Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

The moment Hermione vanished deeper into the Forbidden Forest on the back of the unicorn, Cael's demeanor changed entirely.

His fingers traced glowing runes along his forearms, ancient symbols pulsing faint blue as they merged into his skin. His hair shifted in an instant, darkening to an earthy green, blending perfectly with the dense foliage. His robes shimmered, dulling into shades of moss, bark, and shadow. Within seconds, Cael disappeared into the undergrowth—nothing more than a whisper of movement beneath the trees.

The heavy crunch of boots on fallen leaves approached. Voices carried in the cold night air.

"There—sound came from this way."

"Orders are clear. Find the dragon. Anyone interfering—stun first, ask later."

The Aurors emerged—four of them, wands raised, eyes sharp beneath their hoods. Though they weren't experienced, . But they were hunting in forest domain now—the Forest, where Darkness was all ruled at this time of the night , and even the trees seemed to lean in, listening.

Cael inhaled deeply. His pulse slowed. His mind sharpened. He would give Hermione time—time to escape, time to hide the dragon, time to outwit them all.

The first Auror moved ahead, his wand emitting faint light. The others fanned out behind him. Cael waited silently .

Then he struck.

"Flipendo!"

The leading Auror was blasted backward, his body flipping through the air and crashing into a cluster of brambles. Before the others could react, Cael's voice echoed from another angle.

"Depulso!"

A shockwave burst from the shadows, sending another Auror stumbling into a tree trunk, his wand flying from his grasp.

"Confringo!"

A controlled explosion of fiery force erupted at the feet of the remaining two, sending them diving for cover as dirt and leaves showered the forest floor.

The leader scrambled upright, furious, wand aimed. "Show yourself! You coward "

But Cael was already gone, melting into the Woods , his steps unnaturally silent.

Spells sliced the air as the Aurors retaliated.

"Stupefy!" Red beams of light illuminated the trees.

"Expelliarmus!" Another wand sailed off into the darkness, snatched away by invisible forces.

But they were firing blindly. The forest shielded Cael. He moved like a ghost between branches and roots, every step precise.

Another Auror shouted, "We need containment—Impedimenta Maxima!"

The spell rippled across the ground, slowing vines and branches, freezing the terrain—but Cael leapt, twisting mid-air.

"Levicorpus!"

The nearest Auror was yanked upside down by invisible forces, dangling helplessly as his cloak tangled around him.

A furious barrage followed.

"Bombarda!"

A tree trunk shattered, bark and splinters flying in every direction.

"Diffindo!"

A slash of magical force carved through the undergrowth, narrowly missing Cael as he ducked low.

He retaliated with icy precision.

"Glacius!"

A sheet of frost erupted, encasing the feet of the two nearest Aurors, locking them to the ground. They stumbled, slipping on the ice.

"Protego!" one shouted, conjuring a shimmering shield.

Cael's eyes narrowed. He whispered another rune, his body blending further into the surroundings, practically invisible.

The leader barked commands. "Spread out! Surround him! He's alone—don't give the bastard chance to cast a spell ."

But they underestimated him.

From the canopy above, Cael's voice rang out.

"Descendo!"

Branches snapped, collapsing like a net over the Aurors, pinning them momentarily beneath vines and wood.

A flash of red light arced upward—"Reducto!"—obliterating the trap, but it bought Cael precious seconds.

The Aurors regrouped, panting, eyes scanning wildly.

"Reveal yourself, coward!" one spat, fury blazing.

Cael chuckled softly, unseen.

"You walk into the woods hunting monsters … and now you're surprised the monsters bite back?"

From behind, he struck again.

"Tarantallegra!"

An Auror's legs betrayed him, convulsing uncontrollably as he staggered about like a drunken puppet.

"Finite Incantatem!" another countered, freeing his comrade, but the distraction cost them.

"Stupefy!"

One Auror crumpled, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Three remained, their formation got tighter, as they lost the support of their teammate, so they became more ruthless.

"Expelliarmus!"

A flash of blue light—Cael's wand nearly ripped from his grip, but his reflexes held.

Another spell raced toward him—"Confringo!"—exploding a bush where he had stood moments before.

Smoke curled, embers lighting the forest, but Cael was already gone, repositioned.

His mind raced. Draw them apart. Break their rhythm.

From another angle:

"Aguamenti!"

A torrent of water blasted into the nearest Auror, drenching him completely and knocking him off balance.

The soaked Auror stumbled, furious. "What the fuck is wrong with you—using water?"

Cael chuckled, stepping lightly behind a tree. "What, don't like showers? I figured I was doing you a favor. You reek, mate. I almost feel bad for your wife—ugh."

Cael followed with vicious precision.

"Diffindo!"

The wet cloak split down the middle, rendering the Auror vulnerable, but the others advanced fast.

Sparks of magic crisscrossed the night.

"Protego!"

Cael's shield deflected twin curses that singed nearby leaves.

"Accio!"

A wand snapped from an Auror's hand, soaring toward Cael, but he batted it away, focusing on movement.

They encircled him, spells converging.

"Stupefy!"

"Depulso!"

"Bombarda!"

Cael leapt sideways, conjuring a shimmering rune mid-air, absorbing the barrage.

His landing was fluid, his expression cool.

They were tiring. Time to end it.

"Piertotum Locomotor!"

The stones and roots at his feet shuddered, twisting and rising like animated serpents, entangling the Aurors, knocking them off their feet.

The leader cursed, firing wildly.

Cael sidestepped.

"Impedimenta!"

The leader froze mid-motion, limbs sluggish, spell half-cast.

The last conscious Auror lunged, but Cael anticipated it.

"Expelliarmus!"

The wand flew from the Auror's grasp. A swift, precise jab followed.

"Stupefy!"

The Auror slumped to the ground, out cold.

Only the leader remained, struggling against the sluggish enchantment.

Cael approached, eyes hard, voice steady.

"I warned you—monsters bite back."

The leader tried to lift his wand—too slow.

"Diffindo!" The wand shattered mid-air.

The Auror's eyes widened with fury—but Cael wasn't done.

"Somnum Obscura."

A sleep charm layered with a subtle confusion hex. The leader's eyes rolled back, his body slumping into unconsciousness.

Silence descended.

Cael exhaled, muscles relaxing as the rune-glow on his arms dimmed.

One by one, he levitated the fallen Aurors, laying them gently in a concealed alcove beneath dense ferns. He bound them with conjured cords, reinforced by runes to prevent escape. They would sleep undisturbed for hours.

With a flick of his wand, his hair returned to its natural color, his robes shifting back to plain Hogwarts attire.

The forest concealed every trace of the skirmish.

⸻

Cael emerged from the trees just as the castle grounds erupted with noise.

A crowd gathered near the edge of the Forbidden Forest—students murmuring, teachers exchanging worried glances. Spells flared briefly against the dark sky—official Ministry colors, no doubt a demonstration of authority.

Cael slipped among the crowd, unnoticed, blending with the curious onlookers.

Near the castle steps, Minister Fudge paced nervously, flanked by remaining Aurors and Lucius Malfoy, who looked furious, his cane tapping the ground with barely restrained irritation.

Moments later, two Aurors levitated the unconscious, disarmed bodies of their defeated comrades from the forest.

As the unconscious Aurors were floated back from the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, the crowd's murmuring intensified. Dumbledore stood with calm dignity, his sharp blue gaze watching the scene unfold, while Lucius Malfoy practically fumed beside him, his silver cane tapping rhythmically against the grass in frustration.

The crowd rippled with shock.

Fudge's face drained of color. "W-what happened out there?"

Lucius scowled, eyes scanning the students. "They were ambushed—someone is aiding the dragon's escape."

Minister Fudge, visibly rattled, adjusted his bowler hat with trembling fingers. His eyes darted between the floating bodies of the Aurors, and the few remaining conscious officers standing beside him, clearly unnerved by what had transpired.

Fudge cleared his throat awkwardly, voice cracking slightly. "Tell me—are those… the new recruits?" His eyes flicked toward the stunned, disheveled Aurors being set gently on the ground. "The ones you sent into the Forest?"

The senior Auror standing beside him, a grizzled witch with sharp features and dark grey robes, hesitated. Her lips pressed together in a thin line before she nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, Minister," she admitted, her voice low but firm. "They're part of the new intake—young ones. Finished their basic field training last year."

The color drained from Fudge's face.

"And you sent them out alone?" His voice rose sharply now, wobbling with disbelief and thinly veiled panic. "Into that forest? To chase down a dangerous, illegal creature? Without a senior Auror to lead them?"

The senior Auror's jaw clenched, but she didn't flinch. "We didn't expect resistance, Minister. We were here for a routine containment—observe, report, handle the situation quietly. Standard protocol. No reason to anticipate—"

"No reason?" Fudge's face flushed crimson, cutting her off mid-sentence. His voice cracked with outrage. "No reason? You send barely-trained recruits into the Forbidden Forest with no senior supervision, and now look at them! Defeated—embarrassed—unconscious in front of half the bloody school!"

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, whispers spreading like wildfire through the students. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled faintly with restrained amusement.

Lucius Malfoy, however, seized the opportunity, stepping forward with an icy smirk curling his lips. "Perhaps if the Ministry took these matters more seriously, Minister, we wouldn't be facing such… humiliations."

Fudge ignored him, rounding furiously on the senior Auror again. "Who authorized that decision? I want names. If there had been a senior, this wouldn't have happened. You think the press won't hear about this? The Daily Prophet will have a field day!"

The senior Auror stiffened, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, but her professionalism held. "Understood, Minister. It won't happen again."

"It better not!" Fudge snapped, wiping his brow with a handkerchief, visibly sweating now. "We're walking on ice as it is… dragons, Dumbledore's reputation, pure-blood families breathing down my neck…"

His words trailed off into muttered frustration as Lucius stood silently beside him, clearly enjoying every moment of the Minister's unraveling composure.

Fudge wrung his hands. "We—need to investigate—contain the situation—"

Dumbledore's voice interrupted, calm and measured. "Indeed, Minister, but I suggest caution. Hogwarts is no ordinary castle. You came chasing rumors… and left with sleeping young soldiers."

Lucius rounded on him. "You mock us while your grounds hide dangerous creatures?"

Dumbledore's gaze sharpened. "My grounds hide many things, Lucius—knowledge, magic… and the foolishness of those who underestimate them."

The crowd watched, silent, the tension electric.

Cael folded his arms, eyes cool, as Lucius fumed and Fudge stumbled over excuses.

" Fucking Jokers 🃏 "