Impartial Security

Chapter 15

Vivian, as it turned out, was the head of the wardrobe sector. While she usually helped with an assortment of disguises for various stealth missions she wasn't allowed to talk about to non-guardians, she was an absolute genius when it came to clothes and make-up. 

She was also Harry's date, and she knew what colors she looked good in. 

Vivian had long, silky silver hair that shimmered in the light, darkening to black at the roots, and a very strong sense of style. 

Within an hour, both she and Harry were fitted for the Yule Ball, her in an elegant black ball gown embroidered with silver thread, with a pattern of stars across the skirt that swirled in a mesmerizing cosmic show, and a mask of ebony hiding her identity in true guardian fashion. 

Harry has a black tux with silver accents and many lessons on how to dance with a partner in Vivian's chosen style of dress under his belt and before he knew it, snow coated the ground and he was walking hand in hand down the stairs and into the Great Hall, which was decorated with all manner of brilliant snow and ice like lattices and crystals. 

Dumbledore's eyes found him immediately, twinkle vanishing when he saw the fourth's date, but Vivian spun him around as if she knew and he began to waltz, falling into the familiar rhythm he had been practicing every afternoon for a month. 

Vivian was otherworldly, even more beautiful than Fluer, and Harry wondered if she was completely human. The Guardians seemed to take all, as he had met several who had been wizards, including a witch named Amalthea Black, who was very distantly related to Sirius, and Sally who had taught him to make blue cookies was a muggle, even if she had been in the guard from the begining.

The rest of the night was pretty bad, with sneers and insults thrown at the pair to the point Ron "tripped" headfirst in the punch bowl seconds after Vivian had redirected Harry's attention to the redhead. 

But when the clock struck ten, Harry's mandatory appearance was over and he and Vivian vanished from the eyes of wizards.

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"Turn your face towards the sun, let the shadows fall behind you! Say a prayer, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you!"

The entire guard was singing, hundreds of voices celebrating the return of the sun and longer days, as they danced the night away in pure joy. 

Vivian was far more animated then she had been in Hogwarts, dragging Harry along with her in the dance, arms locked with her and a dark haired woman with the same eyes as Annabeth, forming a massive circle with a hundred other people around the green, red and white bonfire.

Will and Maddie's siblings lead the songs and most of the dances, different groups giving performances in different sections of the camp, magic used to keep the songs from interfering with each other as hundreds of guardians celebrated the return of the sun. 

And Magic. 

So much magic, the hair on his arms raised. It was like coming to Hogwarts for the first time only a hundred times stronger. 

There was a woman, glimpsed in the space between dancers, one that looked like an older version of his mother, dressed in a green gown and holding a large bronze key in one hand, and a torch in the other, red hair accented with a golden laurel. 

Harry didn't remember her until the next day, but he imagined that was what his grandmother looked like. 

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Christmas with the Guardians was strange. 

There was gift giving, lots of gift giving, gift giving to the point Harry had to use magic to escape his tent because Jazz thought it would be funny to unshrink the packages (that had been shrunk for a reason) and keep him from escaping. 

Most of his gifts were obviously of the book/weapon/clothes variety, from various guardians around the camp, several of which he only had a passing acquaintance with, friends of his acquaintances actually. 

Using a shrinking spell, and then a summoning spell, he manage to isolate the gifts from Jazz, Clarrisse, Will, Maddie, Vivian, Skylar, Aditi, Conner and Travis's joint gifts, Markus, one from Annabeth, a surprising one from Hermione, a book by the weight, Sirius, Fred and George and an unmarked package the size of a ring box that only had the Guardian crest that had qualified in his "Accio Personal gifts" spell. 

Jazz had gotten him fingerless gloves, leather ones with three emeralds and two onyx stones running down the back. 

The leather shimmered to fit him and Harry gasped as the same feeling he got holding his wand ran up both arms, leaving his fingers tingling. 

The mage had gotten him secondary foci, ones that matched perfectly to him. Possibly worth thousands of galleons. The crystal flower that changed color based on what kind of magic was cast around it seemed cheap in comparison. 

Clarrisse had gotten him gauntlets, bronze and leather that matched his gloves and shrank to thin bands around his wrists when he stopped studying them. The two guardians had obviously collaborated. 

Maddie had gotten him a music player, with wireless earbuds that would return to the case when not in use. The note said that it wouldn't break in high magic areas and got wifi everywhere along with something called Spotify. 

He couldn't wait to try it. 

Fred and George had sent him a bag full of candies they called Skiving Snackboxes. With a Guardian's "who shall remain unnamed" help, they had perfected it a year ahead of schedule and had given him some. One end of the candies would make him violently ill, the other would cure him. So you can get out of Potions faster. The letter read. 

At least two Weasleys still liked him. 

Will's gift was a box full of healing potions, each meticulously labeled in his neat handwriting, one simply labeled "In case of Clarrisse." 

Harry laughed over that one. 

Skylar had gotten him a broom care kit, along with a note promising pegasus lessons if he felt up to it. 

Aditi had gifted him a dagger, it's blade crackling with electricity. 

Conner had gotten him lockpicks, and Travis a book on lockpicking and safe cracking. 

Harry laughed over that one too. 

Markus, still not returned from his mission, had given him shoes, sandals that morphed into boots, the note telling the wizard these were the same shoes scouting used to scale trees and other obstacles. 

Annabeth's was one that Harry was a bit nervous about, but it was a book on mythology, and the history of the Kidemonas, the note warning Harry to keep the contents to himself outside of the Guard. 

It was an incredible display of trust on behalf of the Lieutenant and Harry was determined to prove her trust was not misplaced. 

Jazz knocked on the tent pole and Harry called to let her in. 

"Ha. Amateur. The entire guard wakes up at midnight to do this." She teased, taking a seat on his unmade bed. 

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "I wasn't expecting anything this year." 

"It might as well be official. You're one of us, kid." 

Harry laughed at her nonchalant attitude and opened the last gift. 

Nestled innocently on a cushion, was a bronze token, with the crest of the Guard engraved on it, shimmering in the witchlight. On the other side was his name, written in a hand not his own. 

"Holy schist." Jazz said, peaking over Harry's shoulder. "Guess it is official." 

"What is it?" 

Jazz reached under her collar and pulled up a cord, from which hung an identical coin, only tarnished with age, Norse runes on the back. 

"That, Harry, is the token He sends to people he wants in the Guard. We all have one. And now, you do too."