FicWad

Okay, in the spirit of updating quickly, (and since I currently have no job and am out of school as of today, FOREVER! Until the fall when I have to go to college that is, but anyway) I'll try to keep this quick, though I can't imagine topping the last chapter in length. Glad so many people like the story. I'd update my other story (shameless plug to get you to read it if you didn't know) but the same way I had to take a break from this, I have to do to that. Until I get enough ideas and motivation to write a chap. Anyway (again), on with the story.

Read, REVIEW, and, Enjoy.

Last Time...
It took nearly an hour to navigate the short way even with the hesitant glances that were sent their way. No less then four hags had practically tried to jump Seraph and the pair had been offered Bliss Tonic several times before one ratty looking man was picked up by his collar and thrown into a wall by Seraph. Dexter had not been kidding when he said that they would not be able to miss the place. A bright silver sign proclaimed the 'Luna Argentum' for all to see.
"Let's go." Seraph told Neville. Neville nodded and followed Seraph through the bright doors.
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Chapter 15: Reluctant Meetings
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Inside there was the same sharp contrast to the rest of the slums as the outside was. They were stopped by a man who looked like he had too many muscles to fire off a spell, but it was only for a moment, and they were let through after Seraph gave him a handful of galleons. Seraph concentrated for a moment and gave himself a goatee and pulled out his rose tinted glasses and pulled his hood off. The rose tint quickly turned into highly reflective silver and put them on. He looked at Neville for a moment and the boy pulled out his wand. He had recently been looking over disguising charms at Longbottom manor and had found one that would lengthen ones hair (while generally he liked his hair short, he wanted to know it for when he needed it long. Heads of families traditionally kept their hair this way) and concentrated hard on the desired length and spoke the incantation softly while tapping his head with his wand. Light brown hair down to his shoulders sprouted and he too took his hood off, wondering how Seraph had gotten a goatee so fast.
Seraph nodded and walked up to the bartender. He noted that while the man wore dress robes, they seemed to be tailored for his line of work, not something one would wear when going out. The nametag said that his name was Fortis and that he was the head tender in the place. Seraph took out a galleon and began to play with it in his hand.
"Hey, barkeep, I need a room number." Seraph told him, the galleon spinning between his knuckles in a practiced way.
"Couldn't tell ya'. If someone wanted to see you, you would know." The man said.
"I just want to talk man. Besides, I may be able to take the ice bitch off your hands." Seraph said, as he added three more galleons to his little 'juggle'. By the way he was doing it you would think he had practiced forever on keeping the coins moving, and Seraph blessed his new found control. The man was slightly impressed, but he did not show it, and that was how Seraph wanted it. Make it look like he bribed people routinely.
"Ice bitch you say, got plenty of those around here." The man said and motioned to a group of beautiful women in the back corner. "For the right amount they'll tear your heart out and fuck you twelve ways from Sunday." Seraph took out another galleon and slammed it to the table.
"Stop the games. Yay tall, blonde, stuck up, probably been staying here for a while. Some snot nosed punk probably came in here looking for her earlier. Where's the room." Seraph said, lowering his glasses a bit so the man could see his eyes. During the conversation he had changed them from their usual silver and emerald to completely silver, even the pupil and sclera was silver, making his eyes look like liquid silver, almost as reflective as his glasses were. The bartender let out a breath and pointed to the back saying one word.
"Ten." Seraph nodded and pulled his glasses up. The man did not notice when Seraph walked away with the galleons he had been tempted with. Seraph traversed the hall with Neville in tow and came to the door marked '10'. A bright yellow sign on the front door proclaimed 'Do not disturb'. Seraph smirked and knocked on the door. The tersely whispered conversation that Seraph could barely make out, even with his increased hearing, suddenly cut off. A high pitched screech was the answer to the knock.
"Can you not read? Do Not Disturb!" Seraph smirk widened into almost a grin and offered a knock to Neville, who having been informed on the way down who they were coming to see, knocked loudly.
"Ignorant servant, I'll have you fired if you dare to bother me again." The screech said.
"Sounds like our cue. Keep your hood up and keep quite, matter of fact, why don't you try the cloaks other features and stay in the shadows. They won't want me there, let alone another stranger." Seraph told Neville. Seraph grabbed hold of the handle and gave it an experimental squeeze, still not completely comfortable with his new strength. The handle held strong, though a light impression in the metal was made. He gave it a sharp turn only to find that the lock would not move, though the handle crumpled a bit. It was locked, most likely by a strong charm. Seraph sighed and took a step back and produced his wand.
"Silencio." He said softly, and the soft mumbling that made it through the door stopped again. He felt a burning, tingly feeling in his hand. His palm began to glow, and he held it in front of him aimed at the door. The glow turned into a dark flame that covered his palm and he pushed the sensation through his hand. A ball of black and silver flames flew from his hand and impacted the door. The charm, which was designed to keep the door locked and sealed at its corners, did not fall, but the wooden door split at its middle. Seraph pushed through the door that was quickly turning to ash and created a hole large enough to get into the other side. The inhabitants of the room were stunned for a few seconds as the door to the room was blasted and burnt open and a man in a dragon hide cloak with glasses on stepped through. Watching the man kept them from noticing a second shadowy but confused and awed figure make its way through as well.
"Sorry about that, damn thing wouldn't open." Seraph said, suddenly remembering Hagrid coming through a door in much the same way once, sans the pyrotechnics. His comment was met with two wands and a pair of spells shot his way.
"Stupefy!" Draco roared.
"Ligatio" His mother said quickly, preparing for another spell if the first did not hit. Seraph dodged the first and put up a light blue Protego shield. The spell splattered across it.
"This how you treat all your guests?" Seraph asked as he dodged another Stupefy and a laceration curse he had seen used once.
"You two should really stop, especially if I'm the one who's going to make sure neither one of your asses get killed." The man said, and Draco paused for a moment but his mother shot two consecutive blasting curses at the intruder. The man threw up a shield which took the curse but was shattered by the second.
"Fine." Seraph said as he began to see different colored lines on their bodies and their auras were plain to see. Draco was as scared as Dexter had said, which was no surprise, but his mother seemed to be slightly scared, angered, and though it was overpowered by the other two, protective. Seraph moved as fast as he could and hit Draco in his side, right where there was a pale green spot he felt meant some sort of incapacitation and put his wand just under Narcissa's chin. Draco fell to his knees and began to wheeze heavily, unable to breathe. Narcissa looked into his glasses with barely contained rage and veiled fear. Seraph was tempted to raid her mind, even if he did not have any real experience outside of Snape, and leave her there, but knew that she could prove useful in more then Death Eater information. He had felt his hand burn and kept his fist closed; he did not want to burn any more of the place down unnecessarily.
"Feel up to that talk now?" Seraph asked. The woman continued to glare at him. "How about we do it this way. Petrificus Totalus." The woman's arms snapped to their sides as she fell to the seat behind her. The angle of her legs as they were petrified forced her to sit but be unable to move.
"Much better. Now for that door." Seraph said as he transfigured a drawer into a crude door and put up as strong a locking charm he could. It was a simple 'Calaportus' but he felt it would hold if someone tried to knock the door in like he had. He placed a silencing charm on it again and sat in Draco's vacated seat.
"Nice room." Seraph commented as he looked around. "Sit down Draco." He commanded as he saw the boy go for his wand. A quick 'Accio' took that problem away. "Nice wand. Don't move and Dexter won't have to make you another one." Draco looked a bit shocked but put his Slytherin training to use and made his face as impassive as he could, which was not much.
"Narcissa Black, do you know who I am?" Seraph asked. He received a glare for an answer. "Course you don't. Doesn't matter until later in this conversation anyway. You have a problem, and I think it would be worth it to help you out. You and your son are, or at least he soon will be, in the same boat. Lets do it this way." Seraph said as he summoned her wand as well. He thought about it for a second and summoned 'weapons', receiving two silver daggers a wand like stick that had a rune at the end of it, not unlike a cattle prod. 'Items' was summoned next and he received two trunks, a small foeglass, and a bra. He was slightly disappointed, he figured she would be holding at least a portkey to get out quickly.
"I think you can handle speaking now." Seraph said as he ended the hex. Narcissa smoothed out her robes and tried to gain back some semblance of superiority in the situation.
"Who are you?" She demanded in her haughty voice. Seraph rolled his still silver eyes and sighed, taking off his glasses and looking at her. She was able to hold in her shock, but Draco let out a slight gasp, though it was quickly covered by a cough.
"Who I am is of no concern, as I think I have said before. What does concern you is that you have at least one person after your blood. This person is backed by very powerful friends, I think you know them, black cloaks, white masks, ringing any bells? Your husband is inner circle and orders from him may as well come from Voldie himself, low ranking cronies don't distinguish second hand orders. Probably hired assassins too, and I think you are making their job too easy. Now, you want to live, otherwise you would not be hiding. I have something you need, and you have something I need." He told her.
"And what is that?" She demanded again, but Seraph ignored her.
"Draco Malfoy, or Lord Malfoy if you would prefer." Seraph said, and saw that Draco was about to comment, and Narcissa did gasp this time. Evidently they had not gotten that far in their conversation. "I however prefer neither, but will settle for the former. You are hunted as well, or you will be when you fail to return to him. Must be the single most Gryffindor and Slytherin thing that I have ever heard. Turned on your father and took his lordship. You do realize that your going to be damned in both sides of this war, don't you? You have both less and a great magnitude more to offer then your mother. Which is why I am prepared to offer you both something and you in particular."
"And what is that?" Draco asked, echoing his mother, but he didn't have the same tone. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as he appeared.
"Asylum, something that I doubt you'll find outside of me. You can take your chances however. I can simply take what I want from you, Narcissa, and Draco, you would find me eventually." Seraph told them.
"Why would I look for you?" Draco asked before his mother could make a comment, probably the smartest thing he had ever done up until then. Seraph gave his lopsided feral grin.
"You would appreciate it. It all has to do with blood. You have a choice, accept my help, or stay here. What is your answer?" Seraph asked. Draco looked at his mother for a moment and looked at Seraph, avoiding his eyes.
"We'll go. Do we have your oath on this?" Draco asked. Seraph thought about it for a moment.
"I swear upon blood and magic to grant asylum to Narcissa Black and Draco Malfoy should they choose to accept. So mote it be." Seraph intoned and felt his magic flare, a black and silver flash took place and Draco nodded. Narcissa stood still though.
"Who are you?" She asked again, not a bit haughtily. Actually Seraph was surprised to note that she seemed either in awe or hiding how scared she felt at the moment. Her aura said both.
"Come with me and I'll tell you." Seraph promised. "Come on out." He said to nowhere it seemed to the pair. Out of a dark corner someone stepped out dressed like the stranger who had granted them his help.
"What? Think I would barge into a potentially dangerous situation without back-up?" He asked them. "Come on." He said, throwing a couple of cloaks at them. "Put those on. Once we get out of the sub-division it wont take long to get to where we're going." Draco put the cloak on over his expensive robes and Seraph wondered how the hell he made it down there without getting mugged. Narcissa put it on reluctantly, the thing was old and worn for Merlin's sake!
"You never said what you wanted from us." Narcissa said as they made their way out of the Inn.
"Information, knowledge, service. Not all from you but between the two of you. You were married to a Death Eater for years. I'll need to know as much as possible. You carry a Rune Stick, so obviously you know runes and are therefore educated. You do nothing for a living and have, or rather had, access to a great amount of 'private' knowledge and I refuse to believe that you are simply some snobby homemaker. No, you were prized for more then being a trophy." Seraph said and saw Narcissa smirk, gaining her arrogant demeanor again.
"You made a choice, long ago. That choice has guided your life. Draco, Malfoy blood or not, will make that choice soon." He now smirked as he saw her pale. "Things are being set in motion, and a long forgotten piece of history will resurface, from the shadows one might say."
"But-" Narcissa started.
"No, not the place to speak of it. I will say no more until we reach our destination." Seraph told her as they went up the stairs to Knocturn Alley proper. The walk to Black Alley was silent and thankfully uneventful. The group accompanying him looked confused when he stopped in front of a wall. He wrote out the location on a bit of rubbish and showed them each in turn. The door appeared before them and Seraph thought Narcissa was about to collapse when she saw the Black family crest on the door. The grim nodded and opened for them.
"You... you're...You!" Narcissa said unintelligibly. Seraph returned his eyes to their normal emerald and silver and took off his glasses and lifted his hood.
"Very eloquent. I'd expect more from you. But yes, I am me." Seraph said and continued through the vast hallway. Narcissa remained stuttering as Neville followed, failing in trying to hold in a laugh. Draco grabbed his mother by her elbow and pulled her forward.
"This is the Zen Courtyard. Every door here is a Manor of sorts. I've never been in any but one, so I don't know what they look like and can't recommend any particular one. You may share if you wish, but there are more then enough for you two to have one to yourself. This is Black Alley, your Asylum for as long as you choose it. I use the term 'Asylum' and 'choice' loosely, as it will also keep my secrets here as well, which means you. At least until you two," Seraph said looking at Neville and Draco "can properly protect your minds."
Draco looked indignant at this.
"No one will keep me against my will. I am a Malfoy. And who the hell are you?" The boy demanded, looking at Neville. Evidently assured protection gave him a bit of confidence. Neville removed his hood as well and nearly laughed at the face that Draco made.
"You? Longbottom? What the hell is a blood traitor doing here?" Draco may have commented further, but he was picked up by his neck and unable to say anything else.
"That's rich, Malfoy. Considering that you just turned on your father." Seraph said and dropped him. Draco got up quickly and dusted off his robes.
"But, Longbottom? He's barely more then a squib!" Draco shouted.
"I could take you, Malfoy." The usually timid boy said, spitting the last word as if it was a dirt curse. He pulled out his wand to emphasize his point.
"What, the noble Gryffindor going to fight someone without a wand?" Draco said with a sneer. Neville hesitated, but Seraph spoke up.
"Maybe he won't, yet. But I have no qualms." Seraph told him. Draco took a step back unconsciously, much the same way Cheleb had, when Seraph began to growl at him. Seraph quickly found that the growl had the same qualities that the grim's possessed and sent slight shivers through the air. He was sure Draco pissed himself at that moment and wondered why he would want to work with someone like that.
"And who are you?" Was the question that was asked for the fifth or so time after Draco had gotten over his fear, coincidentally the same time that Neville and Seraph put their wands away.
"Who do you think? Black crest on the door, place called 'Black Alley', that should at least tell you I'm a black. I believe I mentioned that this is my home, so more then likely I own it. That implies that am the head. Sirius was the last Head, and only a blooded Black can take the Headship. This further implies that I must be Sirius' son. Something your mother has already deduced considering her near catatonic state." Seraph said a bit patronizingly. Draco continued to go red as each clue was dropped on his head. Narcissa seemed to break out of her stupor at this moment.
"This is all your fault then." Narcissa said quietly. Having her conclusions ratified seemed to leave her exhausted.
"No, you brought this upon yourself. You were disowned because of your ties. You were connected financially to Voldemort and anything that hurts him, helps me. That took care of half, and Draco just severed Lucius' only other resource. Sadly, I'm not sure how long dear Lucius will last when his usefulness has run short. I'm sure the man bought himself into the inner circle, like he does everything else. Without the money he will either be killed or be forced to take a grunt position. I'll try to not lose sleep over it." Seraph said.
The blasé manner in which he spoke about ruining her life was more then the woman could take, and she charged at him only to be held by her arms pinned to her sides. Neville had shot her with a petrifying spell and she fell face forward into the black sand.
"All right, maybe we'll talk later. Winky, take Narcissa to one of my rooms and monitor her." Seraph asked the air, but Winky quickly popped in and after telling him that dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes, took Narcissa and popped away.
"Well, for the moment, your mother is staying inside my part of the Alley. There are plenty of rooms, so you can stay in one. I think there is a lot the three of us need to speak about. But first, we eat." Seraph said, as he took a straight path through the garden to the large paper doors at the far side of the alley. Draco and Neville looked at each other for a moment, each putting as much anger as they could into their best glare, before they ran to catch up with Seraph.
Dinner was a quite affair. Neville complemented Seraph on it and he promised to pass it to the cook. Draco was a bit more reserved, probably thinking about the events leading up to the table he was sitting at. The pale boy chewed slowly and looked at Seraph often. He had been impressed today, the man had found them quickly and easily and had made them willing hostages within a few minutes. His home was nothing to scoff at either. While it was laid out oddly, it was more grand then Malfoy Manor and was able to be less stifling as well.
"Who's side are you on?" Draco asked. Neville looked up at the question. While he knew more about what was going on then Draco, it might be nice if things were totally clear. He saw Seraph grin in a very disconcerting way.
"My own." Seraph told him. He rather enjoyed keeping Draco in the dark, maybe the ponce would learn some humility. Of course, maybe it should be the training dummies he had just acquired that should do the teaching.
"Unless you own the Ministry as well, I don't think that that is an answer." Draco bit out.
"Of course it is an answer. I could have said anything and it would be an answer if I stated it after you posed a question. Semantics, Draco. Yes, my side of the war. Or will be my side of the war. What do you know of the history of the Blacks?"
"Epitome of a pureblood family for more then fifty generations, further back then the founding of Hogwarts. They were a political powerhouse at one point and several became Ministers. Always powerful, almost always dark." Draco told him. Seraph nodded.
"So you know nothing." Draco's face gained some color and he was about to speak before Seraph cut him off. "Had events been different I think your mother would have explained things in greater detail. You are now eating at a table that was used by the Head of Black's immediately family for generations several thousand years ago. To say that the Black family was old would be an understatement. The hallway that you went through shows the grandfather of the first Black back in the time of Merlin, I think."
"Why was the father or grandfather of the first Black not a Black?" Draco asked.
"Same question I asked." Seraph said as he began to go into more detail concerning the Black's history up until the forming of the Guild.
"When is your birthday, Draco?"
"About a week, why?" Draco asked.
"On the eve of that day you will be given a choice. Not be me, but by your ancestors. What you choose need not ever be told, but we will figure it out eventually. You are going to meet the first Black and his father, possibly more but unlikely. This choice will affect your life. I was able to speak with them a bit early. There is a war going on. A war the public does not know about and will deny when they do find out about it. I mentioned my side of the war before. Let me tell you a bit more history" Seraph said before he took sip of tea. The Guild was explained as well as the formation of the families and the fact that no names were recorded, though he should ask Vulcan about it later. He told them what the Guild primarily did, which brought a smirk to Draco's face.
"I'm being charged with setting up the Guild again. There are many lines that have died out over the years, but I know that some remain strong. The Guild was not just a group, it was a brotherhood, a family. They connected each other to the Guild by blood, and thousands of years later their successors are still connected. You both carry that blood, and you both would have joined me later anyway. I've already offered it to Neville, but I am offering it to you as well, Draco. I am training for this war that is about to break upon the country. I'm not going to confront the man head on, I want to do it from the shadows. Quickly, quietly, efficiently, break him down, and give his followers something to fear while I'm at it. I want to give you a head start on the training. A lot of this will be self study, as I'm learning just as much as you. There are resources here, and if more are needed we will get them. You won't be limited on what you learn, light, dark, their labels. I plan on getting stronger, and I will do so by any means that I feel will help. Will you join me?" Seraph asked.
"And if I don't?" Draco asked.
"I leave you to your own devices for the rest of the summer, but you won't be leaving here, so I suggest the training of nothing more then to alleviate boredom." Seraph told him.
"Fine. I'll do your 'training'. Not that I'll need much." Draco said, his old arrogance making its way into his voice. Seraph grinned evilly.
"Your going to love training, Draco. I promise." Seraph said thinking about having Cheleb give the boy a bit of incentive to run in the morning. Seraph led them to the third floor and let them pick a room before going to his own bed and going to sleep, making sure to set his wand for the time he wanted to be up.

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The next morning Seraph woke up to a barking wand about five minutes before Dobby usually got him up to find Dobby standing ready. Seraph shook his head and got up, telling Dobby that there were some new guests and that while he may not want them here, they were not to be harmed, in any obvious ways. He had him wake Neville and Draco and tell them to get up and go down for breakfast.
Seraph got dressed and ready for his morning workout and saw Neville walking down the stairs. At the same time a loud scream could be heard from a door a few yards away. Draco Malfoy came storming out of the room, soaking wet.
"What the hell is wrong with your elf?" Draco screamed as he tried to ring out his clothes. "And why the bloody hell am I awake at this hour anyway?"
"Well for the elf, nothing more then a few loose screws. And your up so that you can join us for breakfast." Seraph said.
"No, I'll eat later, I'll sleep now. And what are you going to do to your elf? I demand punishment!"
"You'll eat now and train afterwards, as it is what you agreed to, or you can stay in one of the other quarters. As for the elf, he woke you up in whatever way he felt would be most effective." Seraph said as he continued down stairs. Neville was once again laughing and Draco was livid.
Breakfast was eaten quickly. The food seemed to put Draco in a better mood and woke every one up.
"What is this training going to entail." Draco asked conversationally. Neville looked at him oddly but Seraph decided not to push the sudden attitude change.
"Physical, mental, magical, ritual." Seraph said listing it off on his fingers. "Physical includes endurance and strength training as well as muggle fighting like hand to hand combat and weapons, mental includes Occlumency and Legilimencey, magical includes anything in that area from charms to the dark arts, depends on you really, ritual includes any that you wish to perform. I would stray away from anything that requires you to personally sacrifice something, besides blood or pain. Animagus can be included in any of those categories, and is one of the few things that I have completed so far. I have a handful of rituals planned out for the next few weeks too. Malfoy, you may be given one or two gifts after making your right of passage, and some things may become unlocked after it or after your magical maturation. Nev, your family was part of the Guild as too, so you will go through the right of passage as well. Until you can sufficiently shield your minds from people like Snape and Dumbledore, you'll have to concentrate on Occlumency and its polar for the most part. Animagus will be the first thing that you will accomplish as it does not take that long." Seraph said, making Neville and Draco think for a bit.
"Why are we supposed to learn muggle fighting? What's the point when magic is so much better?" Draco asked suddenly.
"Draco, do you remember what I did to you?" Seraph asked, and Draco nodded, thinking about the hit. "That was a muggles means of fighting. I did not want to hurt you, just keep you from doing anything. Wizards are so far behind in technology it is ridiculous. Do you know why there are those who spout about the elimination of Muggles? Because they fear them, and with good reason. Muggles have always outnumbered us, always. We are not better, just a powerful minority of the world's population. Wizards have been stagnant for generations, lying on their laurels. Muggles have been surpassing them in just about everything not related to magic, and a few things there too. We have a killing curse, an unstoppable green death. They have guns, things that shoot projectiles at amazing speeds. They were made for killing, and not in that sudden shocked way people do when hit by the curse. I have yet to see anything in the Wizarding world that could compete with a bomb. They create large explosions and kill anyone in their way. It is human nature to fear what we do not understand, and that is true for wizard and muggle alike. Voldemort fears them because he understands them, and knows what they are capable of. He fears a second dark age, modern day witch hunts. It is a valid fear I'll admit, but taking the war to them first was not the way to go about it." Seraph finished, standing up from the table.
The two pensive looking boys followed him to the 'Ghost room' and got their first glimpse of Cheleb, who had decided to take the room as his home. The large grim who had been chewing on a quaffle he had found somewhere was on the two newcomers is a second.
"Down, Cheleb. They will be joining us for the summer. While tempting, try not to kill the yellow one." Seraph told his grim companion.
"Please, just a nibble?" Cheleb pleaded, making Seraph laugh. The laugh was deep and barking, and it reminded Seraph that he may have an easier time with his workout this morning.
"Maybe if he does not run fast enough." Seraph told the animal to placate him.
"What the hell is... or was that?" Draco asked Seraph as the grim retreated to his brooms.
"A Grim, Draco. Try not to piss it off or that incident back in your third year will look like a hug." Seraph warned.
"But I understood... Your Seraph, right? And why did you tell it to bite me if I run slow?!" Draco demanded. Seraph was mildly surprised at the revelation but shrugged.
"Your at least half a Black, its not surprising. It's a natural ability called Grimtongue. You can speak to grims and other dogs. Not sure about wolves or werewolves though." Seraph said as he began to stretch, showing the other two how to do it. Draco complained but was threatened again and shut up. They started out with a light jog. Seraph felt like he was walking for as much as he felt it. After a lap Draco was slowing down and turning red and Neville was trying but was not much better off.
"Go for as long as you can guys and meet me by the stands over there." Seraph told them. They were about to reply when Seraph took off. The atmosphere became heavier as he ran faster, aiding in his movements and nearly propelling him when his foot left the ground. He had never run this fast before, but knew he could go faster. He felt his muscles go taught as he prepared to go all out. He leaned forward a bit and threw everything he had into running. The ghost chose to appear at this time and looked at Seraph, winked at him, and set a pace a few feet in front of him. Seraph grinned and gave chase.
Neville and Draco stopped when Seraph took off. The last time either of them had seen someone move that fast was when they were riding a broom. Not Firebolt fast, but he could certainly outpace a Cleansweep 7. And then he went faster and they had an easier time keeping up with the dirt that his feet were kicking up then the man himself. The Cleansweep had turned into a Nimbus and the two could not believe it.
"What kind of Animal could do that?" Neville wondered out loud.
"What are you on about now, Longbottom?" Draco, who was still trying to watch Seraph asked distractedly.
"He said he had gone through the Animagus transformation earlier. It was a full one. So gained whatever he is doing now from his animal." Neville explained.
'Maybe this will be worth it then,' Draco thought. 'Except the muggle fighting.'
He loved this. It was a thrill, to be running this fast. His endurance had increased exponentially if he could run this hard and not feel tired. It was a release, and he knew why people liked running. Every movement was like cutting through water and every step was like a glide. He felt that his feet were digging into the earth, but it wasn't affecting him so he did not care. Absentmindedly he wondered if the room had increased in size as he had been running for a while and had never turned, or if the room was just that big and he did not realize it. He soon realized that it was just that big as he saw a wall off in the distance and he started to turn, and succeeded for the most part. He started to fall and he tried to stop and ended up sliding for several yards, leaving a trail in the ground.
"Merlin..." He breathed as he took in the skid line and the distance he had run. He couldn't even see the huge doors or the goal posts from where he was. He grinned. He concentrated on his grim form. The hair, the color, the sight, that feeling of barely controlled coiled muscle. Slowly at first, but faster all the time he began to change and was soon the large grim. He took a deep breath and growled as loud as he could. The suddenness of it hurt his throat, but the growl sent out visible waves into the air, literally tearing up the ground around him and shaking the surrounding area. Seraph suddenly smelled something and turned around to see Cheleb walk out of his shadow.
"Wow Master Seraph! I hope that I can do that when I get bigger." Cheleb said hopefully as he took in the destroyed area in awe. Seraph assured him he would.
"How do you travel through the shadow realm, Cheleb?" Seraph asked. Cheleb looked very excited about being able to teach Seraph something and started telling him about the shadows.
"Well, you just find a shadow and jump into it. The bigger and darker it is, the easier it will be to go through. The first Grim would tell us of his master sometimes. He said that once he was fully trained in 'Shadow Walking' he was able to jump out of the shadow of a blade of grass. I'm working on other people's shadows right now. Your elves don't like it though." Cheleb told him.
"So I just try to get into the shadow? And come out of the next shadow where I want to?" Seraph asked, finding it hard to believe that it was that easy. Cheleb nodded though, and he decided to give it a try. Cheleb was casting a good size shadow and he went for that. He sniffed the shadow first, as if it would reveal its secrets that way and blamed it on the merged personality. It did help though. He knew that the shadow would allow him to pass through if he wanted to. He pushed a paw into it and after it went deeper then the ground would allow it, he pushed the rest of his body through. Cheleb joined him shortly after that, panting slightly. He had used his own shadow to get through.
Seraph looked around and noticed that the shadow realm was much easier to distinguish as a grim then it was as a human. There was little colour but shapes were easily identifiable and distinguished. He began to run towards the other side of the pitch and marveled at how the shadows helped him move. As a human, the shadows had a light hold on him, enhancing the grims unnatural speed that had transferred to his human form. As a grim, the hold was stronger, the air thick and aided in movement more then as a human. As a grim in the shadow realm it was like having something hold you and push you along in whatever manner you wanted to, like being held in thick water. The feeling was hard to describe but whatever it was, there was more of it here in the shadow realm as a grim.
He got ready, his steps became shorter and he coiled himself, and jumped. He had seen Cheleb jump into the air to catch a broom at close to twenty five feet once, but that had nothing on him. He passed that mark by ten feet at least and just sailed. He landed and stumbled a bit but did not fall. Cheleb joined him a moment later. Seraph concentrated on his human form and began to change. A few moments later he was no longer a grim. The sharpness that he had as a grim in the shadow realm had transferred over slightly, but it was a bit difficult to tell who was who between the two people outside of the shadow realm in front of him. He figured that the one who was making muffled yelling noises was Draco and looked at the shadow he was casting behind him. Seraph got an idea and pushed through the small shadow.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Draco was asking. Seraph was not sure how exactly it worked, but while most of his body was out of the shadow realm, the part that was inside seemed to float up and help him out, making him look like he was rising from the ground unnaturally, which he was. He had made it completely out of the shadow when someone noticed him. He may have gone unnoticed if he had been the height he was at the start of the summer but now he was slightly taller then Draco and Neville saw him over the blonds' head. He backed up quickly but was too scared to say anything. Draco noticed though.
"What's your problem, Longbottom?" Neville didn't say anything, whether from the wink that Seraph had given him or he was still in fear, Draco did not know. He felt a light tapping on his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Trembling, he slowly looked around and backed up quickly, falling over. This sent Neville into peals of laughter.
"Don't be so jumpy, Draco." Seraph told him and motioned the two of them to the weight machines. Neville and Draco just looked at the machines oddly before Seraph muttered "Bloody purebloods" and explained how to use the machines and their weight settings. If they still did not understand he told them to look at the pictures on the side of it. They both looked at the pictures oddly too, as they did not move. Seraph started on the free weights, picking up the usual 15 pounders and nearly threw them when he tried to curl it. He put them back and picked up increasingly heavy weights until he found a pair of comfortable free weights, at 90 pounds a piece. 10 minutes of using the weights in various exercises left him feeling the same as when he started. He was getting frustrated now, he wanted to push himself, it did not matter that he had the unnatural strength of a grim, he needed that challenge. He went over to the bench press and put on every 45 he could. When it was done the bar was bending in the middle and Seraph was satisfied that this should present a challenge. He got under it and pushed. The bar did not move for a moment but then lifted up slowly, and Seraph breathed a sigh of relief. Once he was done with his set he checked up on Draco and Neville.
Draco and Neville had started on the weight machines after a while and had gotten the hang of them, mostly. Seraph had them do certain exercises and an hour later the two were totally worn out. Dobby's water was passed around and they felt a better. He took them to his study and told them to sit against the wall in a comfortable position. They did so and were handed the same book that Seraph was reading to learn the mind arts. The book had been duplicated and the copies would disappear in a few hours but it was easily copied again. As they began to read, Seraph delved into his mind again to find that the light that had been there before had disappeared and was replaced by a deep black shadow. He was able to see perfectly though, but he knew that no one else would be able to. He found the rest of his unsorted memories and began to sort them like he had with the other ones. Amazingly he was not disturbed before he had finished all but his recent memories, from just before the end of the last school year, by a growling green pup.
"Winky says that you must eat, Master Seraph." Dobby told him.
"Okay, we'll be down in a few minutes. What time is it?" Seraph asked.
"It is eight in the evening. Your guests have also been sitting as you have since you came in." Dobby said, as he found a very interesting smell behind the chair and went to investigate.
"How did Winky take your transformation?" Seraph asked. He had not heard anything about it and was curios.
"She liked it a lot. She puts a leash on me and walks me around our quarters sometimes. Even when Dobby is not a doggy." Dobby told him. Seraph was barely able to maintain his composure at that revelation and roused the other two.
"So how far did you two get?" Seraph asked. Draco looked like he was about to throw up and Neville looked ready to cry.
"It took me a while to find my core," Neville said, wiping his eyes. "But I did find it. Black and green, looks like a tree actually. I got into my mind, but it's...horrible. I spent most of my time trying to gather my memories together. The memories from before my parents... they look burnt, you know? Like ash, I don't think I'll be able to fix them. I think I found my Animagus though. It's big, but I don't know what it is." Neville said softly.
"Where was it? Inside your core, or outside?" Seraph asked.
"Mostly outside, but not all the way. Reminded me of a dog, but greenish, with a mane like a lion, but the size of a bear. I've never even heard of anything like it. It was trying to speak to me, I think, but I could not make it out. Sounded like the way you speak sometimes, Seraph." Neville told him.
"Couldn't tell you what it was, but I think you'll understand after you take the potion. What about you Draco?" Seraph asked the still pale boy.
"Not far." Was all the boy would say for a moment. He seemed to steel himself for a moment and continued. "My animal, it was on the outside. It was, I don't know... a wolf of some sort, kind of big and silvery grey. It feels...things, like imminent danger or... something. Creepy..." Draco said the last to himself, but with the increased strength and speed, Seraph seemed to have gotten better smelling and hearing as well and heard Draco's comment clearly. Seraph had not found any real use for better smell; in fact it seemed to be a drawback.
"Good. I can start the potion tonight and you two can stay meditated until it is done or you can start it tomorrow and take breaks in between brewing. I'm finished with my sorting, well, almost, so I will be learning Legilimencey soon, I'll be able to test out your shields or whatever you used. Time to eat though." Seraph told them and they followed him out of the room, both still dazed in their own way. Dinner was quite, Draco and Neville were thinking, Seraph was wondering how to ward his mind, and Narcissa had been sedated by Winky earlier.
"Start it tonight." Neville said suddenly. "How long will it take?"
"About a day. Easy to brew though. You can sort your minds while I make it. You know what your forms are so it should be less painful to painless. You both are going to do a near full transformation, so expect some changes after you pass out."
"Pass out?" Draco asked, wondering why a green dog was circling his shoe.
"Yeah, I did anyway. The guide never said anything about it, but it may be part of the full transformation." Seraph told him. The two joined Seraph in his study and took their places, retracing their steps to get to their minds. Seraph had Dobby go to Flytr's to grab the needed ingredients and started the potion again, reminding Dobby to tell him when the potion needed to be tended. His recent memories were sorted much faster then the others were, though he had more trouble with them. Reliving all the betrayal was difficult. The memories were put into stars and placed in the sky and made bright. He looked around his mindscape and noticed that after all the memories were placed into the stars, it looked very bare. He thought about it for a minute. Even if someone entered his mind and could not find anything, it might look bad if there was nothing there. The ground was barren, and he decided to change that. The cracked dirt plains of his mind turned rich and brown with some grass, silver grass for some reason, sprouting up here and there.
'Still not enough,' He thought to himself. 'Something in the way, perhaps?' Using what he remembered of the Dark Forest as a guide, huge towering trees shot out from the ground, creating a huge forest that went on for as far as the eye could see. There were random spots held no trees, only large reflective ponds. Seraph looked into one and saw the stars he had created. 'Hide in plain sight...' He thought as he willed a huge full moon and several hundred stars to appear in the sky, making it look like a real night. In the center, or the center as far as he could tell, a huge mountain pushed out of the earth, as if a hand reaching for the heavens. At the very top of the mountain, which he named Olympus, he placed a large silver orb. The orb was made to be brighter then anything in his mindscape and could be seen from anywhere. The clouds that he had not dissipated were gathered here, creating a tremendous storm above the orb, lightning striking the ground anywhere close to the mountain. He concentrated on that hot burning feeling he got in his hands when he threw fire at Kreacher. Black and silver fire surrounded the base of the entire mountain, and Seraph gave a ferocious grin. The whole point of this was to lead any intruders into a trap. While they were trying to get to the orb, he could either push them out or raid their mind, when he learned how to, that is.
'Still not enough.' He thought about it some more and concentrated on hundreds of little grim puppies. They probably were not as big as a full grown dog, but a lot of Cheleb's would do some damage. The pups were spread out through the forest to guard and protect. He laughed as the grims began to explore their new territory and actually climb into the trees and go to sleep like panthers would. He wondered if the claws that he had seen them used were given to them by him or if he might possess them as well. He stepped back and looked at his mind. It was much better then he would have thought he could do and knew that it was unlikely that someone would find his memories. He could barely tell the memory stars from the others, but he knew which were which. He exited out of his mind and nearly fell over in exhaustion. Dobby, who had been about to rouse his master popped away and brought back some of his water.
"Thanks, Dobby. I think guarding my mind took a lot more out of me then I thought it would." Seraph told him. He checked on the potion and added the next ingredients before he looked at his book.
Should you choose to use another method of protecting your mind, or incorporate your own method with mine, be careful of the magical drain. Adding, ordering, or otherwise altering your mind may prove difficult if you are magically weak or cannot concentrate. Likewise it can be done fairly simply, though still with substantial drain if you have a solid connection to your mind and magic, either through gift or done through ritual. Setting up protections (warding) is much more difficult then simply altering you mind, depending on what type of protection you want. I use an intruder detection ward as well as an identification ward, both simple and easy to set up. However, shields and offensive wards are terribly draining and I don't recommend them. If you set your mind up right, you won't need them. Wards need the area of effect and the power to charge them. Concentrate and will your magic into it.
Legilimencey, intruding into to someone's mind with the goal of finding out information they are unwilling to tell you. Or you don't want them to know that you know. For such a simple aim, there are a dizzying array of styles, some effective, others not so much. This is an art and it therefore can be used and guided in different ways by different people. The most common style, amongst interrogators and thugs is the battering approach. Simply aim the wand, look into the eyes, and say the incantation, thinking of what you want with as much concentration as you can manage with as much power as you can bring to bare. Being a probe is like going through shadows, hopefully you are familiar with the act, if not, think of swimming downstream in a river. Depending on you concentration, the bit that will allow you to look through the mind, and your power, the part that gets you through the defenses and other protections, you may find yourself blasting through walls or crashing against them. This method is very painful to the mind, theirs, not yours, though constant battering will make you lose concentration. The pain will often distract them and weaken their minds, allowing you to push through and search for what you are looking for. It is crude and as subtle as a wounded dragon, never to be used unless you wish to break their mind.
The method I recommend is based more on concentration then it is on power, though power makes it easier. Like some of the other styles, it does not require a wand, only eye contact, which is why more power makes it easier. Think about what you are looking for, look into their eyes, will yourself into their minds. Too much power will alert a skilled occlumens to your presence, not enough and it won't work. Once in the mind, shadow walk and attempt to scan if possible. If neither is achievable, then you should not be looking at this book. Shadow walking in another's mind is much more difficult then usual, but you will remain undetected. Other styles our covered in this book, but that is all I will say here as it is the best in our line of work. Once an adequate understanding of breaking into someone's mind is understood and some skill achieved, the next step is creating false memories and distinguishing the memories of others.
Seraph put the book down. He needed to wait for the other two to get to his point before he could really try Legilimencey. Using Dobby briefly crossed his mind, but was discarded when he realized he did not want to know what was in the elf's little head. He would need a victim, a Death Eater preferably, but one of those idiots trying to sell him Bliss would do just as good. Maybe he would test out his Shadow Walking tomorrow.

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That's the end of that chapter. I'm going to look through it later to see if I can catch anything, which I'm sure will be there, even if I did look through the chapter. Hope you guys like the quicker updates, hopefully they will last.
Considering having Voldie find a sect of the old school 'Shinobi' clan that Knox fought, but not sure.
Need a name for Draco's Animagus. The thing he was describing was like a precognitive sense, and it bothered him. I did not get to it but it will have some very creepy eyes. Going to be a smaller animal compared to the grim, but bigger then your average wolf.
Need a name for Neville's form as well. Many wanted a bear and similar things, so I think this will work out. Earth based animal, closely aligned in earth magic, almost to an elemental state. Think of a cross between a big dog and a lion, that's dark green, big as a bear.
Next chap, breaking minds, transformations, some more training, and a night on the town (maybe. I know what I want to do, just don't know when it will fit best.)
Hope you enjoyed,
Remember to review.

If the chapter was mostly in bold, then it is FF's fault not mine. Only Grimtongue is in bold in my documents, but I've gotten reviews, and seen on the site, that more then half of the chapter was in bold. Sorry about that, but I did not do it. Thanks for telling me though.