for all the houses were shocked.
"Lets just make a few things clear right now: my job is to make sure you don't get yourselves killed doing something insanely stupid because you have neither the training nor the experience. How much you may like me and my decisions is irrelevant, it is your responsibility as the Head students here do to what I say when I say it. Those young lives will have to learn to put their lives in each othersÆ hands when the shit hits the fan, and believe me it will."
The young adults just stood transfixed at this man, unable to think of a single thing to say as the Professor watched over the student body like a hawk gazes over the horizon.
"I want them to be able to trust each other and to learn to be adults. You have the privilege of being the Headboys and Headgirls of your houses." Vlad just stood in front facing the gathered student body. "Now each of you has a mission to do right now. I want you to pick the Perfect you want as the flag bearer and have that person up here this second. Once you do I will have you organize this unsorted randomness into a structured body to be proud of."
While still in a mild shock, the teenage students considered it wise just to do as they were instructed.
"What did we do to deserve this?" the Headgirl of Ravenclaw thinking over all that the student body could possibly have done this harsh an instructor.
It took all of fifteen minutes for the entire student body, under the instruction of their Headstudents, or form up into a roughly organized mass.
"Good morning class." Vlad said with a smile in his voice, almost sadistically to the students. The reply given to him was a series of indistinguishable sighs and grunts.
"I said GOOD MORNING CLASS."
"Good Morning Professor."
Turning towards Harry, Ron said "And what a blood wonderful one it is too." Harry only could nod in agreement to that.
"Ron shut up." Hermione whispered back to her boyfriend.
"Now I know that all of us would rather be somewhere else right now, but my job is to train you to defend yourself against whatever dangers the magical world you'll be going into as adults holds for you. Sorry to say but all of you have been done a great disservice by my latest predecessor, and so I've got to force the equivalent of several years of training into a period of one school term." Vlad said walking in front of the assembly with his hands behind his back.
"You will likely hate some of the things that I will force you to do, and probably even me by the end of this. But you will be able to defend yourselves and others from whatever dark thing you possibly can think of that can cross your path."
"Look around you, the young men and women that you are standing next to will be going thought the same Hell that you are going through, you will learn to trust one another when the bacon hits the fryer, and you will become worthy of the trust of others."
For once the students seemed to forget the cold and wet of the early morning dew and fog that had accumulated on their cloths. Completely captivated by the words of their professor as he walked back and forth between the edges of the assembly, all eyes were captivated by him, hanging on his every word and motion.
"If you follow my directions, teachings, and orders without fault, if you do everything that you can to succeed in my class, then I will be proud to say that I taught each and every one of you. If you put your heart into this then I will do everything in my power to insure that you will learn your lessons well."
"Starting today we will be begin our morning workouts at 6:00 am on the dot, with or without you. There are penalties for not doing this and your Headboys and Headgirls have the responsibility of insuring that you understand just what these penalties are and how you are expected to dress. Each time we meet will be focusing on a different part of training but we will be assembling here unless I say otherwise." Vlad took a moment to catch his breath and to let what he just said sink in.
"Now I've been up here flapping my lips for a while now and hopefully I haven't been wasting my time. Now, Headstudents have the flag bearers step forward to assign them their house flags. The rest of you left face and stand easy for a second."
"What is he yammering about?" Harry asked, as Ron was now forced to carry the House Banner for Gryffindor.
"He wants us to form up in a paramilitary style formation. Most likely to keep us properly organized as it is the most logical way of doing things." Herminoe said, really regretting that she was the only living dictionary in the Gryffindor house.
The rest of that morning was spent running around the campus at the mostly steady beat of a double-time march, or at least a semblance of one from those untrained in actually doing one, and those having an almost impossible time trying.
Harry was having some difficulty trying to keep-up with Professor Maximov's demanding pace, but at least he wasn't doing as bad as some. While all of the students had become accustomed to having to walk across vast distances by walking, the maintaining of such speeds at a constant and steady pace had never been required by anyone since the school was founded.
"Sir...Professor....please we got to take a break...." Gasped one very exhausted Headgirl of Ravenclaw.
"What are you complaining about?" Vlad said effortlessly continuing the pace as the last of the student body rounded the bend of the castle. "We've just started this light jog and it ain't over till I say it is." Vlad smiled.
Meanwhile in the Slytherin House group.
"Bloody new teacher, bloody new schedules....what in the Hell was that bloody Dumbledore thinking?" Draco said while trying to keep up with the demanding and unyielding rhythm of the drum-like beat of feet.
"Malfoy just shut-up...your complaining is only making this seem longer." Said the Headbody standing next to the prettyboy.
Vlad smirked as his vampiric hearing picked up the complaints of several of the students, especially once particular gasping blond.
"What that I hear? Am I not going hard enough for you?" Vlad smiled. "Alright lets pick it up for another round around the castle."
"Oh God no." Hermione finally had to say.
At the end of the run almost every single student was gasping for breath and
their clothing was stained with sweat.
"Alright not a bad run people. Now a cool down walk around the castle to get your heart rates down easy then everyone hit the showers."
*Back to the present*
"Good morning students." Vlad said as he presented himself in his usual work-out attire, with the addition of his sword on his back. "Sad that we had to take today's lesson inside today, but as you can see it is raining cats and dogs outside." Vlad then took the Soul Reaver from his back and set it with the skull facing the students, much to their displeasure.
"So today we are going to start on physical combat training and reflex speed, and we have a special guest today joining us."
A petite blond with brown spots in her hair walked in. Brenda was wearing almost non-discript workout cloths.
"Now since our morning meetings are for working our bodies, my daughter Brenda will be helping me teach you how not to get yourselves killed when you inevitably loose your wands."
"And what could this little girl teach us?" Draco growled under his voice. "How to get up insanely early and obey the insane orders of a bloody militaristic nutter Yank?" Crab and Goule just stood at Draco's sides and chuckled slightly.
Vlad had just smirked at first, hearing everything that Malfoy had said, knowing how to put this child in his place and give him a lesson in humility.
Brenda too was getting irritated at this Draco's attitude.
"Why that rude jerk...I so want to kapowie him like Mommy Bri's friend Shelia says." Brenda growled as slight blond hairs started to grow all over her body. Too small for the human eye to see, these spotted hairs were joined with the start of a tail coming out of the gap of her shirt and pants and her body beginning to grow.
"Brenda my dear," Vlad said shocking the lycan out of her minor rage, "would you object to a minor demonstration?"
"No daddy..." Brenda smiled smugly completely returning to human form. "I don't mind one bit."
"Good. Mr. Malfoy since you seem to think that there is nothing to learn from my class, then you have the honor of being the first to see if they can take on my daughter in a fight."
"Very well Professor, but don't be upset if I hurt her." Draco responded with a smirk.
"Trust me, I won't." Vlad replied as Draco assumed the stance for a wizard's duel with his wand hand at the ready. Brenda just stood there as the rest of the student body gave them fighting room.
"Very well. Stuplifi....."
"CHEETAH PUNCH!" Brenda cried as she rocketed towards her foe.
"..URK" Draco found that the wind had been knocked out of him as Brenda's fist was pounded into his diaphragm faster than Draco could blink.
Brenda then grabbed Draco's wand arm at the wrist and twisted it slightly causing instant and disabling pain to the Malfoy. Dropping the wand, Draco found himself completely at the mercy of the little girl, who decided just to toss the pretty boy around like a rag doll and kicking the wand out of reach.
"What do you do now Draco, your getting your ass handed to you by a little girl." Vlad said to the now irritated Slytherin.
In a torrent of pure rage, Draco swung a right hook at Brenda's head , only to find that Brenda had anticipated the attack and dropped down sweep kicking her foe causing him to fall hard on his back.
"Thank you Malfoy for volunteering for this little demonstration." Professor Maximov said as Draco was gasping for breath holding his hand to this back and eyes tearing up.
"Now Brenda please go and get Madam Pomfrey and explain why young master Malfoy is in this state. Don't worry class Draco only got the wind knocked out of him, painful but in no way long term or in need of extended medical care. What happened here is that Mister Malfoy underestimated his foe, lost control of his emotions, and have become so dependant on the use of a tool that he can't function without it when it is removed from his hands."
"Pardon me Professor, but how are we supposed to deal with things such as werewolves without a wand or sword or something? You're not suggesting that we use our fists against them are you?" One very concerned Ravenclaw asked.
"No that is not what I am saying. Your wand is a very good tool, and like all good tools you need to take care of it and know how to use it properly and it will serve you well. However, tools can be taken from you, break, or be tampered with even when all precautions are taken...Each of you need to know how to adapt, improvise, and overcome the situation."
"I lost track of the number of times that I have had weapons malfunction on me, or fallen into a trap from a cunning and ruthless foe...and believe me when I say that so has my wife. But that didn't mean that the fight was over, or that I was dead meat. The best tools that any of you will ever possess can never be taken from you so long as you know how to use them." as Vlad finished, the Soul Reaver's eyes glowed blue as Raziel used his telepathic link.
Hermione couldn't help but look at the skull at the hilt as the eyes were flaring erratically.
"Since when did you get so philosophical?" Raziel asked while doing the equivalent of a metaphysical eyebrow raise.
"What are you talking about Raziel?"
"Please...you're mister 'what is it and how do I kill it'. Not usually one for mincing words." Raziel wished that he could actually smirk, but he was a soul trapped in a sword...then of course he didn't have his mandible since he became a wraith....
"True, but I usually don't have so many students under my wing. And outside some wererats just showing up, I don't have anything remotely close to on-hand's training."
Meanwhile, outside a window of a darkened room, three of the most famous wererats on earth were beginning their mission under Voldemort to eliminate who or whatever was responsible to knocking off his Death Eaters like flies.
However, the first priority of navigating Hogwarts to do some snooping around was not as easy as originally thought. After being snuck aboard the train into the school grounds in by a few young Death Eaters as their rats, they had to wait until they were given a rough map of the place, and the unfortunate news that the insides of the castle moved around with no apparent pattern or were only illusions.
"Well this fucking mission has been one big fucking disaster after another." Lydia McKraken growled under her breath in rat form.
"Calm down Lydia...so it's been a little rocky but we still have a job to do." Romeo Ellis said, trying to calm the irritated foul mouth.
"Yea...like this isn't Atlanta or anything." the purple furred rat said as she nibbled on the remnants of the sweet roll that was her breakfast. "Like this is great...they like really know how to make great rolls."
"Damn it Mo...This is important." Lydia groaned. "We are supposed to be the most elite of the wererat clan's assassins under the hire of the Dark Lord of the Wizarding world....we are supposed to find and eliminate a target."
"Look Lydia its an easy mission. All we have to do is sneak in, find out who this guy is, plant this bomb, and leave. We don't have to put up with insane martial artists, Aura Mages...heck the werecheetah is an entire ocean away."
"You're probably right Romeo...alright, lets go." Lydia sighed as the wererats opened up the window and crawled down the wall finding a shadow to hide in for the time.
But, the glorious nature of ignorance is eliminated by the undeniable nature of truth. For you see dear reader a certain catwoman was at this moment walking into the darkened room with a scroll in one hand. Her attire had changed to that more traditional to Hogwarts with a slightly flowing black robe, though a very untraditional one. While it technically was up to the standards of the school's attire, there seemed to be unusual patches and the sway of the garment itself seemed to indicate several hidden items were concealed from site, and no tell what those were.
"Man this place is dusty." Brianna thought to herself. "When is the last time that anyone used this room?"
The room was actually a very long hall-like structure with various cobwebbed pictures and chandeliers. A thin layer of dust covered the top of just about everything while a think layer of wax had formed on the bottom of each of the innumerable candlesticks held out from the walls and placed on the tables.
"Wish I had my Pee-Bo's to clean this up right now...all of this mess is making me want a shower...well this mess that I didn't make at least." the lycanthropoid shacked her hand in front of her face fanning the clouds out of her sight.
"Well at least this place is nice and quite." Brianna smiled as she pulled out the scroll from under her arm and unfurled it. "Well this seems simple enough....one basic Aura lighting spell coming right up."
Brianna Diggers Maximov smiled as she placed the scroll on the dust covered dusk, going over each of the runes written on it.
"Okay this is easy to do...doesn't cause ignition so it's safe to use under all conditions..." Brianna focused her aura for a moment, letting it flow through her like an invisible wave.
"Like what's going on Lydia?"
"How the Hell should I know Mo...Maybe some damn student decided to take a look around. Now carefully hand me that bomb."
"Hey like why do you get to hold it?"
"Because I don't want to be blown to fucking smithereens like last time, or get stuck in some damn Leprechaun Prison like when we were trapped by that damn Diggers girl."
"Hey Lydia since you seem a little tense why don't I just hold on to it?" Romeo suggested.
"Like Hell I will Romes...give me that God Damn bomb Mo..." Lydia snatched the bomb from the valley girlÆs hands.
Brianna almost had it...but as the ball of gentle white light was condensing in her hand, she began lose her focus as the elevated squeaks of the wererats combined with the sudden appearance of the scent of rodents caused he to move her hands out of the way and....
"AHHH MY EYES!!!" the flash was really harmless, but instantly debilitating glare hit her exposed retinas. In an instance Brianna's hands were over her closed eyes and she had tilted her head backwards
The flash didnÆt' just blind Brianna, it also disabled the three wererats as Moisha was handing over the explosive to Lydia, who happened to place her finger on the remote explosive detonator while Mo inadvertently fingered the arm switch.
"AHHHH!!!!!!"
For the moment let us flash back to the assembled class body...
"Now since the lesson isn't yet over, Neville front and center."
The shy and nervous teenager was shivering as he was now standing next to the imposing and terrifying form of Professor Maximov, while seeing Draco Malfoy in obvious pain.
"Now can anyone tell me what Draco Malfoy did wrong, and why...."
"BOOOOOM!!!!" the entire castle rocked as the explosive force of the bomb sent shockwaves from it's detonation. Several of the students were knocked to their feet as the old stone castle was shaken to its foundation.
"What is going on here?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she staggered into the room with Brenda at her side, her legs wobbly from the force of the explosion.
"Madam Pomfrey you take care of the students, Brenda stay here and help."
"Where are you going Professor Maximov? Madam Pomfrey asked as she kneeled over Draco, who had decided to just lay there.
"Where ever that explosion happened. It's my job." Vlad turned his upper body towards the Soul Reaver and spread his fingers in a manner that looked like a Vulcan salute. A small electrical build-up seemed to appear in his hand and the hilt of the blade before the Soul Reaver flew from its place and into Vlad's open hand.
As Vlad ran faster than any mortal could, he placed the Soul Reaver on his back.
"Professor Maximov where are the students?" Professor McGonagall asked as Vlad appeared. She was surprised that the new DADA professor had arrived so fast,
"In the old conservatoryà.other side of the school. What happened?"
"Some sort of explosion. It destroyed the outer wall and half of the room. Your wife was hit by the blast, but..." Professor Hooch said as Hagrid was lifting the heavy stones out of the way. Professor Flitwich and Snape had to concentrate spells to keep the rest of this side of the castle from falling to the ground.
"Where's Brianna!?! Tell me!" Vlad grabbed Professor Hooch's shoulders as his eyes began glowing a bright blue as the pupils were becoming more narrow and pointed towards the top. His vice-like grip threatened to crush the broom instructor's shoulder blades and upper arm bones to powder.
"Professor Maximov please calm down." Professor McGonagall nearly yelled. "Your wife is fine. For whatever reason she was knocked clear of the blast and we found her down the hall."
One could almost see the tension around Vlad's body dissipate like a fog broken by the rising sun of a new day.
"Sorry about that Professor Hooch, I didn't mean to hurt you. Now can you please tell me where my wife is?" Vlad's hands were now at his side, but Professor Hooch's arms still ached. Never before had she felt so vulnerable...totally at the mercy of another with no way out...yet she could hardly fault this man for his reaction.
"Your beloved is now resting under Headmaster Dumbledore's care in the hospital wing." Snape's condescending voice was coming from Vlad's back. The daywalker had noticed the inky haired wizard before, and had taken an instant dislike to both Snape's mannerisms and personality. Raziel flashed for a moment agreeing with Vlad's growing distrust of the head of Slytherin house. "I would suggest that you take your attitude with you to her."
Vlad didn't respond to the creep, but rather apologized again to Professor Hooch and ran down the hall with nearly impossible speed.
The room was well lit with several open and clear windows allowing the rising morning sun's rays to gently grace the face of the only current patient. Brianna was currently out of it with her eyes lids closed, only showing the motion of her eyes moving under them reacting to some dream or ambient thought.
Brianna's cheeks began to twitch slightly as she felt a warm touch sliding down the side of her face.
"Huh? Vlad? What areà.you....where am I?" Brianna asked as she smiled at the welcome face of her husband.
"You are in the hospital wing my dear, and you are quite fortunate that we were able to survive such a terrifying event." Dumbledore said as he stroked his long white beard and just smiled.
"What happened Brianna?" Vlad asked as he held his hand at Brianna's rising back. "I felt the explosion but..."
"It was supposed to be a simple lighting spell, which was going fine...then I smelled rats and the spell exploded blinding me. I have no idea what exploded."
"And how might I ask were you trying to do this lighting spell?" Dumbledore asked, probably already knowing the answer.
"Did you find a scroll anywhere around me?" Brianna asked rubbing her head, trying to calm the pain.
Dumbledore handed over a charred and otherwise heavily damaged chunk of metal with a few scraps of paper that were falling apart into ash.
"I must say that you are most fortuities that you fared much better than your scroll. I hope that loosing it won't be too much of a burden." Dumbledore could do very little to stop the crumbling fragments of what had been a spell scroll from disaggregating into an almost undistinguishable mess in his hands.
"I'm more thankful that you are in one piece." Vlad said as Brianna moved to nuzzle herself into her husband's arm, becoming more comfortable and reassured by the warmth of his hug.
"Well then you can thank a few friends of ours back at Diagon Ally for that muffin." Brianna smiled as she purred slightly, showing her comfort in the familiar position. "I went to Fred and George's joke shop and asked for every possible invention they had for personal defense, concealment, and a whole list of other things." Brianna said as she counted off the things she could remember.
"But the biggest reason that I'm not hurt is that those brothers suggested that I go to Madam Malkin's Robe's for All Occasions and was fitted for a special order to my specifications for damage resistance and other excessive wear and tear."
"You want to expand on that?" Vlad asked.
"Remember when we were still just dating and you came to pick me up just after having to deal with that demon horde Natasha sent after you for rejecting her 'love'?"
*Flashback*
"Ring...Ring...." The doorbell to the Digger's mansion rang after the sun went down. This was not an odd occurrence, but Luan happened to be the only one in the foyer and was just getting used to the idea of doorbells.
Blinking a few times as she was roused to action, Luan headed to the front door and opened it to see the very imposing form of Brianna's first boyfriend standing at the door.
"Ah hello Luan....*huh huh*...is Brianna...*heavy gulp*...around?" He looked like he was going to fall over at any moment with the scorch marks on his jacket and a few stains made from various fluids spraying on him and from him, that claw mark on his chest was especially nasty looking but seemed to be healing. About the only thing that looked clean on his entire body was the Soul Reaver which drank the blood of those it goes through.
"She is, but I would think that you wouldn't want her to see you in this condition." Luan let Vlad come in and saw the heavily damaged handful of plant stems that had likely been a beautiful bouquet at one time. What types of flowers one could only guess since the smell of blood and other various organic messes covered them.
"Hey Luan who was at the....Holy Crap what happened to you?" Gina had to ask as her sister's lover, as impossible as that physically seemed, was standing there like he had just gone through Hell and back....not that far off when you think about it.
"Natasha......" Vlad said as he was lead to the couch.
"Natasha? The queen of the underworld Natasha? What did that vampire want with you?" Gina asked as she helped take Vlad's jacket off him before he stained the furniture, and taking a look at his combat-hardened physic. "No wonder Brianna likes this guy...look at all those yummy muscles..." Gina mentally licked her lips.
"Wanted to...make me to....declare that I loved her....to deny Brianna.....or she would kill me...." Vlad had to sit down for a moment as the Soul Reaver hit the floor and Luan handed him a glass of water. "Thanks Luan."
"Twas not a problem Vlad. So what exactly happened after that."
"Opened up a can of whoop-ass on a legion of her undead realm demons." Vlad said, slowly reclaiming his strength."
"Looks like they opened up one on you too Vlad...even with your vampiric abilities and healing, you're lucky to be alive."
"I'm still here an't I...besides I had to get here for my date with Brianna..." Vlad said as he smirked.
"Still it was very foolish of you to do that alone. What would Brianna think if her one true love died fighting the forces of evil, deigning a seductive temptress for his feelings to his lover, and all in route for a romantic outing on the town?" Gina chided Vlad in the same manner that she is known to do when Brittany or Brianna did something foolish.
Vlad could barely hold his head up at the time, and really wasn't in the mood to talk to what he thought of as a squawking know-it-all.
"I'd think this." Brianna said behind Gina and smirked smugly, showing her own fangs for a moment. Without another word, Brianna kneeled down in front of Vlad and placed her hands on the sides of his head taking a look at the blooded and bruised face of the first person who loved her for herself, the first friend she made on her own, and about the only one who knew what it was like to be a hybrid being.
Brianna laid one on him faster than either other girl could blink, their tongues danced in each otherÆs mouths, occasionally scrapping each otherÆs sharp canines. Vlad was moving kind of slow, but no one who just came back from a war zone really has the energy to dance.
As they broke their embrace, Vlad smiled and brought up what had to be the most pathetic looking collection of what was once long-stem roses anyone could think of. "I had brought you some flowers but...."
"Muffin, you look horrible. Did that Natasha bitch hurt you too much?" Brianna asked.
"Not as much...as the silver bullets that went...through her side, or the....imobulate spell I used....or the Soul Reaver that sliced her head off." Vlad joked
"You killed the Queen of the Undead Realm?" Gina said in shock.
"Technically she had been dead for several centuries."
"Why is it that you have to be such an arrogant smart-alecky all the time?" Gina asked.
"Believe me he's always been this way." Raziel said, speaking as the eyes of the Soul Reaver glowed blue for a while. "But to his credit Brianna, he arguably earned that level of arrogance." Gina and Luan just blinked at the sight of the voice coming from the sword
"Give me a moment Vlad and I'll drive the two of us back to your place. You need to rest and Brenda and I'll get to spend some time together, and when you're all well rested..." Brianna placed her finger under her lover's chin and led his vision up and down her body.
"My car got totaled...big demon smashed it....so I threw a flay at him."
"A what?" Gina asked.
"It's like a ninja star, only it follows the target and strips the flesh from the target only leaving blood stained bones behind." Brianna said. "Very useful when dealing with monsters."
*End Flashback*
"If I remember right you had be get a completely new wardrobe after that." Vlad said groaning.
"But you looked so good afterwards that I couldn't help but want to show you off." Brianna smiled as she stretched her sore muscles, occasionally wincing as she did.
"Well I suggest that you let your wife rest and recuperate from this ordeal in peace." Dumbledore said leaving the hospital wing. "And Brianna my dear, when you are feeling better I request that you see me about your studies in magic...for you see I have a few....suggestions that you find to your interest."
Vlad removed his arm from behind Brianna's back and kissed her forehead.
"Sorry babe but I've got students to look after...but maybe during my break I can work out all those nasty kinks with a special message?" Vlad smirked moderately evilly.
"I'll be looking forward towards it muffin." Brianna said as the two kissed goodbye and Brianna tried to get comfortable, but she was a tall girl with a long pair of well build legs, and her toes where almost comically poking out of the end of the sheets. She just shook her head and laid her head back on the pillow.
At the other end of the school, the student body had become a loosely gathered mass with a few conversations going on.
"Hello class. Sorry for the interruption but there was an explosion and my wife was caught in. Before you ask, no she wasn't responsible nor does anyone know at this time who is." Vlad said as he took his place at the front of the class.
"Professor is your wife alright?" Eleanor Branstone asked, voicing the concern of most of the student body, minus several overly vain female Slytherin female upperclassmen who's boyfriend's eyes had been transfixed on Brianna's body.
"She did get a few bumps and a slight concussion; however she is fine and will be up and about soon. Thank you very much for asking," Vlad genuinely smiled. "Sorry that today's lesson was canceled, and that you had to waste your time standing around here for a few hours, so we will continue this lesson at some later date. If anyone wants to make up this lesson or has any special interest in learning self defense we can try to make a club at a later date." Vlad said as he let the student's leave the room.
"Hey daddy, so mommy Bri's okay?" Brenda asked.
"Yea she'll be fine cub. She just needs to rest a little to recover." Vlad knelled down and rubbed his daughter's head reassuring her.
Harry watched for a moment, seeing that love he had so long be denied. A lesser man would have been jealous, but to Harry it was just like the Weasleys. Harry just walked off with his friends with a smile on his face.
It was a few minutes before Hermione started commenting on the last moment's activities.
"Well that was a slightly different lesson." Hermione said, trying to break the silence.
"Yea, Malfoy finally got what that git deserved if you ask me." Ron smiled. "And we get out of the rest of that Yank's insane lesson." Ron smiled as he drifted into a day-dream state with him holding the Quidditch World Cup, that or sneaking off behind the castle for some private time with Hermione and seeing if he could finally kiss his girlfriend.
"Ron I can't believe you. Professor Maximov made several good points during his discussion. Not to mention that he acted selflessly and decisively against an unknown attack, insured that we were far from the danger zone...in other words Ronald I think that Professor Maximov will teach us much." The petite Brunette said while holding her head up and avoiding looking Ron in the face.
"Give it up 'minoe." Ron chided. "I know what's going on here....you've become infatuated with out new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
"I have not." HermioneÆs voice was filled with vehemence at the playful snipping of her recent significant other's banter.
"What is it that you see in him huh? Is it his massive build?"
"Ron you're being annoying quite it." The brainiac wasn't really enjoying this mutual chiding.
"So I'm annoying now am I?" Ron said, the play acting in his voice was now beginning to be lost to the more venomous tones of jealousy.
"No I said you were being annoying. And I don't have a thing for our new Professor."
"Yea right. You were staring at him constantly."
"Ron he was our teacher, and what about you starring at his wife?" Hermione shot back.
"What are you talking about 'minoe." Ron asked, not remembering his faults for a moment.
"If I remember correctly you were head over heals at the sight of Mrs. Maximov strutting her stuff down the dinning hall."
"I wasn't that bad. Was I...come on mate I'm not that bad am I." Ron asked Harry, who had just kept silent.
Harry had been deep in thought for the entire time that he had left the classroom. His mind going back to the dream that he had at the beginning of the year, one which he still was uncertain about. That vision had left him with an uncertain distorted feeling in his gut and he had thought that Professor Maximov may have been this strange new foe of Voldemort, but the brutal savagery in which Mulciber had be killed was that of a ravaging predator, an inhuman beast with no trace of humanity in it.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione asked a she
"I've been thinking....remember that dream I had several weeks ago?" Harry asked.
"Yea mate, hard to forget that something had old Voldemort spooked." Ron laughed under his breath.
"Or someone Ron, and that is what makes it so unsettling." Hermione replied.
"Someone whom Voldemort didn't expect for Dumbledore to ally with."
"Why is it that you think that it was a person Hermione?" Ron asked. "It looked like some loose-cannon werewolf just ripped the bloody Hell out of him."
"Because Voldemort was convinced that the attack wasn't just a random act of violence, and something was mentioned that caused Wormtail to react...something about some red mark." Harry said.
"Well more to the point why are you bringing that up now? You don't seem to have had another dream like that in weeks." Ron said slapping Harry on the back
"It happened almost exactly a month ago Ron. And we still don't have a clue as to who this Gotherwaine is. By the way Harry what brought this up?" Hermione asked as the three sat down in a secluded part of the castle grounds.
"Well I thought that Professor Maximov may have been responsible for what happened to Mulciber, but after today..."
"Right mate. I do have to admit he was pretty heroic back there." Ron said with his hand under his chin.
"Right, so I don't think that he's responsible for what happened. I mean we have seen that people can be two sided, but Professor Maximov has been so upfront to us..."
"Well regardless of that I have a suggestion Harry." Hermione smiled. "Have Dobby spy on Professor Maximov and his family and report what he finds."
"Brilliant, but then who will we have report on Draco, I mean Kreacher wouldn't exactly give accurate reports on someone he so idealizes." Harry asked.
"That is a problem mate. I mean Dobby is the only one who is really loyal to you, and he can't be in two places at the same time."
"But you can make Kreacher give you specifically what you want to know by demanding that he answer your questions in the way that you want them and observe exactly what you would want to know Draco doing. After all he already can't actively or passively inform Draco that he is being observed." Hermione said.
"Now that was brilliant." Harry said as Ron had to just nod.
"Yep and she's my girlfriend." Ron said trying to wrap his arm around Hermione's back, only to have her push it off.
"What?" Ron asked as Hermione just got up and left.
"If you can't figure out why I'm still upset at you I won't tell you." the brunet just walked off, thankful that the ground wasn't muddy anymore as the sun dried the rain soaked turf.
"Women huh Harry?" Ron shrugged. Harry, to his credit, didn't respond.
It was hours later that Brianna was walking into the Headmaster's office, and her robe and hair were all disheveled from her recent romantic encounter with her husband. The sun had just set and Brianna took note that it may be a while before she saw her love again; being that it was the end of the month now and for days she had noticed the agitation in her lover's manner. The lycanthropoid wanted to giggle at the thought of a "monthly problem" joke, but realized that her love would likely have to feed tonight.
"Well at least he'll be normal next time I see him." Brianna shrugged.
Brianna ran her fingers through her hair, getting her bangs out of her eyes and trying to look a little better for this meeting with Dumbledore.
"Come in Mrs. Maximov, I hope that you're doing much better than earlier." Dumbledore said.
"Yep loads better thank you Headmaster. So what is it that I can help you with?" Brianna asked as the elderly wizard directed her to take a seat.
Brianna took a moment to look around the room and noted that it looked much like her father's own office. The phoenix sitting on the far edge of the room looked at her curiously, and the catgirl in her thought about dinner. However, the scientist in her just observed the animal carefully and she couldn't help but see how much like a raptor the animal looked like.
"Mrs. Maximov, you would mind if I called you Brianna would you?"
"Of course not, being called Mrs. Maximov makes me feel old."
"Well then Brianna...you display a great affinity and some real talent for magic, and I would very much like to help you, however I need your help to help my students..."
"And what is it that I can do to help?"
"For many years I have been noticing how certain students are in the dark about shall we say...the facts of life...and I fear that certain social contact without the facts of the modern world's dangers may make them unable to defend themselves."
"So you need a sex-ed teacher? Sure no problem." Brianna smiled.
"Ah yes....I am in need of someone with the ability of frank discussion on this....embarrassing topic as it were. I am uncertain how wizards are in America, but you can see how reserved we are on the topic."
"Hey no problem, so long as that wasn't either a proposal or character assassination."
"Perish the idea my dear, I can see how devoted you are to your husband and his devotion to you. What I had in mind was what muggles have in their health classes. Please realize that for years it has been the parent's responsibility to teach their children this, but with new and more dangerous diseases and predator's in the world....I care to much for my students to leave them defenseless." Dumbledore said, very worried at this point.
"Not a problem, but you realize that I'm only going to be here as long as my muffin is assigned here." Brianna pointed out.
"I understand, and you can leave a course manual before you leave."
"Well it would be my pleasure, so went do I start and how much does it pay?"
"That is something we can discuss at a later date, I however think that this will be enough of an advance for your new position." The elder wizard pulled a small bag of gold coins from his robes.
"And that would be?"
"An Oliver wand my dear. I think that you will find it most useful during your time here."
"Great, I'll have to tell Vlad went he comes home this morning." Brianna said as she placed the bag in her pocket and felt the heavy weight
"He has left for the evening then?" Dumbledore said walking with Brianna as they left the room.
"Said that he had to, but that's his job."
Speaking of the daywalker, Vlad was now flying over the area of downtown London in the form of a swarm of black bats. His consciousness was spread throughout the flying mammals and it would be odd to describe how the mind works in this situation but it's like a first person shooter in which your eyes are several different screens merged into one, the same for the other senses.
The bats dove downward and spiraled in tighter and tighter loops until the form of a man formed in the misty back alley of a local chapel. Dressed in his hunting garments, the bloodsucker's reflective blue eyes were the only contrast to the black overcoat. Silently he took in the entier area and walked into the mist. A moment later Vlad dissipated into mist form, becoming enshrouded in the cloud.
The night's quite brought no comfort to the hero as he walked into the graveyard, dissipating through the gate. Vlad took a moment to look over the headstones and bowed his hat in respect, though he was still in mist form so it was known only onto God himself.
As Vlad walked out of the mist, he reappeared and opened the door. A small creak from the rusty bolts of the door knob and pins at the hinge sounded his entrance to his contact location. With purpose, Vlad made his way to the back of the room and reached to a hidden compartment in the side of a small stove and removed a small tube about four inches long and two inches in diameter.
Placing a small needle in a tiny hole, the top of the tube rose slightly. Vlad's gloved hand twisted the raised portion and pulled out a strip of paper which looked blank, but Vlad's breath caused a chemical reaction between the ink and the carbon dioxide in his breath causing a message to form.
"Agent-
We have received your report and are glad to hear all is well at this point. We have reason to believe that Gotherwaine has given aide to Voldemort, but we are unsure the extent of the aide since our contact couldn't get close enough to them and nearly died getting as close as he has. We are aware of your history with the Elder wererat, but your personal vendetta cannot take precedent over your mission nor shall it take precedent over your duty as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. If you do encounter Gotherwaine however you are free to eliminate him. Next Saturday you are to meet Dumbledore and make contact with 'The Order of the Phoenix'. They battled Voldemort's forces in the past and will be able to assist you in ascertaining if Voldemort's activities warrant a full Order assault. We await your next report in three months and will only contact you in an emergency before that.
"Also your sustenance for this month is waiting for you at the regular drop-off position, but it is getting harder to transport it with the rise of security from recent events so you may have to ration what you have for a while or find another way to feed your blood-lust; Best of luck in doing so.
Sincerely,
The Holy Order."
Vlad placed the tube in his jacket and made his leave.
His hunger was growing as the moon reached it's apex and the daywalker's predatory nature reached the surface.
Leaping into the air, Vlad landed onto the roof of a nearby building and started to stalk the night while trying the best that he could to endure the wait, as arduous as it was, to the drop-off site.
The night had other plans....
"Dolohov be patient, we will have our fun in but mere moments." a well-dressed man with a regal appearance said to a rather average looking man wearing black robes.
"I have waited long enough Rodolphus." the harsh voice of this Dolohov retaliated. "The red-mark reoccurring, the attacks on Mulciber and the destruction of our best vampire in one day....the Dark Lord having to call in wererat help? I need release my pent-up rage on some unsuspecting Muggles." Dolohov roared.
"Relax...the sun has set and we have the entire night to find our fun. Now let us abduct some nice, unsuspecting muggles and torment them till the sun rises once more."
"The sun shall never rise for the two of you." Vlad sent telepathically to his targets. "For your fate has been sealed by your own dark hearts."
The two Death EaterÆs searched around, looking for the source of the voice. A puff of smoke appeared above Dolohov as a spinning thing dropped down and tore into his flesh, knocking him back several feet.
Dolohov was bleeding, but he had fight still in him since his wizard body was better put together than a normal human. As he recovered from the blow, Rodophus Lestrange aimed his wand at the attacker, only to be knocked back several feet by a telekinetic blast as Vlad took the Soul Reaver from his back.
"This is going to be fun." Raziel said as the blue eye sockets of the skull flashed.
Dolohov unleashed a bright purple flash from the end of his wand, which Vlad blocked with the Soul Reaver. Vlad then dashed forward, faster than the Death Eater could react, the spun behind his foe, for a moment the back of Vlad's jacket seemed to morph into a pair of black wings with sharp reflective edges. Dolohov was knocked up into the air, and slammed down hard.
Rodophus shook himself to regain his senses, but before he could react to aid his fellow Deatheater, the sound of Dolohov's spin snapping filled the room as this "sword-swinging cowboy" kicked Dolohov's back several times viciously.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH YOU BASTARD!!!" Dolohov cried as his foe walked over and crushed the want in his hand, along with the hand that was holding it with the soul of his boot.
"Well I must say that you are quite thorough my good man, but tell me is this at attempt to impress our Dark Lord, a test by out master, or are you simply mad to attack us." Rodolphus Lestrange asked with his wand at his side.
"I serve no foolish mortal with god-like self delusions. My only master is GOD!" The speed in which Vlad rushed the head of the Lestrange household was blinding.
"What....are you?" Rodophus asked as he was held aloft with his neck in Vlad's vice-like grip.
"Your hands are stained with the blood and pain of countless innocents. You planned to hurt more innocent people tonight you sadomasochist. I can not judge you, but you are still my prey." Vlad slammed Rodophus Lestrange into the wall and dropped him.
The next thing that Lestrange felt was two sharp pains like hot irons dove into his neck before he passed into death.
Vlad didn't pay anymore attention to his dead meal and walked over to Dolohov, still crawling on the floor in pain. Dolohov looking up for a moment at his attacker and saw him streach out his arm at him. Dolohov's body shook violently as he felt his blood drain out of him and into the mouth of his foe.
"Had enough for tonight?" Raziel asked as Vlad returned to his more human appearance.
"Yea we can go home, but first..."
"My pleasure."
"FIRE REAVER!!" Vlad twisted the Soul Reaver in his hand as the elemental power of fire incinerated both of the Death Eaters bodies, and flung the ashes into the air.
As the flash dissipated, Vlad looked over the busy city with a smirk on his face.
"They were right Raziel...."
"Oh?"
"Yea, Muggles don't notice." a swarm of bats soared into the night air as Vlad leapt away.
To be continued.....
"Wow that was long..." Eluza said as she over looked the neat and organized computer filled room with screens working and not a stray wire in site.
"It did allow us to get our work done Captain." Catty said as she smiled at her handiwork, her face with oil stains.
"You have a point Catty." Eluza sighed. "Okay Rabby try it now while we do the send off."
"Got it Eluza." Rabby said over the intercom.
"Now then; Thank you for reading this update and please be kind enough to post a review of this if you can, since it's what keeps these chapters coming."
"And I need feed back to boost my ego." Agent Reptile said.
"You need an ego boost? Come here honey." Eluza tackled her husband as her shirt begain to rip.
"Ah Eluza your shirt?" The ninja pointed out.
"I'll grab a spare later....Catty please take Dinobot out of here....now..."
The android obeyed and she and Dinobot closed the door behind them.
"I wonder how long it will be before they realize the speakers are still on?" Dinobot asked.
"You want to point that out to them?"
"Good point." Dinobot conceded as the screen went black.
by Agent Reptile
Disclaimer: not to seem lazy but for the purposes of secrecy I will only say that those who own some of the stuff in this fic have the rights to them and the stuff that they don't own is mine.
A series of various bleeps and boops sound in the background as the back of a woman is seen hunched over with her upper body hidden within a computer console with various wires in a rainbow of colors strewn about in a very chaotic nature, which was giving said woman and enormous headache.
"Why in the Hell am I doing this? I'm not a computer engineer...Oh Pony where are you when I need you." Eluza complained rubbing her temple. The dark hairs of her hybrid form's coat were beginning to grow as her gloves showed signs of being torn apart as the usually cool headed Solinoid officer was revealing her more recently gained WereSmilodon nature. At this point she was wondering why she was trying to rebuild this stupid relic from the Stardust War. Oh that's right, she wanted to know why her people were dying in the first place.
"Hey Eluza we got some bad news." Rabby said; her voice coming over Eluza's personal comunicator. "The main computer unit seems to be in working order, but the power cells that Rep gave us aren't compatable with our ciritry systems. Catty says that if we plug them in the whole system may blow."
"I don't know about you but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me." Lufy said adding to the conversation from her com unit.
"I think that opinion is universial Lufy, so we need to see if we can get those solar units up and running. So how's it comming." Rabby asked with a smile in her voice.
"How do you think it's going Rabby? I'm way over my head here." Eluza groaned, really wishing that she could have bent her near iron-clad adherence to protocol and worn some unstable molecular clothing, and not have to worry about destroying her uniform.
"Hey calm down Eluza I understand. Look Catty and Dinobot are on her way why don't you calm down and help Rep start this new chapter?"
"Thanks Rabby." Eluza took a deep breath and turned to the camera. "Sorry for that delay folks, as you can tell I'm out of my element with all these computer systems. But that is a topic for another day. I want to welcome you to the next installment of Harry Potter and the Half Bloods, and I would like to personally thank those that have been reviewing this story, since it's what keeps my love writing these things." Eluza smiles as a green garbed ninja runs in. "Speaking of which..."
"Uh sorry I'm late, I got lost in the hallways and such here. Did I miss anything?" Agent Reptile said as he kissed his love on the lips.
"No, right on time actually." Solinoid sarcasm mixed with lover teasing can be very hard to decipher, fortunately a werecat purring is easily understood.
"Anyway. Welcome back to our continuing story and please stand by as we try to get any headway in here. We'll be back at the end of the chapter."
"Hopefully with this looking less like colored spaghetti." Eluza sighed. Agent Reptile places he hand on her shoulder as the screen goes black and the bleeps and bloops of the computers fade to silence.
Harry was feeling slightly better from the days past; no longer troubled every night with horrific images from the mind of one of the most reviled and monstrous enemies of man ever to be wrought from the universe. It was uncertain if this was because the connection between the two had been severed, or if perhaps the vision had only been a coincidental nightmare spawned from some unknown recess of his psyche.
Whatever the reason for this welcome reprieve, Harry was enjoying his well earned rest at night, though it had become shorter than he would like.
*Flashback to the start of last week at around 5:30 am.*
"Alright you little punks this is how it's going to be." Vlad said as he addressed the gathered students.
"From this point on we will be here every morning at the crack of dawn in uniform and formation to exercise your mostly pasty and pathetic bodies just as much as you do your minds in class, or at least as much as you are supposed to." the teacher was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and shirt which mimicked the Hogwarts' staff uniform with gloves and a pair of running shoes. "You already have similar responsibilities for your classes so this shouldn't be a problem."
"Since this is your first day doing this, and since this has never been tried before, I'm going to have to show each and every one of you where you are going to be according to your houses." Vlad looked over the assembled mass of probably sleep-walking students.
"Griffindors you are on my far right." Vlad said pointing his arm in the direction and using his hand to indicate precisely where he wanted that house to be. "Hufflepuff you will be taking my near right. Ravenclaws you will be located in the near left, and Slytherins you are on the far left." the DADA instructed as the students grouped themselves in a loosely formed ball in each place.
"Move it people were wasting daylight here." Vlad said as the last stragglers moved into position. "Good, now that we are grouped together I want every Headboy and Headgirl from each house up here now, the rest of you can stand easy for a few seconds."
"What exactly is it that you want sir?" the Headboy from Hufflepuff asked having no idea what was going on.
"I too am at a loss as to why we are gathered here, could you enlighten us Professor?" the Headgirl from Ravenclaw asked.
"We are here because I have a few new responsibilities to give you. From this point one each of you is responsible for your house's precise and attire for morning P.T." Vlad smiled as he looked at their confused faces. "At the end of this session each of you will be given a list of all the students in your house on a spreadsheet with checkboxes for the student's appearance and if they are in their proper uniforms. For every student not here your house looses ten points, for those out of uniform or for those who don't maintain their uniform it will be five points. This will double if the same person makes the same mistake after its been brought to his or her attention; and before you ask there are also boxes for future exemptions for schedule conflicts that you will be responsible for bringing to my attention such as Quidditch practice and such."
"Professor doesn't this seem a little, I don't know....excessive?" the Hufflepuff Headgirl asked.
"She has a point sir, and an unliked teacher generally doesn't do too well in the school..." The Slytherin Headboy said trying to gain some position with this unknown teacher.
"Alright, if you think this is too hard to just do, then I suppose a little lee-way can be given. Pair up and choose which Perfect you think can help you do this the best and which one you will have for the flag bearor, then we will switch who does which responsibility at the half-year point." The Head students for all the houses were shocked.
"Lets just make a few things clear right now: my job is to make sure you don't get yourselves killed doing something insanely stupid because you have neither the training nor the experience. How much you may like me and my decisions is irrelevant, it is your responsibility as the Head students here do to what I say when I say it. Those young lives will have to learn to put their lives in each othersÆ hands when the shit hits the fan, and believe me it will."
The young adults just stood transfixed at this man, unable to think of a single thing to say as the Professor watched over the student body like a hawk gazes over the horizon.
"I want them to be able to trust each other and to learn to be adults. You have the privilege of being the Headboys and Headgirls of your houses." Vlad just stood in front facing the gathered student body. "Now each of you has a mission to do right now. I want you to pick the Perfect you want as the flag bearer and have that person up here this second. Once you do I will have you organize this unsorted randomness into a structured body to be proud of."
While still in a mild shock, the teenage students considered it wise just to do as they were instructed.
"What did we do to deserve this?" the Headgirl of Ravenclaw thinking over all that the student body could possibly have done this harsh an instructor.
It took all of fifteen minutes for the entire student body, under the instruction of their Headstudents, or form up into a roughly organized mass.
"Good morning class." Vlad said with a smile in his voice, almost sadistically to the students. The reply given to him was a series of indistinguishable sighs and grunts.
"I said GOOD MORNING CLASS."
"Good Morning Professor."
Turning towards Harry, Ron said "And what a blood wonderful one it is too." Harry only could nod in agreement to that.
"Ron shut up." Hermione whispered back to her boyfriend.
"Now I know that all of us would rather be somewhere else right now, but my job is to train you to defend yourself against whatever dangers the magical world you'll be going into as adults holds for you. Sorry to say but all of you have been done a great disservice by my latest predecessor, and so I've got to force the equivalent of several years of training into a period of one school term." Vlad said walking in front of the assembly with his hands behind his back.
"You will likely hate some of the things that I will force you to do, and probably even me by the end of this. But you will be able to defend yourselves and others from whatever dark thing you possibly can think of that can cross your path."
"Look around you, the young men and women that you are standing next to will be going thought the same Hell that you are going through, you will learn to trust one another when the bacon hits the fryer, and you will become worthy of the trust of others."
For once the students seemed to forget the cold and wet of the early morning dew and fog that had accumulated on their cloths. Completely captivated by the words of their professor as he walked back and forth between the edges of the assembly, all eyes were captivated by him, hanging on his every word and motion.
"If you follow my directions, teachings, and orders without fault, if you do everything that you can to succeed in my class, then I will be proud to say that I taught each and every one of you. If you put your heart into this then I will do everything in my power to insure that you will learn your lessons well."
"Starting today we will be begin our morning workouts at 6:00 am on the dot, with or without you. There are penalties for not doing this and your Headboys and Headgirls have the responsibility of insuring that you understand just what these penalties are and how you are expected to dress. Each time we meet will be focusing on a different part of training but we will be assembling here unless I say otherwise." Vlad took a moment to catch his breath and to let what he just said sink in.
"Now I've been up here flapping my lips for a while now and hopefully I haven't been wasting my time. Now, Headstudents have the flag bearers step forward to assign them their house flags. The rest of you left face and stand easy for a second."
"What is he yammering about?" Harry asked, as Ron was now forced to carry the House Banner for Gryffindor.
"He wants us to form up in a paramilitary style formation. Most likely to keep us properly organized as it is the most logical way of doing things." Herminoe said, really regretting that she was the only living dictionary in the Gryffindor house.
The rest of that morning was spent running around the campus at the mostly steady beat of a double-time march, or at least a semblance of one from those untrained in actually doing one, and those having an almost impossible time trying.
Harry was having some difficulty trying to keep-up with Professor Maximov's demanding pace, but at least he wasn't doing as bad as some. While all of the students had become accustomed to having to walk across vast distances by walking, the maintaining of such speeds at a constant and steady pace had never been required by anyone since the school was founded.
"Sir...Professor....please we got to take a break...." Gasped one very exhausted Headgirl of Ravenclaw.
"What are you complaining about?" Vlad said effortlessly continuing the pace as the last of the student body rounded the bend of the castle. "We've just started this light jog and it ain't over till I say it is." Vlad smiled.
Meanwhile in the Slytherin House group.
"Bloody new teacher, bloody new schedules....what in the Hell was that bloody Dumbledore thinking?" Draco said while trying to keep up with the demanding and unyielding rhythm of the drum-like beat of feet.
"Malfoy just shut-up...your complaining is only making this seem longer." Said the Headbody standing next to the prettyboy.
Vlad smirked as his vampiric hearing picked up the complaints of several of the students, especially once particular gasping blond.
"What that I hear? Am I not going hard enough for you?" Vlad smiled. "Alright lets pick it up for another round around the castle."
"Oh God no." Hermione finally had to say.
At the end of the run almost every single student was gasping for breath and
their clothing was stained with sweat.
"Alright not a bad run people. Now a cool down walk around the castle to get your heart rates down easy then everyone hit the showers."
*Back to the present*
"Good morning students." Vlad said as he presented himself in his usual work-out attire, with the addition of his sword on his back. "Sad that we had to take today's lesson inside today, but as you can see it is raining cats and dogs outside." Vlad then took the Soul Reaver from his back and set it with the skull facing the students, much to their displeasure.
"So today we are going to start on physical combat training and reflex speed, and we have a special guest today joining us."
A petite blond with brown spots in her hair walked in. Brenda was wearing almost non-discript workout cloths.
"Now since our morning meetings are for working our bodies, my daughter Brenda will be helping me teach you how not to get yourselves killed when you inevitably loose your wands."
"And what could this little girl teach us?" Draco growled under his voice. "How to get up insanely early and obey the insane orders of a bloody militaristic nutter Yank?" Crab and Goule just stood at Draco's sides and chuckled slightly.
Vlad had just smirked at first, hearing everything that Malfoy had said, knowing how to put this child in his place and give him a lesson in humility.
Brenda too was getting irritated at this Draco's attitude.
"Why that rude jerk...I so want to kapowie him like Mommy Bri's friend Shelia says." Brenda growled as slight blond hairs started to grow all over her body. Too small for the human eye to see, these spotted hairs were joined with the start of a tail coming out of the gap of her shirt and pants and her body beginning to grow.
"Brenda my dear," Vlad said shocking the lycan out of her minor rage, "would you object to a minor demonstration?"
"No daddy..." Brenda smiled smugly completely returning to human form. "I don't mind one bit."
"Good. Mr. Malfoy since you seem to think that there is nothing to learn from my class, then you have the honor of being the first to see if they can take on my daughter in a fight."
"Very well Professor, but don't be upset if I hurt her." Draco responded with a smirk.
"Trust me, I won't." Vlad replied as Draco assumed the stance for a wizard's duel with his wand hand at the ready. Brenda just stood there as the rest of the student body gave them fighting room.
"Very well. Stuplifi....."
"CHEETAH PUNCH!" Brenda cried as she rocketed towards her foe.
"..URK" Draco found that the wind had been knocked out of him as Brenda's fist was pounded into his diaphragm faster than Draco could blink.
Brenda then grabbed Draco's wand arm at the wrist and twisted it slightly causing instant and disabling pain to the Malfoy. Dropping the wand, Draco found himself completely at the mercy of the little girl, who decided just to toss the pretty boy around like a rag doll and kicking the wand out of reach.
"What do you do now Draco, your getting your ass handed to you by a little girl." Vlad said to the now irritated Slytherin.
In a torrent of pure rage, Draco swung a right hook at Brenda's head , only to find that Brenda had anticipated the attack and dropped down sweep kicking her foe causing him to fall hard on his back.
"Thank you Malfoy for volunteering for this little demonstration." Professor Maximov said as Draco was gasping for breath holding his hand to this back and eyes tearing up.
"Now Brenda please go and get Madam Pomfrey and explain why young master Malfoy is in this state. Don't worry class Draco only got the wind knocked out of him, painful but in no way long term or in need of extended medical care. What happened here is that Mister Malfoy underestimated his foe, lost control of his emotions, and have become so dependant on the use of a tool that he can't function without it when it is removed from his hands."
"Pardon me Professor, but how are we supposed to deal with things such as werewolves without a wand or sword or something? You're not suggesting that we use our fists against them are you?" One very concerned Ravenclaw asked.
"No that is not what I am saying. Your wand is a very good tool, and like all good tools you need to take care of it and know how to use it properly and it will serve you well. However, tools can be taken from you, break, or be tampered with even when all precautions are taken...Each of you need to know how to adapt, improvise, and overcome the situation."
"I lost track of the number of times that I have had weapons malfunction on me, or fallen into a trap from a cunning and ruthless foe...and believe me when I say that so has my wife. But that didn't mean that the fight was over, or that I was dead meat. The best tools that any of you will ever possess can never be taken from you so long as you know how to use them." as Vlad finished, the Soul Reaver's eyes glowed blue as Raziel used his telepathic link.
Hermione couldn't help but look at the skull at the hilt as the eyes were flaring erratically.
"Since when did you get so philosophical?" Raziel asked while doing the equivalent of a metaphysical eyebrow raise.
"What are you talking about Raziel?"
"Please...you're mister 'what is it and how do I kill it'. Not usually one for mincing words." Raziel wished that he could actually smirk, but he was a soul trapped in a sword...then of course he didn't have his mandible since he became a wraith....
"True, but I usually don't have so many students under my wing. And outside some wererats just showing up, I don't have anything remotely close to on-hand's training."
Meanwhile, outside a window of a darkened room, three of the most famous wererats on earth were beginning their mission under Voldemort to eliminate who or whatever was responsible to knocking off his Death Eaters like flies.
However, the first priority of navigating Hogwarts to do some snooping around was not as easy as originally thought. After being snuck aboard the train into the school grounds in by a few young Death Eaters as their rats, they had to wait until they were given a rough map of the place, and the unfortunate news that the insides of the castle moved around with no apparent pattern or were only illusions.
"Well this fucking mission has been one big fucking disaster after another." Lydia McKraken growled under her breath in rat form.
"Calm down Lydia...so it's been a little rocky but we still have a job to do." Romeo Ellis said, trying to calm the irritated foul mouth.
"Yea...like this isn't Atlanta or anything." the purple furred rat said as she nibbled on the remnants of the sweet roll that was her breakfast. "Like this is great...they like really know how to make great rolls."
"Damn it Mo...This is important." Lydia groaned. "We are supposed to be the most elite of the wererat clan's assassins under the hire of the Dark Lord of the Wizarding world....we are supposed to find and eliminate a target."
"Look Lydia its an easy mission. All we have to do is sneak in, find out who this guy is, plant this bomb, and leave. We don't have to put up with insane martial artists, Aura Mages...heck the werecheetah is an entire ocean away."
"You're probably right Romeo...alright, lets go." Lydia sighed as the wererats opened up the window and crawled down the wall finding a shadow to hide in for the time.
But, the glorious nature of ignorance is eliminated by the undeniable nature of truth. For you see dear reader a certain catwoman was at this moment walking into the darkened room with a scroll in one hand. Her attire had changed to that more traditional to Hogwarts with a slightly flowing black robe, though a very untraditional one. While it technically was up to the standards of the school's attire, there seemed to be unusual patches and the sway of the garment itself seemed to indicate several hidden items were concealed from site, and no tell what those were.
"Man this place is dusty." Brianna thought to herself. "When is the last time that anyone used this room?"
The room was actually a very long hall-like structure with various cobwebbed pictures and chandeliers. A thin layer of dust covered the top of just about everything while a think layer of wax had formed on the bottom of each of the innumerable candlesticks held out from the walls and placed on the tables.
"Wish I had my Pee-Bo's to clean this up right now...all of this mess is making me want a shower...well this mess that I didn't make at least." the lycanthropoid shacked her hand in front of her face fanning the clouds out of her sight.
"Well at least this place is nice and quite." Brianna smiled as she pulled out the scroll from under her arm and unfurled it. "Well this seems simple enough....one basic Aura lighting spell coming right up."
Brianna Diggers Maximov smiled as she placed the scroll on the dust covered dusk, going over each of the runes written on it.
"Okay this is easy to do...doesn't cause ignition so it's safe to use under all conditions..." Brianna focused her aura for a moment, letting it flow through her like an invisible wave.
"Like what's going on Lydia?"
"How the Hell should I know Mo...Maybe some damn student decided to take a look around. Now carefully hand me that bomb."
"Hey like why do you get to hold it?"
"Because I don't want to be blown to fucking smithereens like last time, or get stuck in some damn Leprechaun Prison like when we were trapped by that damn Diggers girl."
"Hey Lydia since you seem a little tense why don't I just hold on to it?" Romeo suggested.
"Like Hell I will Romes...give me that God Damn bomb Mo..." Lydia snatched the bomb from the valley girlÆs hands.
Brianna almost had it...but as the ball of gentle white light was condensing in her hand, she began lose her focus as the elevated squeaks of the wererats combined with the sudden appearance of the scent of rodents caused he to move her hands out of the way and....
"AHHH MY EYES!!!" the flash was really harmless, but instantly debilitating glare hit her exposed retinas. In an instance Brianna's hands were over her closed eyes and she had tilted her head backwards
The flash didnÆt' just blind Brianna, it also disabled the three wererats as Moisha was handing over the explosive to Lydia, who happened to place her finger on the remote explosive detonator while Mo inadvertently fingered the arm switch.
"AHHHH!!!!!!"
For the moment let us flash back to the assembled class body...
"Now since the lesson isn't yet over, Neville front and center."
The shy and nervous teenager was shivering as he was now standing next to the imposing and terrifying form of Professor Maximov, while seeing Draco Malfoy in obvious pain.
"Now can anyone tell me what Draco Malfoy did wrong, and why...."
"BOOOOOM!!!!" the entire castle rocked as the explosive force of the bomb sent shockwaves from it's detonation. Several of the students were knocked to their feet as the old stone castle was shaken to its foundation.
"What is going on here?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she staggered into the room with Brenda at her side, her legs wobbly from the force of the explosion.
"Madam Pomfrey you take care of the students, Brenda stay here and help."
"Where are you going Professor Maximov? Madam Pomfrey asked as she kneeled over Draco, who had decided to just lay there.
"Where ever that explosion happened. It's my job." Vlad turned his upper body towards the Soul Reaver and spread his fingers in a manner that looked like a Vulcan salute. A small electrical build-up seemed to appear in his hand and the hilt of the blade before the Soul Reaver flew from its place and into Vlad's open hand.
As Vlad ran faster than any mortal could, he placed the Soul Reaver on his back.
"Professor Maximov where are the students?" Professor McGonagall asked as Vlad appeared. She was surprised that the new DADA professor had arrived so fast,
"In the old conservatoryà.other side of the school. What happened?"
"Some sort of explosion. It destroyed the outer wall and half of the room. Your wife was hit by the blast, but..." Professor Hooch said as Hagrid was lifting the heavy stones out of the way. Professor Flitwich and Snape had to concentrate spells to keep the rest of this side of the castle from falling to the ground.
"Where's Brianna!?! Tell me!" Vlad grabbed Professor Hooch's shoulders as his eyes began glowing a bright blue as the pupils were becoming more narrow and pointed towards the top. His vice-like grip threatened to crush the broom instructor's shoulder blades and upper arm bones to powder.
"Professor Maximov please calm down." Professor McGonagall nearly yelled. "Your wife is fine. For whatever reason she was knocked clear of the blast and we found her down the hall."
One could almost see the tension around Vlad's body dissipate like a fog broken by the rising sun of a new day.
"Sorry about that Professor Hooch, I didn't mean to hurt you. Now can you please tell me where my wife is?" Vlad's hands were now at his side, but Professor Hooch's arms still ached. Never before had she felt so vulnerable...totally at the mercy of another with no way out...yet she could hardly fault this man for his reaction.
"Your beloved is now resting under Headmaster Dumbledore's care in the hospital wing." Snape's condescending voice was coming from Vlad's back. The daywalker had noticed the inky haired wizard before, and had taken an instant dislike to both Snape's mannerisms and personality. Raziel flashed for a moment agreeing with Vlad's growing distrust of the head of Slytherin house. "I would suggest that you take your attitude with you to her."
Vlad didn't respond to the creep, but rather apologized again to Professor Hooch and ran down the hall with nearly impossible speed.
The room was well lit with several open and clear windows allowing the rising morning sun's rays to gently grace the face of the only current patient. Brianna was currently out of it with her eyes lids closed, only showing the motion of her eyes moving under them reacting to some dream or ambient thought.
Brianna's cheeks began to twitch slightly as she felt a warm touch sliding down the side of her face.
"Huh? Vlad? What areà.you....where am I?" Brianna asked as she smiled at the welcome face of her husband.
"You are in the hospital wing my dear, and you are quite fortunate that we were able to survive such a terrifying event." Dumbledore said as he stroked his long white beard and just smiled.
"What happened Brianna?" Vlad asked as he held his hand at Brianna's rising back. "I felt the explosion but..."
"It was supposed to be a simple lighting spell, which was going fine...then I smelled rats and the spell exploded blinding me. I have no idea what exploded."
"And how might I ask were you trying to do this lighting spell?" Dumbledore asked, probably already knowing the answer.
"Did you find a scroll anywhere around me?" Brianna asked rubbing her head, trying to calm the pain.
Dumbledore handed over a charred and otherwise heavily damaged chunk of metal with a few scraps of paper that were falling apart into ash.
"I must say that you are most fortuities that you fared much better than your scroll. I hope that loosing it won't be too much of a burden." Dumbledore could do very little to stop the crumbling fragments of what had been a spell scroll from disaggregating into an almost undistinguishable mess in his hands.
"I'm more thankful that you are in one piece." Vlad said as Brianna moved to nuzzle herself into her husband's arm, becoming more comfortable and reassured by the warmth of his hug.
"Well then you can thank a few friends of ours back at Diagon Ally for that muffin." Brianna smiled as she purred slightly, showing her comfort in the familiar position. "I went to Fred and George's joke shop and asked for every possible invention they had for personal defense, concealment, and a whole list of other things." Brianna said as she counted off the things she could remember.
"But the biggest reason that I'm not hurt is that those brothers suggested that I go to Madam Malkin's Robe's for All Occasions and was fitted for a special order to my specifications for damage resistance and other excessive wear and tear."
"You want to expand on that?" Vlad asked.
"Remember when we were still just dating and you came to pick me up just after having to deal with that demon horde Natasha sent after you for rejecting her 'love'?"
*Flashback*
"Ring...Ring...." The doorbell to the Digger's mansion rang after the sun went down. This was not an odd occurrence, but Luan happened to be the only one in the foyer and was just getting used to the idea of doorbells.
Blinking a few times as she was roused to action, Luan headed to the front door and opened it to see the very imposing form of Brianna's first boyfriend standing at the door.
"Ah hello Luan....*huh huh*...is Brianna...*heavy gulp*...around?" He looked like he was going to fall over at any moment with the scorch marks on his jacket and a few stains made from various fluids spraying on him and from him, that claw mark on his chest was especially nasty looking but seemed to be healing. About the only thing that looked clean on his entire body was the Soul Reaver which drank the blood of those it goes through.
"She is, but I would think that you wouldn't want her to see you in this condition." Luan let Vlad come in and saw the heavily damaged handful of plant stems that had likely been a beautiful bouquet at one time. What types of flowers one could only guess since the smell of blood and other various organic messes covered them.
"Hey Luan who was at the....Holy Crap what happened to you?" Gina had to ask as her sister's lover, as impossible as that physically seemed, was standing there like he had just gone through Hell and back....not that far off when you think about it.
"Natasha......" Vlad said as he was lead to the couch.
"Natasha? The queen of the underworld Natasha? What did that vampire want with you?" Gina asked as she helped take Vlad's jacket off him before he stained the furniture, and taking a look at his combat-hardened physic. "No wonder Brianna likes this guy...look at all those yummy muscles..." Gina mentally licked her lips.
"Wanted to...make me to....declare that I loved her....to deny Brianna.....or she would kill me...." Vlad had to sit down for a moment as the Soul Reaver hit the floor and Luan handed him a glass of water. "Thanks Luan."
"Twas not a problem Vlad. So what exactly happened after that."
"Opened up a can of whoop-ass on a legion of her undead realm demons." Vlad said, slowly reclaiming his strength."
"Looks like they opened up one on you too Vlad...even with your vampiric abilities and healing, you're lucky to be alive."
"I'm still here an't I...besides I had to get here for my date with Brianna..." Vlad said as he smirked.
"Still it was very foolish of you to do that alone. What would Brianna think if her one true love died fighting the forces of evil, deigning a seductive temptress for his feelings to his lover, and all in route for a romantic outing on the town?" Gina chided Vlad in the same manner that she is known to do when Brittany or Brianna did something foolish.
Vlad could barely hold his head up at the time, and really wasn't in the mood to talk to what he thought of as a squawking know-it-all.
"I'd think this." Brianna said behind Gina and smirked smugly, showing her own fangs for a moment. Without another word, Brianna kneeled down in front of Vlad and placed her hands on the sides of his head taking a look at the blooded and bruised face of the first person who loved her for herself, the first friend she made on her own, and about the only one who knew what it was like to be a hybrid being.
Brianna laid one on him faster than either other girl could blink, their tongues danced in each otherÆs mouths, occasionally scrapping each otherÆs sharp canines. Vlad was moving kind of slow, but no one who just came back from a war zone really has the energy to dance.
As they broke their embrace, Vlad smiled and brought up what had to be the most pathetic looking collection of what was once long-stem roses anyone could think of. "I had brought you some flowers but...."
"Muffin, you look horrible. Did that Natasha bitch hurt you too much?" Brianna asked.
"Not as much...as the silver bullets that went...through her side, or the....imobulate spell I used....or the Soul Reaver that sliced her head off." Vlad joked
"You killed the Queen of the Undead Realm?" Gina said in shock.
"Technically she had been dead for several centuries."
"Why is it that you have to be such an arrogant smart-alecky all the time?" Gina asked.
"Believe me he's always been this way." Raziel said, speaking as the eyes of the Soul Reaver glowed blue for a while. "But to his credit Brianna, he arguably earned that level of arrogance." Gina and Luan just blinked at the sight of the voice coming from the sword
"Give me a moment Vlad and I'll drive the two of us back to your place. You need to rest and Brenda and I'll get to spend some time together, and when you're all well rested..." Brianna placed her finger under her lover's chin and led his vision up and down her body.
"My car got totaled...big demon smashed it....so I threw a flay at him."
"A what?" Gina asked.
"It's like a ninja star, only it follows the target and strips the flesh from the target only leaving blood stained bones behind." Brianna said. "Very useful when dealing with monsters."
*End Flashback*
"If I remember right you had be get a completely new wardrobe after that." Vlad said groaning.
"But you looked so good afterwards that I couldn't help but want to show you off." Brianna smiled as she stretched her sore muscles, occasionally wincing as she did.
"Well I suggest that you let your wife rest and recuperate from this ordeal in peace." Dumbledore said leaving the hospital wing. "And Brianna my dear, when you are feeling better I request that you see me about your studies in magic...for you see I have a few....suggestions that you find to your interest."
Vlad removed his arm from behind Brianna's back and kissed her forehead.
"Sorry babe but I've got students to look after...but maybe during my break I can work out all those nasty kinks with a special message?" Vlad smirked moderately evilly.
"I'll be looking forward towards it muffin." Brianna said as the two kissed goodbye and Brianna tried to get comfortable, but she was a tall girl with a long pair of well build legs, and her toes where almost comically poking out of the end of the sheets. She just shook her head and laid her head back on the pillow.
At the other end of the school, the student body had become a loosely gathered mass with a few conversations going on.
"Hello class. Sorry for the interruption but there was an explosion and my wife was caught in. Before you ask, no she wasn't responsible nor does anyone know at this time who is." Vlad said as he took his place at the front of the class.
"Professor is your wife alright?" Eleanor Branstone asked, voicing the concern of most of the student body, minus several overly vain female Slytherin female upperclassmen who's boyfriend's eyes had been transfixed on Brianna's body.
"She did get a few bumps and a slight concussion; however she is fine and will be up and about soon. Thank you very much for asking," Vlad genuinely smiled. "Sorry that today's lesson was canceled, and that you had to waste your time standing around here for a few hours, so we will continue this lesson at some later date. If anyone wants to make up this lesson or has any special interest in learning self defense we can try to make a club at a later date." Vlad said as he let the student's leave the room.
"Hey daddy, so mommy Bri's okay?" Brenda asked.
"Yea she'll be fine cub. She just needs to rest a little to recover." Vlad knelled down and rubbed his daughter's head reassuring her.
Harry watched for a moment, seeing that love he had so long be denied. A lesser man would have been jealous, but to Harry it was just like the Weasleys. Harry just walked off with his friends with a smile on his face.
It was a few minutes before Hermione started commenting on the last moment's activities.
"Well that was a slightly different lesson." Hermione said, trying to break the silence.
"Yea, Malfoy finally got what that git deserved if you ask me." Ron smiled. "And we get out of the rest of that Yank's insane lesson." Ron smiled as he drifted into a day-dream state with him holding the Quidditch World Cup, that or sneaking off behind the castle for some private time with Hermione and seeing if he could finally kiss his girlfriend.
"Ron I can't believe you. Professor Maximov made several good points during his discussion. Not to mention that he acted selflessly and decisively against an unknown attack, insured that we were far from the danger zone...in other words Ronald I think that Professor Maximov will teach us much." The petite Brunette said while holding her head up and avoiding looking Ron in the face.
"Give it up 'minoe." Ron chided. "I know what's going on here....you've become infatuated with out new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
"I have not." HermioneÆs voice was filled with vehemence at the playful snipping of her recent significant other's banter.
"What is it that you see in him huh? Is it his massive build?"
"Ron you're being annoying quite it." The brainiac wasn't really enjoying this mutual chiding.
"So I'm annoying now am I?" Ron said, the play acting in his voice was now beginning to be lost to the more venomous tones of jealousy.
"No I said you were being annoying. And I don't have a thing for our new Professor."
"Yea right. You were staring at him constantly."
"Ron he was our teacher, and what about you starring at his wife?" Hermione shot back.
"What are you talking about 'minoe." Ron asked, not remembering his faults for a moment.
"If I remember correctly you were head over heals at the sight of Mrs. Maximov strutting her stuff down the dinning hall."
"I wasn't that bad. Was I...come on mate I'm not that bad am I." Ron asked Harry, who had just kept silent.
Harry had been deep in thought for the entire time that he had left the classroom. His mind going back to the dream that he had at the beginning of the year, one which he still was uncertain about. That vision had left him with an uncertain distorted feeling in his gut and he had thought that Professor Maximov may have been this strange new foe of Voldemort, but the brutal savagery in which Mulciber had be killed was that of a ravaging predator, an inhuman beast with no trace of humanity in it.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione asked a she
"I've been thinking....remember that dream I had several weeks ago?" Harry asked.
"Yea mate, hard to forget that something had old Voldemort spooked." Ron laughed under his breath.
"Or someone Ron, and that is what makes it so unsettling." Hermione replied.
"Someone whom Voldemort didn't expect for Dumbledore to ally with."
"Why is it that you think that it was a person Hermione?" Ron asked. "It looked like some loose-cannon werewolf just ripped the bloody Hell out of him."
"Because Voldemort was convinced that the attack wasn't just a random act of violence, and something was mentioned that caused Wormtail to react...something about some red mark." Harry said.
"Well more to the point why are you bringing that up now? You don't seem to have had another dream like that in weeks." Ron said slapping Harry on the back
"It happened almost exactly a month ago Ron. And we still don't have a clue as to who this Gotherwaine is. By the way Harry what brought this up?" Hermione asked as the three sat down in a secluded part of the castle grounds.
"Well I thought that Professor Maximov may have been responsible for what happened to Mulciber, but after today..."
"Right mate. I do have to admit he was pretty heroic back there." Ron said with his hand under his chin.
"Right, so I don't think that he's responsible for what happened. I mean we have seen that people can be two sided, but Professor Maximov has been so upfront to us..."
"Well regardless of that I have a suggestion Harry." Hermione smiled. "Have Dobby spy on Professor Maximov and his family and report what he finds."
"Brilliant, but then who will we have report on Draco, I mean Kreacher wouldn't exactly give accurate reports on someone he so idealizes." Harry asked.
"That is a problem mate. I mean Dobby is the only one who is really loyal to you, and he can't be in two places at the same time."
"But you can make Kreacher give you specifically what you want to know by demanding that he answer your questions in the way that you want them and observe exactly what you would want to know Draco doing. After all he already can't actively or passively inform Draco that he is being observed." Hermione said.
"Now that was brilliant." Harry said as Ron had to just nod.
"Yep and she's my girlfriend." Ron said trying to wrap his arm around Hermione's back, only to have her push it off.
"What?" Ron asked as Hermione just got up and left.
"If you can't figure out why I'm still upset at you I won't tell you." the brunet just walked off, thankful that the ground wasn't muddy anymore as the sun dried the rain soaked turf.
"Women huh Harry?" Ron shrugged. Harry, to his credit, didn't respond.
It was hours later that Brianna was walking into the Headmaster's office, and her robe and hair were all disheveled from her recent romantic encounter with her husband. The sun had just set and Brianna took note that it may be a while before she saw her love again; being that it was the end of the month now and for days she had noticed the agitation in her lover's manner. The lycanthropoid wanted to giggle at the thought of a "monthly problem" joke, but realized that her love would likely have to feed tonight.
"Well at least he'll be normal next time I see him." Brianna shrugged.
Brianna ran her fingers through her hair, getting her bangs out of her eyes and trying to look a little better for this meeting with Dumbledore.
"Come in Mrs. Maximov, I hope that you're doing much better than earlier." Dumbledore said.
"Yep loads better thank you Headmaster. So what is it that I can help you with?" Brianna asked as the elderly wizard directed her to take a seat.
Brianna took a moment to look around the room and noted that it looked much like her father's own office. The phoenix sitting on the far edge of the room looked at her curiously, and the catgirl in her thought about dinner. However, the scientist in her just observed the animal carefully and she couldn't help but see how much like a raptor the animal looked like.
"Mrs. Maximov, you would mind if I called you Brianna would you?"
"Of course not, being called Mrs. Maximov makes me feel old."
"Well then Brianna...you display a great affinity and some real talent for magic, and I would very much like to help you, however I need your help to help my students..."
"And what is it that I can do to help?"
"For many years I have been noticing how certain students are in the dark about shall we say...the facts of life...and I fear that certain social contact without the facts of the modern world's dangers may make them unable to defend themselves."
"So you need a sex-ed teacher? Sure no problem." Brianna smiled.
"Ah yes....I am in need of someone with the ability of frank discussion on this....embarrassing topic as it were. I am uncertain how wizards are in America, but you can see how reserved we are on the topic."
"Hey no problem, so long as that wasn't either a proposal or character assassination."
"Perish the idea my dear, I can see how devoted you are to your husband and his devotion to you. What I had in mind was what muggles have in their health classes. Please realize that for years it has been the parent's responsibility to teach their children this, but with new and more dangerous diseases and predator's in the world....I care to much for my students to leave them defenseless." Dumbledore said, very worried at this point.
"Not a problem, but you realize that I'm only going to be here as long as my muffin is assigned here." Brianna pointed out.
"I understand, and you can leave a course manual before you leave."
"Well it would be my pleasure, so went do I start and how much does it pay?"
"That is something we can discuss at a later date, I however think that this will be enough of an advance for your new position." The elder wizard pulled a small bag of gold coins from his robes.
"And that would be?"
"An Oliver wand my dear. I think that you will find it most useful during your time here."
"Great, I'll have to tell Vlad went he comes home this morning." Brianna said as she placed the bag in her pocket and felt the heavy weight
"He has left for the evening then?" Dumbledore said walking with Brianna as they left the room.
"Said that he had to, but that's his job."
Speaking of the daywalker, Vlad was now flying over the area of downtown London in the form of a swarm of black bats. His consciousness was spread throughout the flying mammals and it would be odd to describe how the mind works in this situation but it's like a first person shooter in which your eyes are several different screens merged into one, the same for the other senses.
The bats dove downward and spiraled in tighter and tighter loops until the form of a man formed in the misty back alley of a local chapel. Dressed in his hunting garments, the bloodsucker's reflective blue eyes were the only contrast to the black overcoat. Silently he took in the entier area and walked into the mist. A moment later Vlad dissipated into mist form, becoming enshrouded in the cloud.
The night's quite brought no comfort to the hero as he walked into the graveyard, dissipating through the gate. Vlad took a moment to look over the headstones and bowed his hat in respect, though he was still in mist form so it was known only onto God himself.
As Vlad walked out of the mist, he reappeared and opened the door. A small creak from the rusty bolts of the door knob and pins at the hinge sounded his entrance to his contact location. With purpose, Vlad made his way to the back of the room and reached to a hidden compartment in the side of a small stove and removed a small tube about four inches long and two inches in diameter.
Placing a small needle in a tiny hole, the top of the tube rose slightly. Vlad's gloved hand twisted the raised portion and pulled out a strip of paper which looked blank, but Vlad's breath caused a chemical reaction between the ink and the carbon dioxide in his breath causing a message to form.
"Agent-
We have received your report and are glad to hear all is well at this point. We have reason to believe that Gotherwaine has given aide to Voldemort, but we are unsure the extent of the aide since our contact couldn't get close enough to them and nearly died getting as close as he has. We are aware of your history with the Elder wererat, but your personal vendetta cannot take precedent over your mission nor shall it take precedent over your duty as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. If you do encounter Gotherwaine however you are free to eliminate him. Next Saturday you are to meet Dumbledore and make contact with 'The Order of the Phoenix'. They battled Voldemort's forces in the past and will be able to assist you in ascertaining if Voldemort's activities warrant a full Order assault. We await your next report in three months and will only contact you in an emergency before that.
"Also your sustenance for this month is waiting for you at the regular drop-off position, but it is getting harder to transport it with the rise of security from recent events so you may have to ration what you have for a while or find another way to feed your blood-lust; Best of luck in doing so.
Sincerely,
The Holy Order."
Vlad placed the tube in his jacket and made his leave.
His hunger was growing as the moon reached it's apex and the daywalker's predatory nature reached the surface.
Leaping into the air, Vlad landed onto the roof of a nearby building and started to stalk the night while trying the best that he could to endure the wait, as arduous as it was, to the drop-off site.
The night had other plans....
"Dolohov be patient, we will have our fun in but mere moments." a well-dressed man with a regal appearance said to a rather average looking man wearing black robes.
"I have waited long enough Rodolphus." the harsh voice of this Dolohov retaliated. "The red-mark reoccurring, the attacks on Mulciber and the destruction of our best vampire in one day....the Dark Lord having to call in wererat help? I need release my pent-up rage on some unsuspecting Muggles." Dolohov roared.
"Relax...the sun has set and we have the entire night to find our fun. Now let us abduct some nice, unsuspecting muggles and torment them till the sun rises once more."
"The sun shall never rise for the two of you." Vlad sent telepathically to his targets. "For your fate has been sealed by your own dark hearts."
The two Death EaterÆs searched around, looking for the source of the voice. A puff of smoke appeared above Dolohov as a spinning thing dropped down and tore into his flesh, knocking him back several feet.
Dolohov was bleeding, but he had fight still in him since his wizard body was better put together than a normal human. As he recovered from the blow, Rodophus Lestrange aimed his wand at the attacker, only to be knocked back several feet by a telekinetic blast as Vlad took the Soul Reaver from his back.
"This is going to be fun." Raziel said as the blue eye sockets of the skull flashed.
Dolohov unleashed a bright purple flash from the end of his wand, which Vlad blocked with the Soul Reaver. Vlad then dashed forward, faster than the Death Eater could react, the spun behind his foe, for a moment the back of Vlad's jacket seemed to morph into a pair of black wings with sharp reflective edges. Dolohov was knocked up into the air, and slammed down hard.
Rodophus shook himself to regain his senses, but before he could react to aid his fellow Deatheater, the sound of Dolohov's spin snapping filled the room as this "sword-swinging cowboy" kicked Dolohov's back several times viciously.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH YOU BASTARD!!!" Dolohov cried as his foe walked over and crushed the want in his hand, along with the hand that was holding it with the soul of his boot.
"Well I must say that you are quite thorough my good man, but tell me is this at attempt to impress our Dark Lord, a test by out master, or are you simply mad to attack us." Rodolphus Lestrange asked with his wand at his side.
"I serve no foolish mortal with god-like self delusions. My only master is GOD!" The speed in which Vlad rushed the head of the Lestrange household was blinding.
"What....are you?" Rodophus asked as he was held aloft with his neck in Vlad's vice-like grip.
"Your hands are stained with the blood and pain of countless innocents. You planned to hurt more innocent people tonight you sadomasochist. I can not judge you, but you are still my prey." Vlad slammed Rodophus Lestrange into the wall and dropped him.
The next thing that Lestrange felt was two sharp pains like hot irons dove into his neck before he passed into death.
Vlad didn't pay anymore attention to his dead meal and walked over to Dolohov, still crawling on the floor in pain. Dolohov looking up for a moment at his attacker and saw him streach out his arm at him. Dolohov's body shook violently as he felt his blood drain out of him and into the mouth of his foe.
"Had enough for tonight?" Raziel asked as Vlad returned to his more human appearance.
"Yea we can go home, but first..."
"My pleasure."
"FIRE REAVER!!" Vlad twisted the Soul Reaver in his hand as the elemental power of fire incinerated both of the Death Eaters bodies, and flung the ashes into the air.
As the flash dissipated, Vlad looked over the busy city with a smirk on his face.
"They were right Raziel...."
"Oh?"
"Yea, Muggles don't notice." a swarm of bats soared into the night air as Vlad leapt away.
To be continued.....
"Wow that was long..." Eluza said as she over looked the neat and organized computer filled room with screens working and not a stray wire in site.
"It did allow us to get our work done Captain." Catty said as she smiled at her handiwork, her face with oil stains.
"You have a point Catty." Eluza sighed. "Okay Rabby try it now while we do the send off."
"Got it Eluza." Rabby said over the intercom.
"Now then; Thank you for reading this update and please be kind enough to post a review of this if you can, since it's what keeps these chapters coming."
"And I need feed back to boost my ego." Agent Reptile said.
"You need an ego boost? Come here honey." Eluza tackled her husband as her shirt begain to rip.
"Ah Eluza your shirt?" The ninja pointed out.
"I'll grab a spare later....Catty please take Dinobot out of here....now..."
The android obeyed and she and Dinobot closed the door behind them.
"I wonder how long it will be before they realize the speakers are still on?" Dinobot asked.
"You want to point that out to them?"
"Good point." Dinobot conceded as the screen went black.