Coyote Tricks: A Coyote at Hogwarts

Into the Void

“He is a guest in our country at my invitation; if he is a threat then we should simply send him home.” Dumbledore said.
“Of course,” Dannon said. “He is always welcome at Spirit Peak.”
He had decided to reveal his true appearance to this group on Dumbledore’s promise of their trust and the hope that his influence could help Kit.
“Well that seems a reasonable enough approach…” Fudge started but was interrupted by Goodbody.
“Minister, he is infected by a werewolf and the interaction with his Coyote nature is obviously making him far more dangerous a mere werewolf. It would be the height of irresponsibility for the Ministry to simply foist him off on Japan or America just to get rid of the problem.”
“I’m afraid she has a point, Albus. If Japan had a Ministry we could negotiate to transfer him to maybe but lacking that we simply must deal with this ourselves. What are you recommending Ms. Goodbody?”
“I’m afraid there is only one way to deal with a mad dog Minister, particularly one as powerful as Kit is supposed to be. We will never be able to hold him for long.”
“You don’t mean…send him across the veil?” Fudge sounded shocked.
“Veil?” Dannon asked concerned.
“Now I really don’t think…” Dumbledore started when the door to the office crashed open.

“Professor Dumbledore sir!”
“Yes Hagrid?”
“Sorry to bother you sir but Firenze came to my hut with a message.”
Dumbledore stood up a look of concern on his face.
“Firenze, who is Firenze?” Fudge asked.
“He is a member of the Centaur herd in the Forbidden Forest. What did he say Hagrid.”
“He brought a message from the Herd Stallion, a horde of dark creatures have appeared in the forest led by something horrible. They are causing a real ruckus among the forest creatures. They caught one of the Centaur mares, hurt her real bad but let her loose to bring a message to Mr. Dannon here.”

Hagrid handed the parchment written in a silvery script to Dannon.
“What does it say?” Dumbledore asked.
“It’s a challenge, Lord Valdune-Khepri of the Dark Court and the…Goaul? …is coming to reclaim his castle and lands. He claims that Hogwarts and all persons and objects within are his property. He orders me to vacate the castle at once or meet his champion in mortal combat.”

“I don’t understand, Centaurs want nothing to do with us,” Fudge said. “Why would they send such a warning?”
“They may not like us much; Minister but they also have long memories.” Dumbledore said. “I doubt very much they want the previous owners of Hogwarts Castle back in power.”
“The Dark Court but that’s impossible they have been gone for…” Fudge’s voice faded off as he looked at the Elven Knight sitting across from him. “But this is a school surely they wouldn’t attack if we just give them what they want. Would they?”
“These are creatures of the Unseelie Court. They enjoy and even feed on cruelty and pain. They have no love of mankind or its children and they see Human mages as a threat to our kind. As far as he is concerned all of you is at best property, at worst vermin. It is only my presence here that warranted this warning at all.” Dannon explained calmly. “If this Valdune is willing to risk the High Court’s anger to attack at all, then his servants will take great pleasure in killing everyone here.”
He paused looking at Dumbledore, Dannon, Shippo and the others as they remembered the image of crystal ball.
“Albus, what will we do?”

Dumbledore ignored Fudge and looked at Hagrid.
“Hagrid, ask the staff and head prefects to assemble in front of the great hall and pass the word through the portraits and ghosts that all students are to return to their dormitories at once.”

~~~

Many years had passed since the Sidhe had withdrawn from the World Above, returning secretly only when it became clear that they needed the creativity of Humanity just as much as Humanity needed the ‘magic’ of Underhill. In that time, Humanity had assigned much of the old knowledge of the creatures of fairy to the realm of myth and fairytale. Particularly in the case of the Unseelie Court creatures, the farther removed from the reality those tales became the more Humans forgot the true horror and terror that inspired them. Instead they became tales meant to entertain children instead of frightening them as originally intended. Cute and cuddly however was the farthest thing to group awaiting Valdune as he stepped out of the reactivated gate in the Forbidden Forest. The collection of nightmares that would make Freddy Krueger pause milled about the gate, rapidly making way for the Unseelie Lord as he strode from the gate. Nearby a tall hooded and cloaked figure stood alone given a wide berth by the others.

“Valdune,” the figure said with a voice that chilled the bones. “There is activity at the castle, they have received the message.”
“Good, the Skinwalker has done his job well. He has opened the castle’s magical defenses where we told him, it is time to attack.”
This announcement brought excited stirring from the things around them.
“And the Sidhe Knight?”
“He is yours,” Valdune said.
“Yes,” the figure said. “It has been too long since I feasted on a Sidhe.”
Valdune, in spite of himself experienced a small shiver at the subtle reminder that he stood against one of the few creatures that could totally destroy a Sidhe both physically and spiritually. The Human legends had turned its kind into a myth of a woman presaging death completely forgetting the relevance of their name, Bane Sidhe – Killer of Elves. While a Sidhe’s physical form could be hurt and destroyed their spirit returned to the wild magic of Underhill that created them eventually reforming in a new form much like the Human concept of reincarnation. Not so the Sidhe who dies at the hands of a Bane Sidhe, this most feared of Elven banes consumed the spirit of a Sidhe that died at its hands leaving nothing but utter nonexistence.

“Very well,” Valdune said. “Your attack is the signal for the Skinwalker to open the final chamber and remove the final obstacle keeping the gate in the castle closed. When he does that the entire castle defenses will fail and the mage younglings inside are yours. Enjoy your feast.”
Drawing his cloak around him, Valdune turned and walked back to the gate as the terror and death moved out behind him towards Hogwarts.

~~~

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” Kit’s body arched in pain as Twitwhiddle laughed. The wizard lowered his wand and the Coyote’s body slumped.
“Scream all you want, these cells have spells of silence around them.”
“Bastard!” Kit spat at him. “You’ll pay for this.”
“Crucio!”
Twitwhiddle laughed as Kit again jerked and screamed in pain.
“Before the night is out the Elf is going to rid us of Dumbledore and the Potter brat, then nothing will stand in the way of my master’s return. To bad you won’t be around to see it but don’t worry if your little Vixen should survive, which isn’t likely, I’m sure the Master will let me keep her as pet. I’ll take good care of her.”

The thought broke its way through the white hot pain searing through is brain; Hanako and Shippo were in danger.
‘No,’ he thought. ‘I won’t let them hurt them!’
He clenched his teeth together, choking off the screams as fear for his loved ones gave him a break in the pain. He stopped running from the pain and embracing it found another emotion even stronger than his fear, anger. He wrapped the pain with his anger and focused it all on the Human source of his torment.

In Humans it is called ki or spirit energy. In demons and other magical creatures the Japanese call it youki or demon energy. In both cases it is the source of their power and strength. Sensitive individuals can see the energy when is it manifested and if Twitwhiddle had any sensitivity at all he would have realized his danger as the Kit’s aura flared.
“Why have you stopped singing, dog? Crucio!”
Kit cried out through clenched teeth. “C…O…Y…O…T…E…HOWL!”
Twitwhiddle was fortunate; he had chosen that moment to move towards Goodbody and didn’t catch the full blast and the pain had prevented Kit’s full power from manifesting. He was flung against the side wall with bone crunching force as the massive explosion of spirit energy shattered to wall across from Kit.

Drained Kit collapsed with only the chains holding him up until he felt a hand lifting his face.
“Mr. Coyote, are you all right?”
Ms. Goodbody’s gag had been knocked free in the blast and she had been able to spell herself free. With a quick bit of rhyme she freed him from his chains.
“We need to get you to help.”
“No,” Kit said. “I have to get to Hogwarts.”
They heard voices coming from the hallway outside the cells.
“Think they are good guys?” Goodbody asked.
“Doesn’t matter, bad guys will try and kill us and good guys will hold us for questioning. Either way it will slow us down too much. Come on.”
Kit, his energy slowly recovering led her through the hole in the wall.

~~~

Dumbledore had finished instructing the Prefects to gather all the students together in the Great Hall. He walked over where Toshiro was discussing the situation with Shippo.
“Father, despite their magic most of these teachers is going to be useless in a real battle.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Dumbledore said. “Hagrid, Snape, Goodbody and I can make a good accounting of ourselves but I think the rest are better off staying with the students to provide a last defense. Once the castle is sealed it is almost impossible for something to get in. We should be able to hold out until help arrives from the Ministry.”
“The castle’s magical defenses are strong but it won’t be enough.” Dannon said striding up in silver armor and sword. “I’ve ridden out and scouted the enemy. They are lead by something old and powerful. I haven’t kenned what it is but I think it is a Bane Sidhe. They will get in if not challenged. Also, I sensed gaps in the shields around the castle. Gaps that weren’t there a few days ago. Someone has disrupted them from inside; we have a traitor in our midst.”

A student came up to them at that moment.
“Professor?”
“Yes.”
The students are all accounted for except Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and the Kitsune girl.
“That’s right,” Dumbledore said. “They are down in the Chamber of Secrets so they wouldn’t have heard the portraits calling the warning.”
He motioned over to Ms. Goodbody.
“Ms. Goodbody, would you be good enough to go down and inform Master Potter and the others what is going on. They should be safe enough were they are if they seal the chamber door.”
“Right away Professor,” she answered and turned away towards the stairs. The others not seeing the large grin that broke out on her face as she moved away.

“Very well,” Dannon said. “The castle defenses are not enough to hold them out till help arrives. I see no choice but to go out and challenge them with anyone willing and able to fight.”
“I agree and you can count on me,” Shippo said.
“And me,” Toshiro added lifting his katana.
“Me too,” Hagrid added.
“Don’t leave me out,” a ghost added wondering up. “I helped rout the pointy eared bastards when we first took the castle. No offense,” he added nodding to Dannon.
“None taken.”
“Thank you Baron,” Dumbldore said.
“No offense, Baron but what can a ghost do in physical fight?” Toshiro asked.
“You’d be surprised,” the Baron laughed. “One thing I know is how to fight them and I know what hurts them. They don’t like iron and steel so I rounded up some troops from the halls.”
He indicated the outer hall where enchanted suits of armor carrying pikes, cudgels and swords were marching towards the outer door.

“Dana, we may just win out yet.” Dannon said. “But if it is a Bane Sidhe we face there is something else we will need.”
He looked around and called Professor Sprout over.
“My lady, am I to understand that you have enchanted earmuffs that protect from the cry of the mandrake?”

~~~

The hole actually sloped upward to the floor above the cell level. Kit and Goodbody found themselves in a large square room with benches sloping down to a platform in the center of the room. On the platform a frame like a door stood with a grey veil hanging over it.

“What is this place?” Goodbody asked.
“I don’t know,” Kit said looking down at the platform.
He sensed a massive amount of magical energy here and immediately understood.
“It’s a nexus point; the frame down there is probably a gate. If I can open it we can escape Underhill.”
He led her down to the platform. A black tin whistle appeared in his hands and he started playing a tune to concentrate his magic. His first probe confirmed his suspicion, this was a nexus gate but as he probed deeper he stepped back in shock.
“This gate has no destinations, it’s totally unfocused. And it’s open!”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s open so you can step through it now but with no destinations linked to it…it would be an almost certain death sentence.”
He looked around at the huge room obviously designed to allow a large group of people observe the platform and suddenly it all made sense.
“This is an execution chamber.”

The sound of battering at the cell door from the room they just left reached them. Kit looked at the doors around the chamber but his sensitive ears heard sounds beyond them too. Their escape options were being rapidly cut off. He looked back at the veiled gate.
“There is only one chance, I don’t have skill to bind the gate to a destination but I might be able to form a temporary link long enough for us pass through.”
“And if it doesn’t work?”
“We won’t exist to realize it. Look you don’t have to go but I do, Hanako is in danger.”
“You think you’re leaving me behind, I got some payback to collect here too.”

Kit grinned and started playing as he reached out and started manipulating the energy of the gate, seeking a connection. He had really made clear how poor their chances are, he wasn’t a bard or even a magus major. The best he could hope to do was catch a link to a nearby gate and there wasn’t much chance of there being one here and even then it would only last moments. Even as he thought about it he felt a connection form.
“Now!”
They stepped into the void just as the Aurors burst into the room.