Fable of the Lightning Struck Hero Chapter 5:

Chapter 5:

Title Pending

-

Lily, Victoria and Teddy wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hong Kong. They were ostensibly looking for a place to stay, a motel perhaps, for their time in this city. A place to at least shower and rest before confronting the task at hand after their long journey through the wilderness and sewers.

The city was truly bustling, like no place Lily had seen before. There were more people in her line of sight at this moment than the sum total of people she’d seen in all her life combined. The streets were packed so tightly with people that they walked shoulder to shoulder, moving like beads in a morocco, sliding off one another as they meandered in the general direction of their destination.

She got a few weird looks, probably from the way she was smiling like an idiot and staring at everyone who walked past her like a toddler seeing a disabled person.

In her defense, all she had known was war-torn and poverty-stricken desert towns that seldom exceeded a few thousand people in population.

There were electronics shops with devices she’d never seen or heard of, restaurants with smells wafting from them that were wholly alien to her pallet, and so many flashing lights. A place named “Gandalf’s Arcade” had the most flashing lights and intriguing sounds of all, with many machines inside that resembled phone booths with screens and toy guns, or steering wheels, or mock motorcycles and more.

“I think my mother can wait. I have to see what’s going on in there.” Lily told the others.

She managed to take one step towards it before she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

“Skipping class for the arcade, are we?” Came a dulcet voice from the owner of the hand.

She turned, ready to inflict great violence on whoever just touched her, only to blink in surprise. The person touching her was the most beautiful, Africana man she had ever seen in her life. His appearance combined with his voice made her suddenly less bothered by the physical contact. A lot a less bothered.

“Three students taking a leap day, and they thought we wouldn’t notice because they’re out of uniform.” A much larger, and less attractive, man greeted them as he walked up from being Ted and Victoria.

He carried a large club, one with metal stubs. He seemed to be going for the troll look and he was nailing it.

“Indeed. And we can’t have them missing their practicals today. If you three would come with us, we shall escort you back to the academy.” The gorgeous one invited.

She shared a look with Teddy and Victoria.

Academy? As in school? As in a place filled with other people their own age? That would be a first for all of them, Lily moreso than the others. That both men were of British stock based on their accents, meant they were definitely from the one they were after anyways.

“Lead the way, gentleman.” Lily said.

Both men raised an eyebrow at her cheerful tone but did as requested.

The large man with the club escorted them from behind while the handsome one, who she totally wasn’t crushing on, led from the front.

Down the main street they went until hanging a left and arriving at a tram station. It was a rundown station at that, with only a bit of steel shingles held up by poles that would normally be too weak to hold their weight, save by magic.

The black man pressed a button, and the tram appeared with a bang. It looked a great deal like a double decker bus that had sex with a train card. The purple color was just garish.

A scrawny man whose name tag declared him to be Stan Shunpike exited through the sliding door. He was notably missing his left arm. This put them all on edge, as that was the sign of somebody being a former Death Eater.

“Where will it be Officers Crabbe and Zabini?” Shunpike asked.

“To Chang academy, if you would be so kind.” The one she assumed was Zabini answered.

“Right this way truancy officers and truants. We’ll be there in a split second.” Shunpike told them.

He re-entered the vehicle and motioned them through. Zabini walked past him and Lily followed soon after, but stopped after peering into the cordoned off driver’s seat. A little girl, not older than six, sat there napping against the wheel.

The others pushed her forward as Officer Crabbe rushed them along, though each managed to sneak a concerned look into the drivers booth.

In place of seats all of the one cart tram was covered in beds. Big, comfortable-looking beds on wheels that were secured on nothing.

They each took their seats on one bed or another, Victoria and Teddy sitting on the same one. Always showing off their relationship those two, they just loved to rub her own solitary state into her face.

“Take it away Ernette!” Stan told the little girl in the drivers seat.

He knocked on the glass and she sat bolt up right, jolted from her nap.

“Taking it away!” The little girl hollered.

Her voice was adorable, and Lily would surely have fawned over the child, was she not in that moment flung forward with the force of several Gs. She slammed against the reinforced glass of the drivers booth, only to then be flung backwards to the very back of the tram. There she remained for the remainder of the trip.

The swirling lights and shapes of the city as they flew past it all. Their trip only took a few moments, but felt like hours to Lily. Everyone else didn’t so much as look her way sympathetically, let alone help her. Finally, they stopped, and were promptly thrown out of the tram.

Crabbe and Zabini did not exit the tram, remaining on it as it boomed away, leaving the trio of teenagers standing beneath an underpass that stood over the tram rail.

They turned around and gazed upon what could only be the academy.

It was a horrific, brutalist structure. It more resembled an airport tower than a building, with a tower on top of a rectangular bottom connected by an uncomfortably thin cylindrical structure. The building ti the right of it looked like a three dimensional illusion. A penrose triangle that somebody tried to build in real life.

They approached and the former building the large, concrete sign in front of it.

Chang Academy:

Formerly The People Liberation Army Hong Kong Building, Tamar Park, Culture Plaza, Government office, Chief Executive office, Hong Kong City Hall, City Gallery and City Hall Public Library.

How big was this place anyways?

That question would have to wait for later, as the guards at the front entrance noticed them and approached.

“You have missed breakfast and homeroom. Practicals begin in mere minutes. To the armory now.” Said one guard.

He turned heel and walked through the doors. They shrugged and followed him through a main lobby, across a hall, down a flight of stairs and across another hall, this one underground, and arrived in a locker room of sorts.

It was full to the brim of teenagers, each was changing out of their school uniforms and donning fatigues protective gear. None seemed to care about the potential gazes of the opposite sex as they changes, nor did any throw lecherous glances about. Save for Lily, but she caught herself.

The guard turned heel and retreated the way he came, leaving the trio there.

“You three! Come get your gear!” A woman yelled at them from the wall on the right.

Lily approached the voice to find a bullet proof window with an exchange drawer on the bottom.

“You know the drill. Turn in any live ammunition, wands and real knives, to be returned to you after the exam.” The armorer behind the plate glass ordered. “Write down your clothing sizes on the card, round size for your personal firearm and you will be assigned a locker.”

The drawer opened to have a stack of cards and tiny pencils. Lily, Victoria and Teddy all took one of each and filled in the information on it. The cards were pretty self explanatory, that the woman had to repeat these instructions to every person explained her bored and dejected tone if nothing else. Name, date, sizes for all of her clothes, 5.56 rounds for her AK, so on and so forth.

She placed the slip of paper and pencil, along with the personal belongings listed, and closed the slide. She watched the nice lady on the other side put them all into a back and fill a second bag with what seemed to be identical objects. She then put them back into the compartment and closed her slide.

Lily took both bags, the one with her belongings now having a tag with the number 88 and a key.

“Put your belongings in your locker, change, and get ready.” Said the woman.

Lily thanked her and went on her way. She found locker eighty eight between two girls, both Asian with perfect black hair, unlike hers. She opened her locker, put her things inside, and ripped her new bag open. She changed into her fatigues as quickly as she could manage, hating being exposed with her plain, skin colored bra and briefs and not much else to look at.

She normally wouldn’t give much thought to her boyish underthings, but the two girls next to her had rather… lacy undergarments of their own. And similarly lacy stockings. And whatever those belts with clips that held said stockings up with were called. You’d think the practical was a burlesque show.

She finished changing, and put her crumpled up clothed into the bag containing her life rounds and combat knife. Throwing said bag into here locker, remembering to pocket the key, she then went over what else was given to her. A single magazine of rubber bullets and a rubber knife with marker tips for the blade and rounds. Nice.

She loaded up and sheathed the knife before tossing the empty bag into her locker and locking it up.

She was one of the last to finish the prep work and by now the crowd of teenagers was on the move, rushing her forward like a tidal wave. Together they all meandered into the next room.

“Exchange wands for dummies here!” Said a woman in the next room.

Lily saw five women at a table, one covered in wands. Dummy wands. What the hell was the point of that?

“Reminder that these wands substitute painting charms and stinging hexes for all spells, but only recognizes the standard stunner, piercers, bludgeoners, cutters. Knockback jinxes and disarming charms are the only spells that works normally, but use them with caution.” A woman on the right read off of a list.

Ah. So that was the point. The rubber bullets, beyond hurting, left a paint mark as did the knife. So all of the normal combat spells would do the same. It was a paintball battle! Lily always wanted to try one of those instead of the real battles with real bullets and real curses she was used to.

Still. The prospect of handing over her wand didn’t sit well with her. But it looked to be unavoidable.

When she finally reached the table it was to be handed a sealed box with a thumb print reader. She placed hero wn wand in the box, locked it, and placed her thumb on the tab. It was also marked 88. Just like the tag on her locker key in her breast pocket. Couldn’t be simpler.

In the final room they were given helmets and pads, and also searched by a troop of guards.

“Accio brass. Accio lead. Accio uranium. Accio Steel. Accio poison. Accio blade. Accio needle. Accio syringe.” They cast like clockwork.

Only then did she examine her fatigues and realize all of the buttons and zippers were plastic, so as to avoid being caught by the summoning charms. She removed her magazine to examine the casing of the topmost rubber bullet. Yup. Plastic. Hopefully a type that was somewhat heat resistant.

“Alright! Draw lots to determine which side you’re on! Offense, defense, support or recon.” One of the guards who checked them told them.

He presented a big box with a hole on the top for drawing lots and the students rushed forth to pick out pieces of paper.

Offense and defense were pretty self explanatory. But support and recon sounded like something she’d need explained to her. So yeah, she was hoping for offense or defense.

Lo and behold, she drew offense. The tag she drew gave deatails.

“You are to charge across no man’s land and capture the hill.” It said.

Couldn’t be simpler. She liked that.

-

Cedric Scott marched up the final flight of stairs to the headmistress’ office.

He was fuming all the while, at having to miss practical day. The best day of the school year. Most in his position would be more terrified at having to meet with Headmistress Chang, but his anger and disappointment outweighed any such fears.

Imagine his surprise when, upon entering the office, he received a headbutt to the crotch from his little brother, Evan, who rushed forth to hug him as soon as he entered. Amelia was there too, along with his father. For a moment he actually missed the severity of the situation, he was so happy to see them all.

Then he noted his mother’s absence and knew this wasn’t a social call.

“You may want to sit down for this, mister Scott.” The Headmistress invited.

He looked to the woman and her deputy, Madame Li, and nodded. Both were intimidating women in their own way. With Chang dressed in a business suit and Li in a perfect, white kimono with green water sprite inlays on it.

He walked over to the couch with Evan where he sat with Amelia and his father. They were all utterly silent and held broken expressions on their faces.

“New Zealand is gone.” Headmistress Chang told him.

Cedric could only stare at her.

“What do you mean gone? A country can’t just be… gone.” He said.

“The dark lord attacked it this morning with the sum totality of his forces. Not a single blade of grass is left stand. Not a single stone unbroken. Not even ass remains on the irradiated landscape he left in his wake.” Chang explained.

“But… Mom?”

“She stayed back to hold him off.” His father said. “I don’t know if she’s alive or not.”

“Hold who off?” Cedric asked.

“The dark lord.” His father said. “He was there. At our house. Looking for her.”

Cedric was already sitting down and yet still felt his feet go out from underneath him all the same. This was all too much to take in at once. He couldn’t comprehend the news. His entire nation, gone? Not just their home, all of their worldly posessions, that beautiful hill and the view across the mountain-scapes. Everything. Gone.

“Wait, why would he care about my mother? Or even know of her?” He asked.

“Because she was one of our classmates, back when all three of us attended Hogwarts.” Chang told him. “Unlike me, she was in his year, and had classes with him multiple times a week.”

“But, Mom’s a Muggle?” He pleaded.

His father actually snorted at that.

“No. She is decidedly not.” His father said. “But she is missing, possibly in his hands.”

“Not necessarily.” Chang told them. “She could very well have escaped. If what you reported is true, I am willing to bet the dark lord would have given her every avenue and opportunity to so in order to avoid her full wrath. But she is mortally wounded from the effects of sacrifical magic, and may be losing her mind as we speak. Even if she has the desire to meet us all here, she may not have the mental faculties to do so.”

That was both comforting and not at the same time. He was starting to understand why people hated Headmistress Chang.

“That does not mean we have no hope. Is there any plkace she may go to subconsciously. A place of emotional or spiritual significance to here? It would be in Australia, or maybe Indonesia and New Guinea?” Chang invited.

His father sat upright, understanding on his face.

“Our honeymoon was on Yogyakarta!” He said.

Chang turned to her deputy headmistress.

“Sue.” She said.

“As you command, headmistress.” Madame Li said, bowing.

“Take Professor Orion with you.” Chang ordered just as the other woman disapparated.

The room went silent after she left. Everyone, save Chang, looking as shell shocked as Cedric felt.

“You are excused from all school work for one week. Rest. Recuperate. Be with your family. We have prepared private quarters for all of you to have to yourselves. If you need anything, and I mean anything, let us know.” Chang told them.

They nodded dumbly, but her words didn’t sink in. They did eventually register and so Cedric and His father coaxed Amelia and Evan up and they all lumbered out of the office like zombies.

-

And now we have the fourth member of Lily’s party. Next chapter will be the mock war of the students and then have everyone settle into their new lives.Fable of the Lightning Struck Hero

Chapter 5:

-

Lily, Victoria and Teddy wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hong Kong. They were ostensibly looking for a place to stay, a motel perhaps, for their time in this city. A place to at least shower and rest before confronting the task at hand after their long journey through the wilderness and sewers.

The city was truly bustling, like no place Lily had seen before. There were more people in her line of sight at this moment than the sum total of people she’d seen in all her life combined. The streets were packed so tightly with people that they walked shoulder to shoulder, moving like beads in a morocco, sliding off one another as they meandered in the general direction of their destination.

She got a few weird looks, probably from the way she was smiling like an idiot and staring at everyone who walked past her like a toddler seeing a disabled person.

In her defense, all she had known was war-torn and poverty-stricken desert towns that seldom exceeded a few thousand people in population.

There were electronics shops with devices she’d never seen or heard of, restaurants with smells wafting from them that were wholly alien to her pallet, and so many flashing lights. A place named “Gandalf’s Arcade” had the most flashing lights and intriguing sounds of all, with many machines inside that resembled phone booths with screens and toy guns, or steering wheels, or mock motorcycles and more.

“I think my mother can wait. I have to see what’s going on in there.” Lily told the others.

She managed to take one step towards it before she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

“Skipping class for the arcade, are we?” Came a dulcet voice from the owner of the hand.

She turned, ready to inflict great violence on whoever just touched her, only to blink in surprise. The person touching her was the most beautiful, Africana man she had ever seen in her life. His appearance combined with his voice made her suddenly less bothered by the physical contact. A lot a less bothered.

“Three students taking a leap day, and they thought we wouldn’t notice because they’re out of uniform.” A much larger, and less attractive, man greeted them as he walked up from being Ted and Victoria.

He carried a large club, one with metal stubs. He seemed to be going for the troll look and he was nailing it.

“Indeed. And we can’t have them missing their practicals today. If you three would come with us, we shall escort you back to the academy.” The gorgeous one invited.

She shared a look with Teddy and Victoria.

Academy? As in school? As in a place filled with other people their own age? That would be a first for all of them, Lily moreso than the others. That both men were of British stock based on their accents, meant they were definitely from the one they were after anyways.

“Lead the way, gentleman.” Lily said.

Both men raised an eyebrow at her cheerful tone but did as requested.

The large man with the club escorted them from behind while the handsome one, who she totally wasn’t crushing on, led from the front.

Down the main street they went until hanging a left and arriving at a tram station. It was a rundown station at that, with only a bit of steel shingles held up by poles that would normally be too weak to hold their weight, save by magic.

The black man pressed a button, and the tram appeared with a bang. It looked a great deal like a double decker bus that had sex with a train card. The purple color was just garish.

A scrawny man whose name tag declared him to be Stan Shunpike exited through the sliding door. He was notably missing his left arm. This put them all on edge, as that was the sign of somebody being a former Death Eater.

“Where will it be Officers Crabbe and Zabini?” Shunpike asked.

“To Chang academy, if you would be so kind.” The one she assumed was Zabini answered.

“Right this way truancy officers and truants. We’ll be there in a split second.” Shunpike told them.

He re-entered the vehicle and motioned them through. Zabini walked past him and Lily followed soon after, but stopped after peering into the cordoned off driver’s seat. A little girl, not older than six, sat there napping against the wheel.

The others pushed her forward as Officer Crabbe rushed them along, though each managed to sneak a concerned look into the drivers booth.

In place of seats all of the one cart tram was covered in beds. Big, comfortable-looking beds on wheels that were secured on nothing.

They each took their seats on one bed or another, Victoria and Teddy sitting on the same one. Always showing off their relationship those two, they just loved to rub her own solitary state into her face.

“Take it away Ernette!” Stan told the little girl in the drivers seat.

He knocked on the glass and she sat bolt up right, jolted from her nap.

“Taking it away!” The little girl hollered.

Her voice was adorable, and Lily would surely have fawned over the child, was she not in that moment flung forward with the force of several Gs. She slammed against the reinforced glass of the drivers booth, only to then be flung backwards to the very back of the tram. There she remained for the remainder of the trip.

The swirling lights and shapes of the city as they flew past it all. Their trip only took a few moments, but felt like hours to Lily. Everyone else didn’t so much as look her way sympathetically, let alone help her. Finally, they stopped, and were promptly thrown out of the tram.

Crabbe and Zabini did not exit the tram, remaining on it as it boomed away, leaving the trio of teenagers standing beneath an underpass that stood over the tram rail.

They turned around and gazed upon what could only be the academy.

It was a horrific, brutalist structure. It more resembled an airport tower than a building, with a tower on top of a rectangular bottom connected by an uncomfortably thin cylindrical structure. The building ti the right of it looked like a three dimensional illusion. A penrose triangle that somebody tried to build in real life.

They approached and the former building the large, concrete sign in front of it.

Chang Academy:

Formerly The People Liberation Army Hong Kong Building, Tamar Park, Culture Plaza, Government office, Chief Executive office, Hong Kong City Hall, City Gallery and City Hall Public Library.

How big was this place anyways?

That question would have to wait for later, as the guards at the front entrance noticed them and approached.

“You have missed breakfast and homeroom. Practicals begin in mere minutes. To the armory now.” Said one guard.

He turned heel and walked through the doors. They shrugged and followed him through a main lobby, across a hall, down a flight of stairs and across another hall, this one underground, and arrived in a locker room of sorts.

It was full to the brim of teenagers, each was changing out of their school uniforms and donning fatigues protective gear. None seemed to care about the potential gazes of the opposite sex as they changes, nor did any throw lecherous glances about. Save for Lily, but she caught herself.

The guard turned heel and retreated the way he came, leaving the trio there.

“You three! Come get your gear!” A woman yelled at them from the wall on the right.

Lily approached the voice to find a bullet proof window with an exchange drawer on the bottom.

“You know the drill. Turn in any live ammunition, wands and real knives, to be returned to you after the exam.” The armorer behind the plate glass ordered. “Write down your clothing sizes on the card, round size for your personal firearm and you will be assigned a locker.”

The drawer opened to have a stack of cards and tiny pencils. Lily, Victoria and Teddy all took one of each and filled in the information on it. The cards were pretty self explanatory, that the woman had to repeat these instructions to every person explained her bored and dejected tone if nothing else. Name, date, sizes for all of her clothes, 5.56 rounds for her AK, so on and so forth.

She placed the slip of paper and pencil, along with the personal belongings listed, and closed the slide. She watched the nice lady on the other side put them all into a back and fill a second bag with what seemed to be identical objects. She then put them back into the compartment and closed her slide.

Lily took both bags, the one with her belongings now having a tag with the number 88 and a key.

“Put your belongings in your locker, change, and get ready.” Said the woman.

Lily thanked her and went on her way. She found locker eighty eight between two girls, both Asian with perfect black hair, unlike hers. She opened her locker, put her things inside, and ripped her new bag open. She changed into her fatigues as quickly as she could manage, hating being exposed with her plain, skin colored bra and briefs and not much else to look at.

She normally wouldn’t give much thought to her boyish underthings, but the two girls next to her had rather… lacy undergarments of their own. And similarly lacy stockings. And whatever those belts with clips that held said stockings up with were called. You’d think the practical was a burlesque show.

She finished changing, and put her crumpled up clothed into the bag containing her life rounds and combat knife. Throwing said bag into here locker, remembering to pocket the key, she then went over what else was given to her. A single magazine of rubber bullets and a rubber knife with marker tips for the blade and rounds. Nice.

She loaded up and sheathed the knife before tossing the empty bag into her locker and locking it up.

She was one of the last to finish the prep work and by now the crowd of teenagers was on the move, rushing her forward like a tidal wave. Together they all meandered into the next room.

“Exchange wands for dummies here!” Said a woman in the next room.

Lily saw five women at a table, one covered in wands. Dummy wands. What the hell was the point of that?

“Reminder that these wands substitute painting charms and stinging hexes for all spells, but only recognizes the standard stunner, piercers, bludgeoners, cutters. Knockback jinxes and disarming charms are the only spells that works normally, but use them with caution.” A woman on the right read off of a list.

Ah. So that was the point. The rubber bullets, beyond hurting, left a paint mark as did the knife. So all of the normal combat spells would do the same. It was a paintball battle! Lily always wanted to try one of those instead of the real battles with real bullets and real curses she was used to.

Still. The prospect of handing over her wand didn’t sit well with her. But it looked to be unavoidable.

When she finally reached the table it was to be handed a sealed box with a thumb print reader. She placed hero wn wand in the box, locked it, and placed her thumb on the tab. It was also marked 88. Just like the tag on her locker key in her breast pocket. Couldn’t be simpler.

In the final room they were given helmets and pads, and also searched by a troop of guards.

“Accio brass. Accio lead. Accio uranium. Accio Steel. Accio poison. Accio blade. Accio needle. Accio syringe.” They cast like clockwork.

Only then did she examine her fatigues and realize all of the buttons and zippers were plastic, so as to avoid being caught by the summoning charms. She removed her magazine to examine the casing of the topmost rubber bullet. Yup. Plastic. Hopefully a type that was somewhat heat resistant.

“Alright! Draw lots to determine which side you’re on! Offense, defense, support or recon.” One of the guards who checked them told them.

He presented a big box with a hole on the top for drawing lots and the students rushed forth to pick out pieces of paper.

Offense and defense were pretty self explanatory. But support and recon sounded like something she’d need explained to her. So yeah, she was hoping for offense or defense.

Lo and behold, she drew offense. The tag she drew gave deatails.

“You are to charge across no man’s land and capture the hill.” It said.

Couldn’t be simpler. She liked that.

-

Cedric Scott marched up the final flight of stairs to the headmistress’ office.

He was fuming all the while, at having to miss practical day. The best day of the school year. Most in his position would be more terrified at having to meet with Headmistress Chang, but his anger and disappointment outweighed any such fears.

Imagine his surprise when, upon entering the office, he received a headbutt to the crotch from his little brother, Evan, who rushed forth to hug him as soon as he entered. Amelia was there too, along with his father. For a moment he actually missed the severity of the situation, he was so happy to see them all.

Then he noted his mother’s absence and knew this wasn’t a social call.

“You may want to sit down for this, mister Scott.” The Headmistress invited.

He looked to the woman and her deputy, Madame Li, and nodded. Both were intimidating women in their own way. With Chang dressed in a business suit and Li in a perfect, white kimono with green water sprite inlays on it.

He walked over to the couch with Evan where he sat with Amelia and his father. They were all utterly silent and held broken expressions on their faces.

“New Zealand is gone.” Headmistress Chang told him.

Cedric could only stare at her.

“What do you mean gone? A country can’t just be… gone.” He said.

“The dark lord attacked it this morning with the sum totality of his forces. Not a single blade of grass is left stand. Not a single stone unbroken. Not even ass remains on the irradiated landscape he left in his wake.” Chang explained.

“But… Mom?”

“She stayed back to hold him off.” His father said. “I don’t know if she’s alive or not.”

“Hold who off?” Cedric asked.

“The dark lord.” His father said. “He was there. At our house. Looking for her.”

Cedric was already sitting down and yet still felt his feet go out from underneath him all the same. This was all too much to take in at once. He couldn’t comprehend the news. His entire nation, gone? Not just their home, all of their worldly posessions, that beautiful hill and the view across the mountain-scapes. Everything. Gone.

“Wait, why would he care about my mother? Or even know of her?” He asked.

“Because she was one of our classmates, back when all three of us attended Hogwarts.” Chang told him. “Unlike me, she was in his year, and had classes with him multiple times a week.”

“But, Mom’s a Muggle?” He pleaded.

His father actually snorted at that.

“No. She is decidedly not.” His father said. “But she is missing, possibly in his hands.”

“Not necessarily.” Chang told them. “She could very well have escaped. If what you reported is true, I am willing to bet the dark lord would have given her every avenue and opportunity to so in order to avoid her full wrath. But she is mortally wounded from the effects of sacrifical magic, and may be losing her mind as we speak. Even if she has the desire to meet us all here, she may not have the mental faculties to do so.”

That was both comforting and not at the same time. He was starting to understand why people hated Headmistress Chang.

“That does not mean we have no hope. Is there any plkace she may go to subconsciously. A place of emotional or spiritual significance to here? It would be in Australia, or maybe Indonesia and New Guinea?” Chang invited.

His father sat upright, understanding on his face.

“Our honeymoon was on Yogyakarta!” He said.

Chang turned to her deputy headmistress.

“Sue.” She said.

“As you command, headmistress.” Madame Li said, bowing.

“Take Professor Orion with you.” Chang ordered just as the other woman disapparated.

The room went silent after she left. Everyone, save Chang, looking as shell shocked as Cedric felt.

“You are excused from all school work for one week. Rest. Recuperate. Be with your family. We have prepared private quarters for all of you to have to yourselves. If you need anything, and I mean anything, let us know.” Chang told them.

They nodded dumbly, but her words didn’t sink in. They did eventually register and so Cedric and His father coaxed Amelia and Evan up and they all lumbered out of the office like zombies.

-

And now we have the fourth member of Lily’s party. Next chapter will be the mock war of the students and then have everyone settle into their new lives.