Harry Potter : Bloodraven

"Don't you think that was a bit rushed?" Edward asked as they stepped outside.

Maverick shot his teacher a sideways glance but stayed silent until they all settled on the seats. Aisha sat down last, her eyes darting between the two men.

"I meant every word," Maverick said, his voice steady as he locked eyes with Edward. "You saw what she can do. Leaving her at the orphanage isn't an option..."

"What about Mike and Arie? Shouldn't you at least talk to them before… I don't know… giving them a daughter?" his teacher asked, his tone sharp.

Maverick couldn't deny the reasoning. It made sense. Even if he believed they would accept it simply because he asked, making such a decision without consulting them was wrong. But his mind was set, and he'd deal with the apologies later.

He glanced at his teacher again. "I'll make it up to them..." He paused, then added, "Sooner or later, someone's going to notice her. Maybe the government, maybe someone worse. Terrorists, even. They won't give her a choice. They'll turn her into their pawn. It's only a matter of time."

Edward leaned back, his expression unreadable. "That's even more hypocritical, don't you think?" he said bluntly, not bothering to soften his words.

Maverick didn't flinch at the comment. Instead, he nodded and admitted, "You're right." He paused to collect his thoughts. "But I'll give her a safe home. A place where she doesn't have to look over her shoulder or face discrimination. My parents will love her like their own—I'm sure of it. She'll have a real childhood, go to school, make friends..."

His tone changed, hardening with conviction. "And I won't ask her to work for me or anyone else... Not unless it's what she wants."

Edward regarded him in silence, his sharp eyes searching for any sign of doubt. For Maverick, it felt like an eternity before Edward finally shrugged. "Do what you want. Just remember, you can always come to me if you need help."

Maverick let out a quiet breath, a weight lifting from his shoulders. A small part of him had worried that Edward might disagree or even see him differently because of his decision.

Aisha, meanwhile, sat in silence, her gaze shifting between the two men. She listened intently but kept her thoughts to herself, her face revealing nothing of what she might be thinking.

With the matter settled, they turned their attention back to the plan to force Morvain into hiding, and aisha, sitting their with them was glad as was finally able to add her input.

Time passed slowly as the plan began to take clearer shape, each detail refined as they outlined their next steps.

Half an hour later, Edward rose from his seat, his face calm but focused. "I'll handle the newspapers."

He glanced at both of them, then tossed Maverick a rolled-up parchment. "This map has his location. Tomorrow, once the news breaks, he'll be forced into hiding. The ICW will summon him."

Maverick nodded. "He won't go. His lair's been raided, and by now, he should realize that some very important things are missing..."

At that moment, Ali stepped in through one of the doors. "I found them..." he exclaimed, quickly walking toward them.

Edward glanced briefly at him before turning back to Maverick. "I'll be leaving then."

Maverick nodded, giving his teacher a grateful look. "Thank you, teacher... for your help."

Edward smirked, then disappeared with a soft pop.

As soon as he was gone, Aisha spoke up, turning to Ali. "Did you meet both of them?"

Maverick's attention also shifted to Ali. "All good news, I hope?"

Ali didn't respond immediately as he approached and stopped, glancing between them. "Uh... did something happen?" he asked. "Why did Speaker Garling suddenly leave?"

"Everything's fine," Aisha answered, speaking quickly. "He went to his newspaper connections to share some of the new materials we collected from Morvain's lair. Tomorrow will be the first leak—just the memory vial contents from the Dark Witch. The next day, we'll release the real bombshell."

Ali's expression brightened. "Great news..." Then, remembering the reason he was there, he turned to Maverick. "Uh, yes. Everything turned out fine. I first did some digging while staying hidden... Both cases."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "They're still mourning, still worried, even after all this time. Neither of the boys' parents had given up searching for them. When I showed up with the news, they were overjoyed. I told them to give me half an hour, and I'll bring them back."

Maverick smiled. "Let's break the good news to the kids..."

Aisha smiled, her mood brightening too as they walked toward the room where the kids stayed.

...

Once Ali had delivered the news to the boys, he didn't wait long. He left again and returned a short while later, this time accompanied by four people. The mothers and fathers of the two young wizards.

Maverick, Ali, and Aisha watched with quiet smiles as the families reunited. Maverick, not forgetting Sarah, his new sister, walked over to her and sat beside her, making sure she didn't feel left out in that moment.

The scene was filled with tears of joy, the long-awaited embraces between parents and children. The parents' excitement was beyond words, a mixture of relief and gratitude that could hardly be captured. It took a long while before they were able to pull away from their emotional reunion and approach Maverick and his team, offering their heartfelt thanks.

Maverick took a moment to explain how they had uncovered the truth, carefully planned, and executed the rescue. However, he made it clear that the details needed to remain private.

While the parents were eager to express their gratitude as loudly as possible, they reluctantly agreed to honor his request and keep everything quiet.

Before leaving with their children, the parents offered one final round of thanks, assuring Maverick they would help with anything he might need in the future. Maverick acknowledged their words with a nod, his mind already considering a plan—though that would have to wait for another time.

Once the matter with the children and their parents was settled and they had left, Maverick teleported straight to his home in England without hesitation.

This wasn't the first time he had visited since his travels began. As a wizard with the ability to Apparate effortlessly, he would occasionally return home, though for brief visits, just to ease his parents' worries.

This time, it was important. He was honestly worried—or rather, unsure—of how they would react to the bombshell he was about to drop on them. But Sarah's situation needed to be explained, and the sooner it was, the better.

Luckily, when he appeared that evening, both his mother and father were home.

Maverick wasted no time. He first showed them her memories, starting with her life at the orphanage and continuing through her kidnapping and rescue. Though, the rescue part was explained in a heavily watered-down version.

Then he got to the point. To say they were surprised would be an understatement. After all, who expects their son to suddenly come home and... ask to adopt a child?

They hesitated, not because they lacked sympathy or were unwilling to take on the responsibility, but because it all came so suddenly.

Maverick had expected their reaction. He had walked in knowing it. So, slowly and with a pleading look that came from the heart, he spoke to them, offering his reasons.

He promised not to dump all the responsibility on them, assuring them he would visit more often to check on everything. He even suggested hiring a sitter to care for her, but his mother firmly rejected the idea. She'd rather have her not stay than hire someone to look after her.

Since Maverick's request was to adopt her, it had to be done properly. Their care for this child couldn't be faked—it had to be genuine.

After some back-and-forth reasoning, his mother was the first to accept. It still felt odd, of course, but for her son, she convinced herself. Once her mind was made up, she even showed signs of excitement.

Michael, well, he agreed as well. He had simply been waiting for his wife's decision.

They talked a bit longer as Maverick added more details about their soon-to-be adopted daughter. Fortunately, they didn't flinch when he mentioned Sarah's powers. They only asked if she could control them, and once Maverick assured them that she could, they didn't bring it up again.

Maverick then briefly explained that he would be busy for the next few days, working on something with Edward. His parents had no objection, and they asked him to bring Sarah over as soon as possible.

Maverick returned to Egypt, and while later brought a nervous Sarah to his family home in London. To help her settle in, Maverick stayed with her, all while she was showed around the house, and for her to get comfortable with his parents.

It took some time, but eventually, everything fell into place. Though it all felt rushed, Maverick had no other choice. Tomorrow, the plan to take down Morvain would begin, and he couldn't afford to stay here. He couldn't keep Sarah at the underground base in Egypt either. He promised himself he would spend a week at home before continuing his journey, after everything with Morvain was dealt with.

After Sarah had drifted off to sleep, Maverick quietly let his parents know that he was leaving, then Apparated back to Egypt.

....

The following day, thanks to Edward's arrangements, the major wizarding newspapers erupted with headlines exposing the dark deeds of Morvain, an ICW high council member and the man in charge of commanding the international policing Aurors.

The reports were filled with magical images from the memories of his accomplices, revealing him planning kidnappings, committing murder, and performing forbidden spells and rituals.

The wizarding public was thrown into an uproar. Morvain's kidnappings had spread far beyond one country, affecting nearly every region. The children he had taken were all hybrids, a highly specific detail. Families who had reported missing children of that description were the first to protest, their anger quickly spreading throughout the wizarding community.

The reaction was far more intense than Maverick or Edward had anticipated. The ICW prosecutors and justice departments had no choice but to issue a worldwide summons for Morvain.

But the man had vanished without a trace. Not a word to any authority, not even a denial of the accusations—he simply disappeared. Except, of course, for one person, who continued to track his name, moving silently across a piece of parchment.

The next day, even more explosive material leaked, some of it even mysteriously found its way to the doorstep of ICW prosecutors. The public outcry grew louder, and protests started to erupt outside magical ministries in several wizarding communities.

Faced with mounting pressure and undeniable evidence—not just memories, but physical proof—the ICW had no choice but to change the summons into a "dead or alive" warrant for Morvain.

Maverick, Ali, and Aisha stayed at their safe house near the Nile River while everything unfolded. For the past two days, their movements had been quiet, mostly spent reading the news, and more importantly, tracking Morvain's movements on the magical parchment.

Maverick received the news of the "dead or alive" warrant before it even hit the newspapers. Edward had returned shortly after it was issued, bringing the information straight to him.

It was now the waiting game. Maverick needed to lure Morvain to a location far from civilization, somewhere uninhabited. The duel would not be quiet, and the last thing he wanted was innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire.

The evil old wizard, centuries old and at the peak of the Great-Magus rank, would be Maverick's strongest opponent yet. Although Maverick had recently achieved that same rank, in terms of experience, he was still a complete beginner.

But Maverick wasn't scared. He had his own cards up his sleeve. Still, he knew this wouldn't be easy, and victory wasn't guaranteed.

This duel was important. Until now, he had been playing everything on easy mode, never facing a true challenge. This time, it would be a real duel—one where neither side would hold back for fear of injuring the other.

His teacher, Edward would still be there, but remain hidden, as he had specifically requested not to intervene unless it became a life-or-death situation.

This was an experience Maverick needed. Both of them understood that. Most of all, Maverick was determined to put an end to the man himself.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 84 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic