Lion's Fire

"First of all, I suppose I should begin with who, and what, I am," said Magus after everyone had found a seat. "As you may have heard, my name is Magus, not Mr. Magus, Sir, or professor, just Magus. I am an elf, more specifically, a high elf. My kind, have not appeared on Earth for more than a thousand years as you count time. I am part of an organization that oversees the well being of The Planes."

"Where are these plains?" asked a confused Ron.

"Not plains, Ronald, Planes," said an exasperated Hermione. "This means that the crackpot theory of Rasputin's was correct. The one that said he had only to breach the Veil that separated the Planes to reach his demonic masters. Rasputin believed that Heaven and Hell were in fact not connected to this world in the usual sense of the word. He stated that multiple realms of existence lie outside of what we can perceive as mortals."

"Correct, Hermione. And what's more, he succeeded in breaching the Veil that lies between the Planes. Rasputin created a Gateway into what he believed to be the Abyss where his dark master awaited him; instead, it lead only to a Plane of Shadow. There, he became lost in its swirling darkness and hasn't been heard from since. Now, as I was about to explain, the Planes are, as Hermione quoted, multiple Realms of existence, which are home to thousands of different creatures. Mortals can perceive them only with the aid of certain instruments or by using divine aid. The reason that they are so hard to travel to, and between, is because they are separated by a Veil of Magic that keeps the planes from spilling on to each other and creating a general mess of things."

"Then how do you manage to travel safely between them if the Veil works so hard at keeping things out?" asked Harry. "If going back and forth is so hard, why monitor what comes through the Veil? It can't be that much."

"Lovely thoughts, Potter, but if it was so difficult there would be no need for Magus and his organization to police them. I'm guessing that there are ways around the Veil that are less difficult and dangerous to those wishing to cross," drawled Malfoy.

"Correct, Draco. There are ways to slip through undetected and without the great risk that using the smaller, low power, gateways that Rasputin favoured. An alignment of the planets, a lunar eclipse and the Winter and Summer Solstices are the main ways to allow things through. The magic levels at those times spike to an all time high and mask the usual flares of energy that signify someone crossing. As you all know, the Summer Solstice was only about one month ago. I believe it was at this time that Voldemort's power began to wax more rapidly than it has ever done. This is due in part to his new master, as well as, his acquiring the Throne of Blood, an artifact of unspeakable evil and power."

"Impossible!" said Snape and Narcissa. "He would never bow to another master; his pride is too great," finished Snape.

"He serves this new lord because his power is no match for a demon's might. His name is Izair and he is the reason that I have come. He has promised Voldemort dominion over the earth as well as immortality, and he is able to give him these if he is not stopped. When the prophesied end of the universe comes and the legions of Light ride forth against the hordes of Darkness, Izair shall ride at their forefront and the Veil will break like a dam overflowing. Time alone can tell when, or even if, this will happen for prophesy is not fact. It is only what may be."

"So how does this help us in figuring out who you are?" said Ron, who by this point looked quite confused.

"I did go off on quite the tangent there, Ron. Thank you. As I was saying, I am a high elf from the plane of Hiemolliryil; for eons my people lived in relative peace, concentrating on developing things of great beauty with our magic. Then our troubles began when a coven of mages began to deal in the Dark Arts of magic and sold their souls to demons in exchange for power and glory. Though they were quickly discovered and banished, a few members were able to hide, go underground and begin to spread lies and deceit throughout the kingdom. It was then that a dragon, an ancient ally of the elves, took elven form and became a priestess of Angharradh, one of the goddesses of the elves. She began to lead the churches back to the people and away from senseless tradition, and in time regained the peoples' trust. There were those, however, that had risen to great power in the time of mistrust. One such group was the Order of the Pure Mind, a group of telepaths whose ability to read into the thoughts and intentions of others had allowed its members to become rich and drunk on the power they had come to command."

"I bet they didn't enjoy being told that their services were no longer going to be necessary," said Harry. "It would be like telling the Dementors that they no longer need to guard Azkaban and that they should leave and never come back."

"They responded in much they same way as Dementors would, they struck out at the person that they perceived to be responsible for their loss of power. Lady Aclondia, priestess of Angharradh and my mother. When knowledge of her pregnancy reached the ears of the public, the rumors flew faster than a falcon after a rabbit. There was talk of the father being the king, one of hundreds of commoners, lords, and everything else that was fertile. The truth was far different, my mother had fallen in love with Duke Talanthas, a noble, who for the most part kept out of the public eye. The truth was that, like my mother, he was not elven. A duke, yes, but no elf. My father was a Duke of the Nine Hells, an arch-devil of unsurpassed power. He had planned to seduce my mother and leave her but, by whatever strange fates control love, he fell in love with her. In time, they revealed their true natures to each other, but this did little to destroy the fire of their love."

"Looks like the telepaths found what they needed," said Malfoy. " I'm assuming that a dragon for a mother isn't such a bad thing, it is the devil for a father that people would disagree with."

"Correct, Draco. They discovered my parentage and they attacked my mother, forcing her to flee the city. She dared not use her power against them in the confined wall of the city for fear of hurting innocents. They hounded her to the farthest reaches of the realm, to the great mountains that formed the eastern border of our kingdom. There they felt the wrath of her dragon magic, but instead of seeing it as such they thought she had brought infernal sorceries to bear against them. In a final act of desperation, she implored her goddess to protect her child. Her wish was granted, Angharradh transported her to the home of the lord and lady of the mountain province. There she gave birth not only to me but my twin brother as well. Through the blessings of the Seldarine-"

"The who?" asked Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco in unison.

"The Elven Pantheon of Gods. I was given elven form so that I could grow up among those who could protect me best. My brother Kaine was given a form more fitting with our father's people and caused much worry for my mother. My mother survived only long enough to name us before her injuries and exhaustion killed her. My father finally found us by tracking his blood, the blood that flowed in our veins. When he found that he was too late to save my mother, my father revealed his true form to the couple and they agreed that Kaine would be safest with him while they would raise me. In truth, they were my grandparents by marriage. My mother's sister had married their son. As I grew older, I attended the Academy of Magic and the Academy of the Sword. As time passed, events were set into motion in which I discovered my heritage and in my horror I fled. I do not know how I did it but I managed to cross the Veil and found myself in a land where magic and my people were despised. I kept a low profile and discovered as much as I could about where I was and how to return home. Through hard work and new learning I went home but I accidentally brought a mage through with me who used his power, power for which my people had no counter to, and made war. He summoned to himself: goblins, trolls, orcs, evil dragons, as well as countless horrors from his own world. We finally managed to drive him back, and we thought he had gone for good. It was then that I first began to form what would one day be the Guardians of the Planes."

"What happened to the mage?" said Hermione. "The one that came through the Veil."

"Instead of sending him back home, as we had planned, we sent him into the Abyssal pits of a demon lord. This demon took him in and trained him, eventually transforming him into a demon. Then he took a new name, Izair. It was about this time that I married Kathryn, and later, with her help, established the Guardians in full. We promoted tolerance and watched the planar boundaries. We were surprised at first how many things make it through per day, but we soon learned how to judge the potential threats and things calmed down. As the years rolled on, we made our presence known on other Planes and we expanded our ranks to include these new areas of discovery. We kept a policy of open tolerance and allowed anyone who truly wished to help join. In time, we decided to den my son, Merlin, and his wife, Morgana, to earth. On their arrival here, they decided that it was best not to open the planar doors on earth, as it clearly wasn't ready. Instead, they helped foster magical learning and created two sites of great power, a gateway, which you call Stonehenge and a node, or box of stored magical power. Merlin served as an advisor to a king called..."

"Wait, your Merlin's father?" Hermione said in disbelief. "How, I mean he certainly was more than human, but..."

"Calm down, Hermione." Harry said. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"A king called Arthur. Izair began a war against Camelot and in time nearly won. It was then that I decided to move Arthur across the planar boundary and into a safe haven. It was done, but on the way Izair ambushed us and I was forced to engage him again. His strength had grown a hundred fold and our battle was furious and rent to ground upon which Camelot rested. After many years, four wizards found the site and built their school upon it. Now once again Izair and I will battle, but only afterwards can I tell you who the victor will be."

"Now, my darling husband, I think you have kept these young folk up long enough. It is nearly sunrise." Kathryn had come back in from the room where Elena and Alanna were still talking. "Now off to bed with all of you." With the house finally cleaned there were enough beds for everyone to spend the night. "We can answer your questions tomorrow morning."