The Sorting Ceremony went by as it did every year, and Astoria was placed into Slytherin. Now it was time for Dumbledore's speech. He first welcomed the new students and continued.
"As you will all be aware, after their search of the train, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." He said it while concealing his anger.
Aaric and the group had noticed the Dementors, but this time they didn't come near them, as Aaric had told Chaya to keep them away.
"And Professor Lockhart will not be continuing his teachings as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor." He paused briefly. Lockhart was dead, killed by a dark wizard who had taken revenge for one of his pet vampires. Lockhart had not actually killed the creature, only taken credit for it, but the wizard had not cared about the distinction.
"On a happier note, we will be welcoming our new teachers. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. And second, our very own Rubeus Hagrid, who will be taking on the post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
The students cheered at that, most of all Harry's group and Aaric's.
As the feast went on, Luna kept glancing at Daphne with worry. Aaric noticed but only smiled, leaning close to whisper in her ear, "I'll take care of it." Luna nodded and happily returned to eating.
The next day, Aaric was in Dumbledore's office, asking for permission to keep Chaya with him. She had shrunken her size and usually stayed hidden in Aaric's sleeve, but he still wanted official approval.
Dumbledore smiled at him. "You… are truly extraordinary, my boy. I grant you permission. I have heard of a sanctum in Nepal that is said to have the favor of the spirits of the world. Most wizards think of them as myth, but if possible, I would be thankful if you could open communication between them and Hogwarts."
Aaric just shrugged. "I'll send them a letter. The rest is up to them."
Dumbledore nodded at the response and thanked him.
That evening, Aaric and Daphne were in the Room of Requirement, which had been turned into a ritual chamber. Aaric was drawing a ritual circle, with a moon on one side and a sun on the other.
Chaya emerged from his sleeve and grew to her full size, surprising Daphne, prompting Aaric to explain to her who Chaya truly was.
As he finished the last touches of the circle, Daphne sat off to the side, absently caressing Chaya's head.
"Okay. Stand on the moon, and when I tell you, walk toward the sun," Aaric instructed once everything was ready.
Daphne nodded and obeyed without hesitation. "What will this ritual do?" she asked curiously.
Aaric pointed toward the moon. "This will take the dark magic that was used to curse your bloodline, which is very powerful." Then he pointed at the sun. "And this will turn that curse into a blessing upon your bloodline." He smiled toward Chaya. "And she will help make it happen."
Daphne was surprised but gestured for Aaric to begin. He nodded, and Chaya moved into the ritual circle, channeling her energy into it.
The circle glowed as a dark substance seeped from Daphne and was drawn into the line connecting the moon and the sun. Slowly, the line carried it forward, and Aaric gestured for Daphne to move. She walked across the circle and stepped onto the sun.
As she did, golden energy snaked out and coiled around her body, forming a cocoon. It pulsed steadily as Aaric stood to the side, watching. An idea struck him, and he sprinkled phoenix ashes onto the cocoon before summoning his flame. It infused into the ritual circle, wrapping around the cocoon and feeding its glow.
An hour passed before the flame receded back to Aaric. The cocoon dissolved into Daphne's body, and she opened her eyes, looking first at her hands, then at Aaric, who stood in front of her.
"How was it?" he asked.
Daphne smiled with joy. "I feel much better than before… Thank you, Aaric." She stumbled over the words, searching for more to say, but in the end settled on the simplest truth — gratitude.
In the following days, Aaric and Daphne often returned to the Room of Requirement to test the gains she had received from the ritual. Daphne was noticeably stronger, both in magical energy and physically. Her wounds healed quickly, her reflexes were sharper, and her overall stamina had increased.
She also excelled in Transfiguration more than ever before, which left Professor McGonagall deeply impressed. Luna, too, was delighted to see Daphne's improvements, and Daphne herself couldn't help but notice Luna's happiness for her.
Meanwhile, Harry was growing gloomier as the weeks passed. The constant presence of the Dementors around the school weighed heavily on him. To clear his head, he decided to take Pyra into the Forbidden Forest and visit Norberta.
As they went deeper into the forest, the air grew colder, shadows seeming to coil unnaturally around Harry. Pyra growled low, her gaze fixed ahead, and Harry saw it — a Dementor floating silently toward them.
It hovered in front of him, the temperature dropping with each passing second, making Harry shiver. He instinctively took a step back, raising his wand in one hand while his left hand tightened as Pyra moved protectively in front of him. Her body radiated heat, a small comfort against the unnatural chill.
The Dementor glided closer before suddenly lunging. Pyra responded instantly, spewing fire at it. Harry followed up with a Bombarda, but the spell passed uselessly through its cloaked form. His vision dimmed, a heavy despair pressing down on him, and then he felt it — a second presence behind him.
Another Dementor had crept up and was already drawing at his soul. Pyra's flames forced the first one back slightly, but Harry stumbled and fell to the ground.
Desperate, he thrust his left hand forward. Fire burst from his palm, striking the Dementor's face. Gritting his teeth, Harry poured more strength into the flames, which began to glow brighter, silver particles dancing within them.
The Dementor shrieked, its body burning away under the strange light. Pyra's flames mirrored the change, silver sparks flickering through them as her own target was consumed in the same way.
Harry staggered back to his feet, still channeling fire from his hand. Both Dementors writhed but couldn't move, and in moments they were reduced to nothing. All that remained were two small, dark crystals on the ground.
Breathing heavily, Harry collected the crystals and then slumped down, holding Pyra close. He let out a shaky breath just as a shrill cry echoed through the forest — three more Dementors were gliding toward him at speed.
Before they reached him, a thunderous roar shook the trees. Norberta swooped down, landing heavily in front of Harry and Pyra. Now massive in size, as large as a blue whale, she spread her wings wide and bellowed at the Dementors.
The dark creatures faltered, shrieking in return, but under her towering presence they hesitated. With one final roar, Norberta forced them back. Intimidated, the Dementors turned and fled into the forest's depths.
A/n: Do it, give me power stones.