–– Clara POV ––
I returned to London at the end of August, staying overnight in the Leaky Cauldron, in the early morning whisking to the train station, boarding the train to Hogwarts. Its wards were fully repaired, their connection to the Hogwarts wards and their less sophisticated structure enabling it. The journey going smoothly.
At Hogwarts I got a big surprise though, Gabrielle Delacour being one of the first years, promptly getting sorted into my house, ravenclaw, before Dumbledore's speech commenced. New dueling instructor, new classes, a few changes and more were announced, nothing noteworthy or interesting for me.
The second most interesting things were the many familiars now found within the hall, Hogwarts having expanded the grand hall to even grander proportions. I inquired from a year mate, who explained that Dumbledore had allowed all interested students to hold a ritual of calling at the end of last year, designed to either teleport their familiar to them if possible, inform the familiar about the students location, slightly cementing the bond for that reason or showing the student where to find their familiar. A lot if not nearly all students without an familiar accepted this offer, the last two weeks in Hogwarts being all the more lively.
The only remaining mystery was how Gabrielle was able to attend Hogwarts, her being neither a British resident nor the required eleven years old. The next day, Gabrielle finding Clara in her potions laboratory explained: „My family could convince Dumbledore to a continuous exchange student program, myself being one of the first students for this trial run due to my previous experience last year. I also heard, that Dumbledore plays with the thought of opening the school internationally, as long as applicants are able to speak fluent english, maybe even starting an earlier education for anyone who is interested, though I heard he hired a secretary, so that he is not as swamped, which is probably the reason behind Aurora Sinistra taking over her post as head of house for gryffindor, the deputy headmistress getting swamped with more administrative work.
The year passed peacefully, Gabrielle slowly starting to spend her whole free time in my potions laboratory, brewing increasingly difficult potions, rushing through the OWL and NEWT syllabus throughout the year, testing out of potions at the end of the year, also joining Slughorn's mastery class, the man still passionately teaching, his style improving further and further, sparking a spark of self improvement for most other teachers. Harry Potter now also apprenticed under Slughorn, teaching the first three years of potion, Slughorn having too little time on his hands. Time was always a problem it seems, not just for me.
This year I split my energy threefold. Potions, my focus now shifting more to treating my wardstones, consequently designing and building wards, my previous experiment finally bearing fruit and cultivation, having taken a step into the uncommon realm, after having fused six more sets of rings into all my cores. The time for cultivation was also split between further planning and progression, resulting in a slower process, the next substage harder to calculate than those before.
For the epic substage I originally wanted to plan ahead for the far future, binding my mana capacity, absorption and regeneration to my physical body's condition, the amount, type and quality of my animagus forms and most importantly, my age. And I had no idea how to do that yet. Animagus forms were the most complicated, so I ignored them from the start, soon realizing that I would need to scrap my goal, not even close to capable of doing something like that yet due to a simple lack of mana.
Originally, the mana body is layered over the physical body, my idea being to metaphysically move the body to not only be layered over my physical body, but to fuse it with my body, making the connection between the two not depend on my original mana core. It was complicated and hard, most of my concoctions failing, getting scrapped, remade and then again scrapped. The cycle continued, until I found a way to fuse the original mana core into my mana body, making the whole mana body into my mana core. Not exactly what I wanted, but after trying a bit longer, I decided that that would be the newcomer step. This was done through meticulously chipping away tiny pieces of my original mana core, fuse them into the mana body, letting it regenerate before repeating this, until the whole mana body was fused with an even concentration of the original mana core.
Having achieved a semi fusion, the last step is to destroy the original mana core, in the same instant completing the fusion through taking in a massive amount of mana.
And that is were I now stand, having no idea how to proceed towards my goals, hitting roadblock after roadblock. Apart from that, I had hit the uncommon peak, Slightly behind Luna who was already consolidating at uncommon breathing, my slow cultivation speed due to the single reason, that my cultivation method needed so much damn mana and concentration.
Potions made more progress though, having easily brewed the mental energy primer, before creating seventy different brew recipes, starting to experiment with infusing an intent while brewing and trying to improve the potion for my expected result, the first idea about infusing the wardstones with an intent falling flat, my mental energy only barely fusing with the material, the first usage of mana cleansing it.
After three fourths of the year I had succeeded, well partially. The reworked potion recipe could not hold an intent, which used when on the wardstones does not get cleansed. The only remaining problem was linking the intent to my wards, before designing an intent which would fulfill my demands and high standards.
The solution came unexpected, a flash of genius as I overheard Hermione talking about it in the library. She tried and later succeeded in using a protean to connect two galleons to communicate, all that work just to challenge her charms knowledge, to show anyone that she could do it. I drew inspiration from that, trying to cast a protean charm on the potion and wardstone, using a very specific intent to cast it, which ended up working, though I needed a lot of time to find the right steps to change the potion even more and at the same time find the right intent, taking the remainder of the year.
Wards were not as successful, most experiments still ongoing, but I had a total of seven new designs, tweaking them regularly to test the different wards needed for the finished project, slowly improving their efficiency and results, having no major roadblocks, the alchemic course having improved my understanding on how to arrange runes the right way in regards to position on the material, the material itself and its geometry. I was hoping to finish this project over summer, though it was a fools dream.
The last small side project happened suddenly, having met Mad-Eye and his new disciples over the winter break, doing their routes in diagon alley while I was shopping for woolen socks and more presents, Lupin fatefully being around too.
Through my hugely improved senses and continuing to advance different methods, I could see others bonds than my own. I realized this one day, as I walked past Draco and Luna, a purple string attached to their hearts, Luna's previous description perfectly matching what I saw. I quite rudely and excited asked Luna, if we were seeing the same thing, getting an affirmative before being shoed off. I naturally started looking for such things, seeing the familiar bonds of all the test subjects I had, finding out that I could only see a bond, if both bond partners are within a certain distance of each other.
So, on that fateful day I spotted the bond from Remus Lupin to his werewolf's mate, also being Lupins soulmate. Quite a spectacular sight if I am being honest. Then, I wrote an anonymous letter to the head of the Lupin household, Remus's father, detailing my findings and his sons reluctance to follow his feelings, detailing my idea off a marriage contract to gently force his hand, the man being too good of a person, his very being suffering for it.
I had visited the other person personally though.
–– Black POV ––
A visit from the weird girl, Clara Ali Ollivander, was certainly not on my planned things for today. Even more surprising was the news she brought, shocking me to my core, before depreciatingly chuckling: „That sounds like the Remus I know", ignoring his own wellbeing in the supposed favor of others.
So I got to work, together with the help of Ted Tonks, the man not needing too much convincing, having already met Clara Ali Ollivander once.
A fair marriage contract for both sides, safeguards all around if Clara Ali Ollivanders information were wrong. Visiting the head of the Lupin household did not go as expected, the man heavily denying even the idea of forcing his son into a marriage contract, before I shared the fateful news and he saw the safeguards we implemented, if this turned out to be a fluke. He was still anything but happy, but he knew that it was probably for the best of his son's life, in the end grumbling under his breath: „I really need to do everything in this family", going right back to managing his finances, before I even left the room completely.
And so it came to pass, another small action triggering a beautiful avalanche, the head of house Lupin finding Clara Ali Ollivanders letter days later, buried under paperwork.
–– Lupin POV ––
Returning home for Christmas was pleasant, nice smells all around, snow slowly falling, crunching under my feet. At the end of my time here, shortly before I left my father sprang the bomb on me: „You have a marriage contract son", he opens, handing me a folded document: „Do your duties to your house, but even more important to yourself." My stupid self naturally stormed out, not in the slightest believing what I was hearing, trying to find any and all excuses I could come up with, still clutching the document in my hand, not letting go as if it was some kind of lifeline, my brain ignoring, that this document was the reason for my panic.
After calming down, coming to a halt in the middle of a snow covered forest, I finally opened it, subconsciously casting a spell which repelled the snow. The contract was masterfully written, any little detail written in excruciatingly detail, all coming down to the last paragraph, detailing the last few requirements, both citing that Nymphadora Tonks was both my mate and soulmate. If that were wrong, it would mean that the whole contract was void, freeing me.
But sadly I knew the truth, knew exactly that the information written there was true, making the paragraph useless. But I also knew through this who to thank for it. Naturally, Sirius, one of my best friends, who I was avoiding since his pardon, afraid to meet exactly the person who was the second subject of this contract.
And Clara Ali Ollivander, the weird girl, thinking she knew everything about me. And apparently she did. I did not like her, even going so far to say that I hate her with every atom of my being, but it did not matter in that moment. The damage was already done, being forced to sire at least seven children, all afflicted with lycanthropy, the other subject of the contract required to use the lady ritual, if it did not work out naturally, our children all having the possibility to inherit the Tonks, Black or Lupin houses, if they were deemed worthy enough.
I was fuming, the sickening feeling I normally felt amplified, even playing with the thought of suicide or impotence, before realizing, that there were clauses expressly for those scenarios, the contract magically binding through familial magic.
I returned to Hogwarts, heading to her potions laboratory in the fastest way possible, realizing that she was currently brewing, but not sound of mind enough to wait until she finished, barging into the room, overpowering the feeble wards who wanted to stop me, Hogwarts not reacting fast enough. Clara Ali Ollivander reacted fast though, unnaturally so.
–– Clara Ali Ollivander ––
I was brewing a stock for my mental energy primer, before my senses warned me of a man storming towards the room. The very next instant, the door was nearly pushed out of its hinges, opening, Hogwarts having not anticipated such a violent inhabitant. I reacted fast, preventing catastrophe, vanishing my current project, before multiple defensive wards bloomed around me, my staff expanding to its full size in my left hand, the other hand already occupied by my wand.
„Why? Why did you force your damn marriage contract on me?", he practically screamed, Hogwarts wards slamming down behind him, primarily being sound and visual blockers, shortly snapping hit out of his wrath. „Why not? She is to be your mate, have you no regard for her feelings?! You avoid her! Do you think she does not know who you are? What those bonds mean? Not everything centers around you. I did it for her, as your stupid arse, through ignoring the bonds are not only torturing yourself and your companion, but also her! A woman stranded in our society, rejected by both her mate and soulmate. Do you have any idea what she goes through on a daily basis? Her very magic fighting against her being, her control not even nearing your level", I said, before screaming the same thing again, his craze completely blocking me out, not listening to anything I said.
In preparation, reading his actions perfectly, I said to the wall: „Hogwarts, be a dear and shut down this ward section, full containment, evacuate the students and …", before being interrupted by full power bombardas impacting my shield, followed by a huge magical construct formed like an axe smashing into my shields, cutting right through five of the seven wards, the gaps instantly fixing themselves through a push of my thoughts and mana. Instantly, multiple darker curses impacting them, the swinging axe being replaced by a teethed greatsword, ripping through all seven shields, another wardstone activating meanwhile, multiple more and stronger and specialized shields appearing behind the shattered ones, the previously used wardstone shattering.
Those shields endured, not the perfect fit to counter him, but the best I had. Compared to the previous encounter, they sapped my mana only slowly, my mana regeneration keeping up with the usage. So I waited in my turtle shell, his attacks slowly gaining coordination and strength, adapting to my defenses, though still unable to break through this set of wards.
His emotions rapidly shifting between wrath, sadness, annoyance, blame, guilt and pain, his assault interspersed with shouted: „Why!"'s, before he finally, after thirty minutes of fighting broke my defenses.
I was ready though, unleashing a barrage of overcharged restraining spells, coupled with a coordinated assault on his mind, his reaction to my spells slowed due to that, before my spells hit true thanks to this fluke, the man falling unconsciously to the ground. I restrained him with another wardstone, repairing my defenses, before delving into his mind, the only possibility I saw to communicate peaceful with him.
Though the first thing I met in his mindscape was the werewolf, snarling at me. I sent peaceful emotions, sitting down and just talking with him, until I could in the very end even stroke his fur, the feeling of it was heavenly, let me tell you. At that exact moment, a haggard looking Lupin appeared, nothing like his outwards appearance. I said: „See? He is not so bad, though he refuses to give me his name", I lightly joked and complained, Lupin looked like he saw multiple ghosts, before stuttering: „B-b-but how? Ww-why? I never saw him like that before!"
„I just treat him like the sentient being he is and the reason why he hates your guts and does not show you this is, that you treat him like dirt, shit, like he is an annoying bug to life with. You think of him as an object, though contrary to him I do not blame you for it", I mused: „You grew up in a society, where werewolves were seen as plague, illness, demons and similar things, growing to learn and think that this creature here is the reason behind all your suffering, which is wrong. The reason behind your suffering is the prejudice shown to werewolves, no one comprehending their beings, not trying due to the conceived notion that any and all werwolfes are evil, a bane to your mundane human existence, while others think they soil their bloodlines and magic. A wrong assumption…", I explained, getting interrupted at the end, Lupin screaming, tears welling in his eyes: „A wrong assumption? A WRONG ASSUMPTION?! I tried, I had a lover, even a child, helplessly watching as my baby died on the first full moon, failing its first transformation! Is that in any way funny?", he thundered, tears streaming down his face, as I could not stop my laughter from escaping my lips, answering: „Yes, you are an idiot, you know?", he looked perplexed, but had the patience to hear me out this time, no longer interrupting: „Any of the supposed experts on werewolves could have told you that. Their believes might be completely wrong, but a lot of them do at least a teeny tiny bit of research. The reason behind the importance of your mate is exactly that! Your mate is the stabilizing factor needed to have children who can live, breath and play, not even their lycanthropy hindering them in the slightest.
Lycanthropy at its very base is just an animagus form with consciousness, harmless. Our society has made them what they are, your particular line of werewolves descending from someone who tried a megalomaniac ritual to get rid of his werewolf, ending in the opposite ability to infect others with it. You know, that man never bit anyone, dying during another ritual, but some idiot used his blood, injected it into mortal humans with the sole purpose to create an army for his personal vendetta, losing control over them, which ended with a lot of turned werwolves, none of those having any say in their destiny, mere puppets in the chess games of others. Only then it uncontrollably spread", I retold, having found that little fact in a book I had gotten for my ninth birthday. And he was speechless, having broken down crying and mourning, while I left his mind, leaving him behind in a completely destroyed potion laboratory.
–– Nymphadora Tonks POV ––
„She/I is/am what?", my mum and I screamed, dad and Siri claiming, that there was a marriage contract for her/me, both women needing a second and confirmation from Ted, thinking Siri was joking as he nearly always does, his inclination for pranks having spiked after being confined in askaban.
„Let me explain", Siri tried to placate me, falling on deaf ears, my mom still raging, screaming and cursing both of the men. I put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her rage, turning to Siri: „And may I ask why you did that without informing us first?", I asked, already expecting a part of the answer, having realized that I am the mate of one Remus Lupin, after having seen him multiple times in diagon and knockturn alley. He confirmed my thoughts: „You are officially betrothed to one Remus Lupin, werewolf, being both his mate and soulmate, though he violently abhorred the idea of marrying you, we agreed to force him into this arrangement through the contract, with safeguards if the information about the bonds was wrong", he added the last bit to appease my mother who was nearly exploding her casket again.
Tears started falling from my eyes, more and more, my body collapsing ungracefully to the floor, bawling my eyes out, the end of my torture in sight, all adults looking perplexed, all my bottled up emotions channeled into this flood due to the bright white light at the end of the previously oh so dark tunnel, my talent for the first time in years deactivating, showing my whole family my original body, not marred by my deliberately horrendous use of my metamorphmagus ability.