A tiny island in the North Sea. A fortress three times it's size sat easily upon it. The fortress had high thick greyish-blue walls and it radiated intense cold. There were statues of fierce gargoyles on the spires and if you watched carefully you could see their eyes slowly roaming back and forth over the property.
The most frightful things here were the floating wraiths called dementors. They could drain all the happiness from a person simply by being near them. They were the guards here at the Prison of Azkaban.
A small portal opened up on the northern end of the keep housing prisoners. A door opened and a large black dog walked stealthily forward. It was cautious but it knew all was clear. It knew because it was being guided. It went straight to the portal, the Dementors on the walls and within the keep never noticing a dog.
He made it out with ease. Looked at the portal and smiled a wide doggy smile just as he leaped into the portal without a single sound.
Hazel sat quietly, waiting. She was the only one here tonight. Harry had to go back to their aunt and uncle, Ron was on vacation and Hermione was also doing things with her family. Evervine and Marcel were both studying for exams that Hazel had been exempt from.
A portal opened and the large black dog landed not too far from her. She smiled. "All went well I see. I am sorry Harry is not here. He is always depressed when he first goes back to that house. I hope you can find a way for him to live with you."
The large dog looked to her. And she smiled because she recognized the love in his eyes but she also saw the determination. "You are sure you don't want me to help you?"
He growled and she pursed her lips. "Okay, okay." She pulled out a backpack and place it above the dog. The straps reached out and wrapped around the dog and fit him as if it was made for him.
"Everything you asked for. The backpack is a Shareless 6000. It has an unlimited capacity but can only hold two living things. It will shrink or enlarge to always fit you and it will only open for you unless you tell it otherwise."
The dog nodded. She hugged the dog tightly and gently rubbed its fur.
"You know how to contact me if you need me." He let out a short yip and she put a collar of jewels around his neck.
I made two of these for you. The other is in the backpack. I'll do the first one for you but each time you travel on your own a gem will crack and dull. You have fourteen on each collar. And the collar will adjust size for you as well."
The dog nuzzled her and she smiled broadly. A deep green portal opened. Here you go. The exact coordinates. He yipped again. Looked at her for a long moment and then bounded through the portal. Hazel exhaled. She had put wards, protection charms, and charms to call her if he was in trouble.
She knew why he hadn't taken on his human form and she felt the anger roll over her. She knew he knew who the rat was but he did not want to tell her.
She exhaled deeply again.
Now she needed to talk to Harry.
Rosa~~~
Rosa sat in a dark room, anger etched deep into her face. She could tell that Michael was breaking free from her. He could now lie and stall. And she was incensed about it. Rosa had been quiet all this time because she had truly hurt her family with her behavior. Her father was no longer an elder and her mother had lost many of her privileges.
She had been assured that her measures taken would succeed so she felt there was a reason. She felt Michael was the reason.
She never thought about reading or divining Hazel she had already put her family into enough problems. Her father was trying to rectify things but it was a slow and difficult process. So no. She knew that was never a possibility. So now she wanted to see if Michael had betrayed her, and if so how deep was the betrayal? Would she be able to forgive him?
She watched as the main family seer, her grandmother, looked through a set of ancient cards. They were very similar to the tarot but they didn't have pictures they only had runes. There were thirty-six cards in the deck and they were usually all black, red, or white.
The cards were:
Truth
Lie
Judge
Known
Unknown
Belief
Doubt
Hope
Lost
Win
Royal love
Love
Life
Royal life
Purity
Corrupted
Horse
The Knight
The donkey
The noose
Black lake
Blue lake
Tree of life
The fruit
Life in death
The broken road
Mountain road
The black mountain
The red mountain
The husband
The wife
Serpent
Lion
Jackal
The rose bud
The blooming lily
Her grandmother was scrutinizing the hand dealt for the question given. Rosa frowned when she saw her grandmother frown. The older woman looked up at her, anger etched deeply into her face.
"Someone protects this boy you ask about. Have you not caused enough trouble for your family? No one is powerful enough to block me except the fatetress! I have felt and seen her power."
She was raking up the cards quickly, not wanting Rosa to see them. She spoke quickly not giving Rosa a chance to rebut.
She only got a glimpse of two cards and she understood why her grandmother became incensed. They were the Blue Lake and the Life in Death cards. Those two cards were not supposed to be dealt together and if they were it was a nasty end with an interesting reincarnation. The other cards probably told her grandmother more.
She sighed. Now her grandmother would be mad at her as well. She thought about the Ashtan cards she saw. She had made herself a pack but they were not consistent which meant her talent was not up to par yet.
Suddenly she felt very frustrated and it was all Hazel's fault. She could not take her frustrations out on her but she did have someone. She smiled broadly. Tonight she would finally find some calm.
Hazel~~
Hazel felt a few things at once. Harry was distressed but he had not called to her. Michael was in danger, and a powerful diviner tried to read her. The Ashtan cards still fresh in her mind. Caressing her, begging her to take them for her own. She narrowed her eyes.
She trusted Harry so she spoke to Marcel first. She promised Michael that she would never actively seek him out. He felt Rosa would know instantly. That was why she put a soul protection incantation on him. But she had not told him what type just that it was protection.
That done she looked for her brother.
Harry was on the night bus and he was feeling as though he may vomit when it abruptly stopped.
"Aaahh. If it isn't little Miss McGonagall. Why are you not at school?"
"I am at school Stan. Is my brother on here?"
Stan's eyes widened as he looked at the driver. "I told you that was Harry Potter."
Hazel simply nodded and entered the bus. As the bus shot forward she kept perfect balance. When she finally got to Harry she shook her head.
"What happened?! Wait. This is your first time on the bus. The upper levels will be easier on you." As Hazel began ushering Harry up she looked back and spoke at a normal volume. "Stan. Diagon Alley."
"Of course. We know. We know."
Harry sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. Hazel was right the motion seemed more subdued here. He looked at his sister and smiled. But she just looked at him as if she waited for him to explain. He sighed.
"Aunt Marge."
Hazel frowned. "We have an Aunt Marge?"
"By marriage."
"And you are worried that you will be punished this time?" Harry nodded. Hazel returned the nod. "I wouldn't be. They are probably too worried about that Sirius Black escaping."
Harry nodded again, a bit unsure this time. He knew his sister had helped Sirius Black to escape and that he was his godfather but he was not as certain as she was that he had not betrayed their parents.
He sat in silence hoping his sister was not putting herself in danger.
Rosa~~
This was her favorite room because it was hers. It obeyed her and the stronger she got the stronger it got. It was a special ability given to her because her succubus ancestry unlocked within her. It was a solemn room. In this room she controlled every thing and if you entered she could control you. She could make you feel, do, believe, and want whatever she desired of you once you entered. Of course she could not do this with those stronger than her. So she still really couldn't completely control Michael but she got pretty close.
It was hard to get him here today and she was upset about that. She knew his family and suddenly called him home but she didn't care she wanted this. She needed it.
She looked at him strapped to, what she liked to call her table of truth. She had asked him a lot and she could tell that he lied about a lot. He was truly breaking free of her.
She did not like that.
She looked at the two half dead subordinates waiting at the table. They would soon be dead so she was going to use them for this. If someone was hurt very badly or even killed magic was used to find the perpetrator. If these two did everything for her they would be seen as the perpetrators and she would be in the clear.
She didn't consider that they were her pawns and everyone knew that they only did what she told them.
Michael whimpered and she closed her eyes with a smile then he made a horrible gasp. She frowned and her eyes shot open. Her mouth fell open and she slowly walked to the table. There was far too much blood and no Michael.
She looked at the two who had been torturing him and pursed her lips. She would not be able to get anything from these brain dead fools.
At the same moment a tall woman with long straight black hair sobbed uncontrollably. Marcel was among the family there standing vigil.
His aunt was sobbing because she was pouring healing magic into Michael and nothing was helping. It was just as Rachel had said. Nothing they tried could save Michael.
The entire family stood there and watched him bleed out.