The End of Year 5

My training with Fleur and Cedric for the preceding month went wonderfully. My following five dates with Fleur - most of which I used my rights as ‘The Shadow Dragon’ to sneak out of the castle at will. Harry had sent me three letters wondering where the hell Fleur and I were sneaking out of school on random weekdays.

Like spending time with my Girlfriend is illegal. Well, it is if you do what we do, but we don’t count that, since she can legally apparate, and I am very close to being there, too. Only a year to go on that.

Cedric, instead of choosing direct fighting, chose wind elemental magic as his point of focus, to, as he put it ‘be able to give him a head start when running for the cup’. Literally, he plans to give himself a driving wind to make him run faster, and everyone else slower.

If the wind aids your movement, it is a lot faster, so there is a good use for this in combat, as well as running, but I honestly haven’t a clue if he’ll be fast enough to master it to that level in time. I can barely do it, and Gaelin has been training me - admittedly less this year as it goes on - for a long time. Much longer than we have.

Come to think of it, most of my ‘present day tutors’ have slowed down what they’re teaching me, mostly due to - as they put it - ‘the unnatural growth level you exhibit. We need to think of how to best leverage it, and planning lessons that complex with that many layers, so you’re still working on it in a week is hard.’ So we slowed down, but the amount of skill levels I get per session went way up.

Rickie all but told me she’d consider me to be an archmage, because I am basically a master in three forms of magic - charms, defense and transfiguration. But she also noted I was pretty close with potions, alchemy and even warding. She seemed a bit upset I was closing the gap on her so quickly, but also proud.

Liliana told me I needed to work on illusions by myself, basically, but that fey magic was an option after I turned 25. Why 25, I have no clue, but she told me to seek her out then. She still wandered into my life every few weeks, to say hello and give me a random test of my knowledge, but then would wander off, if given sufficient answers.

I failed on purpose to see what she would do the third time, and she gave me an insulted look, then lectured me for the rest of that weekend day.

In the past, though, the Founders were speeding up their teaching pace, and their lectures were getting more complex. I would get as much work as I could possibly do in 24 hours, every day. And then they would give me ‘homework’ which took as much time in present day to sort out as my actual classes did, which severely cut into my study time, but it was fine.

They were impressed I could keep up, and kept pressing more and more on me, trying to find the breaking point. Living two days for every one which passes, though, was proving useful, and my skills were literally never increasing faster. Well, my magical ones, were.

So March flew by, then April was about to end, when they stopped training rather suddenly. First was Haelga - who I was convinced at this point had learned a lot of Dark Arts - then destroyed them and died with the secrets, considering what she taught me. She stopped on April 20th, handing me a scroll, sealed with Hufflepuff house crest on it. “What?” I began.

“Open it when you leave, or if you get all of the others scrolls. It shows we consider you a Master-level Witch. Normally this means you can go retire to the woods, build a tower of your own and start a magical clan. We were given the authority to give these - basically scrolls of pedigree - to any sufficiently powerful or skilled Witches or Wizards. It is sealed by our blood, and keyed to your own, so only you can open it, and it cannot be faked. The goblins can ratify it, if they don’t all rebel and die, but if they do, then the Dwarves could, or a head of any Druidic house. The Goblins are just most accessible.” She explains, then, shoves it into my hands.

Salazar is next. April 23rd handing me a green scroll with his symbol in Silver on the paper, sealing it. He shrugs as he does so. “I would have given it to you on your first night here, with the warding you did. But six months hasn’t changed my mind, it turns out.”

“This one isn’t a normal scroll, like what Haelga gave me.” I tell him, locking eyes. He smiles and nods.

“Of course not. The paper that is written on is my personal touch. Basically, she recommends you start as a magical house. With mine you’d start as a Noble house. With both? You’d be codified Ancient, probably. Get all four, and you’ll be Ancient and Noble. Skip the whole kerfuffle, and five-hundred years of waiting for a seat at the Wizengamot.” He tells me offhandedly.

“But you know, right. I’m a member of a Druidic house. I will be the head, soon. Probably.” I murmur, and he nods.

“Of course, but these will have an effect, even for a Druidic house. Basically, your family will be the only Druidic house who has the extra level of power these grant. You would, effectively, get an extra vote in the affairs of the isles. Two, if you get all four of our signatures.” He explains.

“What if I get another one of these special scrolls? Does that have an effect?” I ask, and he nods, slowly.

“It would… yes. Every scroll like the one I gave you basically declares you to control all of our stuff if we die or our family all dies and your family is all that’s left. So, in this case, the Slytherin house will potentially fall to you. I think it will, because you’re counted as ‘the youngest son’ by most rites with that scroll. If a daughters branch tries to lay claim over you, that supercedes by the law. Even if that law is stupid. It was codified before I was born, so I don’t get a say. Witches are just as good as Wizards. Just look at Rowena, Haelga. They’re scary women.” He shudders. I nod and turning, leave for my next class.

Rowena gives me her - blue and brass - scroll that same day. I stare at it.

“You’re sure. You and Salazar both?” I ask, and she nods.

“You have to give bonus seats, if we die, to your next of kin anyways. No one can sit more than one seat at a time. And my daughter is listed in my will to supercede that, so don’t get any ideas.” She tells me dryly, and I wonder how the hell that was done with Salazar’s explanation, but let it go, and leave for my final class of the day.

Godric gives me his red and gold scroll at the end of the month. Then he sighs, and nods to me.

“I’m going to be the last of my line. My brother will have kids, but they'll have none of my stuff. They swore allegiance to some noble from France, and so I cut them off. I expect when you marry, you can have two votes after I die, you and your husband, each get a house.” He tells me, and I don’t have the heart to tell him it probably won’t be a husband.

I pull out the other three scrolls, and he looks, blinks and nods.

“Ironic, I think. Do note, that if we give another scroll - of our color with our seal in the metal - after this, those will supercede you. Basically, everyone after you will be weighed against you. If we find them superior, you will be ‘written out’ as it were. If we find you superior, then you will maintain. Of course, I think we all judge more than just ‘skill with a wand’ in our judgment. I’m proud of all that you’ve learned this year, and hope to see you again.” He finishes by clearing his throat, and I nod, quietly sliding them all away.

I guess I’m not forgiving enough, or redeem-y enough for Hufflepuff. Still, three of the four? I feel like that is absurd.

.*****.

It is June the Twentieth, and almost the end of both school years, when I am handed the Goblet of the Founders. It does exactly - and I mean exactly - what I wanted it to do.

It looks the same, feels the same magically, detects the same ritually, and only can be seen as different if you use divine magic on it, since, apparently, that’s what's holding it up.

Pleased with the Goblet, I store it in my inventory, and give each of the founders a hug goodbye.

I finished all of my tests in this time, and am ‘going off to France’ I told them. Salazar knows the truth.

I’m going back to my time, for good. Or until I find another portal back to this time. Another ‘dungeon’.

In the present, when I wake up some 12 hours later in my perspective, I am reminded that this is the second day of my OWLs.

I had signed up for every single OWL I thought I could complete, which turned out to be all of the ones the British Ministry offers. They gave me a Time Turner to complete them all, since there are only 9 days to complete them, with the Tri-Wizard, and every test takes one day. In order of completion, they go as follows -

Alchemy, Healing, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Enchanting, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Magical Theory, Muggle Studies, History, Warding.

I did my first two yesterday, I am doing 2 more today, and so on. I will do 2 tests every day. They have a few special proctors for the extra tests I ordered who are handling my whole OWL set.

Olivander, and a witch by the name of Samantha Jones, who is apparently the person who also tests people for Curse Breaker positions.

They each basically control half of the tests, and the rest of the examinees do not seem to envy me the ‘great privilege’

After speeding through the tests - insultingly easy to me, what with somersaulting tea cups, levitation, and such, it's done quickly. I wind up doing 7 different charms for each test. They don't specify how I levitate things. I would up floating the proctor, a few chairs, the heaviest thinks I can find and myself, along with a dozen other small objects just to show off my absolute mastery of the spells. The whirlwind of small objects dipping and dodging around each other - using only levitation - is clearly impressive. Proper use of Sui leviosa leaves Olivander gobsmacked.

I feel like transfiguration is easier, changing a dog into a boulder. Teacups to kittens, and similar basic one-to-one transformations. No conjuration, multiplication or mutations which aren't full transformation. It's curious people are so afraid of the tests. None of my friends would struggle with it.

So I finish all of my tests for the day without needing the Time Turner, which Samantha tells me isn’t unheard of for prodigy kids like me, or adults who retake the OWLs later in life, though that is WAY more expensive than doing it at school. She scribbles a note on the test paper I handed in and looks up, the sighs.

"You're going to get every OWL with an outstanding, with distinction. You have more extra credit points than I remember hearing about from anyone. The way you answer questions, citing the exact books, and then additional answers not even full grown wizards usually know, well…" she trails off, tossing the paper into the stack -now 20 pages of completed work high. "You're a very scary young lady." She finishes. I give her a grim smile.

"I'm just making sure I'm not dead if someone decides I need to die." I respond, and she nods slowly.

"I assume you can cast every spell we've tested silently?" She asks, and at my nod, jots a note down and then rolls her eyes. "You're going to be rank one in no time." And with that, she stands as though to leave. As she does so, she glances over. "Be sure to use the extra day you have. It's earned by your speed, and it was accounted for with the turner anyways." With that parting bit of advice she leaves.

I follow her advice immediately. I have plans for that time. A nice day out with my latest attempt at romance sounds nice.

Patrons only / Smut (half by me and half by our beta - Gekko Lady. Enjoy? :p) 

I rewind time the moment I can, to restart my day with Fleur, intent on taking her on a very long date. I have until six in the evening to be back at the castle, so I want to treat her!

I send a charmed message to her to meet me by the Forbidden Forest so no one at the castle sees me where I shouldn’t be, and she greets me with a teasing grin.

“What’s this?” She immediately asks.

“I thought it’s time we went on another long date,” I tell her. “I thought we could have breakfast by the lake together.”

She brightens even more. “Oh, that's lovely Aubrey! Thank you!”

I reach on my toes for a kiss, and am not left waiting. She gently cups her hands around my head and our bodies meld together. We stay like that for some time, enjoying each other's closeness until I pull away from her with a small smile. “Come on, I know the perfect spot.”

She grabs my hand and follows me for our morning walk, which takes us around the outer edge of the Forest. There’s a wonderful early sunshine, warming us up from the outside in. When we get to my prepared area, as I instructed the House-elves to prepare the area ahead of time, the sun has soaked into the blanket and we’re both hungry.

“Oh, this is wonderful!” Fleur smiles, kneeling by the basket. “What did you bring?”

I open the wicker basket and pull things out manually. “We have croissants, baguette-” a long one that comes out the extended basket in a way I know my sister would laugh at “-jam and butter, viennoiserie, and fresh drinks and tea. And coffee.”

“Of course coffee,” she laughs. “This is lovely. You’re a very sweet girlfriend.”

I grin and prepare our plates to enjoy. The place I set up is an inlet in the lake with a great view of the water, and trees cover the castle and by extension us. The giant squid is in the center soaking up the heat and flicking its tentacles over the surface, giving us something to watch. With our plates full, Fleur moves to sit closer to me, and we eat with our bodies close and a hand on each other's leg.

We talk of light matters, like the view and the food, until we’re satiated and lie back on the blanket to enjoy the sunshine.

“You know,” Fleur says suddenly, “when you told me to meet you by the Forest, I thought we were going to train.”

I laugh. “I’m not all about training you know.”

She rolls onto her side to look at me. The sun glows in her hair. “I don’t mind. I like your passion.”

I grin up at her. “I know you do. Do you want to duel? Because there’s a good spot just behind us.”

She bursts out laughing, so I tickle her in punishment until she’s red in the face, only to get pushed back and pinned on the blanket. In moments we’re kissing, a light breeze passing over us. I let myself enjoy it, even when she slowly trails a hand up by side to cup my breast.

I gently push her away when I start to feel my body’s reaction and know we need to stop. She looks down at me with hooded eyes, a flush across her cheeks. “You are beautiful, you know. I love you like this.”

I can only roll my eyes, as if I do anything else I might continue. “So that duel…”

She chuckles but allows it, sensing the tension between us is more than I usually allow. The area I intend for us to duel in is bright green from the light filtering through the leaves above, and thick moss covers the ground. There’s a few large rocks and shrubs, but for the most part the area is a nice size for our intentions.

I grin, lead her to the middle, and assume the traditional dueling start with my wand by my face. She grins massively, her clear competitiveness shining.

“I’m going to beat you this time,” she whispers.

“I doubt that.”

We bow and step away, marching to our spots.

Fleur makes the first move, not holding back in her rapid, mean looking spells. I hold my defense, slipping light tickling spells in between my more serious attack. In moments there’s holes in rocks and areas of moss is singed to ash.

It comes to an end some ten minutes in, when I pin her to a tree with its own branches using a charm on the tree rather than her. It wraps around her body and holds her against its trunk. Immediately she drops her wand, breathing heavily.

“That was good,” I smile, approaching slowly. The flush on her cheeks deepens. “But not quite enough.”

“You are far more powerful than me,” she says. “I enjoyed watching you.”

I step up to the tree and linger before her lips, knowing she can’t reach me. “I know. It’s rather nice with you like this, perhaps I should keep you here.”

She wets her lips. “If you don’t intend to further this, you should let me go.”

She’s right of course. Yet I stand there, considering it, warring with myself over what’s right. I haven’t lied after all - seeing my girlfriend tied up and flushed excites me, and knowing she wants the same only heightens my desire. I allow myself a kiss, one that deepens, before pulling back.

“Not against a tree,” I say simply, and dissipate the magic.

She pants heavily. “You are cruel, I hope you know, to tease me like this.”

I can only smirk. “I know. Come on, let’s duel again.”

We spend the next couple of hours dueling, snacking by the lake and running around the edge of the Forest chasing each other. Fleur teases me into using high powers spells for her entertainment, which I’m happy to give, until I realize her game - the running from me, making me search for her, letting me pin her to things, it’s all what she wants. It’s what I want also, but several hours in she doesn’t push me for more, so all we do is tire ourselves and become more desperate in our desire at once.

“We should stop,” I pant, waving away the fizzling magic in the air.

She grins widely. “I suppose, though it’s not too late.”

“How about I nap?” I suggest. “No one will be in the carriage.”

She is the one to smirk at me now. “Oh, so perhaps I have gotten through to you.”

“I don’t think it’ll be more than sleeping, Fleur,” I warn gently.

She shrugs. “A girl can hope. Come.”

I follow her back the way we came, calming my body on our quiet walk back around the lake. It’s peaceful, and we hold hands, so by the time we’re back I’ve regained control of my body, even if I do think I’ll have to work this frustration out on my own soon.

There isn’t anyone on the carriage, so we walk right through to her room and close the door behind us. We take off some of our clothes, remaining in just our under things and tops, and get under the covers to hold each other.

“I like this,” Fleur admits. “Holding you.”

I smile up at her. “Goodnight kiss?”

She leans over me and kisses me gently. It's so soft I stay still and enjoy it, and she happily continues to peck and tempt me with them. It’s welcome and unsurprising when she deepens it, pressing her legs together besides me. As our tongues tangle, I push her back and she pulls away, giving me the chance to flip her onto her back and straddle her waist. She gasps and grabs my hips, fighting my tongue with hers, groaning when I drag my hands over her body.

“Aubrey?” She moans.

“You’re perfect,” I tell her, pulling up her top. She lifts herself to make it easier, breathing excitedly.

I connect our mouths again, giving in to my body as I feel her soft skin under my fingers. Her nipples are already hard, and I make Fleur melt as I start to roll and flick one, testing how rough she enjoys my ministrations. In minutes she’s rolling her hips up, begging for friction. I trail kisses and bites down her neck, sucking on her collar until it blooms red, before suddenly enveloping a nipple in my mouth. Fleur groans deeply, gliding a hand over my stomach to my underwear, toying with going in.

I sit up and pull my top off, enjoying the way her eyes look over my body. “Please,” she begs.

I only hesitate for a moment before I speak. “Take your top off.”

She grins and yanks it off, then as good as shoves me on my back to get to my underwear. I laugh and lift my hips to help her, and my eyes roll back as Fleur drags her tongue across my vagina and clit.

She laughs at me. “It’s nice to see I can-”

I don’t let her finish, flipping our bodies with my legs to get her under me. It makes her laugh, though I cut it off with a kiss. I straddle one leg with my knees, which raises to rest between my folds, and my hand goes under her lace underwear. She’s hot and wet all over, letting my fingers glide over her clit wonderfully. She loses control of the kiss, enjoying the feelings I give her instead. I kiss her neck instead, flicking her clit so softly I know it’ll frustrate her, and linger by the entrance to her vagina long enough for her to lift her hips to try and capture me, only for me to climb back up to her clit and continue to tease her.

She groans softly. “Please,” she begs quietly. “Please don’t make me wait.”

“But that’s the best part,” I whisper into her breast.

She responds by pushing her thigh into my clit. I sympathize with her frustration and lower myself down her body, simply vanishing her underwear away and spread her legs open. Slowly, to tease her, I kiss down her leg until I arrive at her clit, kissing right above it. Now, I lick her clit softly, enjoying the taste that hasn’t changed between my last life and this. Healthy, well kept women have always had a wonderful taste…

She lifts up to my mouth so I give in, flicking my tongue over her clit until she grasps my head and ties her fingers in my hair. A small shift and I can push my index finger into her vagina, and it’s so easy from her arousal. I curl and flick, feeling as her body tenses with pleasure, keeping my actions up as Fleur gets louder. My mouth covers her clit, lightly sucking as I flick my tongue, another finger joining the first. With my other arm, I keep one leg pushed down to keep her legs spread as she loses control of her body and tries to lock my head between her thighs.

Within minutes she grows still and tense, a look of pleasure washing over her face as her body gives in to its climax. It's strong enough to arch her back, a strangled cry escaping her lips. I ride her through it, pulling away only when she starts to relax.

“I thought,” she gasps out, “that you’ve not done this before?”

I sit up on my knees and grin down at her, liking the way she keeps her legs open still. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know what to do.”

She rolls her eyes. “I need a drink of water.”

“That good, hu?”

She swats at me and drinks from a goblet on her side table before turning on me. I’m already wet with arousal, my clit occasionally throbbing with want, so I allow her to push me on my back and return the favor. My girlfriend proves her experience, having no shame in holding me to her mouth to suck, lick and ever so gently scraping her teeth over my clit, using her tongue to penetrate my vagina as her fingers flick and move my clit. I lose control of my body also, gripping the sheets under me tightly and shouting with delight as an orgasm pushes builds.

I orgasm leaning on my elbows, unsure exactly when I got there, feeling my mind go blank as the pleasure overtakes. Fleur groans into my clit, no intention of stopping.

I’m not ashamed to say I allow her to continue, taking turns in receiving until we’re so tired we have to spell ourselves clean and pass out above the covers.

I return to the castle half an hour late, running from the carriage back to the school. If anyone saw me, I don’t think it would take much to know what I’ve been doing based on my clothes and the flush still covering my cheeks, but I don’t care.

It was so worth it.

End Patrons Only

So, my third day of exams comes. With my intensely improved mood.

So it is, happy as the cat who got the canary that I settle into the chair for my DADA exam. I am handed the paper, and the question is one I know isnt covered in OWL level work, and only partially touched on in NEWT exams. I squint at it.

"What are the seven major weaknesses of Were-creatures?" It reads.

I know the answer. Silver, Mythril, High level Fire magics, Divine Magics, acid or any kind, conflicting curses and for some reason, plant based magics.

There are other known weaknesses, though. Lightning really does a number on them, as does any magic which can sever a limb. They suck at overcoming illusions and they really hate anything which messes with their emotions. There are twenty-two cases where werewolves were turned to human form by overpowered calming charms in the last fifteen years. Of course, they resist it, and if they revel in the slaughter like some humans who have any kind of lycanthropic curse do, this fails.

I write six paragraphs on the various studied effects, and add at the bottom, that I'd you could inject them with Wolfsbane from a distance that would work too, but very few people who can make Wolfsbane want to try it. So I write a few sentences about how it could be done, and flip to the next question.

It's on how you can kill a dragon, as a single wizard or witch. I snort in derision as I fill this one out, too.

All of the level 5 magical creatures are on the test. I answer all of them in the same manner, then turn to find more questions on dementors. I sigh, filling that out and then come to different questions.

The unforgivables, and how to stop them from working on you.

TLDR is - Imperious - willpower, Cruciatus - dodge or block, Avada Kedavra - dodge or block.

There are finer ways to deal with each, though. I list these out in long, boring paragraphs. Imperio can be blocked if you know how to do it. Lead, for example, can block it. Crucio can’t hurt you if you intentionally have set of spells on you - which are extremely dangerous - which turn off all of the pain receptors in your body.

Dangerous, because you can lose a limb and not notice. More people have died or seriously been injured in incurable ways by that set of spells than the Crucio, easily ten times the amount. People are not smart, using them randomly for every fight where maybe an unforgivable is being used.

Avada actually has a lot of interesting advanced strategies around it, most of which involve using any number of overpowered summoning, banishing or conjurations to force things to absorb the spell for you. There was one wizard who made debris fields and would use those to block them in the 1700s, but no one has been able to do it since. I’ve tried and failed a few times.

So I list the known common, uncommon and famously done ways in my answers, and move on to the next question, which it turns out, is 5 pages on spells you can use to protect yourself against various potions, or detect them, or people using them.

The last page is an opinion piece on how to deal with a theoretical battle. I fill it out in depth, using the whole page - front and back - for my answer. The first paragraph had been to declare the situation as I understood it in the question, and to frame my answer, because that’s really important on opinion pieces like that.

In all, the test took four hours, and was actually extremely hard. Some of my answers - like the 12 ways to detect someone is using polyjuice - were less than perfect. I knew of 10 ways, and the last two were educated guesses based on what I know of the potions and using applied magical theory to figure out plausible flaws which would enable detection.

Still, I feel like I did well on this very likely NEWT level test, or exam for Auror or Curse breaker type job entry.

I hand it in, and look at Samantha. “This was not an OWL level test. These aren’t even NEWT level, really, though I suspect you could put them in a NEWT level exam, the fact they were all harder than any NEWT level exam I’ve ever seen leads me to think this was something you made up for me specifically, to gauge my level, or is something beyond NEWT level. Maybe an Auror or Curse Breaker test from their academies? Either way, I think I did well.” I tell her, a smile on my lips.

Her small grin widens as surprise flickers across her eyes. “Good. If you can show me level five, six and seven elemental spells, a Patronus and one spell which can deal with the beasts which aren’t covered by those, then I can end this exam, here.” She tells me, and I nod. I quickly do so - as we are in an empty classroom, and each of those spells is relatively easy, considering I’m working on mastering the level 10 Elemental spells - without chants - since with chants it’s a bit simple.

After I finish, she looks absolutely stunned for a moment, then she says, a bit shakily.

“For extra credit, you’d need to show you can take control of and/or destroy fiendfyre. You can also get extra points if you have the ability to cast the level eight and nine elemental spells, though I would ask you to just show me the highest level elemental spell you can cast of each type, as sofly as you can, so we don’t destroy the next couple rooms.” She instructs.

So I cast all of the level 10 elemental spells - using chants, and my magical control to keep the effects small and intense, very localised as opposed to over wide areas as they were designed. Then, I summon and have a fiendfyre dog run a few laps around the room without burning anything, then snuff itself out.

She is beyond stunned, looking at me aghast.

“Why, and pardon my language, but why the hell are you still in Hogwarts?” She leafs through the test, skimming answers and her eyebrows raise. She then taps the test with her wand, then taps the ‘master key’ with her wand, and a blue glow comes from both, followed by a light golden light showing from my test. She shakes her head. “You are very well beyond Hogwarts - and anything it can reasonably teach you, if this is any indication. I’ll need to ratify this officially, but…” she trails off, and I break in.

“Ratify this? What do you mean?”

“This was a Mastery exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts. it was not some simple curse breaker or auror test. This is what they graduate and spend four years working towards. I was trying to see what a failing exam would look like from you, but you passed. I’m going to certify this, of course. I’ll have a board review it and certify it as legitimate, but, you did pass. A mastery. At 15.” She tells me, blinking slowly, disbelievingly, at each point.

“Honestly, Defense is worse than Charms, for me. I’m also about equal with Transfiguration and Potions, but I think throwing all of those out of the window is a poor idea. I enjoy classes and time with my friends. Often, learning from another master of something is the only way to improve. My way isn’t the only way, and pickling the brains of others on methods, which may well be superior to my own, is a good way to make sure I’m as good as I can be.” I respond, pretty flatly. I’m excited about a Mastery, but I’m not excited about not taking defense next year.

“Well, good news on that front, I suppose. You’re can still sign up for and take NEWT level classes, even if you have a test which certifies beyond that level of skill. Just, don’t rub it in, okay? I think you’re tying for the youngest mastery ever, and that record was made by an African wizard - the current head of Uagadou, and they’re a transfiguration focused school, who regularly churn out masters of the subject at a very young age.” She explains, and I blink in surprise. Someone else had a Mastery at my age? I knew Dumbledore and Riddle both got theirs at the age of 18 - right after Hogwarts - in their specializations, but I figured 18 was about the limit for age. I wasn’t quite ready - in my mind - to take a mastery test. I can cast the spells, sure. But I know the theory is a lot more advanced and ‘theoretical’ for Mastery level exams. The questions are usually on things which either will never come up, are impractical outside of theory and similar.

Well, I guess a lot of the questions would seem impractical to them. ‘How to kill a dragon’ and such, most wizards just can’t do that. But then, most Wizards are slow, lazy gits who don’t actually train anything but their wand arm, if that.

So I guess using my general knowledge to make sure I had a very well rounded training was a good thing. Even if I am side-lining my physical training to be much less frequent than it was, due to my want to get my mental scores as high as I can before their secondary attribute - Mana - caps itself.

“I’m glad I can still attend classes. I just hope the professor isn’t a failure like the ones in my second and third years. They were idiots.” I grumble, and she blinks in astonishment.

“How much of this - of your skill - did you learn on your own, or not from a teacher at Hogwarts?” She asks wearily.

“Two-thirds. They gave me my foundation, but I found and practiced long and hard at a lot of different types of magic. People in OWL year talk about how they’re pulling 8 hours outside of class to work on their stuff to be ready for the tests, well, I did that every year. SInce first year. And I made sure to drill theory all summer long, and when I attended Dueling tournaments, I grilled people to practice with all kinds of magic. Healing included. I wasn’t about to just let something I may need slip by.” I answer cooly, and she nods slowly.

“Your social life?”

“I had a study club with some of the best of the year above me. I helped them with History - a passion of mine - and they tutored me through the first and second year syllabus by Christmas of my first year. We still meet up to confer notes an hour or two per week. I also had a roommate and her friend who would hang out with me all the time. Come bother me in first year while I was studying and force me to take breaks. I have only the one of them now, but it’s fine. Other than that, my friends come from my time dueling, or intentionally writing letters to them while I’m taking a break from studying.”

“That sounds incredibly hard and lonely.”

“I have a goal to be remembered as the greatest curse breaker who ever was or ever will be. If that turns into ‘the greatest witch to ever walk the planet’ that’s fine. Not the goal, though. I just want to have a very long, successful career where I get to have fun and adventure. I do not want to deal with more school after Hogwarts, nor do I want to deal with politics inside Gringotts or such. I just want to get a team of Curse Breakers, go run around the world and, some day, become a legend.” I tell her, and she almost twitches.

“You sound like a very ambitious Slytherin.” She responds with some warmth, and I nod.

“I could have been Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. I am cunning, ambitious and strong enough for Slytherin, but smart, studious and quiet enough for Ravenclaw. I’ve been told by a few that I’ve got quite the pair on me, more than once, so I suppose that means I can be a Gryffindor. The hat sure thought so.” I say quietly. So did the founders, apparently. Judging by the scrolls.

She nods, then dismisses me after a few moments of polite small talk.

I go to my next exam after a quick lunch, and like all the others, I find it far, far too easy.

.*****.

The rest of my tests proceed without issue, and on my weekend off, I spend hours training with Cedric and Fleur, when I’m not out on a stroll with Fleur, showing her all the other secrets I’ve found. The castle is so massive that even after four months we’ve not exhausted them all. Of course, I’m being a bit leisurely about it, a secret passage here or there. A secret room, a hidden tower… nothing too crazy but certainly fun when she blinks in shock at yet another secret stair which should, by all rights, intersect with another somewhere.

But all too soon, the third task is upon us, and I am set to watching the champions line up outside the maze. I also tag Harry with the scrying spell, but not the beacon, so I can see the task from his point of view. I need to know if something happens so I can try to intervene. If it’s on the grounds, I should be able to reach him in two short jumps. Unless it’s life threatening, I won’t interfere, though.

So I lean back in my hidden room, content to just relax and enjoy the show with my popcorn and meal.

The maze is technically only the size of the Quidditch pitch, which is 300 meters in a circle, but when I ask for a window view of the pitch, I can see that the maze is moving itself slowly, and there are no paths open to the center - where the cup likely is - yet. You can run around it, get close to it, but not get into it.

I suppose that whatever is hidden in those hedges must be cleared first. Is it based on number of obstacles cleared, perhaps?

The cannon goes off.

Dumbeldore - who has since learned the communication spell - sends a message into my brain after a few minutes of all four being in the maze. “Someone has breached the wards. Who is it?” he asks calmly, and I look down at my map, nearly spitting out the popcorn I’m eating in surprise.

“Does the Carrow name ring any bells?” I reply, getting a mental nod, basically. I stare at the map in shock as I see them cross ground so fast, they must be flying. Due to the wards being super low to allow spectators, they’d been able to breach easily. They tear into where the pitch is, and over it, then they continue on, on, on, out of the wards within a minute of entering. I squint. “Everyone is still moving in the maze after they left, and no abnormal movements or similar. They’re all acting exactly as expected.” I explain, and get a mental sigh of relief in return.

What the hell had that been? The cousin of the Death Eater twins in Azkaban, and one of those who pled imperious, by their cousins, had just done a fly-by for some reason.

A shiver went down my spine as I considered the many options of what could have happened. It’s just impossible to know. If I interfere with the tasks, then…

“Can we call the task off to investigate?” I ask.

“No. I asked when the wards were breached. They declined me.” is his swift response. I’m shocked. If the other judges don’t give a majority vote then interference by whichever party will result in their representative losing all magic. If it’s a ‘neutral judge’ like the Ministry is, in theory, then they would lose their magic.

I’m not willing to strike two of my friends magicless, for my mental wellbeing when it may have been a ruse to buy time for some other scheme to come to fruition, but still, this feels wrong.

Very, very wrong.

I look from the map to my projections, and blink in surprise to see Fleur dueling Krum. It is a furious duel, both using barely legal spells in a flurry. Then, I see Fleur grin, and speed up. Her deciding to go all out in the duel turns the tables. I watch as Krum quickly goes from being able to fire back, to losing ground. Then, surrounded by snakes, in a move to banish them, he is hit by a hard stunner, and drops. She fires red sparks and dashes. I glance to Harry, who is staring at a Sphinx in confusion, and so I look back to Fleur, who is running, still. After a minute, I see Harry get past the Sphinx, and turn a corner.

The cup is in sight.

At the same time, Harry wheels and stares at the hedge, then shouts something, and Cedric comes out of the passageway which merges with his passage about 15 feet ahead. A massive spider leaps off another hedge, and they enter combat.

Fleur stops running, looks to her right - where I can assume she hears the fight - and then jogs around, slowly to not draw attention to herself.

Harry is tossed in the air by the mandibles of the Acromantula, and then it goes down to dual stunners.

Fleur turns a corner, and sees the cup, as Cedric helps Harry towards the cup. Fleur begins running after a moment, and breaks into the clearing with the cup just as Cedric and Harry grab the cup. Fleur sighs, dejectedly, and fires red sparks into the air, waiting to be allowed out.

Harry, though, is not with the croud.

He’s in a Graveyard.

“Dumbledore, the Cup was a Portkey” I report.

“What? Where are they?” He asks, and I pick out that it was supposed to move them - likely to the entrance of the maze, but not where they are.

“A Graveyard.” I answer, watching as a cloaked figure hobbles up on the screen. “A cloaked figure, a bit taller than Cedric, is walking up to them.” I respond, slowly closing my eyes in understanding.

The fly-by had been to cast Portus on the cup, and alter the destination. Since it was set to work in the wards, it would let them go anywhere, in or out of the wards. I open my eyes, so I can memorize who my new enemies are.

Kidnap my friends, will they?

As I open my eyes, a green flash of light - the Avada Kedavra - slams into Cedric and my mouth drops open.

They killed him?

Killed Cedric? Why?

I watch in shock and horror as Harry is tied up, then, seeing Dumbledore vanish into the maze alone, I flash into Dumbledore's Shadow in one leap, grab him, and leap back within a moment.

Leaping with someone else takes a lot more shadow Mana than I expected, but it works. Dumbledore had been alone, striding towards the maze, while the rest of the judges were - the screen shows - interrogating Fleur.

“Here, I’ll take you back, but you can see here.” I tell him, and he blinks in surprise at my setup. Then nods and watches as I fill him in on the happenings.

Feelings later. Grieving later. Now I need to see - to remember.

The Carrow family - all of them in or out of Azkaban - jump to the top of my ‘kill list’, as the hooded stranger reveals themselves to be Richard Carrow, the patriarch and father of the Carrow line. He pulls a cauldron onto a fire, then drops a small wriggling form into it. Dumbledore gasps.

“He’s back.” He murmurs, and I nod, solemnly. The three minutes are a slow process in my mind, where I break down what is happening. I have enough visual range to see he uses the bones of his father, the flesh of his servant and Harry’s blood in his concoction. It clicks in my head, how the magical theory works.

“He’s just made a mistake.” I grunt, as I watch the blood from Harry’s cut go into the cauldron.

“The blood tie will anchor Harry if he is not obliterated, yes. If his body can function, and he wants to come back…” Dumbledore murmurs, a victorious smile creeping across his lips.

“He just made Harry the ultimate winner of this war, unless he breaks the body, or he gets a new one.” I agree.

Voldemort kills with the Killing Curse. It does not destroy the body. How could he have made such an oversight?

“It was to be able to kill the boy. His mothers protection.” Dumbledore answers my unasked question. “Perhaps when he killed Harry, he would have fed him to the snake he has?” He asks, no emotion showing as we watch Harry be given his wand, and made to bow.

“Perhaps. If he had plans to destroy the body, it would be well for him, but if not…” I murmur and Dumbledore nods.

“The boy who cannot die.” He whispers, and I grin a bit maliciously.

“Say, what do you put our chances of winning at, if we can get him out of that mess?” I ask, and Dumbledore thinks for a moment, before shrugging.

“Ninety-five percent. I would have put it at sixty if you were a non-factor, and thirty if I died before Harry had proper training, but we can see neither are true.” He responds whistfully as a golden dome blooms around the two, who are locked, spells tied in the middle, and shapes begin bursting out of the wand. Reading the lips, I blanch.

“They’re going to buy him time to come back. He’ll be here in 30 seconds. He’s bringing the body of Cedric. I’m taking you back.” I tell him, and barely register his nod as I push us into an uninhabited part of the maze, then, Dumbledore walks out and I flicker to behind an out-building and jog up, coming to a halt as Cedrics dead body - Harry on top - comes to back.

I let myself, at last, begin mourning my friend. I settle next to his body, slowly crying, and clean him with an unconscious show of focusless magic. I manually sweep the hair out of his face and grimace at how cold he already is.

Then people begin swarming us. I carefully peel Harry off the body, and give him a nod of understanding - tears rolling down my face - and then turn as Dumbledore comes around to lead Harry to the Hospital wing.

I stay by Cedrics side as his parents come, then I follow his body, with Sarah, Fleur and Adrian trailing behind me. All but Adrian are crying in the contingent following Cedric, but I can feel the palpable sadness rippling off of him in waves.

As Cedric is pulled into a room with Professor Sprout and his parents, I turn and walk away, knowing it’s time to let go.

“The Carrows and Voldemort did this. I had a scrying spell on Harry to watch from his perspective. I saw it.” I tell them quietly, and I feel Adrian narrow his eyes in sudden hatred and can tell he is planning reparation already. Sarah looks moderately confused, and Fleur just lays a hand on my shoulder. I give her a watery half smile, which is rather vicious - as much as it can be with my ruined face, and I finish the thought. “I’m going to end the Carrow line for this. They’ve earned no less.” and I see Adrian nod once in agreement to my silent declaration, while Sarah looks shocked - and mildly appalled - at my willingness to kill. Fleur looks uncertain, but gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze. I grip the hand on my own, and we continue down the passageway.

The Room of Requirement will have reset, and I can begin planning there.

.*****.

It took three hours to explain to everyone my point of view, and what I knew to have happened. I even summoned a Pensive in the room so those who wanted to see could see.

Everyone agreed with my choice to move to an offensive front after that, except Sarah, who clearly preferred the idea of defending.

“That’s fine. We need people to stay back and defend important objectives. Honestly, we probably need two-thirds of our people to do that, with one third striking and trying to break the enemy before they have the ability to grow too far out.” I tell her soothingly. “Honestly, I expect only a handful of people will ever want to strike out at them, maybe ten or so. Most people don’t like the thought they started the fight, but it can be unavoidable. You can’t win a war if you never go after your enemy.” I conclude, and she nods slowly, remembering all of the Goblin wars where Wizards almost lost due to their inability to follow the Goblins and push them back. It would be the same here if we didn’t move quickly.

“Now that we’re all on the same page, though.” Adrian’s calm voice - slightly shaking in a show of the stress and sorrow pressing into him. “What I would like to know is how you moved from this room - on the seventh floor of the castle, to the Quidditch pitch and the Maze instantly, and then back here in the next instant. You’ve never told any of us anything about that.” He says tersely, I shrug.

“It was a dormant bloodline ability, like Metamorphism. It allows me to use the shadows for a lot of useful things. Mostly, transportation. My mother’s line came from egypt originally, and though we don’t have a full list, there was probably a shadow-mage in there somewhere. This means that I inherited the ability. I will have your word - each of you - that you will not tell anyone else about this though. Shadow magic is my one leg up on people. I’ve been using it since second year to by fractions of hours so I can use that time to learn more. This war is why. I’ve known since second year. I thought we had more time.” I explain cooly.

Adrian instantly raises his hand, and then utters “On my life and magic I swear to never reveal the fact Aubrey Hawthorne is a Shadow mage intentionally. Be it though direct or indirect means, I will never reveal this information unless she gives me permission.” He says. I see a very slight shimmer of magic, and I nod.

“I accept the oath.” I mumble, and it seals. Fleur follows, and Sarah looks sheepish.

“I’ve known for a long time. I just told no one cuz I figured if you wanted people to know you’d tell them.” She says demurely. I nod, then sigh.

“The main issue is now that we’re in war, if you have a magical oath, and they try to force you to say it, then you will die before you can tell them. This is usually done only for extremely important secrets. An example would be what Dumbledore knows about Voldemort's immortality, and how he is trying to resolve it. I know, and he was kind enough not to force a vow on me, though I offered one. Apparently the Imperius cannot work on someone like me, nor can veritaserum, so I’d be able to lie anyways.” I explain slowly, and they nod looking happy at that, but a bit conflicted as they can’t say the same.

“If you don’t want to swear the vow, like Dumbledore I will not force you, however I will place a minor seal which blocks the memory if you are put under the Imperius. I will just change the memory to be my apparition in Hogwarts - apparently given permission by the headmaster.” I conclude the explanation, getting a nod from Sarah.

“I’ll do the seal. I think I can defend myself well enough that taking me will mean killing me, anyways.” She mumbles and I give her a sad look for a fraction of a second - which I’m sure Adrian catches, them I flick my wand in a complex set of motions, and mutter “Mentis Obstructionum Regitur” The magic takes place instantly, then she nods a bit dazed.

“Would you like to allow any of us to tell anyone else about your secret?” Adrian asks, and I nod.

“Any of our close friends. Muirin for you, Adrian, Daphne, Astoria and Lord Greengrass. All of those are fine for you to tell if you get a vow out of them, or can perform the spell I just have.” I inform him lightly, and he nods.

“I’ll do what I can, thankfully all of those three are in my house.” He says agreeably, and I nod.

“What of myself?” Fleur asks, and I give her a smile.

“Your father for certain - I don’t need a vow from him, but tell him to take it as seriously as a class six secret. He’ll understand.” Class six secrets are relating to one person - usually people like Dumbledore or myself or Voldemort - where if knowledge of the secret gets out, and they’re forced to use it, the landscape will be forever altered.

Father had taught me some things, and as a somewhat high ranking ministry employee, he would know of the system, though not any of the secrets. Those were held by department heads, like DMLE, Unspeakables and the Minister. Their memories were wiped when they left office.

Class Seven is worse. It’s something that could end the nation if not carefully handled. The only ones which have ever come into knowledge - from what I know - are Voldemort's Horcruxes and Grindelwald's unparalleled mastery of elemental magic. He could destroy fortresses, small towns and so forth by himself.

“The others?” She asks, breaking into my thoughts.

“The rest of your family with oaths or spells. I will not be having this spread. I was going to tell Alessa Bella and Dumbledore and Harry anyways, but you have to know I have a limit of a couple kilometers on my jumping. I have to actually apparate otherwise.” I say sternly, getting an eyeroll out of Adrian.

“Can you jump 100 times?” He asks, and I shake my head.

“I can do fifteen maximum range jumps in an hour or so, then I run out of the magic which powers the magic. It’s not like normal magic. I have much less of it than I have other magic, which I am working on, presently.”

“Oh. That’s actually surprising. You’re not the best at something.” He says quietly, and I nod.

“Any other questions?” I ask, no one has any. “Then we should all go to bed. It’s been a horrible day, and I need to talk to more people.” I explain, getting a nod from them, I flicker out of the room via the long shadow of my chair, down to the room where the Triwizard Cup is held. I look over the magical protections, and snort in derision, drawing a ‘communication breaker’ circle around the edge of the other wards, and then a silencer, I sigh as I carefully peel the wards apart, take the Triwizard cup, and place the fake in its place. I take a moment longer to confirm they are, in fact, identical, and then step back, fixing the other wards, turning off and erasing the presence of my interference with them, and then erasing my own wards around them. I shove the cup into my inventory, and flicker to Dumbledore’s office.

He isn’t in right now, so I settle onto a sofa in his room, and summon a book off his personal library I have yet to read, and settle in to read.

He is back in thirty minutes. I close the book with a snap, and send it back to his shelves.

Time to explain my powers to him, and answer any questions.

Impressively - the thirty minute discussion is more about what I plan to do this summer, and if I could help him with resisting the Death Eaters than about my powers. He slides a small metal across the table. Circular with a phoenix on the front. “The Order of the Phoenix” on the top.

“You will need to know that no other underage witch or wizards are allowed in - nor are any who have not graduated Hogwarts, however, I think you will do well, considering Samantha tells me you will be getting a Defense Mastery in short order. On that note, what classes would you like to take next year?” he asks, and I simply tap the list of NEWT subjects he presents. Seeing his look of mild shock I grin politely.

“Yes, all sixteen. I politely disagree that Divination is a subject. If I am given a Time Turner, I can easily handle the workload. My schedule will be chaotic, but I can drop History and Magical theory from the list - making my days just seven classes each. If I also drop DADA and Muggle Studies, then I have six classes each day. I would like to keep DADA if possible, though, as Astronomy is an unusual period.” I explain happily, and he nods, slowly.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, we shortly part ways, and I go to sleep.