Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!!
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and all related characters created by J.K. Rowling. Copyright Scholastic Press, Inc.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!!
Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks.
jmsotc@yahoo.com
Chapter 34 Welcome to Witchcraft High
The train pulled up into the station and I disembarked. To my utter amazement, a rather large man came strolling down the promenade. I didn't know if he was good or bad so I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.
"Aye, lots of damage done to the train. It shouldn't be too much trouble to fix it," the large man mumbled. He looked at me and his eyes lit up slightly. "You must be Mr. McCoy. Pleasure to meet you." He reached out his large hand for a handshake.
"And you are...?" I asked taking his hand.
"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of the Keys here at Hogwarts."
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," I said, trying to be as polite as possible. I just battled several demons. I had no wish to fight a giant at the moment. "How did you know I was coming?"
"The Professor told me. Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts."
I remembered the name from the letter I had been given. I was to meet him and explain the situation, though from the sounds of Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore already knew I was coming.
"Can you take me to the Headmaster?" I asked.
"Of course. That is why I'm here in the first place. Come with me."
I followed the gentle giant through the station to a carriage. He opened the door and I climbed inside. He mounted the drivers post and with a "giddy up" we were underway toward the school. I looked out the window at the graying sky. Dawn was coming.
I moved to the other side of the carriage and looked out the other window. On the mountain sat a vast castle, larger than any I had seen in any books. It had towers upon towers. I was taken aback by its sheer enormousness.
Within moments of time, the carriage pulled out front of the doors and Hagrid climbed down. He opened the door for me and I climbed out.
"Right this way, Mr. McCoy."
"Please, call me Eric."
Hagrid grinned at that and I followed him inside. Through the double doors lay a vast foyer with a marble floor and staircase. I was amazed at the good condition it was in. The style of the castle made me believe it to be centuries old. But the condition of the outside as well as the inside seemed as if everything was brand new.
"Are you hungry, Eric? The students will be getting up pretty soon for breakfast. You are welcome to eat with us and sit at the professors' table."
"I think I will, Mr. Hagrid."
"Just call me Hagrid."
Hagrid and I entered the dining hall. Four tables sat in a line from the doorway to the front of the long room. On a stage at the front of the room sat a long table going from side to side. There were already several staff members sitting down discussing grades and such from the students of the school.
The whispering and talking ceased as the professors looked up at me. One sat in the middle of the table. He had long gray hair and a long gray beard with half moon glasses resting on the end of his nose.
"This must be Eric McCoy," he said.
"Yes, I am. I'm here to see Professor Albus Dumbledore."
"I am the one you seek. Please, join us for breakfast. We've reserved a spot just for you."
"Thank you, Professor."
Hagrid walked around the table, as did I. My seat was next to Professor Dumbledore's. Hagrid sat on the end.
"Were you told my reason for coming here, Professor?"
"Very briefly. Mr. Travers was in quite a hurry. He said he had a flight to Greece that he needed to make."
Why would Quentin need to go to Greece? I thought. I couldn't waste time thinking on that. I had a job to do at the moment.
"There has been some trouble in London. Something has been released from an ancient book."
The sound of mighty thunder was heard coming through the doors, silencing me.
"I suggest we wait and discuss this later," Professor Dumbledore said.
The doors opened and in came a flood of students. They gathered at the tables and I noticed a color scheme for each table. Looking up at the flags hanging down, I realized that certain colors matched certain flags.
"Good morning, students," Professor Dumbledore said loudly. He clapped his hands and food magically appeared on the tables. I was amazed at his powers.
For the first time, I noticed the ceiling was transparent, or at least appeared to be transparent. The morning sky was overhead and the gray clouds and sky was slowly turning white and blue. Morning was here.
"Please, eat," Professor Dumbledore said.
I reached out and placed several pancakes on my plate, along with several slices of bacon and two sausage links. Several cups sat around my plate. One had juice, the other milk and a third had coffee.
As I ate the delicious food that seemed to taste perfect, I noticed at one table three students looking up at me and whispering. They were two boys, one had black, messy hair and glasses, and the other had red hair and freckles, and a blonde-haired girl. When they saw me looking back at them, they turned away quickly, trying to cover up the fact they were looking at me. I smiled and kept eating.
When breakfast was over, Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands again. The food and dishes disappeared and the students went on their way. They had a week or so before they had to return home for summer vacation. I remembered the days I went to school. My heart longed to go back and finish college so I could get my degree. But there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Mr. McCoy, please follow me."
I stood and went with Professor Dumbledore through a door behind the stage. We entered into a room. Several other professors followed behind me.
"Please have a seat," Professor Dumbledore said to all of us. I found a wall and leaned up against it.
"What's this about, Albus?" a lady asked a bit concerned.
"Let me introduce everyone first. This is Professor Minerva McGonagall, professor of transfiguration; Professor Severus Snape, potions teacher; Professor Flitwick, charms teacher; Professor Sinistra, astronomy; Professor Trelawney, divination; Professor Binns, history of magic; Professor Vector, arithmancy; Professor Sprout, herbology; and Madam Hooch, flying. This, professors, is Mr. Eric McCoy. He was sent here by the Council of Watchers in London."
The professors turned to me and looked surprised and dismayed. For some reason there wasn't much joy on their faces. There must have been some history or knowledge of the Watcher's Council here. But what, I did not know.
"How do you do?" I said.
"Mr. McCoy has been sent here because there is grave danger. Please, Mr. McCoy. Tell us what brings you here."
"Certainly, Professor." I moved to the front of the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, a great evil has been released from an ancient book. The demon Macai, one of the counts of hell. He has already killed a vampire slayer and attempted to take my life as well."
"How did you survive?" Professor Snape asked. The look in his eye was accusatory. "If this demon could murder a slayer, what kept you from dying as well?"
"I'm a mutant."
The professors looked from one to another. Snape looked at me narrowly. "Continue."
"A few nights ago, Macai attacked the Watchers Castle and murdered several Watchers. The place was in shambles. It took us several days to clean it up. After everything was restored as best as we could do it, Quentin brought out some very old tomes. These tomes talked of a previous time when Macai was released. It was a time during King Arthur. Merlin was needed to perform a spell to put the demon back in the book."
"What does this have to do with us?" Professor Sprout asked.
Professor Trelawney seemed to get all jittery and said, "The Council wants us to bring Merlin back to life to help restore the demon to its shackles within the book."
Everyone looked at her, but I was the one who spoke. "Um, not exactly, Professor. That is a good idea, but Quentin came up with another one.
"I am to escort Professor Dumbledore back to London. Once a team is assembled to take on Macai, Dumbledore will perform the spell to put Macai back in the book."
"I have accepted this mission," Professor Dumbledore said. "And I believe in taking a student with me."
The professors turned to Dumbledore.
"You can't be serious," Snape said. "You plan on taking Mr. Potter?"
"Indeed I do, Severus. He must be exposed to such dark powers. He has the power, power that I may not be able to access. I'm getting old. I have found my power waning at times. I cannot allow that to happen while binding up the demon Macai."
"Then let one of us go in your place, Professor," McGonagall suggested. "I will go."
"The offer is appreciated, Minerva. But you are needed here to run the school in my absence. I am well skilled in the order of Merlin. I know the rituals. I would be the most beneficial to be present."
"But Professor..." Professor Snape was saying.
"I've made up my mind, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted. "I will call upon the boy in a few hours. We will get underway this evening. For now, you are to return to your duties."
The Professors stood and drifted out of the room. Professor Dumbledore turned to me.
"I have had a room prepared for you to rest in, Mr. McCoy. Hagrid will show you the way."
"Thank you, Professor. And I'm sorry if my presence is disturbing your staff. I can appreciate their stance on the subject. If I could have changed things, I would have."
"No need to worry about that which cannot be helped. Have a nice rest, Mr. McCoy. We will call for you around dinner time. Afterwards, we will approach young Mr. Potter and then return to London."
"Yes, Professor."
I turned and exited the room. Hagrid was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps to the stage. I went down and he turned. I followed him out the door and up the staircase. We were halfway up one flight, when the staircase moved, switching places. I was truly amazed at the magic of the castle and those who lived within its walls.
We went through the door the stairs stopped at and down the corridor. Hagrid showed me to my room and I entered.
"Sleep well," Hagrid replied. He turned and left.
Evidently he must have found out why I was there and he wasn't too happy about it. I took off all my clothes except my boxers and climbed into the bed. The blankets seemed to warm up quickly, almost as if they were electric. I relaxed and fell asleep.
I awoke to a knock on the door. Groggily, I said, "Come in."
The door opened and a young, blonde boy poked his head inside. "Excuse me, Mr. McCoy," the boy said. "I'm to take you to dinner."
"Okay," I said, waking a bit more. "Come in."
I reached over and grabbed my pants, putting them on underneath the blankets so I wouldn't expose myself to the boy. I stood up and he looked at me strangely.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"Your face and chest are scarred."
"Yes, they are."
"I don't mean to be rude. May I ask what happened?"
"I was caught in an explosion. It scarred my whole body."
"How did you survive the explosion? All the students are saying you are some kind of wizard."
"No, I'm no wizard. I'm a mutant."
The boy looked at me strangely again.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Draco Malfoy."
"Nice to meet you. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to get a quick shower."
"Professor Dumbledore asked me to bring these robes to you while your clothes are cleaned. They should be finished after dinner."
I reached over and took the clothes from the young boy and went into the bathroom. It felt good to have the warm water cascading over my body.
Here I was, on the other side of the world, away from all I've known and loved, showering in a strange, mystical place amongst strangers. It was very disturbing if I thought on it too long. I quickly pushed my uneasiness out of my mind and finished cleaning off.
After I dried myself, I pulled on the robes brought by the boy. They were long and flowing, made of a black material that I could hardly feel on me. I exited the bathroom and bundled up my dirty clothes.
"Are you ready, sir?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Right this way, then."
I followed the boy out of the room and down the hall. We approached the dining hall again. A small creature stood at the door.
"Please to take your clothes," it said with a smile.
"Are you going to clean them for me?"
"Yes, my job."
"Thank you," I replied handing the bundle to the creature and giving it a smile.
It ran off down the hall and disappeared around the corner.
"That's a House Elf," Draco informed me. "They are the servants in the wizarding world."
"Servants?" That word bothered me slightly. "Do they get paid for their service?"
"No. They are bought and owned by rich wizarding families,"
"Oh."
"You don't sound too keen on the idea."
"Forced labor on any species is wrong in my eyes."
"You're one of those. You would get along with Hermione Granger. She doesn't like the idea of House Elves living in servitude.
"I, personally, can't see the problem. They are well taken care of. Their needs are supplied. It shouldn't be an issue."
"But it is, Mr. Malfoy." My use of his last name indicated this wasn't a friendly chat on my part. "Slavery of the African American race was justified much the same way. Slave owners also used the notion of dark-skinned people being inferior to light-skinned people, and the Bible, a religious text, was also used to condone slavery. People have many different interpretations and beliefs that are not thought about, just accepted. You would do well to challenge all you've been taught by your family and examine on your own to find out what you believe."
"Yes, Mr. McCoy," Draco replied. I could tell he wasn't very enthused by my words. I didn't care, though. At least he heard what I said.
The doors opened and we entered the already filled dining hall. Students were eating and talking up a storm.
We walked past the three who were whispering about me this morning. I thought I overheard the red head make a statement about Draco Malfoy and I being together and that it didn't look like a good thing or something to that effect. They obviously did not like Mr. Malfoy.
"Thank you, Draco," I said to him when we reached the staff dining table. "I appreciate your escort this evening."
"You are welcome, Mr. McCoy."
Draco turned and went to his table. I went to my chair and sat, placing food on my plate.
"Did you rest well, Mr. Mccoy?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, thank you."
"Excellent. Please, eat until you are full. When everyone has gone on their way, you and I will go speak with Mr. Potter about coming with us."
Dumbledore didn't have to tell me twice. I was famished. I ate and ate until my heart was content. Once the students were dismissed, the staff disbanded, leaving Professor Dumbledore and myself sitting at the table.
"I didn't have the chance to give you my condolences on your loss."
"I appreciate that, Professor. I don't know how the others are doing with it."
A House Elf entered the dining hall and walked toward the staff table.
"Yes, what is it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Mr. McCoy's clothes are cleaned." The House Elf handed the bundle to Professor Dumbledore.
"Thank you," the Headmaster replied.
The House Elf nodded and left the room. The Professor handed me the bundle.
"I'll go get changed and meet you in your office."
The Professor nodded to me and I left heading back to my room. In no time, I had changed my garments and headed back toward the foyer. As I walked down the marble staircase, I heard some mumbling and whispering going on. I stopped and listened carefully.
"What do you think Professor Dumbledore wants, Harry?" a boy's voice asked.
"I don't know, Ron."
"Do you think it has anything to do with the disfigured stranger?" a girl asked.
"It's possible, Hermione. But it could also have to do with something else. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"I'll do tall the conclusion jumping," Ron said.
"I think that man is a vampire," Hermione stated. "He arrived as the sun was coming up and he slept all day."
"But he ate regular food," Ron pointed out. "Vampires only drink blood."
"Then what is he?"
I walked down the last few stairs and the talking stopped. I looked over and saw the three children looking at me in slight fear.
"Hello, children," I said with a smile.
They didn't blink.
"Do you know the way to Professor Dumbledore's office? I'm supposed to be meeting with him."
"Harry will show you," Ron said. "He is going there himself."
Harry and Hermione shot Ron a disapproving look. I had to try to keep from smiling at them.
"Then it seems we go together," I replied.
"It seems that way."
I motioned for Harry to join me. He took a deep breath and headed off, with me on his heels.
In no time we were standing inside Professor Dumbledore's office. The Professor himself sat at his desk, Harry and I sat in chairs opposite the Professor, the boy sitting to my left.
"Thank you for escorting Mr. McCoy to my office."
"Yes, sir."
The Professor and I could see the disturbance in Harry's face. The poor boy had no idea what was going on.
"Harry, Mr. McCoy and a group that he is assisting need our help."
"What group?" Harry asked.
"Mr. McCoy is helping the Council of Watchers fight off a rather powerful demon. The demon was released from his prison and we are needed to put the demon back. It promises to be a most wonderful adventure."
"Why do you need me?"
"We need a very powerful wizard, Harry," I chimed in. "The last wizard to perform such a powerful spell was Merlin. Professor Dumbledore has the knowledge and experience, and he believes you have the power to help save the world. Will you?"
The boy was actually thinking it over. Professor Dumbledore looked to me and smiled, winking one eye. "This may take part of the summer to accomplish. You will not have to go home to your aunt and uncle's home."
I saw the twinkle in Harry's eye. That was something that appealed to him greatly. He must have problems with his aunt and uncle.
"What do you say, Harry?" the professor asked.
Harry looked up at Dumbledore then over at me. "I think I will go, Professor."
"Excellent. Pack some clothes suitable for being among muggles. Also, bring your robe and wand. We have much work to do once we arrive.
We left that night heading back to London. Harry had asked me what a mutant was and why we could do what we did. I explained to him what made us different and what made us like everyone else. He seemed to accept that. Harry must have known what it was like to be different among other people. That gives great understanding for those who are persecuted. We stand so much alone in a crowd.
The train pulled up at the train station and we disembarked. As we came off Platform Nine and Three Quarters, a Watcher, whom I recognized from the meeting, met us.
"I'm to take you to the castle," she said.
As we journeyed through the night toward the Council of Watchers headquarters, the Watcher explained that I was to go to the library and wait for Jayce. Once we arrived, I gave my regards to Harry and the Professor, and went on my way.
To Be Continued...
A bit longer than normal, but I wanted to have a bit of interaction with Harry before heading back to London. What do you think of Harry Potter being in the story? I had told an online friend about it and he did not act very positive toward it. I wanted to have Harry in the story and make it serious. Did I do a good job? Email me. I'd like to hear from you.
Next chapter: What everyone has been waiting for. A vampire from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles appears!