CHAPTER 53: MEMORY AND SCOOP

(Arturia POV)

"Tell me, Bedivere," said the blonde-haired female ghost, turning to her subordinate. "Ilyasveil... does she seem familiar to you?"

The grey-eyed spirit pondered for a moment before responding...

"No... I'm afraid not my King..." he said finally. "Today, or rather, yesterday, was the first time we met..."

"I see," said Arturia in a monotonous tone. as the two ghosts, who were currently on top of the highest structure at Hogwarts, continued to observe the stars...

"If I may be so bold, my," said the grey-eyed knight. "I think it would be better if you just ask her directly. She has, after all, agreed to answer your queries..."

Silence reigned for a while, as a gentle breeze slightly lifted the blonde-haired female ghost off her feet...

"You know I cannot do that," said the King of Knights.

"Regardless," said the knight. "She would have willingly responded to your questions had you asked. She conceded, did she not? You were v..."

"You and I both know who truly won that duel, Bedivere," the King of Knights cut her subordinate off. "Now, please leave. I need some time alone..."

"But, my king..." the knight began, but his voice seemed to trail away as the spirit of the King of Knights, who was currently deep in thought, ignored him...

"As you wish," sighed Bedivere, as he flew away from the Astronomy Tower...

In her long career as the King of England, Arturia Pendragon had fought many battles, and while outcome of her campaigns were overall successful, save for her fall at her final battle at Camlaan, it was not as if she had not suffered defeat. Indeed, there were a number of skirmishes in which she and her army had lost. However...

Never, in all her time as a king and as a knight, had she met someone who could match her in such a duel. True, she had been defeated in jousts, spars, and one on one duels before. Sir Kay, Sir Lancelot, Sir Bedivere, Sir Gawain, and a few others, friend and foe, had been able to match Arturia and her skills as a knight. However...

The King of Knights was unbeatable when she was using her weapon of choice. All throughout her lifetime, Arturia had been invincible whenever she was using a sword, even if it was not Caliburn or Excalibur she was using. As long as she had one in her hands, none could match her in close combat, not in spars, not on the battlefield, and it did not matter what kind of melee weapons her adversaries used, be it sword, spear, or axe...

Flashback

Clang!

WHOOOSH!

CLANG!

CLANG!

"You have doomed your country with your actions, King Arthur..." said a voice.

"Why? Why did you not make me your heir? Why did you not abdicate the throne for me?" asked the knight in white armor, engaging Arturia in one on one combat, in the middle of a hill, as war raged on around them...

"Because you do not have the spirit of a king," came the reply from the King of Knights, as they continued dancing with their swords, without any intention of stopping, until one of them should fall...

End of Flashback

It was simple, really. After spending years of struggle and hardship, Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights, was betrayed by the very country she sought to protect. In the end the female ruler realized, that she had not been only ever been an idol to her people, someone who was worshipped, not followed. She had never been a true leader, and then many of them lost faith in her, and thus rebelled.

"Even without sacrificing the village, we were assured of victory..."

Yes, as their disappointment and complaints grew, the people of England, one by one, started withdrawing their support from Arturia, until only those who had truly been loyal to her remained. And when she returned to her country one day after her pursuit of a traitor, she found that someone had usurped the throne...

Her son, Mordred...

It had already been centuries since then, since the time she fell at that last battle, but the regret Arturia felt, caused by what happened still lingers, combined with the fact that she had enormous amounts of magical energy, was probably the reason why she had become a ghost. While the King of Knights focused her time honing her sword fighting skills, as well as having become too busy with her kingly duties to give time for anything else, she actually had potential as a witch or wizard. True, she did not acquire her own wand, but she knew some spells and could cast them wandlessly, although they were mostly focused on improving her swordsmanship, only learning very few spells which were meant to improve her fighting prowess. She did learn Merlin's teleportation and convenient modes of transport however (which are presently known as Apparition and Portkeys), spells which none of the magic users of her time knew about, and only Merlin, Arturia and a few of her knights (including Bedivere, Lancelot Gawain and Galahad) had learned how to use it, although since Morgan la Fay was able to render said transportation spells useless against her strongholds and locations on which she had cast the spell, which included the entire huge area of Camlann during the final battle, perhaps she also knew about it...

And it was on that battle that Arturia received the fatal wound which claimed her life shortly afterwards. She had fought on that lonely hill, against her son, Mordred, the one who brought things into disarray by claiming the throne for himself. King Arthur won the duel. However, the blonde female's treacherous half-sister had put a spell on the knight's body, which kept it moving even after its death, and the shock was enough to make Arturia drop her guard long enough for it to strike, one which proved to be fatal...

At least, that was most people thought happened...

King Arthur was the better warrior of the two, but was killed through the treacherous use of magic to reanimate the usurper's corpse. And indeed, the account was accurate...

Except for the fact, which only Arturia knew, that she was not the better fighter...

Although the general gist was the similar, there had been many different accounts of their duel, although the end result was the same. The most accurate version, however, was that both of them only used their swords when they fought. Yes, this was true. However...

Mordred was the better swordsman, a fact that Arturia knew without a doubt.

As their duel progressed, it would seem to people who were watching (and since everyone was busy with their own fights, no one was watching) that they were evenly matched. However, they were not. Slowly, inch by inch, Mordred pushed Arturia back, and the King of Knights could do nothing about it. It was a slight, a very slight advantage in strength and speed, but the small difference was enough. The King of Knights was on the brink of defeat...

CHING!

"Guh!"

The King of Knights winced, as the Sword of Promised Victory flew from her grasp.

Arturia recalled it as if it only happened recently. Her guard was destroyed and she was vulnerable, a perfect opening to strike has been created. The King of Knights, realizing there was nothing else she could do, grabbed her spear on the ground and tried to go for a counterattack instead of defending, which would have been futile. However, she also knew that even if she tried to go for mutual defeat, it would not work. Mordred was more skilful than she was, and Arturia could tell, that the knight would be able to deal a fatal blow and avoid the King's desperate attempt. It should have been then end of her...

It did not come. The white-clad knight, rushing forward to finish the duel, stopped his charge, leaving himself open, allowing the King of Knights to drive her spear into his chest, straight into his heart.

Arturia had been surprised with the turn of events, and many thoughts entered her mind. Perhaps her opponent was exhausted, or got distracted by something insignificant at such a critical moment? Maybe she had miscalculated her enemy's strength, or perhaps it was sheer luck?

However, all her thoughts process went to a stop, as Mordred, apparently unmindful of the pain, took off his helmet, and looked Arturia straight in the face.

If the King of Knights had been surprised with her victory, what she was afterwards was far more shocking...

It was her own face looking back at her. Arturia had known, she knew that Mordred was her son, the son who was born from the ritual wherein she was temporarily turned into a pseudo male. The son who, after hearing Merlin's warning, the King of Knights had tried to kill while still an infant, though she failed. The son who had been prophesized to bring her downfall, yet Arturia, when she saw how useful a knight he was, decided to do away with it.

Yet she never knew that they resembled each other to such an extent, for Mordred, who had revealed to Arturia his identity, never showed her his face, and this was the first time the King of Knights had seen it. However, it was not the fact that Mordred was like her mirror image that shook Arturia the most...

Even though he was on the verge of death, his face did not show hatred or defiance towards the female king who was his father. Instead...

He was smiling. A sorrowful smile was plastered on Mordred's face, tears flowing down his eyes as blood came out of his mouth. And then, as he neared his last breath, only one word came out of his blood-stained lips, before his head bowed down on his death, impaled by the spear...

"Father..."

It was a painful memory. As a knight, it was an insult, for she realized that her opponent held back at the very last moment, giving her an opening to be able to successfully land a fatal blow, losing on purpose.

And her distraction, perhaps, was the reason why she had not noticed the Dark Magic that had been placed on Mordred, and thus, even though he was dead, the body was still able to move and managed to land a fatal blow on the King of Knights, although it did not cause instant death. However, it was not her pride as a King or as a knight which caused her to be in a daze. No, it was because of something else...

"The King does not understand human emotions..."

Yes, this was one of the reasons why the people of her kingdom eventually shunned the King of Knights. They believe that she was someone cruel and emotionless, who is prepared to do anything to get her way. However, this wasn't the case.

For in truth, Arturia Pendragon was just like everybody else. However, in order for her to be able to protect her country, she froze her own heart, making decisions which would assure victory and minimize casualties, even if they seemed immoral and unenthical.

She froze her own heart, yet still the ice melted. But Arturia ignored it, and froze it back again every time, never showing her fear and anxiety to her enemies, never showing sorrow or sadness to a fallen comrade, never shedding tears, not a single drop, even when those closest to her heart died, not even when she was alone in her chambers, in her attempt to become an ideal king for her people.

Yes, Arturia can feel pain and get hurt, not just physically but also emotionally, like any other human being. However, she gave it no regard, considering it to be irrelevant. But during her last battle with her own son, the son she had never loved and tried to kill, the son who she had never truly known, except for the fact that he had been an excellent knight, she once again, after a long time, acknowledged its existence.

In her final moments, Arturia was in a turmoil of emotions, feeling great sadness, despair and sorrow, knowing that her country will soon fall into ruin. Even though she was in pain, and the hurt she felt from her failure was much more painful than her mortal wounds, she did not cry. And yet...

On her final moments on the hill, just as the corpse of her son moved through the spear and struck her with a fatal blow, a single tear escaped her eyes. For her final confrontation with Mordred was one of the most painful experiences Arturia had faced, next to Lancelot's betrayal...

And even though she was dead, even though she was already a ghost, her duel with the silver-haired girl made her remember the painful occurrence vividly...

For Mordred and Ilyasveil, two different people who fought two using two completely different sword styles, had the same expression on their face. There was no anger on them, nor was there any hatred in their eyes. All Arturia saw from them was sadness and sorrow... and it was unnerving...

The blonde female ghost of the King of Knights wanted to question her, the girl with silver hair who had proven her worth as a swordswoman, surpassing even Arturia's own abilities, yet decided to throw the fight in the end. And by the agreement of their duel, the King of Knights had every right to do so. And yet...

Arturia could not bring herself to do it. The moment she saw the girl in tears, she fled, and left the room, as fast as she could, with Bedivere, a worried expression on her face, following behind...

For she could feel the sadness, despair and longing that the girl with silver hair felt, and the King of Knights was unable to take it. She had lived, and existed for centuries, ignoring her emotions. In truth, Arturia thought that she had already been able to discard them, yet apparently she had been wrong. The ice that covered her heart, both in life and in her imitation in life, was once again being melted away, and it was painful. And yet...

"You are Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights, of that I have no doubt of..."

"However, you are not the Arturia I know..."

The King of Knights opened her eyes, deciding on her next course of action. She will face her again. She knew it might be painful, she knew it might cause her pain, but the King of Knights also knew, that she must not run away...

-BREAK-

(Severus POV)

It was Saturday morning. Severus and his friends were currently having a picnic-style breakfast under a tree near the lake. It was a peaceful day, compared to the chaotic previous one. Things were normal and cheerful, and his silver-haired girlfriend was currently engaged in conversation with Alice and Rose on fashion and clothes.

Things seemed normal, yet the raven-haired young man could not help but feel worried and anxious, and he could not help but get the feeling that he was missing something important... For while Ilya seemed like her usual cheerful self, Severus could not help but feel that it was not the case. Even though his silver-haired girlfriend was an excellent Occlumens, and was thus able to hide her thoughts and emotions, he could feel a sense of loneliness emanating from her...

Something must have happened, thought Severus to himself.

He wanted to ask, the young man with raven hair wanted to know what happened, but before he could open his mouth, a distraction, in the form of the arrival of a snowy-white bird...

"Iris," said Ilya, as the snowy-white owl, with large, round, ruby-red eyes, dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet on the silver-haired girl's lap, before perching itself on her shoulder.

The owl now belonged to Evelyn Scrimgeour, although it was Ilya's originally, and was also the one who named her(the owl). According to the silver-haired girl, after the Diagon Alley incident, when the pet shop was destroyed, the owl had followed them home (something which Severus, who was badly shaken at the time, did not notice.)...

"By the Root," said Ilya quietly, though there a cold, dangerous tone in her voice...

Upon hearing the phrase, Severus knew at once that whatever it was that she read could not be good. For whenever Ilya is faced by something that causes her to feel annoyed or angry, she would normally blame things on Akasha, the Root (which, according to Ilya, was what magi in general strive to reach.), in the same way that wizards would curse the name of Merlin.

"Ilya?" inquired the raven-haired young man, as the silver-haired girl sitting beside him handed him the newspaper...

And the raven-haired young man's eyes opened wide with shock...

For on it was a large moving picture, which showed a silver-haired girl confronting a giant. Whoever took said photograph was undoubtedly an excellent cameraman. The moving picture started with the silver-haired girl cutting off the giant's arm, to the part wherein she stood before the giant and the girl, destroying the giant's club the stabbing its owner, up to the part wherein said giant was turned into ashes, with the silver-haired girl, standing regally (and at such a nice angle too.). And on top of the picture was the Headline, which read:

MERLIN'S LEGACY APPEARS?! KIDNAPPING OF THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER FOILED

by: Rita Skeeter

"Merlin be damned," snarled Severus, finding it hard to control himself, feeling a mixture of shock, awe, and irritation, as he finished reading the article after a while. "Ilya..."

It was, in Severus' opinion, one of the worst things that could have happened. Of all the people to find out about it, it just had to be the infamous snoop.

"Hey now, you're overreacting," said Alice, who was wearing a smile on her face. "In fact, it's actually a miracle, Skeeter writing about someone in a positive light? I mean, come on..."

"No, it's not alright." said Ilya, her voice monotonous, but there was a trace of fury and irritation in it, which made the smile on the black-haired female's face fade.

Alice was trying to lighten the mood, but it was easy to tell that she could also comprehend the possible repercussions that could result from the Skeeter's write-up.

It was true that the article did not show Ilya in a negative light. In fact, Skeeter actually glorified her, although Severus was sure that the shrewd reporter probably did that so she can further put stress on certain points to humiliate certain prominent institutions and individuals, which probably include "Hogwarts has lax security", "the Ministry is incompetent," "Fudge is incompetent," "the teachers are useless," "Dumbledore is useless," and the like...

Yes, the article, at first glance, may appear harmless to naive individuals. However...

Neither Severus nor his friends belong to that category.

In a span of a few short seconds, the raven-haired young man immediately realized the possible effects of the news which, while Severus was quite certain that its content was not aimed at Ilya (at least, for the time being), already had some unpleasant implications. Severus knew that he might be being paranoid, but the fact that his friends seemed to share the same thoughts as him proved him otherwise.

First, the article has been published, and that in itself was something. They have friends and allies in the Ministry in the higher echelon, in the form of Rufus Scrimgeour and his boss Richard Parker, who were close to the Minister, not to mention the fact that Dreamweaver himself seemed to look at Ilya favourably. This influence had been enough to prevent the news of the Hogwarts Express incident from being published in the Daily Prophet. And yet, this time, the article pushed through, and it could only mean that they had been given express permission to post it (even though said article also contained snide and harassing comments aimed at the Minister himself).

Second, the part of regarding Ilya. It was rather unfortunate, but while there were few people who think that Rita Skeeter's news articles contained plenty of lies which were weaved from the truth, most people take it by the word, and even Severus had to admit that she was an excellent writer, able to convince the masses that what she was saying was the truth, even if it was made up of nothing but lies. True, Skeeter had not written anything that would incriminate or turn people against Ilya. In fact, she was going all out praising her, with the use of exaggeration, and her purpose, in Severus' opinion, was undoubtedly simply to further humiliate the other people who were the reporter's true targets. Yes, Skeeter's article was an all-out glorification of Ilya...

And therein lies another big problem.

For Rita Skeeter, in her article, had explicitly mentioned certain details, which she should not have known...

It was not a wonder that Rita Skeeter knew about Caliburn, about the rumours that circulated around the school, what the students were saying, and what the ghosts were saying. However, there were some things that the reporter should not know about.

First, was their encounter with the ghost of Bedivere.

Second, their meeting with the Minister in the Hospital Wing.

And, like always, she twisted the facts brutally magnificently...

Descendant of King Arthur...

Related to Merlin...

Denying the truth...

Caliburn, the Sword of Promised Victory, forged by Merlin...

And now that these pieces of information had been divulged, there was no doubt that the eyes of the entire Wizarding Community were now focused on Ilya. And unwanted attention can cause quite the inconvenience, not to mention the many possible rumours that could go flying around because of it, for unlike the train incident, this one was published... by none other than one of the most notorious yet believed journalists the British Wizarding Community had ever seen. It would take a longer time for people's interest on the subject to die down...

Yet, it should not have come as a surprised, for one of the traits Rita Skeeter had been known for...

...was her ability to create turmoil and chaos with her quill. It was not a good idea to get on her bad sice...

Skeeter had not yet mentioned all of the contents of Ilya's conversation with Bedivere. Even though the silver-haired girl did refrain from giving away too much at the time, there were still some crucial points discussed, points which are undoubtedly now known by Skeeter, which include...

... Arturia Pendragon was girl...

...Ilya knew the ghost of the King of Knights...

And it did not bode well. What the snoopy reporter acquired was significant, she might even use it to try and blackmail Ilya to get more information, and if she makes an article in the near future including such information, the reactions of the Wizarding Community to it would be.

Severus did not even want to think about it...

It was frustrating. For before both conversations (one with Bedivere, the other with the Ministry officials and Hogwarts teachers) began, a Privacy Ward had been put in place. And the only way for someone to be able to eavesdrop is if they were already inside the Ward before it was cast. Perhaps it was possible for Skeeter to have overheard and snuck into the Hospital Wing with an Invisibility Cloak or a Disillusionment Charm. However, before they talked with Bedivere, it was Ilya who set up the Privacy Ward...

Under an Invisibility Cloak or not, it would have knocked away anyone who tried to enter the Boundary Field, no matter what kind of magic was used, even Animagus transformations, and there were only two possible explanations...

First of course, was the possibility that a hidden microphone or camera has been set up, and that it was within the area of the spell, and it was Ilya who suggested this possibility. However, even she admitted that it was unlikely, since portable versions of such equipment were, according to her, still rare, not to mention the fact that many electric-powered Muggle equipment go haywire at Hogwarts. Yes, it was a possibility. Still...

Skeeter explicitly stated that she had been there to witness and overhear said events. She was implying that she was there herself. True, she could be lying, but Severus' gut feeling told him that Skeeter, who had pride as a snoop, was probably telling the truth. And if that were the case, she had to be inside the area before Ilya cast the Ward.

Severus knew that they had to do something about this, and from the look on Rose's and Alice's serious faces, they were also thinking along the same lines, or risk having the constant fear that their private conversations would be the cause of scandals. However...

"Hmmm... I think I've just thought of something," said a female voice cheerfully.

The silver-haired girl, whose face was contorted in annoyance just a few moments before, now look calm and peaceful, wearing a smile that...

"Ilya?" inquired Severus nervously, as he saw the dangerous smirk that was playing on his girlfriend's lips, one which he had not seen in a while... a playfully, frighteningly, dangerously cruel smile which only ever appeared when she was feeling bored(and found something interesting to do) or vindictive.

"Don't worry," said Ilya in a low voice, the smile still plastered on her face, as she looked at her map of Hogwarts. "If my theory is correct, the next time this Skeeter tries anything, which I think will be quite soon, we'll be able to deal with her without a problem..."

Soon the smirk widened even further, which made Severus shudder, as another phrase escaped her lips...

"... although we're probably going to need some insecticide..."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright, another chapter out. Now then, someone asked me if I made a mistake during the Evans residence incidence, as I did not make mention of Lily's sister. Well, I did make a mistake, but not on the plot.

During the Evans residence incidence, it was not a mistake that Petunia Dursley was not mentioned. She wasn't there, though I think I forgot give an explanation, which I think was an error on my part. Well, that is because Petunia was staying at her friend's house as a guest every summer, not wanting to associate herself with her freaky sister.

As for the point of view, well, whoever's name I mention up there means the majority of the scenes are shown from their perspective. However, the word is 'most' or 'majority,' and not all.

That's just about it for now... Like I said, I'm really busy and I've got lots of things to do, but I promise I'll try and update at least once a week...

Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...