Celestial Ascendancy

Celestial Ascendancy.

Chapter 8: Start of a new year.

Elias Blake.

Hogwarts express.

100 CP awarded, 150 in total.

"This is a lot…" murmured Hermione, rooted in her spot, dumbfounded, looking at the remains of the tree.

When the fireball hit its mark, the explosion it generated broke it in two halves, and the fire rapidly moved to consume both of them. To be honest, I haven't practiced with this perk as much as I should have, but in my defense, I was in no place to do it discreetly.

There were only two people in this world I trusted, and those two were in front of me, so it wasn't like I could ask someone to help me with this problem and expect an answer. No, things would be the same as always, through trial and error, but it was in what we excelled at.

Hermione with her wonderful mind, Iris with her courage and daring ideas, and I with my out-of-context knowledge. This was the only advantage I had over anyone this world had to offer. After watching and reading thousands of different shows, stories, or whatever, my imagination was unlike any other. It was one of the reasons I was quite interested in spell creation, I had seen so many attacks or defensive moves that I would love to create as magical spells.

Smiling softly at my best friends, I nodded, "I know it is a lot to take in at once, but there is no one else I trust more than you both, and if I am going to grow with this gift, I will need both of you, like always."

"I know that we should focus on this first, but there is something both of you should know," Iris said with a complicated tone, her smile brittle. She clearly regretted interfering with this.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, looking at her critically to see if something was wrong. I knew the main plot points of how things should go, but I didn't remember everything, and I hated missing information.

"This break… my scar started to hurt once more, and I've been having weird dreams. They appear to be from his point of view, but they seem strange as if he is shorter than everyone else. I even saw Wormtail in those dreams and a couple of people I did not recognize." She admitted shamefully as if it was somehow her fault.

With a thought, I dismissed the flames since they had already consumed everything in their surroundings and focused sharply on Iris. This took me by surprise, but I barely remembered that there was something like that in the movie or book; I was not sure.

From what I remember, the connection between Voldemort and Iris was weak at the moment, thanks to her mother's protection. Now, with the ring I gave her, the risk of Voldemort finding out was negligible.

"Can you tell me what they look like? I don't think we should ignore them." I added softly, "I know it must be hard, Iris, but we will help you in any way we can. If they are really dreams, maybe talking about them will help, but if they are real and there is a connection between both of you, we need to know everything to prepare."

Hermione ran toward Iris and hugged her while I walked toward them. Not long after, we were in the middle of a group hug with Iris in the middle.

"We will be there for you, I promise," Hermione said softly, rubbing Iris's head. "No one will take you away from us, you know that."

"Like she said," I nodded firmly even if she could not see it, "I want to see him try; I will enjoy using my fire to make him burn. We will return all the suffering you have passed through a thousand times over."

"You guys are great," Iris smiled brightly, "And hell yeah, I want to see him groveling at my feet."

"Your inner sadist is showing, Luv," Mione chuckled. "But now that the picture is in my mind, I would pay to see it."

Before going off on a tangent, I reminded them of the important part: "Yes, yes, quite cathartic, I know, but focus. Go on, Iris. What did they look like?"

"Well, there was Wormtail. You know how he looks since we saw him last year," Iris deadpanned.

"Stop being a smartass, I swear." I huffed and retreated from the hug, and Mione did the same after a few seconds.

Iris just stuck her tongue out but continued, "There was a worker, but Voldemort killed him using his snake," She said thoughtfully, "And the last one was a clearly unhinged dude; he had a crazy look on his face, 5'10 or 5'11, I'm not sure. Dark and unkempt hair and a mad look in his eyes. He really looks crazy." She said seriously, "I don't know who he is, and I have never seen him, but I just know that he is bad news."

That must be Barty Jr. At least everything was going according to my blurred memories.

"That's all?" I asked, looking at her.

Iris shook her head, "No, there was someone else. A woman, young, maybe in her twenties, if barely. She was dressed like a gothic hooker, but Wormtail was terrified of her. In that dream, I didn't manage to understand what they were talking about, but even the mad dude was courteous with her."

This caused my thoughts to run a mile a second. I had no idea who that person could be. I didn't remember the exact scene, but no one in the future movies reminded me of that description, and having someone like Barty act like that was hard. The man was unhinged after his stay in Azkaban, and the continuous imperio exposure did not help his mental faculties.

I had no idea, and that left me stumped. I could feel it in my bones: This was different from the canon I knew. The only good thing that came out of this information was that it hardened my resolve to break through canon this year. If things were going to happen differently, there was no reason why I should follow the script; no, I was going to turn the table on them.

"We'll need to make some discreet inquiries," I murmured, "We should ask Padfoot if he has any idea about them; he is the only adult who would answer our questions without much problem," I said firmly, and I honestly believed that. Besides him, every other adult always asked why we were searching for answers. Still, maybe it was his guilt toward Iris that he was genuinely helpful with everything we needed.

"And I need to write to him explaining what happened to his gift" Huffed Iris, "I liked that tent"

"Don't pout," I rolled my eyes. "We can get another one later. I'm sure Sirius will not mind. It wasn't our fault after all. "

"Speaking of letters," said Hermione, "Where is Hedwig?"

Iris smiled brightly. "She must be delivering the last letter to Sirius since he is moving around to avoid the Aurors, but she should be returning any moment now. We will probably see her soon at Hogwarts."

"Good," Mione nodded. "And don't think for a moment we have stopped talking about the mysterious grimoire, Eli. Give me some time to think where we should start."

"You are the brains here, Mione," I smiled, "We could do nothing without you," I teased to calm the severe mood around us.

Mione blushed scarlet and punched my arm, "Prat."

"We should get going. We don't know how much time has passed, and from what I remember, warding the compartments is against the rules," I smirked, enjoying Hermione's palling face at my proclamation.

"Oh no," She whispered, "I just wanted to show off after seeing you went invisible with your spell."

Laughing at her, I took their hands and started walking to the entrance of my trunk. I was not particularly surprised to see Cedric looking at us with narrowed eyes.

"Color me surprised," He drawled bored, "The golden trio and their yearly mischief."

"Oh, come on, Cedric," I rolled my eyes, "We just had to start early this year."

Cedric's face was amused after I replied, "You should be thankful it was me who noticed it; imagine if it was someone from Slytherin."

"You are the best," Iris said, rolling her eyes. "We won't do it anymore, don't worry. We don't want problems before arriving at school."

"See what you do," he nodded with a smile. "With the upcoming year, it would be best if you could act accordingly," he added earnestly.

"So you know what the fuss is about?" Asked Hermione with her hands on her hips.

"You don't?" He cocked an eyebrow, surprised.

"Not really, only that something big is happening," Added Iris, "No one in the burrow wanted to tell us; it pissed me off, teasing us about it and then leaving us wanting,"

Cedric smirked, "Who am I to ruin the surprise, then. Consider this the punishment since there are no points to dock." And with that, he was gone.

"What a prat." Whined Hermione, "I wonder what all of them are talking about,"

"Eh, we will find out later, I guess. With all the clamor, I don't think it will go past today's dinner until we know what they are talking about," I shrugged.

Taking a seat in the middle of the girls, I closed my eyes to rest a bit before arriving. "I'll take a nap. Wake me up to get out so you can change."

"Sure thing," Iris nodded, "Not it."

And with that, she put her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes and feigning sleep.

Hermione just sighed, used to Iris running away from chores she funded boring, "Go on, I will read in the meantime,"

"You are a sweetheart," I grinned at her, "See you in a bit,"

Hogwarts

Seeing the castle fast approaching was something I would never get bored of. The majesty of the view and the feeling of being close to home could not be compared with anything else.

I loved the school, most of the precious memories I have in this life were here, and I would do my damned best to protect it in the future.

When the door opened and showed Professor Flitwick's smiling face, I reminded myself to seek him out the next day. One thing that flew out of my mind before was that I could practice and obtain riches if I were to cull some of the spiders in the forest. It was not something I would do lightly, and clearly not soon, but when I learned enough and took protection, I would attack them.

The sword was basic, but the description of it made it clear that the more riches I had in my possession when I used it, the stronger it would get. Since the sword created gems out of defeated foes, the forest was the best grinding spot I could ask for, with thousands and thousands of different animals roaming there.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts! " the diminutive Professor exclaimed with his arms wide. "I hope that this year is wonderful for all of us. Now follow me. The starting feast will begin soon."

That said, the Professor turned around and started marching to the great hall, with all of us walking behind him.

Groups had already been made, with different cliques in our surroundings.

Hermione and Iris were at my side, and we were leading the fourth year of Gryffindor; the Slytherins were in the lead, with different groups per year, but I focused on one particular group.

Draco was glaring daggers at me, and I had no idea why. Ever since the World Cup, I had not seen him at all, and even if I embarrassed him in front of everyone, it was something that was expected, so his reaction to seeing me once more was weird.

He was whispering to his group, which consisted of his followers, the trolls, and Pansy. A little bit behind him were Daphne, Tracey, and Nott, talking animatedly with Blaise.

They all turned in unison to look directly at me but turned when they realized I had noticed. Weird.

"What's that about?" A somewhat timid voice arrived from behind me.

Looking back, I smiled at Neville, "No idea, mate, No idea."

"Be careful this year," Neville murmured, "It's not normal; they might try something," he warned.

"I'll keep it in mind, Neville. Thanks for the warning," I shook my head, "How was vacation?"

Neville brightened up, "Oh, it was fun, Elias. I worked a lot with my plants, and Grandma hasn't pushed me around ever since I stood up for myself at a family dinner with her brother."

"Good," I smiled. "Keep your chest out, mate. I know she can be unbearable at times, and while I don't accept the way she acts, she just wants the best for you."

"I know," He murmured, "It's hard, but I'll manage,"

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked rudely at the other side, flanked by his friends Dean and Seamus.

"Something private, mate," I rolled my eyes.

Ron was visibly upset at my reply, but he turned his head and focused on his friends.

We would never be close friends, but it would be alright if he acted accordingly and did not bother me.

Arriving at the great hall, we all took our seats and smiled at seeing the food appear magically.

Heroine frowned but took a deep breath and started eating.

"Did you read the books I recommended?" I chuckled.

"Even if I understand why it happens, it does not mean I like it, Eli." She pouted.

"Eh, it's all right, Mione," I shrugged, "Different opinions and all that,"

Iris was silent. She took food from her plate and started eating. Her eyes were sharp, observing the Professor's table, and I grinned in her direction.

"Checking who is going to be the danger this year?"

Iris huffed, "There is a chair alone; I hope whoever is the new guy is not a nutter,"

"We can only hope," I sighed, knowing that her desires would go unanswered.

"Welcome," Headmaster Dumbledore smiled from the podium, "We will now welcome our new first years, and after that, I have some announcements to make,"

The little firsties started entering the hall, looking around, amazed at the sight. Some were nervous, others excited. It honestly reminded me of my first year. I was a nervous wreck during my sorting, wondering if the hat would find out about my secrets.

Thankfully, it didn't work like that, and I joined the school without a hitch.

Before long, the sorting was over, and it just showed how much the magical population of Britain suffered after both wars. Only twenty-nine kids joined the school this year, and looking at the castle, it was easy to infer that there was a bigger population in the past.

Most rooms were unoccupied at the moment, and they only taught the most important classes. Many of the subjects disappeared with the years.

"Welcome, everyone," Dumbledore stood up. "Now, to the warnings. The forbidden forest is forbidden, and no one should approach without a good explanation. Also, Mr. Filch has updated the list of banned items. Be sure to check that out before we need to dock points from a house," he said, looking directly at the twins, who grinned unrepentantly.

"As for the important announcement, the Quidditch Cup will not happen this year," he said but was drowned in complaints before he could continue.

He just stood there with a calm smile.

On my left, Iris was looking around wildly, and her panicked gaze turned sad when she saw the rest of her teammates panicking like her.

"Silence!" Dumbledore said calmly with the deathstick pointed at his throat.

"Thank you," He smiled at seeing all the school looking at him, "As I was saying, the Quidditch cup will be canceled this year because we will have another grand event,"

The murmurs happened once more, but they were more manageable than before: "The Tri-Wizard Tournament will be hosted at our school after more than two hundred years since the last one, and our school will welcome both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons in the future."

"Now, to explain a little bit more. We will take precautions to avoid our champions having bitter ends like before, and for that reason only students who are of the age of majority." Before the whines could start, Dumbledore continued, "But fret not, for everyone younger, there will be other activities you could participate in, like joint classes between schools and maybe some duels to practice. Thank you for listening, that's all."

With that said, he stood up and signaled for the prefects to guide the firsties to their houses, with the older students following after them.

"If it wasn't for the age requirement, I would win the tournament," Ron said with his chest puffed out.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, at least we know what will happen later this year," I said to my friends.

"I've never heard of that tournament," Mione said, biting her lips in concentration. "I will go to the library tomorrow."

"That's our resident bookworm," Lavender laughed from behind, and my eyes could not help but follow her until a stomp broke my distraction. Iris was looking at me sharply, her foot still on mine.

"Sorry," I laughed and rubbed the back of my head.

"Oh, I don't mind," Lavender smiles flirtatiously, "I don't mind at all," she continued with a throaty whisper.

"But I do mind," Iris said sharply. She took my hand and started walking faster, with Mione behind us, trying to catch up.

The last thing I heard before leaving was Lavender's carefree laugh and hushed whispers with her best friend.

"What's the hurry, Iris?" I asked with a tilt of my head, "I was just talking with her."

"Not her, Eli," She shook her head vigorously, "Not with that gossipy prat."

"I was just looking," I replied, "And you cannot blame me; hell, I've seen you do the same,"

Iris froze in her tracks before shaking her head vehemently, "It's not the same, Eli."

"Well, that is just unfair," I sighed, "Whatever, stop pulling me, I can walk on my own,"

Iris looked hurt at my dismissal, and I felt bad, but at the same time, I was mad. I hadn't done anything wrong, and who could fault me. Even if she was somewhat easy, Lavender was by far one of the most beautiful girls in my year and one of the top three most voluptuous girls. Looking was expected at my age.

"Whatever, just no," Iris huffed, and while doing so Hermione arrived behind us.

"What has gotten into both of you? " she panted for breath. "Why are you fighting?"

"Nothing happened," Iris said firmly, and I rolled my eyes.

Hermione was confused, but I knew she would get it out of Iris before sleeping. The walk to the dormitories continued in silence, with some awkward tension between Iris and me. Still, we were both proud enough not to ask for forgiveness—not that I was in the wrong, though.

After some minutes, we arrived at the entrance, and the fat lady moved out of the way after seeing that it was us. Since we had arrived before the rest of the house, the fat lady did us the favor of opening the way without a password since we could not know which one it was.

"Have a good night, dearies," the fat lady said with a smile that turned into a frown when she saw our faces.

"Is everything all right?" She asked softly.

"Nothing; it will pass before long," I sighed. It was strange to talk with a painting, but the painting was so lifelike that it was like a normal conversation with a real person.

"If you say so, my boy. This is just friendly advice: Whatever happens, it is not worth it to end a friendship if it is forgivable," she said with a sweet smile.

The thought of ending our friendship was not something that any of us had even considered, so hearing that from the painting made our steps falter, even if minutely.

I looked at Iris's eyes, which had gone misty at hearing that, and I felt a pang in my heart just from imagining it.

Hermione looked at us with understanding eyes. Even if she did not have all the details, she was witty enough to infer what we were thinking at that moment.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," I murmured, looking directly at Iris.

"I also want to apologize; I overreacted, Eli." She whispered back.

"Now hug," Ordered Mione, looking at us with a smirk on her face.

Looking at Iris, I saw the amusement dancing in her eyes, and I was sure she could see the same thing in mine.

"Fiiiine," I said, stretching the word like it was a chore I did not want to do.

Iris just rolled her eyes but approached me, "I'm sorry, I will avoid doing that in the future,"

She hugged me hard enough to crack my ribs and gave me a peck on the cheek that left me rooted in my spot.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" She twirled and ran upstairs.

I just caressed the spot her lips were in and could feel the heat on my face.

"Good night, Eli," Mione grinned behind me before doing the same as Iris and pecking me on the other cheek and running behind Iris.

100 CP awarded, 250 CP in total.

Five minutes later.

Ron Weasley.

"What's going on with him?" I asked out loud, seeing Elias's unmoving form in the middle of the common room.

"Beat me," Dean shrugged, "Maybe he was cursed."

"Hermione is capable of it," Seamus shuddered. "That girl scares me more than Mum."

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