Harry Potter and the Order of Ashrien

Chapter Six

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Harry, Hermione and Ron weren't sure what to expect from Marelle on their first day in her class. Nick and Kim had flatly refused to tell any of them anything about Marelle's teaching methods despite all of their pleas. When they entered the room, they found that the desks in the classroom had been rearranged into a horseshoe pattern, giving each student's desk a clear view of the front of the room. The stone walls of the classroom had been covered with some new tapestries, depicting some rather unusual scenes. The trio sat down near the front of the classroom, and watched half-attentively as the last few students filtered into the room. Nicholas and Kimberly also entered at this time, taking their seats in the very back of the classroom, watching with amusement as the other students were pointing at the items on the desk and whispering about them. Once the last students were seated, which happened to be Malfoy and his little entourage, the trio noticed some rather odd items sitting on the teachers' desk at the front of the room. Harry turned to look more closely at the items but could only identify a few of them.

On one end of the medium sized table sat a large crossbow and a quiver of bolts. The crossbow currently on display was of exquisite design and craftsmanship, and the bolts were fashioned from some crystalline substance which diffused the sunlight which fell upon them through the room's windows, into an azure sparkle of small lights which danced across the ceiling of the chamber. Next to the crossbow sat what to Harry seemed to be a small pistol of the type some Muggles used for self defense. The other items that were sitting on the table, Harry guessed, were also weapons of some type, although he could not even guess as to their exact mode of operation. There was a small sound and creak as the door at the head of the classroom opened and Harry's attention was quickly diverted to the tall figure that entered.

Marelle was a very striking woman, and Harry suspected that more than one of the students in the school (the male students ay any rate) harbored secret and decidedly un-academic ideas about her. Harry had had to catch himself on more than one occasion after having met her earlier that summer. Marelle glided gracefully to a position just behind the head desk in front of the room and stood quietly then smiled. That one smile immediately caused a complete cessation of all conversation and miscellaneous noise in the room. At once, all eyes seemed to be locked on the tall dark haired Mage.

"Settle down class. There now, that's much better. Welcome to your seventh year NEWT Defense against the Dark Arts class," Marelle stated quietly, acknowledging the class with just the barest inclination of her head. Seeing that she had their complete attention, Marelle continued, "Today, for our first lesson, we shall begin by teaching you about some of the most effective active and passive defenses, using both magical and Muggle means. These defenses can be used to divert and protect against both magical attacks and mundane weapons such as the ones you see on the table before you."

Marelle gave the students a few moments to look at the weapons she had placed on the worktable next to her desk before speaking again. "These weapons you see on the table and ones like them could be highly dangerous to wizards and witches of all ages. To some extent even Mages must guard against them. Up until now, your teachings have mainly dealt with magical defense exclusively. And while that's all well and good, I personally feel that this would leave you at an extreme disadvantage were you to encounter difficulties in the Muggle world."

There were some nods of agreement from the assembled class and Marelle paused a second then continued. "Now, I think you can all understand the first item we have here on the table." Marelle effortlessly hefted the magnificent crossbow gently and with great respect for the potential deadliness of the weapon, and gave the students a chance to look closely at it before continuing her explanation. "This is a very special crossbow which I have included in this small collection for its magical as well as physical dangers. This particular bow was crafted for me by the guild Arms Master of Xayla, the world where I studied my craft. It has a pull of about five hundred pounds and the bolts are magically enchanted to produce variable effects as desired by the wielder when the weapon is fired. In short it is a good example of combining magical and non-magical technology in a very potent package." She then paused again and placed the crossbow back down carefully on its place on the table. She next selected the small pistol Harry had noted earlier, lifting it up so the class could get a good view of the weapon.

"This is a custom built Desert Eagle pistol. It fires a fifty caliber slug which can cause a lot of grief for whatever is in front of it. This particular one was a gift from my mother, who hand built it for me for my eighteenth birthday. It can also fire a special round called a stopper which could blow a four foot hole in an armored Muggle tank." Marelle paused again and noted a hand raised near the front of the class. Harry too noted the hand and that it belonged to Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at the school. "Yes Mr. Malfoy? You have a question?"

Draco stood, arrogantly squinting his eyes and pinching his mouth into a smirk. "Yes I do. You honestly ask us to believe that something that small, made by Muggles no less, could do that kind of damage? I mean come on, that 'round' or whatever you want to call it, that thing spits out, could hardly be bigger than the tip of your little finger. How can something that small do the damage that you are describing?"

Harry expected Marelle to explode on Malfoy and his obvious challenge to her authority. From all that he had learned, Mages were not known for their patience with reticent students. Instead, Harry noted, Marelle simply smiled sweetly and addressed Malfoy more directly.

"I can see your point on this, Mr. Malfoy. I do suspect however, that your confusion is coming more from your total lack of experience with the devices Muggles constantly invent to kill each other, and not as some would say, from your single-mindedly arrogant self assumption that you know all about every matter in the multiverse. Since some of the other wizard-born students may also share your confusion on this, I will demonstrate this particular bit of nastiness."

With that, Marelle opened the weapon somehow and inserted what looked like a small, rectangular shaped box into its handle. After a moment or two of manipulating the weapon she tucked it neatly into her belt and moved over to one of the large stone blocks they sometimes used for practice targets in the classroom. She shoved the block to the target circle painted on the floor with surprisingly little effort then walked down the aisle to the back of the room. Once there she withdrew an odd set of earmuffs from her robe and placed them on her head. She then also produced a pair of odd yellow glasses and put them on as well.

"Now class I want all students to get up and go to the back of the room to my right. No one is to go back to their desk or move between me and the block under any circumstances until I give the all clear. For those of you who have Herbology next class, put on your earmuffs and those who don't, hold your hands to your ears, stopper rounds can be awfully noisy when they are fired." She smiled again as she issued the last part of her warning and then waited as the students followed her instructions.

Once all of the students had gone to the indicated area she double checked the weapon and slid a small clip on its body then leveled it at the target. Harry noticed that Malfoy had not put on his earmuffs, nor had he covered his ears. He stood arrogantly assured of his superiority to the rest of the world as usual. Harry snorted in disgust and returned his gaze to what his instructor was doing. Marelle had sighted the target and then with a single pull on the trigger, fired. The resulting sounds startled the entire class. There was an amazingly loud and sharp noise, which Harry was sure would have awoken even the castle's more lazy ghosts. Where once had stood the eight foot tall and four foot wide slab of granite target block, there was now only an expanding cloud of fine dust and pebbles. Harry turned in his seat to see Malfoy who had gone pale white. He was now holding his hands to his ears and yelping loudly in dismay.

Marelle noticed Malfoy's discomfort and made a disgusted snort of her own. "I see Mr. Malfoy decided to ignore my warnings about the noise and taking the appropriate precautions. Oh well, perhaps he will learn that he is not infallible and he will do better next time. Mr. Crabbe, please take Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing and then return here."

Crabbe hesitated in his seat for only a moment and then quickly followed Marelle's directions, leading Malfoy out of the room and up to the Hospital wing. Marelle then returned the pistol to the table and removed her protective gear. "Now mind you, that was only a Mark three stopper round. A Mark five round would have destroyed the entire front of this room. These rounds were designed by a rather unsavory semi- official government agency of this planet for the express purpose of killing mutants and other super types, but that is another story in and of itself and for another time. However, these rounds would also be very effective against magic wielding opponents since a lot of magical defenses would simply not notice the rounds as they hit. Now, moving on down the line...."

Harry listened intently, as did the rest of the class, as Marelle went on to describe the rest of the items on the table, and then to began to teach them how to defend themselves against their effects.

"Yes," Harry said to himself; "This is certainly going to be an interesting year..."

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The first two weeks back at school had gone with abrupt haste as far as Harry and his friends were all concerned. The professors seemed to pile on the homework combined with Quidditch practice, the DA and the physical fitness/martial arts club that had just started, the students were really looking forward to the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. The trio felt as if they had learned more in the first two weeks of school this year than in the entire six preceding years, especially in the areas of magical defense and offense. In just two week's time, Marelle's classes had become the most popular in the school, with the joint classes taught by Sirius and Remus coming in a close second. Marelle had thoroughly impressed upon all of them that in order to properly defend against something, you needed to be able to do that something yourself. As a result of her feelings on the matter, Marelle had begun teaching her students what she termed 'active defense', or the art of blowing your opponent to hell, before they could do the same to you. Harry pondered this method of Marelle's a bit as he and his friends made their way down the narrow lane to Hogsmeade for the first free weekend of the year.

It was a warm, sunny early autumn day as the small group entered the Three Broomsticks. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had all been looking forward to a mug of iced butterbeer and they all had high plans for the rest of their afternoon in Hogsmeade. As they entered the pub, Harry noted that the place was rather crowded for the time of year.

"Bugger it all, we'll be lucky to get a table at this rate. Just look how crowded it is in here and it's only the second week of the term. Ron, why don't you and Ginny go find an empty table for all of us and stake it out while Hermione and I go and get us all a few mugs of butterbeer and something to nibble on. I know, for one, I'm a bit peckish." Ron nodded happily at the thought of more food and wandered off towards the rear of the pub with his younger sister Ginny. Harry and Hermione sidled up to the bar, managing to wind their way through the crowd of students quickly. As they approached the counter, Madam Rosemerta, the proprietor, watched them both with a smile, as she absentmindedly rubbed a clean mug with a washcloth.

"Mr. Potter, it's a right pleasant sight to see you this early in the year. First Hogsmeade weekend of the year, isn't it? How are your studies going so far? And what can I get for you and your friends today?"

"So far, so good, Madame Rosemerta. This year is the best ever, especially since Sirius is back. We'd like four butterbeers please, and a loaf of that delicious looking sweet-cake you have in the case there," Harry replied to her, motioning a large case full of baked goods behind the bar.

Harry quickly paid for the order and he and Hermione took it to the table which Ron and Ginny had claimed near the back of the pub. When they arrived at the table, Ron was chuckling in near-hysterics and Ginny was blushing profusely. Hermione sat down next to Ron and placed her burden on the table.

"Now what are you two up to Ronald Weasley?" she asked, with an air of seriousness in her voice, which only made Ron chuckle harder.

Ginny took advantage of her brother's current inability to talk and answered for him. "Oh, it's nothing Hermione, Ron was just being his usual annoying self and it just so happened to be funny this time." This answer seemed to satisfy Hermione, knowing how Ron had a tendency to insert his own foot into his mouth and she desisted from further questions on this subject.

Harry had set down his armload by this point and pushed one of the butterbeer mugs over in front of Ginny. Sitting down beside her, Harry then used a small knife to cut the sweet-cake loaf, passing slices to Ron, Ginny and Hermione. As he handed the last slice to Hermione, he noticed Nick and Kim enter the bar together and take seats at the counter.

"So what do you think of DADA so far this year?" Harry asked as he took a bite of his sweet cake loaf.

Ron had finally recovered enough to speak and answered first, "It's bloody brilliant, isn't it now? I mean, for the first time in class we're actually learning something useful, really useful. I'm sure that my Dad would love to be back in school just for her class alone. Look at what we've learned about all those Muggle weapons and stuff. I never knew that Muggles could be that inventive yet destructive at the same time. And did you see how Professor Marelle can cast those spells of hers without so much as a word, and not even a wand. It's absolutely brilliant."

Hermione looked at Ron and gave a sigh as she added, "She does make it look very easy, doesn't she? I am not sure learning about all the Muggle weapons is a good thing, though. Don't any of you wonder just how long she has been practicing her craft, or how old she is? And another thing, I strongly suspect that Nicholas and Kim are playing their powers down more than just a bit in classes for the benefit of student morale. I mean, if they really didn't hold back in class, I expect they would make us all look like a bunch of infants."

Ginny had conquered her blush and was disposed to chime in as well, "I think that learning about Muggle weapons and how to use them is great. Hermione, surely even you realize that Voldemort's minions might try to use anything in this war, including Muggle weapons. And I suppose what you've said about her is true enough, but I don't really care. I really like Nicholas; he's been very helpful whenever I've been stuck on something. He's got a way of making things really clear and he's funny too. And Kim is really a lot of fun once you get her going."

Hermione looked oddly at Ginny for a moment before replying, "Yes, Nicholas is a very nice boy, but Kim just gives rubs me the wrong way. I always feel like she's trying to outdo everybody when she's around, and I haven't seen her smile once, in class or out. She doesn't even wear proper school robes either. There's something really very odd about that girl, plus the fact that she and Nick are married. Why Professor Dumbledore allowed that, I don't know. While I'm not sure of all the details yet, but the way Kim can toss around kids twice her weight so easily, like she did to Crabbe in that new hand to hand defense class that just started, well, I think she may be more than just a Mage."

By this point, Harry had heard quite enough from Hermione. While she was one of his oldest and dearest friends, Kim had been nothing but friendly and courteous to him. Kim had come to rescue him from the Dursleys' and that had earned her a few notches in his book and Kim accepted him for who he was, not the Boy Who Lived. Kim, Harry admitted to himself, while always very polite and friendly, did seem to be very cool around Hermione. That was when Harry realized the real reason for Hermione's dislike: she was jealous of Kim.

Harry looked over to Hermione and spoke. "Hermione, it's none of our business what she is or isn't. Kim and Nick are wearing their Mage robes, which was cleared by Professor Dumbledore before the start of term, so I fail to see why you are having such a problem with it. And so what if she and Nick are married. She's always got a smile for him and any of the first and second year students, or anyone who really needs her help. After all, she did help me get away from the Dursleys for good and helped me to reunite with Sirius. You've been nothing but hostile towards her, when all she wanted was to be your friend. And I really think that the only reason you dislike her so much is that you are jealous of her and her abilities. You wish you could be more like her."

Hermione turned in her seat and looked at Harry as if he had hit her with an Imperious curse. Shaking her head furiously at him, she shot up out of her chair and screamed at him at the top of her lungs, completely oblivious to anyone else in the bar, who were now staring at them.

"Harry Potter! I am NOTHING like that girl! How can you think that? How dare you compare the two of us!" She balled as she fled from the Three Broomsticks, leaving three very confused people in her wake and a few of the bar's patrons rubbing their ears.

Ron looked after her as she left and turned to Harry. "Gobs Harry, you sure don't do anything by half measures? Do you?"

Harry looked at the spot that Hermione had just vacated, and then back over at Ron.

"Maybe so, but she has no reason to act like that either. You've seen how she's treated Kim since they've met. Cripes, Ron. Hermione got what she wanted since first year; she's Head Girl, isn't she?"

Ron looked thoughtful for a moment before replying "Harry, you are right you know. However, I think we'd better go after her. In her state, she's liable to do something really stupid. And with the way things are now..."

Harry and Ginny nodded their heads in agreement with Ron's unfinished statement. Quickly finishing their drinks and snacks, Harry, Ron and Ginny left the Three Broomsticks, failing to notice in their haste that Nick and Kim had left as well.

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Hermione stormed in a huff out of the Three Broomsticks and bolted down the narrow lane. She wasn't even sure why she was fleeing the pub at this point or why she was so upset. All she knew was that she did not want to be anywhere near a certain dark haired, spectacled wizard at that moment. Hermione was so upset and completely unaware of her surroundings, she ran down the lane and turned left onto one of the smaller side alleys which ran next to Honeydukes Sweets Shop. She kept on going, until she was suddenly aware that the alley's pavement had come up to meet her face, and that her back now stung profusely. She rolled over to a sitting position painfully slowly and saw three men in black robes standing near the back entrance to Honeydukes. Each of the figures wore a hooded black cloak and white mask and was holding a wand leveled on her. "Oh no!!!" she cried. She knew what the masks and cloaks the figures were wearing signified, Death Eaters. There were Death Eaters were in Hogsmeade. The lead wizard stepped forward a few feet and spoke, keeping his wand trained on her at all times.

"Ah, Ms Granger I do believe. It has been a rather long wait for us to get one of Mr. Potter's friends alone. I'm so glad our patience has been rewarded. Now, I don't think this will take that long, and then we will let you return to your friends."

Hermione realized with horror what the Death-Eaters had in mind as the leader began to utter the first words of the Imperious curse. She knew that when she returned to her friends, she would no longer be acting of her own free will, but would be nothing more than a tool for the Death Eaters and their master Voldemort. She frantically tried to think of a counter spell but she knew that she had none. As this realization came to her, something else came to the leader of the Death-Eaters.

Hermione watched in amazement as the Death Eater nearest to her was hit with a bolt of bright blue energy. As the energy rapidly engulfed him, he began to disintegrate, and as suddenly as he was hit, the Death Eater was gone. The other two Death-Eaters turned to the side in confusion and Hermione could then see a familiar blonde head emerge from the side alley.

Nicholas had felt the presence of the Death-Eaters as soon as they entered Hogsmeade and could tell why they were here. He split up with his wife Kimberly and arrived on the scene just in time to save Hermione Granger from a very bad spell, literally. He had thought that Death Eaters would have posed somewhat more of a challenge but a simple disintegration spell had ended the first one very promptly indeed.

Hermione saw Nicholas emerge from the alley and couldn't help but wonder where his shadow was. She didn't think he had seen Nicholas separated from Kimberly for more than thirty seconds since the beginning of school. She watched in stunned shock as Nicholas came at the other two Death-Eaters. They had retargeted their wands on Nicholas now, but Nicholas didn't seem to be showing any obvious concern as he reached behind his right shoulder with his left arm and drew forth perhaps the most exquisite sword that Hermione had ever seen. The Death-Eaters seemed to be taken aback by this and backed up to a small wooden gate on the other side of the alley, never taking their eyes from Nicholas as he approached them. Had they bothered to look behind them however, the Death Eaters would have seen the gate open silently and a very slim figure in robes walk up directly behind them.

Nicholas saw Kim as she emerged from the gate. He gave her a half nod, which she returned and tapped his index finger once on his sword's hilt as a signal. Kim nodded again and Nicholas rushed the left hand Death Eater.

Hermione could only watch helplessly as Nicholas came at the Death Eaters, his sword in hand. One of them was quickly impaled by his sword without having time for even the most basic of defensive spells. The third Death Eater made the fatal mistake of stepping backwards, directly into the waiting arms of Kimberly. One second, there was a sputtering Death-Eater trying to avoid the same fate as his cohort at the tip of Nicholas' sword, the next instant; he had been bent in half backwards by Kimberly, seemingly with no more effort on her part than one would expect to be used to turn on a water faucet. The Death-Eater's scream went silent after a loud and distinctive cracking noise, as his spine was instantly severed. Hermione had never seen anything like it. Kimberly then dropped the Death-Eater to the ground, dusting her hands off as she walked over to Nicholas.

"You alright, love?" she said with a half smile to Nicholas.

"Certainly dear, it takes more than the likes of this scum to even worry me."

Hermione watched as Kim bent over to inspect her handiwork. The Death Eater was sprawled out on the ground in a grotesque position, his mask removed and his face was contorted in a silent scream of agony.

"I snapped this one just right. This one's still alive, for now anyway. Hopefully Mum should be able to get something out of him with a mind probe. Nick, I'm going to check on Hermione, she took a rather nasty shot to the back."

Hermione tried to crawl away backwards as Kim approached her. All Hermione could think was that she had to get away from those hands...

"Calm down Hermione, I'm just going to make sure you're not seriously wounded. It looks like you took a good zap in the back. Your robes appear to have a scorch mark on them where the spell impacted."

Hermione was petrified to have Kim anywhere near her and she started to hastily crawl away from the alley and...those hands. She had not gone more than five, maybe ten feet away when several distinct 'pops' were heard. Hermione looked up to see that several Ministry Aurors who also happened to be Order of the Phoenix members had arrived along with the two Hogwarts Professors chaperoning the first trip of the year to Hogsmeade. A relieved sigh escaped from her lips as she struggled to her feet and desperately latched onto Professor McGonagall.

"What happened here?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked looking between Hermione, Nick and Kim.

Nick strode up to the tall Auror and replied simply, as he casually cleaned the blood off of his sword before resheathing it. "Ms. Granger was walking down this alley when three Death Eaters cornered her and attempted to put her under the Imperious Curse. Kim and I happened to be close by and heard the commotion, so we came over and disposed of two of them. The third Death Eater is still alive, sort of."

"What do you mean by sort of?" Kingsley asked

"It's quite simple really, Auror Shacklebolt. I simply bent him in half backwards, breaking his spine and severing his spinal cord at the mid thoracic line." Kim replied calmly, noting the stares she was getting from the Hogwarts Professors.

"Ms. Locksley, are you saying you picked him up and folded him in half, backwards?" Mad-Eye Moody asked as he walked up to her, staring at her in the face with his rolling eye.

"Yes. I'd do it again if I had to," Kim replied, returning his stare without blinking, not intimidated in the least by the old Auror's actions. "I would not take the chance of that one killing again. He's done it many times before and would have continued to do so again."

Professor McGonagall, who had remained silent during the Auror's questioning finally spoke up.

"This is a very serious matter now, Nicholas, Kimberly. The Death Eaters should have been detained and taken to the Ministry for questioning. I shall have to speak to the headmaster on this matter."

The sound of pounding footsteps approaching the alleyway caused Nick and Kim to take up defensive positions around the Aurors and professors. The two Mages relaxed when they recognized Harry, Ron and Ginny who had skidded to a stop just inside the alleyway's entrance.

Ron immediately went over to Hermione who was still shaking as she clung to Professor McGonagall. Upon seeing Ron, Hermione let go of the professor and clung to her boyfriend like a lifeline. Ron immediately enveloped her in his arms and tried to calm his girlfriend down, and looked over to Harry and his sister for help.

Nick turned back to face Professor McGonagall and Auror Shacklebolt before continuing

"I don't see why you need to consult him about this, Professor McGonagall. The Death Eaters are taken care of and will not hurt anyone again. I am surprised that Mum didn't come down, but I'm sure that she'll show up shortly."

While Nick continued to argue his position with Professor McGonagall, Auror Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody, Kim walked over to where Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry stood, still surveying the scene with unbelieving eyes. As she reached the group, Kim saw Hermione start to fidget in Ron's arms and she asked softly and in a calm voice, "Are you all-right, Hermione? Is your back bothering you? If it is, I can take care of it for you."

Hermione looked at Kim, her eyes wide and frightened. She could not get the image of Kim breaking the Death Eater in half out of her mind and did not want Kim anywhere near her. Hermione's fear and loathing of Kim was evident in her voice as she replied venomously, "Stay away from me. I don't want any help from you."

Kim looked a bit bewildered for a moment before composing herself, taking a step closer and replying calmly, "I'm only trying to help you, Hermione. I'll bet your back is starting to sting a bit from where the spell impacted. Please let me take a look and heal it for you. "

That step Kim took to get closer only seemed to intensify Hermione's fear of Kim and she burrowed deeper into Ron's arms, while keeping her eyes on the young Mage.

Kim looked between Hermione, Ron and Harry before speaking one last time

"Hermione, please. I'm not going to harm you."

Hermione just became more frightened as Kim stopped right in front of her. All Hermione could see is what those hands had done to the Death Eater and now she was being asked to let those same hands touch her, to heal her. A cold rage quickly filled the young witch as her brain suddenly put two and two together. Summoning up her last bit of courage, Hermione drew her right hand back and looked Kim in the eyes. As she spoke, Hermione's voice was heavily laced with venom as her hand flew forward and struck Kim on the left side of her face.

"Keep your hands off me, you mutant freak."

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Marelle was sitting in her office, quietly grading parchments when she felt the first stirrings of trouble coming from Hogsmeade. She knew that the students should be quite fine, with the chaperones, Aurors and Nick and Kim in the village. Even at this distance, Marelle felt the brief burst of adrenaline from both her son and daughter in law as they eliminated two Death Eaters, while leaving the third one for interrogation.

She had already gathered a few items and was about to teleport to the scene when she flinched suddenly, almost as if she had just been slapped in the face hard.

"Oh, bloody hell," Marelle said aloud as she instantly disappeared from the room.

When she appeared at the site, less than a second later, Marelle immediately noticed several things going on at once. A crowd of students and residents of Hogsmeade had gathered near the entrance to the alley, watching the exchange between Nick, Kim and Hermione with great interest: secondly, the Death Eater she had come to interrogate was being guarded by Mad-Eye Moody: and last but not least, Nicholas was holding Kim close to him and had a venomous glare fixed on Hermione.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Marelle said, her voice loud and harsh. "Nicholas, answer me!"

Nick wrenched his gaze from Hermione over to where his Mum had just appeared. Relief flooded through him as he continued to comfort Kimberly, who was clinging tightly to him. Forcing a couple of deep breaths to calm himself further, Nick turned and faced Marelle, while watching Hermione carefully.

"Ms. Granger was cornered by three Death Eaters here in the alley. Both Kim and I sensed them when they arrived in Hogsmeade and slipped out of the Three Broomsticks to try and head them off, but we didn't catch up to them until they had already cornered Ms. Granger."

"Continue Nicholas," Marelle said, taking note of Nick's address of Hermione and the blatant hostility in his voice.

"The Death Eaters had already hit Ms. Granger with a type of stunning spell which had knocked her to the ground, presumably to put her under some kind of mental control. We arrived on scene just after this and disposed of two of the Death Eaters, while leaving one on the ground over there for your interrogation. Ms. Granger appeared to be in an early state of shock from the incident, so Kim attempted to help her. Ms. Granger refused Kim's assistance and told her in no uncertain terms, to stay away from her."

"And?" Marelle inquired, looking between Hermione, Nicholas and Kim.

"Kim tried two more times to help her, only to be adamantly refused on both attempts. When Kim made one last attempt to help her, Ms. Granger became completely irrational and slapped Kim across the face, hard."

Marelle walked up to Nicholas, knowing that he had not quite told the whole story. She could tell that Kim was hurting, but had not been harmed physically in the brief fracas. Lowering her voice so that only Nick could hear, she asked her son, "What is it Nicholas? What haven't you told me?"

Nick tightened his hold on Kim, tucking her head down to rest on his shoulders before replying in a quiet voice, his eyes locked on Marelle's.

"Ms. Granger figured it out, Mum. She called Kim a mutant freak."

Marelle closed her eyes for a moment in an effort to quell her own rising fury. She loved Kim fiercely and knew that Kim was still extremely sensitive to those kinds of remarks. Marelle was about to speak when she was interrupted by Auror Shacklebolt.

"I suggest that we take this elsewhere. There are too many ears around this alleyway, listening right now. "

Marelle looked up at the tall Auror and replied, "Very well, then. Let's go."

With a snap of her fingers, Marelle, Nick, Hermione, Kim and everyone else who had been in the alley just disappeared from sight in a soft flash of light.

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The first thing Marelle did upon reappearing in her office at Hogwarts was to put a bit of distance between Nick, Kim and Hermione. The situation was already volatile enough and she wanted to do everything possible to lessen the tension that was present in the room. Once she had both couples settled on couches situated at opposite sides of her office, she turned and addressed the Aurors and the two professors.

"I am sorry to be so abrupt in our transport here, but there was a crowd beginning to gather there and these are matters best discussed in private."

"I agree completely, Marelle. However, I think it wise that I should return to Hogsmeade to supervise the remaining students before they get into any more trouble," Severus replied, seemingly unplussed about the events in the alley.

"Very well Severus, I will inform you about the outcome of this later, then." With a slight wave of her hand, Severus disappeared from Hogwarts as Marelle turned to the remaining adults. "We've got ourselves a bit of a mess here, don't we?"

"We certainly do, Marelle," Professor McGonagall replied, looking nervously between both couples. "Headmaster Dumbledore must be informed about Nick and Kim's actions and appropriate measures taken."

"No, Minerva. I do not see the need for anything to be done. They were following their code of conduct and I have made the appropriate allowances for it," Dumbledore replied as he swept into the room, his robes swirling out from behind him gracefully. "I am curious, however, to discover the cause of the animosity between Ms. Granger and Ms. Locksley. Can someone please explain it to me?"

Hermione looked up from her place on the sofa; her voice still laced with venom and directed it towards the Headmaster.

"Simply put Headmaster, you let them, into the school. They are dangerous and..."

Hermione was cut off from finishing her reply to Dumbledore by Nicholas, who had risen to his feet and crossed the room to stare at her face to face after getting Kimberly settled down by the arm of the sofa.

"You know absolutely nothing, Granger. Had you bothered to really get to know us, you might learn something..."

Nick's voice trailed off as he looked closely at Hermione. Narrowing his eyes, Nick looked her up and down, his gaze finally settling on the necklace she was wearing. Nick looked over at Marelle, motioning her closer as he said, "She's been tainted, Mum. I can see it all around her; it's slowly poisoning her mind. Those bloody Ashrin have tainted her."

Marelle looked at her son with a hint of pride, and stepped up to the young witch. Lifting her hand slightly, Marelle closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, quickly coming to the same conclusion that Nicholas had arrived at. Before Hermione or Ron could move, Marelle had deftly snatched the necklace from around Hermione's neck and deposited it on her desk. Marelle waved a hand over Hermione and she quickly fell into a deep sleep on the sofa.

"What did you do to Hermione, Professor? And you just stole Hermione's necklace, too. What has she ever done to you?" Ron asked, finally speaking since being brought back to the school from Hogsmeade.

Marelle turned and looked at the young wizard carefully before replying. She knew that Ron was concerned for Hermione and was quite clueless about what had just happened in the alleyway.

"Simply put, Mr. Weasley, I put her into a healing sleep, so she can shake off the effects of the necklace she had on. Hermione was wearing a necklace that had a rather powerful, yet subtle antipathy spell placed on it, which has been tainting her thoughts as of lately."

"Why her, then? Why not someone else?" Ron continued confusion evident in his voice.

"Because she is close to Harry. The effects of the necklace on her would have continued to increase, had I not removed it. She should be fully recovered from the physical effects by tomorrow morning."

"But Mum, in order for the spell to have the effect it's had on her, she would have had to believe it to a point, wouldn't she?" Nick replied, looking up at Marelle.

Marelle paused for a moment, and looked around the room at everyone, studying the expressions on their faces before continuing in a soft voice.

"Unfortunately Nicholas, you are correct in this matter. It appears that Ms. Granger has some rather strong views on some matters, doesn't it?" Marelle stated quietly, looking around the room once more. "I believe that it would be best if the kids were to retire to their rooms for the evening and I will finish the discussions here. Is that allright with everyone?"

A murmur of agreement filtered throughout the room as the students stood up to leave, with Ron carrying Hermione and Nicholas supporting Kim. Harry followed behind the four of them as sort of an unofficial rear guard as they left the room and headed back up to Gryffindor Tower.

Once assured that the students were indeed headed back to the tower, Marelle turned to the remaining occupants of the room, including the Death Eater fixed them with a deadly cold glare and said in a quiet, yet powerful voice, "Now, we finish this..."

*******************************

Hermione awoke to a pounding headache as she sat up slowly in her bed in Gryffindor Tower. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the room and found most of the occupants of the seventh year girls' dormitory gone, except for one bed which currently had two occupants. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light coming in from the windows before she could identify the occupants of that bed, Kimberly and Nicholas. Both of them were fully clothed, but seemed to be sleeping as if they were spooned together. Hermione could clearly make out the tracks of dried tears on Kim's face as she tossed and turned fitfully on the bed. Nicholas, although sound asleep, seemed to notice this as well and took the opportunity to draw Kim closer to him, wrapping an arm around her midsection. She watched as Kim slowly settled down in Nick's arms, falling back into a restful sleep.

As she watched the couple sleep, images of the past couple of weeks flashed across her mind. She saw pleasant images of herself laughing and talking with her friends and she saw darker images as well. Images of her brushing off Kim's attempts at friendship with her, images of her treating Kim with contempt and hostility. And, just as Hermione thought the worst of the images was over, she remembered the incident from yesterday afternoon, where she had actually slapped Kimberly and said some horrible thing to her. Hermione shook her head to clear her mind of these images only to find two sets of eyes staring back at her.

"Remembering a few things?" Nicholas asked softly, his voice showing no sign of hostility of the previous evening. "How's the headache?"

Hermione didn't quite know how to reply to Nicholas, and simply nodded her head.

"It will get better over the next couple of days. That was quite a little spell on that necklace you were wearing. Antipathy spells are a bitch to detect unless you know what you are looking for. Whoever cast that spell really knew what they were doing and who it was intended for," Nicholas continued, his voice reaching a more normal level.

Hermione was puzzled by what Nicholas had said and looked at him in a questioning manner before asking,

"What is an antipathy spell? And why cast it on me?"

"Quite simply, an antipathy spell is intended to spread discontent and mistrust. If it is cast directly on a person, that person begins to believe that everyone is against them and out to hurt them. If it is cast on an item, whoever wears the item will experience similar effects, depending on the strength of the spell."

"So what you are saying is that someone wanted to split up Ron, Harry and myself?" Hermione asked.

"To an extent. I tend to believe that it was intended to cause distrust of us as well."

"Oh, I didn't realize that," Hermione replied, pausing a moment before continuing hesitantly "Umm...about yesterday..."

"I'm used to it, or I should be by now," Kim replied in a soft voice. "I just didn't expect it to hurt like that..."

Immediately, Hermione felt guilty about her behavior towards Kim the past few weeks. She had no idea what she could say to make up for what she had done to Kim and by extension, Nicholas.

"I...I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say, except I'm sorry."

Nick watched as Kim struggled with Hermione's apology. He knew that on an intellectual level, Kim understood that Hermione had been under an Ashrin's influence, but on an emotional level, Nicholas knew that Hermione's actions, both verbal and physical had really hurt her deeply. With great pride and love for his wife, Nick watched Kim take a deep breath and look directly at Hermione.

"I understand up here," Kim replied, tapping her head "But here," Kim continued, tapping her heart, "it really hurt more than you could imagine."

Hermione looked down at her bed in shame, but immediately looked up when she felt an extra weight land on her bed. Kim had moved from her bed to sit on Hermione's. Taking the young witch's hands in her own, Kim replied, "I think an explanation is in order. Not just an explanation for you, but for Harry, Ron, Ginny and anyone else that you can trust completely. Because I will only tell this tale once to all of you, so you will understand."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and replied, "When would you like to..."

Kim took a deep breath and replied in a soft, far-away voice, "After dinner tonight. There is a lot to tell and a few things I need to do first."

*******************************

Dinner in the Great Hall that evening had been a rather strained affair for everyone. It took a great deal of effort on Kim's part to not acknowledge the things that the students at the other tables were saying to each other about her. Everyone had heard about the fight between Kim and Hermione in Hogsmeade by this time, although no one knew the exact details. By the time Kim reached the Room of Requirement, she was in a rather foul mood; the whispers had gotten worse as she had left the Great Hall. Pausing just outside the door, Kim took a moment to collect herself before entering. When she opened the door, Kim found about six people inside waiting for her, besides Harry, Ron, Hermione and Nicholas. Receiving an encouraging smile from Harry, Kim stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Is this everyone?" Kim asked, her voice not betraying her nervousness at seeing everyone looking at her expectantly.

"Yes. Everyone here helped to found the D.A. and they can be completely trusted," Ron replied.

Kim looked at Nick briefly before settling down in one of the comfortable armchairs that partially faced the assembled group. Looking at Hermione, Kim said, "I really should hate you Hermione, but I can't. Part of me really wants to, and another part of me knows that it's not your fault."

"What do you mean, not her fault?" Ginny asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Hermione was under the influence of a very powerful spell that had been placed on a necklace she had purchased. Voldemort's new ally is rather fond of doing things like that. It tends to soften up the people around the intended target and creates all kinds of distrust and such," Nicholas replied.

Harry, who had remained surprisingly quiet since the incident yesterday looked over at Kim and asked, "When you came to get me out of the Dursleys', my aunt said something to you. She said that you are 'an inhuman freak. Like those abominations we keep hearing about on the telly from the states.' What did she mean, Kim?"

"Yes, Harry. I am one of those 'freaks' as your aunt put it so nicely and I am a Mage as well. I am damned proud to be both of them. If I wasn't a mutant, I would most likely be dead by now. Killed by those creatures the LA social services placed me with as a baby."

Kim paused for a moment to let her words sink in, noting the curious expressions on most of the students' faces and the knowing looks on the four Muggle-born students' faces.

"What is a mutant?" Ginny asked

"Kim, dear. I'll handle this part," Nicholas replied, seeing his wife's discomfort and knowing that it was only going to get worse. "A mutant is person who has abilities far and beyond what any normal people, or Muggles as you know them, would. The mutation can vary widely from person to person."

"What can these mutants do?" Neville asked, his voice somewhat hesitant, yet curious.

"The abilities can vary widely from mutant to mutant. Some may have only one or two small abilities while a few select others can possess a great many abilities. These abilities can range from slightly enhanced senses, intelligence up to the ability to project various forms of energy or even fly," Nicholas replied.

The young wizards and witches looked at each other in surprise at Nick's reply. To be able to fly without a broom must be absolutely incredible.

"What...what can you do, Kim?"

For the first time in several days, a genuine smile crossed Kim's features. Slowly rearranging her limbs into a more comfortable position in the chair, she looked at everyone carefully before replying.

"I have quite a few of them actually. Nick and I are what you could call multi-powered. We both have a wide variety of abilities, not counting our magical ones."

"What do you use these abilities for?" Neville asked, his curiosity overcoming his initial fear.

"We do a lot of search and rescue work, stopping criminals where and when we can and other things like that," Nick replied, "And yes, before you ask, we are often involved in fighting other mutants who've turned bad. It can be quite dangerous and we've received our fair share of injuries as well."

Ron looked extremely uncomfortable in his seat as he waited his turn to ask a question. Kim noticed Ron's nervousness and turned to him, asking "What do you want to ask Ron? Whatever it is, you look awful uncomfortable about asking it."

"I guess I'll just ask my question and get it over with. Have either of you ever...well...em..."

Nick and Kim traded knowing glances and Kim turned to Ron. "You mean have we ever killed someone in a fight?"

Ron nodded his head, clearly relieved at Kim's help.

"To put it simply, the answer to your question is yes. Nick and I have both killed before, in defense of ourselves and others that we care about. And it's more than likely we'll do it again, especially since we're here to help all of you."

Everyone in the room just stared at the two young Mages, stunned at their simple admission. Ginny, Ron, Neville and Hermione looked outraged, while Harry looked at the two of them with calm acceptance in his eyes.

"Sound pretty callous of us, doesn't it? It's not really, considering who we've eliminated and why," Kim said, taking a deep breath, knowing what was coming next. A far-off look crossed Kim's features as she continued. "I made my first kills when I was five. I didn't know that I was a mutant at the time, but no one in the area where I lived would mess with me. That includes all of the hard-core gang members and other elements which infested my area. My foster parents were two sadistic, drunken abusers who only took me in for the money they got from the county. I know it sounds quite a bit like your life growing up, doesn't it Harry?"

Harry nodded as a few brief memories of his childhood flashed across his mind. Kim paused a moment before continuing.

"In the states, the government hates the mutant population. They will do anything they can to 'eliminate' the problem. Often mutants will 'disappear', arrested on some trumped up charges and never be seen again. The government has absolutely no qualms about experimentation on mutants, up to and including live dissection, just to see what makes us 'tick', so they can find better ways to kill us. One of their favorite targets is mutant children because most of them have not yet come into their abilities."

Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Ron all looked mortified, while Harry just sat there in complete silence.

"How would you know all of this, Kim?" Luna asked, her usual dreamy state having quickly disappeared.

"Because my foster parents suspected that I was a mutant, probably since I was two or three I suppose. And one day they sold me out to a government research facility for a few thousand dollars. That's where I got these." Kim replied as she quickly shed her robes and outer garments, leaving on just her sports bra and shorts. Nick closed his eyes briefly, and then sent Kim a look filled with love and courage. He knew quite well how difficult it was for Kim to talk about that short period of time to him, showing the scars from that time, let alone talking about and showing the evidence to relative strangers. Nick didn't miss the gasps of horror and outrage coming from everyone here as she sat there, still talking about that dark period of her life.

"I spent just a few months as a captive there, being poked, prodded, cut on, injected, etc. You name it, they tried it. I think they actually caused my primary breakthrough while I was there, although I doubt they realized it. I had a headache for nearly three weeks straight and I was so hungry, I would have eaten just about anything and I mean anything. One day, the actual date is still kind of blurry to me, I found out that my 'loving' foster parents had sold me out for money. I had overheard two of the 'suits' talking about me. I guess I was so mad, I just lost it you know. Completely blew my stack and went nuts. I really don't remember very much about my actual escape, but when I finally came out of it, I was curled up on a bench in the park two streets over from where I lived. Despite the ravenous hunger I still had, I could only think of getting home, so I could 'talk' to the two who had sold me out."

Kim paused for a moment as she was caught up in the memories of that time once more.

"When I finally got there, they were both drunk, watching television on a brand new TV, toasting to how they were defrauding the foster care system. I was so mad when I heard them; I kicked in the door, shattering it into sawdust. That got their attention real quick. My foster 'father' started yelling and tried to hit me with the baseball bat. Just as he was about to connect with my head, I caught the bat in one hand and punched him with the other. I hit him so hard, that my hand went right through his chest and came out the back. When I pulled my hand out, most of his spinal column came out as well and he dropped to the floor, dead. Then my wonderful foster 'mother' ran out from the kitchen, screaming at the top of her lungs, pointing a gun at me. She saw what I had done to her husband, completely flipped out and fired the gun at me. The bulled just bounced off of my arm and fell to the floor. I was still somewhat 'out of it' shall we say, and as she ran at me, brandishing the gun, I hauled off with the baseball bat and hit her in the stomach. I ended up hitting her so hard that she was torn into two pieces, bleeding out and dying in less than five seconds from the hit."

Kim looked up and saw the looks of revulsion plainly evident on most of the faces of the room's occupants. The only one who seemed not horrified by her story was Harry and he was looking at Kim with simple compassion. Kim nodded to Harry and continued.

"I don't regret what happened to them or the people in the facility and you won't be able to change my mind about it, so don't even try. They all deserved what they got and I would do it again if I was ever in a similar situation, but that will never happen. It's a very, very cold and cruel world out there right now, for the Muggles, witches, wizards, Mages and mutants. Before you ask, yes I will do what ever is necessary to rid your world of the Ashrin and Voldemort, including killing whomever necessary. This war will get a lot darker before it gets better and all of you will have to face that decision of whether or not to kill. I know that Nick and I have given all of you a great deal to think about and I can only hope that you'll respect our confidence and not repeat any of what you've heard here tonight."

Everyone nodded and stood up from their various chairs and couches to leave. Quickly putting on the clothes that she had shed earlier, Kim was stopped at the door by Hermione.

"I...I am sorry. It was like I couldn't help myself."

"I know Hermione. And I do understand why, I just hope you can understand why what you said hurt so much now."

Hermione nodded her head vigorously and looked back at Kim, a question in her eyes.

"I'd like the chance to really get to know you better too Hermione. Please just give me a couple of days, first. We might even be able to figure out a way to get Ron to notice you a little more."

Hermione smiled and gave Kim a quick hug before running out of the room. Kim paused a moment at the door, feeling Nick's arms wrap securely around her. She leaned back into his embrace, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I couldn't be prouder of you, love. Shall we?"

Nick reluctantly broke the embrace and led Kim out of the room and back up to Gryffindor Tower.

*******************************

The next several weeks seemed to fly by for the students of Hogwarts. Before the students knew it, September had passed by and it was now early October, with the first Quidditch match of the season coming up shortly. That match happened to be the infamous Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, which happened to fall on the Friday of the Halloween Hogsmeade weekend. In the last couple of weeks leading up to the match, the rivalry between the two houses greatly intensified, with pranks and mysterious 'attacks' happening on nearly a daily basis.

The last straw for the professors, Professor Snape included, happened the week before the match. It was when a first year Gryffindor was hurt in a rockslide near the lake. The professors, including Snape and Black, were trying desperately to lift the boulder off of the young girl who was screaming in pain. The levitation spells they were trying to use weren't working for some odd reason. By this time, a large group of students had gathered, watching the events and talking amongst themselves from the far edge of the lake. The strain on the professors' faces was near the breaking point when Harry, Ron, Kim and Nick showed up, having heard the commotion from the Quidditch pitch. Nick immediately went to the girl's side while Kim stepped up to the boulder, gently brushing aside the professors.

"Excuse me, professors. Step out of the way, I'll deal with this," Kim said in a no-nonsense voice, as she quickly donned a pair of leather gloves.

Professor McGonagall looked at the young girl and replied, exhaustion evident in her voice. "We haven't been able to raise it, what makes you think you can?"

Kim sent McGonagall a look that could freeze a fireball as she replied, "I'm not going to use magic, so STEP ASIDE NOW, or this girl will die."

McGonagall stepped back in a huff, much of it brought on by the efforts of trying to free one of her students, while Professors Snape, Sinistra, Black, Lupin and Flitwick stared at Kim. Ignoring the stares of the professors, Kim stepped up to the boulder, shrugging her shoulders as she placed her hands on it.

"Nicky, pull her out quickly, once I get this thing off her legs. She's going to need Mum's help."

"I know love. Hurry, her signs are weakening fast. She's got multiple broken bones and a lot of internal damage from what I can sense."

"I know. On the count of three. One...Two...Three..."

The professors and students watched in utter shock as Kim lifted the enormous boulder off of the young girl. Nicky quickly pulled her out from underneath and began treating her injuries.

"Umm, Professor McGonagall. Where do you want this?" Kim asked, still holding the boulder aloft.

"I don't want to see that boulder again..."

"Okay, if you say so..." Kim replied, tossing it in the air. As it came back down, Kim cocked her arm back and punched the boulder, shattering it into small pebbles which fell harmlessly into the lake. When Kim turned back to face the professors, she found that McGonagall had passed out and Snape was currently holding her up.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?"

Kim turned around and saw that Marelle had arrived and she was indeed furious.

"I don't know exactly Mum. When we got here, Nick and I found the little one trapped underneath a large boulder, screaming. The professors were trying to levitate the boulder, but were unable to. I picked it up; Nick pulled the little one out and stared treating her. Then you showed up."

"Hmm. How bad is she, Nick?" Marelle asked, looking down at her son.

"It's bad, Mum. I've got her stabilized for now, but she'll need surgical intervention in addition to healing," Nick replied, not looking up at her.

"Get her up to the infirmary and begin. Don't let Pomfrey take over, allow her to help though," Marelle replied.

Nick nodded as he cradled the little girl close and disappeared without a flash. Turning to Professor Snape and McGonagall, Marelle asked, "What happened to her?"

"Minerva fainted after seeing Kim powderize the boulder. I was about to take her to the Hospital Wing. I will discuss my findings with you after I see how the girl is doing. I have a few...suspicions..." Severus replied.

Marelle nodded her head and Professor Snape left with Professor McGonagall. By this time, the students who had gathered on the far side of the lake had made their way around to where Marelle, Kim, Harry and Ron stood. Judging the looks of hatred Gryffindor house was giving the Slytherins that were in the group here, Marelle quickly put two and two together and concluded that this incident was a deliberate attack on an innocent student. Fixing the assembled students with a penetrating glare, she addressed them, her voice cold and harsh.

"This stops NOW! This inter-house rivalry has finally gone too far and I know for a fact that this was not a prank gone wrong. Have absolutely no doubt in your minds that I WILL find out who was responsible for this and then we will have a nice, cozy little chat... Do I make my self clear?"

The assembled students nodded their heads vigorously in agreement, quickly heading back to the castle, flanked by Professors Sinistra, Black, Lupin and Flitwick. Taking a deep breath in order to quell the fury she was feeling, Marelle addressed Harry, Ron and Kim.

"This does not bode well for the rest of the year. I suggest that you guard your backs even more. Kim, you know what this means. If you will all excuse me, I need to help Nicholas with the girl."

Kim nodded her head solemnly as Marelle simply disappeared.

"What does she mean, Kim?" Ron asked.

"Let me worry about it. Let's get up to the Hospital Wing."

Harry and Ron headed up the Hospital Wing quickly, followed by Kim. As she reached the castle's rear entrance, Kim turned around for a moment, looking back out over the castle's grounds.

"I hope they have the strength for what's to come..."

With that, Kim turned around and headed into the castle. As the doors closed behind her, a chill wind began to blow.

*******************************

Little did the students and staff know that the war was about to be brought to them, sooner than they all thought.