Hello everyone after such a long time. I haven't forgotten about this story. I have been really busy these past few months, had some free time so I wrote another chapter.
When will the next chapter arrive, in a week, a month, I don't know, depends on if I get some time to write it. But it will surely come. Again thanks for reading!!
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"So how are you feeling now" Aurora asks me.
"I'm back to a 100 percent" I reply.
"That's good, I didn't want to loose my friend with benefits after only one night" she sultrily smiles at me.
"You won't get rid of me that easily" I smile as I move closer to catch her lips in a searing kiss.
We are taking a walk beside the lake, far away from the castle where students probably won't see us.
My hand moves to cup her shapely rear as she inserts her tounge in my mouth.
I smile as our lips detach from each other. "You are so sexy" I say to her as I look into her eyes. She blushes and her eyes look towards the ground. We stay like that for a few moments before she looks back up.
"What are we?" She asks.
"Friends with benefits like you said" I reply with a questioning look.
"I know we moved quite fast and everything but...."
"Look Aurora, my life is quite complicated right now, I have just recently returned to the wizarding world, new job and everything. I don't want to get into any kind of relationship for at least a year. I know I'm asking for quite a lot but for the time being I like what we have, nothing more"
I fondle her ass through her robes "and nothing less"
She seems contemplative for a few moments before nodding at me with an unsure expression.
I start kissing her again, to take her mind of these thoughts.
This is the problem with these kinds of relationships, you have to take into account a hundred other things. I prefer what I have with my students over this.
0000
It's the start of a new week, the one where the international students will arrive at hogwarts. I have started taking classes again and everything is back to normal.
It turns out that the attack outside hogsmeade was not related to Voldemort but one of the numerous other enemies dumbledore had made in his long life. Nor was it the first time that someone from the order had lost their lives to one of his enemies.
Sirius was quite vocal about his thoughts on this incident, making even the members of the order question dumbledores decisions.
Since his life was on a timer, he had accelerated all of his plans and not all of them were working out perfectly. Well the more his reputation falls the better it makes me feel.
As my 1st year class walks out of the DADA classroom, I move to my office and sit on my seat. It's charmed with the best spells I could find to make it comfortable. It's one of my rare free periods and thankfully for the first time I don't have anything else to do.
Deciding to take a nice power nap I put my head on my office desk, closing my eyes.
After a few minutes I hear a soft tapping noise and open my eyes to spot a regal looking white owl outside my window.
Sighing, I get up and open the window to let the owl in, who settles on my table. Taking a seat, I retrieve the scroll from his leg.
Petting the owl as it plunders my stash of dried turkey bacon, I contemplate who this letter could be from. I wasn't expecting any and I don't recognise the sigil on the wax seal.
The one thing that is obvious is that whomever sent this is rich, very rich indeed. The scroll in my hand has the best quality of paper I have seen both Muggle and magical. The seal which is a Chinese dragon coiled around an egg has bits of gold in it. The owl also has quite a bit of gold and jade jewellery on its legs and neck, which I can tell just by their feel that they are some kind of magical artifact, not strong ones but still the fact that they dress up their messenger birds in enchanted jewellery speaks of their wealth.
Opening the letter, it is written in Chinese of all languages. Quickly translating the letter with a spell on an empty piece of paper, I start reading it.
*To the Honorable Wizard Peter Pettigrew,*
We hope this missive finds you in good health and spirits. For centuries, the balance between the arcane and the mundane has been maintained through the careful stewardship of those who understand the delicate threads that bind our world. You, esteemed wizard, have demonstrated a mastery of the mystical arts that has not gone unnoticed by our council.
We are the Council of the Hidden Path, an ancient order committed to preserving the ancient secrets of magic and ensuring they are wielded with wisdom and care. It is with great reverence that we extend to you an invitation to join our most sacred circle.
On the night of the next full moon, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, we ask that you meet us at the crossroads where the ancient oak stands, deep within the Whispering Forest. The hour of our gathering will be midnight. A single lantern, lit with violet flame, will guide your steps to our enclave. Speak the words of the old tongue as you approach, and the way will open to you.
Your presence is not merely requested, but necessary. A matter of grave importance concerning the very fabric of our world requires your insight and power. We cannot say more in this letter, as the forces we contend with have eyes and ears in places we dare not imagine.
Should you choose to accept this summons, the path ahead will be fraught with challenges, but the rewards will be beyond anything the material world can offer. Your decision will not be taken lightly, nor will it be forgotten.
We await your arrival with anticipation and caution, for the time of the Hidden Path's true purpose draws near.
In the shadows we walk,
*The Council of the Hidden Path*
Ok what the fuck is this, it's the first time I'm hearing of this council of hidden path. What old language are they talking about. What old oak tree and the whispering forest, what is that, there are numerous whispering forests in the world, which one do they expect me to go to.
After having it's fill of my snacks, the owl takes off. This letter is 100% someone trying to pull my leg. I put the letter inside one of the drawers on the table and put it out of my mind. The council of hidden path can reach me with other non mysterious ways if the want to, if they are real.
With that I put my head down and try going to sleep again. Only for a few seconds as the clock in my office chimes, signalling the start of my next class. Bloody hell.
0000
"It was Snape 100%" Seamus says while chomping down on a large piece of meat.
"Look if Snape wanted to go after professor Pettigrew, he would use potions as they are his speciality, besides I don't think that old bat has a loving bone in his body, he wasn't the one who attacked professor Pettigrew" Dean fires back.
"Look I'm telling you mate, last year I saw Snape ogling professor sinistra, he's jealous she is going out with professor Pettigrew so he attacked him, that's my story and I'm sticking with it." Seamus says with finality.
"Look at these morons, it was obviously a vampire who attacked professor Peter, he valiantly fought him off as it was going to enter the school" Lavender brown chimes in with her theory.
The gryffindor's like the other three houses in the great hall are discussing what caused the injuries to their DADA professor, even a whole week after the incident the gossip still carries on.
"That is even more stupid than Seamus's Snape being jealous story" Dean says to Lavender with a scoff.
"Yeah what do you think happened then" Lavender challenges him.
"It was obviously one of the death eaters he caught at the quidditch world cup trying to take revenge" dean says with confidence.
"That obviously can't be it, he fought off a dozen of them at the same time without any injuries, how could one of them injure him so much" Hermione inserts herself into the argument.
"Ahem" a voice comes from the side as all the 4th year gryffindor's eyes move there.
There stands Professor Pettigrew, looking at them with a small smirk.
"It warms my heart that you guys care enough about me to gossip but it's time to move outside, The other schools are about to arrive." He says to the gathered students.
The students get up with mixed responses ranging from blushing red, to stammering an apology.
"Please tidy up and spread the message" the professor says as he walks off to inform the other students.
"You think he heard what we said" lavender asks.
"He definitely heard what Hermione said" Ron says as he smirks at Hermione who is blushing red.
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As all of Hogwarts students and faculty stand outside the castle to welcome the foreign schools, I can't help but think about the magical schools in this world.
Obviously there are the 3 in Europe. Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Then there is llvermorny in USA and Castelobruxo in Brazil or more specifically the Amazon rain forest.
There's Koldovstoretz in Russia, then there's the Mahoutokoro school in Japan and Uagadou in Uganda.
That's only eight international schools on earth.
There are no doubt other schools but they are highly secretive and invite only. While you can apply to study in the 8 international schools.
The wizarding world is really isolationist. There's the ICW, but even that only has jurisdiction in some countries. Places like China, India and the middle east have no central government, instead they consist of clans which are either always at war or are cut off from the world by their own choice.
Hmm maybe one day I'll visit these places by myself, after Voldemort is taken care of obviously.
The students are getting restless waiting around for the other schools but glares from McGonagall and Snape are enough to keep them standing still for now.
Soon a gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, the students started muttering among themselves as they saw a gigantic, powder- blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.
The front hree rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.
Hmm that's an animal I have never heard about.
The door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars). As it opened a boy in Pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps.
He sprang back respectfully. Then a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerged from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled followed.
Then outcame the largest woman I have ever seen in my life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. This woman was even larger than Hagrid, not in girth but surely in height. Yet somehow maybe simply because I was used to Hagrid this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large.
As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose.
Dumbledore started to clap and the faculty and students followed. She walked up to Dumbledore and started talking but my attention had been focused completely upon one of the students.
A dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. They were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.
Among them was Fleur Delacour, this is not my first time seeing a part veela. Before I got into this body, the old Peter visited a brothel in France where he paid to render services from a part veela. That was not a good experience for him, so he really hates any and all magical races. But I'm different, truthfully I have never seen a more beautiful woman than her.
Even from so far away I can feel the magic rolling off of her unconsciously, drawing the gazes of men and boys alike.
Reining my mental shields in I am easily able to ignore the charm but even besides that she is quite beautiful.
Raising my wand I cast a warning charm over the area where the students from Beauxbaton are standing. With the sudden increase in temperature and the dimming of winds they are much more comfortable now.
Some of them give me appreciative looks, which I nod back to.
Soon a large ship breaks the the surface of the lake and docks near the castle.
People were disembarking; I could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, I saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur.
But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.
"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope.
"How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"
"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.
My eyes narrow as I look at him, he is a former death eater, even though he doesn't know about me, I should be careful around him and since I caught Barty crouch jr. and am the DADA teacher myself, Voldemort would send someone else to school. Right now my number 1 guess is him.
"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow and his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good. Viktor, come along, into the warmth you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold" Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students.
As the the boy separated from the other students, I could hear the loud whisper of Ron carrying over the students.
"Harry.... It's Krum!!"
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