chapter 66

"Headmistress, do you have any defensive protocols you can call on short notice?" Madam Bones asked as the Emrys family, Warrior Goblin and lone Unspeakable followed the Scottish woman back into the great stone castle.

"There are a few spells that I know to protect the students but I haven't been able to transfer the Hogwarts Wards over to myself yet, so unfortunately the castle is at its most vulnerable than it has ever been." The new Headmistress groaned in frustration.

"The longer the Dark Lord takes to launch his attack the more time we have to put up stronger protections. Especially if the Emrys family have any more protections to place around the school would be greatly appreciated." McGonnagall added with a pleading expression towards the powerful trio of witches.

"Hope and I will do what we can but we can't guarantee it will work against Riddle's new acquaintance." Freya replied.

"Maybe Daphne can create an ice dome around the school, Hope and I could enchant it with all our known protection spells to make it as impenetrable as possible?" The Viking witch thought aloud as she gazed over to Hope and Daphne.

The young couple shrugged but nodded. "It wouldn't hurt to create some form of barrier to slow them down a bit. We should do this soon so the magic has time to take effect properly." Daphne mentioned.

The Unspeakable's deep voice sounded from behind the group which caused Flitwick, McGonnagall and Madam Bones to jolt slightly as Unspeakables are not known for voicing their opinion. "I'll join the Emrys family when they put up the barrier. There are some spells I know that are very effective to stop unauthorised access. Why do you think the Department of Mysteries is so difficult to steal from?"

"That's good. Thank you Unspeakable." Headmistress McGonnagall bobbed her head in thanks.

"Hope, do you have any idea what kind of forces we will be dealing with?" Susan's aunt questioned with an inquisitive eye as the girl in question raised an eyebrow at the implication.

Amelia sighed in annoyance. "Seriously Hope? You literally told the whole world you were going to kill him by the end of your school year. I doubt you've just sat on your ass doing nothing. You've always been ten steps ahead."

Hope opened her mouth to attempt to dispute Amelia's claim but her jaw slammed closed with an audible click of her teeth. "I'd be surprised if you didn't have exact numbers of Death Eaters and allies." Madam Bones mentioned in such a dry tone that held no room for argument from anyone in their small group.

The group entered through the giant Courtyard wooden doors and into the walls of the school. There were students hanging around in the hallways just talking to one another about their interests and who they were interested in dating. But all noises stopped when they noticed the group making their way through the school and they couldn't help but pale slightly.

Susan was talking with Hannah, Neville, Tracey and Su before she immediately noticed her aunt. The young Hufflepuff's heart leaped dangerously in her chest as she raced over to her only remaining family member and barreled into the taller woman with a hefty hug that almost knocked Amelia on her ass.

"Auntie? What are you doing here?" Susan couldn't help but sob into her aunt's strong embrace as Amelia returned the hug in equal measure, somehow proving to the young redhead that her aunt had been in danger.

Madam Bones stroked at the deep red hair as she cradled her niece's head against her shoulder. "I'm okay. I promise… The Ministry has fallen into Voldemort's clutches." Susan flinched as did everyone else in the vicinity. "I don't know what happened to the Minister. I barely escaped, only in large thanks to Hope's Yule gift from a few years ago."

"The Emrys Family Runestone?" Susan questioned as her gaze flittered over to her friend.

Hope gave a small nod as Amelia answered her niece. "Yes."

Susan pulled out of her aunt's arms as she launched herself at the Tribrid.

Hope caught the Hufflepuff girl with her quick reflexes, even though she was partially expecting a hug she was ready for the intensity at which the youngest Bones would throw herself at the Slytherin girl.

"Thank you Hope." The future Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House Bones announced nearly incoherently as Susan was having trouble catching her breath from in between her sobs.

Hope wrapped her arms around the younger girl as Daphne watched on in complete understanding in her eyes. The Slytherin Ice Queen knows that both Hope and Susan have had similar experiences in loss and tragedy. It would be exceptionally easy for Hope to make the leap to potentially losing her aunt to a madman. Hope caught her aunt in the corner of her concerned gaze, further proving that Daphne was right in her assumption.

Freya looked calm and collected as she mouthed their family motto 'Always and Forever' to her niece. This managed to reassure Hope that the eldest Mikaelson wasn't going anywhere and certainly not without a fight.

The Headmistress eventually came to the conclusion that she had to inform the students what was going to happen. However she would wait until tomorrow morning to explain the possibility of a raid occurring at the school and will give them the two options.

The first option would be returning home until the threat has been neutralised. The other is to stay at the school if they had nowhere else to go. But this does come with the condition that when the alarm sounds the students must make their way to the closest House Dormitory and remain inside until the 'all clear' alarm has been sounded.

McGonnagall didn't want to fall into the same habits as her predecessor by hiding the happenings of what is going on and the danger that it represents. The students are the Headmistress's main priority.

Hope smiled as she finally approved of a leader of a school, someone finally got their shit together and is doing what they are supposed to do. Protecting the students within their care rather than leaving it up to the students. Hope was currently working on the assumption that Hogwarts was no longer her school at the end of the year and thus she wasn't exactly under McGonnagall's or Hogwarts' protection.

It honestly was a great relief and a huge weight off her shoulders as she didn't have to focus all her energy in protecting everyone else that she couldn't actually protect herself.

This worked out just fine for Hope in the long run. She was ready to fight and she was ready to end Voldemort once and all.

Daphne was slowly getting used to Hope's fighting spirit and her obsessive need to prove that she is willing to put her own life on the line. Trying to show that she wasn't like her family. That she wasn't the villain.

The Ice Witch could only roll her eyes at Hope's thoughts when she overheard them. From everything she has seen of Hope's life and her actions in her universe, all her wife has ever tried to do is help, protect or eliminate anyone who would dare threaten her family. Admittedly that last one could definitely be seen as questionable on a moral compass.

In the meantime, Daphne had managed to convince Susan into letting go of Hope and guiding her back towards their friends. The Slytherin Ice Queen was aiming specifically for Hannah as she knew the blonde girl would have the best chance in calming the redheaded Hufflepuff. Hannah seemed to understand that her Housemate needed her and released Neville's hand with a tiny blush on her cheeks and brought Susan into a familiar embrace. One that they have shared over many years especially after one of Susan's nightmares either in the Dorms or at one of their houses.

Usually these nightmares either consisted of screams that she just knew were from her parents. These dreams have gotten more vivid over the years now that Amelia has shared her memories of Susan's parents with the young witch using the Memory Stone.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

Susan could finally see her parents but more often than not, the redheaded girl would have to watch as something terrible happened to them. Most times it was Voldemort or his Death Eaters as Susan's mind tried to recreate her parents last moments.

Most recently Susan has been having terrible nightmares about her Aunt. Especially with all the chaos that is happening in the Wizarding World. So seeing her Aunt Ameila show up at school, fatigued and bruised. The Hufflepuff girl's only response was to launch herself into her aunt's embrace to make sure she was real and alive.

The Mikaelsons and Greengrass' disappeared in a quiet crack of apparation. The only reason there was a sound of a crack was because it came from the Unspeakable. In comparison he hasn't mastered the art of apparation to his in-laws standards which were absolutely silent. Before the Emrys and Unspeakable had teleported away, Daphne faced her wife as she asked with a stupefied expression. "Was I blind or have Neville and Hannah been a couple this entire time?"

Hope's answer and chuckle were cut off as they apparated away to the school's border.

This disappearing act didn't stop the Gryffindor boy and Hufflepuff girl from blushing as their relationship was pretty new. Only 3 weeks so far but they seemed to complete each other almost to the level that Hope and Daphne seemed to achieve without the need for a soulbond.

Nothing really changed for Neville or Hannah as all their friends were used to them being close and had teased them on when they would undoubtedly get together. Neville and Hannah wanted to keep their new relationship quiet as they wanted to see if they were good together or if the additional commitments would break their friendship.

The new couple had each only told a few people. Neville told Harry, Hermione and Hope. The 3 'H's as their group have ended up calling them, much to Daphne's utter amusement. Hannah alternatively told Susan, Padma and surprisingly Tracey, as they had bonded over being the best friend of a Heiress of a Most Ancient and Noble House.

While those four were putting up an ice dome around the school for protection the Headmistress, Flitwick and Auror Bones made their way through the school, drawing a lot of attention from the students. The kids seemed to realise that something terrible must've happened as they instantly parted ways for the three authority figures.

The few remaining Slytherin students who still had ties to the Death Eater via their family either looked apprehensive or downright gleeful. As much as Hope has tried as the Slytherin Protector to cut away the disease from the Slytherin House, there were still some sympathisers to the Dark Lord's cause. The most obvious ones were Draco, Nott, the Carrow twins as well as Malfoy's cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

McGonnagall had led Flitwick and Madam Bones up to Headmistresses office. Minerva wanted to do whatever she could to place some protections around the school while she still had time and asked Flitwick and the Auror to help her look for the Hogwarts Wardstone.

Dumbledore was a paranoid old bastard McGonnagall came to realise as she eventually found the Wardstone but was unable to access it. Albus had placed a magical barrier around the stone powered by his death. Making it practically unbreakable until the spell wears off which could theoretically take years!

The Headmistress groaned as she sent a Patronus off to Professors Babbling and Vector to see if they could possibly find a way around the 'last rights' spell. Filius and Amelia gave each other a look before turning to Minerva with a raised eyebrow.

With a sigh McGonnagall raised her wand again to create another Patronus. "Lady Emrys. We could use some assistance if you wouldn't mind coming up to the Headmaster's office when you have some time? Please bring anyone you think may be able to help with a 'last rights' spell… If you don't know what that is I'll explain once you arrive."

As the luminescent tabby cat raced out of the room to deliver the message without needing to sound like a herd of elephants roaming throughout the castle. Although Minerval expects if the Patronus was corporeal like the Emrys family's Patroni then her cat would somehow manage to live up to the hype and create more noise than what should be possible for an animal the size of football.

The Scottish Headmistress turned to face her friend and former student. "I hate the fact that we have to involve Hope in this at all. She's a kid. She's not supposed to be fighting wars."

"Despite her age, Hope and Daphne for that matter, are exceptional Warriors and Duellists. You've seen them perform in the Duelling Competitions, Minerva. They can handle themselves." Flitwick mentioned with complete confidence before giving a small shrug as the other Professors entered the office.

"Besides, Miss Mikaelson possibly has the most strategic mind I have ever seen. It rivals that of a master tactician… actually that could be said for Daphne and Freya as well. Not to mention that they are the strongest Witches I've ever had the pleasure of training." Flitwick shared his experiences with the 3 Emrys women with a glint of amusement in his beady little eyes.

"Filius isn't wrong." Sheda announced as she joined the group along with Professor Vector. "Hope and Daphne are in a league of their own. Add Freya into the fight and that just makes them more dangerous. I've seen some of the spells Freya comes up with on the fly."

The other Professors sounded their agreement as they continued their trek up the spiral staircase and into the large circular office. Minerva blinked as all the faculty members entered the room.

Professor Vector spoke up next as she shrugged. "I gathered up everyone when I heard that the Head of the DMLE was here as well as an Unspeakable. I assumed that you were going to hold a meeting?"

Minerva couldn't stop the choked noise from leaving her throat that sounded like a mixture between a croak and laughter as she tried to recollect herself before speaking. "I mean- - I was going to–," The Headmistress sighs, giving her a chance to stop her rambling. "I was going to hold a meeting after putting some protections into the Hogwarts Wardstone but Albus placed a spell over the stone blocking us from accessing it."

Sheda and Vector frowned as they approached the Wardstone, Augusta and Sirius were seething at the back of the group as they saw an etched symbol of Slytherin and Gryffindor which overlapped and had a lightning bolt streaking through them. Sirius Black may be rusty in some areas of his schooling but it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Hogwarts Wardstone was used to create the rivalry between the two Houses.

The Arithmancy Professor knelt down and reached out with a frail hand slowly until the barrier flared up, zapping the offending hand with powerful static shock. The elderly woman sucked in a pained breath as she shook her hand at the sensation. "Ouch! That's certainly going to be hard to defuse."

Professor Vector was about to stand up until she halted her movement to lean in closer. "Hang on… Isn't that Rune a curse?"

The half Vampire squatted down next to her colleague and followed the other woman's gaze and finger to the Rune that she was concerned about and frowned.

"Yes. It is." Sheda turned around to face Lord Black. "It's the reason that we haven't been able to keep a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor for three decades."

Sirius' dark eyes widened in anger. "Wait, Dumbledore cursed his own friends?"

"No." The Hogwarts faculty jumped at the silent appearance of Hope, Daphne, Freya, the Unspeakable, the Flamels and Madam Pomfrey.

Hope moved forward to join Sheda near the Hogwarts Wardstone. "This Curse was created by Riddle when Dumbledore denied his request to become the DADA Professor back in the mid 1960's."

"... Hang on… Are you trying to tell me that I could've had the man who killed my best friend… as my DADA Professor?!?" Sirius blurted out with bulging eyes before gagging.

All the other Professors who were going through schooling in these years paled drastically. Amelia blinked in shock before heading over to Sirius and giving him a hug. Hope's eyes widened at the display as she's never seen either of them be overly affectionate with others except their own wards.

Daphne joined her wife and Sheda as she whispered. "They used to be sweethearts back before everything went to shit." The blonde girl explained as she hovered her hand over the barrier and used her magic to create a cool wind to constantly beat into the invisible force, showing its location.

Hope turned back to Daphne with a surprised expression on her face. "Wow… I didn't see that coming. I always thought Sirius had a thing for Lupin." Daphne covered her mouth with her other hand as she tried to hide the snort and failed.

The Tribrid had a smug expression on her face for a few moments before looking down at the barrier and groaning, gaining the attention of the entire room. "Why didn't I think of that?" Hope turned to face her family but locked eyes with her aunt.

"Remind me to try something like this on a Fidelius location." Hope motioned back to the misty dome that was now visible under the cold winds.

Freya and Daphne shared a look that felt like they both mentally facepalmed. Nic snorted at their expressions while basically the entire room looked at the Emrys family in absolute shock.

"Well, thank you for making me feel like an idiot niece of mine." Freya grumbled as she leaned her head onto the top of her glorified walking stick, the peridot gem shimmered at the rough movement.

Daphne moaned as she placed her head into her hand as she shook her head in frustration. "If this works on a Fidelius charm I'm going to be pissed! I could've found the Dark Wanker within a few days, max!"

"Wait! Voldemort is hiding using a Fidelius charm!? Why didn't any of you tell me?" Amelia blurted out as she narrowed her eyes on all the Emrys women.

"Because we actually have no proof, not really. Just a hell of a lot of speculation." Hope shrugged before rubbing some salt in the wounds.

"Besides, what would you do with that information? How would you find him? How would you bring the Fidelius charm down? Aunt Freya and I have figured out how to dismantle a Fidelius without needing the Secret Keeper. Can you?" Hope questioned the older woman with a raised eyebrow.

Madam Bones opened her mouth for a moment before faltering as she considered the young girl's words with a groan. "Okay I might not be able to break down a Fidelius, but I am still the Head of the DMLE… even if I am the last Auror alive. Anything to do with magical crime comes through to me. I don't care if it was speculation either! When one of you three say something to do with this kind of shit you're usually right! I would've given you the benefit of the doubt!"

"Oh." Hope, Daphne and Freya chorused together as they honestly thought they could handle it themselves.

Amelia groaned in exasperation while Sirius barked loudly in laughter.

"Prof– Sorry. Headmistress?" Hope quickly corrected as she called out from her spot in front of the barrier, her aunt was beside her as they both realised that they couldn't break the 'last rights' spell. Not even with their impressive amount of power at their disposal.

McGonnagall hummed from her position near her desk as the faculty remained silent while the two Mikaelsons were checking Dumbledore's latest annoyance from beyond the grave for any way to bypass it. "Yes?"

"I'm afraid that we can't break this barrier. Death-powered spells are essentially impossible to break and can last over dozens of generations if the witch or wizard's magic was powerful enough." Freya announced as she rose to her full height, using the Staff of Merlin as leverage to pull herself up.

Hope made an affirmative noise from beside her aunt. "Dumbledore's spell may last somewhere between 5-10 years by my best estimate." The faculty's mouths dropped open as their eyes nearly bulged out at the time.

The Tribrid noticed these expressions and shrugged nonchalantly. "That's not that bad in the scheme of things. I know a witch who cursed each of the family's that bound together against her, turning them into wolves, in retaliation for killing her. That death-powered spell is still active over 1,500 years later and shows no signs of dissipating."

Daphne snorted mirthlessly as she knew who Hope was talking about. The Hallow or Inadu or as the Pureblood Princess likes to call her, the little sadistic bitch who couldn't accept 'no' for an answer.

The witch who is responsible for creating the Werewolves in Hope's universe and she was also Hope's ancestor much to the Tribrid's complete displeasure. Freya released a scoff of hatred at the description Hope gave the shocked Professors who somehow managed to look even more pale.

The room was silent for a considerable amount of time before Hope turned to Daphne. "Did I break them?"

"Yes." Came the chorus of voices from Daphne, Freya and her parents.

This little interaction seemed to help break through their stupor as most of them blinked in an attempt to wet their dry eyes.

Hope tilted her head as she located a familiar hat. "Huh… I wonder…"

Lady Emrys approached the Sorting Hat, hearing them grunt as they showed that they were alert.

"Hello Sorting Hat." Hope greeted as she picked them up and carried them gently across the room to place them onto the Headmistress's desk.

"Lady Emrys. A pleasure to speak to you once again." The Hat responded with a gruff voice.

Hope smiled while the faculty watched on in fascination as they never have seen the Sorting Hat talk outside of Sorting Feasts. "I heard that this will be your last year at Hogwarts?" The Hat continued with a disappointed frown framed by the creases in the worn leather.

"That's right. I made a promise to the Wizengamot that I would finish my schooling this year. Apparently not many people accept that I'm a Werewolf in a school filled with defenceless students." Hope replied sarcastically with an eye roll.

The Hat made an impressive snort. "Ha! That's hilarious! You've been protecting this school better than Ole' Albie ever did. Besides I know what you are capable of Miss Mikaelson and you are a Protector first and foremost. It's why Salazar was so willing to name you Slytherins Protector."

Daphne, Freya and the Flamels had a proud smile on their faces at the Sorting Hat's words.

"Actually that's what I was hoping to speak to you and the Founders about." Hope started while McGonnagall watched on with an unwavering gaze.

"Oh?" The Hat replied in curiosity.

Hope conjured a chair in front of the desk and took a seat so she was closer to the Hat's eye level. "I assume you overheard our conversation about Dumbles 'last rights' spell?"

The Sorting Hat bobbed in agreement allowing Hope to continue. "Well I recall a conversation we had a long time ago. How if we had 4 Protectors, one from each House we could alter the Hogwarts Wards."

The crowd gasped as they finally understood what Hope was doing. "Good memory, Miss Mikaelson. Although, pray tell. Who do you believe could embody the qualities to become a Protector of the other 3 Houses and why should Hogwarts herself accept them?" The Hat spoke as though it already knew that the Tribrid already had some people in mind and just wished to tease the normally serious girl.

Hope scoffed at the Hat's dry humour. "We want to protect the school and all the students inside. I've realised that most of the Slytherin House have learned their lesson. You may have noticed how I took away some of the consequences? They don't need all of these rules anymore. Our Year 7's never had the opportunity to participate in the hazing and rape during their induction into 3rd Year. They still mostly behave like snobbish entitled kids. But that's kinda what I expect from the ambitious House and Pureblood students." Hope mentioned with a bored shrug before turning back to most of the group behind her who were in the Most Ancient and Noble Houses.

Amelia, Sirius and Augusta looked truly offended while Daphne faced her wife with a 'look'.

Hope rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Most Purebloods I know come off as entitled, usually due to their position in the Wizengamot. I'm not saying everyone in this room is like that, but don't try to lie to me saying you've never had a moment where you've flaunted your political position to get out of something. Besides, I'm no exception. Just ask Daph, I've certainly had my moments." Hope finished with a cheeky smile.

The Professors who weren't part of the Wizengamot turned their heads so they could laugh at Hope's observation of Purebloods while the actual Purebloods in the room blinked in astonishment.

The Hat chuckled loudly bringing Hope's attention back down to the worn leather Hat sitting on the desk.

"Right, with that out of the way. I was thinking we could have McGonnagall take the Gryffindor position. Amelia for Hufflepuff and either Flitwick or Luna for Ravenclaw." The Tribrid suggested to the utter surprise of the Professors.

The Sorting Hat looked apprehensive as it considered Hope's candidates. The youngest Mikaelson quickly realised that the Hat wanted some time to think over the options so she casted a privacy ward around the Hat, giving it the peace and quiet to deliberate.

Lady Emrys turned to Amelia with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Amelia… Did you ever get around to firing the Auror members from the Order of the Phoenix?" Hope questioned as she tried to consider other people who might be willing to fight Voldemort or protect the students from his acolytes.

Madam Bones blinked at the sudden change of subject and faced the young auburn haired girl. "I did."

"So… They are alive then?" Hope clarified as she stared at the Head of the DMLE with a raised eyebrow.

Amelia thought about it for a second before answering. "They theoretically should be." The taller woman finally noticed the expression on Hope's face and sighed. "You want to ask them for help?"

Hope scoffed. "Not me, God no! They wouldn't listen to me if I was the last person alive. They hate me for killing their leader."

Hope's family snorted at the Tribrid's observation while the auburn haired girl just rolled her sea-blue eyes at the reaction she got from them as well as McGonnagall, Flitwick, Babbling, Sirius, Augusta and Amelia herself as they silently bobbed their head in agreement.

"I think that if you, Sirius, Augusta or the Headmistress spoke to them they might agree to help out. We need more fighters and we're running short on Aurors." Hope finished dryly as she shook her head slightly at most of the room's amused expressions.

Madam Bones quickly managed to regain her sense of responsibility as she cleared her throat. "I'll get in contact with Alastor or Kingsley. See if I can convince them to help out."

Daphne let out a tiny snicker as she glared over at Hope and telekinetically gave her a light smack on her shoulder for the thought that crossed the Tribrid's mind. The Tribrid couldn't stop the smirk that spread across her face as she turned back to her Mate.

"But am I wrong?" Hope said aloud further confusing most of their audience.

The blonde witch groaned. "Considering that Dumbledore has done nothing to support or guide the next generation of Witches and Wizards… No."

Even though Freya, the Flamels, Filius and Sheda were completely aware of the Emrys couple's soulbond they were still in awe of how seamlessly Hope and Daphne could communicate using that telepathic bond, they watched on with the same bewildered expression as the rest of the group. Trying to figure out what on earth the two girls were talking about.

"Hope! Getting Amelia to tell that wanker's followers that his last request of them was to protect the school from the other dark wanker, is a load of Hippogriff…. Crap." Daphne berated her wife with her hands on her hips in an attempt to seem more frustrated than she was. The Greengrass Heiress' icy eyes flicked around the room at the end of her speech and realised that she shouldn't be swearing in front of the entire Hogwarts faculty.

The Pureblood Princess still has some manners, despite Hope trying to convince everyone otherwise. The time-travelling girl was a huge pain in the ass sometimes. But she was Daphne's. Which is why when the Ice Witch glanced over at Hope with a 'don't say a word' look the world's strongest magically creature wisely kept her snarky mouth shut or she would face the very cold consequences.

Sirius' laughter was the sound that broke the staring contest between the young couple. "Yeah. I can't see Moody falling for that excuse in a thousand years! You'd have better luck telling them the Emrys family were over their heads and couldn't handle Voldemort and that they need the Burning Chicken's help."

Lord Black felt a deadly gaze glaring into the back of his head and turned around to see Myrddin flame into the room, sharp claws delicately landing on Freya's shoulder without puncturing her skin.

"I meant the Order, not you Myrddin… Sorry." Sirius quickly ratified before yelping and hiding behind Augusta.

McGonnagall, Flitwick and Amelia slowly turned to face Sirius cowering behind the elderly woman as the Phoenix puffed up his chest, looking absolutely smug as a full grown man all but fled from the black bird's presence.

"Actually… That's not a bad idea." The Hogwarts Headmistress stated drawing indignant looks from the Emrys family. "Obviously it's not true." McGonnagall rolled her eyes. "But even though Hope has won Duelling Competitions along with Daphne and also defeating Rasputin and Dumbledore, all of the older generations of Witches and Wizards still don't believe that you are all that powerful."

The auburn haired girl blinked blankly as her brain rebooted itself and the only response that came out her mouth was, "Huh?"

"... What are they saying?" Daphne managed to ask the normally stern woman.

Nearly the entire room chuckled nervously. Hope, Daphne and Freya glanced around the room as they realised that apparently everyone in the room was aware of what was happening.

Sheda was either the bravest or the most uncomfortable with the awkward silence as she bit at her nails while explaining. "Well… The older generations are stuck in the mindset that age equals power. The older you are, the more power you have."

Hope and Freya nodded along as that was also true in their universe. Daphne finally caught on to what the rest of the room knew and moved her head lower so she could rub circles into her temples as she groaned in utter frustration. The Mikaelson women turned to Daphne as the blonde was muttering something incoherent under her breath. Although the universal travellers were able to make out a few key words, leading them to catch the gist of 'stupid outdated wizarding standards'.

The group glanced at each other as they would normally believe in these standards but since they have first handedly seen what Hope and Daphne are capable of they smartly remained silent.

"They do believe that you do have more power because you are from a Legendary House, which could be true." Sheda continued while trying to placate the two women from another universe. "I know this isn't true. But I can see why others think that."

"So how does this relate back to us not being powerful?" Hope questioned and suddenly Hope could hear everyone's heart skip a beat other than Freya's. "Wow… It can't be that bad can it?"

"It's not that, darling." Daphne mentioned as she comes to stand beside her wife. "It's just that you and your aunt are known for Duelling people when they upset you or you disagree with their viewpoint. Usually your reasons are justified for your Duels. But the threat of Duelling you or your aunt rightfully frightens them."

Hope and Freya locked eyes across the room and shared a Mikaelson smirk with the other causing the room to flinch at the action.

"Aww. We scare them Hope…" Freya chuckled humorously as she taunted the wizarding community before she frowned slightly. "And yet somehow they still think that you aren't powerful? Isn't that a confusing conundrum?"

Hope could only roll her eyes.

The grey clad Unspeakable shook his head under the large hood, hiding his sharp facial features easily depicting him as a Greengrass. "I pity the idiots who believe that you are not powerful or strategically minded."

The Unspeakable gave a small bow of his head to Hope as he turned to the Headmistress. "By any chance do you have enough spare rooms to house the Unspeakables? Knowing that Hope is looking for some back-up I assume she'd ask me to gather the Unspeakables as quickly as I could."

Hope bobbed her head in her grandfather-in-law's direction. Minerva blinked as she did a mental calculation of spare rooms in the castle. "If we take in the Order members… then the answer would be no."

Daphne waved her hand dismissively as she offered an easy solution. "Just use the Room of Requirement. It can recreate any room regardless of the size."

All the Heads of House jolted at the declaration before looking over to Daphne with wide eyes. "You found Rowena Ravenclaw's hidden Room of Requirement?!" They all shouted incredulously.

"I found it during the last week of my 2nd Year… Although I have used it on occasions to speak to Harry about becoming Lord Potter and discussing how we could clear Sirius' name with the Wizengamot." Hope offered McGonnagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn but the Tribrid shared a not so subtle glance with Daphne who was attempting to hide her blush as she recalled the other times they had used that room.

Sirius roared with laughter as he questioned the two younger witches. "So how did you find it? A House Elf? That's how James, Remus and I found it…"

"Yeah and shared its location with Lily and me." Amelia butted in quietly, further confusing the Professors.

"We really should've added that room to the Marauders Map." Sirius continued before his back straightened, giving his former lover a charming smile which managed to pull the tiniest of smirks in the corner of the Auror's mouth.

Before the new Headmistress had the opportunity to berate a few choice students and ex-students in her office the Sorting Hat cleared its… throat?? The Hat doesn't have a throat?

This was the only thought that now occupied McGonnagall's mind as she absently listened to the Hat.

"Oi! Quiet! Since I only want to say this once you will all listen!" The Hat called out interrupting the tangent that these Witches and Wizards managed to divert themselves off to, forcibly bringing them back to the original query Hope had asked of him.

"I won't name Minerva as the Gryffindor Guardian, she'll be too busy righting the wrongs Dumbledore had created. Although I do believe that Harry Potter would be an excellent candidate. Godric was going to offer the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry to fight the Basilisk but Hope convinced the Gryffindor Founder to release the Sword to her as long as she returned the weapon back to the Goblins."

McGonnagall paled drastically as did a lot of the other Professors. "I feel like I'm going to regret asking this… But what Basilisk?"

Hope and Daphne turned to the Headmistress in astonishment. "Dumbles never told you what was down in the Chamber of Secrets?"

The office was silent for a full 10 seconds before the former Head of Gryffindor House gritted her teeth as she snarled. "If Albus wasn't dead already, I'd bloody well would kill him myself! That manipulative, white whiskered, bloody wanker!"

"Evidently Professor, there will be a line." Sirius grumbled darkly as a hint of a growl forced its way out of his throat.

"Yes. Yes. Albus was an asshole but he is not all knowing. He thought that this 'last rights' spell would forever deny access to the Hogwarts Wards but we're about to prove him wrong." The Hat intervened before it could get any further out of hand.

Hope's sensitive hearing picked something up while the Hat was talking. Two heartbeats that weren't accounted for. At least not for anyone who is visible. "Harry. Hermione. Take off the Cloak. I can hear you." The Tribrid directed to an apparent empty spot in front of the pensive.

The Golden Duo pulled the Cloak of Invisibility off their sheepish faces causing McGonnagall to groan at her Lions breaking school rules by attending this meeting in secret.

The Tribrid observed the Cloak silently. It was the only Deathly Hallow remaining since she had snapped and burned the Elder Wand. Whereas Hope had the Resurrection Stone demolished by the Goblin Nation when they were cleansing the Marvolo Gaunt Ring from Riddle's soul container last year.

Hope was incredibly tempted to incinerate Death's Cloak. An item, potentially created by Death would always come with a price and the auburn haired girl didn't want Harry to fall victim to whatever consequence the Cloak may have on the wielder long term.

Alternatively the Tribrid could always tell Harry her concerns if what Amelia said was true. Maybe the friends she had in this universe would actually listen to her if she shared her thoughts about what could happen.

At this stage Hope ignored the urge to destroy the last Deathly Hallow. Harry may still need the Cloak to hide from Riddle… Especially if Tom had listened to the Prophecy between the Dark Lord and the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Sorry… We just wanted to know what was happening." Hermione blurted out as she looked down in shame at being caught.

"Good timing, Mr Potter." The Hat announced as it became the king of interruptions as it jumped in before the conversation could divert in different directions. "Now place me on your head so Godric can name you the Gryffindor Guardian."

Harry shrunk his head into his shoulders. "Is there any way I can say no?" The young Gryffindor boy shyly asked.

"Of course you can." "You can say no." "You are not required to accept this offer Mr Potter." Hope and Daphne answered almost immediately along with the Hat who seemed proud that the emerald eyed boy could in fact recognize that he wasn't ready for this position.

"My other candidates for Gryffindor would be Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger or Sirius Black if he so chooses to remain at the school for at least 5 years. You can discuss this later with Mr Longbottom but please come to a decision quickly. I fear that Madam Bones is right. With the wizarding community in disarray Voldemort will use this advantage to attack the school in haste." The Sorting Hat announced with a concerned furrow of its brim and indented eye holes to convey its worry at the situation.

"I wouldn't recommend Madam Bones as the Hufflepuff Defender. Professor Sprout is a possible candidate but so are most of Hufflepuff. Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Nymphadora Tonks and Cedric Diggory are the top picks for the House of the loyal." The Hat continued but trailed off as it heard Daphne grunt from her spot beside Hope.

Hope's eyes widened as she quickly felt her wife's magic being drained from the barrier around the school. "Well… Tommy boy certainly exceeded my expectations tonight." Hope turned to McGonnagall. "Sound the alarm now!"

The Headmistress surprisingly didn't question the younger girl as she knew the Slytherin girl would not joke about this. "Heads of Houses go now and do a student count and take your Houses—"

Hope interrupted the older woman as she took charge. "Take them into the Room of Requirement. Sirius, you guide the way. Myrddin, you and Alexandria will protect the students." Sirius quickly collected Harry and Hermione as he apparated them throughout the castle. All of the Professors left in the same manner.

Lady Emrys didn't even get the opportunity to tell Daphne's grandfather to collect the other Unspeakables. He had already vanished from sight, hopefully to get the other Unspeakables.

"Amelia, I need you here with me. Send out a Patronus or two to see if the Order members will pull their heads out of their asses for just a day to help out." Madam Bones simply nodded, apparently feeling more than comfortable taking orders from a 16 year old.

"We don't have much time left. The ice dome Daphne setup is melting away. Judging by how quickly whatever is absorbing Daphne magic is going, Voldemort will probably be able to breach the castle walls within 1-2 minutes. Once you are done setting up the schools other defences come join us in the Courtyard." McGonnagall apparated away with a quick nod.

"Hopefully we can keep the fighting contained to outside the castle walls." The Tribrid mentioned as she, Daphne and Freya had simply teleported out of the Headmistress' office to stand front and centre on the stone bridge leading to the mighty stone castle behind them.

Hope sent out her own Patronus to hopefully gather some more reinforcements. Her Patronus broke off into 3 fast bolts of light. One of them went to King Ragnok, the next went to the Veelas, the last actually never left the Hogwarts boundary as it went to the Centaurs.

"Not going to call in your favour with the Vampires or summon the Wolves?" Daphne noted as she glanced at Hope with a hint of excitement in her icy coloured eyes.

Hope shook her head. "I don't think we'll need them. I still think that the 3 of us could've dealt with this ourselves but whatever is absorbing the magic from the barrier does concern me… They are through the Hogwarts Ward."

Daphne realised what Hope was going to do now that the block on 'apparating out of the school' has been removed. "Go! Quickly before they break through your barrier!" Hope and Freya nodded as they both apparated away.

Each of the Mikaelsons were only gone for about 30 seconds. Enough time for the Professors, Unspeakables and Madam Bones to join the normally stoic Slytherin Ice Queen in the Courtyard as they nervously watched as the last shield around the school slowly started to dissipate. Only another few moments left until Voldemort and his group breached the Wards.

Daphne could see large figures in the distance that she could either assume were Giants or Trolls.

"Miss- -" McGonnagall nervously started until a very familiar head of auburn hair appeared suddenly in front of her shocking her into silence and muttering a 'never mind' as she wished to know where Hope and Freya had vanished off to.

Hope had apparated to France to see that there were two flocks of Veelas, one group looked apprehensive while the other had feathers coating their bodies and a hint of pinkish-red Veelafyre coursing over their fingertips.

Fleur's grandmother and Wing Leader, Seraphine, was with the group that was obviously not going from the simple observation that Hope made on her arrival. Although seeing the Veelas split in two very distinct groups worried the Tribrid as she never wanted to cause any animosity between the Veelas.

Seraphine noticed Hope's expression and chuckled. "We are answering your call to arms, Queen of the Werewolves." Hope slightly lost some tenseness in her shoulders but still remained on guard. "All I ask is that you do what you can to protect my people… and our Wing Leader."

Hope's sea-blue eyes narrowed slightly in thought as she frowned before the obvious conclusion finally made its presence known. "Is Fleur aware of her new status?"

"No. So you better make sure my granddaughter comes out of this alive otherwise we will rain down fyre upon you and your family." The older woman, who still looked like she could be in her mid-20s thanks to her Veela heritage, threatened the younger girl, who seemingly acted like she was the oldest person in the room

The Tribrid blinked in surprise at actually being threatened. "Okay… Do you want me to tell Fleur about her position?"

Seraphine shrugged. "If you wish. We still need to have a coronation so it doesn't really matter."

Hope moved to the group and noticed a couple of familiar faces. Fleur's mother, Apolline and Fleur's friend from school, Aimee. The Queen of the Werewolves reared back slightly at the appearance of Apolline and quickly glanced over to Seraphine who was understandably nervous. Both her daughter and granddaughter wanted to fight against Voldemort.

Hope gave a subtle nod to the former leader of the Veelas as she silently promised to protect her family. A tiny quirk of a smile was the only sign that Seraphine noticed Hope's wordless promise.

Lady Emrys informed the Veelas that were going to join her to link up with their neighbour so that they were all touching one another in some way. Hope placed her hand on Aimee's shoulder as she felt more comfortable touching someone she at least knew to some description even if it was through 1 year of school. The Tribrid managed to apparate the entire group of Veela back to Hogwarts with a silent crack. Apparently taking multiple people made apparating more difficult. Who knew?

The Mikaelsons had returned nearly at the same time with a small army each at their disposal as Freya had apparated the Goblins from the Diagon Alley branch. The seasoned Warriors had already amassed their forces before Freya had arrived as a few Goblins did work at the Ministry of Magic. The Goblins were fully aware that a war was on the horizon and were rearing for a fight.

Whereas there were about 2 dozen Veelas who answered the call, there were nearly 3 times that amount of Goblins who were spreading out in a defensive formation. Weapons and shields of all types were being held by the small magical creatures creating a surprisingly frightening sight.

Fleur had arrived with the eldest Mikaelson as she had been called to King Ragnok's office as she was in training at Gringotts at the time when a bright light zoomed past her. The magic coming from it felt like her ex'es. The Goblins who were teaching her heard an announcement overhead in Gobbledegook and started rushing in practised ease as they started collecting their weapons.

The Veela knew that Hope's message must be urgent and important as all her teachers had left her alone. Fleur steeled her resolve and ran to the Goblin King's office only to be intercepted by another Goblin, Griphook, as he told her that his King had requested her presence immediately.

Since Fleur was told that she needed to be there as quickly as possible she apparated the short distance into the room.

Freya was already there and Fleur felt her heart skip a beat at the appearance of Hope's aunt. The dark blonde woman certainly called to her Veela who respected power. But the knowledge that the Immortal Witch didn't even attempt to hide the raw power that she held, the remnants from previous spells she had cast lingered on Freya's magic. Showing the dark magic the older woman was more than willing to use to protect her family. It was terrifying what Fleur could sense on the eldest Mikaelson.

After some quick instruction from the Viking Witch, Freya had apparated the Goblin army onto Hogwarts grounds. Ragnok and Fleur followed Freya as she approached Daphne at the forefront of the Hogwarts group.

Fleur stood on Daphne's other side as she brushed her shoulder against the Greengrass Heiress with a warm smile despite the circumstances of their reunion. The Slytherin Ice Queen greeted the older girl with a quick smile and a graze of her fingers across her wrist.

"Thanks for coming love. You didn't have to." Hope whispered quietly in French as she leaned forward slightly to see the silver-blonde haired beauty.

Fleur rolled her eyes with a smile at the use of the endearment Hope used mainly for her wife. "I promised you a long time ago that I would see this through and help you out against the noseless excuse of a man… Can we even call him that?"

Hope and Daphne shrugged at Fleur's question as this last form of Riddle didn't even possess a soul.

"Good to know." Fleur murmured in English.

The Goblin King was armed with a large broadsword that was resting casually on his shoulder. Hope noted that the sword must be insanely heavy if someone didn't have super strength. The Tribrid heard the ever so subtle strain as Ragnok grunted silently in the back of his throat as he moved the massive blade.

Freya was perched behind her niece and Daphne as she glared over their heads watching as the last line of the defence ebbed away.

Strangely enough Hope attention wasn't on Voldemort as the opaque barrier dropped. It was on the blonde girl.

Hope's mouth dropped open as her eyes widened in shock. "Lizzie?!?" The universal Tribrid blurted out causing Daphne and Freya to glance slightly to the side to see the blonde Siphoner.

Either the blonde girl from Hope's universe heard the auburn haired girl over the length of the stone bridge or she must've noticed Hope as quickly as the Tribrid recognised her.

"Hope. Andrea. Mikaelson. How the fuck did you get here?!" The blonde called out, surprising Voldemort and his followers.

Hope blinked dumbfoundedly as she stared at the younger Saltzman twin. The Tribrid caught the movement from Bellatrix who was standing behind Lizzie and it quickly snapped Hope out of her stupor as she performed an instantaneous apparation. Hope collected Lizzie and immediately returned back to where she was standing with an irate blonde in tow.

Lizzie broke away from Hope and jabbed Hope in the shoulder repeatedly as she screamed at the Tribrid who backed up slightly at each of Lizzie's angry statements. "God you are such a damn martyr Hope! Did you even think for one second what your actions would have on your family? What did you do? Just walk into a black pit of death? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Daphne was cracking up as she bursted into laughter through her soulbond with Hope as she noticed basically their entire army stare at the two girls from another universe in absolute shock. Lady Emrys didn't even attempt to stop the pissed off girl from berating her and Heir Emrys wasn't interfering on her niece's behalf. In fact, the Immortal Witch looked amused as she watched.

"Is there any chance I can explain everything after we deal with him?" Hope bartered with her old frenemy.

Lizzie's eyes went dark as she turned to face her captors and smirked. "Fine. But I want Voldemort." The blonde slapped her hand on Hope's shoulder as she siphoned from the Tribrid and sighed. "God, I was starting to forget what real magic felt like." Lizzie let go of the Mikaelson girl who appeared utterly unbothered by the fact that Lizzie just siphoned from her.

Voldemort's jaw dropped as his greatest weapon against Lady Emrys joined the other side and made a show of trust between the two as she used her power against the abomination of a girl.

The Werewolf girl didn't even grimace in pain. She only watched as the blonde's hand glowed red at the contact. Almost as if she didn't believe what was happening.

The auburn haired girl said something that the Dark Lord couldn't make out but the blonde must've liked whatever the other girl said as she brought her hands in front of herself and said something.

A burst of magic flew past Lord Voldemort and he shivered at the sensation.

Voldemort grunted as he attempted to apparate away.

"Thanks Lizzie. Now they can't escape." Hope announced smugly as she watched Voldemort try to flee. "Your barrier spells were always more impressive than mine."

Lizzie scoffed. "Of course they are! Can yours contain a Gargoyle?" Lizzie taunted the Tribrid who rolled her eyes.

"Oh my God, are you ever going to let that go?" Hope groaned.

"Nope." The blonde Siphoner quickly replied as she took Hope hand in her own and took Freya's in her other. "Time to thin the herd."

Hope and Freya smirked as Freya embedded the Staff of Merlin in the ground for a moment to perform a spell from their world. Both of the Mikaelson women held their free hand and all three girls chanted, "Me ne de qual suurentaa!"

The Mikaelson twisted their wrists and all the Death Eaters in the last 5 rows died suddenly as all that could be heard was an echoing snap of bones as necks were forced to the side violently as they quickly died without pain.

Everyone on both sides turned to face the 3 dimensional travellers with wide eyes.

"Been waiting awhile to do that have you?" Daphne chuckled in amusement.

Hope gave her Mate a near identical smirk to one that her father had used in the past when he was finally able to let go and be himself. "You have no idea love."