The Wizards and Witches of Voltron - Harry Potter/Voltron AU

11. Connections

Keith was shocked at finding out that Shiro was keeping information from him.

"Shiro, why didn't you tell me before? I-"

"Albus didn't want me sharing all of the details of my mission with you, no matter how much I trust you with them. And I answer to him on this case."

Keith looked away from Shiro, and his gaze fell on Lance, who was keeping out of this argument.

"Lance, what does this Voltron stuff mean?"

Lance looked surprised to have been asked a question.

"Um, well, from what I understand it's basically something like this: There are five wizards with lion Patronuses, and the Patronuses aren't the usual light blue, they are either blue, red, yellow, green, or black. These people are the Paladins of Voltron, and they can, like, fight evil and stuff with teamwork?"

Keith nodded and turned back to Shiro. 

"What is your Patronus, Shiro? I don't think I've ever seen it."

-

"I do not know where all of the Paladins are now," the princess replied.  "I only know what the stories tell us. There is a book, a diary that was sent to us by one of Albus' agents. My father's diary. He logged the final battle of the Paladins, and there was a prophecy that included their end and their rebirth."

Pidge was fascinated. She began to crane her neck around to look at the room and try to spot the book. This is incredible knowledge!

"Where is the diary? Can I see it?"

Hunk, on the other hand, was more focused on the princess' wording.

"Do you know where any of the Paladins are?" She doesn't know where all of them are, which means she may know where some of them are.

The princess looked down, then over at Coran.

"How do we know that you two are not agents of the Galra?"

After the last mention of them, Pidge had done some research. She knew a little bit about the Galra, dark magicians whose goals were to take over the world and defeat Voltron, back when the Paladins existed. They work now to prevent the Paladins from ever reforming Voltron. She had an answer to this. 

-

Shiro looked hesitant, finally showing minor distrust of Lance. Keith just crossed his arms, frustrated with Shiro's newfound secretiveness. Lance glanced back at the door.

"It seems like I'm not wanted here. I- I can leave if you really want."

"No, Lance," Shiro cut in, having made a decision. "It's alright. If Keith trusts you, then I do. But this information must remain in this room."

Lance nodded, eager to see an experienced Auror at work. He came from a pretty middle-of-nowhere part of the country, and was eager to take any chance he got to see professional spellcasting.

Shiro stood, pulling his wand from his vest and taking a breath. He closed his eyes and focused on his happiest memory.

"Expecto Patronum."

Blue light began to flow from Shiro's wand.

-

"I am a Muggleborn, just like you said before. I didn't know what Galra were until a few days ago, and I don't want to be one. And Hunk is a Hufflepuff. Not a single evil wizard has ever come from that house."

Hunk was eyeing Coran's sword nervously, but Pidge's answer seemed to satisfy the princess. The sword stayed at a safe distance. 

The princess nodded and turned back to the room, pulling a key from her dress and unlocking a large chest in the corner of the room. Shifting several other objects aside, she pulled out a well-worn book with a soft leather cover and handcrafted pages. Working carefully, she sat the book on her desk and unwrapped the leather strip holding it closed, then flipped through the pages to a dog-eared one.

"Yes. I know where one of the Paladins is."

-

As a shape began to form from Shiro's spell, the magic began to go darker. A feline shape began to emerge, and when it was fully formed, it was also completely black.

Lance and Keith watched with awe as a lion paced around Shiro, shaking its mane and watching them back.

"I've never seen anything like it," Keith murmured quietly. "You're a Paladin."

-

"There was an Auror with the Black Lion Patronus. It was kept a secret, for his safety."

"Princess," Coran cut in, warning.

She waved away his concerns.

"They are intelligent. They will look for what they are not told. And we have no eyes in Hogwarts, Albus does not come often enough for my comfort, Coran." She turned back to the children. "He recently returned to the castle."

Hunk and Pidge met eyes, both of their thoughts going straight to the man from the Dining Hall. The professor who disappeared.

"We would like to speak with him, and have reason to believe that he is still in Hogwarts. Will you look for him for us?"

Hunk pulled Pidge back into the tunnel, ever cautious, with a polite "give us a moment, please."

Pidge went from thrilled to concerned as she looked at Hunk's face. 

"What's wrong? These people know so much!"

"That's what I'm worried about. What if they're lying? What if Dumbledore doesn't know they're here at all?"

"Dumbledore knows everything that happens here. Nobody gets in without him knowing."

Hunk put a hand on her shoulder.

"I wish I could believe that."

Hunk thought back on everything he knew about the history of Hogwarts. There were too many invasions and loopholes and tricky magic rules. History Pidge wouldn't have heard as a child.

"So we get their information, and we go." Pidge was Ravenclaw to the core, Hunk realized. The information was more important to her than the source.

Then he thought over her suggestion for a moment.

"Okay. Let's hear what they have to say."