Chapter 414: Ascending to Maiar Level
Because they were Maiar-level beings themselves, Gandalf, the Brown Wizard Radagast, and the Blue Wizards Morinehtar and Rómestámo had all been bound in their power — their souls confined within mortal flesh, their strength falling short of even some of the higher Elves.
Glorfindel, too, though he possessed Maiar-level power, was similarly constrained. Not as severely as Gandalf and the others, but still unable to draw on the full measure of his strength.
Only Kael, newly ascended to the Maiar level, bore no such restraints. It was no exaggeration to say that he was, at this moment, the most powerful being in Middle-earth.
Had Sauron still been present, Kael could have dealt with him alone — and without great difficulty.
"We've been out here long enough," Kael said, one arm settled around Arwen's waist. "There's nothing left here that needs our attention. Aragorn and the others can handle the rest." He glanced over at Gandalf with a smile. "Will you come back with us?"
Gandalf looked down at the allied forces below, and at the scattered remnants of Mordor's armies in full retreat. Something in his expression was lighter than it had ever been — as though a burden carried for an age had finally been set down. He gave a slow, warm nod.
"There's nothing more for us to do here, you're right. And I really ought to get back — I have flying lessons to teach. Those students of mine will have forgotten which end of a broomstick to hold."
"Then let's go," Kael said.
The light around him brightened until it was almost blinding. It spread outward — over Arwen, over Gandalf, over Thorondor beneath their feet — and then, in an instant, they were gone.
When they reappeared, it was within the walls of Hogwarts Castle.
The manner of it was unlike anything they had felt before. Not Apparition. Not a Portkey. Not phoenix flash-travel. There was simply a flash of light, and the world had changed around them.
Only Gandalf sensed anything at all — a faint ripple in the fabric of space, there and gone before he could properly grasp it. Arwen and Thorondor felt nothing whatsoever. One moment, they had been above the plains outside Mordor; the next, the familiar halls of Hogwarts surrounded them.
Arwen said nothing for a moment, looking at her husband with new eyes. Whatever understanding she'd had of his strength before, it had just been quietly revised.
Their arrival did not go unnoticed.
"The Headmaster's back!"
"Lord Kael has returned!"
The excitement that rippled through the castle was immediate and unrestrained. Kael was the cornerstone that everyone in the castle had built their steadiness upon. In the days of his absence, the professors had gone about their duties with a heaviness that no amount of composure could fully conceal.
Arwen and Gandalf had both journeyed into Mordor searching for any trace of him. The Ministry of Magic had poured its resources into the effort as well.
What had kept despair from taking hold — for all of them — was Smaug. The great dragon had confirmed that the magical contract bound to him still held. Which meant Kael was alive, wherever he was.
That alone had been enough to keep both Hogwarts and the Ministry from falling into panic.
——
"Look — can you see it? There's a light coming from the Headmaster!"
"I know — and he feels different. I can't explain it properly, but there's something about him... I can't quite meet his eyes."
"He looks younger somehow. He hasn't really changed, but he's... he's more beautiful than an Elf. Is that strange to say?"
The students whispered among themselves, pressing close and peering over one another's shoulders, trying to put words to something none of them had the frame of reference to describe.
The professors, however, needed no framework. Decades of magical practice had sharpened their senses far beyond what most could perceive, and they stood among the highest practitioners in Middle-earth — second only to figures like Kael himself and Gandalf.
If the Kael they had known before could be likened to a great river — wide and deep and beyond the reach of most — then the Kael standing before them now was something else entirely. He was the sea. Not merely larger, but different in kind. The gap was no longer a matter of degree. It was a matter of dimension.
That feeling settled over them like a weight, equal parts awe and quiet astonishment.
"My lord — you're back." Edward's voice broke slightly as he stepped forward, the relief in it plain and unguarded. "Thank goodness."
——
Edward had come a long way from where he'd begun.
Beyond being Kael's most loyal steward, he had grown into the respected Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, a professor of Transfiguration, and a recognised master of the discipline. Kael had, more than once, suggested that Edward set aside the duties of a household steward and focus entirely on the school's teaching and administration. Edward had refused each time.
Given the choice between the Deputy Headmastership — a position of considerable honour and authority — and the role of Kael's personal steward, he would choose the latter without hesitation. Caring for Kael, for Arwen, for Elthir and Elríen — that was where he wished to be.
For the twins especially, Edward's devotion ran deep. He treated them as though they were his own, and would have laid down his life for either of them without a second thought. Outside of their own family, Elthir and Elríen trusted no one more than they trusted Edward.
Kael looked at him now — at the exhaustion Edward was doing his best not to show — and his expression softened. He placed a hand on Edward's shoulder.
"You've worked hard these past days. I know that."
He did know. It had been Edward holding everything together: managing the castle, liaising with the Ministry, steadying the mood within the walls. Hogwarts had not faltered, and that was in no small part because of him.
Edward straightened at once. "It was nothing, my lord. Only what needed doing."
Kael nodded, and left it at that — but made a quiet note to himself that he would find a proper way to show his appreciation. Edward's loyalty deserved more than passing acknowledgement.
Once the professors had been sent back to their duties, Kael led Arwen, Gandalf, and Edward to the private sitting room in Weathertop Tower.
They had barely settled when the fireplace flared green, and one by one, figures stepped through: Elthir first, then Elríen, then Galadriel, and finally Elrond.
"Papa!"
Both children came running the moment they saw him, flinging their arms around his waist from either side before he'd taken another step.
"We missed you so much!"
Something in Kael's chest went very quiet and very warm. He sank to one knee and gathered them both into his arms, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.
"I missed you too. Both of you. My darlings."
After Kael had gone missing in Mount Doom, Arwen — heartsick with worry for her husband but holding herself together for the sake of the children — had entrusted Elthir and Elríen to Galadriel's care in Lothlórien, left the affairs of Hogwarts in Edward's hands, and ridden out alone on Thorondor to search for any trace of Kael in Mordor.
She and Galadriel had both chosen not to tell the children what had happened.
But Elthir and Elríen were perceptive beyond their years. They had known — both of them — that something was wrong. They had simply chosen not to say so, unwilling to add to their mother's burden, and had waited quietly with their great-grandmother for the day she would bring their father home.
Now that day had come, and they held on as though they were afraid to let go. As though, if they released him, he might disappear again.
Kael felt the fear beneath their grip. The guilt of it settled in him, quiet and sharp. He held them close, speaking softly, letting his voice do what words alone could not quite manage.
The others stood by and watched, and no one said anything. There was nothing to say.
When at last the children had calmed enough to be gently set back on their feet, Kael rose and turned to Galadriel and Elrond.
"Thank you, my lady, for looking after them while I was gone." He meant it simply and without embellishment.
Galadriel shook her head and reached out to rest a hand briefly on each child's hair. The affection in her eyes was unmistakable.
"They were quiet and well-behaved all through their time in Lothlórien. But they were frightened for you, Kael — more than they let show. Be sure to give them proper care. I would not want this to leave a lasting mark on them."
Kael looked at his children — both of them composed now, watching him with careful, earnest eyes — and nodded.
"I will," he said quietly.
With that settled, the conversation turned to Kael himself.
Both Galadriel and Elrond studied him for a long moment. Then, setting aside their surprise, they let themselves simply be glad for him.
Kael had ascended to Maiar level. It was entirely beyond what either of them had anticipated.
Elrond leaned forward, his curiosity undisguised.
"Kael — what happened inside Mount Doom? You vanished for seven full days without a trace, and then returned with the power of a Maiar. What in all of Middle-earth took place in there?"