A Storm Descends On Hogwarts

Chapter 4
From the Depths

From the Depths

From the depths you look at me.
Your dark eye taking in
Buoyed along the water you rise
to eat my bread.
Cool water slipping away
revealing you.
Intelligence, though alien,
glows from your eye.
What do you see?
What do you understand?
Old, Ancient you are.
How much have you seen?
Slowly you slide
back to the dark waters
Guardian of the Deep.

Alira Storm

The stone griffin ground to a halt at the end of its accension. Stepping through the door, Dumbledore made his way across the room. It had a row of chairs against the wall where she supposed students and other people might wait their turn to see the Headmaster. There was a fireplace on one wall framed by a pair of pictures whose occupants looked on curiously at their procession. Dumbledore opened another door and motioned them inward. From the rows of books and myriad poitraits of snoozing wizards and witches to the gleaming astrolabe and picture window on the second level to the huge polished desk it was an amazing sight.

“Come in and sit down. I’ll order some tea and we’ll talk,” he said as he walked over to his desk. “Dobby.”

There was a soft ‘pop’ and a strange looking house elf stood beside the wizard. He had a tea cozy on his head, shorts and while his shoes were ordinary trainers his socks were wildly colored and didn’t match.

“Dobby, I need you to bring me tea and biscuits for four, please.”

“Yes, Headmaster, Dobby be right back,” and he was gone again with another pop.

“Have a seat, He’ll be back momentarily,” assured Dumbledore.

Two overstuffed chairs were in place in front of the large impressive desk. Storm and Albricht sat down still taking in the private library that lined the walls, the esoteric gadgets on all the horizontal surfaces and the largest astrolabe that either of them had ever seen. Snape prowled to the large window and leaned onto the frame his arms crossed, a scowl drawing thunderclouds across his brow.

Just as Dumbledore was finding his seat at the desk a trill of pure tones rang through the air. A red blur flashed then landed on a perch beside the desk.

“Fawkes, so glad you could join us,” smiled the old wizard. Just then with a soft popping, Dobby reappeared with tea and biscuits. “Good, good. Pour out for us will you Dobby, then that will be all.”

Alira watched the strange house elf pour the tea in the four lovely cups of fine china. This is the strangest house elf I have ever seen. Not that I’ve seen that many, but that tie without a shirt is quite a bold fashion statement. She nibbled on a gingersnap between sips of the tea. Snape she noticed took his tea extra strong, no sugar and no biscuits.

“So, how does the Salem Institute compare to Hogwarts so far?” Dumbledore smiled benignly, setting his cup onto its saucer.

One corner of her mouth curled slightly at this oblique question. “I wouldn’t know. I have never so much as set foot on the grounds.”

“Then from what hedge-school did you spring?” smirked the Shadowman over his tea.

“Well,” Dumbledore paused to shoot a hard quick look Snape's direction. Snape, himself, took another swallow of tea peering at Storm with an unbroken gaze from between the black curtains of hair that framed his face. Alira’s eyes narrowed, her thinning lips fighting the urge to curl her mouth around a snarl.
Dumbledore turned back to Storm with an apologetic expression. “Pardon the gracelessness of Professor Snape's question, but what is your schooling?”

Alira offered a diamond edged smile as she cut her eyes from Snape to Dumbledore. “Private tutors,” she spoke with clear enunciation, stripping her tongue of American accent.

“Ah,” he returned, “Anyone we might know?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Douglas O'Neal was my first instructor from age twelve through sixteen. Charley Whitehorse was ....” Alira paused for none of the normal labels quite fit the relationship. Well, unsure? be ambiguous. “...in charge from ages sixteen to eighteen,” she continued. “Then I apprenticed to Gavin Albricht here until I was twenty-one.”

Gavin Albricht had remained silent, watching the dynamics between the two Englishmen and his former apprentice. His immediate appraisal of Severus Snape was that he was a Bad Man. Now a Bad Man can also be a good man particularly if they are your friend. But a Bad Man is lethal to cross and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

What fascinated Gavin most though, was Snape’s deferment, however surly, to the older wizard. True, Dumbledore is the man’s boss, but there’s more to it. The old man commands his respect on some level. The velvet exterior sheaths steel then.

“Douglas O'Neal,” Dumbledore was saying. “Would he be Irish American or from Ireland?”

“He was Catholic after a fashion and had a trace of accent. I always assumed he was from Ireland.”

“After a fashion?” Dumbledore peered over his glasses.

Storm leaned foward conspiritorialy and said stage whispered, “He had heretical leanings.” Storm laughed suddenly and said, “He did once own, that he rarely went to confession because there are almost no wizards left in the priesthood. Said it made him feel blasphemous to have to Obliviate the regular priests afterward.”

“Fascinating as that is Miss Storm,” rumbled the sarcastic baritone from the window, “how dose that pertain to your education?”

Storm turned her gaze to encompass the tall silhouette at the window. “What would you like to know?”

Releasing his empty cup and saucer to the care of the window sill, he crossed his arms and drilled his eyes into her. “Anyone can recite learning from the books. Anyone can claim that they have fought and defeated evil creatures. What real proof is there that you have?”

Storm leaned forward and set her tea on Dumbledore's desk. Snape saw her hand blur and tensed just as a large knife manifested from the windowsill a mere inch from his thigh. Storm poured another cup of tea and leaned back taking a sip. The knife vibrated a clear tone in the otherwise dead silence.

Carefully controlling his features and ignoring his hairs standing at attention, Snape looked down disdainfully at the knife. “And what does this prove. Any Muggle can learn to throw a knife.”

“Perhaps,” Storm said with a smug smile between sips. “But examine it, please.”

Snape looked to Dumbledore who was wearing an intrigued expression to Albricht who looked as though he were enjoying a secret joke. Still watching them, he reached down and gripped the knife and tugged. It didn’t budge. He looked down and took it in both hands and yanked it out with a grunt.

Holding it to the light he saw that the edge was undamaged despite having been buried in the mortar between the stones. The knife seemed to hum in his hand. It was perfectly balanced, wickedly sharp. With a start he realized there was an aliveness to it. Then he saw the intricate etchings. No not etchings, silver inlay. Inlaid spells.

He turned it over in his hands looking at it from all angles. With dawning realization he looked back to the others. “This is a were hunters blade.” Storm smiled at him an nodded. “Where did you get this? They are quite rare.”

“I made it.”

Snape just stared.

“Gavin and myself are only two in about a handful of people on this planet that still know the magics to create them.”

“You’ve hunted werewolves then,” said Dumbledore.

“From time to time. Other things as well. I worked for a while doing contract “pest” control,” Storm replied.

“A bounty hunter, I see.” His tone made it evident that he thought that was just barely above the werewolves themselves.

“No.”

Her very tone dropped the temperature in the room. “Bounty hunters do not care if their prey is justly accused or not. They only care for the money. I never killed a were that wasn’t deliberately running loose on the full moon.”

Snape had locked eyes with Storm at that moment. The moment seemed to stretch away. There was a clearing of the throat and they turned to look at Dumbledore.

“Well, I think you should see Hagrid and fill him in on what you know of American magical creatures. He can give you a tour of the grounds at the same time and by then it should be time for dinner.”

“Dobby?” he called.

“Yes Headmaster?” The house elf appeared.

“Please escort our guest to wherever Hagrid may be.”

“Yes sir. Come with Dobby, please,” he said to Storm and Albricht.

“Oh, Professor Snape,” said Alira smiling as she stood. She motioned with an upswept hand, “I believe that is mine?”

Snape was still for a moment then stepped to the desk and handed her the knife hilt first with the mock exaggeration and half bow of bestowing it as a gift. Alira spun it from his fingers into its sheath.

“At dinner then,” said Albricht and they followed Dobby out.


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Hagrid had been delighted to show them around, Since they had found him at his hut he introduced to them to Fang his boarhound. After the proper amount of affectionate slobbering and tail wriggling from Fang they followed Hagrid out to the lake. Hagrid reached inside the great pocket of his coat and handed them each a slightly squashed loaf of bread.

“Um, thanks Hagrid” Gavin said cautiously.

“I’m afraid I’m stuffed on Dumbledore's biscuits, myself,” said Alira looking up at him.

“Oh, no this isn’t for you,” he boomed jovially. “It’s for the giant squid in the lake.”

“You have a fresh water Giant Squid! I’ve never seen one.” Alira’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Well, you two jus’ throw some bread out there and you’ll see one,” Hagrid beamed. Albricht and Storm began to tear their loaves and pitch the bread on the water.

“So,” the giant rumbled, “what sort o’ magical creatures are in the States?”

“Well, let’s see... there are Unicorns of course in the remote places. There are Jarveys in the Appalachian Mountains which have caused a few wild folk tales. There are also Hoop Snakes there and in the Ozark Mountains too.”

“Hoop Snakes,” he said enraptured, “I’ve never heard of them before.”

“They are a very shy snake. If they sense you coming they grab their tail in their mouths and roll down the hill like a wheel. They are very intelligent. It is said that they are prescient also which is why even witches and wizards rarely see them. “

“Prescient?”

“They can see the future.”

“Oh yeah, I can see how tha’ make ‘em hard t’catch.” His open face transformed to expectant hope. “Are there any Dragons? I know there are the Peruvian ones in South America but wha’ about the North?”

“The American Green and Blue in the State of Idaho,” she informed him smiling at his enthusiasm for the grand beasts.

“Really! Wha’ do they look like?”

“Well, they strongly resemble a Welsh Green. There are some theories that some early wizard migrations brought the eggs with them from Wales to North America. The males are the Blues and the females are the Greens. They live separately in adjacent territories and only come together to mate.”

“When would tha’ have happened?”

“Oh every year in the spring,” Alira smiled slyly.

Hagrid looked confused a moment then said, “No, I meant when did the wizards migrate?”

“Ah, now there’s the question that keeps all the scholars pulling their beards. The latest date given consideration is 1500 BC when Stonehenge was abandoned. There is a stone astrological site built about the same time in New Hampshire. Many think that proves the migration. Others disagree. I have seen debates that nearly ended up in duels over the subject.” Storm grinned wickedly at the memory.

“Hagrid grew silent for a long moment seeming to think very hard. “Tell me,” he said at last, softly, “are there any giants left there?”

Alira looked at the mountainous man beside her and in a moment replied softly, “Canada, I believe there are still some in the Rocky Mountains there. They stay out of civilization’s way for the most part. In fact the folk tale of the giant forester, Paul Bunyan was based on a half giant. The wizards made sure later that people only remembered him as a legend and not as a real person. I even spotted one once from a distance in Montana.”

“Yeh did!” Hagrid's black eyes gleamed. “I would sure like to meet them,” he said getting a faraway look in his eyes.

A ripple disturbed the surface of the water. Something moved below disturbing the clouds gliding on the liquid sky.

“Is this what we are watching for?” asked Albricht.

A languid tentacle broke the surface followed by another and another until all the bread pieces were dragged beneath the water.

“Is that all?” said Albricht disappointed.

Just at that point the water swelled into a hill and rushed in a knee high wave over them. The hill, divested of its cloak of water glistened with a faint luminescence. A great stillness fell broken only by the rythmic lap of the water at shore. The great dark solemn eye slid over them. The air between Alira and the squid thrummed with the deep base of a drone. Then the moment passed and the whole creature subsumed to the depths again.

Alira found she had not been alone in holding her breath when the two men on either side drew air in unison with her.

“Tha’ was special,” Hagrid said in awe. “He doesn't usually rise up like tha’. He’s th’ guardian of th’ lake, you know. When th’ firs’ year students come here you see, they come across th’ lake in small boats. A couple a years ago there were a bad storm and little Dennis Creevey fell overboard an’ th’ squid fished him out and put him back in th’ boat.”

“That must be an amazing way to start school even if the squid doesn't save you,” said Albricht looking across at lake entrance to Hogwarts.

“Thinking of stealing some ideas for Lena?” Storm asked Albricht.

“Well, I don’t know that I can top a giant freshwater squid but the ritual crossing the water to the school has a lot going for it.” Gavin smiled thoughtfully.

“Wha’ do yeh mean? Steal ideas?”said Hagrid a little worried.

“Oh, nothing nefarious, Lena is Gavin's wife. She runs a small school for young witches and wizards ages five through eleven. She specializes in Muggleborn children whose powers are so intense that they have difficulty passing for normal and get in trouble in Muggle elementary schools.”

“Tha’s amazing. I bet she’s a smart woman.” said Hagrid.

“Yes, she is,” he said looking at his soaked footwear. “Well, we don’t want to be tracking this back into the castle. Evanesco.”

The water on all three of them disappeared. “Well let’s see what other marvels Hogwarts holds, shall we?” he said with a grand gesture for Hagrid to lead the way.

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