Chapter Text
"Alright time to start Players and Pieces!" Roku cheered.
"You seem excited," Sirius noted.
"How can I not be? This episode has my favorite fight of this season," Roku said.
"Alright!" the twins cheered high fiving each other.
"If Roku is getting this excited then it must be good," Ron said.
"Then let's stop talking and watch the episode already," Tonks said.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted and the scene opens on the two hanging on to something with a lot of feathers. Judging by the wind, they also seem to be going very fast. "I told you this was a terrible idea."
"Well at least we get to see how Ruby started falling from the sky," Ginny said.
"What are they on though?" Molly asked worryingly.
"And how would they even get on it?" Tonks asked.
Reamus groaned and leaned his head back. "I'm starting to think that black feather we saw earlier came from whatever they're riding on now."
Sirius laughed at that. "That's one way of getting a ride."
"We're fine. Stop worrying," Ruby said.
"I am so far beyond worrying," Weiss countered.
"In a good way?" Ruby asked.
"In a bad way!" Weiss corrected. "In a very bad way."
"Well why don't we just jump?" Ruby suggested.
"What are you? Insane?" Weiss wanted to know. She didn't get an answer. A shot of nothing but black feathers showed that Ruby had already jumped. "Oh, you insufferable little red-!"
The teens laughed at Ruby's quick departure. "Yeah I would want to ditch her too," Harry said.
"I hope Ruby lands okay," Molly whimpered.
"These students have that landing strategy, remember," Arthur said. "She'll be fine."
On the ground Yang was waving a hand in Blake's face while Blake was still looking skyward. "Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?" Yang asked her partner. Blake didn't say anything as she pointed at the sky where Ruby was falling towards them.
All the aurors in the room and Harry noticed the way Blake's "bow" twitched. Kingsley was about to say something about that, but Harry was able to catch his eye and gave a small shake of his head. He remembered Roku's insistence on Blake wearing a bow when the Weasley twins thought she had cat ears. Knowing that the truth was meant to be a surprise later down the line, he decided to keep it a secret from the others so that Roku can have her fun.
Before Ruby hits the ground though, Jaune comes flying in from the side and crashes into Ruby. Sending both of them into a nearby tree.
Once again, everyone started laughing including the adults this time. Save for Moody who just grumbled "Not exactly what I would call a 'Landing Strategy'."
Molly just let out a breath of relief. "At least they're both okay."
Ruby starts to come out of a daze as stars and tiny Beowolves circle around her head. "Ohhhh..... What was that?" Jaune clears his throat and Ruby shakes her head to see Jaune hanging upside down on a tree branch.
"Hey Ruby," Jaune greeted.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked. Yang tries to answer but a comotion brings them back to the edge of the clearing where an Ursa emerges. Paws swinging in the air.
"YEEE-HAAAA!" Nora cried out as a pink blast of energy hit it in the back before it collapsed on its stomach. Nora, who apparently was riding the thing, rolled off of the Ursa's back.
"Wicked!" the Weasley twins cried out high fiving each other. "It's official. Nora here is our favorite character," Fred said. Molly groaned and placed her head in her hands. That girl was going to be a bad influence on her boys.
Sirius and Remus were also laughing. "Reminds me of the time I tried riding a Griffin in the Dark Forest our sixth year," Sirius said.
"Yeah. If James and I haven't been able to stun the thing it would have ripped you to pieces," Remus recalled. Harry laughed fondly at the antics of his father and friends.
"Awww... It's broken," Nora complained as she zoomed back to the Ursa and looked over it. A disheveled Ren finally catches up to her.
"Nora! Please.... Don't ever do that again," Ren gasped, leaning against the decaying monster. He looks back up, but the pink dotted outline of where his partner should be indicates that she already ran off somewhere.
"Someone needs to keep her on a leash," Moody grumbled.
"That leash would not last long," Tonks countered.
"No it would not," Remus laughed.
Nora had already made her way to the temple and was looking at the golden rook piece. "Oooohhh." She grabs the piece and a fanfare plays while a pink background with stars and a hammer symbol on the edge appears behind her. As she poses a couple of times while balancing the chess piece on several parts of her body she sings "I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle."
"Yes she is!" Fred shouted.
"We must kneel and pay our respects for the Queen," George said as he and Fred started bowing to the tv.
"Will you two knock it off!" Molly scolded.
"Nora!" Ren shouted from off screen.
The background goes back to the temple with Yang and Blake as Nora drops the relic from her head to her hand and gives her friend a salute. "Coming Ren."
As she skips back over to him, Blake asks "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Yang tries to answer but is once again interrupted by a screech. It's Pyrrah followed closely by the Deathstalker.
"Can't anyone arrive at a location normal?" Hermione asked.
"Well I mean Blake and Yang did," Ginny said.
Pyrrah calls out to Jaune who calls out to her in return. Ruby jumps out of the tree, seeming to forget about Jaune's situation.
"Is no one going to get him down?" Molly asked.
"With that Deathstalker there he's likely going to have to get himself out," Kingsley answered.
When Ruby reaches the ground Yang calls out "Ruby."
"Yang!" Ruby cheers and rushes to embrace her sister.
"Nora!" Nora calls out getting in between them.
"Is anybody besides Pyrrah going to worry about that Deathstalker!?" Moody cried out.
"It looks like both the Deathstalker and Pyrrah are still a bit away. Everyone has time to regroup before attempting to face the creature," Dumbledore said.
Ron started to scratch his head. "Why do I feel like we're forgetting something?" Or was it someone? Ron wasn't too sure.
"Wait, where's Weiss?" Hermione asked.
"She should have jumped shortly after Ruby right?" Harry asked.
"Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked.
It was at this point that Yang lost her temper. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again."
"Nope," the twins said, popping the "p".
A ticking sound is heard for about two seconds as Ren runs over to a ditzy Nora. Blake and Ruby are looking up. When the ticking sound goes "ding" Ruby tugs on Yang's sleeve and points upward. "Um... Yang."
"That wasn't two seconds. That was almost three," Sirius complained.
"I'm still wondering why Weiss hasn't come down from whatever was carrying her and Ruby," Tonks said.
"What were they riding on anyway?" Arthur asked.
Up above, Weiss is hanging onto a talon of a large bird, known as a Nevermore. "How could you leave me?" Weiss asked, appalled.
"You had to ask," Molly breathed, growing pale at the large bird.
"Nevermore? Like the poem from Edgar Allen Poe?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Roku answered.
"She said to jump," Harry said, not caring that Weiss couldn't hear him.
"I said 'jump'" Ruby called out to her partner.
Everyone laughed or snickered at Harry saying the same thing Ruby said. Harry blushed and tried to curl up in his chair.
"She's gonna fall," Blake said.
"She'll be fine," Ruby dismissed.
"She's falling," Ren said.
Jaune finally rightens himself up and notices Weiss falling down. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he gives a running jump off the branch and is able to catch Weiss in his arms. "Just dropping in?" he jokes.
"I'll admit that was smooth," Tonks said. "But he's clearly forgetting something."
Wiess doesn't say anything and just looks down. Jaune looks down too and finally remembers how gravity works. "Oh God." They hand on to each other as they fall down. Their weapons comically stay up for a little longer before falling with them. Jaune falls face first onto the ground. Weiss ends up landing on his back.
"My hero," she deadpans.
"My back," Jaune groans.
Everyone either winced or snickered at their landing. "What happened to their landing strategies?" Ginny asked.
"Jaune never had one to begin with," Sirius jokes.
Reamus elbowed him and tried to give a better explanation. "Ruby and Weiss must have had trouble concentrating with everything going on."
Behind them, Pyrrha is still running from the Deathstalker. She slides down on her side landing in front of her classmates feets. "Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang joked.
"Not if I can help it," Ruby said charging forward despite Yang's protest.
"Does she even know how to fight one of those things? Kingsley asked. "The shell on that thing looks like pure bone. That won't be easy to break."
"Not to mention the Nevermore above. The others need to step in soon," Moody said.
Ruby cries out and uses Crescent Rose to launch herself forward. The two clash and Ruby is knocked away by the creature's claws. "D-Do-Don't worry. Totally fine," she assures. She turns back around and tries to shoot at the monster. But seeing as it wasn't working, she tries to flee and sheathes her scythe.
"That doesn't look fine to me," Arthur said while Molly was fidgeting with her fingers.
"At least she knows when to retreat," Moody said.
The Deathstalker starts to follow. Yang tries to join her sister but the Nevermore gives a mighty caw and flaps its wings, releasing several feathers like projectiles which prevents Yang from going any further. One of the feathers also snags on Ruby's cloak. Pinning her where she was.
Everyone was tense. This did not look good. Kingsley however, remained optimistic. "Weiss' glyphs should be able to match Ruby's speed. She should be able to reach her partner in time."
"If she's willing to go and save Ruby," Sirius countered.
"Weiss is cold but I doubt she's heartless. She'll come through in the end," Reamus said.
"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang pleaded.
"I'm trying," Ruby said, struggling to tear her cape through the feather. The Deathstalker approaches, raising its stinger high above before bringing it down on the helpless girl.
"Ruby!" Yang cried, reaching out in vain. A flash of white breezes past Yang. Ruby turns her head away while bracing for impact. Then the screen cuts to black.
"You are so childish," Weiss scolded in the darkness. Ruby opened her eyes and looked to see her partner in front of her. Weiss has Myrtenaster jabbed into the ground and there is a wall of ice in front of them.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Ruby okay.
"And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style," Weiss continued as she removed Myrtinaster from the ice and spun around to face her partner.
"She's right about the hyperactive but she didn't need to call her dimwitted," Kingsley said.
"And Ruby's a great fighter," Harry defended. "The way she took on not only all those Beowolves but also the thugs in the first episode."
"Weiss hasn't seen that side of Ruby yet though Prongslet," Sirius said. "Give her time, she'll see what Ruby's made of."
"Mind you Ruby's not the only one with faults to work on," Moody grumbled.
"And I suppose I could be a bit," Weiss struggled with the right word.
"Moody," Ginny offered.
"Stuck-up," Ron suggested.
"A bitch," Tonks figured.
"Not in front of the children," Molly scolded.
"Mum, come off, it's not like we're five," Fred said.
"Difficult"
"There is also that," Dumbledore said.
"But if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit showing off I'll be ... nicer," Weiss said.
"I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this," Ruby said.
"You're fine," Weiss assured, walking past Ruby.
Ruby breathes out a sigh of relief. "Normal knees," she whispered.
Harry couldn't help the light laugh that left his lips.
Ruby looks behind the ice wall and is amazed to see the Deathstalker has its tail jammed into it and is struggling to break free.
"Impressive, but that's not going to hold for long," Moody said.
"Plus that Deathstalker is still hovering around them," Arthur pointed out.
"Why hasn't that big bird done anything yet?" Fred asked.
"Seems more like a vulture than a raven," George said.
"Either way they need to retrieve their relics and make their way up to the cliffs as soon as they can," Dumbledore stated.
"Don't they need to finish the Grimm off first?" Harry asked. Dumbledore once again did not respond to the black-haired teen and Harry threw his hands up in frustration.
Yang ran up to Ruby and gave her sister a big hug. "So glad you're okay," she said. The sisters stared at each other for a second before returning their attention back to the Nevermore which was coming back towards them.
"Guys, that thing's circling back. What do we do?" Jaune asked.
"Look there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us," Weiss said.
"She's right," Ruby agreed. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."
"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind," Jaune said.
"Yeah but that would just leave the Grimm there for someone else to take care of and they might not fare as well," Hermione countered.
Tonks was with Hermione on this. "Not to mention that they will likely follow the group."
Ruby takes the other knight piece while Jaune takes the second rook piece. They share a smile. The Deathstalker is shown still struggling against the ice, which was starting to crack.
"Time we left," Ren stated.
"Right," Ruby nodded before leading everyone away. "Let's go."
Everyone starts to follow, save for Yang who hangs behind. Blake notices this and walks up to her partner. "What is it?" she asked. Yang just watches as Ruby leaps onto a rock and motions the group forward. Telling Blake that it's nothing, the two soon follow the others.
Fred and George share a knowing smile before casting a glance at their younger siblings, specifically Ron. If Bill and Charlie were here they'd be thinking the same thing.
The group runs out of the forest and into another abandoned structure. The Nevermore flies overhead and lands on a pillar on the other side of the bridge. The group spread out and took cover behind some of the stone blocks. The Nevermore lets out a loud caw. "Well that's just great," Yang moans.
"How are they going to fight their way through something so massive?" Molly asked, digging her nails into the armrests.
"It's out number 8 to 1. I'm sure they'll be fine," Tonks said, waving off Molly's worries.
A cry brings everyone's attention behind them and they turn to see the now freed Deathstalker rushing towards them.
"Make that 8 to two," Sirius corrected.
"There are still more of them than of the Grimm. If they split up and each group focuses on one Grimm, then they will be able to stand a chance," Moody said.
Harry could feel the thrill of a good fight coming on. This was going to be interesting.
"Ah, man, run!" Jaune cries out and everyone is forced out of their hiding spots, prompting the Nevermore to rise into the air.
"Nora, distract it," Ren ordered. Nora is happy to do so as she runs away from her block and weaves through the giant feathers launched by the Nevermore. Nora pulls out a large grenade launcher from her back and starts launching several shells (topped with a cute little heart) at the Nevermore. After several blasts of pink electricity hit it, the Nevermore retreated.
"What kind of weapon is that?" Arthur asks.
"Yeah Roku, where's the name for that weapon?" George wonders.
"Saving that for a more opportune moment," Roku said. "And to answer your question Arthur, Nora is wealding what's called a grenade launcher. A grenade is a small bomb that can be thrown by hand after pulling out the safety pin. But in this case the explosive shells can be launched via the mechanism you see here."
"I'm a little worried about someone like her wielding something like that," Reamus muttered.
"I wouldn't sweat it Moony," Sirius waved off. "She wouldn't have made it into Beacon if she was careless with her weapon."
Unbeknownst to Nora, the Deathstalker approaches from behind. Thankfully, Blake and Ren attack it with their weapons in a cross shaped motion. Weiss lands next to Nora and creates a jumping platform for them so they can leap to safety.
Kinsley and Moody were impressed. Despite knowing each other for a little over a day these kids are nailing their teamwork despite the stress of their situation.
Blake and Ren disengage from the Deathstalker and are running towards the bridge towards their friends. Pyrrah sees this and urges the others to go on ahead while she shoots at the Deathstalker with Milo. Ren stands beside her and takes some shots at the Grimm until it reaches the two and swipes at them with its claws, forcing them to run again. The eight race over the bridge as the Nevermore hones in on them, ramming its body into the bridge causing it to collapse.
Everyone was tense. Worried that the group was going to fall.
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Nora and Jaune are forced closer to the central collection of columns and pillars while Pyrrha, Ren and Blake are back at the entrance of the bridge facing the Deathstalker once more.
Molly let out a sigh of relief. "At least none of them fell."
"Yeah but what are they going to do now?" Ginny wondered. "Ren and Pyrrha are stuck fighting that thing again and now they've got no exit."
Jaune hurries to the edge of his side of the bridge observing the others. "Man, we gotta get over there! They need help!"
Nora joins him. "Let's do this."
"Yeah, but, uh.... I can't make that jump," Jaune admits looking into the abyss below him.
"I'm not sure anyone can make that jump," Kingsley said.
Nora just gives a diabolical smile and knocks Jaune back with her weapon. It soon transforms into a giant hammer, Roku picking this time to reveal the weapon's name to be Magnhild. Jaune realizes what Nora is about to do and pleads with her to stop but it's too late. Nora smashes her hammer to the ground, causing the bridge to fling Jaune over to the other side. Nora places one foot on her weapon and fires a round to propel her to the others.
Sirius, Reamus, and Tonks are all laughing. Fred and George high five each other. Dumbledore let out an amused chuckle. Everyone else stared wide-eyed with their jaws as close to the floor as they could get.
Harry was the first to actually speak. "Well that's one way to get across."
"Merlin, this woman is crazy," Ron muttered.
"You mean amazing!" the twins corrected.
Nora is able to launch herself right at the Deathstalker and smashes her hammer on its head. The Deathstalker brings its stinger down on Nora and she's able to fire her hammer into its skull, blasting herself back and avoiding its reach. Unfortunately she also accidently knocks into Blake and sends the woman over the edge.
"You were saying?" Hermione said glaring at the twins who shrugged sheepishly.
"Blake does have that long ribbon," Kingsley remembered. "She should be able to get herself out of this. But yes, that was reckless on Nora's part."
Blake sees the Nevermore above her and launches Gramble Shroud onto the other side of the bridge. The blade sinking into the edge. Blake is able to swing around and land on the Nevermore's back. She dashes all over its body while slicing at it, before jumping off and landing in the ruins next to Ruby before jumping over to the colom near her partner. "It's tougher than it looks," she said.
"Then let's hit it with everything we've got," Yang suggested, co*cking Ember Celica.
"Let's just hope it's enough," Remus mumbled.
Ruby folded out Crescent Rose and aimed its sniper scope. Blake drew out Gambol Shroud, transforming it into its pistol mode. Weiss rotated the chambers on Myrtenaster before settling on ice dust. And as one, the four girls started shooting barrages at the Nevermore. The giant bird either dodges or takes it head on before slamming its head into the columns and platform. They start to fall and the girls quickly rush up, jumping from one falling section to another until they reach the bridge. "None of this is working," Weiss noted.
"It really isn't. They're going to need to come up with something clever to take it down," Dumbledore mused.
Moody grunted. "If they can get it grounded then they will have a chance."
Ruby watches Blake whip around using the ribbon on Gamble Shroud and Yang continues to fire her gauntlets. She tells Weiss she has a plan and asks for cover as she heads over to Blake and Yang.
"What could she be thinking?" Molly asked.
"If Blake's ribbons are strong enough, they might hold the Nevermore down," Ron guessed, going off of what Moody said earlier.
Back with Jaune's group, the Deathstalker managed to lodge its stinger into the bridge, causing it to collapse. "We gotta move," Jaune instructed and the four rushed towards the monster. The Deathstalker aims a claw at Pyrrha but she manages to deflect it with her shield and retaliates with her spear. The scorpion grimm recoils and tries to swipe its other claw at her. Jaune, following Pyrrha's actions, deflects with his own shield allowing Pyrrha to leap over and attack its face.
"Impressive teamwork!" Tonks cheered.
"I'm amazed with how in sync those two already seem to be," Kingsley praised.
"This is getting really good now," Ginny said with excitement.
Ren runs up firing and is able to get on the stinger when it strikes at him. Ren starts firing at the base of the stinger.
Remus gave a nod of approval. "That's good. If they can get rid of the stinger then that's one less thing for them to worry about.
Nora shoots more grenades at the claws while Pyrrah hurls her javelin straight into one of the Deathstalker's eyes. The Grimm writhes in pain, swinging its tail back and forth, shaking off Ren in the process. He is thrown into one of the pillars. Nora calls out to him. Ren doesn't respond beyond a groan.
Everyone winced. "That had to hurt," Hermione said.
Jaune kept his eyes on the creature and noticed that the stinger was starting to fall off.
"Ren almost had it," Harry groaned.
"Pyrrah's shield might be able to slice it off," Ron thought. The look on his face was a familiar one to those who played chess against him.
"What are you thinking?" George asked.
"If they can get the stinger to fall on its head and then hit it hard with Nora's hammer," Ron muttered but couldn't figure out the rest.
"There's no way that would work," Fred waved off.
Jaune calls out to Pyrrah who instantly knows what he's thinking and throws her shield like a disc. It slices the stinger clean off and the shield rebounds on some of the pillars, making its way back to Pyrrha.
Fred's eyes widened but didn't say anything.
"Nora, nail it!" Jaune ordered.
"Head up!" Nora warned and jumped onto Pyrrah's shield. Pyrrah pushes it up at the same time Nora fires off a round to give herself maximum lift. All the while smiling and laughing. Once gravity takes a hold, Nora aims her hammer right at the stinger driving the point through the Deathstalker's head and collapsing the bridge underneath them.
"You were saying?" Ron asked Fred smugly. Fred said nothing as he raised his hands up in surrender.
Jaune and Pyrrah rush to get off the bridge in time and jump over the Deathstalker with Pyrrah retrieving her spear on the way. The two jump as the monster falls to its death. Jaune lands flat on his back. Pyrrah manages a crouch pose. Nora lands on her butt. And Ren comes over to them out of breath before collapsing again.
I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute.
Couldn't bear another day without you in it.
"One down and one to go!" Arthur cheered.
"And we got a new song to go with it," Ginny said with a pleased smile.
"This sounds kinda depressing though," Hermione noted.
"The lyrics do," Tonks admitted. "But the instrumentals rock."
Harry said nothing as he listened to the song.
All of the joy that I had known for all my life
Was stripped away from me the minute that you died
The Nevermore was flying up to a tall pillar that Yang was perched on. She continued to fire off rounds at the creature.
To have you in my life was all I ever wanted
But now without you I'm a soul forever haunted
Yang succeeded in landing a blow on its eye causing the Nevermore to fly straight towards her with its maw open. Yang jumps in-
Can't help but feel that I've taken you for granted
No way in hell that I can ever comprehend this
Molly lets out a gasp and hides her face.
I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone
I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong
And is able to keep its beak open while she continues to fire her ammo into its mouth. "I! Hope! Your! Hun! Gry!" she screamed, emphasizing each syllable with a punch.
Hearing Yang's voice prompted Molly to peek through her fingers and relaxed a little upon seeing that Yang wasn't eaten alive.
How could you leave me when you've sworn that you would stay?
Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single F*ing day
Yang looks back to find the ruins behind her and jumps out of the way while the Nevermore crashes into it. The Nevermore gets a little disoriented but starts to recover. Meanwhile, Yang finds her sister and partner up on the columns ahead while Weiss rushes into the battle. Yang runs past her to rejoin the others.
It's like a movie but there's not a happy ending
Every screen fades black and there's no pretending
"Wonder what the lyrics are talking about?" Ron asks.
"It clearly sounds like the reaction of someone losing a person they loved," Dumbledore said.
Harry had stopped looking at the screen and was looking at his knees. Sirius notes this and throws an arm around his godson. "What is it pup?"
"I- I think this is how Ruby felt when she learned her mother is dead," Harry said softly.
Sirius nodded. "It could be."
This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well
There's no knight and shining armor who will wake me from the spell
Dumbledore bowed his head. While he didn't hear Harry he unknowingly agreed with his assessment of what the song is about. This was how he felt when he watched his sister die. Molly was also reminiscing on when she learned about her brothers.
Weiss makes it to the ruins just as the Nevermore starts to take off again. She manages to freeze the tail feathers to the ground leaving the Nevermore trapped there, despite its aggressive flapping.
Reamus clapped his hands together triumphantly. "Nice. Now it's a sitting duck."
"I wouldn't get too confident Moony," Sirius said. "It didn't take long for the Deathstalker to break free from Weiss' ice."
"Sirius is right. Whatever Ruby is planning, she's only got one shot to do it," Kingsley said.
I know you didn't plan this
You tried to do what's right
Blake fires the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to Yang and the two tie the ribbon of her weapon between a pair of columns. Ruby jumps in the middle and Weiss holds her down with one of her glyphs.
But in the middle of this madness
I'm the one you've left to win this fight
Again Harry casted his eyes away from the screen. Yeah that's definitely how he feels towards his mom sometimes.
"Of course you would come up with this idea," Weiss scoffs.
"Think you can make the shot?" Ruby asks.
Weiss smirks. "Can I?"
Ruby gets confused. "Can-"
"Of course I can!" Weiss yells.
While everyone is laughing, Moody shakes his head. "It's good that she's confident. But there is a time and place for sarcasm."
Ruby narrows her eyes at the Grimm and pumps a round into Crescent Rose. Weiss' glyph turns from black to red as the heiress launches Ruby forward. She goes at such speed the ground beneath her cracks. Rose petals fly behind her as she fires off round after round from Crescent Rose to propel herself forward.
Red like roses fill my head with dreams and guides me
Ruby catches the Nevermore with the blade of her scythe and both of them fall onto the cliff wall. Weiss raises her sword and several more glyphs appear above Ruby alongside the wall. Ruby uses that as well as Crescent Rose to climb the cliffside, dragging the Nevermore with her. Blake, Yang, and a tired Weiss watch on.
Everyone was staring wide-eyed. "Ruby is seriously dragging a bird the size of a house up the side of a cliff," Sirius remarked.
"Wicked," the twins chimed in excitement.
Harry clenched his hands into fists. "Come on Ruby. You almost got it."
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness
That has come to take the place of you
Ruby reaches the top and with a final shot of her gun she decapitates the creature's head and lands on top of the cliff. The headless creature starts to fall into the abyss.
Everyone cheered at the team's success. "That was amazing!" Ginny yells.
"Great coordination from both teams," Kingsley complimented.
"And good improvisation from Weiss with those extra glyphs," Moody noted.
Harry clapped along but his mind was still on the song. He couldn't help but wonder if Ruby still feels this way, or if this was something from a long time ago.
Molly had a hand on her heart, willing it to slow down. "That was intense. I hope not all of the action is like this." Arthur rubbed his wife's back, wondering if he should get some calming droughts to help her get through this.
Jaune, Ren, Pyrrah and Nora watch on in amazement. "Wow," Jaune breathed. Ruby walks to the edge of the cliff, her cape and rose petals flowing in the background.
"Well, that was a thing," Yang said.
"Yes it was," Ginny agreed.
The scene cuts to Beacon Academy with four male students standing on the stage. "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. And Sky Lark." Ozpin introduced. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will word together as Team CRDL." As Ozpin speaks the screen behind him shows the pictures of the ones onstage with the first letter of their name appearing below them to show their new team name. "Lead by ... Cardin Winchester.
"So that's why the show is called RWBY!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's an acronym of each of their names."
"But why has the W been pronounced as U?" Ron asked.
"There's a question but no answer," Roku said.
"Jaune Arc. Pyrrah Nikos. Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR," Ozpin announced. The audience claps and Nora gives Ren a hug. "Led by... Jaune Arc."
Jaune was surprised at this. "Huh? L-led by...?"
"Congratulations, young man," Ozpin said.
"It makes sense. Jaune may not be the best combat wise but he was the one to come up with the strategy to defeat the Deathstalker on the fly," Tonks said.
Moody nodded. "Boy takes notes of his surroundings and is able to utilize his team very well."
"So since Ruby's name is first in the team name and she came up with the plan to beat the Nevermore, then she'll become team leader of RWBY then," Ron figured.
Harry winced. Considering how young Ruby is, it might terrify her to an extent.
Pyrrha gave her team leader a friendly bump on the shoulder, which knocked him into the ground. Everyone laughed as Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang took the stage. "And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" Wiess looks just as surprised as Ruby is. Yang goes over to hug her sister telling Ruby how proud she is.
"Oh, Ice Queen doesn't look happy about that," Fred and George said in unison.
"No she does not," Reamus agreed. "Hope she doesn't cause too many problems."
"Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year," Ozpin said looking up at the broken moon.
"Alright, looks like this episode is done," Molly said getting up. "Why don't we all take a lunch break before continuing?" she suggested.
"All right."
"Sounds good to me."
"Guys I'm not done yet!" Roku called out.
"Oh? Are you planning on showing us another World of Remnant?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Not this time. But the episode isn't over yet," Roku told them.
"There's more?" Dumbledore asked.
"But teams RWBY and JNPR finished their initiation. What more do we need to see?" Sirius asked.
Roku didn't answer and instead just continued the episode.
The scene transitions to night and the moon is being shown through a different window. The camera pans out to see a dark room filled with shelves and a desk on the back. Roman Torchwick is there talking on his scroll.
"Oh! So we're checking in with the bad guys," Sirius said.
"We haven't seen them in a while so now would be a good time," Arthur noted.
Roman hangs up his call in frustration with a sigh and lit a cigar. A man in a gray mask and black hood approaches him with a trolly. Roman pays him off and orders him to open it. The figure does so, revealing a crate of crystal dust. Roman examines the loot. "We're going to need more men..." The camera zooms in on the map of Vale and the screen fades to black.
"Okay now I'm done," Roku announced.
"Great! I'll start cooking," Molly said, making her way to the kitchen.
"Remus and I will try and get the rooms for you guys finished up," Sirius said. "Harry, want to join us."
Harry hesitated. "I'll catch up in a bit. I wanted to ask Roku a few things." Sirius nodded and everyone went off into separate rooms.
Harry approached the living television. "So what's up?" Roku asked.
"Um, I was wondering. Could you play full versions of the songs that are in the show?" Harry asked.
"Yeah I'm able to project lyric videos. Which one do you want?"
"The one that was playing in the last episode," Harry said.
If Roku had a head, she would have nodded. "Red Like Roses Part 2 coming right up."
