~The Big Five at Hogwarts~

Chapter 20

Rapunzel

"You're Cribrune?" Merida scoffs, not hiding her surprise.

"That is what I just said," he says, obviously exasperated with our stupidity.

"I was just expecting...more," she finishes. I scan the stout man. He really doesn't look like what I thought a sinister mastermind would be.

"Oh? That's too bad." Cribrune's lips split into a wicked smile. Faster than a Firebolt, his wrinkled hand whips out a gray wand from his dull green robes and shoots a spell towards my friend. Luckily, Elsa is alert (not to mention better with a wand than me) and blocks it just as quickly. We can't let the man's appearance distract us like that.  Astrid's eyes slowly open and widen at us. She has a bloody mark on her forehead; probably the reason she was unconscious until now. This seems to anger Hiccup:

"I thought you said that no one would be hurt if I stopped them?" Hiccup says. I'm not sure what he's talking about, and the others must not either, because they give him a quizzical look.

"Let us simply say I got impatient. I had to move forward with my plan," he continues as if he doesn't notice us.

"Which is?" Elsa prompts. She must be trying to either buy us time or distract him.

"Well, first I had to kill you five and make it look like an accident." He says it as if he were describing the weather. "Then, all I have to do is make sure I have control over this school."

"It's like Elsa said," I whisper, "with control over Hogwarts you have influence over the future of most of the Wizarding World." Cribrune nods at me with mock appreciation.

"And then I'll get revenge on The Ministry of Magic for what they did to me." Jack raises an eyebrow, but Archibald keeps going with gritted teeth. "I was a prize employee, I was; Head wizard of Improper Use of Magic Office. And they fired me because my punishments were, 'too severe'! So I swore that I would learn to be the best wizard there was. Soon, the students of this school, influenced by me, will work for jobs at the top of The MoM. Through them, I will rule virtually all of the Wizarding World! No longer will my talents be wasted." Hiccup, Jack, Elsa, Merida, and I looked at one another. Was he serious?

"How exactly do you 'influence' the students?" Elsa asks cautiously. How typical of her: always needing to know the details. "You cannot expect to use an Unforgivable Curse without the Ministry noticing. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't yet." Cribrune looks like he expected--perhaps wanted-- us to ask that. While he answers, I notice Hiccup, hidden by the netted body of Toothless, inching towards the crumpled body of Astrid.

"Oh, there are some things that don't need magic, my dear. My 'influence' simply requires what I have here," he gestures behind him to Astrid. Hiccup freezes, but he's too late. The gray wand is once more pulled out and pointed, resulting in two Vikings on the ground. I didn't even hear Cribrune utter a hex. Now I'm worried.

"Everyone has loved ones, family; persons that can be used against them." Cribrune folds his arms. He seems calm, except for his eyes burning with ferocity.

"You use blackmail." Jack clarifies. I can hear the anger in his voice. Instead of answering, Cribrune motions to his two buff comrades.

"Get the girl, boy, and dragon out of the way. I won't need any help with these children." Hiccup and Astrid are dragged up against a wall with Toothless, and Jack urges Merida, Elsa, and me to create a semicircle in front of the man we had once called Headmaster.

"So...was the Horntail your fault?" Merida inquires, referring to the dragon the first night, which seems so long ago now.

"That? Oh, yes," he waves his hand like it was nothing. "I was aiming to have it lure McGonagall out and kill her. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can control that beast. It got out, but I still managed to get McGonagall fired with a few lies." I smirk slightly; there was someone even more powerful than Cribrune who could control that beast. That's when I know it is time to stop the talking, for a few words and a red spark fly from Merida's direction. However, Cribrune bounces it back at her with ease. I have time to move closer to my curly haired buddy and send a disarming spell at him. For once, I succeed (it must be the life or death situation motivating me), but my victory is short-lived because he dodges the sparks and barely misses me with a death curse. Across the courtyard, Jack and Elsa are doing the same thing. It goes on like this for several minutes.