《Hogwarts: Era of Darkness》


 Chapter 1 – Conrad Anguine

    It was a weird dream. I was lost in a dark forest. The sky was black and starless, yet the full moon was shining up there in solidarity. I was being chased by a snake, or at least, I think it was a snake. I heard it slither behind me, under the bushes, around the thick, black-barked trees. I was trying to run away from it and get as far as possible, yet its sound and hiss always came from behind me, no matter what I did or where I tried to hide. When I finally stopped, giving up, it laughed and asked in a high-pitched voice if play-time was over already¡­ Yet before I could see where it was, I woke up.


    "..." Blinking my eyes and looking around, I was back in my bedroom. I was sitting on the massive, solid wood baldachin bed under a soft, white blanket; I tried regulating my breath as best as possible. It would be shameful for the heir to the Anguine family to show such an unsightly expression right after waking up¡­ but¡­ "That is even worse¡­" I murmured, watching the wet stains on my sheet.


    No, it wasn''t pee. It was sweat. Although I bet, I could not explain it to anyone if they discovered it. I climbed out of bed and felt my deep, violet-colored silk pajamas stick to my body like a wetsuit. It was a horrible feeling. Fumbling in the dark, I was cursing under my breath as there was no electricity in our home, and I couldn''t flick up a switch to bring light into the darkness. Why would there be? As a family of pureblood wizards, all we needed was magic! The muggle''s inventions were nothing but weaknesses. Their pitiful attempt in mimicking magic. At least, that is what my mother always says. Good for her; I am still only 11; I haven''t got my wand yet; how should I perform magic then? Well¡­ it did not matter, as my solution came with a crack. Literally.


    "Master?" A squeaky voice called out as my personal house elf appeared out of nowhere.


    "Squeaky; Light, please," I said, expecting her to appear as soon as I was up. She always did. Even in the dark, I could see the grey clothes on her that resembled a sack that she found somewhere, cutting holes in it for her limbs to wear as a dress. Her floppy, long ears and blue, giant eyes occupied most of her face.


    "Master had an accident¡­." She murmured after snapping her fingers and summoning a small ball of light above her head. I just stared at her, hearing her words that could be the last nails in my reputation''s coffin if uttered outside my bedroom.


    "Doesn''t matter. Clean it up, please." I moaned, starting to undress and wipe myself before dressing up in my regular clothes consisting of a black shirt, deep purple vest, and black pants. "What would I give to have some color in my life¡­." I added under my breath as my family''s colors, black and royal violet, were all that defined my wardrobe''s variety. Sometimes, a little gold sprinkled in, here and there¡­ but not much, only on my formal clothes.


    "Done, Master," Squeaky said, already having dry and clean sheets on my bed and in the middle of fixing my pillows.


    "Thanks," I answered, looking at the clock in the corner of my room. It was dully showing that it was barely past five in the morning. The sun should slowly start rising up, and I was in no mood to go back to sleep. I have had the same nightmare since my coming of age a few months ago. Right after my acceptance letter came and I could call myself a student of Hogwarts. "Is anyone up yet?"


    "Yes, Master." She nodded, "Master''s father is in his study."


    "Mhm¡­" I nodded, deciding I may go and see him before anyone else also woke up. All my belongings should be already packed, and the last thing I would need to get was my own wand before heading off to school. "Ready my usual breakfast," I said, walking out of my room, and Squeaky nodded hurriedly, rushing out and heading straight to the kitchen.


    Curious beings, house elves are. They have their own magic, casting it without wands or incantations yet in complete servitude to us, wizards and witches. I never understood it. If I could cast magic so well without any wand, I would never serve nor bow to another. But¡­ I wasn''t like that. So I had to bow my head. Just thinking about it made me sigh while I found myself before my Father''s study and its dark oak, double-sided door. I was watching the carving of a snake on it, making me remember my nightmare from a moment ago.


    "No¡­ different." I thought as this snake was familiar. A purple-colored viper with spiky scales on its head and around its eyes. Whatever is chasing me in my dream is different. Is it even a snake? I can''t tell. Shaking my head and straightening out my thoughts, I knocked. When meeting Father, it is best to have a collected look; he greatly dislikes pointless ramblings and blabbering. But it always seemed I was an exemption for that... lucky, but I was not about to push my luck too far.


    "Come in." Echoed his deep voice, signaling me to push open the door and step in, greeting him courteously.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more."Father," I said, bowing with a hand placed on my chest.


    Many visitors often said I was the spitting image of my Father from when he was young. I could never imagine that, to be honest. He was in his mid-fifties now, not that old for a wizard, but tell that to his outward appearance. To his graying hair, which was quickly receding, starting from the top of his head of all places. I hope that is something I did not inherit¡­ or that there is magic I can use to prevent it. Gone was his dark-violet hair color, which I inherited too¡­ so I am afraid I will go balding just like him a few decades later. Well, at least his eyes are full of vigor, similarly purplish in color, just as mine.


    "Can''t sleep?" He asked, letting himself smile a little, closing the thick book he had in his hand and placing it on the huge mahogany table before him, where dozens of candles were burning without any drop of vax falling down from them.


    "Yes, Father," I answered, and it wasn''t a lie. Not really.


    "I know the feeling," He chuckled, beckoning me closer, slapping my shoulders with his rough hands, scarred from many duels, almost making me buckle under his raw strength. Or was I just weak? Well¡­ I wasn''t that tall or muscular. I wasn''t skinny per se, but¡­ very close. "I couldn''t sleep at all on the day I was going to get my wand! Oh, the excitement! When the sun is up, I''ll take you to Ollivander after breakfast. Choosing a wand is not to be rushed, so I booked the whole shop for you! You can browse to your heart''s content!"


    "I bet some will not be happy about that!" I joked, making my Father chuckle.


    "Too bad! They shouldn''t have left buying their wands to the last day of the summer!" As he was saying that, he picked out his own wand. It was made out of yew, looking as if small branches were spiraling together, while its handle was fitted with a dark, violet-colored grip, ending in a viper''s head at the bottom. I watched as he swished it, summoning a pot of coffee from the kitchen and letting it pour itself out while he continued talking to me. "If they have a problem, they would best go and complain about it at the ministry."


    "Sure." I nodded, "I bet anyone would dare to say that the Head of the Muggle-born Registration did something they found unfair!" I added, rolling my eyes, something that I would not dare to do when speaking to my mother. "Then worry if some relatives of theirs turn out to be muggle-born¡­ or someone in their family was back in the day¡­ then they get obliviated into the day after tomorrow! Stripped of their magic and thrown into the muggle world without a clue who they are!"


    "Well, that would be the humane outcome." He answered me, maintaining his smile while sipping his coffee, "Better than being sent to be part of the Lord''s experiment."


    "..." Mentioning¡­ HIS title made me shiver involuntarily. It did not escape my Father''s eyes, but he did not bring it up.


    Mainly because it was the same for him. HIS title was enough to send shivers through anyone. Spelling out his name? That was punishable by law. So nobody even dared to try it. Many only believed him to exist because the tales were still strong about how he came to power. How he defeated everyone in his way, leaving none alive. Well¡­ as someone from the Anguine family, a pure-blood wizarding dynasty, I was privy to more detailed information. He wasn''t able to kill everyone. Not yet, at least. Through my Father and my mother, thanks to her usually obstinate, loud voice, I knew that many powerful wizards were still in hiding, continuing guerilla warfare against him and the ministry. For many, the terrorist organization, known as the Order of the Phoenix, was long gone, its leader Dumbledore dead¡­ but the reality was different. They were still active, and the latter was very much alive, believe me. I know because he killed my uncle last year when he and other Death Eaters ambushed their previous hideout.


    It wasn''t a soul that I would miss, mind you. He was a bastard. A male version of my mother, so to speak. Being brother and sister does that, I assume. I never voiced this to anyone, of course, not even to my Father. Although he may agree with me, he would only do so behind closed doors and when nobody else was home. My mother''s family, the Arcania bloodline was just as old as ours; the only difference¡­ they had been mingling with muggles for centuries. Now, after HE overtook, naming himself the new Minister of Magic, the Arcanias were doing everything to climb back to the ranks of nobles. All those who belonged to her family, those who can still say they are half-bloods, were doing all in their might to wiggle themselves into families like my Father''s, who maintained their purity. Whatever purity means¡­ A line I would never dare to utter out loud.


    "What is the grimace for?" Father asked. Evidently, my face betrayed me, displaying my thoughts without my consent.


    "Nothing."


    "Thought about your mother?" He smirked, knowing me too well, "Conrad, don''t let your thoughts betray you! You are my son; learn to display what others want to see, not what you really think! That could land you in hot water!"


    "Or worse," I added, turning his smirk into a proud smile.


    "Exactly!" He beamed at me while I let out an inaudible sigh. This is what I did not like. Bowing our heads. I know Father had his own pride, just like now, but many times he pretended that he had discarded it a long time ago. Well¡­ I couldn''t really blame him. Some pure wizarding families also refused to bow and were now nothing but fertilizers on some fields in the countryside. What was their name? Weasleys? "Come! I assume you sent Squeaky to the kitchen?" Father said, returning my thoughts to the present and interrupting my sudden daydreaming.


    "Yeah." I nodded quickly.


    "Good. Let''s go down; I am also hungry. After that, we can go out, have a son and father morning or something!"


    "At¡­" I looked at the clock on the wall behind my Father, "At what¡­? Six in the morning?"


    "Why not?" He laughed, patting me on my back as he pushed me out of the study, and I could not help but smile. Whatever Father was in other''s eyes, I knew one thing for sure. I wanted to make him proud of me.

 Chapter 2 – Wand Choosing

    Stepping out from the green flames, I quickly readjusted myself, looking back and watching my Father appear from the fireplace. I never could truly get used to traveling by the Floo Network. It made me a bit dizzy every time¡­ not as dizzy as using a Portkey, mind you. That one, I truly hate.


    ¡°You look as if you just inhaled a handful of ash, son!¡± Father laughed, slapping my back, knowing my thoughts full well. ¡°You can¡¯t go everywhere by broomstick!¡±


    ¡°I thought about apparating, mind you,¡± I replied indignantly.


    ¡°Did you, now?¡± He smirked at me, and I knew that tone very well, as I used it frequently when dealing with one of my younger cousins. ¡°Getting your wand and already aiming to learn apparition? Well, well, well! Go for it!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Father¡­ you know full well, I don¡¯t know how¡­.¡± I answered, giving up as it was impossible to win against him. He was my Father, after all.


    ¡°No, I am serious.¡± He continued, and I felt his hand squeeze my left shoulder. ¡°You are young, but if you think you can master it, go for it. Hogwarts only teach it when you get older, but if you manage to sneak into the restricted part of the library and¡­.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling your only son to break the rules and do something¡­ bad?¡± I asked back, in a more hushed voice, raising an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°Rules are there for those who can¡¯t think for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± I smiled. It was a family motto. Kinda. I don¡¯t know where it came from, but Father loved to repeat it to me¡­ yet when I got myself into trouble and quoted him, somehow it never counted¡­ figures! Well, whatever! It is not like I would try to do something to get myself into trouble while at school¡­ well¡­ let me clarify that. I would not get caught when breaking a rule. I¡¯m not in the mood to experience the punishment that is dished out in there.


    ¡°Here we are!¡± Father said, stopping right before Ollivander¡¯s shop. I was so spaced out I did not even realize we arrived. Maybe it was because it was still early in the morning, and people were just coming about. I wanted to say something, but then a monotone, cold voice made me halt my tongue.


    ¡°Angus.¡±


    I looked towards the source as to who would call my Father by his first name so casually¡­ and then I saw him¡ªthe current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Severus Snape. I knew not much about him, only what Father told me when I first met him six or seven years ago. He was HIS most loyal supporter or one of them. No wonder he was made Headmaster at Hogwarts after Dumbledore was chased out. Thinking about that, I also remembered what my Father said to me then¡­ people can be deceitful.


    ¡°This will take some time,¡± Father said to me, nodding towards Ollivander¡¯s shop. ¡°Go, take your time. When finished, wait for me here. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded, glancing at the icy, bland look on my future Headmaster¡¯s face before turning away, reaching to the door handle¡­ yet I could still feel his cold gaze on my back. Was he hostile to our family? I hope not! Even though my Father is a minister and a Death Eater, he is not in the inner circle like¡­ him. All things considered, the Headmaster of Hogwarts outranks my Father by a large margin.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Welcome.¡± An old, calm but a bit shaky voice greeted me as I entered, leaving my Father and my previous thoughts on the outside. ¡°Purple hair and eyes¡­ you must be from the Anguine bloodline.¡± He said, watching me with those silvery, ancient-looking eyes of his.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered politely and tried to sound as firm as possible, trying to hide that his look was somewhat creeping me out. I knew he had to expect my arrival, as my Father booked the whole store¡­ but still. His look and voice made me forget all of that. ¡°My name is Conrad Anguine.¡±


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    ¡°Mhm.¡± He nodded, ¡°I remember the wand I sold to your father, Angus Anguine.¡± He continued in a low, whisper-like voice. ¡°Made out of yew with dragon heartstring, a perfect match for his skills in dueling, as I heard.¡±


    I could only nod my head in answer, amazed by his words. Father did say that he was a master craftsman and wandmaker¡­ but now I think I understand what he meant. There was something in his voice. Something that I could only describe as magic.


    ¡°Try this.¡± He said, picking out a slim box from the hundreds that decorated his small shop¡¯s walls.


    Looking into it, I recognized the wood it was made from; Reed. I also remembered its brief description and couldn¡¯t help myself from reciting it.


    ¡°Best suited to those who are bold and eloquent. Mr. Ollivander is flattering me.¡± I smiled, picking it out while he remained silent and just shook his head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    I knew immediately that it was not his answer to my little joke as I also felt¡­ nothing. It is said that the wand chooses its master, and holding it in my hand; I felt just the same as when my hands were empty. Does this mean I wasn¡¯t eloquent enough? Wel¡­


    ¡°Here.¡± He pulled out another box while I put back the previous wand into its place and looked at the next contender. I did not recognize this one. Picking it out, I did feel a prickling sensation, gave it a wish, and managed to engulf its holding box in flames.


    ¡°Mmmh¡­ no.¡± Mr. Ollivander said, extinguishing the flames and taking it back, ignoring my embarrassed expression and failure even to say ¡®sorry.¡¯


    Sadly, my next dozen attempts at getting my own wand ended in failure. Then another twelve were a no-go¡­ and another. Honestly, I was starting to doubt my own talents. I am long past the phase where I was angry or on the verge of tears¡­ I just wanted a wand. Whichever it may be! I don¡¯t care about its core, nor its wood, length, whatever! Just give me my wand! Please!


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Mr. Ollivander hummed, remaining calm and collected, whishing his own magical instrument, cleaning up the mess, and returning all my tryouts to their neat little boxes and places.


    ¡°Am I doomed to learn wandless magic?¡± I asked, and my voice had to be just as crestfallen as my expression.


    ¡°Some tribes in Africa pursue that. It IS an option.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡± I groaned, not really fond of the idea.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try¡­ this.¡± He continued in a much more livelier voice than before. It sounded to me as if he just thought of something and wanted to experiment with it, me being the unfortunate soul who will have to withstand its results. What he brought back was a particular-looking wand, and for the first time, he started explaining it to me. It was bright, light brown in color, smooth from top to bottom, with a curved handle that looked to fit into the palm nicely. ¡°It is made from cypress. A wood for nobility and I do not simply mean wealth or rank in society.¡± Mr. Ollivander explained, making my brows furrow. I was nobility, simply by my bloodline.


    ¡°I see,¡± I added, but I was hesitant to hold it. If another rejects me, I think I would simply resign and tell my Father to announce that I died of illness or something. I didn¡¯t want to face anybody and explain that there was no wand in Mr. Ollivander¡¯s shop that could fit me.


    ¡°It has a unique core¡­ not from my usual choices.¡± He continued, looking at the wand and then at my slightly trembling fingers. ¡°It has a Horned Serpent horn as its core. When its owner is in danger, it emits a low, musical tone that only the wielder can hear. Also¡­ knowing your bloodline.¡± He looked at me but said no more, and I was not about to ask him. Not if he did not want to say it.


    ¡°Never heard of it.¡± I blurted out, not even thinking about it. My mind was already stretched thin, so I simply went for it. Grabbing ahold of the hilt of the wand, I felt it. A rush of energy, something bursting out from it, washing through my body, filling me with an unknown but truly pleasant sensation.


    ¡°Ten-inch long, highly flexible.¡± He smiled, watching my expression of amazement as I let the feeling of magic wash over me. ¡°I think we found it, Mr. Anguine.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ I agree.¡± I nodded with relief washing over me. I couldn¡¯t help but let my lips part into a wide grin, going from ear to ear that I was still maintaining when I exited the shop and was met with Father, waiting there for me.


    ¡°Hah! See? I knew I had to book the shop! It is already past noon!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ is it?!¡± I gasped, looking around, finding a clock in one of the shop¡¯s windows, seeing he wasn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! The fact you took so long means you got something unique, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± I answered, proudly showing it to him and explaining everything that Mr. Ollivander told me about it, watching his smile grow just as wide as mine. I bet we looked like two simpletons in the middle of the street, but I didn¡¯t care. I had my own wand, and by looking at my Father, I knew I made him proud. That was just as great as the feeling of holding my wand in my hands.

 Chapter 3 – Departure

    The next day, waking up, my first thing to do was to hold my wand, examining it once more, making a few swishes in the air before climbing out of bed to get dressed. Squeaky was already there, my clothes prepared, my trunk packed, ready to leave at a moment''s notice.


    "Master looks good with wand in hand. Master will become a powerful wizard; Squeaky is sure about it!"


    "Thank you, Squeaky. Will you be okay while I''m gone?" I asked, knowing that with me gone, she would have to attend to my mother.


    "Squeaky is a good house elf."


    "I don''t doubt that," I replied, not asking anymore, seeing the look in her eyes.


    Walking down to the lobby of our manor, I came face to face with the one person I wasn''t keen on seeing. My mother¡­ Isolda Arcania.


    "Good morning." I greeted her with courtesy, and she returned with a nod but ignored me, walking past me and heading up the staircase, seemingly going towards my Father''s study.


    Good. At least I did not have to start making small talk. Whenever we had to do that, it somehow always turned into her shouting and me leaving the room¡­ I just hated being talked down to, and arguing with a brick wall is as pointless as trying to make a troll learn ballet. I know she was forced to marry my Father by her family; I would be pissed if I had to marry someone I do not like¡­ but she never complained when she was allowed to spend my Father''s money when she could have her own house elf when she could enjoy the flattering of others. I can''t remember if she ever took care of me¡­ maybe when I was really little? But my memories don''t go that far back. To me, she can only demand, demand, and demand things but never give something back for it¡­ I can''t fathom why Father tolerates her even when he knows she is cheating on him¡­ because I told him. But he just laughed, telling me not to worry about small things and ignore her¡­ how could I when she is representing our family''s name? If that gets out¡­


    "Master, your face looks horrible¡­ is it because of the lack of sleep?" Squeaky said, jolting me out of my thoughts, making me look into the mirror on the opposing wall as I was standing, unmoving at the bottom of the stairs, in Squeaky''s way. She was dragging along my trunk, making sure everything was ready for leaving the house an hour later. "Squeaky told you that you should rest!"


    "Yes, yes, you did." I forced a smile onto my face, ignoring the troubling thoughts and wiping off the dark look from my face.


    By the time I finished my breakfast, Father also came in, dressed up and stretching, followed by my mother, also in a pretty dress. Her black hair was tied up in a bun, and her silver-colored eyes were even more eye-catching with the makeup she put on. Her black and violet dress was made from the finest materials a wizard could buy¡­ yet her face looked as if she just took a bite from a lemon. Well, too bad. Now she surely had to accompany me and my Father to the station. We had to keep up a certain appearance.


    "Are you excited?" Father asked, patting my shoulders as I stood up.


    "I would lie if I said no."


    "Yep, you would~" He grinned, fixing my clothes, which was unnecessary as on the train, I would have to change anyway.


    When we left the manor, a luxurious, deep-blue Bentley Arnage was waiting for us, courtesy of my Father''s arrangements.


    "Do we really have to?" My mother asked when the driver stepped out, opening the door for her.


    "We are going through places where muggles live and rule. The station is swarming with them this time of year, so yes, we have to." Father answered her calmly, like explaining something to a kid. I always found it funny, and I couldn''t help but smile while climbing in. He usually treated me more like an adult than my mother, who was more like a whining little girl. Especially when she threw tantrums¡­ the one that was slowly brewing inside of her. I could see it.


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    Throughout the way to King''s Cross, she was bringing it up again and again. Why did she have to come? Everything was a problem; The car was uncomfortable. It was hot. It was cold. She did not want to walk amidst muggles. Then the weather was bad again, as soon as the sun went behind a small, white cloud¡­ and it was going on and on and on. Looking at Father, I simply couldn''t understand how he managed to ignore her so well and just smile, enjoying the changing scenery and watching the muggle''s different cars go past by as we entered London. I rarely see my Father angry or raise his voice. Even when I made some minor troubles for him when I was younger, he never shouted at me. He always listened to what I had to say and punished me accordingly. Even if I protested, deep down, I knew when I deserved it.


    My mother? Well¡­ taking a glance at her, seeing how her face was already a shade of red, her voice sounding like the car''s windows would shatter soon enough¡­ That was enough for me to know what kind of man I didn''t want to be when I grew up. It was horrible to listen to, and she was getting louder and louder as if that would achieve anything. It just made my Father ignore her even more. Will she ever learn that it is useless? I guess not. I just hope, when in school, I won''t show my mother''s skills in comprehension. Mastering spells and learning things¡­ Oh, I hope it goes well¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Walking through the streets and crowd was somewhat of a new experience, and I quite liked it, I''m not going to lie. I wasn''t that used to being looked at by so many people as they watched us get out of the expensive-looking car¡­ although I think they would think I''m some kind of freak if I told them it was the most inconvenient way of travel. Like¡­ ever. By the end, I felt myself getting nauseous. I don''t know if it was the car or my mother''s constant, loud complaining, but I was glad to be out of that box of uncomfortable mess finally. In the end, my mother only shut up because Father looked at her with a glint in his eyes, making her behave at once. I never knew how he does that, but I do hope they will teach it at school.


    Walking in, I had to admit; I really like the way muggles build things. It was pleasing to the eye. The fact that they achieve it without using any magic is also fascinating. I wonder what else they may invented that we could also make use of. Although those kinds of thoughts were never spoken out loudly, my Father made sure I remembered that. Arriving at the designated station, I saw some of our kind passing through the barrier, hidden in plain sight from the muggles. I was familiar with it, doing similar things when once in a while, I was going out with Father when he let me come along, watching him work and check upon people who were obliviated of our presence, making sure they did not recover their memories. It always struck me odd to do that; it shouldn''t be possible¡­ but I saw Father sometimes cast a spell, saying it is for reinforcement of the previous one¡­ well, I know no real spells yet, only the theories behind some. Once again, before starting to fall into a spiraling thought process and jumping from idea to idea, a loud whistle dragged me back to reality.


    "Woah¡­" I exclaimed, making my Father laugh.


    "Beautiful, eh?" He laughed as we watched the red steam engine standing there, billowing out white smoke while witches and wizards were saying goodbyes to their families and boarding the train.


    "You told me about it, but seeing it is a different experience." I nodded while ignoring my mother''s sour face, appearing behind us.


    "Listen," Father looked at me while we started walking, getting out of the way to head towards the back of the train where I could get on and find myself an empty cabin. "School won''t be easy. Keep yourself out of trouble and obey the rules. Breaking some of them is fine¡­ but if you get caught, my name won''t save you."


    "I wouldn''t rely on that, Father." I answered honestly, "I''m not like¡­ others." I added, stealing a quick glance over my shoulder.


    "I know. If you ever find yourself in trouble, go to your House''s teacher or¡­ to the Headmaster."


    "To the Headmaster?" I asked, letting my surprise show before reigning it in, reforming the indifferent look that I used to put up. As Father always said, you don''t know when someone is watching¡­ always keep your thoughts to yourself and ensure only those you truly trust know about them.


    "Yes." He repeated. "Don''t ask more. Just remember this¡­ trust him, no matter how much you may start to dislike him. Okay?"


    "That is¡­ weird." I smiled, which I bet looked weird too.


    "Son?" He asked, and his voice was oddly serious, making me nod. "Good. Now!" He chuckled, patting my back and seeing that my trunk was already up on the train, waiting for me. "Good luck! And make me proud!"


    "Hehe¡­ I will!" I said, laughing with him and giving him a hug before boarding the train. I was still watching him from the window inside until the steam engine whistled loudly and the doors closed by themselves. I watched as the platform, along with my grinning Father and sulking mother, was gone, and I held onto my trunk''s handle and started to look for a cabin that was empty, and I could have it all for myself.

 Chapter 4 – The Four Houses

    Walking down the carriage, dragging my trunk behind me, I passed some already full cabins, and looking at them, they were also first-year students. I vaguely recognized some of their features, be it by their hair colors or eyes, telling signs of pure-blood families or, at least, half-bloods. As I was walking along, looking into one compartment, my eyes met with someone who I totally forgot would also be present. Watching those light-grey eyes, filled with pride and a false sense of authority, made me audibly sigh as I went forward, ignoring him completely. I was not in the mood for it. Sadly, the owner of those eyes thought differently, opening the compartment door and looking out after me.


    ¡°Not even saying hi, Anguine? Or is your family suddenly outranking mine?¡±


    ¡°I was not about to interrupt the important discussion that the son of the Minister of Improper Use of Magic,¡± I replied plainly, not even looking back and continuing my way. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Malfoy,¡± I added just before he could say something back.


    I was not about to indulge in his fantasies. True, his father, on paper, outranked mine in power and authority. But that did not mean we would take everything like a punching bag. Although Father usually avoided arguments with the slimy head of the Malfoy¡¯s, when they became too pushy, he wasn¡¯t afraid to bring the matters before HIS attention. That usually shuts them up pretty quickly. HE had no mood or time to deal with squabbles between his subordinates, Father always told me. There were¡­ bigger issues at hand. Whatever that meant. So¡­ following Father¡¯s advice, I adopted the same method, dealing with Draco Malfoy whenever we met. Ignore him politely, and satisfy his ego. Then he will fall silent like a well-fed baby. I was glad that he was behind me and couldn¡¯t see the small smirk forming on my face, imagining him wearing a diaper and waving a rattle to amuse himself.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I stopped, finally finding an empty cabin. I leisurely opened, pulled my trunk in, placed it down, and with a loud moan, I sat down, looking out the window, watching the changing scenery. It very quickly let me forget my brief run-in with Draco. Although, I was afraid I would have to meet him more regularly than I wanted. ¡°Maybe we will be sorted into different Houses?¡± Surprisingly, a voice answered my question that wasn¡¯t supposed to be answered.


    ¡°You already have an idea where you will end up?¡±


    Looking towards its source, a girl was standing at the door. She was around my height, with long, braided brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing elegant black and gold clothing. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess by her features which family she belonged to.


    ¡°A rough one,¡± I said, smiling a little, looking behind her, seeing her fair hand hold onto her trunk. ¡°You can come in if you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She nodded in response, finally sitting down opposite of me, looking at my hair, clearly deducing my own background as I did with hers.¡±


    ¡°Conrad Anguine.¡± I nodded, and she quickly answered with her own name.


    ¡°Quincy Black.¡±


    Thought so. There is only one remaining child in the Black family, and that is Regulus Black¡¯s daughter. Oh, how one of the most ancient and purest bloodlines fell¡­ Noticing the change in her expression, I quickly tried to hide my thought from showing up on my face. It was widely known that the current sons of the Black family both of them turned traitors and were wanted as terrorists. Sirius did it first, way back in the days when he was still a student at Hogwarts. He is still one of their strongest assets to this day¡­ Then there is his younger brother Regulus.


    Father told me that he was a Death Eater, joining in young, but after he was assigned a task, he failed it and turned traitor, joining his elder brother. As to what that task was, not even Father knew. The fact that both brothers abandoned their families brought shame to the Blacks, so much so that they were now looked upon with contempt and suspicious eyes, even by those who were related to them. Although, that was true for almost all the other families. Everyone has a little black in themselves, my Father used to tell me jokingly. Quincy before me was still a baby when that happened, and I don¡¯t know if she was left behind or her father was unable to take her away¡­ but the fact remained. She was now the last of the Blacks. By now, her brows were furrowed even more. I bet she thought, after telling her name, my silence was a signal of my contempt towards her or her family.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I replied, smiling, ¡°I tend to space out from time to time.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She answered, not really believing me, still maintaining a frown.


    ¡°Do you also have a feeling where you will end up?¡± I asked, ignoring her now wary looks. The best way to deal with that was to strike up a casual conversation. I truly did not mind that she was from the Black family. Even if others may look down on her, I knew full well how that felt. Our family was also looked upon differently, like, for example, as others would look upon the Malfoys. Mainly because my Father was a long-time Death Eater, yet seemingly not in the inner circle of HIS. Not to mention we were designated as ¡°purifiers¡± and made to interbreed with those families that let muggle-born blood seep into them.


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    ¡°I have.¡± Quincy answered me in the meanwhile, ¡°And I hope it will be the Slytherins, or I don¡¯t know if I will be allowed to wear my family¡¯s name anymore. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Well, my family¡¯s crest bears the image of a viper, so you can guess.¡± I chuckled but then added, ¡°But my Father wouldn¡¯t really care which House I am going to be sorted into.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Do YOU care?¡± She asked, watching my eyes, and I felt like she was trying to read me. Maintaining such intensive eye contact was a bit uncomfortable, but I was not about to lose.


    ¡°I do,¡± I answered, crossing my legs, leaning back in my seat, and blinking my eyelids slowly before answering, mimicking how my Father dealt with others when being questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in Hufflepuff. They became the House where most half-bloods and suspected, weakly magical students are being put into. All of their futures lie in doing menial tasks for the truly magical. It became the synonym for being talentless.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that?¡± She asked, surprising me with it, yet her face remained calm and stoic when asking such a question.


    ¡°Are you asking me if their House is what it is now or still what it was a decade ago?¡± I asked back with another question, finally making her flinch a little. ¡°Hogwarts has been changed,¡± I added, seeing her remain silent. ¡°Perfected.¡±


    ¡°I remember HIM saying it,¡± Quincy murmured, fixing her sitting position.


    ¡°To answer your question, I believe that we have much clearer roles for ourselves. Getting sorted into Ravenclaw¡­ wouldn¡¯t be bad.¡± I continued in a leisurely voice, remembering what Father told me about the different Houses in Hogwarts. ¡°I like the idea of being one who researches magic and explores new fields.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded but did not interrupt me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be sorted into Gryffindor¡­ I hope.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± She opened her mouth to ask, and while she was searching for the correct words, I answered her. I knew what she was getting at.


    ¡°Those who go there are destined to be warriors and put into the frontlines to battle and hunt down other wizards. I overheard my Father a few times dealing with people who were put under the Imperius curse and sent out to be suicide warriors to bring down foreign wizards who were against us. ¡°


    ¡°Foreign wizards?¡± She asked, raising an eyebrow, and I grimaced, realizing I let it slip. Probably, I should not know about it either as I was talking about things I overheard¡­ Father never told me about it.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m just saying that not only the terrorists are against us and our changes.¡± I hurriedly added, watching her body squirm when I mentioned the ¡°terrorists.¡± I was sure she thought about her father. ¡°Plus, I don¡¯t know how good I would be at dueling. I¡¯m not fond of the idea.¡±


    ¡°Your Father is said to be one of the best. I read about his accomplishments in the war.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled, feeling proud, ¡°But that does not mean I inherited his talent in it. I had never dueled before. I just got my wand.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She asked, surprised. I knew that it was considered late, but Father always said everything has its time. If I just got something and do not earn it¡­ I would never come to appreciate it. I don¡¯t know if it is true, but since getting my wand, I couldn¡¯t part from it, and it is still hidden in my sleeve. With a flick of my hand, I could grasp it firmly.


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway, that leaves me with one House. Slytherin.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She nodded, leaning back, but her face did not relax; quite the opposite, she looked more nervous than before.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, and now it was me who leaned forward, looking at her, trying to see what she was thinking.


    ¡°Getting into any of the Houses, other than Slytherin, would make my daily life a tad easier. But then I would be kicked out from home and, consequently, probably from the school too.¡± She explained, rubbing her forehead, ¡°Getting into Slytherin would make me avoid that fate¡­ but then¡­.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I sighed, not forcing her to explain it. Those in the main house of Hogwarts were destined to become either Death Eaters, close companions¡­ servants of HIS. It would bring the prospect of great power, but for someone like Quincy, she would surely be looked down upon by the other, stronger pure-blood families who did not have two traitors and wanted terrorists in their midst.


    ¡°Would you like to buy anything?¡± A voice interrupted us as an old woman opened the cabin door, pushing a trolley with more sweets on it than I ever counted at once.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I gulped, salivating at once; my hand was already in my pocket. In the end, because I just couldn¡¯t choose, I bought one from everything.


    While I was sorting them out on the seat next to me, Quincy politely refused and leaned back, fiddling with her long braid, looking out of the window, and watching the passing scenery. She was only as good at hiding her emotions as I was¡­ because I could tell she was nervous, anxious, and worried. All feeding into each other, making her mood worsen every mile we got closer to Hogwarts.


    ¡°Here!¡± I pressed a chocolate frog towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She answered, looking a bit surprised.


    ¡°Do you really think I am a pig or something?¡±


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± She stuttered, her mouth opening agape, but I just grinned.


    ¡°You really think I can destroy all this by myself? Come on! Help me out here, will ya?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­ my hands are getting tired!¡± I joked, still holding the chocolate frog that she took in the end, turning towards the pile of sweets in the process of deciding which one to eat next.

 Chapter 5 – Sorting

    At least the rest of the traveling went on smoothly, and none of us brought anything up that would upset the other. Our travel remained uninterrupted, although I expected someone to come and try to stir up trouble that he couldn¡¯t finish before¡­ but that did not come to pass. When we were getting close, putting on our robes was an event in itself. It was a bit different from my usual ones, a bit more rougher, simpler, and less elegant. More¡­ uniform. Which I kinda liked. It was an exciting change, although it did not have a correct slot to hide my wand in my sleeve. But I could work with that and modify it later on. For now, the inner pocket would suffice. Checking myself out in my faint reflection in the window, I was satisfied with what I saw.


    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Quincy asked, and it took me a second to realize what she meant. For a moment, I felt my face turn way brighter than I would like to admit.


    ¡°It is,¡± I answered, scratching my throat, changing my focus from my reflection onto the huge castle on the horizon, standing contrasted to the silvery moon and the star-filled night sky, painting a truly otherworldly picture.


    The best school to learn magic in Brittain. No. In the world. Although I never visited any of the schools worthy of being mentioned alongside Hogwarts, I am pretty sure that most, if not all, modeled their structure after Hogwarts.


    ¡°Better to get ready.¡± I looked away, glancing at Quincy¡¯s face. ¡°We are going to be sorted in an hour or so¡­ Good luck.¡± I smiled at her, but I could see her anxiety come back with force.


    I could have said many things to her, but I think it would have been useless. All would be seen as nothing fake encouragement as I was not in the same shoes as her¡­ which was true. I couldn¡¯t place myself in her place and accurately imagine what it was like to be looked down at constantly. Well, what I know about was what it feels like to be looked at provocatively.


    As soon as my feet landed on the platform, lit by orange gas lamps, I felt Draco¡¯s gaze land on me. Of course, I wasn¡¯t about to answer it in any way, shape, or form. Let him feel superior and let me focus on my own thing. That would be the best.


    ¡°Do you have something going on with the Malfoy¡¯s kid?¡± Quincy asked, stepping down from the train behind me. ¡°He has been looking at you from the start. Is it because of me?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I answered, ¡°To both of your questions. It¡¯s just that our families are kind of rivals. His father¡¯s tongue is browner than an American toad¡¯s back. My father at least has the decency to work for his achievements.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± She chuckled softly, which also made me smile. ¡°I bet you wouldn¡¯t say that to his face.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I repeated myself, looking at her with one eye, ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. Plus, causing trouble for my Father is the last thing I would want to do. In front of the kid, I¡¯ll be courteous.¡±


    ¡°You also ARE a kid. So am I.¡± She said in a rather sharp voice, making me look at her, and I could not help but twitch my mouth¡­ She wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ and why did her voice then remind me of my mother? Ugh¡­ please, no. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± She walked past me, probably because of the grimace I let slip onto my face. Ah¡­ whatever!


    After huddling around like little ducklings, we were herded by a female teacher who we later learned was named Grubbly-Plank. What a weird name¡­ Well, I¡¯m not one to speak anyway. The ride over the lake quickly made me forget about it anyway, and even Quincy, who shared the boat with me, managed to gaze in awe at the huge castle getting closer and closer and stopped ignoring me. What I could do without was the hundreds of stairs we had to ascend from the docks to the castle itself.


    ¡°Are we being tested for our physical state or what?¡± I moaned under my breath, but Quincy was not about to answer me as I saw her gasp for air, holding her side, looking like she was in great pain. Not an athletic type¡­ I could tell that immediately. I could sympathize with that as if I hated something more than stairs; it was running.


    Luckily there were not too many stairs left after coming into the school¡¯s main building and made to wait before the great hall. I was watching the tapestries, the different, moving paintings and suits of armor, everything, just to not let my eyes meet with Draco¡¯s. Or anyone else¡¯s, in fact. I wasn¡¯t in the mood for any of it, especially before we were properly sorted. It could¡­ backfire.


    ¡°I see everyone is here?¡± A voice echoed beside our ears, and the woman named Grubbly-Plank answered shortly while a fat, short, balding, honestly speaking, rat-like figure appeared before us. For a moment, I thought I heard Squeaky¡­ then I saw her, only bloated out of proportions. It was Quincy¡¯s elbow that lodged itself into my side, wiping off the clear disgust from my face, replacing it with wincing.


    ¡°If you look at him like that, you will be in trouble¡­¡± She whispered, ¡°He is the head of House Gryffindor, Professor Wormtail.¡±


    ¡°Professor? Him?¡± I asked back, even more surprised. Plus¡­ head of a House? Merlin¡¯s beard¡­ is the school okay to employ someone like that?


    ¡°Your face¡­ stop it. It¡¯s twitching¡­.¡± She warned me again while the squeaking blob of a guy was telling us something, but I could only hear rat-like noises and not any comprehensive words coming out of his mouth. Now I was sure I did not want to become part of Gryffindor. No way. Put me into Hufflepuff instead.


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    ¡°Disgusting.¡± Someone else whispered, and I knew that voice. It was Draco¡¯s. Well¡­ sometimes even we can agree on something as I glanced at him, only nodding, making him flustered that we had the same opinion.


    Finally, when the rat-man finished, we were led into the vast dining room. It was pretty uncomfortable to be watched by so many older students sitting at their respective tables, sizing us up. In front of us, at the professor¡¯s table, I could glance at the teachers who we would study under starting tomorrow. There was that Grub-grub, whatever, woman, and next to her was the empty space where our Rat-boy should be sitting at. There were many faces I did not recognize or know about. But there were some I knew. Besides the Headmaster, Snape, I recognized another figure. Horace Slughorn. I knew about him because my father told me about how he and HIM somewhat connected. He was found by HIM personally and then invited to join the school as a teacher after Dumbledore was chased out. Supposedly he is close to HIM.


    Moving my eyes away from him, there was another man who I was very familiar with. Especially because I saw him in my mother¡¯s bed. Gilderoy Lockhart. I just can¡¯t understand why Father never taught him and Mother a lesson when I told him about it. He even laughed¡­ then I found him reading one of that blonde playboy¡¯s books, having a jolly good time with it! Haahh¡­ I did not know I would find him here once again. Not that he knows about me at all. Or I knew what he did with my mother. Watching that smile on his face was making my skin crawl¡­ but then I saw another smile that made my stomach turn. It was plastered on a toad-like woman¡¯s face, wearing all-pink. I don¡¯t know who she is, but¡­ I already know who I won¡¯t like at all simply by their first impressions.


    Before I could look around more, I heard my name being called out, and there was a stool placed in front of everyone with an old, dingy-looking hat placed on it. I didn¡¯t know how it got there, I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts, but I realized what was happening. The sorting started, and I was going to be sorted first. I can only hope that my face remained calm throughout while I walked out from the crowd to sit on that stool. As the hat was lowered on my head, strangely, the outside world completely disappeared. I could not hear or see anything.


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± An ancient, tired voice echoed in my ear. It felt like coming from far afar, and it sounded so tired; I felt like listening to someone on death¡¯s bed. It was very¡­ very uncomfortable. ¡°Another year has passed¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No matter¡­¡± The voice sighed, and I could feel deep lethargy oozing out of it. ¡°You have a good brain; you could easily fit into Ravenclaw.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy¡­ here we go.¡± I thought, but it seemed the hat, which the voice belonged to, I assume, chuckled.


    ¡°You also value familial ties and friendship. Hufflepuff would be a good home for you¡­.¡±


    ¡°...¡± I think, if the hat wasn¡¯t covering half of my head, I should look totally white now to the other students.


    ¡°But not in our time¡­ but in the past.¡± He added, sounding even more tired¡­ and old. ¡°Gryffindor¡­ no. You would not have fit in there.¡±


    ¡°In the past¡­ or right now?¡± I asked, sounding curious and also a bit annoyed at the same time. Which was a surprise for even me.


    ¡°Both.¡± It answered and then spoke only one more word, which it did loudly, and I could feel it being lifted off of my head. ¡°Slytherin.¡±


    Standing up, I was a bit dazed, looking around, hearing the claps coming from the table under the green and silver banners where I soon found my place, sitting down amongst older students, nodding at them. Looking at their features, I could notice many of them held characteristics of different, pure-blood families. Turning back towards the stool, I was watching the others be sorted. Some take more time than others, and some only put the hat on when it speaks out. One such girl was Quincy. When the Sorting Hat landed on her head, it cried Slytherin before it could cover her face. Surprisingly, few were clapping, me amongst them.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I looked around, catching some weird gazes¡­ ¡°If you start something, you make sure to finish it, Son.¡± Echoed my Father¡¯s words in my mind, so I just shrugged, continuing to clap while Quincy sat down next to me.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± She whispered, barely audible.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I answered calmly, lowering my hand and looking at her face that was finally regaining some color, but she did not look at the others at all, focusing on the empty, golden table before her.


    When it was Draco¡¯s time to sit, he was sorted into Slytherin too. No surprises there. Well¡­ this time, I only clapped for a brief moment, watching him come and sit with us.


    ¡°I see-¡± He leaned closer to say something to Quincy or to me, I was not really sure, but I simply ignored him and nodded, hummed, and answered with a dull, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Conrad¡­¡± Quincy whispered while the sorting was going on, and her voice was masked by clapping as another girl was sorted into Ravenclaw.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Did you even notice that you said yes to Draco about acknowledging his role as the leader of the 1st year students?¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Draco, who was already talking with two buffoon-looking guys. ¡°Oh well. No matter. He would want to be in the limelight anyway.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked incredulously. ¡°Are you really belong to Slytherin?¡±


    ¡°Who cares about a nameless position?¡± I smiled at her, and I wasn¡¯t really lying. ¡°Let Draco be in the limelight. I can do my own thing more easily that way.¡±


    ¡°Which¡­ is?¡± She asked, lowering her voice even more, leaning closer.


    ¡°Study.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She flinched, and I was sure she did not expect something so simple.


    ¡°Duh. We are at the best school! I don¡¯t care about pretending to be the leader of the kid army of Slytherin¡­.¡±


    ¡°There you go again¡­¡± She rolled her eyes, getting annoyed at it, which, I won¡¯t lie, was amusing to see.


    ¡°Anyway, I want to learn all that there is in here and obtain true power. To raise above even my Father so he will be proud of me, and I could support him with all I have got!¡±


    ¡°Your Father¡­¡± She murmured, and I knew instantly she was thinking about hers, who I assume she had never met nor knew much about. If I do not count what was being said about him back home¡­ I could guess, though.


    ¡°Chin up!¡± I poked her sides, nodding towards the table before us, filled with hundreds of mouth-watering dishes. While we were whispering, the Headmaster finished his brief speech that I completely missed¡­ not that I minded it. ¡°Let¡¯s eat instead!¡± I smiled, and seeing she agreed with me, I had the pleasure of having one of the best feasts I have ever had until that day.

 Chapter 6 – First Day (1)

    With the feast finished, we were led by the prefect, a lanky, tall boy with black hair, down the many stairs, heading towards the dungeon. It¡­ wasn''t exactly what I would call promising. Looking at Quincy''s face and a bit of nervousness creeping back onto it, I had a guess she thought we were being taken to some kind of cells or something for interrogation. Luckily, no torture chamber awaited us but instead, a windowless floor and a blank stone wall.


    "Purest Form." The prefect said, and a stone snake slithered out from the ground, forming an archway and revealing a door for us that was there a moment ago. "The passwords are always posted on the common room''s notice board. It changes every fortnight, so don''t forget to check it. If you bring ANYONE who is not part of our house to the common rooms, you will wish you were expelled." He said in a sadistic undertone, looking at us with a grin.


    "Who would want to mingle with others when our House has the best?" A voice I recognized belonging to Draco interjected, making the prefect smile even more widely.


    "There are exceptions." He said, glancing at Quincy but only lingering on her for a brief moment.


    Going through the door, looking around the rough stone walls, the round lamps hanging from the ceiling, burning with greenish flames¡­ it was anything but cozy, making me sigh a little. This is not what I expected. The only positive feature I could say I liked was the panoramic window at the other end of the common room, letting us see into the huge lake. I knew we walked many steps going downstairs, but now I knew we were underground, under the lake''s surface surrounding the castle. The tapestries on the walls were describing the adventures of famous, medieval Slytherins, but to be honest, I was not really interested in it. My expectations of mine were maybe too big, but this common room was anything but fancy¡­ anything that I would like. It was dark, cold, and oozing with uncomfortable feelings. Oh well, it isn''t the end of the world.


    At least that is what I thought until I was led to my room which I had to share with three others¡­, and those were Draco and his two henchmen, who I assume he recruited on the train ride. I was wholly uninterested in their names, so when Draco introduced them, I only registered them as Henchman#1 and Henchman#2. I was not about to strain my brain with remembering unnecessary information when I had to keep it ready to learn all the spells we come across starting tomorrow.


    "Are you listening to me?" Draco asked while I was looking at them blankly.


    "Yes." I lied, of course, walking to the bed at one end of the room, opening my trunk, and starting to organize my stuff around my own space.


    "I do hope so, or you can leave my room."


    "Okay," I replied, without turning towards him. I wish I could change places¡­ well, no matter. If he wants to make me leave, I would be happy to take up the gloves. Until then, it is best to let him to his own devices.


    When I was done, I simply closed the curtains around my space, giving me a little bit of privacy. The green-silver separators seemed to be enchanted because as soon as I pulled them close, all outside noise ceased to invade my little ''room.''


    "Good. At least I can sleep like this!" I chuckled, changing into my pajamas. Finally, I can start learning and call myself a real wizard soon enough.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    I met Quincy in the common room the next morning. I was surprised because I was the first to wake up in our room. Some older students were already up, sitting around the common room, of course, occupying the most comfortable chairs.


    "''Morning!" I greeted her with a smile but then raised one of my eyebrows, seeing the forming bags under her eyes. "Couldn''t sleep?"


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    "Kinda¡­" She answered, trying to avoid the topic, standing before the bulletin board. "I''ll get used to it. I was checking our first timetable."


    "Hm," I followed her gaze, looking at it and taking a copy down for myself. "We start with the history of magic class? Doesn''t sound that interesting!"


    "Depends on the teacher." She replied, but her voice wasn''t really filled with much optimism.


    "True. Then double potions. Much better."


    "You know alchemy?" She looked at me, tilting her head to the sides.


    "Nope, nothing. But it sounds practical, so¡­ I am looking forward to that!" I answered with a wide grin. "Then we are going to have charms in the afternoon. Not bad day if I say so myself."


    "On paper."


    "Are you always this pessimistic?" I sighed, pocketing the timetable and fixing my bag on my shoulder.


    "Sorry¡­" She whispered, lowering her head which made me feel a bit ashamed.


    "Nah, no worries!" I nudged her, heading out of the common room, "Come, let''s see if we can have breakfast already or not!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    At least the breakfast was plentiful and made me forget who I managed to get as roommates. Sitting down in the classroom where our first-ever lesson was going to be held, I was still filled with expectations and ready to study. Yet when our teacher, surprisingly, a ghost floated in, I soon realized this was going to be anything but fun. If there is an image of boredom next to the word in the dictionary, I assume it would be an image of our classroom right now. Is our teacher, Professor Binns, determined to kill us with boredom? Or what? Father made me study many things back home to prepare me for attending Hogwarts, but he could make history or even math enjoyable. This was pure torture¡­ maybe this is a new form of the Cruciatus curse? And we are being experimented on? I should learn the Imperius curse to mind-control myself to listen to his monotone, literally dead voice.


    "How can you listen to this?" I whispered, leaning towards Quincy, but then she just flinched, looking at me confused.


    "Sorry, what?"


    "Nothing¡­" I smirked. Well, it seemed I was not alone. She is a pretty good pretender to feign that type of concentration. I thought she was drinking in every word the Ghost of Boredom was gurgling out. Good job, Quincy!


    "..." She now seemed a bit flustered and was blinking her eyes rapidly, forcing back a yawn.


    "Next time, I will eat less before having a class with Binsy here."


    "Binsy?" She asked, looking around, needing a few moments before she realized who I meant.


    "Yeah¡­ I get sleepy when I am full, and with this boring nonsense, I feel it tenfold! Haaaah¡­ at least it isn''t a double-length lesson."


    "It is your fault that you ate that much."


    "It looked great."


    "Let me concentrate¡­" She added, getting annoyed and started ignoring me, slowly managing to fall back into her little trance, looking as if she was paying attention, but her eyes were almost empty.


    "Tsk¡­" I clicked my tongue, impressed by her feat, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Leaning back and looking over my shoulder, I saw it was one of Draco''s bedwarmers¡­ what was his name? Crab? Crap? Crabbe¡­ Crabbe, it should be. Eh, Henchmen#1. He was giving me a small piece of parchment that I took reluctantly, reading it slowly;


    "Keep friendly with that misbegotten, and you will be labeled as such!"


    Huh. I never knew he knew such archaic words. This would have shown some class if the rest of the sentences were similar. Well, at least he did not call her mongrel. As far as I know, Quincy is just as pure-blooded as me or him. Is he threatening me? I couldn''t help but look back toward them, seeing him form a slight smirk. Then I looked at Quincy, who was surprisingly looking at me, which surprised me, I''m not going to lie.


    "..." She remained silent, just glanced at the piece of parchment that she could not read but could guess what was on it. Turning away from me, she looked forward again, returning to her ''trance'' or it seemed to me.


    "..." Now it was my turn to remain silent as I thought about it. It would be good not to get into trouble so early. To go through my initial years with leisure until I topple my O.W.L. Haaah¡­ Father, I think I am not so good at remaining calm and indifferent as you! Sorry!


    I crumpled it up, put it into my pocket, and continued ignoring them behind us. When problems that I can''t really deal with arrive, I can ignore them, at least until I come up with something that lets me deal with them once and for all. I would rather make friends with one who I can talk to as equals than play the role of a yes man. If it truly gets out of hand, Father did say I should trust the Headmaster¡­ maybe they have something going I don''t know about? If all hell breaks loose, I can go and ask for help¡­ maybe? We''ll see¡­ For now, my main goal is going to survive this torturous lesson!

 Chapter 7 – First Day (2)

    Walking down steps, coming out from Professor Binns''s lesson, was like taking a refreshing walk in the rain on a truly hot summer day. I felt my brain was turned into mush, a very dangerous spell as it needed nothing but the monotone ramblings of a ghost. No wand, no magic¡­ just the power of words.


    "This is not going to be my favorite," I said between two yawns while many who were walking close by echoed with a yes and their own yawns.


    "Could have been worse," Quincy added, slapping her cheeks with two hands, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes as we arrived at the dungeons where our potions classes were going to take place.


    "I hope Professor Slughorn is going to be much more¡­ lively."


    "He should be, and even if not, we should act extra attentive¡­ he is the Head of Slytherin!" Another student added, who I didn''t know at first. Looking at the gold ring on his finger with a stylized S, it has to be someone from the Selwyn family. "He has been head of Slytherin house and been teaching here for fifty years! He was the mentor of HIM!" He added with a whisper and, collectively, made everyone stop at the door to our classroom.


    "Yeah¡­" Another girl added with a mosquito-like voice, "Imagine what would happen if someone who is a mentor to¡­ HIM starts complaining about us!"


    Somehow, by the time we all entered the potions classroom, we thought that another hour of Professor Bins''s lesson wasn''t a bad thing at all. When the Professor, a bald, fat-bellied old man, walked in, we were all looking on silently. How was he going to act? Was he friendly, or was the mentor of HIM just as¡­ well¡­ persuasive as his protege?


    "Hm?" He looked at us and our white faces with surprise. I stole a quick glance at Draco, who I assume felt the same as his face was free of the usual, smug smile that often accompanied him. "What is the long face for? Did someone die?" Professor Slughorn asked us which was not the best choice of words as I exchanged a grim look with Quincy, with who I shared my desk. "Oh boy¡­ someone did? Already?" the Professor gasped, checking us individually and making a headcount. When he was nearing me, I tried to hide behind my cauldron, but of course, it was a futile effort. "Oh. You are all here. Then nobody died. It would have been weird; most accidents happen in the Dark Arts lessons¡­ You don''t have that until 2nd year."


    "People¡­ die?" Draco asked, unable to hold back, and for a moment, I was glad because I had the same question in mind.


    "Accidents do happen from time to time¡­ Mind you, it is not that usual!" Professor Slughorn tried to say, seeing our pale, white faces, "None of my Slytherins died in the past 10 years! The first few years when the Defense Against the Dark Arts was renamed and reorganized¡­ there were some accidents. But as we learned and adapted, all became much more streamlined and safer! Trust me!" He said in a jovial mood, trying to lift our spirits.


    "It seems he is not like what I expected¡­." I whispered to Quincy, who nodded with a bit of relief creeping up on her face too.


    "Well, you don''t need to worry! Your first year is going to be Dark Arts: The Basics with Professor Lockhart. He couldn''t hurt you even if he wanted to!" He chuckled, which¡­ was also not wholly relieving, but at least I got the feeling we won''t have any problems with Professor Slughorn. "Well, well!" He clapped, looking at us smilingly, "This year, I am going to introduce you to the world of Potion Making! I prefer teaching through practical lessons. The books you have for this year have everything you need. Of course, if you want to brew the perfect version of said potions, you need more than the following recipes! Potions are like living beings; you must read them while concocting them! The recipe may describe how to create them, but their potential is determined by the quality of the ingredients! The book may say you have to stir it clockwise four times¡­ but your ingredients were sub-par, making you stir it eight times to produce the potion you were aiming for! We will see how you fare and if you have what it takes to be a master potion maker!"


    "Now¡­ this is more like a lesson I was hoping for!" I whispered to Quincy. This is what I expected from the start.


    The Professor waved his hand, holding his wand, and the white chalk on his desk flew up behind him, writing hastily onto the blackboard.


    "Here are the ingredients for it!" Professor Slughorn said, looking at us while we read the words appearing behind him.


    "Rat tails, Porcupine quilly, and Billywig stings." I read softly. It wasn''t much, but he did not write up the amount or the order to put it in¡­ how to stir, the temperature of the fire¡­


    "Yes." He smiled when our eyes met, "It is not a hard potion to make. Perfect for starting out. But!" He looked at us with an expectant look, "I won''t give you more idea on what it is. I want to test you all! To see who has the gift to be a Master! You have one and a half hours to determine which potion you should make. The correct recipe and the last missing ingredient are in your books."


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    "Oh¡­" I exclaimed, knowing there wasn''t all¡­ and he was testing us. Good¡­ good! Now this is truly like a lesson I can get behind! Awesome!


    "No helping the others! Everyone must work alone! If you do, I am going to deduct points for it! Good luck!" The Professor clapped, sitting back behind his table, watching his get to work.


    Looking around, I saw some of the others hit up the book we had, trying to find the correct recipe¡­ Well, good luck. It was at least 400 pages long with tons of recipes in it. By the time they find it, the lesson will be over. Okay¡­ let''s tackle this from a practical standpoint. With that, I stood up, drawing everyone''s attention, and simply walked to the shelf where the ingredients were on display and took what I needed, going back to my place.


    "Here." I gave some to Quincy, who was still looking at the blackboard, drawing her back from her weird stupor.


    "T-thanks." She murmured, looking at my hand while I placed it before her.


    "If I have known some spells, I could charm the book to open where I need it to¡­." I grumbled under my breath as I sat down, and I heard Quincy whisper, her mouth barely moving or twitching, trying to avoid the Professor''s gaze.


    "It''s the Hair-Raising potion¡­." She said, looking as if she was fixing her clothes, and then started to flip through her book.


    I tried to mate my indifferent look as always, looking around the rest before I followed suit, trying to act as if I was looking for the correct recipe. It was hard to hold back my grin, especially as I looked at the slightly worried face of Draco at the opposite table, frantically flipping through the potion recipes. When Quincy stood up, firing up her cauldron, everyone turned to look at her, especially Professor Slughorn. I was still trying to hold back the smile from creeping up to my face. It was good for gaining a little bit of credit to her name. I guessed by the look on her face that in the morning, she was not really let to sleep well. I don''t know who her roommates are, but I assume she wasn''t welcomed with open arms.


    Seeing her start cutting the ingredients, it was my time to follow suit. Looking into the index page, I found the recipe; flipping to it and reading it, I realized there is no fourth ingredient! Sly, Professor Slughorn, very sly! The addition of the ingredients didn''t matter either, only their quantity. They had to be balanced and match each other ideally to create a perfect Hair-Raising potion. After reading the instructions, I stood up, copied Quincy, and started to prepare my very first brewing session. It would be an understatement if I said I was not nervous. I never made a potion myself in my life. I watched Father concoct some, but those were all mediocre stuff, as he was not a good potion maker. Still, at least I know how to handle ingredients and how to prepare my cauldron.


    Now, the eyes that were watching us doubled, filled with part jealousy and part hate. Mixed in with a bit of panic. It was at that moment when Draco also looked at me. I saw that his face was whiter than usual, and his eyes were accusatory. That is when I slowly parted my lips, and when the Professor''s eyes wandered away, I mouthed the potion''s name. I almost laughed at the face he made, not believing what I had done. As to why? I want peace while attending school. I am not here to vie for the attention of others. I want to learn magic to achieve that; I need to be left alone to my own devices. I wanted to ensure Draco won''t seek me out with every little thing or try to provoke me into useless, idiotic duels or whatever he was planning. It was worth it.


    By the time I started cutting my ingredients, Draco was also standing, preparing his cauldron, and so did his cronies a few moments later. It didn''t take long for the classroom to be filled with the noise of knives hitting the cutting board and the sound of small bits being thrown into the water, followed by the paddles hitting the cauldron''s edge as students were stirring them. All the way to the remaining class, Quincy was wholly focused on it, standing next to me. She didn''t say anything, only worked on her potion, and as we entered the last half an hour, her cauldron was releasing greenish, glittering smoke that raised some of her hair as it wafted out. Looking at her cauldron, I saw her brew was a lively green in color, while mine was much duller. Oh well, it should be good enough. I hope. When the Professor stood up again, there were some who were on the verge of tears because they either failed to even start or were only in the middle of brewing their potions.


    "Very good¡­ very good!" He walked before Quincy and me, and he was looking into her cauldron. "This is almost perfect! Wonderful!" He smiled happily while I watched his fat belly jiggle around, afraid he would knock over our cauldrons. "What is your name, Miss?"


    "Quincy. Quincy Black." She answered, her face turning bright red from the praise.


    "Outstanding, Miss Black! Ten points for Slytherin!" He announced with a truly cheerful voice and then turned towards mine. "Also good. The quality of the ingredients was not on par with each other; you should have balanced it out by adding less rat tail and increasing the amount of billowing." He advised, but his voice was now much less appreciative and more¡­ factual. Not rude per se, but not kind either. Honestly, I did not mind; without Quincy''s help, I would still be fumbling around, so I get it. I had a feeling he noticed it but let it slide. Probably another test for us; that is why he did not ask for my name. And neither did he ask for the others after us. Watching him go to each of our ends and explain our wrongdoings with the same kind yet distant voice was enough for me to know he was only happy with Quincy''s performance.


    "Nice job¡­" I leaned over, whispering to her, "I owe you one!"


    "T-thanks¡­" She murmured, still flushed, her face basking in more of a pink color than anything.


    "Lunch afterward?"


    "Um." She answered simultaneously as her stomach rumbled a little, turning her crimson from pink.


    "Ahaha~ See? That is why I had a plentiful breakfast!" I chuckled, looking back at my cauldron, letting Quincy relax and stopping my teasings. Finally¡­ this lesson was much more like it! Now, my expectations were extra high for the charms lesson. The only thing that made me weary was the fact that Umbridge woman was going to hold it¡­ and her aura was anything but friendly.

 Chapter 8 – Lunchtime Exploration

    The lunch was great, and after filling our stomachs, we still had around an hour to laze around before our charms class began. To not let ourselves be overwhelmed by the food coma both Quincy and I was starting to feel, we decided the best solution was to explore the castle a little. That was when we ran into him¡­ into it.


    ¡°Oooh? What is this? Are younglings sneaking off? Searching for a place for smoochie-smoochie? What a naughty, n-a-u-g-h-t-y boy and girl you are!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, wholly bewildered, failing to notice that Quincy next to me was frozen in place, turning redder than the tomato on our plates a few minutes ago. I never saw such a¡­ tangible ghost before. No¡­ this was not a ghost¡­ a poltergeist?


    ¡°Oh, pretending to not know? Tsk-tsk-tsk!¡± He wiggled a finger at me while I was watching its strange, blazing eyes and the weird, jester-like clothes and hat it was wearing.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, baffled at the scenery and his annoyingly pitched voice.


    ¡°Peeves won¡¯t tell you!¡± It laughed, throwing a water balloon, from nowhere, straight into my face, soaking my head to toe.


    ¡°Peeves¡­¡± I murmured, wiping my face, turning a shade grimmer, while Quincy was quickly stepping away, trying not to get wet as a second one landed on my head.


    ¡°Ooooh, not that stupid, are you? Ohohohoho, Missy is not wanting more kissy-kissy? Ohohoho, is it time for a break up already?¡± It chortled, flying above us in circles.


    Now I remembered. Father did tell me about him¡­ the eternal pain of many students and caretakers. Peeves the poltergeist, a being that has been part of Hogwarts since its inception. Nobody knows how he came to be, but many think he is a manifestation of all the past and present students¡¯ collective mischiefs. Whatever he was in reality, I knew that it was best if we ran for it. As first-year students, we were not in any position to fight him. I grabbed Quincy¡¯s hand from nowhere and took for the stairs, hearing him laugh behind us.


    ¡°Ohohoho! Holding hands? Running away to be naughty-naughty~! That is against the rules; peeves are going to tell on you, ahahaha!¡±


    I was not about to be caught by a poltergeist, and I was especially not keen to be questioned by others because some idiotic ghost thought it was fun to spread baseless lies. I didn¡¯t even look where I was going; I just held Quincy¡¯s hand, going up the stairs right until I wasn¡¯t hearing that bastard¡¯s laugh. When we stopped, and I turned around, I was greeted with Quincy¡¯s completely red face and sweating forehead as she was gasping for air.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry¡­¡± I stuttered, letting her hand go, which she immediately pulled away, holding her sides. Her face contorted with pain, groaning between rapid breaths. ¡°You are not fan of athletic things, huh?¡± I asked with a forced grin as I was also pretty out of breath, finally realizing we climbed at least what¡­ five or six floors?


    ¡°...¡± Quincy didn¡¯t say anything, just looked at me briefly before turning away. I guess she wanted to say something, but her thirst for air was so big that she couldn¡¯t form words, so she leaned against the stone wall, trying to remain standing with her weak knees.


    ¡°Well, It is best this way. I now realize what that thing was¡­ it is not good to run into him; he is chaos incarnate!¡±


    ¡°Peeves?¡± She finally managed to speak, her voice still trembling, ¡°I think¡­ I¡­ Read about¡­ Him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I moaned, stretching my back, removing my robe, and squeezing the water out. ¡°Damn, I need to learn some spells to dry myself,¡± I added, ruffling my wet hair before combing it backward and looking around. ¡°Where are we?¡±


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    ¡°We are¡­¡± She looked around, the redness slowly receding from her face. ¡°I think we are the North Tower.¡±


    ¡°North Tower?¡± I glanced around, but besides the stone walls, the spiral staircase, windows, and some wooden railings, I couldn¡¯t tell where we were at all. ¡°Are you also a map expert besides being a potion master?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She answered, looking at me, part annoyed, part happy, which gave a unique expression to her. ¡°I just read all about Hogwarts in the many books related to its history. Especially because half of them was banned¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Maybe I should have done the same¡­¡± I added, seeing the wisdom in it. Father has a pretty extensive library back home¡­ well, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°Soooo, why does this place look like nobody came here for years?¡± I asked, looking at the dusty ladder steps mounted on the walls and following them upwards; I also managed to notice a trapdoor there.


    ¡°Because this was the old divination classroom.¡± Quincy finished, following my gaze, ¡°Since divination has been outlawed, this classroom is out of order.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Want to check it out?¡± I asked, grinning, looking at her, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded, wearing a small but excited smile.


    By the time I reached the topmost notch and pushed the trapdoor open with my free hand, I felt the decade-long dust sticking to my wet palms.


    ¡°Uhg!¡± I coughed as the dust on the other side whipped out, hitting me straight in the face. ¡°Damn, it¡­ Watch when you come up, okay?¡± I shouted down while climbing up completely.


    ¡°O-okay!¡± I heard her weak answer, coming after me.


    Inside the room, it was hard to breathe. The air was stuffy and old, no, ancient. As soon as I glanced at the red curtains, I pulled them off and opened all the windows that there was to let in some fresh air.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ this is nasty!¡± Quincy added, holding her nose as she climbed up, watching the dust-filled circular tables, the faded cushions and chairs, and the many spiderweb-laced books and trinkets on the wall-mounted shelves.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think anybody has come up here in more than a decade! Ah?¡± I watched on with surprise as Quincy pulled out her wand. I am no Ollivander, so I couldn¡¯t really tell what kind of wand it was, but it had a spiral-like form and was a warm, chestnut color.


    ¡°Scourgify!¡± She shouted, and the dust was swept out of the open windows in a blink of an eye, and the air was refreshed. Then she looked at me, repeating the same, and I was cleaned up, no longer looking like someone had poured grey flour on my head.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I grinned, ¡°That is a pretty good spell! Care to teach me?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She flinched, getting a bit embarrassed, ¡°Well¡­ I could. It is not hard and useful for cleaning and all that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I nodded at her before looking around once more. ¡°Hey, what do you think? Could this be our little secret base?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She asked back simply, blinking her eyes rapidly, following me as I checked the shelves.


    ¡°Do you think we will get any real rest or peace of mind?¡± I asked calmly, without looking back at her, my eyes reading the many strange books stored in here, ¡°Even if half the people won¡¯t believe Peeves, if he goes spinning his little lies, many could use it as ammunition against you or me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ it isn¡¯t true!¡± She protested loudly, stomping in place. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have pulled me away!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should have explained yourself to the others plainly.¡± I shrugged, knowing she was not really liked by the rest of Slytherin. That was obvious since our train ride. One day was enough for me to measure her popularity by looking at the others at the sorting ceremony.


    ¡°...¡± With that, she fell silent, looking away from me, biting into her lips, which seemed especially painful. ¡°Well, at least you would have been spared¡­¡± She murmured, and I pretended not to hear that.


    ¡°So, what do you say? Seeing that nobody is coming here, it would be the perfect retreat if we need some quiet! After we learned some charms, we could also make it so nobody can come in, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ does sound nice¡­¡± She murmured, clearly on board with my idea.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± I smiled, watching the room that, now, after being cleaned up, looked much more welcoming than before. Having a secret base for ourselves¡­ could come in handy. Especially if I want to plan things out and not be bothered by the others in the common room¡­ like¡­ coming up with a way where I can pay back that annoying poltergeist somehow¡­

 Chapter 9 – Charming

    Ten minutes later, all the tables were pushed to the end of the room, making enough space for us and for the soft cushions we hoarded into the middle to serve as the most relaxing place to sit.


    "Ahhh, this is nice!" I sighed, feeling thoroughly relaxed and slightly sleepy. "This is going to be great in the winter, too, as we have a fireplace!" I pointed at it.


    "It is much more cozier than the dungeon." Quincy agreed, also enjoying the piece and the warm sunlight pouring in from the open windows.


    "For sure! Eh¡­ I don''t get what it is with the fascination of living in a literal dungeon! A thousand year has passed! And even then! Haaahhh¡­ Now I really think Ravenclaw would have been a better choice."


    "Heh, don''t let the others hear this!" She giggled, lying next to me.


    "I won''t. I am going to make sure I will be left to my own devices."


    "That is why you helped out Draco?"


    "Yep." I looked at her, "You saw?"


    "Of course." She answered, but she wasn''t mad about it, "I am not stupid!"


    "Nobody said you were."


    "You just did not hear them saying it." She shrugged, turning towards the window, watching the blue sky. "Well¡­ I tried preparing for it. No matter¡­ I will deal with it. If nothing, I just need to endure it for a year or two."


    "Oh? What do you mean?"


    "Until I learn enough to defend myself. I''ll remember everyone¡­." She added whisperingly.


    Well¡­ Father did say some girls are dangerous, but Mother is not one of those. He told me that I should be afraid of those who can endure and remain silent when others are already screaming. Those witches are the ones who I have to be wary of.


    "Well¡­ good luck? I guess?"


    "Heh~!" She grinned a little, "Thanks!"


    "If you want to practice, I have an idea."


    "Hm? What do you mean?" She asked, sitting up, turning towards me with a curious look in her brown eyes.


    "Peeves was annoying, and I want to do something about it."


    "Was he now?" She asked, looking and sounding a bit sour.


    "Well, if you don''t mind the rumors spread, I don''t really care, but from the two of us, guess who would be the one to be picked on more?"


    "..." At that, the sourness on her face increased significantly.


    "Exactly. So¡­ What I wanted to say, I want to think about something to do about him."


    "You can''t kill something that is not really alive!" She added, after shaking her head, calming down a little.


    "I was not hoping for that. I would like to make him be gone for real, but I know enough to realize that would be impossible. But I am sure some things can hurt him! Or how would the teachers keep him in check?"


    ¡°Hm¡­ that is true¡­ It do sounds like a valid idea¡­¡±


    "Plus, I am not in a hurry! I will visit the library after the afternoon class anyway! See what we can borrow!"


    "Already?" She chuckled, shaking her head, "Are you an eager beaver?"


    "Heh! I just want to learn magic! That is all!" I answered, truly enjoying our break before heading to our first charms class. And did not even know how much we needed that short rest.


    ¡­


    ¡­..


    ¡­¡­


    We were still in a pretty good mood when Professor Umbridge entered the classroom. It seemed like Peeves failed to spread any kind of rumors, probably distracted by others or some better prank he could pull on someone. But when she opened her mouth on her toad-like head, I felt the smile fading from my face.


    "Welcome, children, to my class! You ought to know that I demand order from my pupils at all times! You may be young, but you are the next generation of wizards and witches who will serve HIS will and advance OUR kind! Being part of HIS House, being a Slytherin, makes YOU not just responsible for showing the others how it is done, but also puts a great weight on your shoulders to act as true Pureblood should at all times!" As she was saying it, her eyes slowly fell onto Quincy and then wandered towards me. From that moment on, she did not blink or move it away. "Mr. Anguine. Sneaking off to fool around on your first day here is already a sign of a rotten core. Maybe you are attracted to rotten wood, being hollow inside yourself, but it is not something I will tolerate."


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    "What?" I asked, but only inside my head. Luckily I managed to stop my mouth from opening and letting my thoughts to the surface. Or, more precisely, I was so stunned I forgot to do so. On the outside, I felt my eyebrows raising, looking at her questioningly, which I knew was a wrong move because she immediately continued.


    "Mr. Anguine, I think you need a lesson to realize this is not the House of Anguine, and the snake on your uniform''s emblem is not a viper. Minus 50 points from Slytherin."


    "WHAT?!" I stood up, and now I knew that the words were not held back but shouted out as loud as I could manage, fighting my shock to not fall back into my chair immediately. As soon as my words echoed out, the others also repeated it, many exclaiming the same way, calling for injustice and saying that I should be sent to detention instead. Which¡­ I agreed.


    "Finished?" Professor Umbridge asked, smiling, fixing the pink costume she was wearing. "You all are better to learn that there are rules in this school. Rules that I helped write. I suggest you all read it in your free time!"


    "That is unfair nonetheless!" I said, my voice overshooting the others'' complaints.


    "Is it?" She asked, forming a broader, somewhat sadistic smile.


    "It is!" I nodded, looking directly into her eyes while the others slowly fell silent. "If I make a mistake, why punish the others?"


    "Oh? I didn''t know you wore crimson and gold." She chuckled and looked like she was thinking about something, but I could see and feel she already knew what she would do very well.


    "Plus, I don''t think listening to Peeves is something that would hold up in court," I added, making many of my classmates look at me. A quick glance already told me that half of them didn''t know what I was talking about, but hearing the name, the other half had a faint inkling of what this was about.


    "Feeling smart now?" Professor Umbridge smiled, her voice kind, but I felt my skin crawl, listening to her voice. "Very well, very well! We can change the punishment! If you accept my punishment right here and now, I won''t deduct points from Slytherin."


    "Okay," I answered immediately. This was the best-case scenario. On the one hand, nobody would pay attention to Peeve''s rumors; the others, including the older students in our House, wouldn''t want to skin me and Quincy alive¡­ and maybe I could score some positive points with the others. I think my Father would be proud of me, how I turned something nasty into a favorable-!


    But I couldn''t think any further. I only saw her pull out his wand and point at me, and next came the unbelievable pain from every part of my body. I never heard her cry the spell''s name, but I knew that it was Cruciatus curse. Nothing else could make me feel such indescribable pain. I could not think, speak or do anything as all the muscles in my body stiffened and contracted while I felt like I was pushed into boiling oil while being stabbed with millions of needles at the same time. I don''t know how long it went or what happened afterward. As soon as Professor Umbridge stopped the spell, my mind turned itself off, and I collapsed.


    When I came to reality, it was dark all around me. My first thought was that I had died¡­ but then I recognized the ceiling. It was the dormitory''s ceiling. Turning my head, I felt no pain in my body, yet my brain remembered it, making me wince uncontrollably. Sitting up, I was still wearing my uniform, lying on my bed with the curtains closed around it. Judging by the darkness, it had to be night already.


    "She didn''t even hesitate¡­" I whispered, looking down at my hand, which I saw trembling. I was afraid. My first thought was to write to my Father, let him know about it but¡­ But what then? Even if he does something, I bet he would have no power to move that vile woman from her position! It would only create trouble for him¡­ besides¡­ This was HIS school. He appointed the teachers. All of them. "Fuck¡­" I cursed, letting out a word that I would be greatly punished back home, acting like someone with mixed blood¡­ like my mother and her branch. "Tsk¡­"


    I could do nothing but bite my lips, clench my fist, and force myself to stop trembling. I couldn''t let fear control me, and I had to calm down and think it through. Just as Father always taught me. A cool head is what you need. He won so many duels not because he was the best but because he knew how to stay focused under pressure. After my hand finally stopped trembling, I looked at my nightstand, where my wand was lying. I do not remember taking it out, but it probably fell out of my pocket when I fell over. I will need to modify my cloak a little so it will always be ready and at hand. The next time someone tries to cast a curse on me, I have to act faster! Although¡­ learning defensive and offensive spells would help too¡­


    "Haaah¡­" I sighed loudly, standing up, fixing my clothes as best as I could, to open the curtains and sneak out. I was starving! I knew it was already late, but maybe I could find something to snack on in the common room? It was worth a shot.


    What I did not expect was that when I pulled the curtains over, one of my roommates, namely Draco Malfoy, was still up, reading something on his bed. The moment I appeared, he looked at me, and I was surprised at the calm gaze he gave me¡­ if I didn''t know him, I would think he was looking to be a bit¡­ friendly even.


    "Hey," I said, not really knowing what to say and finding the situation really awkward.


    "Hey." He nodded back, "You owe me for carrying your unconscious body back here."


    "Thanks," I murmured, looking away and letting out another sigh.


    "Sure." He said, sounding indifferent, turning back to the book he was reading while I decided it was best to just¡­ go. Yet when I reached the door to our room, he called after me.


    "That was¡­ something." He added, faltering a little, unable to bring himself to really compliment me. Not that I was expecting it anyway.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it was¡­¡± I groaned; just remembering how it felt, I wanted to faint once more. Many say the Killing Curse is the worst, but at least it instantly finishes you. This? This was something I wished to never experience again¡­

 Chapter 10 – Dark Arts (1)

    The common room was empty, and the only light came from the embers in the fireplace, left behind by the fire burning in it previously. Glancing at the clock above it, I finally realized it just passed midnight.


    ¡°Conrad.¡± A voice called me, and turning towards it, I noticed that Quincy was sitting at one of the tables in the back, stretching. It was evident she was woken up by my arrival as she was sleeping in a chair which looked highly uncomfortable to do.


    ¡°Evening¡­¡± I whispered, coming up to her. ¡°What are you doing here this late?¡±


    ¡°I should be the one asking that¡­.¡± She moaned, rubbing her eyes, sitting up, and stifling another yawn. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, smiling a little to hide the fact that the mere thought of how it felt made me wince. ¡°That spell does not injure or kill.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ but-¡± She looked at me, trying to see if I was telling the truth or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Honest. Hungry, but otherwise, all good.¡±


    ¡°I guessed so!¡± She stood up, rummaging a little in the bag, sitting next to her, and picking out wrapped-up sandwiches. ¡°I sneaked out some food from dinner and made some sandwiches out of them.¡±


    ¡°Awesome! Thanks!¡± I grinned, sitting down and wolfing them down. After the first bite, I finally realized how starved I felt, and I couldn¡¯t say anything until both of them were gone. ¡°Haaaah¡­ you are a lifesaver! I was about to sneak out to get some food!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She said, almost yelling, before grabbing at her mouth and looking around worriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about that!¡± She whispered, leaning close.


    ¡°Huh? What? Why?¡±


    ¡°After you fainted, Professor Umbridge told us that all those who are caught breaking the rules will receive the same punishment! Depending on the severity, we are going to be put through multiple rounds of that horrible curse! She said you are lucky that we are new here! An older student would have been tortured much longer!¡±


    ¡°Psycho bitch¡­! And the others let her do it?¡±


    ¡°She is responsible for maintaining order on school grounds¡­¡± Quincy added, looking around once more as if someone would spy on us this late. ¡°She only teaches charms for first-year students! From next year onward, she is going to be our Dark Arts teacher!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, my face getting pretty gloomy pretty fast. ¡°What about our current one?¡± I asked, refusing to say that idiot¡¯s name¡­ Every time I read it on the spine of his books, I am reminded of seeing him with my Mother¡­


    ¡°Professor Lockhart?¡± She asked, sounding a bit excited and then quickly turning disappointed, ¡°Sadly, his expertise is only being utilized in the first year. To teach us proper self-defense and prepare us for what awaits us starting next year! After that, they switch subjects¡­.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ He has expertise? Besides gloating?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked at me weirdly, and she furrowed her brows in a way; I felt as if I had just insulted her Mother or something. ¡°He is a well-known duelist! He captured many members of that Phoenix terrorist group! Before that, he was a famed monster hunter!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure he was!¡± I scoffed, further elevating Quincy¡¯s dissatisfaction. ¡°Father read his books and told me that he was present more than 70% of those events¡­ And he was not.¡±


    ¡°Then why would he write about it?¡± She asked back, crossing her arms before her chest and puffing out her cheeks. Her reaction greatly surprised me, but I guess¡­ she was a fan? Well¡­ Too bad I wasn¡¯t going to hold back on that jackass!


    ¡°Father says he is a ¡®promotional piece,¡¯ a propaganda piece¡­ or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Father this, Father that, you are always on about him!¡± She harrumphed, standing up and fixing her wrinkly clothes. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep!¡± And with that¡­ she was gone.


    ¡°Haaahh¡­ Oh well. We will see that tomorrow!¡± I moaned, also standing up, feeling tired now that my stomach was full, heading to bed so I could be fresh for our first Dark Arts lesson tomorrow morning.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Waking up the next morning was more challenging than I expected. If I could, I would stay in bed, but I bet that would warrant some kind of punishment again¡­ and I am not in the mood to have seconds right after yesterday. After dressing up and pulling my curtains sideways, I came face to face with Draco, who was just about to leave too.


    ¡°Hey,¡± He said after I nodded at him. ¡°About yesterday, you better watch out.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I tilted my head, furrowing my brows. Was he warning or threatening me?


    ¡°What you did was good; nobody is angry at you. But that girlfriend of yours means trouble. The Blacks are already marked as Bad Blood.¡±


    Bad Blood¡­ even though they were part of the most ancient of bloodlines, in just a century, many of their direct descendants turned into terrorists. One more mistake and they would be done in, just like the Weasleys. I remember Father telling me about it as it was he who was sent to deal with them, right around the time I was born and when Dumbledore was turned into a fugitive.


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    ¡°I warn you because I don¡¯t want to owe you for yesterday.¡± He continued coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want to fool around with her, but the others will start looking at you funny soon enough.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t?¡± I asked, smiling.


    ¡°I may, but that depends if you show yourself useful or not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I am also from an equally good bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Only half right.¡± Draco shot back quickly, ¡°Your mother is not wholly clear, unlike mine.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± I nodded, tilting my head, and I saw the surprise on his face. He was not expecting me to agree but to shoot back or start an argument over it. ¡°But yours have some Black in yours, no? I think you may be closer to them than I am.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± He snorted decisively, ¡°Watch your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t; I¡¯m not that crosseyed,¡± I answered with a simple shrug, leaving our dorm, cutting it short before it would genuinely escalate into something. Not that I said anything wrong. I think no Pure Blood family is unrelated in some way, shape, or form.


    I met Quincy in the Great Hall, but she was not in a better mood throughout the breakfast. Oh well, if she doesn¡¯t want to speak, so be it; I focused on the food before me instead, sometimes replying to some of the other Slytherins coming over and saying some friendly words, introducing themselves, or just nodding at me. It seemed what I did yesterday spread, and I made myself stand out a little¡­ which was bad. That was the last thing that I wanted. Ahhh¡­ well, not that I can change the past anymore. Plus, it is better than being hated because I just lost 50 points for the House right on the first day. I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve survived that, especially if the older students visited me with their wands ready.


    Heading to the classroom, Quincy didn¡¯t say a word to me, although she did keep up with me, which was surprising. Now I was interested as to how long she would keep ignoring me. A day? Two days? A week? Sitting down in the classroom, she only looked at me, telling me with her eyes, ¡®I will see how wrong I was; just wait¡¯¡­ well, I did not have to wait for long.


    The room itself was like any other classroom, with the only difference being that the walls were decorated with images of magical beasts, all belonging to dangerous and deadly creatures. I was just about to examine them one by one when Professor Lockhart arrived. He was wearing an expensive blue robe, smiling from ear to ear while fixing his blonde hair, looking at us expectantly. I tried to remain calm and indifferent, watching him walk before us, clapping happily.


    ¡°Welcome! Welcome! It is such a great event every year when I see new, eager young faces come to my class!¡±


    ¡°The only time he can parade himself as a professional¡­¡± I heard a voice whisper, and Quincy and I looked back simultaneously at Draco sitting behind us. While Quincy was frowning, saying nothing, and turning forward, I just formed a small smile, nodding at him. It seemed it wasn¡¯t just me who saw through that fake flare he was putting on.


    ¡°In your first year, I am tasked to prepare you guys and gals for the real deal!¡± Professor Lockhart continued, ¡°It is the most important task of any teacher in Hogwarts because if not for me, you may have some unfortunate¡­ accidents later on! We don¡¯t want that, do we? Ahahaha~!¡±


    While he spoke in his smug, self-important voice, I couldn¡¯t help but retch a little. Sadly, I seemed to be alone in my disgust as watching the others, especially the girls, were already head over heels before him. I had to give it to him; he knew how to work his tongue.


    ¡°This year, we are going to learn many practical skills, mostly centering around dueling!¡± He blabbered on, finally catching my attention. ¡°My classes will be most practical to prepare you all for¡­. Professor Umbridge¡¯s Dark Arts lessons.¡± He finished his speech, but his smile was not truly honest after mentioning her name. Just then, I realized that many were looking at me, and my hand was shaking a little, and I had to hold my wrist from showing it. Damn it! I need to get it together; this can¡¯t affect me like this! ¡°Now!¡± Professor Lockhart clapped, watching us, back in his jovial mood, ¡°As our first lesson, we are going to practice the Expelliarmus charm on each other! You should have learned it yesterday in your charms class, yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Now I was sure everyone was looking at me as I was out cold¡­ did we learn that? Well¡­ great, I missed it¡­ this is getting better and better.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± He asked, sounding a bit unsure, also looking at me, following the others¡¯ gazes.


    ¡°I missed yesterday¡¯s charms class.¡± I answered with a sigh, ¡°I was¡­ punished.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± He said, and it looked as if he flinched a little, hearing the word punished, ¡°Well, no worries! Class, pair up while I quickly teach our little rascal here how to do the charm, and we will start exercising!¡± He laughed loudly, waving me over.


    Woah¡­ was I mistaken? Was he truly a good guy? Maybe it was my Mother who started it all and not Professor Lockhart. That wouldn¡¯t surprise me, to be honest. Hurrying forward, I looked at him expectantly; the fact that I missed learning my first spell was a big blow; I was eager to catch up.


    ¡°Worry not, kiddo!¡± He laughed, slapping my back, ¡°The Expelliarmus charm is so easy; even I can do it! I mean, I can even do it without a wand, aha!¡± He added quickly, tilting his head left and right like some kind of weird pigeon. ¡°You got into your trouble, huh? I think I heard about it!¡± He leaned forward, switching to whispers, elbowing me gently, ¡°Little casanova! If you want, I can give you tips later on! I have not just great experience in catching and killing wanted terrorists but also abundant experience in catching the eyes of girls! Married or not, aha!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I answered, my voice sounding flustered, but I was just trying to hold back my anger. Nope. It was not only my Mother who was in the wrong! This jackass for sure tried wooing her; she just let it happen easily. Curse them. Both of them. Hmph!


    ¡°Now, let me show you!¡± He straightened his back, teaching me the spell and showing me the wand movement it required, but even if I copied his moves down to the last-minute details, it just¡­ wouldn¡¯t come out correctly.


    Was I¡­ talentless? For a moment, I was scared, especially after hearing the others had already started casting it at each other. Glancing over, catching a glimpse of Draco¡¯s spell, disarming both of his followers in quick succession, made my jaw drop. But not because of his proficiency¡­ but because this idiot of a professor of mine reversed the movement of his wrist while showing it to me! I was doing it wrong; of course, it wouldn¡¯t come off as it should!


    ¡°Expelliarmus!¡± I performed it, aiming at him, and because he was so distracted by monologuing something I was not paying attention to, his wand flew out of his loose grip and out of the open window.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He fell silent, and many others too, seeing what happened.


    ¡°I think I get the gist of it, Professor,¡± I answered with a stupid smile, looking at him innocently, hoping this wouldn¡¯t land me in detention.


    ¡°Ahaha, very good young lad, very good! Now, now, don¡¯t get yourself fired up just yet; I was letting you practice it on me to get a good feeling for it! This wouldn¡¯t have happened in a real, life-and-death situation! I¡¯ll go, get my wand back; you guys continue as you were!¡± He beamed at us, hurrying out of the classroom, leaving us there unsupervised.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I said, looking at Draco first before glancing at Quincy, who was standing there without a pair to train with. ¡°I just disarmed a professional terrorist hunter¡­ When he gets back, I hope he gives our House at least ten points for that.¡±

 Chapter 11 – Dark Arts (2)

    It turned out I was much better at dueling than in potion concoctions. Pairing up with Quincy and practicing the spell, she never managed to make my wand tremble between my fingers. Unlike hers, which was constantly flying off in different directions, and every time she came back with it, she was more and more pouty, her head going scarlet. I realized I may have gone too far when I saw tears appearing at the corner of her eyes, lowering my wand and opening my mouth, but then she shouted, ¡®Expelliarmus,¡¯ and made me drop it.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± She snorted while I looked at her, amazed, forming a wide grin.


    ¡°Nice.¡± I nodded, not even angry. That was quick and sharp. It was my fault for lowering my defenses. She capitalized on it perfectly.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± She mumbled grumpily, still looking hurt.


    ¡°Nobody would argue about a sneak attack, especially not if it brings you victory,¡± I answered, looking around, watching the others attack each other while our teacher was fiddling with his hair in front of a mirror at one of the corners of the classroom.


    ¡°You are a bully.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She answered resolutely, stomping in place, looking at me, ¡°You were enjoying sending me after my wand!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Dueling is fun, and it seems I am good at it!¡± I continued, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°Why is that bullying? You are better at potions, it would seem, and I am not as good at it as you. Is that bullying?¡±


    ¡°I helped you!¡± She protested again, but I failed to see the connections.


    ¡°Yeah¡­? And I am practicing with you now, am I not? But if you want, I can go ask someone else.¡± I added with a shrug that seemed to make her flinch. Nobody was willing to pair up with her, it seemed, and if I now went and started practicing with someone else, she would just stand there, very well doing nothing and missing out on gaining experience.


    ¡°I can duel with her!¡± A voice interrupted us, and watching the girl arrive, I furrowed my brows. I wasn¡¯t sure of her name, but I recognized the pug-like features of her face. A Parkinson. Nobody can mistake that face for anybody else.


    I noticed the sudden fright and panic in Quincy¡¯s eyes, but before any of us could say anything, the girl already took her place, looking at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how quick you are!¡± She grinned aggressively, and the next moment, she already shouted her spell; that was not what we were training with. ¡°Flipendo!¡±


    With a loud bang, not just the wand in Quincy¡¯s hand but she herself did a backflip before crashing into the bookshelf, knocking all of its contents to the ground and burying herself under them.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Professor Lockhart came over, watching us with a bit of nervousness in his eyes.


    ¡°Nothing, Professor!¡± The Parkinson girl smiled sweetly while everyone was looking at us now.


    ¡°Just training,¡± I said, walking in front of her, performing the courteous bow that my Father used to do when I watched him exercise. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you fare with someone who is ready,¡± I said calmly, looking into her eyes, ready for anything.


    ¡°Do you even know any spells?¡± She asked, smirking at me.


    ¡°I know only one. But that should be enough.¡±


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    Seeing her smile fade and raising her hand¡­ I already knew she was way too slow. Her hand was making too many extra fleurs that were not needed at all, only for show. By the time she opened her mouth, I already cried out my spell, and her wand went spinning from her head, just to be lodged into the ceiling high above us with a loud ¡®twang.¡¯


    ¡°Slow,¡± I added, bowing once again, turning towards Quincy and helping her back to her feet. ¡°Are you good?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She sniffled, trying to hold back her tears.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Parkinson shouted after me, and I already knew she was flustered as she had no idea how to get back her wand from so high up.


    ¡°Ahaha, worry not, young lady!¡± Our Professor finally interjected, regaining his wits and pointing his wand at Parkinson¡¯s. ¡°Accio!¡±


    It was really hard not to laugh. The moment he did the spell, the wand flew from the ceiling, straight at the open window, disappearing in the distance, turning the red, angry face of the Parkinson girl into that of a ghost.


    ¡°Oh, silly me, I think I used too much force!¡± Professor Lockhart laughed sheepishly, ignoring her panic-stricken looks. ¡°I think this is enough practice for today, class! Next time, we will work on¡­ something else!¡± He grinned like a fool before simply leaving.


    ¡°I¡¯d hurry.¡± I opened my mouth, looking at Parkinson, ¡°What if someone else finds your wand? Maybe Professor Umbridge?¡±


    That was enough to turn her face even whiter, which I did not imagine would be possible. She was the first to leave the classroom, while I turned back towards Quincy, looking at her lowered head, seeing the growing bump on it, protruding up from under her lengthy, black hair.


    ¡°Next time, we should practice a little.¡± I heard Draco say it to me. ¡°See who is better.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I answered with a little sigh, looking at him over my shoulder, and then led Quincy to her bag to sit down on a chair.


    The others were clearly uninterested in it anymore, so everyone started to leave the classroom, soon leaving only us there. I was about to ask something when Professor Lockhart returned, looking around.


    ¡°I forgot¡­¡± He said, now speaking to me. ¡°Fix that up for me, would you?¡± He pointed at the broken bookcase.


    ¡°But-¡± I stood up, wanting to say something, but he was gone again. ¡°I don¡¯t know the repairing spell¡­ Haah¡­ You?¡± I looked at Quincy, but she just shook her head. ¡°Idiot¡­ And I mean the Professor¡­.¡±


    ¡°He did teach you the spell quick enough¡­.¡± She added, still defending him, but I was not about to start an argument once again.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, he did.¡± I simply shrugged, rummaging around the stuff in the classroom, finding a weird cloth that was surprisingly cold. ¡°Here, this should do!¡± I said, putting it on the growing bump on her head, making her hiss loudly like a snake.


    ¡°T-thanks¡­¡± She stuttered. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Dunno.¡± I spread my arms, making her face twitch and a bit scared.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is a good idea to use things that you find randomly in the Dark Arts classroom¡­.¡±


    ¡°We will see tomorrow, no? Maybe you will grow a second head?¡±


    ¡°I hope not!¡± She flinched but finally managed to force a smile onto her face.


    ¡°Haah¡­ Let me gather up the stuff in here, and then let us get out of here!¡± I moaned, looking at the destroyed bookshelf. ¡°Especially because if Professor Umbridge is the one teaching Dark Arts for all the other years¡­ this is her classroom, and Lockhart just borrows it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Quincy shouted, standing to her feet immediately, throwing away everything, and hurrying next to me to gather up the books.


    ¡°See? No wonder the ¡®Professor¡¯ scurried so quickly and was so scared when you banged into it!¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± She whispered, forgetting her pain, and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. It was best to just¡­ go. Let them deal with the aftermath. As I was putting the things into a pile, I noticed a book that was flipped open. It had a moving image of a dementor inside of it, floating from one page to the other.


    ¡°Most Dangerous Beasts¡­¡± I murmured, reading its title after closing it.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Quincy stopped as everything was gathered from the ground, looking at my find. ¡°The paintings.¡±


    ¡°Paintings?¡± I looked up and realized what she meant. The paintings on the walls. One of them was a dementor.


    ¡°Those are all the most dangerous beasts you could find.¡± She continued, watching them one by one. ¡°They look as if they are sleeping, but if this is Professor Umbridge¡¯s classroom¡­ I am sure she could call them off from their frames and attack a student with them!¡±


    ¡°Wicked¡­¡± I murmured. As much as I hated that woman, seeing those beasts inside their pictures and imagining them walking off was¡­ kinda cool. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I shook my head, leaving with Quincy, who was looking at me with a horrified look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she would mind,¡± I whispered, holding the book under my arms, intending to¡­ borrow it.


    ¡°You are mad¡­¡± She said, looking into my eyes but said no more as we left the room, deciding to head to our new, secret room at the top of the North Tower.

 Chapter 12 – Settling In

    Quincy was doing her homework in our private classroom, writing an essay for our next charms lesson. I was not really in the mood to do the work for that crazy woman''s class, especially as I still had two days before our next meeting would take place. I can finish it later. Although¡­ maybe I should get it done¡­ but¡­ not now! Now, I was completely immersed in the book that I borrowed from her with the satisfaction of knowing the one who would get into trouble was going to be Professor Lockhart and not me. The Many creatures in it were ones I had never read about and sounded extremely dangerous. The only one I was familiar with was the dementors, now roaming the world, usually cleaning up witnesses from the muggle world and eliminating mud-blood witches and wizards who started casting spells again despite them being banned from it. My attention was quickly drawn to the rest of the specimens in the book; Graphorns, Nundus, Kelpie, Chimaeras, Wampuses, and so on. Flipping through, watching the life-like, moving pictures, it was like reading a really good horror story.


    "Horrible¡­" I heard Quincy whispering next to my ear and looking up; she was sitting beside me, leaning close, watching the Acromantulas crawl from one end of the page to the other, climbing over and behind the text.


    "Yeah, I also hate anything that has more than four legs." I agreed, flipping the page. "But it is a great book! I already got myself an idea!"


    "Idea of what?" She asked, watching me with one of her eyebrows raised high. "Want to go into the Forbidden Forest and capture one of them? Good luck with that! I won''t stop you if you want to end up as a midnight snack for a monster!"


    "Ahaha, no! For one, I don''t think any of these beasts would live there! So close to the school? No chance, not with the magic that surrounds the castle and its grounds!"


    "Then?"


    "I am not planning on getting one of them for real, but I could maybe look up if I could get the effects of one of them!"


    "Their¡­ effects? What do you mean?"


    "Here!" I reopened the book, flipping to the end of it, where a huge snake was slithering around the edge of the pages, its yellowish eyes glowing in a strange light. Touching the page felt like running my fingers over cold, hard stone, but the moment I blinked my eyes, the feeling was gone, and everything returned to normal.


    "A basilisk?" She read the title and the description of not just how they are born but their weaknesses and their powers.


    "I am speaking about their eye powers."


    "Petrification?" She murmured, reading on, and as she did, she came to an understanding of my fascination as she looked up at me, "They can kill ghosts?"


    "Kinda." I grinned, "They can stun them and turn them into ''statues,'' going by the book''s description! I bet if Peeves looks into its eyes, he would be the one ending up at the end of a nasty prank! I don''t know if it would kill him¡­ as he is not even alive."


    "Maybe." She said softly, leaning back to her side, thinking, "But where would you even get a basilisk? I bet it is not something that you just go and buy off from a shelf!"


    "No, I also don''t think so. But I can buy a chicken egg and a toad!"


    "You want to hatch one?" She laughed, watching me with her brown eyes, scanning my body from head to toe.


    "Why not?" I pouted softly, feeling a bit insulted and looked down upon.


    "When did you ever hear a toad hatching an egg?" She asked, almost laughing. "I bet you need more than those two and just putting them into a box! Things that we are not told about here or everyone would breed snakes that can turn anyone into stone with their gaze!"


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah but¡­¡± I tried to refute her but couldn''t. As hard as it was to admit it, especially the way she was laughing, she was right. There has to be something extra to it. "Look, I don''t need a real basilisk!"


    "Of course you don''t!" She continued to laugh, "You wouldn''t be able to control it at all anyway! You would be its first meal!"


    "..."


    "A basilisk¡­ yeah¡­ right!"


    "So this is the real you?" I asked, sighing but holding a small smile, seeing her freeze for a moment, looking at me, trying to say something while turning bright red. "Relax, I am not angry! Haaah¡­! You are right, I don''t know how to control one, and I would probably turn to stone first! What I am trying to say is I want the powers in its eyes! If not a basilisk eye, then I should learn a spell that can do the same!"


    "Is there even a spell like that?" She asked, after thinking for a little, looking a bit flustered.


    "If not, we can make it!"


    "Yeah, sure!" She rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath, "Two first-year students, who only know a few spells, develop one that can petrify ghosts! What? Next time you tell me that you can cast Avada Kedavra?"


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    "Well, no¡­ I can''t. The incantation is not enough to learn that spell. Khm¡­ Don''t be so negative! We can experiment as we learn things! It will be fun! Where is your drive to learn new things?!"


    "Well¡­ it does sound fun to research something like that¡­ but we need to be realistic about it!"


    "Okay, that is a valid point." I agreed. Still, my mind was already thinking that I should really visit the library tomorrow afternoon and borrow as many spellbooks as I could. "I will think more about it, and when I have something concrete, I''ll tell you!"


    "Sure." She nodded, looking a bit excited herself.


    In the end, after dinner, I occupied myself in our common room, doing homework and ignoring the hubbub around us. I noticed that back here, Quincy became much more reserved and quieter, trying to look as bland as possible so nobody would pay her any attention. I also noticed that I received a few weird gazes and whispers when we came in. Not that it really bothered me. When it was late and I headed back to my room, Draco was there, copying his homework from someone else''s paper.


    "I warned you." He said, not even looking up at me.


    "About?"


    "The girl." He said with a chortle. "A few more chivalrous moves like today, and you will end up just like her."


    "Is that a threat, Lord Malfoy?"


    "Hmph¡­" He snorted, looking at me with a smirk, "I am not bothering you out of courtesy for what you did. I am a noble; those things are below me."


    "Yeah¡­ sure," I added in my head, fighting my instincts really hard to not roll my eyes at him.


    "But you do you; I am just warning you! Your father''s position won''t matter then!"


    "Says you?"


    "Is your tongue always that poisonous, or is it because of your family''s crest, Viper-boy?" Draco snorted, getting riled up pretty quickly.


    "Probably both. Look, I am not about to bother anyone as long as I am left alone. If you want to become the leader of our class, go for it. I will support you!" I sighed, raising my hands, "I couldn''t care less."


    "At least you know your place!" He smiled again, his frown easing out just as quickly as it formed before. It was such an easy job to placate his ego and feelings; I almost laughed at him right into his face.


    "Yeah, I do. And it is in my bed right now!" I added with a yawn, walking to my bed, closing the curtains, and leaving the noise outside while I slipped into my pajamas and then into a wild dream where I was, once again¡­ chased by a huge snake.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    I don''t know if it was because of what happened in my first charms class, but in the following days, I was having the same horrible dream again and again, being chased by a huge snake, waking up just before it could bite into me. Luckily, my curtains kept my possible shouts and tusslings hidden, not to mention my sweaty and disheveled looks after waking up. Only once was it this bad. It happened a few years ago when I had the exact same dream constantly for a week straight. My father said it was nothing to worry about; it was just my blood acting up. I never learned what that meant as he refused to elaborate on it.


    I wasn''t to go and ask questions about it, not after I was already looked weirdly upon for being friendly to Quincy. I didn''t need to add something to my weird list that could spread amongst the other students. Luckily, nobody noticed anything weird. I was good at hiding it, and we were more focused on our studies anyway.


    For example, there were the transfiguration lessons with that creepy, weird-looking man-rat. It was interesting, but it won''t be my favorite. Especially when he transforms into a rat and scurries around us, checking our progress with the spells we were learning. He especially loves to rub up against the girls who want to scream but has to hold it back. Being rude to a teacher is not looked favorably at Hogwarts.


    The other classes turned out to be interesting, too, but not as much as the Dark Arts lessons. Herbology was fun, I guess. Kinda. It is greatly connected to potion making, and it turned out that Quincy also had a knack for it. This is nice because, to me, most plants'' parts are indistinguishable. It is nice to know I could lean on her if I need help with my homework, and in exchange, I can train her in our dark arts lessons. Astronomy, just like our history lessons, won''t be my favorite. At all. It was boring and held at night, which could get pretty chilly even with the warm autumn we are having now. What made up for it fully was our flying lessons. I was already experienced with it, having my own broom back home, so it was a breeze to get through it. I mostly helped Quincy, who never rode one before, but she was a quick learner, and we were flying rounds around the training field.


    While I was doing so, I saw Draco provoke one of the Ravenclaw students, that, in the end, broke out in a chase around the castle. I was expecting him to get into trouble, but in the end, he ended up recruited into the Quidditch team¡­ weird. No punishments for him, I assume? Huh.


    "Jealous?" Quincy asked, seeing my face as I was watching Draco flaunt his achievement to be the first, First-year student to get into the team after¡­ well, centuries. We were sitting at the dinner table in the Great Hall that Friday, just about to enjoy our first relaxing weekend.


    "Not really," I answered honestly, turning back towards my toast and sausage.


    "You don''t like Quidditch?"


    "I do. But I wouldn''t want to play it. I am more into broom racing. On the one hand, Quidditch needs constant practice. That is time away from studying magic." Especially now that I had managed to borrow a dozen spellbooks that waited for me in my dorm room. "On the other hand, it is a team sport. I am not good with that."


    "Hm? Why?" She asked, looking interested.


    "When we got five people, it is much easier to fail. Just one weak link, and the whole thing crumbles. I don''t like placing my success into others'' hands!"


    "Seeesh¡­" She rolled her eyes, "You can be such an infuriating douche sometimes!"


    "Am I? Really?" I asked back, looking at her with surprise. "I just like to know if I failed, I did because of myself. Not because someone else was inadequate."


    "Well, sorry!" She grumbled, looking away, starting to eat faster and ignoring me completely.


    "I wasn''t talking about you," I said after thinking a little about why she was so angry all of a sudden.


    "Hmph¡­!" But she simply finished her dinner, stood up, and left, and I knew she won''t speak to me again, maybe until Monday.


    "Girls¡­" I murmured, continuing my dinner. Were all of them like this? If so¡­ I am afraid of what will happen when Father expects me to get married¡­

 Chapter 13 – Second Incident

    It happened at the end of September. We were in charms class while the rain was pouring outside, and the wind was rattling the windows like the end of the world had come. We were learning the Flipendo, the knockback charm, the same one that the Parkinson girl used on Quincy. Everything was going smoothly, right until Draco performed it so well, he flipped his minion, Crabbe¡­ no, Goyle¡­ no¡­ No matter, one of them was sent spinning in the air, crashing into Professor Umbridge''s desk, splintering it into hundreds of pieces and splashing ink on her, sitting behind it. What would be a pretty good scene in Professor Lockhart''s class, making everyone laugh, here the mood quickly turned cold and silent.


    "Come here." Professor Umbridge stood up, holding that nasty smile on her toad-like face. For a moment, I had the idea that she probably couldn''t give birth to children as all of them would turn out as basilisks.


    "It was an accident," Draco answered with fake calmness, gripping his wand even stronger while Umbridge picked out her own, picking up Goyle with a wish, throwing him at the end of the room like a rag doll, hitting the wall with him so hard, it made the classroom shake. This move alone frightened all of us, especially Draco.


    "This woman is not right in the head¡­." I whispered, but Quincy just stepped onto my feet to shut me up before she heard it.


    "Mr. Malfoy," Umbridge said again, looking at him, her mouth kept in a wide, unnatural smile.


    "My father is-" He started, but the Professor interrupted him by simply raising her wand.


    "Tks, tsk, tsk! Your Father is not here, and this is my domain, Mr. Malfoy. Bad children need to learn, and the quickest teacher is nothing else but pain. Crucio!"


    Draco didn''t have any chance to scream as he was writhing on the ground, twitching uncontrollably under the spell''s effects. It lasted only a few seconds, but Draco immediately passed out when Professor Umbridge stopped. Did I look the same? Was my face contorted in such agony too? Were my eyes just as frightened and pleading?


    "Carry him out. Class dismissed!" She waved her hand, fixing her clothes with magic and repairing her desk, ignoring the rest of us.


    "Come. Help me." I nudged Quincy, who reluctantly walked forward with me, picking the unconscious Draco up from the ground.


    "What about him?" She asked, looking towards Crabbe¡­ no, Goyle, who was also knocked unconscious when hitting the wall.


    "Crabbe, carry him back with us," I said to the other big one who always followed Malfoy around.


    "I¡­ I am Goyle." He said in his stupid-sounding voice.


    "Same." I shrugged, saying no more as we left the empty classroom and returned to our common room. It wasn''t surprising how quickly everyone abandoned the rest when it counted. This is why I believe my Father is right¡­ You can only trust people after going through dangers with them. You then know who stays and have your back¡­ and who are the ones who will leave you at the first chance. In the end, you may only trust yourself¡­ and nobody else.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Unlike me, Draco came back to himself much earlier. I had just laid him down on the bed when his eyes snapped open, sitting up with such force our heads knocked together, sending me tumbling backward, landing so hard that my head received a second knock given to me by the hard, cold floor.


    "Watch it!" I groaned, sitting up, feeling horrible but even then, looking not as horrified and sick as Draco. He was pale, to begin with, but now he was grayer than any of the castle''s ghosts. I only managed to dodge at the last moment as he turned towards the sides, emptying his stomach out through his mouth and nose. "That was close!" I sighed, standing up, looking at him. "I''m not cleaning that up after you." I groaned, but surprisingly, he did not react this time at all.


    ¡°That¡­ monster¡­¡± He groaned, wiping his mouth, "My father¡­"


    "Will do nothing," I said, watching Goyle waddling in, heaving heavily, carrying Crabbe in with great difficulty. Ignoring them, I pulled a chair over and sat down on it, looking at Draco. Somehow, even considering everything, I felt pity for him. Maybe because now we share the same fate?


    "My father is-"


    "A minister like mine." I interrupted him. "Do you think anyone would care? Do you think any of the other Death Eaters would care?" I added quickly before he could say something, "They wouldn''t, and your father would be able to do one thing; remain silent about it."


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    "He could complain about it to HIM!"


    "Say it again, and if you won''t feel a tinge of cringe, check into St Mungo''s for a brain check!" I snorted, looking into his silvery eyes. "Do you think HE would care about this? Don''t make me laugh! Your Father wouldn''t dare raise this issue with him or anyone else for that matter!"


    "Hmph! Why, yours would?!" He snorted angrily, making me sigh again.


    "Of course not, idiot!"


    "You! You dare-!"


    "You are being idiotic, so you are one." I rolled my eyes again, feeling my headache from the two knocks intensifying with every spoken word of his. "You can do nothing but swallow it down! Crying like a baby won''t help you! Think about it a little, and you will see!" I said firmly, standing back up and glancing at him calmly. "You''re welcome." And with that, I was off. Dinner was way off yet, and I had already wasted enough time carrying him back¡­ I should have been studying in the Library, not babysitting a kid!


    "You are also a kid." I heard Quincy''s voice, who was walking next to me. Blinking my eyes, I realized I was already out of the common room, heading up to the ground floor and to the Library.


    "You can read minds?" I asked, bewildered, but she just smiled at me.


    "No, but when you go absent-minded, everything is written directly onto your face."


    "Tsk¡­ I need to work on that."


    "I agree. You look really annoying when you do that."


    "..." I had no answer besides rolling my eyes, making her chuckle and nod again.


    "Yep. You really are."


    "Please stop¡­ my head already hurts as it is¡­." I pleaded, giving up when we arrived at the Library.


    "Okay, okay! Aren''t you tired? Going to the Library every day¡­ It is pretty boring." She shrugged, still following me nonetheless.


    "Hey, it isn''t mandatory. You can go anywhere else if you want."


    "No¡­ I mean, I¡­ I just thought we could do something different once in a while!"


    "We?" I looked at her questioningly, although I already knew why she said it like that. Besides me, nobody was interacting with her. At least not without picking on her.


    "..." She looked hurt and shy at the same time, making me regret asking and trying to tease her in revenge.


    "Look, give me an hour. I want to check on something I read last night. After that, we can go out, and I don''t know¡­ take a walk?"


    "It is raining." She answered, with a soft, quiet voice, still sounding hurt and shy at the same time.


    "Ah. True. I forgot. I like storms¡­." I said, looking out the Library''s colored windows, placed way high above us, watching the giant raindrops splatter against it. "Then what did you have in mind?"


    "Gobstones?"


    "Rejected," I said immediately, arriving at the shelf at the back of the Library and looking through the hundreds of thick codexes until I found what I was here for; Serpents and Related Spells: The Anthology.


    "Then¡­ I don''t know, but¡­ something else?" She asked, not really angry as it was just one of her first thoughts that came to mind.


    "We can go back to exploring the castle if you want."


    "Well¡­ um¡­ okay." She agreed after a brief thought, finding it interesting while sitting down next to me as I flipped open the book, starting to flip through it.


    "What are you searching for?" She asked, watching me run my finger through the book''s index page.


    "The Serpent Summoning spell. I want to learn it."


    "You want to summon a basilisk?" She asked, her mouth starting to twitch.


    "Ahm¡­" I stopped moving my finger, and I felt my face turning redder and redder. "Well¡­ no, I am not! That is probably impossible, anyway! I just thought¡­ experimenting with it a little!"


    "Sure." She shrugged, not bothering me anymore, instead picking out her own books and starting to do her homework, working ahead so she wouldn''t miss them, no matter what happened next.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was a Sunday morning. For once, I managed to wake up without a nightmare and feeling dry. After changing and pulling my curtains over, the room was empty, except for Draco, muddy from head to toe.


    "Huh?" I let out a sharp breath, looking at him, completely befuddled.


    "Just shut up." He snapped at me, grabbing a towel, trying to clean his face from the mud still dripping from it.


    "I didn''t say a word," I replied, but my voice was cracking, and I barely managed to hold back a laugh. "Did you catch it?"


    "Catch what?" Draco snorted while I managed to not grin.


    "The snitch, what else? You are in your quidditch robes; I see your broom standing next to your bed, also in a similar state as you¡­ Was it a hard landing? You are lucky that it is a Nimbus 2000, and you didn''t snap it into two! So¡­ it is pretty obvious what you were doing."


    "Well¡­" He tried to play it coolly. "It was a hard exercise. That is it."


    "Yeah, I can see that. At least the ground was soft after the constant rainy days we had."


    "Stuff it, okay? I simply lost concentration; if it were you, you couldn''t even fly straight!"


    "Okay, okay! Geez¡­¡± I rolled my eyes. "You better get yourself together, Mr. Malfoy!"


    "...!" He flinched, not knowing if he should be angry about how I was talking to him.


    "Or else you will embarrass yourself, our House, and pretty much everybody with your performance on the year''s first match!"


    "Hey¡­" He called after me as my hand was already on the doorknob. "How did you do it?"


    "Do what?" I asked, looking back over my shoulder.


    "Remain calm¡­ forgetting it. You know¡­" He asked with a quiet voice, trying to look calm and collected, but his silver eyes betrayed he was stressed out beyond belief.


    "Revenge," I answered after a brief consideration.


    "Huh?"


    "Think about taking revenge. For me, it helps my mind remain focused." I smiled a little before leaving, as there were many things to do, and the day was short.

 Chapter 14 – An Unusual Alliance

    I was alone in the library this time, sitting at an empty table with a thick, thousand pages long codex before me, accompanied by another one, almost just as thick, while constantly scribbling on a very long parchment with my quill. I already lost time when I started or how long since I have been here. I know that Quincy came by once, but she was gone by now, and I don''t know when she left.


    "Ugh¡­" I leaned back, rubbing my wrist with a sigh. I was hurting beyond belief, but my face was plastered with a satisfied smile; I was sure of it.


    "What is that?" Asked a voice, and I almost replied when I realized it wasn''t Quincy but Draco who asked, standing beside my table.


    "I am translating it," I answered simply, rolling up my parchment. "It is an ancient book, so I must translate it myself."


    "Looks like too much trouble for something useless."


    "How do you know it is useless?" I asked, but he just snorted.


    "If it would be useful, it would have an official translation in the library. Isn''t that obvious?"


    "What if others don''t know if it''s useful?" I countered with a smile, getting exactly the same response that Quincy had given me previously.


    "Yeah, and you, a first-year student, discovered its secrets. Sure."


    "Whatever." I shrugged, ignoring his snarky tone, "What do you want? Besides annoying me."


    "Come. Walk with me." he strolled away, and I just stood up, tapping the books with my wand, muttering one of my newest spells as they flew back to their places while I followed Draco out of the library.


    We walked silently for a long time, heading out of the castle and strolling alongside the lake. Looking at the sky and the slowly setting sun, I just realized I had been in the library for a very long time¡­ and I was starving.


    "This should be far enough." He said, stopping suddenly, making me almost bump into him. I made it the perfect opportunity to grab my wand under my cloak''s sleeve, ready to cast magic as soon as necessary without him realizing it.


    "What? Are you going to ask me out?" I questioned, studying his face, riling him up instantly. Good. That way, he won''t notice that I am nervous and getting ready for battle.


    "You are disgusting." He spat, stepping back a little.


    "Thank god¡­ I am not looking for partners anyway. Sooo¡­ what''s up? Why are we here?"


    "Talking inside the castle is not a good idea. She could have ears hidden anywhere!" He said, fixing his Slytherin robes, speaking to me matter-of-factly.


    "Aaaaha. Okay."


    "I am talking about Professor Umbridge, you donkey!"


    "Aaaaaaand?" I yawned, placing my wand back into its hidden slot in my sleeve that I recently added to it. "Come on, Mr. Malfoy, please¡­ get to the main issue, okay? I am not really in the mood for stupid mind games!"


    "You have no subtlety! I can''t fathom how in the world you and your family managed to rise so high in ranks!"


    "With skills. Duh."


    "I want to know what you are working on." He said, ignoring my remarks, making me raise my eyebrows suspiciously. What the hell was he on about? Even being so blunt and straight, I wasn''t getting what he wanted.


    "Why?"


    "You are planning on taking revenge, are you not? Against Umbridge?" He asked, getting really impatient.


    "Subtlety, Mr. Malfoy. Subtlety." I warned him, and I won''t lie; for a moment, I thought he may be looking for information to turn over to that Umbridge woman and get into her good sides or something.


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    "Just answer me!"


    "Why?" I asked again, looking at him skeptically.


    "Because I want in if you do!" He said firmly, crossing his hands before his chest, his silvery eyes looking honest and sincere.


    "Oooh. I see¡­" I smiled, and I already had multiple ideas come to my mind. I could use someone like Malfoy¡­


    "So?" He asked impatiently.


    "I may¡­ have some thoughts¡­ about some... Things. Let''s just say that for now!" I answered in the end, smacking my lips. "Nothing concrete yet. But the question is that Mr. Malfoy, can you work together with someone like my poor self or Miss Black?"


    "If you stop with this fake politeness, yes. It racks my nerves and makes me irritated." He answered coldly.


    "Ahaha, sure, sure! Look¡­ I have multiple ideas, in fact. I am now looking into a... beast. If that does not work out, I have something related to spells... But, as you saw before, I am still researching. If you are serious about it, you could do something for me!"


    "I''m listening."


    "I know that your Father once was really close to¡­ HIM." Just by mentioning that, I saw his body flinch, and his pupils shrink, but I continued, raising a hand. "I know that some blunders happened, and your family was less trusted later on."


    "You-" He said through gritted teeth.


    "Relax, I am not insulting you!" I snapped at him, getting annoyed myself, "My family is also not as trusted as the Lestranges, Rookwoods, or like the Crouches! You are hopeless, are you not?" I moaned, rubbing my forehead. If he is going to be like this every time, I need to think about this twice.


    "Continue." He said coolly, or at least trying to sound like that, hiding his sudden anger.


    "I need information about HIM."


    "Are you mad?! Ask your Father if you want that!"


    "No, no, not like that!" I quickly explained, "Your family should know more about this! Listen, I asked the same from Quincy, and she said she may try to get something about it from back home. We are waiting for an owl!" The fact that Quincy already agreed was seemingly doing its job as he immediately became much more eager. I could see it in his eyes; he was taking offense to the fact that Quincy was seemingly more capable than him.


    "Speak frankly."


    "Deja vu." I murmured but added quickly, "I want information about being a Parseltongue. As the only one we have knowledge about is¡­ HIM, I thought your family may have some information about the gift. Either from HIS mouth or from other sources."


    "Why?"


    "Look, I just need that¡­ Okay?"


    "..."


    "Well?" I asked after waiting a minute, watching him in silence.


    "I''ll see. No promises, though."


    "Good enough! When I have more information at my disposal and can continue my research, I will tell you. And we can continue working together. Sounds good?"


    "Mhm." He nodded, momentarily considering it and watching me stretch out my hand.


    "Deal then?"


    "Deal." He shook it, and then, with a flur of his robes, he left. When he was finally out of sight, I looked towards the treeline, a few dozen of meters away, and watched as Quincy appeared, rushing towards me.


    "What did he want?" She asked, panting. Clearly, she was following us through the woods, which was a much more challenging terrain to travel.


    "Get in on our plans," I said, picking out a huge leaf stuck into her black hair.


    "Your plans. I''m just tagging along." She said, turning a bit red.


    "You are helping. So we are in this together. And now he is too."


    "Nah, I am not! If you get busted, I don''t want to catch on fire too!"


    "Hah!" I laughed out loudly, grinning, "Sure! Anyway, let''s return; I''ll tell you everything before dinner!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Even though tomorrow was going to start with a double potion, and it was already close to midnight, I was still up, sitting on my bed, reading the parchment I had written earlier. Even though I deciphered most of what I was looking for, I still had to rearrange the sentences and try to make sense of it, which was even more complicated than translating the old texts.


    "Haahh¡­ It seems Herpo the Foul liked to speak in multiple tongues because this still barely makes sense!" I moaned, rubbing my aching head.


    The things I was reading about in the past days were magical beasts and snakes. At first, I was looking for inspiration to complete my Serpensortia spell because so far, I had only managed to summon a water snake which, let''s be honest, was not good for anything. While doing so, it led me to a particular ancient book discovered by following indexes of indexes through many codices. It was mostly a historical collection about ancient, famous wizards, one of them being Herpo the Foul and one of the earliest recorded Dark Wizards and Parselmouths. More importantly¡­ the one who birthed the Basilisks into our world.


    Since finding out about him, I have been trying to learn everything and translate all the information related to him, landing me with more and more ancient books than I could count. I managed to learn a lot about basilisks, and it got increasingly clearer that controlling one was only possible if you could speak to it. Now¡­ That was the tricky part. Being able to talk to snakes was¡­ well, there was only one person known to be able to do it, and he was someone I was not even willing to mention even in my own mind. So I thought about it; there had to be another way. It was a tongue, and tongues could be learned. I don''t know how¡­ not yet, at least.


    "But if one thing that the muggles are right with is that; magic could be the answer to all problems." I smiled to myself before deciding to go to sleep. Maybe once I manage to do that, I could order my nightmare-snake to stop showing up too...

 Chapter 15 – Gaunt

    It happened at the end of September. We were having breakfast in the great hall when Quincy''s owl arrived with a big parchment tied to its legs. I already knew what it was but acted uninterested, only glancing at it once, but deep inside, I wanted to tear it from her hands and read it right there and then.


    "Good boy." She whispered, patting the owl before it flew off. She pocketed the letter and continued eating her toast, not even looking at me. I had to wait for it until the afternoon, right after our potions class, after we had settled down in the North Tower.


    "Let me unseal it first!" Quincy said, looking at my impatient face, getting the parchment out, and tapping it with her wand. "Or you won''t see it! Revelio!"


    "You can cast such an advanced spell?" I asked with surprise, watching her open up the letter.


    "It is not that hard. Plus, its effectiveness depends on your skills. I can teach it to you later, here!" She said, giving the letter to me. It was multiple pages long, and it took me fifteen minutes to go through it before passing it back to her. "So?" She asked, seeing my thoughtful expression while she also skimmed through it.


    "It is interesting¡­ Your family is truly ancient and well-connected."


    "You wanted to say we married into almost all kinds of wizarding families." She added with a not-so-proud tone. "I am also expected to be married off and my first son to be sent home to continue the lineage. Haaahh¡­¡±


    "Harsh."


    "Let''s drop it."


    "You brought it up." I shrugged but quickly changed the subject back to what we were after. "Anyway, there were people who married into the Gaunt family in ancient days, going by this information. Whoever wrote it seems really proud of the fact!"


    "It''s my grandmother''s handwriting." She said coldly, which was enough for me to know, not ask about it further. "The Gaunts¡­ why did I never hear about them? Were they a prominent family?"


    "Oh." I looked up, a bit surprised, as I forgot that part. "It slipped my mind that is not spoken about since HIM is part of that family."


    "Wait¡­ what? What are you on about?!" She asked, getting fired up, and I could see the same curiosity and excitement twinkle in her eyes that I had when my Father told me about it.


    "Look, this is an ancient lore that was struck from the books. He is not proud of his ancestry and about the family that abandoned him¡­ so speak to no one about this!"


    "Sure! Come on, tell me!" She said impatiently, making me chuckle.


    "Okay, let me catch you up to speed!" I cleared my throat, retelling the same tale that my Father had taught me when I was learning the History of Magic back home.


    It took me a solid hour to get through all the history behind the four who established Hogwarts, about Salazar Slytherin and his family line, the Gaunts, and how they all were Parselmouths. Sometimes I had to get into tangents as she was asking things I knew nothing about, and that led us in circles as she kept asking and asking and asking more and more questions. I had to force her back to the topic of how one of the most ancient families lived and then withered and HIM being its last living member.


    "Let''s focus on what is in the letter!" I said, stopping us from getting into nonsense ramblings and losing focus. "We now know that those who married into the Family of Gaunts from your side gave up all their names. They were simply there to refresh the bloodline before it went into sheer degeneracy because of intermarriage between siblings. Luckily, your grandmother sent us all the names and dates of the people of the Blacks, leaving for the Gaunts. I mean, about all who are related to you in a way. We can research them and start tracing their lineage. From what I gained in the past month, spending all my time in the library, this is a clue we can start working with!"


    "Care to tell me what all this is about?" She asked impatiently.


    "It is about speaking the serpents'' tongue! About why it is a bloodline gift! It is a magical trait embedded into the blood. We just need to reverse-engineer it!"


    "You sound like some kind of madman." She said bluntly but did not look troubled by my idea. "You said that the records were expunged because HE is a descendant of this Gaunt family? How are you going to track them, then? How are you going to find still-living members of that family? If there are any!"


    "That is where Malfoy comes into play!"


    "I still don''t like the idea of him joining us. I don''t trust him! If others can speak to the snake, fine, but he does look and acts like one!"


    "Ahaha¡­ relax, he is not THAT bad. I think. You can easily manipulate him if you play off of his pride! Then everything becomes easy!"


    "You are evil."


    "Pragmatic!" I chuckled, receiving a condescending eye roll from her. "I asked him to gather information about those who could speak to snakes. His family should have information about that as once they were the closest to HIM. I did not mention the Gaunts to him, so it should not distract him while gathering names for us! After he gets the data, I can get to work!"


    "Okay." Quincy nodded, thinking about it, "So¡­ when he comes back, are you sure the names he will bring are all related to this... Gaunt family?"


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    "I am."


    "Why?"


    "Because, to our knowledge, no other family could speak to snakes on this side of the globe!" I said with conviction. "Don''t you find that weird?"


    "Well, it is a bloodline gift, so¡­ no?"


    "Do you know any other such gift?" I asked, leaning back on my chair, rocking back and forth with a confident grin creeping up on my face.


    "No¡­ not really." She replied after a minute of silence, thinking about it.


    "Exactly. As I said before! Tongues can be learned. Speaking to animals can be learned. Many wizards did that throughout the times! But you never hear about someone else who inherits the ability and does not even realize that he or she doesn''t speak human tongues anymore! Are there families who can talk to horses? Lions? Unicorns? Phoenixes? Dragons? Why isn''t there? We only have one such gift in our whole wizarding community; being a Parselmouth."


    "And¡­?" She asked, not really finding it weird. It was¡­ just like that forever.


    "That makes me suspect the fact that it is not something natural! This bloodline gift did not come from nature! A wizard or witch had to be the one who etched Parseltounge into their own blood, passing it down that way! And if it was made by magic, it can be learned! It can be repeated!"


    "You sound crazier and crazier; the more you keep talking, the more insane you sound, you know¡­."


    "Sorry~!" I chuckled, but I couldn''t help but feel excited and ready for action. Now I was genuinely anxious about Draco''s findings¡­ I hope he is going to hurry and get it for us soon.


    "Okay, let''s just say everything comes together! Then what?"


    "Excuse me?" I asked, being a bit lost here, but she looked earnest, leaning forward, speaking while maintaining strict eye contact.


    "How are you going to cast blood magic? We don''t know any spells related to that, and by just saying it, that sounds like something that is surely not taught in school! I never heard of such things!"


    "Well¡­" Her question stumped me. I couldn''t help but flinch and, in the end, be honest, not just to her but to myself too, "I did not think about that part yet."


    "Thought so."


    "Look, let us first get there, okay? I am juggling multiple ideas and plans here anyway! This is just one part of it!"


    "Yeah, yeah!" She shrugged loudly, which felt like another gut punch to me, "Breeding snakes, dabbling in bloodlines and blood magic, yet only knowing a handful of spells and barely a Hogwarts student for a month! Geez¡­ you are more flamboyant than Draco Malfoy!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Just after another day, when we got Quincy''s letter, Draco called me over before the start of our charm class in the afternoon.


    "Here." He gave me a bundle of books that looked pretty heavy.


    "Woah¡­ This is a lot!" I said with honest surprise in my voice, watching the ancient-looking covers wrapped in leather protectors.


    "I said it was for a study; you have a week to study them, then I must return them. Got it?" He whispered, looking around, masking his nervousness with annoyance making it seem like I was being bullied or pushed into something he wanted to do.


    "Okay, okay, no worries! I''ll go through them this weekend; they will be back with you by Monday! You can send them back before anyone notices!"


    "Good!" He said, watching me closely, which was making me feel weird. "Got anything yet?"


    "A bit. Nothing concrete. I was waiting for your side as Quincy gave me only half of the big picture. This should help me come up with something definite! Thanks!"


    "Hmph. Tell me when you are ready!" He added, then turned around with a flur of his robes, disappearing from sight, heading down to the dungeons while I rushed to the North Tower to stash the books. I couldn''t wait to be done with today''s class and start reading through all of it.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Mr. Anguine¡­" A sweet yet horrifying voice jolted me out of my thinking. "It seems you are not listening to my instructions. I know it is almost the end of class, but I did not hear the bell yet."


    "I was listening wholly, Professor Umbridge," I replied with fake calmness as her toad-like eyes looked at me, her ugly face plastered with a sadistic smile.


    "I am doubting that." She continued signaling me out from everyone else, "Then, please. Cast the wand-lighting charm as I instructed."


    "Lumos," I replied simply, letting my wand light up like a lighthouse.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­." She shook her head, and I already knew she would find a problem with it no matter what I did. The question was if I landed in myself another knockout punishment or not. "I remember instructing you to cast it with reserved strength, to provide light only strong enough to illuminate the tip of your wands. Not to light up the whole classroom! Detention is in order, Mr. Anguine. Everyone else, dismissed." She said with an overly friendly tone before turning away from us.


    I couldn''t help but stare at the wide back of hers, wanting nothing more than learn the killing curse and cast it on her. No... I would not do it like this. I would look into her eyes while doing so... but I had to force all of my thoughts to the back of my mind before she could read them from my eyes. Quincy gave me a worried look but left with the others, not wanting to cause trouble. Soon, I was left alone in the classroom, along with this inhuman witch. As October was coming closer, it was already getting darker sooner, especially with how cloudy and rainy the season turned out to be. By now, it was as if night had fallen, and I was stuck here with a human dementor who called herself Umbridge.


    "Here." She returned, placing a pink parchment before me with a black quill but no ink in sight. "Write it down for me a hundred times; I am an idiot."


    I would have laughed if not for knowing this was an evil woman who freely tortured her students. Whatever this punishment will be, it can''t be as bad as experiencing the torture curse again. At least, that is what I thought, but writing it once, I already knew this would be about pain again. Just by writing it once, my hand had the same sentence carved into it, as if someone slashed me with a boxcutter, slicing the words into my flesh. It was not a superficial wound either, going deep and drawing blood by just putting the quill against the surface of the parchment.


    "Go on." She said, standing before my desk with a broad smile, watching me flinch while writing.


    When I was let go, I had to wrap a gauze around my hand, which quickly turned bloody by the time I reached the Great Hall, to join the others at the dinner table.


    "What happened?" Quincy asked, seeing my hand and the blood seeping through the bandages.


    "I''ll tell you later," I said, knowing my face was pale and my voice hoarse. I wanted to cry but did not want to give that monster the satisfaction of seeing me do it.


    "That¡­ evil¡­ ogre!" Quincy whispered while I flinched as she held my hand, unwrapping it, watching the deep cut on it, spelling out the bloody sentence.


    "That looks nasty." Draco''s voice added, looking over from the other side of the table, but surprisingly, his voice was devoid of any gloating or malice.


    "Feels nasty, too," I replied, trying to joke while Quincy reapplied a fresh wrapping, getting bandages from who knows where.


    "You are pretty calm about it," Draco added, raising an eyebrow while now more and more classmates of mine were watching us.


    "I told you¡­" I whispered, eyeing the words until they disappeared under Quincy''s care, "Revenge is a potent fuel¡­."

 Chapter 16 – Combing Through Centuries

    It was close to midnight, and I was stuck in the North Tower, and it was too late by now to leave. If anyone found me wandering the corridors at this hour, I would be in great trouble, probably experiencing pain beyond imagination, so I decided to spend my night here. Luckily it wasn¡¯t so bad. Even without any lamps or candles, I had magic at my call and could continue reading while holding my brightly shining wand above the pages. The books that Draco borrowed for me turned out to be precisely what I needed. Especially the one that was without a clear cover and seemed to be a hand-written codex.


    It had an extensive list of known Parselmouths, born with the gift of being able to talk with snakes. Unsurprisingly, they all carried the blood and name of the Gaunt family. Even better, it had bloodlines traced from the early medieval ages right up to the end of the XIXth century. That was not all because what was even more fascinating was the fact it recorded those who were married OUT of the Gaunts.


    ¡°Their names were expunged from the family records and forced to abandon them, and they were forbidden to mention their heritage to anyone,¡± I murmured, writing their names down to try and find their new identities later on and connect them to other possible families that are still among us. ¡°No family can maintain 100% purity, can it? It is just not possible.¡± I chuckled as I learned quickly enough from my Father that being pure meant nothing when put under scrutiny.


    Take HIM, for example¡­ our current leader¡­ our ¡®Minister,¡¯ was not even ¡®pure.¡¯ But¡­ it was best not to think about it; I don¡¯t know how strong he is for real, but Father was sure he could know if someone was talking about HIM. Well, it was not my place to start criticizing and pointing out the hypocrisy, especially if I wanted to remain amongst the living. After reading the books through multiple times, I ended up with a list of twelve names. Twelve members of the Family of Gaunt who were sent away married into other wizarding families because of something they did or because they were the worst of all; squibs.


    After I got my name from Draco¡¯s books, I cross-referenced it with Quincy¡¯s, and to my surprise, one name showed up on both lists. They were, by the dates, a few centuries apart but had the exact same name. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it was a signal between the families? A silent agreement? The Blacks took in an outcast from the Gaunts, and later on, from that same line, someone special was born, being sent back to them? Maybe¡­ or I was just looking into it too deeply. Whatever the case may have been, I circled the name, and I was going to first look into that specific line. See if they had an offshoot branch or something that I can track down.


    My thoughts were full of elaborate stories, how members of the illustrious, old but essential dead family may still live on, with members not even knowing about it. I wonder¡­ how much HE knows about it? Did HE ever look it up? Did HE ever bring it up? Or did HE let it go completely? I remember Father spoke about it once¡­ and¡­ it was weird. I don¡¯t remember when it happened, but as I fell asleep, lying on the bed made of cushions, I slipped back in time for a few years. I was back in my Father¡¯s study, learning about ancient families and the old lore of our world.


    ¡°Does HE know about it?¡± My voice asked, but it was as if I looked on from the sides, observing my Father and me, having a discussion in his study.


    ¡°Of course!¡± He smiled, looking at me. ¡°But not as much as us!¡± He smirked. Wait¡­ did he smirk? Really¡­ But it was not time to reminisce about it as my dream continued without waiting for me.


    ¡°How can that be? That does not make sense, Father!¡±


    ¡°It does. HE made sure all information, at least publicly, is stricken from the records and buried deep under multiple layers of lies.¡± As he was explaining it to me, I was now much more sure, looking at my Father¡¯s face, that he was smirking. That was not the gentle smile that I remembered. Pairing it with the look in his eyes, I saw it as if he was mocking HIM.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°The Family of Gaunt was not what HE was proud of!¡± Father interrupted me, ¡°He only cared for their connection to Salazar Slytherin! After confirming HIS mother¡¯s origin, HE no longer needed the family¡¯s name or history. HE was connected to Slytherin himself. HE was the heir! That was what mattered. Acting as if Slytherin was not an ancient ancestor but HIS direct Father! Do you get it now? The Gaunts no longer mattered. HIS Father was nobody else but Slytherin himself. HE ensured that anyone looking into it could only see that simple but all-in-all false truth. He has a sliver of Slytherin in HIM, but he is not his son.¡±


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    Listening to my Father¡¯s lesson and watching his face, I felt lost. I¡­ I did not remember that he was like this. Why did I feel as if he was oozing with scorn? Speaking about HIM in a pitying yet condescending voice? Was my mind playing tricks on me?


    ¡°Or is it showing what you failed to notice back then?¡± I heard another hissing voice speak to my ears, and before I could fight back, a big, dark, amethyst-colored snake wrapped itself around my body, binding me in place.


    ¡°AH!¡± I woke with a panicked yelp, gasping for air. It was still dark, and I was back in the North Tower, sitting on the cushions, the same where I had fallen asleep previously. ¡°Damn, it¡­¡± I moaned, wiping my forehead, trying to push back my rapidly beating heart into my chest from my throat. That snake again! Since Professor Toad-face cursed me, I barely had a good-night sleep¡­ If this keeps up, I may genuinely go mad.


    ¡°But¡­ Was that dream correct? Do I really miss it? Or¡­ I just failed to pick up on it because I was younger¡­? Tsk¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°You need to rest¡­¡± Quincy said to me as we were leaving our potions class the next day. ¡°It shows under your eyes, and you completely butchered today¡¯s potion! I had never seen the Professor so dismissive before! It was as if he did not even notice you!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame him.¡± Draco said, walking up to us from behind, ¡°Conrad¡¯s concoction blew up so spectacularly it created a little mushroom cloud!¡± He laughed, and I couldn¡¯t help but shrug as he was absolutely right.


    ¡°At least no detention or deducted house points!¡± I said, trying to find the positives in today¡¯s abysmal first half. I could not sleep, and I was feeling horrible. I was tired, and I found it extra hard to focus.


    ¡°Of course! He is the Head of our House!¡± Draco snorted, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t sabotage us because of one slacking idiot!¡±


    ¡°He is not an idiot!¡± Quincy protested in my stead.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, says his little girlfriend,¡± Draco added, sneering, making Quincy blush before snorting and ignoring him completely.


    ¡°Stop it¡­ please¡­¡± I moaned, holding my head that was still stinging as the potion¡¯s fumes made me fall unconscious, and I managed to headbutt the stove while collapsing. ¡°My head hurts enough already. Let¡¯s just get to the Dark Arts class, survive that, and be done with today!¡±


    ¡°What about the afternoon class? We have herbology! You want to skip it?¡± Quincy asked, already drawing conclusions without thinking.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not skipping.¡± I shrugged, looking at her through my fingers and holding my head. ¡°Being in nature is relaxing. So, in fact, I am looking forward to it!¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± Draco asked, dialing back the strength of his voice, ¡°Are you this worn out because of¡­ reading?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± I nodded as we headed upstairs from the dungeon. ¡°I found clues. Big ones at that!¡± As I said and watched their faces change, I couldn¡¯t help but smile proudly. ¡°So, I look like this because I couldn¡¯t sleep from excitement.¡± Well¡­ it was partially true. ¡°And thank you for your concerns,¡± I turned towards Quincy, trying to be as honest as possible as it truly felt good hearing her say that, ¡°But I can manage it! After herbology, I intend to go straight to the Library and do so on the weekends and next weekends and all the time until I find what I want!¡±


    ¡°What if you don¡¯t find it?¡± They asked in unison, which surprised them just as much as me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be pessimistic. Okay? I¡¯ll find it!¡±


    Our Dark Arts class did not help with my headache. We were learning the red and green sparks spells, and the constant flashing lights, loud buzzings, and flares being thrown around made me dizzy. I was seeing bright lights by the end of class, and I managed to land myself in the infirmary after I collapsed. I won¡¯t lie; it may be the thing I needed the most, as I could sleep after being put under a spell. It came with the effects of not having to dream, and when I woke up, I was stunned to realize it was already the next day.


    ¡°Huh¡­ I was really in need of this, eh?¡± I smiled at myself, thanking Madam Pomfrey, one of the nicest teachers around. Well¡­ she wasn¡¯t teaching per se, but she ran the hospital wing to the best of her abilities. Somehow¡­ she gave off the feeling that this castle wing was a sanctuary, a different world from the rest. Or I was still delirious from my exhaustion. ¡°No¡­¡± I reassured myself, looking at the rising sun. ¡°I feel fully energized!¡±


    And with that, I headed straight for the Library to get in some research before breakfast.

 Chapter 17 – Unexpected Discovery

    It was already the middle of October. It wasn''t hard to get used to the daily routine of going to classes and studying magic, spells, potions, and herbs, even if some of the teachers were¡­ questionable. I tried my best to be as invisible as possible in Umbridge''s lessons which she seemed to really enjoy, looking at me with satisfaction. I knew she was reveling in the thought I was afraid of her. What I was scared of was her authority and not Umbridge herself. The moment I could climb over her, I won''t look back¡­ And she will regret everything.


    That was the primary motivation that kept me on track. I already forgot about Peeves and had only her as my goal. If not for the fact that sometimes I managed to dream about riding atop a basilisk and freezing her into a statue, I would have already given up on my plans. I combed through around a hundred books by now, running into dead ends, one after another. I honestly doubted I was sane to go through this sometimes. But finally, it happened.


    It was a Saturday night. It was only 6 o''clock, yet because of a storm raging outside all day; it was as dark as if it was midnight. I was flipping through an old book that looked untouched by human hands for centuries. I found it accidentally while randomly walking through the shelves, thinking and trying to organize my thoughts. That was when I saw its weathered spine with its title: Uncensored Origins. I wasn''t sure how it got there or why did it pop out for me so readily. I had a feeling as if the castle itself wanted me to find it as it was exactly what I needed.


    It wasn''t an overly thick book, but after opening it, I was utterly stunned. It stated all the people who established a bloodline of wizards and witches. No matter when they did so, it had the description of those who were considered the progenitors of a lineage. I was surprised to see so many, but then, reading the last lines of their entries, I realized why. Many of them died out, and it was hard to find one that was still prevalent today. Curiously, I looked at its index page, and I did find our family name in it. Flipping to the middle of the book, I was shocked at what I saw.


    Agatha Black. Maiden name: Agatha Gaunt. Born as a deformed child with missing legs and without magic ever growing inside of her. She was quickly hidden away, and later on, the Family of Gaunts made a deal with the Family of Blacks. In exchange for gaining a connection to their bloodline, they took in the child, promising that if a descendant was born with the gift of being a Parselmouth, he or she would be married back to the Gaunts.


    "No. Fucking. Way¡­¡± I whispered, unable to hold back from cursing. I was on the edge of my seat, reading forward, wanting to see where this was going.


    She was raised as a Black, mainly as someone who was experimented on, and when birthing a son who was strong in magic, she outlasted her usefulness. After being wiped of memories, she was simply dumped in the countryside.


    "That is it?" I asked myself, but then flipping the page, I could see the second half of the origin of my own family line.


    Etheldred Anguine. Son of muggles with magical abilities that he never fully understood. He found the memory wiped Agatha and nursed her back to health. Later on, he married her and had four children, who all had magical capabilities. One of the sons, later on, rose through the rank of the wizarding family, establishing the Anguine name as a household power for real. Their family crest originates from Etheldred, who once caught a viper that refused to bite him, despite being responsible for two deaths in the village before being trapped by him.


    "No way¡­ No¡­¡± I repeated, trying to flip through the books, wanting to find more, but there was nothing. I tried checking who the author was, but it was written anonymously. This was way too good to be true, and I was already doubting the story¡­ but¡­ "But the name checks out."


    Agatha Black. It was the only name that came up in both Quincy''s and Draco''s lists. There was an Agatha Black, who now I was sure was a descendant of Agatha Gaunt a century later. I was also sure she might not have even been born with that name but it was renamed after her gift resurfaced. By the binding contract, she was sent back to the Gaunts and married into the family line¡­ doesn''t that mean my family can also have the gift? We are also... from the same blood, no?


    "No¡­" I stood up, recollecting my books and quills, leaving the library, and I was sure I looked like I just saw a ghost for the first time. This was nonsensical at best. But I just couldn''t chase the thoughts from my mind. They were swirling in my head continuously. I hurried back to the common room and looked for Quincy, finding her at one of the empty tables, doing her potions homework. "I need to borrow your owl!"


    "Eh? W-what happened?" She flinched, looking at me, scared. "S-sure." She nodded, noticing that it was something crucial.


    I was glad she asked nothing more in there and left with me towards the owlery, only speaking when nobody was in sight.


    "What happened? And why do you need my owl?"


    "Because mine are smaller and can only carry one letter! I need to send a book too! And I don''t trust the school''s owls!"


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    "Okay." She agreed readily, keeping her questions to herself, just hurrying alongside me. She helped coerce her owl into helping me, and soon, I watched the two barn owls leave, mine only half the size of hers. "So¡­" She asked, and I knew she was already burning with curiosity, simply holding it back because I had an unusually white face.


    "You won''t believe it," I murmured, and then, leaning out of the owlery, watching the castle not that far away, I told her everything.


    "No. Fucking. Way." She said the exact words as mine, grasping at her mouth and looking around nervously because she cursed out loudly.


    "I said the same thing." I smiled nervously.


    "Wait! You sent over a book from the school?"


    "Yeah. Father should see it for himself! He will return it; I have a month before I need to bring it back!"


    "If he answers¡­" She groaned but then looked at me curiously. "So¡­ Can you?"


    "If I could, would I even start researching this?" I shot back with raised eyebrows. "No, I can''t." With that, I cast the serpent summoning spell, and the poor water snake that appeared very soon was snatched up by the bigger owls. "Nope¡­ I did not understand a word; it was nothing but hissing."


    "What about others?" She asked, turning back towards me, thinking hard.


    "None that I know. I¡­ I think I would know about them. We will see!" I slapped my face, looking at where the two owls disappeared. "We just need to wait for Father''s response."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    To my surprise, the reply arrived sooner than expected, by next Friday. We were just sitting in the Great Hall, having breakfast, when our owls returned, bringing me the book and a sealed letter.


    "What''s that," Draco asked from the other side of the table while I merely shrugged.


    "Extra homework." I lied, and it was enough to make everyone uninterested in what I got. Spending so much in the library already marked me as the class''s shut-in nerd and the most boring person to be with. Which¡­ wasn''t entirely wrong.


    It was hard to focus in the remaining classes, but I somehow managed to get through them without getting into trouble. Back in the North Tower, accompanied by Quincy, I opened my Father''s letter, reading it through seriously. It was short and to the point, signaling he was taking this as seriously as I did.


    "None," I said, giving the letter to Quincy to read it. "We have no members who could have ever spoken to snakes. We have a good record of our family members back home! Although our line doesn''t go as far as yours, we keep good track of it. But nobody was born with the gift."


    "He says he looked into the book and the records¡­ Etheldred''s name checks out and is confirmed as the first of our magical line. But his wife''s name was Emily. There is no mention of her disability anywhere, either." Quincy read it loudly.


    "Yeah¡­ This makes me think this book is bogus."


    "Could be. But we can''t tell for sure!"


    "That¡­ that is not entirely true¡­" I added, crossing my arms and scratching my chin. "Do you remember that I theorized that it could be a magic that was placed upon the blood? Turning it into a bloodline thing that can be inherited?"


    "Um." Quincy nodded, "I guess you have something in mind?"


    "Yes." I rummaged around the bookshelf we had set up in here and brought forward an ancient codex that was written in a language Quincy couldn''t read. Neither could I, without two other books for translating it. "Have you ever heard about Herpo the Foul?"


    "Only what you mentioned before. The creator of the basilisks. "


    "Yeah. And a Parselmouth. A famous, ancient dark wizard who dabbled in rituals and also had some blood on his hands. Literally. I tried to find books directly from him, but they were gone, as if someone removed everything related to him. Like if he was just a myth."


    "A famous dark wizard who is not celebrated? That is news to me! I thought we all were about who is the most powerful!" She said with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.


    "Yeah, that is what''s weird about it. Anyway, his direct books are nowhere to be found, but there are other authors who have mentioned him and his works. I managed to find enough of them, translated their works, and pieced together a ritual that can reveal the properties of one''s blood!"


    "Wait, wait, wait a moment!" She yapped, waving her hand at me. "You did what? Pieced it together? Don''t you mean you made a spell that may boil someone''s blood inside their bodies?!"


    ¡°Um¡­ no, not really¡­¡± I grumbled, pursing my lips. "The ritual itself is an already established one; By a witch from the XIth century! She based it on, going by her description, on Herpo''s research... I just¡­ included modifications from other retellings of Herpo''s spells. Adding other spell components that seem compatible! It should work in theory!"


    "In theory? In what theory? In whose theory?! Did you run it through with a Professor? With someone who knows magic?"


    "Ah. Well¡­ no. Not really."


    "Then do that first!" She moaned, pulling at her hair.


    "Yeah, sure! And get busted or found out I am trying to do something... bad?"


    "The Ravenclaws do it all the time! They come up with spells, submit them for review, and then they get rewarded if it is good enough! Punished if it''s bad!"


    "Great. Just what I need¡­ another round of Crucio¡­."


    "Still better than casting an incomplete spell that blows you up! Idiot¡­¡±


    "..."


    "If you want to do that, go and let a teacher review it first! Or your arrogance will be your death! Or worse!"


    "..." Well¡­ as much as I don''t want to admit it, she is right. I was too caught up in this... The fact that I learned our Dark Arts spells faster than the rest made me forget these spells are much more complicated than what we are learning. But who to ask- wait a minute. "Okay," I answered, my eyes shining, and I saw their reflections in Quincy''s.


    "Ah? Really?" She asked, surprised, not expecting me to agree so readily.


    "Yes! I already know who I will ask for help!"


    "Who?"


    "The Headmaster," I said, forming a smile, and Quincy turned deathly white. "My Father said I could trust him. It is best to test it out¡­"

 Chapter 18 – Headmaster

    "Now what¡­?" I asked myself as I stood in front of two gargoyles guarding the staircase that led to the Headmaster''s office. They ignored me no matter what I tried, and the door refused to open. I was making a fool of myself before them for half an hour before giving up trying to get in and went to find our Head of House, Professor Slughorn.


    I found him in the potions classroom and calmly tried to explain that I wanted to see the Headmaster about a particular spell I came up with. Of course, he looked at me with a weird gaze, thinking I was way over my head, which could be true¡­ not that I really worried about that aspect.


    "Professor, I thought a Slytherin should be ambitious," I said after he tried to tell me nobody should disturb the Headmaster with nonsensical and amateurish spells.


    "Yes, but arrogance is looked down upon! Give the spell to me, Mr. Anguine, and I will look it over for you."


    "Professor, are you familiar with magic concerning one''s bloodline?"


    "Is your spell have to do something with blood magic?" He asked, frowning, looking at me more concernedly than before. He shouldn''t be so surprised about my question. To my knowledge, no type of magic has been banned since HIM came to power. Everything was permitted to give a mage power, and all taboos were lifted. "No..." After a brief pause, he answered, "I am not very well versed in magic concerning blood."


    "Then-"


    "Still, I have more experience than many of the teachers here, so let me see it first!" He remarked, and I was sure he sounded a bit colder and more impatient than before.


    "Sure¡­" I said, thinking this was the second best option for me, so I fished out the finished version I compiled the day before, giving it to him. I only had to wait a few minutes before he looked up at me, and I could swear his eyes were gazing at me with a horrified light in them. Yet it was gone in the next moment¡­ maybe it wasn''t even there as his voice was calm when he spoke.


    "Did you make this?"


    "Not entirely," I explained honestly, trying to watch his face and see if I was right or not. "I modified an ancient spell I came across. It is¡­ made out of numerous others, fused into one."


    "The capabilities of-" He started to explain, sounding condescending, slapping my parchment with one hand, and I knew he was about to tell me off and say I was way over my head. I won''t lie; it started to grade against my nerves to be told that... Every... Time.


    "They should be fully compatible as all of those spells had the referenced Herpo the Foul and were derived from his works. There should-" But I didn''t finish. Couldn''t. I was shocked to see Professor Slughorn turn deathly white, his hands trembling, making my parchment rattle like a dried-up leaf.


    "What did you say?"


    "I made them from the same type of spells¡­. Having the same origin, the exact same nucleus..." I mumbled, looking at him puzzled.


    "The name! Who did you say it is based on?!" He leaned forward, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.


    "Harpo-" I exclaimed, now a bit scared, and my right hand was grabbing my wand inside my sleeve, ready to cast all the spells I had learned so far.


    "Sssh! Don''t mention that name! Where did you learn about it?! Was it Angus?!"


    "Father?" I asked, bewildered, "No¡­ From old codexes¡­ I translated the text, and some of them had it mentioned. Although I did not find anybody with that name¡­ he may not have left behind any works because he is from very ancient times."


    "He did, but¡­ no matter! You¡­¡±


    "What?" I asked after he fell silent, letting me go, watching me without blinking his eyes.


    "Come¡­ I''ll take you to the Headmaster!"


    "But¡­ what¡­ huh?"


    I was utterly lost. I had no time to ask anything else as he just grabbed my hand, dragging me along the many stairs, and before long, we were standing in front of the gargoyles.


    "Asphodel." He said, and they stepped to the side, revealing the door and letting us in.


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    It had a moving spiral staircase inside, and stepping on it, we were slowly transported upwards. I wanted to say something, but, in the end, I gulped back all my thoughts and just looked at the firm grip of his hand, strangling my wrist, not wanting to let go. Was¡­ Was I in trouble? Well¡­ I am afraid... I will know soon enough...


    The Headmaster''s office was filled with portraits, and when we entered, I felt dozens of eyeballs fall on me, watching curiously. Severus Snape, the current Headmaster, was sitting behind his desk, seemingly writing about something as he looked up at us with a cold gaze shining behind his greasy, black hair.


    "What is it, Professor Slughorn?" He asked, only glancing at me once before wholly ignoring my presence.


    "Young Anguine here¡­." He pushed me forward forcefully, and I had no time to look at the different shelves, the many knick-knacks, and possible magical items placed on them. I only recognized some equipment for potion making, the Sorting Hat, and some dark, black-bound books before I was standing in front of the Headmaster''s wide and heavy desk. I felt minuscule before it, like an ant looking up at a giant.


    "I don''t have time to deal with children''s mischiefs, Professor." He said, looking back onto his parchment, trying to cut it short. "I let Dolores deal with them."


    "It is not about that¡­." Professor Slughorn said, his voice surprisingly dry. I had the weird feeling again that he was scared. I did not know of what, but I was sure of it. Especially when I saw the Headmaster look up at him, questions in his eyes, finding the Professor''s tone surprising. Or at least¡­ amusing.


    "I have little time to spare." He said slowly, but he did put down his quill, watching Professor Slughorn, and continued ignoring me.


    "Here¡­ read this." He gave my parchment to the Headmaster, and I saw him also scan it through without blinking his eyes. I tried to read his expression, but it never changed, not even once.


    "I see." He nodded, waving at Professor Slughorn. "I''ll deal with it; you can go."


    I felt the Professor''s hand tremble, still holding onto me, before slowly letting go and walking away. He turned back from the stairs, thinking of saying something, but the Headmaster only looked at him as if telling him something through a gaze¡­ then he was gone, and I was left alone with him. I won''t lie; I was afraid. I was nervously gripping my wand, hidden inside my sleeve, not that I expected to be able to even raise it. But¡­ I won''t go down without an attempt at fighting back.


    "Where did you learn the name, Anguine?" He asked coldly, watching me from behind thick strands of his greasy, black hair.


    "The name¡­?" I asked, but I knew what he was referencing.


    "Don''t play around, Anguine! We all know whose spell you ''modified'' here!"


    "From the books! In the library, Sir!" I answered honestly, flinching multiple times. His voice was a mix of surprise and¡­ anger? Or fear? It was hard to tell.


    "From the books¡­ in the library?" He asked while I explained everything to him, the same as I did with Professor Slughorn. Damn it, Quincy¡­ If I die here, I will return as a ghost and haunt you for all eternity!


    "I see¡­" He enunciated it slowly after listening to me without interruption. He gradually leaned back in his chair, tapping my parchment with his crooked index finger, possibly thinking of punishments. Then... he spoke. "This spell of yours is full of amateurish mistakes."


    "..." Well¡­ that was a start. It seems I won''t be killed. At least not now. But I didn''t know how to respond to that.


    Seeing my thinking face, he knew I was trying to come up with words that wouldn''t let me stand at the other end of the killing curse. He raised his wand, and before I could react, he swished it once, and a black book landed on the table from one of the crammed shelves. It had no cover but only a magical lock that clicked open after another wave of his wand.


    "Sit." He ordered me plainly. "Read it once."


    I didn''t know what was happening and wasn''t about to ask. Sometimes it is best to remain silent and just do as you are told. Not that long later, I was completely lost in the book, which was about a blood ritual, explaining how one could trace one''s blood back through time and many, many different lineages. It was clearly used to identify pure mages, half-bloods, and mud-bloods. The practicality was evident in the way it was written and described in detail.


    "Finished?" He asked, and the moment I looked up, just beginning to nod, he closed the book and made it return to its place. "Modify it." He threw the parchment back to me. "Visit me when you are done."


    "Y-yes¡­ Sir." I answered, realizing my voice was hoarse and my throat was parched.


    "And Anguine¡­" He called after me, just when I stumbled forward, reaching his office door, "Don''t speak about it to anyone. Not even to the other Professors and not even Slughorn. He won''t remember it anyway..."


    "Yes¡­ Sir." I repeated, feeling puzzled, then scared again, and left in a hurry. I wasn''t waiting for the stairs to bring me down and took them in strides, bolting past the gargoyles, only stopping when I was back at the North Tower, in our hidden classroom.


    "What happened?" Quincy asked; she was there, relaxing on the cushions, reading a book, looking at me, surprised and then scared, as she watched my pale face, drenched in sweat.


    "I thought I was going to die!" I moaned, wiping my forehead, scampering forward as I looked for a fresh parchment and quill and started scribbling down my thought swiftly before I forgot all I had just read in that black book.


    "Conrad, what is going on?" She asked, concerned.


    "I''ll tell you in a moment! I just need to write this down! Before it completely goes away!" I said, frantically penning down everything before taking a deep breath, looking it over, and collapsing, letting the exhaustion of my mind catch up with me. "I may be in some trouble¡­ are you sure you want to hear it?"


    "Yeah!" She nodded, observing me seriously. "Count me in; it was I who suggested you to go to a teacher!"


    "Yeah¡­ yeah, you were," I answered, twitching my mouth, and then, after a very deep breath, I told her everything that happened.

 Chapter 19 – Hallowe’en

    I was, once again, the last to leave the library, almost being kicked out by the strict and unfriendly librarian. Why is she even working here? Or is she isn''t allowed to leave? Besides making sure the books are sorted and kept in order, she does not even help the students find any of them. Well, no matter! I was already done with my research anyway.


    Since my last meeting with the Headmaster, I had two revisions of my spell, and luckily, he never shouted at me, nor did he raise his wand to cast some punishment on me. On the contrary, he looked¡­ pleased? I don''t really know; I just can''t read his mood or thoughts at all. But¡­ he said at our last meeting that it should be¡­ good enough by now.


    "It seems Father was right¡­ I can trust the Headmaster." I murmured as I walked up the stairs, arriving at the castle''s front gates. I was just looking around when something hit me on the top of my head, and I was dozed in cold water.


    "Ohohooo~!" Arrived the loud laughter and a second water bomb from that annoying menace of a poltergeist.


    "One day¡­" I grumbled, starting to rush towards our common room, followed by Peeves, who was still throwing them at me, cackling like a madman.


    By the time I got back to our common room, I was drenched, as if I had taken a swim in the lake with my clothes on. Those who were still up and inside only glanced at me, quickly deducing what had happened.


    "Peeves?" Quincy asked, coming up to me.


    "Yeah¡­" I sighed, casting a drying spell on myself while looking around, noticing that very few older students were present. Mostly first- and second-years filled the room, which was eerily weird. I knew it was late but¡­ not THAT late. "Where is everyone?"


    "It is Hallowe''en Night." She said, looking at me incredulously.


    "Is it?" I asked, thinking, furrowing my brows before remembering and slapping my forehead. "Ah, yes, truly, it is! I totally forgot¡­ So¡­ everyone else is out?"


    "Yep. Pretty much." Quincy shrugged.


    Hallowe''en Night. A very special day as it was the day that HIM finally fully came to power, eliminating all threats and chasing out the terrorist leader, Dumbledore, from Hogwarts a decade ago. Since then, it has been a special holiday for all wizards and witches. This meant that all the older students, 14 and up, were out in the town, probably having to attend some kind of ceremony in honor of HIS supremacy.


    I know that influential families'' kids, like the Malfoys, Lestranges, or mine, have to swear their allegiance to HIM and have to perform some kind of task on his orders. No wonder everyone was gone; I bet that many of my peers will be gone for a few days, doing their ''tasks'' while the rest probably have some kind of fun in Hogsmeade. This also means I missed the feast¡­


    "I brought out some extra for you." Quincy said whisperingly, "It is in¡­ our classroom."


    "Oh¡­ thanks!" I grinned at her and then had a thought. Will she also get to perform a task for HIM two years later? Or had her family been entirely abandoned?


    "I will." She answered, making me recoil. Was she this good at legilimency? "No, I am not." She added again.


    "I am starting to doubt that." I twitched my mouth, feeling a bit creeped out.


    "I''m just used to that kind of look." She shrugged, "I saw that exact same questioning gaze hundreds of times, if not more. I know exactly what you were thinking, and just you know, I am not looking forward to it!"


    "Hah, I am surprised you will be allowed to participate!" A voice cut into our conversation as Draco appeared next to us.


    "Come on¡­" I rolled my eyes, but Quincy knew better than to answer him, or it would just give more ammunition to Draco to fire back with. She simply gave him a flat look before starting to ignore his presence altogether.


    "It is just the truth!" Draco laughed unceremoniously, trying to tease her into a reaction he could further criticize, "Some families have fallen out of favor so much so that I am confused why are they still considered part of our side?" He asked with a nasty voice, watching Quincy eagerly.


    "Says who?" I answered before she could, as she also had a threshold, and I saw her opening her mouth to answer. "Isn''t your Father one of those who screwed up some kind of important mission once? Letting the Longbottom family escape a well-placed trap? Wasn''t it the Lestranges who had to intervene so it did not turn out to be a complete disaster?"


    "You¡­!" Draco sneered at me, turning bright red and flustered as I hit the nail on its head. That blunder cost the Malfoys great grief as they were no longer the top contenders to be HIS right-hand family. That position has fallen to the Lestranges, to Bellatrix Lestrange. "Like your family wasn''t affected just the same!" He added, raising his voice which I answered with a shrug of my shoulders.


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    "True. But, unlike your daddy, mine was not the planner but the one who followed YOUR daddy''s orders. It was not his fault the mission went up in a bust, and they almost escaped! Oh¡­ wait, the kid did escape with those Weasleys'' help, didn''t he? Still, missing since then? If not for the Lestranges ''arrival, the parents would have been gone too!"


    "SHUT UP!" He roared at me, but before he could raise his wand, mine was already out, pointing at his neck.


    "Make my day," I said calmly, watching his panicky, silvery eyes. "I am itching to test out the spells we are learning... especially because there are other spells than Avada Kedavra that can kill too, you know." He didn''t say anything, but now all eyes were watching me, pointing at Draco. His hand was frozen in mid-air, still thinking to grab his wand or not and how to do it without me casting any magic.


    "I think that is enough." A new voice said, and to my surprise, Professor Slughorn came into the common room from nowhere. "Put your wands away."


    I immediately lowered my hand and let my wand slip back into its place in my sleeve. This is the exact reason why I never kept it in my pocket. It always had to be at the ready.


    "Disperse." The Professor said, watching Draco and me for a moment before leaving once again without us realizing it.


    "When did he get here?" I asked Quincy as we sat down at a small table in the far corner of the Common Room.


    "I don''t know!" She answered, looking at Draco, who was now talking with his cronies at the other side of the room, with their backs to us. "Will there be a problem?"


    "Always." I chuckled, "Worry not; I can handle it. And¡­ I need a test subject, so if Draco provokes me well enough, I will test my spell on him!"


    "Is it ready?"


    "Yep! I was just about to look for some beasts to try it on before attempting to cast it on myself!"


    "On yourself?! Are you mad?" She raised her voice before clapping against her mouth.


    "Duh! It is made for that exact reason! Don''t worry about it! It shouldn''t be lethal; it is like a¡­ searching spell! It only looks for information and ancient spells in someone''s bloodline!"


    "Haaah¡­ If you say so¡­" She added, rubbing her forehead before looking at my grinning face. "What was that all about, by the way?"


    "You mean the thing with Draco?"


    "Yes."


    "Well¡­" I leaned back, scratching my chin. "Let''s head out to the North Tower; I''ll tell you there! We still have time until 9, and I am starving!"


    "Okay." She nodded, standing up, and we sneaked out because Professor Slughorn was just as quickly gone as he popped out of nowhere. Well, it was not really sneaking, as I heard a loud, gleeful laugh from others and Draco saying the ''two lovebirds are out on a date again'' or something like that.


    After arriving at our secret hideout, I was quickly immersed in the snacks and pumpkin juice, enjoying the excellent treats Quincy had smuggled out from the feast.


    "So? Are you going to tell me?" She asked, also raising a mug, sitting down amidst the oversized cushions.


    "There is nothing much to it, really. You also ought to know that HE got wind of some kind of prophecy that made HIM go after every child that fit the description."


    "Yeah." She nodded, "He killed the Potters while the other group went for the Longbottoms. The two families who fitted the description."


    "Exactly! Well, the other group was led by Draco''s Father, Lucius Malfoy, accompanied by my Father. The reason why none of them were killed as punishment for failing to kill all of the Longbottom family and letting the kid slip away was that Albus Dumbledore was also present. So¡­ their failure was not entirely¡­ unexplainable."


    "I did not know that!" She said, looking at me with amazement. "Almost the whole family escaped, but the Lestragnes arrived and managed to kill the parents and the Weasleys who were there to help the Longbottoms and made it possible for Dumbledore to escape with the baby."


    "All of them¡­ were killed?" She gulped.


    "I think," I answered, tilting my head, thinking hard. "Father never said for sure, but he said they mattered no more. And¡­¡±


    "And?" She leaned forward with a curious light in her eyes.


    "I guess you were not told about it because, reportedly, your Father Regulus was also there. His brother, Sirius, was seen at the Potters. He was almost killed, only escaping death because that half-giant Hagrid brought him away by force! I heard he shrugged off one of HIS spells with his body! That is giant blood for you!" I smiled, trying to look nonchalant but noticing that Quincy had fallen silent at once.


    The mere mention of his Father was not something pleasant, I gathered. I bet she never heard one good word about him at all and has probably been suffering under his name since birth. Well¡­ nothing that I could do there.


    "That was¡­ a big blunder then." She said, regaining her calm and trying to act as if it did not bother her at all.


    "Yep," I answered, putting down my empty mug. "So, even as both Draco''s and My Father are ministers, we are¡­ kinda marginalized. Still, a few years and we both will attend that Hallowe''en test of ours. Whatever it may be!"


    "It will be nasty," Quincy told me, her voice shaking slightly before biting into her lips.


    "Really?" Now it was my turn to ask curiously, leaning forward. Watching her shudder like this made my stomach contract a little. "You know about it? My Father refused to say anything."


    "Yeah. I know all about it because my grandmother was telling me every chance she got." She spoke, her voice barely audible. "We will have to demonstrate our proficiency in the Dark Arts. Find, capture, interrogate, and then kill a wizard or witch who works against the Ministry." She finished quickly, not even looking at me while saying it.


    "To¡­ kill?" I asked, finding my voice faltering a little. I¡­ I did not expect something like this. And... they expect us to do it? Really?


    "Yeah¡­" She pulled up her legs, hugging them, "After that, we will receive our Dark Mark¡­ My grandmother says only after that will the Blacks be redeemed a little¡­ And I am not looking forward to it at all¡­"


    I couldn''t blame her. I wasn''t happy about the fact either. Listening to the way she told me¡­ Why should I kill someone who did nothing to me? Well¡­ if it was Professor Umbridge, sure¡­ but¡­ oh boy¡­ this does not sound good at all¡­

 Chapter 20 – Inheritance Through Blood

    A few days later, when I was sure of my spell and tried it on some summoned snakes, I was ready to try it on myself. It was a Saturday night, and Quincy and I sneaked out of the common room, heading straight to our secret headquarters.


    "Are you sure you will be fine?" She asked when we arrived, nervous and not because some of the paintings on the way here looked at us weirdly and grumpily as we woke them up with our glowing wands.


    "I should be¡­. None of the snakes I tested it on showed any pain or discomfort. They just went stiff for a while before returning to normal."


    "What if it is different for humans? Or because you are a wizard?"


    "Well, that¡­ that is though luck, Quincy." I chuckled, masking my nervousness with it.


    "I don''t like this, Conrad. Not a bit!"


    "Should I try it on you?" I asked teasingly, and she fell silent. What surprised me was that she was clearly debating that possibility; I could see it in her eyes. "I wouldn''t! Relax! It is my spell; I need to experience it once to know how it goes and what to modify!"


    "If you survive it!"


    "Don''t be so pessimistic! It can''t be worse than the Crucio curse!" I shrugged, producing my wand, and without hesitation, I waved it and pointed it at my wrist. "Sanguis Linea!"


    I felt the magic inside me stir at once. There was a pull on my body¡­ no, on my soul, and the classroom was gone, Quincy was gone, and everything flew away as I felt like traveling through a wormhole. I felt like an invisible hand was holding me by the ankle, dragging me along time and space, and I could do nothing but hold on to my dear life so it won''t slip away.


    It was both scary and exhilarating at once. I was trying to see where my mind was, but everything was a blur. It was as if I was sitting on a speeding dragon, watching a cityscape pass by. I could barely make out shapes and forms of people, but as soon as my brain registered something, it was already gone. I was about to think how long this was going to last when I came to a stop at once, and my consciousness landed back in my body.


    "Conrad!" I heard Quincy say anxiously, holding me by my shoulders, shaking my body a little. "Conrad!"


    "W-what¡­?" I asked, blinking my eyes rapidly, feeling dizzy and a bit nauseous.


    "Are you okay?" She asked, slowly letting me go, scanning my face with apparent nervousness.


    "Yeah¡­ I think¡­ What happened?"


    "That is what I want to ask! The moment you cast the spell, your eyes went blank!"


    "I guess¡­ how long was I out?"


    "A minute¡­ at least." She answered, slowly calming down, seeing I was okay, and did not cough up blood or anything like that.


    "Hm¡­" I furrowed my brows because it was only a brief moment for me, maybe lasting around ten or fifteen seconds. "It was¡­ trippy! I can''t really explain, but it was like riding a snidget!"


    "A what?" She asked, confused.


    "A snidget! Small little yellow bird, extremely fast, the one that the¡­ snitch¡­ is based¡­ on¡­." I explained, halting my thought process as realization hit me. "Why do I know this?"


    "What?" Quincy repeated, remaining just as confused as before, and I felt myself joining her in it.


    "I¡­ I do not remember reading that or studying it at all! I¡­ I don''t think I remember knowing about widgets at all!"


    "Are you sure this spell did not jumble up your memories?" She looked into my eyes, starting to worry again. "What is my name?"


    "Draco," I answered, and when I saw the horror-struck expression on her face, I couldn''t help but laugh.


    "Not funny! You are horrible!" She scolded me, hitting the arms that I raised, defending myself from her attempted murder.


    "Sorry, sorry! I couldn''t miss a chance like this!"


    "Hmph! You are dumb! Extra dumb! I hope that spell made you even dumber than dumb!"


    "Maybe." I closed my eyes, trying to recall anything that I did not know before¡­ but nothing came to mind. Maybe I did know about the birds, and I just forgot? Haaah¡­ this was weird. "I feel fine. The room is still spinning a bit, but¡­ it is getting back to normal. I may try it again-"


    "No! Don''t! Let us wait at least a few days! See if there are complications or some nasty aftereffects! Don''t do it again so soon!"


    "Hm¡­ okay. That is logical." I put away my wand after thinking about it. She was right; let''s see if my spell had any side effects that a summoned snake couldn''t produce¡­ thinking about it¡­ I was getting a little bit nervous now.


    ¡­


    ¡­..


    ¡­¡­


    That night I had a bizarre dream. It was similar to my recurring nightmare yet also wholly different. It¡­ it was hard to make sense of it. It started with me being back home, then leaving my room and finding myself in a foreign house in the countryside. Leaving that lone building, I was standing on a hill. I saw only green pastures with mooncalfs gathering under the full moon''s light. I was walking for a little bit when hearing something making a noise behind me. When I turned, I was in a burning, medieval village the next moment, and spells were whizzing around above my head. Clearly, two wizards were fighting in the dark, not paying any attention to the muggles below them. Being blinded by a bright flash, I was once again in a different place. I did not recognize it, but the air was stuffy, and I was sure I had to be in an ancient castle, judging by the rigid rock walls. It was like whenever I blinked or whenever I went through a door, I was jumping between realities. Or¡­


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    "Between time." A voice said, whispering into my ear. It was¡­ familiar. A bit sounded like my own, yet not. "The fact you are alive means you have ancestors. Going back, back, and even farther back. There are no living beings who did not have parents."


    "Really?" I asked, although I agreed with the voice while I was walking through a dark, dead forest who knows where. A few months ago, I would be running¡­ I would feel like a giant snake was chasing me¡­ but that feeling was gone now. I was much calmer this time around without noticing it.


    "Of course! Tom Marvolo Riddle also had parents and carried my blood, inheriting it from one of them."


    "Who?" I furrowed my brow as that name was unfamiliar to me. This was the first time I had heard about it.


    "Doesn''t matter." The voice continued, unbothered, whispering beside my ear. "My bloodline is far-reaching. It is like poison spreading through the victims'' veins."


    "That¡­ is not really¡­ comforting," I mumbled while the voice simply chuckled.


    "I designed it that way. I learned that Immortality is not something that anyone can achieve."


    "Well-"


    "No. He is not immortal." Before I could interject, he stated commandingly, "He is using my technique. Yet even I died. So¡­ he is not Immortal, no matter how many more times he casts my spell."


    "Yet I am talking to you." I countered, looking around in that dark forest, but I could not see anybody there.


    "You are talking to the imprint of my will, boy. You carry my blood in you, sealed away and locked tight by another spell. Well¡­ not anymore. You broke the magic that was making it slumber so you can finally fully perceive me."


    "Wait¡­" I stopped in my tracks, falling silent, my heart racing as I looked down at my wrist and finally noticed that my hand was covered in the violet-colored scales of a snake.


    "You are not the first to make the connection. Your hunch was right; I did create the ability through a spell I made. I encoded my knowledge into my blood to pass it down."


    "You¡­ You are Herpo the Foul!" I gasped, realizing who I was talking to.


    "Only a shadow of him. As I said, I died a long time ago." Answered the voice, and now turning towards its more defined source, the giant snake I always dreamt about was slithering before me, talking to me. This time, his voice was much clearer and more coherent than before, not like some kind of monster who wanted to kill me. "There were always some who carried my blood and managed to peel the layers back and earn a look at my knowledge, locked in their very own essence."


    "The one you mentioned¡­ did he too?" I asked, gulping, watching the snake that was speaking to me with a voice similar to my own. As if we were one person. Well¡­ if he was truly a manifestation of my bloodline, personifying itself, that explained why.


    "Yes." He answered, "And as a reward, I let him ask me about one thing. He wanted Immortality, so I told him about my other invention. Told him the name and the function of the spell. I wasn''t telling everything to him, though¡­ his disdain for his immediate bloodline was¡­ irking me. But he managed to figure it out; he is a good wizard. A very good one." The snake hissed, and I was sure that he was smiling at me.


    "So¡­ I will have the chance to ask a question too?"


    "Of course! But only one, and I will answer it honestly. What type of magic do you wish to learn from me? From your own blood?"


    "The way you managed to imprint your knowledge! Your ability to speak to snakes and how you made all that into your blood so it can be inherited!"


    "Oh? Not about Immortality?" The snake asked, surprised as it was slowly wrapping itself around my body, but strangely, I was not afraid this time.


    "You just said¡­ it is something that is impossible to achieve."


    "I see." The voice said in a seemingly satisfied, smiling tone. "So be it. Your reward, my young descendant!"


    And with that, the snake bit into my shoulder, and I felt hot, searingly hot venom injected into my bloodstream that made me squirm and trash around, but it held me down, strangling me with its tightly squeezing snake body. Did¡­ did I make a big mistake now?


    "It will be painful." The voice said in my head. "The magical curse put on those who left the main branch is ancient magic¡­ it makes your blood slumber until unlocked¡­ and eradicated by me. The last one I did this for soon rejoined the main family too."


    "The¡­ Gaunts¡­¡± I whispered through gritted teeth, feeling my body burn almost as bad as under the Cruciatus curse.


    "I don''t care what their name was. I never had a main family; they just wanted to be the only ones related to Salazar, who was the closest to my powers. Putting this curse into effect was because of greed... and pride. I only care about talents, carrying my blood! As long as you have me in you¡­ you are carrying my will¡­ and that¡­ is¡­ good enough¡­¡±


    I could barely hear anything anymore as I slipped into something like a coma. Yet the pain was still present, and it only started to subside after hours later. I was exhausted even while I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was not in my dormitory but instead in the hospital wing. My body was bandaged up from head to toe, surprising me greatly, and as I tried to sit up, I had no energy in me to do so... so I remained to lie there.


    "Awake?" Madam Pomfrey asked, hearing me trying to move, coming to my bed, and checking on me. "Good!" She let out a long breath, "What happened to you?"


    "I¡­ I don''t remember." I answered honestly because I had no idea how I ended up here¡­ or why. "What¡­ happened?"


    "You were found in your bed, bleeding from all orifices and from holes that should not be on anybody! They thought you were dead! I thought you were dead when they brought you in!"


    "Oh¡­ really?" I asked, surprised and confused¡­ was that dream nothing but some delirious hallucination? Because I was bleeding to death in my sleep?


    "Really! I don''t know what kind of dark spell you were hit with, but nothing seemed to work, and cancel it! It took me three days to ensure you stayed amongst the living with that much blood being pushed out of your body! I called the Headmaster, but he said he is not interested in dealing with a student''s idiocy!"


    "Kind." I chuckled.


    "Well, it is good that you find it funny!" Madam Pomfrey snorted, "Well, rest! I will tell the house elves to bring up food! You need to replenish your energies because you lost all your blood, quite literally!"


    "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."


    She only nodded, leaving my bedside while I looked at the ceiling. By the sunlight''s strength, it should be around noon. Three days¡­ was I out for that long? Was it the side effect of my spell? So many questions in my head needed answering¡­ but¡­ with how hungry I was feeling, suddenly, all that could wait. The main question was how long the elves would take to bring me something to eat!

 Chapter 21 – Returning

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Quincy asked, visiting me that same night.


    ¡°Still a bit weak. But¡­ getting better.¡± I answered, sitting on my bed, munching on some snacks she brought to the hospital wing. ¡°It is because of the blood loss.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I bet!¡± She shivered but then chuckled a little.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You should have heard it¡­ Draco screamed so shrilly we thought it came from our side of the dormitory!¡± She told me, whispering, afraid someone else was listening in. ¡°If he is pale as default, then he was ghostly white when he found you like that!¡±


    ¡°Now I wish I was awake to see it!¡± I chuckled and watched Quincy shiver once again.


    ¡°It was scary. I thought you were murdered! Tortured and then killed, like how the muggles do it! You know, like savages!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess it was gruesome.¡± I mused, imagining it.


    ¡°Yeah! Your spell is sinister! Casting and then, later on, bang! Your blood bursts forth from your body?! You created something extremely horrible, you know!¡± She said scoldingly, looking at me with worried eyes.


    ¡°Did you tell it to anyone?¡± Now it was my turn to lower my voice to that of a whisper.


    ¡°Of course not! I am not stupid! But I bet the Headmaster knows about it¡­ he is just playing it down! Plus, now many think it was Draco¡¯s work!¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you are friendly with me.¡± She added with a barely audible murmur, looking guilty. ¡°And he is not refuting it, so now he is getting a kind of weird recognition of being a brutal and cunning wizard¡­. Getting away with murder. Well, almost murder.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How did that happen?¡± I mumbled, my mouth full of cookie crumbs, munching on one happily. It was weird news, sure, but not something that worried me, as both of us knew that was not the case.


    ¡°As he was the one finding you, he was examined by the Professors. Even his wand was checked, but its last spells corresponded with those we used in our last charms class! He was cleared soon enough, and it was ruled as an¡­ accident. But the others still say he did it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ well, I won¡¯t refute it either!¡± I chuckled, gulping down the last bites, ¡°It is the perfect cover, and if he is deep into the lie already, he wouldn¡¯t want to back out of it!¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ I guess¡­ but, honestly, what really happened?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know if you will believe it or not¡­¡±


    It took me half an hour to explain everything. My weird dream, my supposed talk with the ancient wizard of yore, and the supposed blood inheritance he left me with as a reward. I should not be surprised that a prize from someone with the moniker ¡®The Foul¡¯ was a nasty experience. I was expecting Quincy to doubt me, but she just fell silent, crossing her arms and thinking with closed eyes. I was patient, and while she was going through it in her head, I started my second big velvet cookie.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± She concluded in the end, shaking her head, rejoining reality.


    ¡°It does?¡± I had to ask because it was making only half-sense for me.


    ¡°If everything clicks, then your blood truly had a curse put onto it. Something that prevents it from awakening! To purge it fully, you had to expel it from your body and be refreshed with one that is free of it!¡±


    ¡°I also had a guess like that¡­ but that does not explain why did he ¡®bite¡¯ me!¡±


    ¡°Probably to transfer your wish! Didn¡¯t you try to see if there is some new knowledge in your head?¡±


    ¡°...¡± I tried to think about curses, rituals, whatever came to mind while lying here since awakening, but nothing really happened. I was doing it again, but no¡­ nothing happened. Nothing really popped into my mind, so I shook my head in answer.


    ¡°I see¡­ Maybe it needs time? Or a trigger! Something that makes you remember it!¡±


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    ¡°Maybe. But it also could be that my spell simply turned out to be a deadly curse, and I had a close-to-death dream while suffering from heavy blood loss.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ well¡­ yes¡­ that is true.¡± She added, getting a little bit unsure of her theory now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try reading more after I am let back. We can test if something does pop into my head!¡±


    ¡°When will you be out?¡± She asked, watching me.


    ¡°Tomorrow. Then I need to catch up with homework¡­ Professor Umbridge doesn¡¯t really care why I did not finish them¡­ does she?¡± I smiled warily.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ she truly does not¡­¡± She grimaced, showing her hand that had the ¡®I must pay attention¡¯ carved into it. ¡°She is an old hag, ought to be burnt on a stake.


    ¡°Ouch¡­ yeah, I agree¡­ What about the others?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± She smiled a little, ¡°The Rat-Man is a creep; he only pays attention to those who flatter him. The rest is invisible as far as he is concerned. Professor Lockhart is acting jovial almost all the time, which makes my stomach turn! He already gave us homework to write an essay about your incident and what caused it¡­ saying he already knows, and those who come close to the truth get rewarded or something! So, I was thinking of turning in one with the idea of Snorcluxes, eating your dreams and thoughts that made you throw up blood.¡±


    ¡°Snor-what?¡± I laughed, finding her idea hilarious, which made her proud in turn, seeing my reaction.


    ¡°Same with the rest of the classes, it is not that bad¡­ Professor Slughorn only asked about you once, and that was it.¡± She let out a very long and depressed sigh.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ I just don¡¯t like him.¡±


    ¡°Why? He looks fair and doesn¡¯t bother us, unlike the others! He is not cruel! Just vain.¡±


    ¡°I know; it is just he barely pays attention to any of the others and deliberately only points at me when wanting an answer! As if I was the only student in class! Only my potions get verbal comments about them when they are finished! I am clearly being favorited here!¡±


    ¡°And? Isn¡¯t that good?¡± I asked, offering a cookie for her, which she took, munching on it with a sulky look. I had the sudden urge to chuckle as she now looked like a chipmunk with puffed-up cheeks.


    ¡°No, it is not!¡± She groaned heavily, ¡°It makes me into a target! The girls already disliked me, and now it gets worse and worse every day! Now even some of the boys joined in because their parents scolded them for not getting into his favors in time!¡±


    ¡°Are you being bullied?¡± I asked seriously, watching her eyes which made her flinch.


    ¡°No¡­ not¡­ really¡­¡±


    ¡°You are.¡± I snorted. Damn¡­ she is hiding it well; I never noticed¡­ although¡­ I spent all my time in the library in the past months, so I had no chance of noticing it. Okay, now that is going to change! Quincy is my friend; I won¡¯t let some idiots bully her just like that!


    ¡°I can deal with it. I prepared myself when coming to school! So relax, it is nothing bad! They are just¡­ annoying. That is all!¡± She said hurriedly, watching my angry expression.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ We will see about that.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When I returned to the common room, I was still feeling a bit lightheaded. My steps were floaty, and I felt myself getting exhausted quicker than usual. I was ignoring the gazes aimed at me, acting as if everything was normal and nothing had happened at all. Or at least, that was my plan, but Professor Slughorn called for me right as I was about to sit down.


    ¡°Yes, Professor?¡± I asked, walking back to the entrance where he popped out from nowhere. I was surprised at how nimble he was with that giant belly he carried around all day.


    ¡°The Headmaster is calling for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± The surprise in my voice was genuine. He never showed any interest in me or in what happened to me. I thought he was dealing with it as my spell going badly, and now I was reaping the consequences of my own hubris.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He repeated, and before I could look back to see if Quincy had any clue about this, I was led out.


    I was still hearing in my head the hubbub that broke out in the common room when I arrived at the top of the spiral staircase, looking at the greasy-haired Headmaster sitting behind his giant desk. I alone entered, Professor Slughorn only accompanying me to the entrance before leaving with a cautious look.


    ¡°Headmaster,¡± I said respectfully, looking at him warily as he watched me arrive. His eyes remained fixed on me, unblinking, and I could read nothing from his expression. It was like looking into the stare of a Dementor, if I want to be honest¡­ It was most unpleasant.


    ¡°Tell me all about the spell you made. Don¡¯t leave out anything.¡±


    He was not asking¡­ he was ordering me. Well¡­ somehow, I don¡¯t know if I want to share everything with him¡­ but I also had a feeling I could not lie to him. Would he even believe me? Probably¡­ not¡­ This is not good.


    ¡°My patience is running out, Mr. Anguine.¡± He warned me, taking my silence as some kind of defiance. Well¡­ here goes nothing!


    I told him everything¡­ and lied. I described my spell, modified some things on the fly, and told him what Quincy theorized at first¡­ that it backfired and blew out my blood while I went to sleep. When finished, I waited, trying to look calm, but I was fidgeting and feeling extremely nervous under my robe. I was lying to the Headmaster, a fully-fledged Death Eater and someone who, if he kills me, my Father could do nothing but accept the fact and do nothing.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He said, leaning back in his chair, slowly blinking his black eyes before waving a hand. ¡°You can leave.¡±


    ¡°...¡± I opened my mouth to say something but, in the end, only nodded and left as fast as I could.


    Glancing back before the door closed, I saw him writing something¡­ a letter, maybe? Did he know I was lying? The probability is extremely high. I am not a fool; he is the Headmaster, after all! If anyone could detect a lie, it was him, and I was fully prepared to receive some kind of punishment before being forced to tell the truth¡­ yet that did not happen. I was let go¡­ Honestly¡­ I was feeling much more nervous now than before. What did this mean? What was going on¡­?

 Chapter 22 – Awakening

    It was a Sunday with dark, grey clouds and heavy rain drumming against the castle''s windows. Alongside many others, I was walking towards the quidditch pitch as it was the starting season''s first game. Slytherin against Ravenclaw. I was not really ready to go out and cheer in this type of weather¡­ I was starting to really dislike this whole quidditch thing.


    "I agree," Quincy whispered next to me, leaning close so I could hear her in the storm.


    "Yeah¡­" I nodded and did not even ask how she managed to read my thoughts. She had a knack for legilimency, it seems¡­, or she had a hidden skill¡­ who knows.


    We had no choice but to attend. Missing it would be an insult to our peers and to our House. We were already disliked, so missing the first match would also be extra wood thrown into the fire.


    I won''t lie; the whole event turned out to be much more entertaining than I expected. Mainly because Draco was zooming around in the rain aimlessly, barely seeing anything, and he was almost thrown off his broom by the strong gusts of wind coming through. Thrice. The last time I just couldn''t help but laugh, watching him dangling in the air, yelping for help that we could hear even through the thunderstorm.


    "Haaaah¡­ He should have made himself heavier!" I chuckled, watching Quincy, who was hiding her face in her gloved hands but not because she was worried for him, but so nobody could see her laughing expression. "Maybe if his cronies wouldn''t wolf down all the desserts at the table every time they appear¡­." My second comment made her shake even more vigorously¡­ but I also noticed a few eyes watching me. I ignored them and planned on doing so in the future¡­ but I learned quickly that it just wasn''t going to happen.


    I blame it on Draco. He ended up fumbling at the end, too, losing the snitch to the opposing seeker and, with that, losing the match for us. Although I must say, it was a glorious fumble, as when he got up from his broken broom, he looked like a snowman made out of mud. A mudman? Well, it did not matter as the mood of many other Slytherins was already pretty bad, and it now plummeted to never before seen depths.


    We were just leaving the stands when three fifth-year students stopped us¡­. Stopped me. I already knew why and wasn''t surprised. They may be angry at Malfoy but even angrier with someone openly ridiculing their own. Quincy was let go, but to my surprise, she stood her ground, facing them with an angry look.


    "This won''t go away quietly!" She said, speaking so loudly her voice overshot the storm itself.


    "We are not against jinxing you too." One of them said with a wide smirk.


    "We just did not want to look¡­ uncivilized." Another added with a loud chortle.


    "Well, at least then you would reach the goblins'' level," I replied with a bemused voice, knowing full well it would incense them even further.


    "You little prat!" The third spat, and they started pushing us further away from the crowd. Even better¡­ Somehow, I was not afraid. No, I felt excited. Looking at Quincy, I couldn''t say the same as she was a shade whiter than usual, but I saw her eyes dart all around, trying to come up with a plan on how to escape the situation.


    "Careful, girl!" The first boy looked at her when she tried to put her hand in her pocket, and he was already pointing his wand at Quincy. "Move your hand again, and I will let you experience pain beyond belief!"


    "Why? Are you going to strip? If so, then stab my eyes out first, please!" She snapped back at once.


    "..."


    It wasn''t just me who fell utterly silent. All the others looked at her gobsmacked, and before I regained my composure, I found myself clapping.


    "Nice!" I laughed, forcing the other two to pull out their wands immediately, ready to cast spells to punish her for her words.


    There were three flashes, and they only had time to speak half of the incantation before all of their wands were blasted out of their hands. Then came another flash, and one of the boys was flung backward before I moved my hand again and pulled his body back, using it as a bowling ball to hit the other two. It only took a few seconds before they lay on the mud, knocked out silly when their heads clanked together like weird, fleshy bells.


    "Too slow." I shrugged, slipping my hand back to my sleeve and placing my wand back in its place.


    "How did you¡­ do that?" Quincy asked, watching me with big, round eyes, her hand only halfway out of her pocket.


    "This is why I store my wand in my sleeve," I explained calmly. "It is much easier and quicker to get it into my hands!"


    "Not that! The spells!"


    "Hm? It was expelliarmus, flipped, and accio in quick succession. Nothing extraordinary!"


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    "I know, but¡­ but!" She stuttered.


    "Then what?" I grunted, "Don''t tell me you feel sorry for them!"


    "Huh? No!" She said, looking down at the one who threatened her and kicked his face, breaking his nose with a loud crack.


    "Ah¡­" Now it was my turn to be shocked. Damn¡­ She isn''t playing around! "So¡­ what is the¡­ problem?"


    ¡°You said no incantation!¡±


    "Huh¡­ I didn''t?" That was weird¡­ I felt like I did¡­ but¡­ thinking back, it seems I only thought about them without speaking the spells aloud. "Wait¡­ Did I just use nonverbal spells?"


    "Duh!" She pointed at my chest, watching me scrutinizingly, "Do you think it was¡­ you know¡­"


    "I have no other ideas either!" I nodded, watching my work before nodding at her to let''s leave. It was best if we were off before we got into greater trouble with a teacher.


    ¡­


    ¡­..


    ¡­¡­


    I was lying flat on my back in our dorm. It was way past midnight, yet I refused to sleep, going through all that had happened after we came back to the castle. I spent the whole day with Quincy, experimenting, casting spells one after another, and it turned out I could do them without uttering any incantation. It came naturally, as if it was the correct way to do them. I tried explaining to Quincy how it feels and how I do it, but she was unable to replicate it¡­ but I saw the fire in her eyes and knew she would not give up, not until achieving it. I summoned a snake, too, trying to speak to it, but¡­ nothing changed. Quincy said I was still speaking plain English, and the snake simply ignored me.


    I won''t lie; I was greatly disappointed. Maybe it was indeed just a weird dream¡­ We tried some potion recipes but, once again, nothing. I was average, especially compared to Quincy''s skills. She was already reciting me advanced potions that would not be in our course for at least two more years. I didn''t notice when I slipped into a dream, but when I came to my senses, I was in the familiar forest, like so many times before.


    "Hey!" I shouted, but there was no answer. I started looking around, expecting a snake to come forth like always. This time it was me who wanted to chase it... but no¡­ Nothing. It felt like I searched the forest for hours before waking up, feeling disappointed.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "I don''t know, Conrad¡­." Quincy said as we were at the breakfast tables. "Maybe it was really just a dream¡­."


    "..."


    "You said yourself that you feel nothing has changed besides being able to perform nonverbal spells. Maybe that is also possible because you are simply¡­ good at it. Besides that, nothing seems to change, no?"


    "I know¡­ but¡­ my previous dream was also weird¡­ it wasn''t ever like that!"


    "Haah¡­ look-" She turned to me but stopped, and seeing her look, I also turned around and saw Draco standing there.


    "Yes?" I looked up at him and noticed that everyone else was also looking at us.


    "I want to have a word. Before class." He said coldly.


    "To finish what you started?" I asked with a sigh, making even more heads snap towards me, and I barely could hold back my laughter, seeing his eyelids twitch and getting flustered. "Okay¡­" I murmured, standing up and following him out. I saw from the corner of my eye that Quincy debated whether to follow us but remained seated in the end.


    I was curious about where we were going, but we ended up in the bathroom, which was empty at the moment. I waited patiently for him to start, standing there, hands behind my back, already holding my wand, ready for anything¡­ unexpected.


    "So¡­ what was it?" He asked me, watching my face.


    "You mean¡­ the spell you used on me?"


    "You know full well what I mean! That is just what the others came up with!" He barked at me, being extremely impatient.


    "Oh, I see, I see¡­." I replied, playing dumb but unable to hold back my smile. It was too entertaining seeing his reactions. "I really thought it was you who attacked me¡­"


    "Stop bullshitting me!" He growled at me, his hand instinctively moving towards his wand but held back at the last moment. Good¡­ because I almost used a spell too¡­ "Was that a spell you made? Is it ready? It was¡­"


    "Raw." I interrupted, "Yes, you are right; it was my new spell¡­ it needs¡­ refinement." I replied and saw the light in his silver eyes¡­ he wanted to know about it. It seems he wanted to take revenge on Umbridge, maybe even more than I did.


    "Good¡­" He whispered savagely. "If it can act in a delay, we won''t be suspected if we can get a good alibi¡­."


    "Oh¡­" I couldn''t help but let my surprise slip. He was¡­ smarter than I thought! Still¡­ not that smart. "Won''t work." I shrugged, "Or at least, not for you! Now that you pranced around without refusing the statements it was you who did it, everyone will think it was you! I can try using it on that hag, but I am sure it won''t work, and if it does, you will be suspected!"


    "I was cleared of all suspicions!"


    "This time." I smirked, "Anyway¡­ it is not ready. I won''t teach it to you."


    "You-! Don''t forget-" He put his hand into his pocket but couldn''t pull it out as I pressed the tip of my wand against his neck, completely surprising him.


    "I''ll teach the finished version to you. Relax." I said, looking into his eyes, leaning close, and whispering. I felt as if my own words, like hisses coming from a snake''s mouth. I felt confident and sure, and... a wild idea popped into my head¡­ along with a convoluted yet extremely detailed spell. "When it is ready, you will have a chance casting it on that hag and take your¡­ our revenge. Okay?"


    "..." He only nodded, and I redrawn my wand, smiling, and left before he could say anything more.


    I bet that anybody who saw me hurrying back, finding Quincy, and dragging her out from the Great Hall thought I did it out of fear and not out of excitement.


    "What happened?" She asked as we arrived at an empty corridor.


    "I got it! In here!" I said, and if it wasn''t Charms that we would have as our first period, I would have skipped it.


    "Got what? Where?" She looked at me, confused.


    "Here!" I tapped my head, "The complete spell¡­ on how to enchant the blood of someone so he can speak to other species! On how to record knowledge into a bloodline!"


    "What¡­?" She looked into my eyes, her mouth slowly falling open.


    "Yeah¡­! I will write it out so you can also have a look at it plus¡­ I already have a guinea pig in mind that I will try it out!"


    "Who?" She flinched and then looked at me again, shocked, "No¡­ on him? You mad?"


    "If it backfires, no problems! If it works¡­ I will make sure he does not know about it and simply receives a stupid kind of spell~!"

 Chapter 23 – Invite

    It was already December. In the past month, I was revising the spell that popped into my head when talking with Draco. With the amount of information I wrote down, it looked like I made my own spellbook. Reading it, Quincy struggled to grasp the details, many of the words eluding her completely. Honestly speaking, without the memories in my head, I would also just glare at it and deem the whole thing as nothing but rambling.


    "Are you sure this would work? This looks extremely complicated. It looks like some kind of ceremony, not a spell you just cast by waving your wand."


    "Yeah. It is a ritual. I will need to procure the ingredients to set it up, but I can do that back home during the winter break. Coming back, I will have time to arrange it up here!"


    "Then what?" She watched me as we were sitting atop the North Tower in the old divination classroom. It was already dark, yet it was only past five. The sky was dark with clouds, and heavy snow was constantly falling for the past three days, painting the scenery completely white.


    "That is the hard part; I am still trying to figure out¡­ I know it has to be in my head somewhere; I just¡­ couldn''t access it yet!"


    "Conrad, this looks fishy!"


    "It is not. It makes perfect sense!" I smiled, blowing at a freshly written parchment as I waited for the ink to dry.


    "Really? Then explain it to me!"


    "Sure!" I chuckled, looking at her over the top of my scroll, "Have you ever heard of a monkey''s paw?"


    "Yeah." She nodded after a brief thinking. "It is a dark artifact from the east! It is said to grant wishes, but all of those turn out to be horrible curses instead! Whatever the owner wishes for is granted, sure, but with a catch that often results in a calamity!"


    "Yep. Pretty much! I just made a wish upon one! Remember what I told you? What the imprint of Herpo told me and did to me?"


    "Um." She nodded her head, furrowing her brows.


    "What he did to me cleansed me of my old blood, almost killing me! It was the monkey''s paw part! I asked for knowledge of how to imprint something onto my blood! For that, I was¡­ made natural. Whatever was in my blood before, be it a gift or a curse, is gone! Flushed out and¡­ I have started with a clean slate!"


    "You mean¡­ he made your bloodline¡­ clean again?"


    "Pretty much! I can imprint anything on it now! He gave me all the tools for it!" I tapped my head excitedly. "There is a lot, and it is explained in great detail! Even with more than what I wrote down¡­ the rest is just¡­ something I can''t put into words."


    "What about nonverbal magic?"


    "It is needed for the ritual. So¡­ it is a given." I widened my grin, happy about the extra gift.


    "Okay¡­ I¡­ kinda believe you. I have to, don''t I?" She shrugged, looking at the stack of papers between us. She read all the things I ever penned and couldn''t question whether what I was saying was the truth or not. She experienced it firsthand.


    "Yep! The hard part is how I am going to make the memory come to me! I know now how to prepare the ritual and cast the spell to imprint knowledge onto blood¡­ but how am I going to get a different¡­ well¡­ language to be etched into it? That is my next hurdle!"


    "Monkey''s Paw."


    "Hm?"


    "You just explained it! You were tricked by him! You got the spell on how to do it, but¡­ that is it. You don''t have the second thing you need¡­ the ability to speak to snakes."


    "I did ask for it¡­ I mean, being a parselmouth and all!" I crossed my hands, thinking, furrowing my brows. "I made that part extremely clear! I hope¡­"


    ¡°Haaahh¡­ honestly¡­!¡± She shrugged, laying back on the many cushions, letting out a long sigh, "You could have asked for a killing spell! All this nonsense for what? Because you want a basilisk to kill a teacher and a poltergeist?" She turned to her stomach, watching me with a weird smile.


    "Errr¡­ well¡­ it did get out of hand¡­ a little," I mumbled, feeling a bit flustered. I guess my face turned bright red because her smile grew wider by the second. "But¡­ it is turning out better and better, doesn''t it?"


    "Sure!" She rolled her eyes. "I won''t ask what you would do to get yourself a basilisk¡­ maybe you can conjure up an old family member again? Oh, why not Salazar himself while we are at it?"


    "Yeah, yeah, keep it up, and I won''t plant special powers into you!"


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    "Huh?" She looked at me again, her tiny mouth forming a surprised O.


    "Why? You don''t want to speak to snakes or something?"


    "Well¡­ why sneaks? Why not something else? Um¡­ speak to dogs?" She asked, playing with the idea.


    "I know that some muggles can train dogs pretty well¡­ so I don''t know if that would be really special¡­."


    "Hmph!"


    "Anyway! I thought you would be interested in it... Am I mistaken? Getting something special you can pass on later in life isn''t that exciting?"


    "I don''t know if I want to pass on anything¡­." She mumbled, turning sour really quickly and suddenly. "Two or three more years and I will be¡­ ''auctionable'' as my grandmother says it¡­."


    "What? That quickly?" I gasped, sitting up straight. Quincy told me that as the last member of the direct line of Blacks, she would have to birth a son who would be reintroduced to the family tree as a main descendant. Every pure-blood wizarding family knew that. The question was, which one would take it on. Nobody was really keen on giving up a firstborn child just like that. This put the Blacks in a tight spot¡­ not to mention their tarnished, mostly ruined reputation. But doing it so soon? I did not expect that.


    "Yeah¡­" She mumbled, looking down, nervously playing with her fingers, and her voice was filled with hopeless indignation. "She believes I should birth an heir as soon as possible¡­ I bet, after that, her attention will fall onto him and leave me completely to my¡­ then-husband."


    "That is fucked up." I cursed loudly, but Quincy did not look at me or react to it.


    "That is why bullying does not bother me¡­ I hope to attend school as usual throughout my seven years¡­. So I don''t need to be... home. Wherever that will be in a few years."


    "..."


    I had nothing to say to that. Not that her bullying worsened or anything¡­ Some people tried to bully her or me, but I ensured they ended up¡­ unconscious. After that, a rumor started to fly around about Quincy being cursed because of her bloodline. Because of her Father and Uncle''s betrayal¡­ And I was the main proof of it being true. Being friends with her landed me into bullying and being in more detention than any other slytherin. Although¡­ the last part is because I was barely paying attention in classes, working on my own spell. I can still read the ''I must pay attention'' sentence on the back of my hand. For everyone else? I was simply under the influence of her curse. Same as those who tried bullying us. Her ''bad luck'' made it so that their spells rebounded, knocking themselves out when trying to bully us. It was¡­ an excellent cover; I am glad everyone has such a great imagination.


    "Hey, Quincy¡­" I spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence between us. "What are you going to do through the winter break?"


    "Go home, I guess¡­." She murmured, still not looking at me.


    "No plans, then?"


    "None." She shook her head.


    "Want to come to us? I mean, with me?"


    "Huh?" She finally raised her head, looking at me with surprise.


    "I think my Father would not mind it at all, plus you could help me with the research! Or¡­ you wouldn''t be allowed to come?"


    "No¡­ I don''t think so. She always said I have to make¡­ connections."


    "Good! Then you can spend Christmas with us! Easy!"


    "R-really?"


    "Yeah! Of course, I won''t force you if you don''t want to!"


    "Well¡­ I think it¡­ well, I mean why not¡­ it is not like¡­ yeah¡­ um¡­¡± She mumbled incoherently, and I saw her face turning redder than a tomato.


    "Then that is settled! I''ll write a letter to Father, and you send one back to your grandmother! Easy!"


    "Conrad¡­" She spoke after a brief silence. "Thanks¡­"


    "Don''t mention it!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    My Father''s reply arrived two days after Quincy and I sent our owls.


    "Hey," I nudged her, "Read this!" I presented it to her while we sat at the end of the long table, having breakfast in the Great Hall.


    "Hm?" She took it with a toast still in her mouth. She only got to half of the letter when I had to slap her back as she almost choked on her bread. "Grandma agreed? And what is this about me going over in the summer too?!"


    "I think my invitation may have been¡­ unexpected," I added, thinking about it. "I have a feeling that my family is the first to contact Miss Walburga Black. As you can read there, Father contacted her personally to invite you over. It¡­ turned into a weird situation where¡­."


    "She was trying to make him agree to¡­ take me? Wait, what?!" She yelled, drawing many gazes toward us.


    "Reread it!" I groaned, forcing her to be less dramatic. "Not to him! To my family! To¡­ well¡­ me. As there are no other males in the Anguine line who are yet to be set for the future."


    "..."


    "That is why I said it turned into a weird situation!" I sighed softly, taking a toast and spreading jam on it. "The rule that only pure-bloods can take up any important roles in the Ministry is a heavy one¡­ every family tries to secure their children''s future very quickly! I have been listening to this for at least a year or so back home!"


    "..." Quincy said nothing, continued looking at me, and I knew she heard the same talks back home from an early age.


    "Father was telling me to be mindful to not end up like him¡­."


    "What do you mean?" She finally opened her mouth to ask.


    "If you come over, you''ll see. My mother is¡­ well¡­ she is not really a mother, besides the fact she brought me into this world."


    "Oh¡­"


    "No matter! What matters is that it seems your grandmother grabbed at the opportunity. I think she will try and force you on us in one way or another."


    "..."


    "I wouldn''t worry about it!" I continued, seeing her expression change and feeling shy, weird, and ashamed, expressing all of them at once. "Think of it positively! You will be free of being ''sold off'' to someone so suddenly! Let your grandma try and heckle my Father about it!"


    "I''m not an object¡­." She whispered, hiding her face behind her hair.


    "Of course you are not!" I snorted, "But we play with the cards that life deals us! Look at it from this angle; You gain a few years of peace of mind with this, no?"


    "..."


    "What? Not happy? Should I tell my Father to cancel it?"


    "No!" She shouted again, clamping against her mouth, looking bright red again, and then stood up, hurrying away, leaving me there dumbfounded.


    ¡°Haaah¡­ Women¡­¡±

 Chapter 24 – Winter Break (1)

    When winter break came, and we were heading back home, Quincy was surprisingly nervous as we sat on the train. I long learned to just¡­ remain quiet and let her mood improve by itself, or else it would devolve into a pointless argument between us. Oh well, she will get over it after we arrive. At least¡­ I really hope so.


    ¡°Where does your family live?¡± She asked me as we were already halfway through our journey, breaking the silence between us.


    ¡°In the countryside,¡± I answered, lowering the parchment I was reading and looking at her. ¡°It is an old villa built around the 17th century. I think. I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure.¡±


    ¡°I never really left London before.¡± She commented, looking out the window, wiping it with her sleeve, and watching the snowy scenery.


    ¡°Then it will be an experience!¡± I chuckled, putting everything away. ¡°Father is busy at the moment, but our driver will be waiting to pick us up and bring us back to the estate.¡±


    ¡°A driver? With a carriage?¡± She looked at me, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Something like that. Well, you will see!¡± I nodded, trying to hold back my laugh¡­ I just remembered that her family, although hailed as one of the most ancient and part of the few distinguished ones in the Sacred Twenty-Eight¡­, was believed to become the next one to die out, just like the Gaunts.


    ¡°I driver¡­. You are pretty well off...¡± She murmured, returning to the window after briefly glancing at me.


    ¡°Where do you live? Where is the Black¡¯s estate?¡±


    ¡°In London.¡± She replied plainly. ¡°It is a big house and all¡­ but empty. It is only my Grandmother, Me¡­ and Kreacher. The house elf.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ That sounds¡­¡±


    ¡°Creepy.¡± She finished for me, ¡°Many of the rooms are locked, unused¡­ filthy. I heard grandmother complain that some of those rooms are infested with¡­ things. Boggarts and the like. I hate those, so I never really explored any of them! I either lived in my own room, the study, or the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like being a prisoner to me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She shrugged, leaning against the side of the cabin, her eyes watching the scenery, yet not really.


    ¡°Not maybe, if you ask me! Okay, now I know what to do!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ do?¡±


    ¡°Of course! First, we are going to take a trip around the house tomorrow! There are many interesting things to see, and we can go sledding too! I know the perfect place for that!¡± I started explaining, and her gaze very quickly turned from the scenery to me, and I could see how excited she got in her eyes. ¡°Of course, there are tons of fun things to do in the house, too¡­ plus, we can visit the nearby town later on!¡±


    ¡°What kind of town is it?¡± She asked, her voice curious and uplifted.


    ¡°Well¡­ Half of it is wizards. Half-bloods, in service of my family. They are under my Father¡¯s control.¡±


    ¡°And the other half?¡± She asked, sounding a bit confused why I said it like that.


    I looked into her eyes, deciding if I should share it. In the end, I stood up and opened our compartment¡¯s door, taking a look that the corridor was empty before closing and rolling down its shutters.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, flabbergasted.


    ¡°Mudbloods and squibs,¡± I whispered, and seeing her jump and look around, I knew I could trust her before she even opened her mouth.


    ¡°Sssh! Write it down, don¡¯t say it out! You don¡¯t know who may listen!¡±


    ¡°I trust you.¡± I smiled, making her blush which looked funny, making me grin even more.


    ¡°T-thanks¡­ Conrad.¡±


    ¡°Father said we ought to have people who can blend in and bring us news from the muggle¡¯s side. We may be separated by the veil of magic, but we do live in the same world. No matter how HE thinks about them or ignores them, simply going by the numbers, they are the ones who rule the world. Not us.¡±


    ¡°Saying things like that is punishable by death, I believe.¡± She whispered half-jokingly, but I knew she was right.


    ¡°I know. But they, time and time again, proved useful when my Father received an assignment. Plus¡­¡± I looked around, ¡°My Father leads the Muggle-born Registration. Many good wizards found their home in there!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they¡­ made to forget and then let back into the muggle world?¡± Quincy asked, shocked.


    ¡°Some. Who are not that good.¡± I grinned, ¡°But Father likes recruiting talented people. You know¡­ Even though we couldn¡¯t stand up to HIM, we wouldn¡¯t go down without a proper fight.¡±


    ¡°Rebellion? Are you-¡± She gasped, but I just laughed.


    ¡°No, no way! But you know how things are! All the purebloods want to cement their position! Be the number one favorite! Well¡­ against them, we need protection, right?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything.¡± I finished, leaning back in my seat. ¡°But I will as I grow up. I am designated as the next head of our house! So I have been let to know some things in advance~! And I trust that you won¡¯t blabber it out to anyone else! Just as you kept my plans a secret!¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Of course!¡± She said, nodding with deep resolution, looking into my eyes. ¡°We are friends!¡±


    ¡°We are.¡± I grinned at her, not breaking eye contact. We are friends. From now on, I was sure of that. Her eyes were not lying, and all the things we had done so far? Yeah¡­ Quincy is someone who I can call my friend¡­ and¡­ I think I wouldn¡¯t want any other friends if they were like the rest of my classmates.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was good to come home. The ride from King¡¯s Cross was quick and pleasant, especially as my mother was not present to welcome us. Not even when we arrived and stepped out of the muggle car.


    ¡°This was fun! How does this even work?¡± Quincy asked, her voice lively and curious, looking at the vehicle. She pressed every button she could find inside, rolling the windows up and down, opening the middle armrest, surprised to find cold drinks hidden there. ¡°Is this¡­ powered by magic?¡± She asked me as I was waiting for her, watching the car roll into the garage. She was trying to figure out how it moved in the first place.


    ¡°No. This is, as my Father always told me, muggle engineering. There is nothing magical in that car. It was made by them, without the use of a wand!¡±


    ¡°Really? No way!¡± She turned to me, glaring at me, wanting to catch me teasing her.


    ¡°Yep. Look, my family has to interact with muggles the most! I know that is why we are a bit odd amongst the rest of the purebloods¡­ but even HE has to acknowledge that, without knowing anything about them, we can¡¯t win!¡±


    ¡°Win what? Not like they could stand up to us¡­¡± She said as I started walking, heading towards our estate on the snow-free gravel, kept clean by enchanted shovels.


    ¡°You know that HE plans to bring us all back to glory, no? First, uniting the wizarding world, then taking back what was ours. Muggles ought to serve us, and we shouldn¡¯t hide from them! Well¡­ while the Order of the Phoenix is around, that plan is stuck in the gutter.¡±


    ¡°I know that they are hiding amongst the muggles and even have allies in their ranks.¡± She answered me, and from her tone, I could guess her mood swing was related to her Father and his betrayal.


    ¡°Something like that.¡± I nodded, pondering, remembering Herpo¡¯s words in my head. Since that day, I have been thinking and¡­ starting to see things a bit¡­ differently.


    Is pure blood really that special? Are we really¡­ more powerful? What about HIM? What about the Gaunts? And the Blacks? Where is their glory? I knew some muggle-born wizards under our rule¡­ they are not weak at all. This was not adding up the more I thought about it. Magic has no relation to origin¡­ all it depends on is the individual and their talents. I could have been a Squib just as much as the next one. What then? What does that say about my family?


    ¡°Conrad?¡± She nudged me as we reached the stairs leading to the entrance of our villa.


    ¡°Sorry. I spaced out a little!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± A thin voice said, hurrying down from the top of the stairs, bowing to me and Quincy.


    ¡°Squeaky!¡± I laughed, introducing her to Quincy, ¡°She is my house elf and a good one~! You are going to like her a lot!¡±


    ¡°Master is too kind!¡± She said, bowing once more.


    ¡°Well, she is much more amicable than ours.¡± Quincy chuckled, ¡°He is a bit¡­cranky.¡±


    ¡°Squeaky is a good house elf, she was raised well, and Squeaky¡¯s family has served the Noble Anguines for a long time!¡±


    ¡°We can have a history lesson later!¡± I interrupted, ¡°It is getting cold and dark; the trip took longer than expected!¡±


    ¡°The rooms are ready, Master!¡± Squeaky squeaked, leading us in, showing no signs of feeling cold yet only wearing a ragged cloth around her thin body. ¡°The Mistress said to prepare all rooms, so Squeaky made the guest room opposite Master¡¯s to be ready for the guest! The fire is on, and the bed is made!¡±


    ¡°Good job!¡± I patted her head as we entered our home, taking off our coats and shoes. ¡°Is my mother home?¡± I asked, hoping the answer was a no.


    ¡°No, Master. She is on a business¡­ trip.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I smirked, ¡°But that is for the best. What about Father?¡±


    ¡°He is in the Ministry, Master! He should be back at night only! He said¡­ something happened!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked both of us, especially because Squeaky glanced at Quincy while saying it.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can speak before her,¡± I said resolutely, and after a brief hesitation, she started.


    ¡°There was a¡­ murder!¡±


    ¡°Nothing new here.¡± Quincy shrugged.


    ¡°But¡­ it was the death of a¡­ Death¡­ Eater!¡± She said whisperingly, constantly looking around.


    Now¡­ that was indeed news. Those with the Death Eater position were the closest to HIM. One of them dying had to be the result of something¡­ big.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go into the dining room.¡± I suggested, before anything, ¡°We can hear this while eating!¡±


    ¡°You can eat while listening to something like this?¡± Quincy asked, but her voice was not accusatory, following me nonetheless.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I shrugged, ¡°It is not like we knew him. Or her! Isn¡¯t that true, Squeaky?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded rapidly but then became unsure, watching Quincy. With a snap of her fingers, a lavish dinner appeared on the long, oval table, making my stomach rumble; just now feeling how hungry I was.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Quincy licked her lips, too, as we sat down, and I unceremoniously grabbed at a chicken wing to start with.


    ¡°So?¡± I asked, glancing at Squeaky, ¡°Who died?


    ¡°I¡­ I heard Master Angus talk about it. I was in the study then¡­.¡± She mumbled, playing with her fingers, but I assured her she could speak about it. Father did not mind her presence if he did not chase her out. It was something she was permitted to tell me. ¡°His name was Evan Rosier. There were more there, but he was the only one who died; the rest fled!¡±


    ¡°Fled?¡± I chortled, ¡°Well¡­ maybe Rosier knew better than to die than flee and get punished by HIM. Do you know who the others were?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ the other voice did not mention them, Master,¡± Squeaky said, shaking her head and flapping her long ears in the process. ¡°It said they were ambushed by the Order¡­ while transporting¡­ something. Squeaky doesn¡¯t know, Master! But it was said that the¡­ the¡­ Lord was¡­ very angry afterward. Master Angus is in the Ministry every day because of what happened! He leaves early and comes back home very late!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I leaned back while Quincy listened silently, still munching, watching Squeaky and me before chuckling.


    ¡°You look older than you are when thinking.¡± She said in the end, making me jump and turn a bit more redder; I could feel it.


    ¡°Thanks¡­?¡± I mumbled, fixing my sitting position, ¡°I was just surprised¡­ They had to transport something valuable then¡­ do you know who was there from the Order?¡±


    ¡°The other voice said some names¡­ But Squeaky only recognized three, Master! Dumbledore, Moody, and Black!¡±


    ¡°Did it say which Black?¡± Quincy asked, almost jumping off her chair, and I could hear her breathing speed up.


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Squeaky answered, glancing back and forth between us.


    ¡°Do you know who the other voice was?¡± I asked, watching her and Quincy, knowing full well she was in an agitated state right now.


    ¡°It¡­ it was the Headmaster of Hogwarts¡­ Master.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± I raised my eyebrows while murmuring.


    Why? I do not remember him ever having a discussion with my Father¡­ not until I saw them meet when going to buy my wand¡­ Or¡­ I just did not discover it before? Was there something going on in the background? I find it weird, as the Headmaster is one of the closest to HIM. Why does he report this to my Father? Was it on HIS orders? Well¡­ it won¡¯t help thinking about it right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I stood up, holding my hand out to Quincy, ¡°It was a long trip! Let¡¯s rest, and we can think about it with a fresh mind; what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ I think you are right.¡± She forced a smile, but I knew her mind was already thinking about what this would cause to her family and to her. It was either her Father or her uncle who did something¡­ again. This had to have some repercussions later on¡­ the question was¡­ what kind.

 Chapter 25 – Winter Break (2)

    It was around midnight when Squeaky woke me up. I wasn''t angry nor surprised as I instructed her to do so when my Father returned home. I tried to leave my room as silently as possible to not wake up Quincy, who was sleeping in the opposite room to mine, and I headed straight to the study.


    "Let me see you!" My Father laughed as I entered, trying to rub out the sleepiness from my eyes. "Hey, you have grown!"


    "Have I?" I asked with surprise, tilting my head left and right, but of course, I would be hard-pressed to confirm it.


    "Sit!" He signaled to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace that was crackling with orange fire, painting the whole room in a cozy, welcoming light and warmth. "You can go, Squeaky!"


    "Yes, Master." The house elf bowed, leaving us alone, and I knew it would be something important, or Father wouldn''t have sent her away.


    "I heard about what you did."


    "How much?" I asked, but he just raised his hand.


    "Enough to get a broad picture. But I want to hear it from you."


    "It is not a secret." I smiled and told him everything from the start. From the first day, I arrived at Hogwarts, right up to yesterday, when Squeaky told us why he was in the Ministry all day long.


    "..." He remained silent, sitting in his chair, leaning back, playing with his wand that appeared between his fingers, who knows when. "Well¡­" He looked at me with a weird smile, "You are my son¡­."


    "Eh?" I flinched, feeling weird about how he said it.


    "I wouldn''t take humiliation mixed with torture silently, either!" Tapping his armrest, he said, "Personally, I can''t help you. Not directly, as teachers in there are protected, but if you manage to kill that hag, I will do all that I can to keep it covered up!"


    "I..." I wanted to say something, but he continued without giving me any chance to do so.


    "Just be mindful of your circumstances and be smart about it! Leave no clues behind!"


    "Father-"


    "Say no more!"


    "Yes..." If Father didn''t want to talk about my plans anymore, then it was a silent understanding... an agreement between us. He gave his blessing; all the rest was up to me.


    "Let''s talk about your spell! Are you sure it worked? As you describe it?" He asked instead, continuing to look at me, and I performed the lumos spell without speaking out. "Very good!" His eyes flashed, leaning forward, watching me intently. "Can you cast it on me?"


    "I can try." I nodded, already expecting it, and when he stretched out his arm, I repeated the spell in my head while pointing my wand at his wrist. "Sanguis Linea!"


    It was only a momentarily blink, my Father''s eyes diluting before regaining their clarity. But¡­ that was all.


    "That is it?" He asked, describing the weird and sudden feeling of rushing through a tunnel but¡­ nothing more.


    "You¡­ didn''t meet with him?" I asked, furrowing my brows. "Didn''t see anything weird?"


    "No¡­ I did not¡­"


    "Maybe you will after sleeping! It happened to me in my sleep too!"


    "Are you sure it is our bloodline and not your mother''s?"


    "Yes! I checked, Father!" I said, almost standing up from my chair, but he just smiled, pushing me back as he started pacing before the fireplace.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I immediately suspected when I heard what happened to you from Headmaster Severus... He already had a basic understanding, I think. However, being your Father, knowing your reoccurring dreams and what you just told me, I am sure you must discover this... Alone. You can''t do it for others. What kind of achievement is that? Being given the solution¡­."


    "But¡­"


    "If it were me, I would have made it this way! Only the best is worthy of getting my legacy!" He grinned, waving his hand, "No matter! I am not important; you are, son!"


    "I can teach you the spell!"


    "I don''t think it would work. But sure¡­ I will try." He patted my head, and I could feel the warmth coming from his palm, calming me down. "As long as you succeed me, stronger than I, I am going to be satisfied! Now!" He sat back down, "What is this ritual you are going to do? Explain it to me!"


    "Y-yes, Father!" I nodded my head like a little chick before telling him everything I knew about it.


    "Hmm¡­ I can start gathering the things you brought up. Give me a written list, and I''ll see what I can unearth! There are some rare kinds of stuff in there, but I could pull some strings!"


    "The real question is about the language¡­ how am I supposed to do that when I don''t know snake language?"


    "Sacrifice." He said, rubbing his chin, smiling as he saw me shudder. "It is the only sure way. You will need to capture a strong enough snake and sacrifice it. We are talking about this dark magic, son; it is always the most foolproof way! Boil its essence down, and you will inherit its skills!"


    "I¡­ I see¡­" I won''t lie; I did think about it, but¡­ it was a scary thought¡­ and it did not become more manageable, hearing it from my Father''s mouth. "I guess it has to be a snake with magical properties."


    "It is a given!" He nodded, "That part¡­ is something I will have to look into. Gather some options before we¡­ before you decide."


    "Thank you¡­"


    "Pft, don''t thank me, I am your Father! Hmph! Now¡­ about another important thing!"


    "Yes?" I perked my ears up.


    "That girl, Quincy, are you fancying her?"


    "Eh?" I did not expect this question, and it froze me in my seat at once. I even forgot to blink until my eyes started stinging. "I don''t think so¡­ I¡­ Well, we¡­ We are just friends, Dad!"


    "Dad?" He grinned, "You only call me Dad when you are trying to weasel out of some kind of questioning or play the innocent boy! Ahahaha! It is okay; I don''t mind!"


    "But-! We¡­ We are truly just friends!"


    "Good enough!"


    "Eh?!"


    "Two more years, and it is your time to swear allegiance to the cause. Many of the prominent families'' kids are going to be engaged right then and there!"


    "What?!" I stood up and then fell back into my chair. This was the first time I was told something like this¡­ I knew about Quincy''s situation, but¡­


    "It is just an engagement! A pact between families. You know how it is!" He sighed loudly, "Purity and blah, blah, blah!"


    "Blah¡­ blah?" I froze and saw my Father''s expression stiffen as if he had let slip something he shouldn''t have. I just now noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the dead tiredness inside them.


    "What I mean," He continued, sidestepping my questioning look, "Is that you will have to be engaged to some other girl from the Sacred Twenty-Eight¡­ or you will end up like your old man!"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I was assigned your mother to¡­ help rebuild and purify a sullied line with my blood! I did not choose her. She was chosen for me. But I thought that was obvious."


    "Y-yeah¡­ I¡­ suppose¡­ Or¡­¡± I murmured, and he just laughed.


    "She can sleep around for all I care! I hope she gets pregnant so I can shame her and throw her out! Anyway, I am doing the same, too, so¡­ who cares?"


    "Errr¡­ Dad¡­ I think you are tired¡­ you should rest and not say silly things!"


    "Maybe!" He nodded, catching himself blabbering again. "What I mean is that I am planning to smooth it out with that old hag Walburga! So we will make the deal and make Quincy engaged to you!"


    ¡°I¡­ Damn it¡­¡±


    "You don''t want to?" He asked, surprised.


    "We are friends, but that is all! She is already frustrated about her position¡­ with this¡­ I think she will be angry with me! A LOT! And I would fully understand where she is coming from!"


    "Too bad!" Father grinned, looking like some kind of evil mastermind from the old tales. "It will be your job to placate her! Look, think of it as a play! You don''t need to love each other, but it is best if you can get along! Believe me, it is much better than the alternative! You simply can''t love who you want in this day and age!"


    ¡°Dad¡­ did you ever¡­¡± I asked, a new idea rooting itself in my mind, one that I couldn''t throw out, watching him with surprise.


    "I did¡­ once. And I won''t talk about it, Son. She is buried deep, just like my memory of her inside my heart. This was the first and last time we talked about this. Understood?" He said, and his voice was strict, cold, and frightening.


    "Y-yes¡­ Father." I bowed, standing up immediately.


    "Good¡­ Go back¡­ sleep¡­ and enjoy your holiday! I will call upon you when I manage to gather everything!" He said in a much more gentler voice as I was excused from his study.


    "Master?" Squeaky asked as she saw me standing in front of the door after exiting the room, unable to start walking again.


    "S-sorry¡­ I just¡­ had some things to think about. Can you get me a hot choco?"


    "Certainly!" She nodded eagerly and left for the kitchen while I returned to my room.

 Chapter 26 – Winter Break (3)

    It was a sunny morning as Quincy, and I walked out from the estate, following the road towards the nearby town, listening to the snow being crunched up under our boots. None of us said anything, as there was a kind of weird shyness between us¡­ I don''t know why. It wasn''t my first time being alone with her, nor will it be the last. But¡­ I think it has to do with what Father told me yesterday. It was simply too important and shocking to process in only one night, and I guess my weirdness was too easily detectable, spreading onto Quincy too.


    "Did¡­ something happen?" She asked finally as we walked a far distance away from the mansion.


    "Well¡­ kinda. Yes." I nodded, not wanting to lie to her. "A lot¡­ in fact."


    "Is it bad? That is why you look like you ate a lemon for breakfast? With its shell and everything?"


    "Errr¡­" I grimaced, making her frown, "No, it is not bad per se¡­ but weird, okay?"


    "Aaaaand¡­" She stopped, putting her hands on her waist, watching me with a raised eyebrow. Her hot breath produced a steamy cloud between us, and just when it dissolved, another appeared as she continued breathing like some dragon mistress, eyeing me as some kind of prey, "Are you going to tell me or what?"


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­ I will¡­ but only if-¡±


    "If?" She wrinkled her nose, which was¡­ cute. I mean¡­ "If it starts with an ''if,'' that means it is about me?"


    "Sharp." I don''t know if I ever spoke that out, but I guess I did because her eyebrows started to furrow close together, waiting for me to continue. "Let''s start with the unimportant part, then!" I cleared my throat, deciding to try and¡­ get myself a bit more time before facing her highly plausible wrath.


    "Go on." She nodded, with one leg tapping the snow-covered sidewalk like a beaver making a dam out of branches and mud.


    "Well, Father will collect everything I need for the ritual. Then we need a magical snake that I can use as a sacrifice."


    "I see¡­" She stopped her feet from moving, considering it, but I saw it in her eyes; she was partially disgusted by the idea.


    "The second thing is, you are going to be engaged to me."


    "I see¡­" She said it in the exact same tone.


    "Um¡­"


    "Hm?" She looked at me, tilting her head, her arms crossed before her chest.


    Now it was my turn to be bewildered. This¡­ was not what I was expecting. Did she not hear me? What was going on? I guess my face was betraying me, and I saw her lips curl and then burst into a laugh.


    "Now I have seen everything!" She added amidst her laughter, pointing at me, "Your face looks really stupid right now! Do you know that?"


    "Excuse me?" I asked, finally remembering to move my eyelids up and down.


    "I was expecting it the moment my grandmother sent me here for the vacation!" She said, without any anger in her tone, trying to reign in her laughs. "I was mostly worried your Father would refuse it!"


    "Only if I had said no¡­."


    "So you said yes?" She questioned me as a slight redness crept up her face.


    "..." I could not answer that just like that¡­ the word ''yes'' was stuck in my throat, making my face redder and redder by the second.


    "Good¡­" She murmured, making me breathe through my nose, masking myself with a small cloud. "I will be at much more ease like this, knowing I won''t be sent off to some creep or something!"


    "Y-yeah¡­"


    "Don''t worry, I won''t be like your mom; we can discuss it if you find a girl! As friends do!"


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ as¡­ friends¡­¡±


    Why was I so flustered? What was going on? And why did I feel annoyed that she was talking about it like this?! Damn it! This was not making any sense!


    "Well!" She fixed her clothes and started walking again, not looking at me, probably for the same reason I was avoiding her eyes too. "Let''s go; I am curious about the town you mentioned! Is it far?"


    "N-no!" I shook my head, catching up, "We will be there soon!"


    What was going on¡­ why¡­ why couldn''t I settle down? Damn it, Dad¡­ did you¡­ Did you cast some hex on me yesterday? Since I woke up this morning, my stomach has been¡­ acting funny, now spreading that weird, contracting feeling to my chest even!


    ¡­


    Stolen story; please report.¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Arriving in town, it was like stepping into a different reality from the silent and peaceful scenery we were walking through. Now, instead of watching snow-covered trees, the landscape was dotted with hundreds of cottages made out of red brick or gray stone, and atop their thatched roofs, their chimneys were letting out thick, white smoke as a fire blazed inside of them all, warming their interiors. Because it was a nice day, with the sun out, shining down from between two patches of clouds, many of the residents were walking on and about, greeting one another, shoveling snow, or heading to a small market square that was always open on the weekends.


    "Why don''t they use magic?" Quincy asked me as we walked down the main street, past a middle-aged man, wiping the sweat from his forehead, just finishing clearing the walkway to his home of the thick snow.


    "Rules," I answered with a lowered voice. "And not the Ministry ones, but my Father''s! Even if the muggles here know about magic, those who are capable of using it are made to swear that they only do so when amongst themselves!"


    "Worried about¡­ spies?" She asked with an even lower whisper, looking around to make sure nobody was hearing us talk.


    "Kinda¡­ yes. Although this is our territory, people can come and go¡­ especially from the Ministry or from HIS Inquisitionary Squad! So best to not pull on the tiger''s whisker!"


    "Hehe¡­ I did not hear that one yet."


    "I picked it up here." I shrugged but with a smile, "Come! It is Sunday, and the market should be open! Neville should be out; I''ll introduce you to him!"


    "Who?" She asked, and before I knew it, I was holding her hand, dragging her along. By the time I realized what I had done, it was too late to let go, but¡­ she wasn''t complaining at all and just held onto me firmly.


    "Neville¡­ He is a¡­ mudblood. Father said he took him in and hid him because he has great talents!"


    "Your family is playing with fire!" She murmured, but it was not in a tone that made it into a complaint. No. I distinctly felt she was saying as if she started admiring my Father.


    "Well, without risk, no real reward comes!"


    "Another saying?" She asked, and I nodded.


    "From Squeaky."


    "No way!"


    "Yep!" I giggled, "Anyway, come!"


    It didn''t take long to arrive at the main square where small, wooden booths had been erected, and in one of them, a young boy the same age as us was handing out hot wine punch and tea along with sweet-smelling cakes.


    "Yo, Neville!" I laughed, arriving.


    "Oh¡­ Hi Conrad!" He greeted me, a bit surprised that I was not alone. "H-Hello." He nodded at Quincy, looking at me questioningly.


    "She is Quincy Black!" I introduced her leisurely, knowing full well that Neville would get nervous when meeting new people. He always was¡­ but he also was one of the few kids my age here who had the gift of magic, and we could play together when I visited the town. "Quincy, he is Neville Levingston."


    "Good to meet you!" Quincy bowed courteously, greeting him with a friendly smile, just as I heard something clank loudly nearby.


    Looking at the source, I saw a man with graying, greasy hair fumbling with pots and cauldrons not far from here as he dropped a whole box of them. He was trying to not look at us, but I was sure he ogled at Quincy, making my brows furrow. I knew who he was¡­ Jack Rubio is one of the families taking care of Neville. Somehow, besides being an orphan, Neville was being taken care of by not one but four muggle families at once. He was living with them randomly, depending on who had time to care for him. I always found it most peculiar, but¡­ muggles were always weird. Even if they knew about magic. Watching the bizarre look Jack gave Quincy, like a hungry wolf seeing prey for the first time, I felt like flicking out my wand and casting a curse at him. I did not like that look¡­ it made me¡­ uneasy.


    "Oh, it is just Jack¡­." Neville said, leaning out of his booth, looking around, searching for the source of the commotion, "He injured himself a few days ago but refuses to stay put! Now look at him¡­ making a mess! Uncle Erius won''t be happy!" He smiled, and sure enough, a loud roar came from the closest house, and another, a shoddy-looking man rushed out in a wooly coat, shouting at him¡­ it was his elder brother, Erius Rubio. He also glanced at us¡­ no, at Quincy once, but his eyes were much more collected, less wild, returning to shout at his brother before dragging him away. "Those two are always at each other''s throats!" Neville sighed, turning back towards us.


    "I can see that," Quincy said, her voice a bit distant, just like her eyes.


    "What is it?" I asked, concerned a little.


    "Nothing¡­ I just had¡­ a weird feeling looking at him."


    "He was weird¡­." I murmured through gritted teeth.


    "Yeah¡­ yeah, he was." She agreed with me, shaking her head and turning back to Neville and his booth. "Which one is your suggestion for a first-timer?" She asked him with a friendly smile.


    "Oh¡­ um, this one!" Neville thought momentarily, getting a big, brown muffin out and placing it before her. "It is filled with vanilla pudding, but I added a very little Tanomer leaf into it while whipping it up!"


    "A what?" Both of us asked, but Quincy already bit into it, her eyes lighting up and shivering with ecstasy. "This is so good!" She moaned, and now, for some reason¡­ I was not so sure I should have introduced the two to each other. Luckily, that thought flew out of my head the next moment as she shoved it directly into my mouth so I should take a bite too¡­ and I could see that my face went just as red as Neville''s, who was looking at us.


    "Damn¡­" I moaned, still munching on a piece, "Neville, this is bloody awesome!"


    "T-thanks!" He stammered, but from his eyes, he was clearly delighted to hear the praise. "Tanome leaf has the effect of relieving any type of exhaustion, be it the mind or the body! I made sure to add very, very little, keeping the dosage at a tolerable level! In too many quantities, it could be¡­ addicting."


    "Neville¡­" I gasped, and Quincy barely stopped herself from taking a third bite, still nibbling on the second. "This sounds very¡­ dangerous."


    "It is not! I¡­ I tested it; it is safe!" He panicked.


    "You would fit well into our House if you were allowed to go to Hogwarts¡­." I grinned, watching him becoming even more flustered. "Cooking up things like this, you plant maniac!"


    "I am not a maniac!"


    "Ahahaha, are you sure? What do you say, Quincy?"


    "Well¡­" She wiped her mouth, putting down the last piece of the muffin. "He is still not as bad as you."


    "Ugh¡­ right at the throat!" I moaned with a laugh and grabbed the last piece, and threw it into my mouth. "But true!"


    With that, all three of us laughed, breaking the ice between Neville and Quincy entirely, as he became even more chatty, the kind of Neville that I knew well¡­ but I also noticed something else. Many eyes were watching us, especially from the Rubio family''s cottage. I couldn''t see them directly¡­ but I felt them. I knew they were watching us from behind the curtains¡­ I just didn''t know why. It surely was not me, as I walked amongst them all the years I lived here, and they never looked at me like this. So that only left us with¡­ Quincy.


    "But why?" I asked myself, but I knew full well the answer to that question was not something that I could have pried from their mouths. Not now, anyway.

 Chapter 27 – Winter Break (4)

    By the time noon came, the three of us were off, heading to the edge of the town, where some snow-covered hills provided the best sledding experience one could wish for. It was not hard to convince Neville to come and let some of his guardians step in and operate the booth. It was close to Christmas anyway, we ought to have some fun!


    "Squeaky!" I said, and she appeared right on cue, bringing a big sled along with her. "Thanks!" I chuckled, taking it from her tiny hands, "You can go; it is cold outside!"


    "T-thank you, Master!" She nodded her small head, shivering, looking at us thankfully before disappearing once more.


    "Are we going to go down¡­ at once?" Neville asked me, watching the lone, long sled, realizing we all could easily fit on it.


    "Duh!" I grinned, "That way, it will be even faster!"


    "Cool!" Quincy giggled, already heading up the steep slope.


    "It will be fine!" I slapped Neville''s back.


    "You said that the last time too¡­ And then I broke my arm." He groaned but still followed us.


    "What happened?" Quincy asked, looking at us curiously over her shoulder, almost slipping and falling.


    "Lent him my broom!" I chuckled, remembering it. "He saw me riding it, practicing, and I saw he wanted to try it out!"


    "Well¡­ it did look fun." He admitted quietly, trying not to look at us.


    "So I came down, gave it to him, and he was a natural, I say! He flew right up as soon as he sat on it!"


    "And then I crashed."


    "No, you fell off." I grinned teasingly, elbowing him, "He let go out of panic, and I never saw someone leave behind a mushroom cloud after catching the ground!"


    "It hurt."


    "But you were back together by the evening!" I said with a shrug, pulling the sled behind me as we slowly arrived at the top of the hill. "If not for magic, your muggle caretakers would have to wait months until you could help out once again!"


    "I bet they were not happy!" Quincy smirked, watching us catch up to her.


    "No, they were not." Neville shrugged, remembering it. "They were extremely angry for some reason!"


    "Probably because they couldn''t blame me," I added, looking at him apologetically.


    "I¡­ I don''t think so." He added, his voice sounding¡­ashamed? Weird. "Sorry¡­"


    "What?" I flinched as he murmured something at the end, but I barely caught it. Was he¡­ saying sorry? What for?


    "Nothing!" He smiled sheepishly at us before looking down from the top of the hill.


    "In the summer, we should have a trip on brooms," Quincy murmured, now interested in the idea.


    "I''m in!" I replied at once, "For sure! It is a pain riding in the winter, but when the heat kicks in? It is the best!"


    "This¡­ this looks higher than from below!" Neville interjected suddenly with a panicked voice.


    "Don''t chicken out now!" I pushed him, making Neville scream, but I pulled him back before he would fell and roll down. "Ahahaha! Don''t be a chicken! Snow is soft; I would easily cruise down by myself!"


    "Really now?" Quincy said, coming up to me and giving me a push. The next moment, I heard Neville''s panicked scream and her loud laugh, and I saw the scenery rolling up and down as I was rolling down the slope like a human snowball.


    "Ugh¡­" I moaned after stopping, trying to stand up, but the whole world was swimming around me. "I''m fine! You witch!" I shouted to them, taking a step, kicking out my leg, and landing face flat in the snow.


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    I knew Quincy had just shouted something back, but I couldn''t make it out with my face buried in the snow. As I managed to climb back to my feet, I saw the sled coming down like a comet; I heard Neville scream and Quincy laugh as the two of them were heading straight for me. I had no time to scream or shout, jumping out of the way at the last moment before they ran me over. Neville tried to break, putting his feet down, but that only resulted in the sled being flipped over as they crashed it.


    "You are a maniac!" I yelled, scrambling back up, watching Quincy giggling, climbing out under the wreckage.


    "Tell me it was not fun!" She heaved, trying to stop herself from laughing.


    "It wasn''t! It was terrifying!" Neville groaned, holding his sides, limping a little, "We broke it¡­." He added, watching the wooden sled that was split apart.


    "And?" Quincy and I asked, and she picked her wand out, pointed at it, and after uttering ''Reparo,'' it was good as new.


    "Ah¡­" Neville watched, going red in the face.


    "You always forget about magic!


    "What do you expect¡­?" He said with a lowered, somewhat angry, and ashamed voice, "I am always being told I can''t cast spell only when it is safe¡­ and when I am hidden!"


    "There should be no Inquisitors here!" Quincy added, trying to cheer him up, looking at me and asking for help.


    "Yeah, and we are not being tracked! Even if the area is, we can pass it as any spell you can cast could also be used by Quincy or Me!"


    "Still¡­ The others would be very¡­ very angry with me if I did! And I don''t have a wand on me!"


    "Man up, Neville!" I walked up to him, shaking his shoulders, "You are a wizard, and Father said that you are a really good one! I have never known him to be wrong! Hell¡­ I would be much happier if you were also attending school with us!"


    "T-thanks¡­ But even if I could, I don''t think my Uncles and Aunts would let me."


    "Muggles¡­ what do they know?" I snorted while Quincy also nodded her head, agreeing, but from the corner of my eye, I saw that Neville looked extremely troubled. As if he almost blurted something out that he caught at the last moment, gulping it back and burying it just in time.


    "Hey!" Quincy interjected, looking so excited that I never saw her glowing as intensely as now. "Let''s leave it at that and go another round!"


    "Sure! But this time, I want to go down on the sled and not like some kind of discarded racing tire!" I moaned, looking at her, but she just laughed, and we dragged the sled back up to have another go... and many more.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Whew!" Quincy moaned as she plopped down right beside me in the big living room, wearing a thick, fluffy, violet robe with the coat of arms of my family, her hair held up in a big bun. "Thank you, Squeaky!" She said as the elf presented her with a mug of hot chocolate, the same thing I was holding, leaning back on the oversized leather couch, enjoying the blaze dancing in the fireplace before us.


    It was already past eight, and we only got back at seven, in the midst of a snowstorm that came crashing down on us from nowhere. After a refreshing, hot bath that we, of course, took separately, it was fun to just relax and do nothing. I could barely feel my legs anyway.


    "That was fun! I never had such a great day before! Thanks for inviting me!" She said, beaming from both her eyes and face, looking at me, and I couldn''t help but feel my face blushing as I tried to hide it by slurping my own portion of hot chocolate.


    "Anytime!" I answered after gathering my thoughts. "You were wild, you know that? I never seen you like this!"


    "Because I felt relaxed!" She said, swinging her legs, and I was surprised to see her having so much energy after all that happened. "I¡­ simply decided I won''t worry about anything for one day! It was¡­ liberating!"


    "You even hit it off with Neville, and I never saw him get relaxed so quickly! It took me days to make him loosen around me, yet I have known him since I could remember!"


    "He is a nice guy. He is a bit dull¡­ but he could be a good friend; I can see why you are on such good terms with him! But why do you say that? The other kids are not? Or he doesn''t have other friends?"


    "There are no other kids in the town:" I answered simply, finding no problems with it, unlike Quincy.


    "Only him?" She sat up straight, looking at me with surprise.


    "Um¡­ I think yes. I never met with any other kid." I tilted my head.


    "Conrad¡­ that is not normal. Muggles or not, hidden squibs and mudbloods, it does not matter¡­ one kid in the whole town? That is everything but normal!"


    "I¡­" Now, thinking about it¡­ yeah¡­ she was right. "I grew up here... It was always like this. I¡­ never thought about it¡­"


    "Haah¡­ then start doing it! But¡­¡± She fell silent, thinking, raising her mug, biting the edge of it, sipping on its content very slowly. I could see the gears moving inside her head, behind her shining eyes, which were reflecting the flames waltzing inside the fireplace. It made her whole face shine in an otherworldy hue... it was beautiful. No... She was. "I won''t bring it up anymore. It is your family''s business¡­ but it is not normal, Conrad."


    "I guess¡­" I averted my eyes, feeling nervous for some reason. "But¡­ It shouldn''t be something weird or too important¡­ I think." I added hurriedly, and I think she thought I was shy because of being stupid... and not because I was looking at her like being under a charm or something.


    "As I said, I won''t ask; I will forget it!" She shook her head, returning to her satisfied, joyful mood. "I think I will sleep very well tonight!"


    "I second that!" I answered, leaning back, relaxing, and almost falling asleep immediately. "You know, I could get used to this!"


    "Just what I wanted to say¡­" She whispered, her eyes closed as we just sat there, listening to the snowstorm outside and to the orange flames crackling inside the fireplace.

 Chapter 28 – Returning to School

    The Christmas break passed faster than I ever remembered. Maybe it was because Quincy was there with me. On the last day, just before we were to travel back to Hogwarts, Father called me aside, giving me a little, furry, knapsack-like bag.


    "Everything is in here. It is enough for two rituals, so use them wisely, son!" He instructed me with a stern voice. "You will have to procure a magical beast for it¡­ Do you have any ideas?"


    "The Forbidden Forest at school," I answered immediately.


    "Mhm. That should do¡­ But before you go in there¡­ I would start at the library."


    "True, we need more information about the forest." I nodded, but he just continued as if trying to speak in a riddle, making me feel¡­ curious.


    "Check the history of Hogwarts first. I would¡­ focus on Salazar and the years between 1940 and ''45¡­ This is only a hunch! It came to me as I was looking for your ingredients¡­ You have to look it up inside the school''s library; in the outside world, almost all clues were¡­ wiped out."


    ¡°O¡­ Okay¡­¡± I answered weakly, trying to think about its meaning, but he continued as if nothing had happened.


    "One more thing. This ritual is still untested¡­."


    "I will test it on Draco," I said before he could continue. "I already have a vague idea of what I want to do with him. Don''t worry!"


    "Watch out for him!" Father warned me, and his tone was serious. "His dad has fallen out of HIS grace¡­ their family, even if they don''t want to admit it, is tethering on the edge of being expelled from the Death Eaters!"


    "You can be expelled from them?" I asked, furrowing my brows¡­ I never heard about something like that, but then it clicked in my mind.


    "Yes." Father nodded, looking into my enlarged eyes. ¡°So¡­ As I said¡­ Be careful around him! Draco is young, but he can still be tasked with some missions that he can only achieve at school! But... I think you are better than him~!" He chuckled, making me smile, feeling proud, "But that does not mean he is stupid! I bet his lips are talkative back home, and you already asked for help from him!"


    "True¡­ Was that a mistake?"


    "Depends on how you go forward, son! But it could turn out to be one. For now¡­ only trust Quincy and the Headmaster."


    "Mhm." I nodded, receiving a hug from him before I was escorted out to the car to be brought to King''s Cross and board the train back to school with Quincy. She was still mesmerized by her gift for Christmas, watching the new, exquisitely carved wand-hilt I gave her, made out of enchanted material. It was deep-purple in color, filled with hundreds of small, star-like dots, blinking and glittering in the sunlight. It was cool and soft to the touch, helping to relax the witch or wizard''s mind when casting spells, enhancing their focus.


    "Thanks again¡­" She whispered as I climbed into the car.


    "Hey, no worries!" I grinned, "I am glad you like it!"


    "Yes¡­ yes, I do¡­" She murmured, smiling at me gently as I closed the door, and we were headed back, leaving our estate behind.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    We were sitting in our compartments, watching the changing scenery as we headed back to school. Only the two of us were there, sitting opposite each other, saying nothing for a very long time until Quincy opened her mouth.


    "Nervous?"


    "Hm?"


    "You have been tapping on your armrest constantly, and I can see your eyes stare into nothingness! It is like you are here physically but not mentally."


    "You learned to read me like an open book!" I grinned, especially after I made her blush a little.


    "Yeah, yeah! So? Is it the ritual?"


    "Yep."


    "And it is about getting a magical snake, hm?"


    "Yes¡­ and no," I answered, leaning forward, crossing my fingers, and resting my chin atop the back of my hand. "If I summon a snake by magic, it should be considered¡­ magical. I am going to test it out with one on Draco. I promised him, and it will make him believe he became special!"


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    "Will he not? Plus¡­using it up on Draco¡­ tsk! I do not like the idea, Conrad!"


    "We need a scapegoat."


    "What for?" She flinched, turning stiff at once, looking towards the door before standing up and pulling the shade down.


    "My goal did not change much¡­ That old hag must die¡­. I wasn''t just saying it for dramatic effect!" I explained, not avoiding her eyes, saying my honest thoughts. I was ready to share them with her for real, and it seemed I wasn''t wrong because she nodded without hesitation.


    "She enjoys the torture¡­ there are some bad teachers at school, yes¡­ but that bitch takes the crown!"


    "You are hiding a sharp tongue! Damn!" I whistled, making her blush once more, but then again, I also saw her subconsciously rub her hand where a faint scar of Professor Umbridge''s favored punishment could be seen.


    "I don''t know if we would succeed¡­ but I like to make preparations. Magic is easily traceable, and we are still novices¡­ we couldn''t pull anything off with ordinary magic."


    "You still did not give up on the basilisk stuff?"


    "No. And I will tell you why but before that, I need more¡­ proof. Can you do something for me?"


    "Say it!" She said firmly, waiting for me to continue.


    "Go to the library once we are back and try to find any information about the school from¡­ around¡­ 50 years ago! Between 1940 and 1945! See if any deaths occurred in those years or any strange events!"


    "Why¡­?" She asked, but I knew it was out of curiosity and not because she needed more before agreeing.


    "I don''t know, but my Father said something happened around that period! Something that is being swept under the rug in the outside world!"


    "Something happened¡­" She bit her lower lip, which she usually did when thinking and being excited, giving her a charming expression¡­ "If it is being hidden from everybody," She continued, shaking me out of my sudden lapse of focus, "It can mean only two things!"


    "Yes?"


    "It either has to do something with HIM or with Dumbledore!"


    "Or both!" I added, my eyes lighting up just like hers.


    "I''ll start immediately! What will you do?"


    "I''ll begin to set up the ritual; it needs time! And if it succeeds, then Draco will be our scapegoat!"


    "Wait¡­" She opened her mouth a little.


    "Yeah! Hypothetically, if we succeed and we manage to get rid of that monster, there will be an investigation, I am sure of it! We need someone to take the fall!"


    ¡°But¡­ wait¡­ you will modify his memories? That can be reversed!"


    "Yes, it can be¡­." I smiled, "But my ritual is going to modify his bloodline¡­ modifying a little bit of memory about it is not that hard~! And it should be a modification that is not like the usual magic! I don''t think too many could discover it... And do you think HE would come down, personally looking into it?"


    "You are¡­ evil!" Quincy laughed, covering her grin with her hands as she looked at me, leaning back in my seat.


    "Maybe! But it is for our safety! If they don''t investigate it, he will be fine; he can even parade around with newfound power while we remain out of sight where we can move and act freely!"


    "Hah! We will see! Also¡­ your plan still has a very, very, veeeeeery big hole in it!"


    "I know!" I moaned, rolling my eyes. "We need a damned basilisk first!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It wasn''t hard to settle back into our daily routine of attending classes, and learning about magic and magical history, even if the snow was still falling outside and the festive feelings sometimes reared their heads when sitting in our common room, glancing at orange flames inside our fireplace. Quincy, at my request, was spending more time in the library, trying to uncover some clues that my Father hinted at, while I was looking for a place that would house our ritual.


    I considered using the abandoned divination classroom, but¡­ I don''t think that it would suffice. It is not exactly hidden, and if the ritual has some weird after-effects or magical fluctuations, it could easily be discovered by the teachers, interrupted, or something worse. I needed a new palace, somewhere safe¡­ somewhere I could attempt it without fearing being disturbed.


    "Wandering around again?" A sarcastic voice asked me as I was leaving our common room on a Tuesday afternoon.


    "Yep," I answered without turning towards Draco.


    "Have you fought, lovebirds?" He asked, making his cronies giggle like infants seeing something shiny spinning above their cribs.


    "Did something happen back home?" I stopped, answering with a question, furrowing my brows, looking over my shoulder, and glancing directly into his eyes. I thought we were on a more¡­ amicable term. To provoke me just like that, after a break, means something did happen¡­ and my Father was right about their family and their precarious circumstances.


    "Hmph! You act like you don''t know!"


    "I don''t," I answered swiftly, shrugging.


    "Yeah, sure you don''t! I bet your Father is proud for shifting the blame onto my family!"


    "Hah¡­" He did? Never mentioned it to me¡­ hmm¡­ So something was going on between Lucius Malfoy and my Father¡­ Well, they do hate each other, I am sure, and it seems we came out on top this time. "Look¡­" I shrugged, speaking to him, "I am not really filled in with what goes on with my family. I am not yet at the age to start taking responsibility! I am tasked with learning; that is what I am focusing on! I have no idea what you are on about!"


    "Hmph, seems like your snake of a dad doesn''t trust anyone, eh? Not even his son!"


    It took me a great effort to keep my expression calm and uninterested after that. But¡­ it also confirmed to me that he would be a perfect lab rat for our experiment.


    "Unlike you," He continued, "I am involved in family dealings¡­ you better watch your back, Anguine!" He turned around and almost entered the common room when I spoke up.


    "And here I thought I owed you from before¡­ So, you don''t want to take part in it anymore? Not even when I am so close to uncovering something exciting?"


    "...?" He stopped, flinching, looking back, and I saw his breathing speed up.


    "Oh well¡­ More remains for us then!"


    "Don''t you dare renege on our deal!" He flared up immediately.


    "Deal? We had¡­ a deal? Oh, really? Do you have any receipts?" I grinned before turning around, waving my hand, "Don''t worry, I have a backbone, unlike some other families! I won''t forget those who help me! See ya later, Draco!"


    He said something, but I had already ignored it. I was not in the mood for a petty squabble¡­ I had three hours before curfew to explore the castle. I had to find a place where we could perform the ritual. The rest can come after that¡­

 Chapter 29 – Room of Requirements

    It was Saturday. Now that we had no classes, Quincy returned to the library while I was back to explore the castle corridors after waking up early and having a quick breakfast.


    "This just does not want to work out, does it¡­?" I murmured, walking along the 7th-floor corridor as I intended to head back to our ''headquarters.''


    My search was fruitless as any empty room I found was not really hidden. Anyone walking by could come in any time they wished. At least, ours was atop the North Tower, and you had to actively climb up a ladder to get there, lowering the chance that someone would just¡­ come up. I tried looking around everywhere, even in the dungeons. I even considered the abandoned bathroom there but heard the ghost who inhabited it wailing¡­ I bet our ritual would fail simply because of the interference of her loud tantrums.


    "Haaah¡­" I sighed again, stopping at the giant tapestry, watching the funny-looking wizard on it, trying to teach the trolls to dance¡­ to¡­ do ballet? "Heh¡­ Barnabas the Barmy." I chuckled, walking up and down before it. I started to remember the tale, reading it when I was smaller, warning young witches and wizards about the danger of going too far with things. "Maybe I am doing just the same?" I asked myself, and it was that moment when I heard a click.


    Turning around, searching for the source of the sound, I saw a door on the empty wall. One that I was sure it was not there before. I couldn''t be mistaken¡­ or¡­? No. I had walked past here many times already, and there were no doors here before. None. By the time my thoughts caught up with my body, I was already gripping the handle, pushing it down, and entering the newly found room.


    "What the¡­?!" I gasped, stepping into the ancient-looking room. Its walls were void of all decoration, made from bare, grey stone, the same as the hard ground. Looking up, there was no ceiling, only the projection of the sky, representing the outside world, just the same as in the Great Hall. "No way¡­!" I gulped, feeling my stomach lurch as in the middle, there was the same ritual I was about to set up, all prepared, only missing its two core components. The sacrifice and the recipient.


    If I say I was flabbergasted, I wouldn''t be even close to what I was feeling at that moment. I immediately considered someone was in on us¡­ but that should not be possible. Someone else wanted to do the ritual? No¡­ that was also not possible, simply by the fact that this knowledge had to be inherited. Did Father tell the Headmaster about it? Did he put this here? I¡­ I don''t think so. Why wouldn''t he inform me about it, then? Why would he warn me he only collected enough materials for two tries?


    All these questions and more were swirling in my mind while I walked around the room, watching the magical circle etched directly into the stone floor. The seven goblets that should be placed at its key points were all there, filled with the exact amount of ingredients. All the rare plants, magical beast parts, everything was laid out perfectly. I just only had to add the last ''ingredient,'' step into my spot, and let the magic begin.


    "This is¡­ nonsense." Still, in disbelief, I laughed as I tore my eyes away, watching the enchanted ceiling. "This is even better¡­ If we can do this under the full moon, it will be even more effective! Which is¡­ two weeks away¡­ I hope I can find you again!" I licked my lips before exiting, closing the door and watching it slowly disappear.


    ¡­


    ¡­..


    ¡­¡­


    "We need to talk¡­" I whispered, arriving in the library in a hurry and finding Quincy sitting at one of the tables, reading a giant book filled with multiple cutouts of old newspapers and hand-written reports.


    "Okay¡­" She answered, watching my face that tried to look calm, but she immediately noticed my excitement, the fact that I was trying to regulate my breathing after rushing down to get her. "I also found something."


    I said nothing in response, only helping her clean up before we left the library, trying to look nonchalant. Looking around, making sure we were alone, I led her up to the 7th floor, taking some extra turns to double ensure when we arrived there, it was only the two of us.


    "So¡­ we are not going to headquarters?" She asked as we took a different route to the 7th floor.


    "No." I shook my head, saying quietly, "I found a hidden room! It appeared from nowhere!"


    "A¡­ hidden room?" She asked, furrowing her brows, watching me stop before the tapestry of Barnabas. "Where?"


    "There." I pointed at the empty wall. "It appeared right there, out of thin air! I walked in, and it was¡­ perfect!"


    "Perfect?" She tilted her head to the right, watching me, then the stone slabs making up the wall. She ran her fingers along, knocking at it, but it was solid, and even when she tapped it with her wand, nothing changed. "What do you mean by perfect?"


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    "It had a complete ritual set up inside already!"


    "You are joking!" She whirled around immediately.


    "Nope! When I got out, I watched the door disappear."


    "..."


    "Are you¡­?" I tried to ask, but she shook her head.


    "No, I believe you. This is Hogwarts we are talking about! It was built with long-lost, ancient magic. I can easily see it summoning a room to the exact requirements of a wizard! I just¡­ well, I would think it would do so for the teachers! Not for¡­ us!"


    "Maybe it does indiscriminately?" I asked, crossing my arms, "Doing it for those who need it? Who want it?"


    "Could be¡­ The question is, how do you make it appear? What did you do?"


    "I was watching him." I pointed at Barnabas over my shoulder before turning to face it once again after Quincy walked next to me. "I thought I may be just as mad to go this far for some stupid idea of mine."


    "Not a bad thought." She chuckled, watching the trolls beating the poor wizard with their clubs. "Hmmm¡­ And you just stood here while the door¡­ appeared?"


    "No," I spoke, thinking back, and started to pace up and down the same way. "I was walking up and down like this, and while doing so, thinking about my plan-"


    *click*


    "Exactly like that." I turned towards the wall, almost falling over, and both of us could see the door standing there, decorating the previously empty wall.


    "Woah!" Quincy took a sharp breath and walked forward, opening it without hesitation. Once again, going in, it was the same room as before, making me grin with elevation. This was exactly what we needed, and Hogwarts provided it.


    "See? I told you, it has everything!"


    "Yes¡­ yes, it does!" She licked her lips.


    "Now we just need the sacrificial beast!"


    "About that¡­" Quincy turned towards me abruptly, looking into my eyes, "I think I found what your Father hinted at!"


    "I''m listening."


    "Have you ever heard about the¡­ Chamber of Secrets?" She smiled, looking like a crafty little fox.


    "No¡­ it does not ring a bell. But this place could be called that, couldn''t it?" I joked, making her giggle.


    "Then we would be dead! Like Myrtle Elizabeth Warren!"


    "Who?"


    "Moaning Myrtle!"


    "Once again¡­ who?"


    "Haaah!" She walked around, sitting down on a puffy chair as I followed suit. She was about to continue when we looked at each other, then to our left, and not just the chairs appeared, but we had a round table next to us, filled with snacks and drinks.


    "Okay, this is not the Chamber of Secrets; this is the Chamber of Awesomeness!" I laughed loudly, grabbing at the juiciest looking, bacon-filled sandwich, and chomped into it.


    "This is¡­ something else!" Quincy nodded, following suit as we started to have lunch while talking. "Moaning Myrtle is the ghost occupying the out-of-order bathroom in the dungeons!"


    "Oh! That one! I see, I see! I never knew her name! So¡­ what does she have to do with all of this? Was she a sacrifice too?"


    "Kinda." Quincy nodded, explaining it to me between bites from her sandwich. "Back in 1943, this Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a monster from inside was released, attacking mudbloods! The whole thing culminated in it finally killing one! The school was almost closed down because of it!"


    "Waaaait!" I raised my hand. "Something was released from the Chamber? It only attacked mudbloods?"


    "Yep!" Quincy smiled, watching the cogs in my head turn, "It is said that Salazar Slytherin himself built it and hid a monster inside! Only his heir can open it!"


    "It was HIM!" I jolted, springing to my feet, coming to a conclusion immediately. HE was at this school in that timeframe! Since taking up the leading position in the Wizarding World, HE so many times proclaimed that HE was the last of the Gaunts, the last of Slytherin''s blood, that it was common knowledge. If that Chamber had been opened, only one man could have done it!


    "I think so too." Quincy nodded. "Although the papers say otherwise."


    "Meaning?" I asked, sitting back and calming myself down.


    "The reports that I managed to collect are speaking about the fact that Rubeus Hagrid was the culprit, raising a dangerous spider in secret that caused the death of Myrtle."


    "That¡­ Hagrid?" I asked, as his name was high on the Most Wanted Wizards list, and he was a staunch supporter of Dumbledore.


    "Yes. There is more¡­ it says that HE, still a young wizard, caught him in the act, but Dumbledore protected him even back then! Hagrid was expelled but remained under Hogwart''s care all those years, even working here as the gamekeeper! But I don''t believe it. I mean... the part that it was him who did it."


    "Me neither." I agreed at once. "It was mudbloods who were attacked. Dumbledore protected the ''culprit after'' HE caught him¡­ all this just¡­ doesn''t feel right."


    "No, it doesn''t, especially if you check the descriptions of the victims! Only one died, but multiple were attacked!" She continued, taking a big gulp from a bottle of butterbeer. "All of them were petrified!"


    "A basilisk!" I gasped, my eyes glowing bright as a lighthouse.


    "I think so too! The descriptions I found of the injured and the one dead, all the symptoms match how a basilisk kill! All of it! The others were simply lucky to not look directly into its eyes! The school was on the verge of a shutdown, and I think HE was not ready for that! He simply resealed the Chamber!"


    "I could kiss you now!" I declared, grinning, feeling that everything was coming together so suddenly it made me dizzy. This was the best day of my life!


    "...." Quincy simply lowered her head, turning tomato red from head to toe, but I did not mind it, nor was I in the mood to start teasing her. I wasn''t lying anyway!


    "Okay¡­ Okay! Let us think and plan this out!" I exclaimed happily, standing up and walking in circles. "We need to come up with something good and execute it at once! We are dealing with a basilisk here!"


    "And if we go down to get it¡­." Quincy added, clearing her throat, trying to look unflustered, with no real success, "There are no mudbloods here for it to kill. What if it turns against us?"


    "Yes¡­ that would not be the best¡­ so¡­ that is why I say we need to be extra cautious and plan this out." I said, sitting back down, looking into her eyes, "You are the best!"


    "Hauh¡­" She blushed once more, and this time, I could not help but start teasing her.

 Chapter 30 – The First Ritual (1)

    We got to work immediately. Our first job was to confirm everything Quincy had learned about. We scoured the old newspapers that we could get our hands on, and surprisingly, we found more info in them than from any other sources. It seemed as if HE totally forgot or just looked down on the so-called ''press'' and didn''t pursue the matter after it was hushed away to fade from the public''s mind. There were mentions of the Chamber of Secret incident many times in the Daily Prophet, throwing all the blame at Armando Dippet, who was the Headmaster at the time. The fact he couldn''t stop the increasing attacks against the students was a big blemish not just on his career but on Hogwarts itself. They were even threatening to shut the school down after Myrtle''s death. Only then was it discovered who was the real culprit; Rubeus Hagrid and its pet arachnid monster. After that, a few issues did expand on the story, how he was expelled, how his wand was broken, and how he was expelled from the magical community in a way¡­ yet remained at Hogwarts, living there.


    "And it was another reason why Dumbledore was clearly behind the attacks. At least¡­ going by the papers that were printed right after he escaped and left Hogwarts. Harkening back on the old news... It said he planned it all out, to chase out Dippet and replace him as the new Headmaster. A complete smear campaign, it seems."


    "Who knows? He could have been behind it!" I shrugged as we were walking along the giant lake, having a discussion out in the open, breathing in the cold January air to freshen our minds. "It did work a little, no?"


    "You don''t believe that!" He looked at me sideways, making me grin.


    "Nope! I do not! Not after all the dots are connected. It is hard to ignore the facts. Also¡­ isn''t it weird that this information, even if subtly, got suppressed and slowly removed from access? Nobody is talking about it, yet it happened. What? 50 years prior? In a wizard''s life, that is not even half!"


    "Hmmm, so¡­" She pulled out two flasks from her winter coat, tapping them with her wand, "Incendio!" she voiced before opening them, and the next moment, we were drinking hot chocolate milk from it while we were continuing to crunch the snow below our feet. "We know that an ancient snake is living under the castle. One that is immensely old! Maybe even more than a thousand years old! Who knows when it was hatched? Do basilisks live that long?"


    "I¡­ I think I read they can live up to... 800? 900 years?" I answered while sipping on my drink. "But if it is that old, it can mean three things. One, it has to be extremely powerful. Two, it is feeble as it is already way too old. Three, it hibernates or is kept young by magic. I don''t know which I would prefer."


    "Hmm¡­ My bet is on the first one. I had a talk with Professor Slughorn after our discovery. I was inquiring subtly if there is anything that could give protection against the gaze of a basilisk."


    "Let me guess... The answer is a resounding... no."


    "Yep!" She giggled, watching my face fall, although I expected it to be the case. "Not a direct contact, at least!"


    "Oh?"


    "Looking into its eyes is a death sentence. Even after the death of the snake, it could still kill you! It is that powerful! Now¡­ that brings us to the dilemma of how to face one!"


    "Looking through objects is the only option, but then we are going to be petrified. So¡­ The Professor has a solution for that?"


    "He does! Kinda!" Quincy grinned happily while explaining it to me. "Well, first, we spoke about the Mandrake Restorative Draught that can bring people back from being petrified! That is an after-effect solution, though! It is an advanced potion, but I was let to see the recipe while we were having dinner!"


    "You went on a dinner with him?" I asked, surprised, and somehow, I couldn''t explain why¡­ my chest contracted a little.


    "I did visit him in his office, and we¡­ talked. A lot¡­ That is why I was so exhausted last Tuesday! Anyway! Listen to this!" She continued feverishly, making me shake my head, pushing those weird thoughts that intruded into my mind back to the deepest part of it. "We don''t need to solve it from the perspective of dealing with a basilisk! We have to tackle this problem from the angle of preventing petrification!"


    "Is there a potion that lets you withstand the effects?"


    "There is! And I memorized it!"


    "What?!" I stumbled, slipping on ice hidden under the heavy snow that covered the landscape.


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    "Aha! Watch your steps!" She caught me, holding onto my hand as I regained my balance. "I asked if it was possible after a long talk, going into hypothetical rants with the old guy¡­ he is surprisingly talkative after a few rounds of brandy! I kinda like him because he is really open to those he likes!"


    "Yeah¡­ I guess¡­ so you went and shared some drinks with him, huh?" I grumbled and surprised even myself with how it came out.


    "Wait¡­ are you jealous?" She watched me, looking incredulous, scanning my eyes as I tried to avoid her gaze as I would do with the basilisk.


    "No¡­? Why would I?"


    "Conrad¡­" She blushed, and I was sure I heard her voice flutter a little, and I could swear she looked bashful yet extremely happy for some reason. "He is like a quirky grandpa or something!"


    "Khm!" I cleared my throat, rubbing the ridge of my nose, looking towards the lake, still avoiding her gaze, and smiled, "So? What is the solution? What did you memorize?"


    "EVERYTHING!" She spoke slowly, but with so much proudness I couldn''t help but look into her eyes and be lost in them for a moment. "There is a potion called Draught of Life! It boosts the user''s vitality to an unimaginable level! It is not against petrification per se¡­ but it works against it. It is said to be used when serious injuries may occur or when danger is imminent! It is a potion designed by warrior mages in medieval times before they went into battle. It is said it comes from the time of Merlin himself! It fills the one who drinks it with vigor and life energy and erects a protective charm inside their bodies!"


    "So this potion could battle the effects of petrification¡­" I murmured to myself, crossing my arms and scratching my chin while I breathed out a cloud of white smoke as we stood in the cold air¡­ yet none of us felt it. At that moment, both of us were just as excited, and we ignored the chilliness.


    "I went through it with the Professor multiple times! With all things considered, yes. It could. But it isn''t a perfect protection; we are talking about a basilisk here!"


    "What are the possible drawbacks?"


    "On one hand, it can at most deflect one glimpse at the eye through a medium. The petrification will kick in, but it has the potential to battle it. But¡­¡±


    "It does not mean some body parts won''t turn to stone."


    "Yes. The Professor also said there is an 80% probability that it will immediately turn some parts of the body to stone." Quincy nodded, agreeing with my deduction.


    "That is where the mandrake juice comes into play."


    "Ahaha~ Yes~ In combination, they can give us a chance to survive an initial encounter. But of course... this is only against its gaze. Not against the whole snake... you know, it can move, coil around us, bite us, kill us with venom... It does not only have the eyes!"


    "Yeah, I know... but I have an idea about that."


    "And what is that?"


    "If that beast stayed here for so long, he is loyal to its master, who was a parselmouth. If one would talk to him... I bet he wouldn''t kill that person! Because it would be an indication he is Salazar''s heir! That is why HE was not killed!"


    "You do realize that is a big IF..."


    "Heh..." I grinned, rubbing my nose sheepishly, making Quincy sigh as she just continued, ignoring it.


    "Also, after taking the Draught of Life, it is only active for a few minutes before diminishing completely. So it is a one-shot potion!"


    "Hmm¡­ still better than nothing. And you¡­ memorized it? That is what you told me?"


    "I did! Both of them!" She answered me proudly, her hands on her hip and pushing her chest out like she was expecting a medal of valor for it. "Your so-called ''mandrake juice'' is not even that hard! It just needs a fully-grown mandrake and has to be prepared carefully and under the right conditions! Easy! I even found its whole recipe in a library book! I cross-referenced everything I remembered, and I can do it!"


    "You¡­ are¡­ something!" I muttered with an open, gaping mouth, watching her completely astounded. Did she memorize advanced potion recipes just like that? What type of brain she has in her skull? No, for real? Was she an absolute genius? Well¡­ she was. I am sure about that now.


    "Fufufu!" She giggled again, pushing her chest out even more, basking in my evident surprise and shock. "The second potion¡­ well, that is a bit harder. I memorized the ingredients, when and how to add them, how to prepare them¡­ but¡­."


    "But? Lay it on me! I can take it!"


    "I have only a little confidence in making it. I may screw up the first few tries and¡­."


    "Its ingredients are rare. I get it. No matter! I guess you wrote all of it down?"


    "Um!" She nodded, searching her inner pocket and pulling out a rolled-up parchment for me. "Here! Are you going to ask your father to send it?"


    "No," I smirked, taking it and reading through the twelve clearly listed stuff we will need to procure. "It is time our little friend put in his own weight."


    "You will use Draco?" She asked, catching on quickly.


    "Yeah¡­" I bit my lower lip while thinking, "I already started planting the idea in him that we have something that would benefit him too. It is time I tell him parts of our plans. Some that he would not find problems with! Maybe even show him the Room of Requirments.


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?"


    "Risks have to be taken here and there!" I shrugged, "I am confident in leading him on a little. But I know he is not stupid... He will figure it out if I try tugging him along too long. For now, he only needs to see the ritual''s place and not the ingredients¡­ he can think these twelve will be what we need for it! While he gets them for us, we are going to capture a snake!"


    "Well¡­ hope this works!"


    "Me too." I put the parchment away and looked into her eyes, smiling, "But I am an ever optimistic~! So it will work~ With such a genius at my side!" I smacked my lips, hugging her shoulders, pulling her close.


    "Heh~ Flatterer!"


    "Glad you noticed!" I giggled as we continued walking, switching to a much more leisurely topic concerning whether the lake could freeze over entirely because of the merpeople living in it.

 Chapter 31 – The First Ritual (2)

    "So¡­ if I get you these¡­" Draco asked in a hushed voice as we stood outside our Dark Arts classroom, the last to leave a particularly dull and useless exercise.


    By now, we all realized how inept Professor Lockhart was, and his sole purpose seemed to be constantly creating chaos¡­ and then we had to clean up after him. I was already suspecting that this curriculum was about nothing but honing our skills to deal with accidents and sudden misfires of spells. A crash course on how to deal with dark magic and its effects, directly tailored for us first-year students. It was a practical class to deal with accidents when practicing curses. As I was thinking about this, I only half-listened to Draco. He constantly mumbled as he read through my ingredient list multiple times, trying to weigh how expensive this would be. I couldn''t help but smile inside as I also added some... extra stuff to the list. It wouldn''t hurt to have some profit for ourselves!


    "I know you don''t believe me." I yawned, "So I have another proposal."


    "I''m listening." He looked up, rolling up the parchment but did not give it back nor pocket it, showing his hesitation.


    "Follow me! It is going to be easier to show you!"


    I know Quincy was against showing this to him, but to achieve our goals, I had no better idea. This had to be something that would convince Draco and ignite a fire in his heart to become unique. His family was feeling the heat already, getting marginalized by the Death Eaters after repeated failures. Draco himself was punished multiple times already by Professor Umbridge, and unlike Quincy or me, he couldn''t take it without complaints. He even involved his father in it, resulting in Professor Umbridge''s even more severe punishment raining down on him.


    I actually thought of thanking him for it, as it meant Quincy and I had less chance of ending up in detention or under some kind of painful curse from the tip of her wand. I was surprised to hear Draco''s father, Lucius, did go and complain to HIM. Directly. Of course, he was made to regret such a decision as HIS wrath exploded out of HIM, blinding Draco''s father into one eye for having the gall to trouble HIM with trivial things like his son being punished.


    I won''t lie; I was highly entertained when Professor Umbridge retold the incident, taking up the first half of her Charms class. She made a clown out of Malfoy before all of us, and I saw it in her eyes¡­ she was enjoying it immensely. Especially the fact she could flaunt her own importance. She was a valuable asset to the Minister of Magic, going by her words, that outranked everything when it came to teaching future generations.


    No background mattered in Hogwarts, as the old saying went¡­ although I am sure it meant something else back then. From Professor Umbridge''s mouth, it took an entirely new meaning. No matter what the teachers did here, nobody would bother with it. I guess only deaths would give any grounds for complaints. While attending school, we were under their care¡­ their mercy. This realization was hammered into us with Draco''s painful example.


    "We are here," I said calmly, ending my thoughts and arriving where the entrance to the Room of Requirements was. I made sure to look like I was searching for something, so he won''t catch on how to make the door appear; I even pulled out my wand, tapping against the tapestry in different intervals, giving the impression I was casting a spell. I may reveal a secret of ours to him, but I am not going to hand it over on a silver platter.


    "What are you doing?" He asked, watching me with suspicion.


    "That." I pointed my wand at the wall, seeing the door appearing and enjoying the flabbergasted look on his face when turning around.


    "What¡­ how?"


    "Come!" I nudged him, refusing to elaborate, and led him into the room where everything was as I expected. This place truly knew what I wished for as the ingredients were now gone from the ritual¡­ I just hope they will come back next time. "I told you we have been working."


    "You weren''t lying¡­" He whispered, trying hard to mask his surprise and the excitement he was feeling. "So¡­ what is this place?"


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    "Where we are going to do our ritual!"


    "Explain this ritual to me. I want to know everything and not be your guinea pig, Conrad!" He looked at me, trying to play the strong and influential noble role before me. Not that it would have worked, not even a few years back.


    "Quincy and I discovered a dark art that we have been researching ever since. We finally completed it in theory! We only need the last ingredients to turn it into a reality." I explained calmly, pointing at the list in his hand. "If you get them for us, you will have a spot and be part of it. It is that simple! We already exhausted our resources¡­ and I heard your family is wealthy with a lot of connections!"


    "You heard well!" He snorted, which was hard to not laugh at. "But how should I know you are not playing me here?"


    "Remember when I was almost found dead?"


    "Was it¡­?"


    "Yep, I was experimenting with it. As I said, we were perfecting it!"


    "So you say that was a failed experiment?" He looked at me suspiciously.


    "I wouldn''t say it was a failure!" I grinned, flicking my wand and casting multiple spells without speaking, showing him my sudden proficiency in wordless magic that should be a 6th-year curriculum.


    "You can¡­ cast spells without speaking?" He caught on quickly but was still wary.


    "Yep. Any spells. What we have here is a ritual that gives its users special abilities! You do know that wordless spells can be weaker if the caster is not used to it or proficient enough with the spell. Do you think I really have the ability to learn and cast all my spells without saying anything? Thank you for your praise!" I giggled, making him look at me angrily. "So? What do you say? Are you in?"


    "I already told you previously, I want in! I''ll get your stuff, but I want first go at it!"


    "Well¡­ I promised Quincy¡­." I added, looking a bit troubled, but inside, I was laughing. He swallowed the bait with hook and sinker! Now I just had to play my own part well enough. If I agree so quickly, he may become suspicious. I couldn''t give in so readily.


    "I bet if you repeat the ritual, it will gradually lose its effectiveness! Don''t try to play me, Conrad; I am not an idiot!"


    "..." I bit my lip, avoiding his eyes. "You can go second."


    "I want to be the first or no deal! You can have a second! Why do you even letting that dreg go first and settle for being the last? Have you lost all of your self-respect?"


    ¡°That ¡®dreg¡¯ is my fianc¨¦¡­¡± I answered and couldn''t help my voice become a bit colder.


    "Pft?!" He laughed at first, quickly holding it back, without much success, "Really? You were forced to take her? Bwahaha! No joke?"


    "I wasn''t forced. I agreed to it." By now, I had to hold my hand behind my back because his words were starting to really anger me. I felt the hate rising up from my stomach, going into my heart, and being pumped through my veins and every muscle in my body, just like when I was looking at Professor Umbridge.


    "You have a weird taste, Conrad¡­ Willingly taking on such a low-caste being? That bloodline had fallen hard! It isn''t worth anything!"


    "..." I held back my thought of ''look who is speaking'' at the last moment before remembering to not blow up our plans at the last moment. "You can go first... I will deal with the rest." I spoke in the end, my voice calm, cold, and matter of factly.


    "Good! I will go and see to this." He smiled, raising the list in his hand. "I will tell you when I have everything!"


    "It is up to you!" I shrugged, following him as we walked out of the room and watched the door disappear. "The sooner you get it, the sooner we can get to it!"


    "Who do you think I am? I will get them soon enough!" Draco said confidently and left hurriedly. After he was gone, I heard familiar steps coming from the other end of the corridor.


    "So?" Quincy asked, stopping next to me.


    "I will kill him."


    "What?" She flinched, looking at me surprised and a bit puzzled because she could tell from my voice I was angry.


    "I will make sure he regrets what he just told me." I closed my eyes, pushing back my anger from where it came.


    "Pft, I bet he was acting like a Malfoy would! Don''t take it to heart!" She giggled, nudging me, "Like father like son!"


    "Maybe. He will do it, by the way." I changed the topic, turning away from the spot where Draco disappeared and smiling at Quincy instead.


    "So? What now? We just have to wait?" She asked, sounding excited.


    "No. We get snakes for ourselves. Draco¡­ he will have to do with a summoned serpent! Fuck him! If the spell does not work with it, good! Hmph! Serves him right!"


    "Ahaha, he said something really nasty, eh?"


    "Called you a dreg," I mumbled.


    "Wait, you are angry because he called me something nasty?" She leaned forward, examining my face and eyes, forming a broad smile while blushing.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah¡­ you are my fianc¨¦, so¡­ he should hold back his tongue!"


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ yes¡­ yes I am¡­¡± She blushed even more, but her smile became even more radiant. "Come!" She suddenly grabbed my hand, starting to pull me away.


    "W-what is it?" I asked, stumbling at the sudden force tugging at me.


    "I was bored waiting, so I snuck some food out; let''s go to our tower and relax a little!"


    "Now that you mention¡­ I do feel hungry!" I answered, letting my fingers interlock with hers as she led me and I simply followed, feeling more content than ever before.

 Chapter 32 – The First Ritual (3)

    Only two weeks. That was how much it took for Draco to gather everything. I expected it to be way longer, especially knowing his family¡¯s situation. I don¡¯t know how he managed it or if he informed his father of anything that we were doing¡­ but my guess would be yes, he did. Well¡­ I can¡¯t deal with everything and have to trust that my father can back me up if it comes down to the worst.


    ¡°When will it be ready?¡± Draco asked while we met in the dungeons, calling me to the side as we were heading to our Common Room after dinner.


    ¡°If you help me set up, we can start tomorrow. I can go right now-¡±


    ¡°I am in detention¡­¡±


    Of course, you are. I knew it already, seeing his bandaged right hand where he was covering up the newest markings from Professor Umbridge¡¯s punishment. I think the fact that she has been focusing on him so much made Draco gather the ingredients this swiftly. He couldn¡¯t wait to get back at her. I brought this up so he would not butt in what I do with the ingredients in the first place.


    ¡°When would be good for you? As you guessed, this needs to be done¡­ fresh.¡±


    ¡°Saturday.¡±


    ¡°Will do¡­¡± I answered after a brief consideration, acting as if I was calculating how to do it. ¡°To not be suspicious, I will go first, and Quincy will bring you along later on. You will notice her giving you a signal,¡± I performed a hand gesture to him, ¡°and you just have to follow her then!¡±


    ¡°If you use it ahead of me¡­¡± He tried to be intimidating, pushing himself up like some kind of cat, trying to look larger than life.


    ¡°I am not you,¡± I answered with a snort, rolling my eyes and departing, but mostly because I barely could hold my smirk back¡­ so it was best to leave.


    Arriving into our Common Room, I sat with Quincy as we started whispering, ensuring nobody was listening to our discourse. Thanks to the news slipping from Walburga, Quincy¡¯s grandmother¡¯s mouth, it was already known amongst the prominent families that she would marry into our family, even with the caveat that her firstborn son would wear the name, Black. Well¡­ that is still far away in the future, anyway. Still, that did not stop the fact that many looked at me as if I was a lunatic, that I was going along with it so willy-nilly. Even enjoying it. Heh¡­ so what? I think I would enjoy her company for a long time¡­ maybe¡­ Maybe I did fall in love¡­ and if this is how it feels? Making me giddy inside and relishing even the most mundane tasks with her¡­ Happy for being with her even if we do nothing? Then this is the best thing in the world!


    ¡°So?¡± Quincy asked as I was just looking at her, being lost a little.


    ¡°Here.¡± I passed the bag onto her hands. ¡°Got everything!¡±


    ¡°Nice¡­¡± She grinned, checking the contents as if I had just brought home the groceries, and now she could cook the perfect supper with it. ¡°There are some extra things in this!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your hubby here taxed Draco for you!¡±


    ¡°Idiot!¡± She giggled, blushing and elbowing me on the sides. ¡°But nice! Excellent! I already know how I will use them! I can make some exceptionally good poisons from these!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ really?¡± I flinched, feeling if I really married her¡­ I should be extra careful, ¡°We didn¡¯t learn any poisons yet¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t. I did. I am already borrowing books that are fourth and fifth-year potion books!¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah! Stop right there, girl! You want to tell me you are ahead of us by that much?! Since when?!¡±


    ¡°I did not say I can make them! Yet!¡± She scoffed at me but looked incredibly proud while doing so. ¡°But I have been reading ahead! Potion-making is easy, and talking with Professor Slughorn always gives me new perspectives! He is a really, really good potion maker! One of the best!¡±


    ¡°I heard the Headmaster was a great one too,¡± I murmured, thinking back a little, reading some old articles and notes from Hogwarts, when it was Dumbledore who was Headmaster.


    ¡°The Professor said the same too. Well¡­ I never had the chance to see it for myself, but that is not what we are talking about! So? When?¡±


    ¡°Saturday,¡± I said, looking around, but the Common Room was slowly getting emptied out as everyone went to bed. ¡°I will go first; set it up. After I leave, wait fifteen minutes before leading Draco over.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I will open the door the same way you told me.¡±


    ¡°Do it with the extra subtle swish.¡± I winked at her, ¡°I saw him once, trying to mimic me and get into the room when I was heading to our headquarters. Let him think he just didn¡¯t catch all the details!¡±


    ¡°Okie-dokie~!¡± She giggled softly, making me smile even more. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait for the full moon? You said that it-¡±


    ¡°For Draco? Nah! Or¡­ are you getting attached to our third wheel? Owie! Stop, stop! My ear! Let it goooo~! Sowwwyyyyyyy!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± She snorted, letting go of my ear, now barely hanging on as she nearly ripped it off. Damn¡­ she has some hidden strength in her arms or something!


    ¡°Don¡¯t go and twist things on me¡­ it is not nice!¡± I moaned painfully.


    ¡°True, I should instead learn a spell that glues your tongue to the top of your mouth so you can shut up before speaking stupid things!¡±


    ¡°Haaaah¡­ Then how would I kiss you?¡± I asked without even thinking and before realizing both of us were looking at each other, turning a deep shade of red.


    ¡°Like I would let you use the tongue! Hmph!¡± And with that, she stood up, leaving me there, dumbfounded.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I murmured after I was left alone, leading back with a soft sigh and furrowed eyebrows, ¡°Not that I know how to do it¡­ should¡­ should I practice? But¡­ how?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When the time had finally come, I made sure to go and prepare everything well. I followed the instructions in my mind, and it was like doing something remarkably familiar, as if another hand was leading mine in adding the ingredients, lighting the fire, and adding the final touches.


    When I was finished, the goblets surrounding the focal point of the ritual were burning in multi-colored flames. It was like looking into a burning rainbow as I watched it from the side, hearing the door open and Quincy coming in, followed by Draco. I bet he was nervous I would leave him out.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± The two said simultaneously, watching the fire burning and changing color periodically.


    ¡°Everything is ready, but we need to hurry!¡± I said, looking at Draco. ¡°Stand in the middle!¡±


    ¡°What if-¡± He wanted to say something, but then I cut him off impatiently.


    ¡°Then I do it!¡± Turning around, I saw Quincy holding back her laughter, and before I could step forward, he pulled me back by the shoulders.


    ¡°Our deal! Remember it!¡±


    ¡°I think it was you who had to be reminded of it!¡± I snorted and waited for him to stand in the middle of the formation.


    ¡°What should I do¡­ now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I will do the rest!¡± I said, taking out my wand and summoning a snake straight before him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t flinch!¡± Quincy scolded him mockingly. Seeing the expression on Draco¡¯s face immediately turning sour was satisfying. He was about to shoot back something nasty, but I continued, cutting it short as my next spell came to me naturally.


    ¡°Sacrificium!¡± I cried out silently, and the summoned snake went stiff, rising to the air, and then it popped like a balloon, throwing scales, skin, and guts everywhere, mainly covering the currently shouting Draco.


    It was also something I did not expect, but my hand remained stretched out, my wand pointing at the snake or what remained of it¡­ at a swirling, twirling ball of blood. Before Draco could react, it flew at him, entering through his open mouth and disappearing into his body, making him choke and hold his throat in surprise. Quincy and I glanced at each other, but none of us knew what was going on. Next, the flames went out, one by one, and everything was over just like that.


    ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± I asked, watching Draco retch, kneeling on the stone floor.


    ¡°Do I look okay?¡± He groaned, ¡°What was that, you idiot?!¡±


    ¡°He is fine,¡± Quincy answered with a dull voice, looking down at Draco, her eyes showing such a disdainful light I had never seen before.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± Draco asked, standing back up, which I was also curious about.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Try feeling if something is different or not!¡±


    In the next few minutes, he tried many things, casting spells without speaking or a wand. Remembering something he never knew about. Reading our thoughts¡­ nothing worked. Of course, we knew why, but we couldn¡¯t be that open about it, or that would give away the ritual¡¯s actual function.


    ¡°Maybe the sacrificial offering was too little,¡± Quincy murmured, turning Draco¡¯s anger towards me. He was watching me as if I had just wasted all that he procured because I cheaped out on him.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Then I summoned another snake as if I was trying to examine it, but both of us were watching Draco¡¯s reaction.


    I started prodding the summoned little serpent, handling it a bit rougher, and I couldn¡¯t help but smirk a little. I also saw the same understanding flash through Quincy¡¯s eyes as she nodded at me. Draco looked stunned and amazed briefly, focusing directly on the snake before trying to look angry again without any success.


    ¡°Ahh, Quincy, you may have been right!¡± I moaned, looking deflated like a ball that was rescued from a kennel a step too late. ¡°Damn it! Look, Draco!¡± I turned towards him, trying my best to be apologetic. ¡°I will gather the new resources myself¡­ but I need time. Then we will try again; what do you say?¡±


    ¡°... S-sure¡­¡± He nodded, still watching the trashing snake in my hand before realizing he was acting weird. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare play tricks on me, got it? You owe me big time with this!¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I shrugged, ¡°Ouch!¡± And with that, I dropped the snake directly on Draco. ¡°Damned thing bit me!¡± I grumbled, but of course, that was a lie. I just wanted to see his response.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± He shrieked at the snake that was looking at him, clearly ready to attack now that it was set free¡­ and then stopped. Neither of us was surprised why because we heard Draco speak a language none of us were familiar with. I was just about to say something, but to my surprise, the snake lashed out at him after a little waiting as if trying to figure out if it should listen to him or not. ¡°Damned beast!¡± Draco yelled, and Quincy vanquished the snake with a quick spell.


    ¡°Are you a wizard or not?¡± She asked, snorting loudly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a venomous one anyway! Grow some backbone already!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± He flared up again, but before it would devolve further, I stepped in, dissolving the tension between us. I made some hollow promises, saying I will work everything out, and I wasn¡¯t surprised he left so quickly. We could see the surprise and conflict in his eyes, unsure if he was right in the head and if he really heard what the snake was saying all this time or not.


    ¡°Are you really letting him go? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I am. You saw and heard him¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°That is why I am asking!¡± She crossed her hands, watching the door that Draco slammed behind him.


    ¡°I got what I wanted. Plus, he thinks I will set up the ritual for him again, and he may get another unique gift!¡± I smiled at her while explaining. She was cute when she was like this. Her angry and scornful looks gave a completely different flare to her appearance, and I can¡¯t lie; I liked it a lot.


    ¡°Yes, it worked, but-¡±


    ¡°The details!¡± I grinned, pointing where the snake was a moment before, ¡°It did not listen to him!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°He understands them, can speak to them¡­ but he can¡¯t control them. Not even a little watersnake like this one! He may have become a parselmouth¡­ but he has no power over them! I think he was right¡­ the quality of the sacrifice does matter.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Now I want the blood of the Basilisk¡­¡± I murmured my honest desire but then shook my head. ¡°Haha¡­ that is out of the question! No way we could get that, so I will have to make it with my next two choices, Boomslang or Ashwinder!¡±


    ¡°Do it to me!¡± Quincy said suddenly, surprising me. As I looked at her, she was determined and ready for action. ¡°Then we will get you Basilisk blood!¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ are you sure?¡± I gulped, feeling deeply touched by this.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± She nodded once again without pulling her eyes away from mine. ¡°Let it be a Boomslang; it is used in potions anyway! I am somewhat familiar with it. As an ingredient...¡±


    ¡°I will get the blood.¡± I agreed at once. It would be rude to refuse any longer. ¡°As we saw, we only need its essence!¡±


    ¡°Um. And we will wait for the full moon!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I looked up at the fake sky, and it was only getting dark outside now. ¡°You know¡­ our plan has changed again. It seems we just can¡¯t settle on one, eh?¡±


    ¡°Our plan?¡± She giggled, watching me, ¡°It is your plan; I am just accompanying you with it! But yeah, you are right¡­ you just can¡¯t make your mind up about things!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that is not true!¡± I laughed loudly, ¡°It is just the new variables change things as we go along! A plan that is not flexible is doomed to fail!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± She rolled her eyes, ¡°Now we are back to the library scouring once again¡­ you want to kill the beast, so we need to find things that can do that and also protect us from it!¡±


    ¡°We already made progress, or do my memories deceive me?¡±


    ¡°A Basilisk still has the deadliest poison known to us!¡± She warned me, and I couldn¡¯t help but shrug.


    ¡°True¡­ Well, we got this far already¡­ and you know, I just remembered something you said to me!¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± She tilted her head to the left, waiting for me to continue.


    ¡°That a dead Basilisk¡¯s eye can kill, even after its death¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to get it out from a dead snake than trying to control a thousand-year-old monster?¡± I smirked while the room fell into silence for long seconds to come.


    ¡°When we are done with this once and for all¡­ I am going to come up with our next plan for whatever we decide to do!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ deal~!¡±

 Chapter 33 – Lockhart’s Plight

    Our following days usually played out the same. Through the lessons, we kept an eye on Draco, trying to see how he would act or if he would speak to us again, but he became more reserved. Even worse, when we went to the library, now he was there. Not to wait for us but to do his own research, which was telling. We had to come up with something to avoid letting on what we were looking up, or we risked being found out. Giving clues to Draco was not a smart move¡­ so we moved the borrowed books into our hidden classroom. We could have used the Room of Requirements, but Draco knew about it now, and we wanted to use it less to avoid making him suspicious.


    "So¡­ you suggest we get a rooster and¡­ that is it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as we sat in the old divination classroom at the top of the North Tower.


    "Yes," Quincy answered, writing furiously on an extra-long parchment, not even raising her head.


    "What¡­ Should I order a dozen roosters for no reason?"


    "Have you been reading the same book as me or not?" She asked, getting annoyed, looking up from his work at last.


    "I did! But I am having doubts!" I leaned back, crossing my hands.


    True enough, our current hunt for clues was much more manageable. We found it on the first day, and the bestiary simply and clearly told us that the basilisk''s main weakness was a rooster''s call. Which was hilarious! The king of snakes dies if a rooster starts yapping? What? Why? How? What kind of evil magic is this?


    "We cross-checked it!" Quincy shrugged before continuing scribbling away, "Every book said the same! So it must be true!"


    ¡°A big hodgepodge¡­ that is what it is¡­¡±


    "So? What? Are we dropping YOUR idea?"


    "Okay, okay!" I sighed, giving in, "I will get ourselves some roosters. Somehow¡­¡±


    "I have an idea!" She chuckled, seeing how she easily won over me, "Here!" And with that, she pressed a letter into my hands.


    "And this is?" I opened it and read through it carefully, "Huh¡­ Would this work?"


    "Should!" She grinned proudly, "Every student has the opportunity to conduct some experiments! We just need a teacher''s permission for it!"


    "We don''t even have care for magical beasts yet."


    "If you take it to Professor Lockhart, I don''t think that would matter! I detailed everything in the letter as if we were trying to get some extra points for potions by raising our own ingredients! Well, I don''t think he is that versed in making them, even after all that boasting¡­ so, he would not understand it!"


    "Or play it off. He knows exactly what we are up to, and he will let us do it because he is such a great act!"


    "No, he is not a great actor at all!" Quincy giggled at her own joke, which made her especially cute, so it drew a smile onto my face, too, "Anyway! While you get that and ensure we have roosters, I will start gathering the remaining one or two ingredients we need! Like pre-prepared mandragora... I think I could borrow some from Professor Slughorn."


    "Sure!" I yawned, standing up and stretching, "Will we do it in the Room of Requirement?"


    "Of course!" She snapped as if I asked something stupid, "We can''t do it here, the smell could easily drag somebody up here, and we would be busted!"


    "Thought so." I nodded, looking down at her and her writings, "Looks complicated¡­"


    "Well, I need to work out everything, and it is best to write down the steps on how to make the potions! I could do it from memory, but¡­ I feel safer like this! It lets me reorganize my mind!"


    "I''m not complaining!" I chuckled as I remained staring at her.


    "What?"


    "How are you feeling?"


    "Fine." She answered after a brief pause, thinking.


    I was asking because two days ago, we concluded our second ritual after I got my hand on a boomslang. It played out just the same as before, with the sole difference being that Quincy''s words had an effect on the snake we tested it on. When she spoke parseltongue, I also felt it to be more pronounced, powerful, and filled with more¡­ magic. This time the snake did not attack, remained obedient and even followed Quincy''s orders as to what to do. It was marvelous to see.


    "Nothing else?" I asked a question I had brought up multiple times since then.


    "Nope!" She shook her head, "No weird dreams; I felt no difference in being at a cold or warm place, no snake-like pupils, and my nose did not fall off, as you can see!"


    "Okay, okay~!" I chuckled, patting her head, making her pout and blush happily. I don''t think it had to be mentioned between us, as both of us felt and knew we were getting closer and closer. And it was fine like this. It felt... natural. As things simply should be.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "I honestly couldn''t tell that something happened to me! The extra thing I can now do is listen and speak to snakes! And do it without thinking about it. I expected¡­ a bit more."


    "It is different when you speak in that language, you know." I seriously told her, "Your voice is a bit lower and filled with power. I could perceive it. It was¡­ dominating."


    "Heh! Good~!"


    "Oh? Are you someone who wants to dominate others?"


    "No, not really!" She titled her head upwards to look at me with a smile, "But I never said I was fine being bullied-"


    "Wait a minute¡­"


    "I said I knew what would be like coming here!" She continued, "That does not mean I was planning on taking it silently! I would have waited patiently until I had enough power."


    "Wicked." I whispered but also kept the smile on my face, "Well¡­! I''ll go, hit up our dear Professor Lockhart!"


    "You do that! It is close to curfew, so I also have to hurry back shortly! Tomorrow?"


    "Tomorrow~!" I nodded, and out of impulse, I leaned down, giving a peck on her cheek, enjoying the panicked look in her eyes and how she was frozen in place by it, "Good night!" Before she could say anything, I left, happy with the results of my sudden attack on her cheeks.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was already dark outside as I walked through the corridors, heading straight to the office of Professor Lockhart. Most of the students were already back in their Common Rooms, but if I were caught outside with a teacher, I should be okay. Arriving at his office, which was funnily at an unused classroom, I was surprised to see the door half-way open. Hearing the sharp voices coming out, I already recognized the owners¡­ Professor Lockhart and Umbridge. Trying to be as sneaky as possible, I edged forward, hoping to get a good listen to what it was about.


    "You are a disgrace¡­ I just can''t understand why you are here?" Umbridge asked, not that she wanted to hear any answer to her question.


    "I¡­ It wasn''t my fault¡­ you tortured him too much!"


    Torture? Torture who? Peaking in, I could see Professor Lockhart cowering, sweating like mad, while Umbridge looked way larger than him, yet in reality, she only reached up to his chest in height. She was simply towering over him by presence alone, wearing her vomit-inducing pink sweater.


    "You are being kept here to do the only thing you are good at! We bring in those who we capture, and you extract their memories! Alter others so we can send back double agents! If you are not even good at that, why are you even here? Just leave!"


    "I can''t leave¡­" He murmured, trying to find an escape from the confrontation, making Umbridge smile evilly. "And as I said¡­ if the mind is damaged, it¡­ can suffer irreversible¡­ injuries! Too much Crucio and-"


    "You want to say it was my fault?" Umbridge asked, drawing a sharp breath while smiling like a kind lady¡­ I almost barfed right there. "This is the only place where the Order can''t attack willy-nilly, rescuing their members¡­ where we can bring our important¡­ guests for a chat! And you want to say¡­ I treat our guests¡­ badly?"


    "No! No, not at all!" Lockhart waved his hands like some kind of windmill.


    "Hmph¡­ you are a disgrace as a Professor. Your only worth is helping the first-year students adapt to your misuse of spells, you buffoon! I think we ran out of use of you¡­ I think I need to report this to the Minister."


    "I am still a good spy! I¡­ I am¡­"


    "Spy? You?" Umbridge laughed, "You are not a spy! You are just a mole! A rat! Like that other wretch, Wormtail! You were sent to keep an eye on the Anguines, and even that escapes you!"


    What? I seriously shuddered. I knew Mother fooled around with him¡­ but¡­ wait¡­ what was happening?


    "And I have been doing just like that!" He nodded rapidly, trying to prove he was useful.


    "You are fooling around with a wench!" Umbridge snorted, unimpressed, "You were sent there to get information out of her so we can track what Angus Anguine is up to! He tends to disappear from time to time! If he is building his own army, we must know about it! Yet you only managed to get into that rotten woman''s bed and nothing else!"


    "I did bring useful information to you before! I can''t get what the man does not share with his wife!"


    "Then go after his kid, you moron!" She berated him, and I saw Lockhart cower as she pulled out her wand.


    "His¡­ kid?"


    "Crucio!" She pointed it at him, and while Lockhart was writhing on the floor, Umbridge continued, looking down at him with a sadistic pleasure on her toad-like face. "You brainless troll! Conrad. Conrad Anguine is his kid! Do I really need to spell this out? You should have struck up a friendship with him already! Get information out of that good-for-nothing, you idiot!"


    With a swish, she stopped the spell watching him pant and drool onto the floor as he cried like a baby. In the end, Umbridge said nothing more, leaving as I watched her back disappear, quickly hiding behind a suit of armor. I just stood there motionless, waiting for things to die down, and after I heard that Professor Lockhart was back on his feet, I made my move. Knocking on the partially open door, I knew I scared him again as his voice shook when answering.


    "Come in!"


    "Professor." I walked in with a smile as I did not know if I was angry with him or if I was starting to pity the fool. His golden locks were still ruffled, and his eyes were puffy from crying. But¡­ the fact he was after my family¡­ made me feel something weird was going on, and I was kept out of it. Maybe because I was still too young? Inexperienced?


    "Ah¡­ Conrad." He nodded, and I saw he immediately thought about Umbridge''s words.


    "Professor Lockhart, I''d like to ask for a favor¡­" I said with a shy smile, pulling out Quincy''s letter and presenting it to him.


    "Ahaha, young chap, of course, of course! I always adored the drive of young wizards! Let me sign it for you!"


    "Really?" I asked, bewildered as he did not even read it.


    "Just for you, my boy! You are my favorite student, but don''t tell this to others!" He winked at me with a loud laugh and returned the letter, almost shoving it into my hands.


    "Oh¡­ thanks! Well, Professor, your classes are always the best too!" I smiled, lying so hard I felt the ceiling shaking, in danger of falling on me.


    "I knew that we hit it off!" He slapped me on my back multiple times, "Later on, we should have a little chat; what do you say? I could give you some advanced¡­ tips! You have the talent for it! You are a shining star, my friend!"


    "Well¡­ er. Um¡­ Yeah! Why not! I¡­ I will check my timetable, Professor!"


    "Ahaha, do that, do that!"


    "I should go¡­ Curfew is in effect, so¡­ I don''t want to end up on Professor Umbridge''s wrong side. Again."


    "Y-yes." He started to tremble the moment he heard her name and asked nothing, just watching the door with terror in his eyes while I left.


    Advanced tips? Sure¡­ Well¡­ I may just take up his offer. I need to know what is going on back home. I thought it was my mother''s promiscuous nature that she hooked up with the flamboyant author and teacher¡­ but now it seemed something else was going on, and it made me worried.

 Chapter 34 – Connections

    "This is not good¡­" Quincy said, watching me walk up and down in the common room. It was already close to midnight, and only we remained there as if we were the only people in the castle.


    "No, it is bloody not!" I hissed through gritted teeth, looking out the giant glass wall into the lake''s deep waters. As our common room was underwater, deep beneath the castle, it was like looking into a different world.


    "Plans?" She asked, biting onto her thumb, fidgeting in her seat, her leg moving up and down constantly like she had some kind of seizure.


    "None yet." I replied, "But we may already be in trouble; they just yet to act! If the school is what I heard behind the scenes it is, then I am pretty sure they read all the letters going in and out! Opening all the packages! Checking everything!"


    "And we used the owls a lot¡­"


    "Precisely¡­ damn it!" I cursed, stomping on the floor, feeling extremely frustrated.


    "Should we¡­ stop?"


    "We are already too deep; even if we stop, we are going to be¡­ in deep trouble."


    "They may not even know about it, Conrad!" She stood up, walked next to me, and got ahold of my right hand. She hesitated only for a moment before hugging it and pulling me closer. "Take a deep breath! Calm down!"


    "They may be waiting for us to find it¡­." I whispered, letting my nerves calm down somewhat. Her touch was like a magic trick, making my thoughts reorganize themselves quickly. I started going through all the times we screwed up with this, and then it hit me. My Father''s words¡­ "Trust the Headmaster."


    "Hm?" Quincy looked at me, tilting her head to the right.


    "My Father''s words! It was to trust the Headmaster, and he did help me once¡­ I am going to see him again!"


    "Wait! Right now?!" She gasped, not letting my hand go.


    "Yes. Right now!" I nodded firmly.


    "I am coming too!"


    "No," I answered, pulling my hand from her clasp and looking into her eyes.


    "If I''m not coming back by morning, we are screwed. Get yourself prepared for the worst! Also¡­ If I come back weird, don''t talk to me! Try to find a solution to get me out of an Imperius curse!"


    "You think they would¡­"


    "I would," I answered with a shrug, "For sure¡­."


    "Conrad." She wanted to say something, but I just shook my head and left. It was best to get it over with¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    I would lie if I said my heart was calm. It was throbbing in my throat, and whenever I managed to gulp it down, it rushed back up, trying to escape from my body. To my surprise, the stone golem did not say anything, just stood to the side, letting me ascend to the Headmaster''s office without obstruction.


    "It is very late to be out." Headmaster Snape ''welcomed'' me with an icy voice, not even looking at me. He was standing before his window, watching the full moon that painted the whole room silver, giving it an eerie sensation.


    "I am well aware of it, Headmaster."


    "I couldn''t have guessed." He replied in a sarcastic tone that made me gulp. "You are safe. For now."


    "Wait¡­" I tried to speak, but my mind couldn''t keep up with the sudden development. I was still debating how to ask if our letters were read through¡­ the books we were sent, everything we just did in the past half a year¡­


    "I am the Headmaster of this school." He continued, still not looking at me, not even by the window''s reflection that showed his ghostly expression. "The letters of the Sacred Twenty-Eight go through me. Seeing you here¡­ I can assume you will be more subtle going forward?"


    "Y-yes¡­ Headmaster¡­¡± I answered, feeling all tension going out of my body and I almost collapsed. He refused to look at me, but the words were enough. We were safe! But¡­ now I started thinking about¡­ "Why?" It just¡­ came out without me realizing it.


    "While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright."


    "Excuse me?" I asked because I could not hear him whispering.


    "You are asking questions about things you have no place to know. Return to your Common Room and act like this conversation never happened."


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    "Sir-"


    "Out."


    "Yes... and thank you."


    With that, I bowed and left his office, maybe even more confused than ever before. Something was truly going on in the background, and I was still kept in the dark¡­ Well¡­ At least we are safe. Hah¡­ I wonder if Father knew about it? Does he? I will have to ask him about this in the summer! I won''t risk writing a letter now; even if the Headmaster is someone who is not going to cause trouble for us, I need to learn from this and be more careful!


    "Focus¡­" I slapped my face, making it echo in the deserted corridor, heading back towards the dungeon, "I need to keep focused. One thing at a time! Yes. One thing at a time, or you will get sidetracked! Potions first. Blood second. Questions third."


    "I do have a question. What does a student do in the corridors so late at night?"


    My heart sank when I stopped, and I was afraid it would shoot out of my bottom. I knew that overly friendly, stomach-turning voice¡­ way too well.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When I regained consciousness, I recognized the ceiling at once. I was in the infirmary. Sitting up, my head felt light, and I had to hold it with one hand to stop it from spinning.


    "Ah¡­" That is when I felt it¡­ I was¡­ bald. My hair was¡­ gone¡­ all of it!


    "Ah, you are up!" Came a laugh, but it was not Quincy¡­ no, it was someone else''s. Someone who I did not expect to be here.


    "Professor?" I looked up at Lockhart, who was smiling at me, grinning like a kid wanting to be praised. ¡°What¡­ are you¡­ doing here?"


    "No worries, no worries! You see, you fell off the stairs!" He chuckled.


    "Fell off¡­?" I twitched my mouth. Not really, I was thrown off it! By the spell of Umbridge! Well, she wanted to place a curse on me as a punishment, but my hand moved by itself, and I performed a shield charm without saying anything. I don''t think she noticed in the dark, but the resulting bang threw me backward¡­ I felt and heard my head land first on the marble stairs; there was a crack¡­ and darkness.


    "Sleep-walking, eh?" Lockhart grinned, slapping my shoulders, winking at me. "Dreaming about girls? I''ll give you some tips later on, champ! Now, you are lucky, you know! I was right around there, patrolling, hunting for nasties, and mended your skull in a jiffy before bringing you here!"


    "Mended¡­ my¡­ what?" I touched my head again, feeling the smoothness of it, and I wanted to cry. No, I wanted to bawl.


    "Worry not; it should grow back quickly! A little price to pay for living, is it not? Aha!"


    "Thanks¡­" I groaned, forcing a smile.


    "Now, now, no thanks needed! We are pals, best buddies even!" He winked at me once more, and I would make any bets that Umbridge ordered him to use this little incident to get close to me¡­ the muppet.


    "T-thanks?" I repeated, making him laugh, which, in turn, made me cringe.


    "Now, I will let you rest as my class starts in a few minutes! But I will let your little girlie skip it!" Came another disgusting wink as he left, swaggering out of the infirmary like a peacock.


    The moment the door swung open, Quincy rushed in from the other side, her eyes puffy, red, and filled with tears. Before I could say anything, she jumped on my bed, hugging me with a stifled cry.


    "Owie¡­ I''m fine!" I patted her back, and when she finally pulled back, noticing my new looks, she burst into half laughter, half wails. "That hurts me more¡­ you know!"


    "Don''t¡­ worry!" She sniffled, rummaging in her robes and pulling out a small bottle. "I saw you when Professor Lockhart brought you in!"


    "You did?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "I sneaked out after you! Saw what Umbridge did¡­ She sent for Lockhart at once! She instructed him to use this to his advantage!"


    "I knew it¡­"


    "That slime!" She fumed, all her tears and laughter evaporating at once, "The swine and the slime, a good pair! Both of them! That pompous powder-nosed cockatrice botched a simple bone-mending spell! Made your head deflate!"


    "WFHGAT?!" I shouted, biting down on my tongue in the process, feeling a heart attack was in order.


    "Yes!" She nodded with anger, "Madam Pomfrey luckily intervened quickly¡­ only¡­ well¡­ your hair was gone." She held back her laugh once again, switching between emotions so quickly that even I started to find my predicament hilarious.


    "I hope it grows back¡­"


    "Here!" She pushed the bottle into my hands, "I just brewed it while you were out! It will regrow your hair in a day or two!"


    "Really?! Awesome! You are the best!" I opened it immediately, taking a whiff, but it smelled like a used sock. "Ugh¡­"


    "Haha, don''t be like that! Give it to me then!" And with that, she tore it out of my grasp, poured it on my head, and, sitting behind me, started massaging the surprisingly cool gel into my shining, bald crown.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ this feels nice¡­¡±


    "What happened?" She asked quietly, and I recounted everything the Headmaster told me and how I managed to run into Umbridge. "Although, you saw the last part."


    "Yes¡­ and she was confused! She thought she had done something¡­ weird. I think she does not even consider that a first-year student could do anything against her."


    "Good¡­ easier for us that way!"


    "I can''t wait to turn that toad into a statue!" Quincy giggled, her tone dangerous and vindictive¡­ which made me feel warm inside. ¡°Oh¡­ and¡­¡±


    "Hm?"


    "Draco is up to something¡­"


    "Why do you say?" I turned towards her, our faces only inches from each other.


    "When I went after you¡­ I saw him in another corridor, sneaking."


    "Was he trying to get into the Room of Requirements?" I asked, but Quincy gently shook her head, and I could feel her sweet scent spread around us. She smelled¡­ nice. Very nice.


    "No¡­ he looked like he was searching for something. I wanted to follow but¡­ but¡­" She turned scarlet, "I was worried about you¡­"


    "Cute." I grinned, making her look downwards.


    "Hauh¡­"


    "He is probably looking for the Chamber of Secrets. I hoped he would find the entrance for us."


    "You did?" She tilted her head.


    "I did hope he would start looking for it. Or have a brain big enough to start searching for Salazar''s hidden secret. The legends are there¡­ with the fact he can now speak to snakes, I was betting on him going after it. We have enough on our plate to deal with to add the searching for it too! Of course, if he proved simple like a muggle and never picked up on it, I would have nudged him a little, but all is well!"


    "What if he finds it?" Quincy asked, furrowing her brows.


    "Does he know what is down there?"


    "I guess not."


    "Exactly! It would be suicide. We will know if he finds something¡­ for two reasons!"


    "That is?" She asked, forming a small smile and relaxing while my head was starting to regrow its head slowly but surely.


    "He disappears with his cronies in tow¡­ so we just need to watch them¡­ or he comes to us for help. We will see¡­ In the meantime, you continue crafting the potions, and I am going to try and get some information out of Lockhart. Maybe we can turn him into another little helper of ours! It wouldn''t be bad to have a professor in our pockets! Even if it''s Lockhart!"

 Chapter 35 – The Dark Forest (1)

    ¡°See? Your hair is already back!¡±


    The happy laugh made my spine shiver, and I was questioning my sanity to come and spend the afternoon with Professor Lockhart, but I forced a smile, facing him.


    ¡°Yes, Professor, I was lucky you were there.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t worry about it, my young friend! Now, it is good that you are here,¡± he clapped as we stood in the abandoned classroom, acting as if it was perfectly normal he was stuffed away here, like some kind of nuisance. ¡°I was tasked to go and gather some dangerous creatures from the forest, you know, for¡­ ingredients!¡±


    ¡°Professor¡­ I am only a first-year student¡­¡±


    ¡°You will be with me, so you don¡¯t have to worry! I will protect you, of course! Aha!¡±


    Yeah¡­ bet. Damn it, I think this was a really, really bad idea! I should not have come at all¡­ But I couldn¡¯t back down now.


    ¡°And¡­ What are we supposed to collect?¡± I asked with a sigh, giving up on escaping.


    ¡°Spiders.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I turned around at once, heading towards the door. Spiders? No. No. AND NO! No chance, nope, I am going to go and kiss a basilisk first and use my tongue, too, while doing so!


    ¡°Listen!¡± the classroom¡¯s door closed before me, and I turned around to see him holding his wand, and if not for the pathetic look in his eyes, I would have thought I was about to be attacked any time now. ¡°It will be fine! You just need to follow me and learn! Easy!¡±


    ¡°Learn¡­ what exactly?¡± I asked, placing my arms behind my back, slipping my wand into my hand, ready to act if I must.


    ¡°Dealing with dangerous beasts and capturing them, of course!¡± He laughed, putting on a confident, pompous look, but his eyes¡­ were anything but brave.


    ¡°I am sorry, Professor¡­ you see, I am a kid. We did not even learn offensive spells yet! I can¡¯t be of any help, and I won¡¯t lie¡­ I am telling you this only because I trust you¡­¡± I lowered my voice, looking around, but only because I was afraid I might retch if I continued my act, ¡°I am afraid to go into the Dark Forest!¡±


    ¡°I understand, my boy!¡± He sighed, slapping my shoulders, ¡°But you would be coming with me! There is nothing you should be afraid of! I am Lockhart; I captured more beasts and terrorists than anybody else!¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± Yes, this was the topic change I hoped for! ¡°I bet Professor knows some spells that are not part of the curriculum. Or not yet for me¡­ maybe if you could¡­ arm me, I would be much more confident in going out!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that is perfectly normal.¡± He said, hesitating a little, but then again, after a brief thought, he put on his fake, all-too-friendly smile. ¡°Tell you what! Later on, we can have some extra lessons, trying out spells, and I can teach you some neat little tricks!¡± He winked multiple times, and I started to feel sick¡­ again. ¡°Help me with this task, my young friend, and I will turn you into my protege!¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± I shrugged as I already realized there was no escape¡­ if that is the case, then let this get over with!


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside of the castle, he told me to wait, and a little later, I saw him bringing over two broomsticks which was a pleasant surprise. Especially because first-year students couldn¡¯t have their own brooms.


    ¡°Are we going far?¡± I asked, taking one and mounting it immediately, rising to the air.


    ¡°It is¡­ safer to approach from above!¡± He explained, following me, and soon we were off, flying leisurely. I was still fidgeting a little, getting used to the simple shooting stars that the school had. It was too slow for my taste but oh well¡­ I missed being in the air. ¡°Conrad!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the wind made it hard to listen!¡± And the fact that I did not pay any attention at all.


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    ¡°We are going to head deeper into the forest and scout it out from this height! It is said that some nasty spiders are living there, left behind by Rubeus Hagrid! Some kind of evil farewell gift or something!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± That is odd. I know he is a dangerous half-giant terrorist, but¡­ You would think the school would have cleaned up the place already. Well, at least it seems Professor Lockhart did learn some tricks, as it is safer to approach from above as spiders can¡¯t fly.


    ¡°Yeah, but the school uses them for their venom. That is why we go there now; we need their venom first and foremost!¡±


    ¡°How are we supposed to do that, Professor?¡±


    ¡°Oh well, we will use the Frigus Ignis spell! Cold flame! Spiders hate fire, and they notice cold flames less easily!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ Professor?¡± I flew up next to him, twitching my mouth. I was surprised that he looked so professional right now. Was it an act? Maybe. Or he believes some of his own stories. On the other hand¡­ It was my first time hearing about the blue fire. ¡°I never heard about that spell.¡±


    ¡°You did not?¡± He chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy, I¡¯ll teach you!¡± He stopped in mid-air, making me follow suit and float before him. ¡°It is a straightforward spell! The incantation is frigus ignis!¡±


    As he was speaking, repeating it to me, making the hand movements, I noticed his wand starting to flicker. I had only a moment to grab onto my broom and swirl out of the way before the blue flames blasting forth from the tip of his wand washed the skies, leaving the end of my broom smoking.


    ¡°Fu-!¡± I swallowed, not wanting to scream curses at him, but I could feel my heart beating in my throat. He almost killed me! If not for my reflexes, I would be toast! Was¡­ was he trying to kill me? Is he an¡­ assassin? A genius killer? But¡­ seeing the sudden panic in his eyes, I was no longer sure about it.


    ¡°Sorry, my little friend, I always forgot how strong I am, ahaha! But there is no better teacher than live experience!¡±


    ¡°Bet¡­¡± I cleared my throat, rising back up, gulping back all the wild thoughts I wanted to throw at him.


    ¡°Try it!¡± He nodded at me, and I drew my wand with some hesitation.


    Watching his hand move, I¡¯ve got the idea, but he was, in retrospect, uncontrolled. He just flushed out a ton of magic power in a giant cone, and that was it. That was not my style¡­ the incantation couldn¡¯t be the problem, so it came down to the hand movement. His was too flashy, too¡­ pompous. I had to do it more swiftly, fluently, and with much more control.


    ¡°Frigus Ignis!¡± I shouted, and with the movement of my arm, a blue ball of flame flew out from the tip of my wand, flying far and exploding like a firework.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad! It lacks power like mine, but for a first try from a kid, you have talent, my little friend! See? My eyes are sharp; I told you we are going to get along just fine! I have a lot to teach you, just keep them secret from the others! Everyone wants a private lesson with me, and I can¡¯t help it! Time is finite, even for me!¡± He giggled like some of my classmates when an older boy walked past us¡­ and it was just as annoying.


    ¡°I will practice, Professor,¡± I answered, trying to look humble, ¡°Say, Professor Lockhart¡­ you ought to know a lot of spells, don¡¯t you? With all of your exploits published yearly¡­ It must be exhausting to do that in the summer while school is off!¡±


    ¡°Err, yes, yes, but I am a professional! I can manage!¡± He nodded as we continued our trip.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude here, Professor, but can you tell me what spell you are best at?¡±


    ¡°The young mind is so ever curious! Well, I excel at many spells; no wonder I was selected to initiate the first-year students here! You see, I am known for my varied and extensive knowledge of curses and counter-curses! I am the perfect choice to give you a lot of the experience you will need from your second year and onward!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ yes, but¡­¡± I tried to urge him a little because if I needed to listen to more of his boastings, I think I would set his broom on fire and leave him be.


    ¡°Even then!¡± He continued without flinching, ¡°My specialty lies in charms!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Yeah, sure.


    ¡°If I may brag a little,¡± He shook his body with a satisfied grin, ¡°I am best when it comes to Memory Charms!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Now I was truly listening. After what I overheard, I did not doubt his words. For the first time, I did believe him entirely.


    ¡°You know, it is not a hard charm¡­ but it is perilous!¡±


    ¡°How so, Professor?¡±


    ¡°Modifying someone¡¯s memories is very dangerous, Young Conrad! The slightest mistake or loss of concentration can lead to dangerous consequences! It can not just damage the mind, but it could easily lead to irreversible, fatal mistakes!¡±


    ¡°It does sound¡­ risky.¡±


    ¡°It is, but it is a must-have! Especially when you pursue terrorists where there are a lot of muggles! They love hiding amongst them, like rats!¡±


    He explained, and I was starting to learn to discern from his voice when he was lying and when he was telling the truth. Every time he spoke about his feats, his tone became more flamboyant, flowery, as if telling a tale to a kid at a bedside. When he was telling me the truth, like when mentioning the memory charms¡­ his tone was more natural, void of unnecessary flare. He was speaking from the heart and not from his mind.


    ¡°Then, Professor, you must be exceptional at it, yes?¡±


    ¡°Naturally!¡±


    ¡°Could you¡­ teach me how it is done?¡±


    ¡°Oh well,¡± he laughed, ¡°I think you are still too young for that kind of spell, my friend!¡±


    ¡°I know, but-¡±


    ¡°Oh, we are here!¡± He interrupted me as we came to a halt above the thick and vast Dark Forest. ¡°They saw them here last time; let¡¯s fly slightly lower and search for clues!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I followed suit, but my mind was already racing. I wanted that spell¡­ I just had to get closer to the Professor before he taught me. Although¡­ somewhere in the back of my head, I was now wary of Lockhart. Being caught off guard by a memory charm would be just as dangerous as being targeted by the imperious curse¡­

 Chapter 36 – To the Dark Forest (2)

    We were doing laps above the forest, low enough that my feet sometimes touched the tip of the trees. I was hoping not to find eight-legged monstrosities because even with flames to help me fight them off¡­ they are just one thing I can''t deal with. They say if you want to avoid something, it will likely hit you in the face, and here I was, looking at a giant spiderweb between two thick tree trunks. I just looked up, wanting to tell Professor Lockhart, when I saw his eyes registering it, then moving on as if nothing happened. Wait¡­ what? Is he blind, or is he ignoring it on purpose?"


    "Um, Professor?"


    "Don''t worry, my young friend! They are not that smart to look up and spot us! But¡­ they seem to be gone from here! We are going to make a few rounds again, and if nothing, we will head back! You can come with me telling Professor Umbridge that we didn''t see anything!"


    Wait a minute. Wait a Merlin-enchanted minute! You are¡­ a coward! You brought me out here to be your¡­ witness?! So I can say you did what you could; you just didn''t find any spiders?! I am not in the mood to take the fall for you or with you!


    "I can see them, Professor."


    "I think you are mistaken, young Conrad!" He said, without waiting. "I couldn''t see even one of them! You see, my senses are sharp and honed by countless decades of-"


    "Revelio!" I waved my wand before pointing at the now somewhat flickering, glowing spiderweb. "See? There! I think that is a clue we could investigate!"


    "..."


    Yeah. That''s right! I couldn''t help but smirk inside when I saw his expression, unable to refute it any longer and follow me as I descended between the trees, touching down before the 4 or 5 meters wide web. Down here, it was much darker than in the sky, and finally, my reasoning started to clear up, realizing what I had just done. Great¡­ I was so riled up that I dragged myself into a spider-filled pit¡­ damn it, Conrad!


    "Well¡­" Professor Lockhart looked around, trying to look nonchalant, masking his twitching hands with folivorous movements. It reminded me of parading clowns for a moment. "This is an old one! No worries, you are young, inexperienced! Mistakes happen! Let''s go! They probably moved, so the others will have to search the forest to find them! We don''t have time for that for ourselves, ahaha!"


    "Um¡­ Professor¡­¡± I said, looking to our left as I already saw multiple eyes watching us and heard their pincers clicking, calling for reinforcement.


    To my horror, Professor Lockhart mounted his broom and was taking to the sky, leaving me behind without question or hesitation. I was so flabbergasted by his move that I missed my chance to follow, and a precise ball of spider silk hit the broom, flinging it out of my grasp and sticking it to a tree.


    "Shit!"


    Spinning around, I was already casting accio on the closest spider, surprising it, drawing it near me before following it up with my newly learned blue flames and then finishing it with a flippendo, sending it into its comrades. What I did not expect was the explosion it caused and the screeching sound of its brethren as it caught on fire.


    I could still hear the scurrying of many legs coming from all directions while I rushed to my broom, summoning the blue flames once again to burn off the spider''s silk and get out of there. I just managed to free it and go into a roll, dodging, hearing multiple splattering sounds where I was standing a moment before. I didn''t need to look back to know that more had arrived, and they were keen on capturing me alive. For what purpose? I wasn''t keen on finding it out.


    The moment I got back to my feet and started running, I climbed onto my broom, kickin'' off to fly up, but with another nasty noise, the end of it got stuck in something, jerking me backward, almost making me fall off it. A huge, rhino-sized spider came out of the trees, its silk coming out of its back end, connecting to my broom. It was trying to pull me down after it made a perfect shot, and I felt a bit impressed¡­ and highly disgusted.


    "Frigus Ignis!" I cried out, replicating Lockhart''s hand movement and sending a wide swath of blue flames to cover my back, burning away the silk and freeing myself. I did not care if the whole forest burned down¡­ I just wanted to get to Lockhart and strangle him! Preferably, doing it slowly¡­


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    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Oh, Conrad!"


    "Professor," I replied, landing next to him at the castle, managing to get back only a moment later after he touched down. It seems he was not that good of a rider.


    "Well, we should go-" He said as if nothing had happened.


    I had already surveyed the area, and most students were inside the castle as it was close to dark, and nobody wanted to miss dinner in the Great Hall¡­ Perfect for me. With a flick, I could wordlessly use the disarming charm, blowing his wand away before picking him up with the wingardium leviosa spell, and I could easily smash him into the ground. If I did it fast and spun him upside down at the end, he would break his neck. For sure. Quick, clean, and¡­ I would be found out moments later.


    "Yes¡­" I replied, and my voice was shaking from anger, trying to hold my impulses back from taking control. "We¡­ should."


    I said no more, only watching his back all the way to Professor Umbridge''s office. I think he felt it, too, as his steps were swift, tethering on the edge of walking and running. I was imagining multiple scenarios on how I could surprise him and throw him off the stairs, out of a window, or straight into one of the weapons the suits of armor were holding. Oh well¡­ he has to wait a little. I hate him because he is a coward and a pompous one at that¡­ Professor Umbridge, on the other hand, is simply crazy.


    "Come in."


    It was her annoying voice that dragged me back from my fantasies as we entered her office, and I had to bury all my negative feelings if I wanted to avoid any more punishment.


    "Oh. You." She looked at Lockhart and then at me, raising an eyebrow, feeling curious about what I was doing here.


    "The spiders seemed to move places-" Lockhart started, but Umbridge simply flashed a smile like a kind neighbor. It had its effect at once as Lockhart fell silent in a hurry.


    "Did they, now?"


    "I was there. They did." I answered, surprising Lockhart, too, I guess. "We only found webs that we burnt away. Nothing happened besides that."


    "Wands out, please!" She said, giggling, but her tone was telling us it was an order and not a request.


    Neither Lockhart nor I were in the place to refuse, and we watched as she pointed her own at them, saying, "Prior Incantatem!" Luckily, both of ours showed the same spell of blue flame. Lockhart''s did because he taught it to me, and mine because I used it against the spiders. Of course, we both knew it was not true, but I guess Professor Umbridge presumed I would not dare to lie to her¡­ not for Lockhart''s sake. Or she let us go because she wanted him to butter up to me. Whatever the reason was, we were excused, and getting back to Lockhart''s ''office,'' he was visibly in a good mood.


    "Professor," I spoke up, watching him; my wand was still in my hand.


    "I knew we would hit it off!" He laughed jovially, turning towards me, feeling a bit awkward as my face was anything but friendly.


    "You left me behind¡­ Professor."


    "I did? I thought you were following me closely! I remember saying, we are running away!"


    "Professor, please, I am not my mother to be swayed so easily." I shook my head with a soft smile, and his bravado disappeared even more quickly than it did before Umbridge. "Yes, I know about it."


    "D-does¡­" He asked, gripping his wand. I knew he was considering attacking my memories, so I immediately cut in.


    "No. I do not intend to tell either. I don''t care about what my mother does, Professor."


    "That-"


    "BUT!" I raised a hand, watching his eyes, ready to fight at a moment''s notice. "Now you owe me twice¡­ no, thrice. One, I don''t tell my father anything." Even though that is a lie, as I already did. He doesn''t have to know that. "Two, you left me behind. Three, I did not say anything to Professor Umbridge. That is already three times, Professor! I want to be reimbursed."


    "You are a weird boy, aren''t you¡­?" He whispered.


    "I get that a lot. I want one thing, and we can act as if nothing happened, Professor! I want to learn memory charms!"


    "That¡­ won''t be easy."


    "I don''t really care." I shrugged, "Teach me that, and everything will be fine!"


    "What a young, ambitious boy you are, Conrad Anguine!" He returned to his jovial mood, "I can teach you that; what do you say about every Saturday at¡­ 8 in the evening?"


    "Sure." I nodded, not asking why, and after we shook hands on it, I left. I had to air out of my thoughts because while talking, I was thinking up memories I wanted to plant into his head, just to mess with him a little.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "You are joking!" Quincy said, finding me after dinner as I recounted everything that happened to me while sitting in the common room with her.


    "Nope!" I rubbed my forehead, "That man is a complete joke! I just hope he didn''t lie about memory charms being his forte!"


    "Be careful! Avoid his wand all the time, Conrad! Memory charms can be just as bad as any curse! I will look up ways how to break them! I think I saw some books on legilimency in the library; I may borrow some!"


    "What about the potions?" I changed the topic as she was already getting a parchment and quill out and writing up a list of what to look for.


    "I started brewing them! Some will need a month to be ready, so we have time!"


    "Well¡­ if we take too long, spring will come and go and come summer, we are going to leave school."


    "You are right¡­ but I wouldn''t worry. We are still good!" She said, smiling at me.


    "Mhm¡­ I hope so too!"

 Chapter 37 – Learning Memory Charms

    When it came to my first lesson with Lockhart, I approached his ''office'' with part excitement and part nervousness. I was thinking if this was a trap or not and what to do if he came at me with his supposed signature spell. To my surprise, he was waiting for me with multiple thick books, parchment, ink, quill, and a big pot of boiling tea he just finished brewing.


    "Good timing, my friend!" He smiled, pointing at the desk where I would sit while listening to him.


    "Professor." I nodded, looking puzzled, but I sat down and took a cup he presented to me.


    "First things first, this is not going to be my usual, fun lessons filled with flair and exciting exercises! Gone the flashy spells and the so easily memorizable experience that I always entertain you little rascals with!"


    "Bet¡­" I whispered under my breath.


    "Memory charms are most often used for bewitching muggles and removing certain memories! To keep ourselves secret or nudge them to make decisions that favor us! Of course, this is its most simple and most used... well, primitive part of it, but it can do so much more than that!"


    "I see." I looked at him, and seeing him stop, I realized he was waiting for me to start taking notes. What the hell¡­? Is he now acting like a real professor? Is this a play? I was¡­ not expecting anything like this! Okay¡­ I can play along! So I started taking notes, and he continued with a satisfied smile.


    "Do you know what memory is?"


    "Um¡­ well¡­ a collection of¡­ things that I remember?"


    "Then let me teach you!" He chuckled, walking up and down before my desk and looking down at me, clearly enjoying the fact he could act high and mighty before me. Oh well¡­ "Imagine that your brain is like a complex magic formation! A specially bewitched object! It records, categorizes, labels, and then stores everything it comes in contact with!"


    "Everything?"


    "Every¡­ little¡­ thing!" He pronounced it slowly, emphasizing every part of his sentence. "Have you ever heard about Pensieves?"


    "..." I had to rack my brain a little before it clicked for me, "Yes, the devices that help you relive others'' memories, their experiences."


    "Why do you think the memories you pour into them have so much detail? Why can it be viewed so clearly? Simple! The brain collects everything your senses pick up, organizes, and then stores it!"


    "But¡­"


    "A-a!" Lockhart said, cutting me off, already knowing my question, "Every brain has its limits depending on how trained they are. Of course, we, wizards and witches, have an exceptionally well working one! BUT! This does not mean you can recall said memories, as our brains filter out many unnecessary details! Our consciousness can only work with a set number of segments; giving us too much information would result in our minds breaking down! You can train that part, it is a skill like any others, but it is not easy¡­ Although most famous wizards had the gift and could remember so many components, it would drive simple-minded people insane!"


    "Professor-"


    "I am, of course, counted amongst those people, ahaha~!" He laughed proudly, taking a sip from his tea.


    "I highly doubt this¡­" I said to myself as I decided to remain silent in the end. I am here to learn, not to argue.


    "But let''s get us back to the topic; I need to make you understand the basics so you are up to speed before we start trying any spellcasting! The easiest way to penetrate someone''s memories is to know where to start looking for it¡­ so you will have to dabble in a little bit of two side subjects. One is Legilimency, and the other is going to be Occlumency. I am going to give you books you should read on your own; you can find them in the library!"


    I was, honestly, floored. He was really acting like a Professor! What? Was he charmed? Or¡­ eh? No way¡­ what the? If I am not experiencing this for myself, I wouldn''t believe this at all!


    "Now, now, I know I am dazzling, but start writing!" He smirked, and I had to hold back my curses. He truly knew what he was doing regarding memory and how it worked. I was starting to feel I needed to be more careful around him¡­. "Hehe, I told you it is not an easy subject." He murmured, watching me record his words, the list of books he wanted me to borrow, and repeating what he just said multiple times so I could remember it.


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    "Nothing comes easy," I answered calmly; now I had to give a 100%, I would make him teach me this, and I WILL master it!


    "Now, when penetrating one''s mind to extract, modify, or simply erase some memories, you first get through their defenses. The mental protection of muggles is easy to break; no worries there. Most mages also have weak resistance to it, but for anyone who is dabbling in the mentioned two extra professions, you will have to be extra careful or not even try it! It can easily result in a backlash and the spell rebounding onto yourself!"


    "I see."


    "This is no joke!" He warned me seriously, "When penetrating someone''s mind, everything will happen instantly! For you and him, it isn''t like that, though. You may spend hours in someone''s mind, looking for what you want to remove! But in reality, it happens in an instant! Time has no meaning once we enter the dimension our mind resides in!"


    "..." I was mesmerized¡­ what was happening? Was he really like this and played the fool for everyone else? I¡­ Am I starting to feel some respect towards him?


    "We can separate the mind into two parts. The conscious mind and the subconsciousness. The first is what you are. What you can access. All those memories that your brain deems worthy of remembering get stored there. All the spells you use are recorded in your conscious mind, so you can always access them. The best wizards can make them slip into their subconsciousness, getting them ingrained into it so they can cast their signature spells without thinking about it! So... we have to speak about subconsciousness next. That part dictates your behavior and habits and is the home of all the information your brain deems as noise. When someone extracts a memory, they draw it out from both places at once, with all the details and information your senses recorded! That is why looking into a Pensive allows you to relieve that memory like being in there!"


    "When we want to delete a memory¡­ we remove it from both places?"


    "Removing memories is a misspoken concept. We can''t remove them for real. To do that, you would have to understand how the mind works and how the brain works, which is¡­ impossible. Nobody did that, and nobody will, in my opinion. You can''t think about your brain as a brain... you can only think about it as yourself. Separating your mind and body and looking at your own memories as objects and not part of you is... a concept that even the best struggle with. It''s like wanting to write with a quill that you are in the process of dismantling. Can you do the two at once?"


    "Then¡­ what are we doing, Professor?"


    "We drag the memory we want from the consciousness and push it into the subconscious! The deeper you bury it, the more hidden it becomes, and the harder it becomes for another witch or wizard to find it! Same with any other versions! Do you want to modify their memories? Find the original, copy it, push the real one deep down, and replace it with the tampered copy."


    "I see¡­" I murmured, biting the tip of my quill. This was truly something else¡­ and he indeed had the aura of an expert right now. Hats off to you, Professor. "How do we find the memory we are looking for?"


    "The brain stores it in canonical order. You need to go back, year by year, looking for it and maintaining the connection, fighting back potential protective spells, concentrating on finding it, extracting; all this takes a firm will to succeed in!"


    "This sounds exhilarating but also very dangerous."


    "It can be, but it is more dangerous for the victim-, khm, a subject you use it on. Damaging memories is damaging the mind. One wrong move, and you could kill. Not physically! The body may very well live on, but the mind will be beyond repair, resulting in nothing but a husk of a living being! So yes¡­ it is not something easily done. Of course, most who learn it only learn the basics, identify memory, push it down into the subconsciousness, and get on with it. I am much, much more capable than your run-of-the-mill wizards!"


    "And we are back to bragging." I sighed to myself.


    "Before I let you try and cast the spell, you are going to learn about the mind, its functions, and the theories! Only after that will we begin!"


    And with that, he ended our first lesson. I can''t say I was disappointed; quite the opposite. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed even, and it had to show on my face as Quincy rushed up to me at once when I got back to the common room.


    "Conrad¡­" She whispered, her face full of worry, picking out her wand and pointing it at my temple.


    "Woah, woah, what are you doing?!"


    "Ah¡­ I¡­ I thought you were¡­ under a spell¡­" She murmured, still holding her wand to my head, thinking of casting her spell to ensure everything was right. "You looked¡­ out of place! Like someone who was bewitched!"


    "I¡­ I just¡­ you simply won''t believe this¡­ come!" I held her hand, pulling her to a chair at the far end, and explained everything to her.


    "Are you sure you weren''t duped? That he didn''t put a memory charm on your mind?" She asked, suspicious, not believing my words, at least not 100%, and I couldn''t blame her for it.


    "I wasn''t. But¡­ to be sure, we will study it together, and you can test me! You will cover my back, Quincy."


    "Um!" She nodded, and now she was the one who leaned forward, pecking my cheeks, turning my face red as a tomato, and wearing a triumphant grin.


    "Khm! I think¡­ I am going to be! It was¡­ a shock. I mean the lesson. Yes."


    "Good night~!" She giggled, and with that, I had my first sleepless night for a long time¡­ only, now I wasn''t chased by a snake¡­ but I was spending it with Quincy¡­

 Chapter 38 – Corridor of Secrets

    It was the middle of spring. I was standing in Lockhart''s office, and I was facing a fellow first-year student, one from Hufflepuff. He was deathly white, trembling, and on the verge of crying as he was sitting there, facing me. Originally, he was caught by Professor Umbridge for doing something trivial, playing gobstones, I think. Too bad they didn''t do it in their common room and that it was that toad who stumbled into them.


    "Relax, nothing will happen to you!" Lockhart chuckled, slapping his shoulders encouragingly. "You are lucky! Your friends are spending their detention with Professor Umbridge; you will be fine with us!"


    It was Professor Lockhart who ''borrowed'' him as I needed someone to practice my command with my memory charm. It would be my first time using it for real, and I would lie if I said I wasn''t nervous. I knew nothing about him, and the Professor forbade me from asking questions. I was to penetrate his mind, learn of him a little and find the memory of him being caught and suppress it.


    "Ready?" Lockhart looked at me, and I nodded, pointing my wand at the boy''s face.


    "Wait-!" He cried, but it was muffled by incantation.


    "Obliviate!"


    The scenery changed in an instant for me. I was walking along a bright, white corridor, seeing framed paintings to both my left and right. No¡­ they were not paintings; they were memories. Recollections of¡­ Timothy. Yes, that was his name; I heard his friends call him that in one image. "Oh!" I recognized another image; he was from Manchester. I knew that scenery of depressing industrial buildings! The surreal sight somehow looked normal to me. Walking around paintings, displaying his memories... it was¡­ it was how it should look. I knew that by instinct. Finding the recollection I was looking for was easy; I only walked briefly before noticing it hanging on my left. Its frame was incredibly thick, carved out from some kind of red oak or something¡­ it was as if a warning sign was painted all around it.


    "This is a strong memory," I murmured while watching him play with two of his friends. I knew from my studies that stronger memories appear differently than simple ones. The meeting with Umbridge, her strolling in on them, was horrifying for Timothy. Especially because they were in an unused classroom that in itself was forbidden. Even worse, one of the stones just squirted, and its nasty, smelly liquid landed on Ubridge''s shoes. No wonder they were all punished. Heavily. "Heh¡­ good one, Timothy!" I laughed, pointing my wand at it, and the painting trembled as I tried to lift it from the wall with magic.


    It was resisting vigorously, but I was ready for it. In the past weeks, I focused solely on my studies, essentially ignoring anything else. My sleeping schedule turned upside down; I sometimes slept in our hidden headquarters for a few hours, napping in the afternoon while being up until dawn. But¡­ it was worth it! After a minute of struggle, the painting clicked and flew off the wall with a bang. I managed to stop it from knocking into the others, starting a horrible chain reaction, and concentrated on sinking it into the ground. When Lockhart said we have to slip it into the subconsciousness, he did not lie. I was pushing it down into the white, clear floor that was rippling like the surface of a lake, swallowing it very slowly. When it was finally gone, I stopped the spell, hoping I had done a good enough job, wiping my sweaty forehead.


    The scenery was changing fast, fading away, and watching the other paintings on the wall, I was satisfied I did not disturb them. That would signal that I failed and damaged poor Timothy''s mind and his other memories. Even knocking one off could have severe adverse effects. When I was back in reality, looking at the clock on Professor Lockhart''s table, only a second had passed.


    ¡°W-what¡­ why¡­ Am I here?" Timothy asked, feeling confused and lost.


    "Wonderful!" Lockhart laughed, clapping, "You can go, Timothy; you helped us greatly! You just earned your House five points! Good lad! Now, go, go!" He ushered the poor, disturbed boy out of the classroom before grinning and swaggering up to me. "You are a natural, boy! Now you just need practice, practice, and more practice! But don''t take it too far!"


    "I won''t, Professor." I smiled back at him, putting my wand away. I felt¡­ wonderful. Even if I was still nothing but a beginner, tasting it once already sent my brain into overdrive, filling it with ideas and opportunities this could create for me¡­ if I kept mastering it.


    "So¡­"


    "I am glad we are on good terms, Professor~!" I smiled at him, trying to look innocent, and he just chuckled, punching my chest like we were a pair of uncle and nephew playing around.


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    "Good kid! Well-"


    "Sorry, Professor!" I cut in before he could say more, "I need to catch up with my studies¡­ If I fail the end-of-term tests, that would be¡­ really bad, right? Then I won''t be able to prove useful for my Father in the summer and... and¡­" I tried to find excuses in a way it reminded him that he was supposed to spy on him in the first place.


    "Yes, of course! Go, you little rascal!" He laughed, ushering me out, "Don''t bring shame to your name!"


    "I won''t, and Professor¡­ Later on, we can have a longer chat; I may be able to answer some questions if you have any! Father would like to have such a good asset¡­ he works with muggles, muggle-born mages, and a professional who can modify minds like nothing, is always welcomed~!"


    I saw it in his eyes how pleased he felt about it. Good¡­ I will have to talk with Father, explaining everything before we make a move. Oh well¡­ at least I got something good out of it! I was hurrying back towards our common room to tell Quincy when I literally ran into her at one corner.


    "Finally!" She whispered, out of breath, rubbing her forehead. "I was looking for you!"


    "What happened?" I asked, sensing that she was a bit worried.


    "Draco¡­ He found something! I caught him sneaking out with Crabbe and Goyle!"


    "Where did they head?" I asked, following her as she led me back toward the dungeons.


    "That is the weird thing!" She whispered, "They were loitering around the dungeons!"


    "Did he finally find something?" I murmured, thinking.


    "He had to! The two lackeys of him are keeping an eye out while he goes into rooms, checking them before coming back out!"


    "Where are they now?" I asked, but then we heard a door closing, and we stopped immediately, inching forward silently, hugging the wall. Peering over the corner, we could see the girl''s bathroom and its heavy, wooden door. Its circular handle was still moving a little, telling us they went in there just now. "The fact that all three of them moved inside¡­" I whispered.


    "Did they¡­ find it?"


    "There is a strong possibility¡­" I furrowed my brows before looking at Quincy. "Can you get a rooster?"


    "It is late¡­ and dark." She looked at me before smiling a little. "I can sneak out and back in fifteen minutes! Keep an eye out for them!"


    "Hurry up¡­" I nodded and watched her disappear, focusing on the door the whole time. I hoped neither of us would get caught now because that would ruin everything.


    I wanted to get closer, but also, I was worried they would come back out¡­ then how do I explain it? With Quincy by my side, I could come up with something stupid but plausible, but alone? Trying to sneak into the girl''s bathroom? It would be clear I was spying on them. To my relief, I did not need to worry for long as Quincy returned with a rooster that looked like a statue with how still it was.


    "I petrified it." She panted, breathless, as I looked at the frightened bird, moving its eyes frantically. "The little bugger started making too much noise!"


    "Good thinking!" I nodded, letting her catch some air before we moved forward.


    "Hold him!" She passed over the rooster, and before I could ask, she walked into the bathroom. It was¡­ logical; she was a girl, after all. When I heard no other voices, I hurried after her, and both of us were looking at the opened-up faucet before us, revealing a hidden passageway towards the belly of the Castle.


    "Damn¡­" I clicked my tongue, "He found something really awesome! He is not that stupid, eh?"


    "No¡­ evidently not. Your idea was right¡­ Are we?"


    "Yes." I answered without hesitation, "I get the potions; now, you keep an eye on the opening!"


    It was my turn to run and make a return trip from the room of requirements with all the potions we, I mean, Quincy, prepared. I was almost caught by the patrolling idiot, Argus Filch, but he is old, lame to one foot, and already out of breath after climbing some stairs. A Squibb like him is only used as a caretaker to amuse the teachers. By the time he notifies someone, both of us will be gone!


    "Conrad¡­" Quincy looked at me, tears in her eyes when I returned, and I knew why. The opening was gone, closed, and sealed again.


    "Oh," I exclaimed but did not panic. I was expecting it to shut down after some time. I wasn''t that surprised. "Which sink was it?"


    "This¡­" She pointed at one, and I came close, giving her portion of the potions, pocketing the rest. "Ah! Look!" I pointed at a snake emblem on the tap. "Try speaking to it!"


    "Oh¡­!" Understanding glowed in her eyes as her initial panic dissipated. When she was back to normal, her mind seemed to catch up quickly. With a hissing whisper, she said something at the sink disappeared, lowering itself to the ground and revealing the whole we saw earlier.


    "Follow me closely!" I said, sliding down first, and if not for heading into the nest of a deadly beast, I would have enjoyed it. It was like being on a playground, enjoying an elaborate slide. The only problem was, after landing on my feet, I forgot to move, and Quincy landed on me, making me crash onto my stomach. "Owie¡­"


    "S-sorry!" She moaned, climbing off of me and pulling me up. "Are you good?"


    "Yeah, nothing is broken!" I chuckled, dusting off my robes, checking the potions while continue looking around. We were in a dimly lit corridor with dark walls, a wet, cold floor, and some torches burning with green, magical fire. "I am surprised his lackeys did not get stuck-"


    "Conrad¡­ Don''t you hear it?" Quincy interrupted me, tugging on my sleeves.


    "Hear what?"


    "The voices!"


    After listening a little, no¡­ I could not. I only heard the fire crackling on the very few torches.


    "Shit¡­" I drew a sharp breath, "You probably are hearing the snake! If that is the case, that must mean it''s speaking with Draco! That is not good; what if they make a deal!" I started hurrying forth. "Damn it¡­ I hope we are not too late!"


    "What are we going to do?" Quincy asked, keeping up while holding the still-frozen rooster.


    "I don''t know¡­ but I will come up with something!"

 Chapter 39 – Chamber of Secrets

    We couldn''t afford to just rush into the unknown, not even when Draco was ahead of us and making a deal with the Basilisks. If that was possible at all. We tried hurrying the best we could, edging along the wall until the pretty wide corridor opened up into a vast chamber. Water was flowing down from the holes in the walls into small canals, forming an underground river. A giant statue stood at the end, high as a building, representing Salazar Slytherin himself. Its enormous mouth was wide open, and I already knew why.


    "Drink¡­" Quincy whispered, downing her side of the potions, and I did the same without question.


    As to why, the reason was right out in the open; a humongous snake, coiling before us, hissing and speaking to Draco, who was standing in place, head lowered, trembling. I wasn''t getting what it was saying, but looking at Draco, the yellowish pool below his legs and his legs barely supporting him, I was sure it wasn''t something encouraging. Well¡­ at least he was alive, unlike his cronies. I don''t know if I felt anything, maybe I was a little bit sorry for them¡­ but they were dead, I was sure of it. Their bodies were turned entirely to stone; even we couldn''t feed potions down on the throat of a rock statue. I just hope they won''t return as ghosts; that would be the most annoying.


    "What is he saying?" I whispered, trying not to look up and stare only at its lower body.


    "It is debating whether to eat Draco or not!" Quincy answered, "It is astonished at the fact that Draco can understand him, yet he does not smell the blood of Salazar in him¡­"


    "So the snake is bound to Salazar''s bloodline¡­"


    "It very well seems like it! And I guess Draco did not know what he was going to find here! We can''t save the two others¡­ It is too late!" She added, looking at them, encased in stone for all eternity.


    "Yeah, I guessed so. Oh well¡­ I need Draco alive!"


    "Why?"


    "We need a scapegoat¡­ are we not? So¡­ this rooster¡­ should we unfreeze it? Let it go and hope it works?"


    "I don''t know how close we need to be¡­" Quincy bit her lips, passing our ''weapon'' to me, "Try to sneak in while I distract the beast!" And before I could say anything, she strolled forward without showing any fear.


    "Quincy!" I tried to say it out loud, but my mind swallowed it back before it could escape my throat.


    "What now?" The Basilisk hissed, but I did not understand its speech at that moment in time. "A helper? Not that it would matter."


    "I am not on his side," Quincy answered coldly, not glancing at Draco, who was eager to grab her attention and ask for help. She kept her face focused on the snake and its tail. Draco was petrified not because of the snake''s gaze but because of what was happening to him, Crabbe, and Goyle. Watching them turn to stone just like that was horrifying. They thought they discovered Salazar''s secret lair, with ancient knowledge and treasures¡­ instead, it was a chamber of his monster, their inevitable doom.


    "Another one?" The snake let out a low, growl-like sound "Another strange human, speaking my tongue yet smelling nothing like my Master? I can feel you are all pure, but... I am also bored eating rats and critters. Maybe a change in diet is in order. Maybe I should go out before someone closes the door for good... again."


    "Who is your Master?"


    "Hah!" The snake''s body trembled, shaking like a rattlesnake would before answering. "Salazar Slytherin, who else, you weak fledgling! You are lucky that you can speak the tongue of the chosen bloodline¡­ and that is why you are still alive! I want to know how you two managed to learn the language! What kind of abomination of magic made it possible?"


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    "It was Conrad!" Draco blurted out, making Quincy flinch, and the snake instantly turned his head towards him. I almost slipped in my attempt to sneak in, using the cover of darkness and the decorative statues on the side. My name, even when uttered in parseltongue, was something I recognized at first hearing.


    "Who is this¡­ Conrad?" The snake asked, leaning forward, its forked tongue almost licking Draco''s face. "Is he of the blood of the Gaunts?"


    "N-no¡­ The Gaunts already¡­ died out¡­¡± Draco mumbled, his eyes closed shut. I bet he realized what he was dealing with the moment his lackeys turned to stone.


    "Hah!" The Basilisk reared back, his head bobbing up and down in laughter, "Their line is still around; I met their last heir! Although he is not 100% pure, with the taint of a muggle in him, my Master''s line is still inside of him. I smelled it. He was strong... in the tongue! I could feel it; I could smell it in the air around him! Just as I smell the third of you sneaking around!"


    My heart immediately dropped to my stomach, and I jumped forward, out of the way of its tail, slapping against the wall, almost crushing me. Quincy suddenly roared at the Basilisk out of panic and fear, her voice echoing in the dark chamber like thunder.


    "STOP!"


    "What is this¡­ magic?!" The basilisks hissed, and I was surprised, too, scrambling forward in the meantime, watching the snake being frozen in motion. Quincy''s voice, her order, was filled with such power that Draco''s version could not measure up to it.


    Still, it was not the strongest it could be as the snake gained its freedom back a few seconds later, but it gave me enough time to act. With a spell, I disabled the petrification spell on the rooster, hoping all those fables and tales were real, and tossed it right toward the beast. The moment it regained its freedom, the bird started freaking out, crying so loudly even though my ears were hurting.


    "MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!"


    "It''s working!" Quincy shouted, watching the Basilisk thrash around, clearly in deep pain.


    "But it isn''t enough!" I rolled again, dodging its tail whipping past me, smashing the statues that were Crabbe and Goyle into pieces.


    We had to do something before it either escaped or killed the panicking bird¡­ damn it, we should have brought more! I felt like giving my body to somebody else as I started moving by instinct the next moment. I rushed forward, glancing at the giant snake, banging its head against the ground, and doing everything in a panicked state to stop the rooster from crying.


    "Conrad!" Quincy shouted, to which I replied with my own.


    "Don''t look!"


    And with that, I took aim and summoned blue flames, sending them straight down the monster''s open mouth. I don''t know if I ever could repeat the same feet, but at that moment, it happened naturally, and my spell hit its mark perfectly. I don''t know what makes a basilisk or what its insides are made of¡­ but I don''t think any of us expected the results of its head going and exploding on us. Maybe it was the mix between the rooster and my spell? It was trashing its head the most¡­


    "Shit¡­" I gasped, as when I turned away from the sight, looking at the water, I saw one of its eyes pop out of its socket, flying in the air. I immediately felt its effects battling with our own potion, and looking down, half of my body was unresponsive, and I couldn''t move.


    "Drink!" Quincy appeared next to me, forcing one of our vials into my mouth and making me drink the mandragora juice, soon helping me return to normality.


    "T-thanks¡­" I gasped, holding onto her as she held onto me, supporting each other.


    We were still pumped full of adrenaline, but as it left our bodies, it was hard to remain standing. Everything happened way faster than any of us expected. But¡­ we were alive and¡­


    "The eye¡­" I almost looked, but Quincy held my face, staring straight at me.


    "Idiot! You look at it and die!"


    ¡°Ah¡­ ahm¡­ s-sorry¡­ Ehehe...¡±


    "Don''t screw it up right at the end!" She berated me with tears in her eyes, gasping for air. "Did you see where it landed?"


    ¡°Kinda¡­ yes¡­¡±


    "Close your eyes, and we are going to get it! Wrap it in something, then let''s get the hell out of here!"


    "Good idea! Draco?" I asked, but none of us dared to scan the place. Just one accidental glance at the eye, and we would be dead.


    "Draco?" Quincy also repeated his name but no reply. We started inching backward, only looking at each other when we felt like hitting something soft. Looking down, it was him, unconscious but alive.


    "Probably fainted. Or was knocked out by the snake." I murmured, separating from Quincy and looking at him before I pulled off his robe.


    "What are you doing?"


    "We need something to cover the eye, no? This is going to be perfect! Keep an eye on him! Knock him out if he wakes up! This is wonderful¡­ actually!"


    "Is it? Why?"


    "You''ll see!"


    It took me fifteen minutes to find the eye, trying not to look, almost falling over it as I was crab-walking where I previously saw it flying. I managed to wrap it in Draco''s robe with closed eyes, sighing in relief and watching the squishy lump in my hands. Walking back to Quincy, I passed it to her and took out my wand, aiming at Draco''s head.


    "Now¡­ let''s start phase two¡­ Obliviate!"

 Chapter 40 – Murder at Hogwarts (End of Volume I)

    To say that the next day turned out to be chaotic is an understatement. All the Houses were ordered to remain in their common rooms and wait for further instructions. Nobody knew what was going on, but only us. By now, I was sure they found the two stone statues in Professor Umbridge''s office, belonging to her and Draco. I was resting on my bed, as casting the memory charm was more exhausting than using the blue flames.


    I made it so that when Draco woke up, he had the memories of going after weird people, following noises, and watching them kill the basilisks and loot its body. He hid until they were gone and went to investigate, stumbling onto the eye that was left behind, killing his friends. That was when he learned what they had slain, But then¡­ he got the idea. It was the perfect weapon for his own revenge, and he went, ''showing'' it to Professor Umbridge immediately, killing her without hesitation. Of course, I expected this not to be necessary as he would also gaze into the eye when showing it to Umbridge, so no trails could be followed back to us.


    As to why I went so far, then? Failsafe. I wanted to ensure we were protected as much as possible. If he survived, by some miracle, he would have a valid story, something he believes in. I know it wasn''t all that infallible, and many things hung on chance¡­ like nobody questioning him if he admitted to it. Like nobody probing his mind if he confesses. Ignoring suspicions because he was just a kid... like us. Being a juvenile had its uses... and I took advantage of that; I think I suppressed his real memories really well, sending them deep into his subconsciousness; some of his other memories were already shaking on the walls while I did so.


    "It should be enough¡­" I thought to myself, looking at his empty bed, feeling somewhat guilty, trying to chase it out of my heart and mind. "Well, both of them should be dead, and no clues directing back to us¡­ Plus, our rewards were already waiting for us in the Room of Requirements.


    After Draco woke up and was sent on his ''quest,'' we went back, harvested some fangs, venom, and blood from the dead snake, and got rid of the rooster too. We made sure no footprints or any scent of ours remained and left with a great haul. Collecting things that we would never have a chance to do again in the future.


    Nobody told us anything, not even the next day when all classes were canceled. Most teachers were either gone or rarely seen, hurrying from one point to another. On the third day, right when I was most excited about the ritual, every student was called to the Headmaster''s office, one by one. Quincy went in just ahead of me when the clock was ticking close to midnight. When she emerged, she just shrugged, saying it was nothing but some weird questions she didn''t get at all. Well¡­ my meeting with Headmaster Severus Snape was even more bizarre then. He asked nothing, only looking at me, watching my eyes briefly before glancing away, thinking, and sending me out. I didn''t even open my mouth the entire time I was inside his office.


    "Something went wrong?" Quincy asked me as we sneaked towards the Room of Requirement. With the late-night questionings taking place, it was the best excuse to be missing.


    "I don''t think so¡­" I answered, but I was now worrying slightly. Not that we could do anything now. What was done, was done¡­ The fact that we were not detained means Draco was dead, or¡­ nobody could read his mind. Probably the former. Unpacking a raw eye of the basilisks should be deadly for everyone in the room. "Let''s go! Let''s do the ritual before we are interrupted again!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Tell me your findings¡­ Severus."


    The speaker had a cold, high-pitched voice accompanied by a tinge of hissing. A tall, lean-figured man was standing in a dark room, looking out of the window, watching the cityscape of London, looking down at the millions of muggles like a kid watching an ant farm. His black hair was combed backward, and his eyes were dark as the night, with a tinge of red flashing in them occasionally. Severus could see his face in the window''s reflection, and it was a little bit gaunt, but his aura was dominating even without directly looking at you.


    "My Lord, I questioned everyone. From the kids to the staff, including the Malfoy''s boy."


    "I heard about it. I placed the family under quarantine until my verdict is out¡­ they don''t know their son is still alive and in your captivity."


    "He was lucky to survive. We found him standing there, looking at the ceiling the whole time. More people would have been killed if not for his body obstructing the eye. After that, I imprisoned the boy in my office. He is currently under the effect of not just veritaserum but my own mind-opening spells."


    "Good." He chuckled, sounding interested in the news; it was something that greatly amused him. "I have my own questions too¡­ I will ask them to you and see if you are still my best subordinate or not."


    "Please do so, My Lord."


    "Was the boy telling the truth?" Lord Voldemort asked, finally turning towards Snape, looking into his eyes.


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    "Yes."


    "Mhm, you are honest too¡­ You always were, my dear friend." He smiled, continuing, circling Snape like a snake. "Did he really kill that woman out of hate? Retribution... was it?"


    "Yes."


    "Did he plan it out by himself?"


    "No. They were making plans with Conrad Anguine and Quincy Black to take revenge, but the eye''s discovery was accidental. From that moment on, it was all of his work."


    "Oh? So there were plans to kill a Professor? In MY Hogwarts?" He chuckled.


    "They are in Slytherin, my Lord."


    "Of course they are!" Voldemort cackled, "I am not angry¡­ no, I am impressed. Good¡­ I like hearing good news! Now¡­¡± He turned serious, arriving back in front of Snape. "Was the Chamber of Secrets opened by the Order of Pheonix? Is that part true¡­?"


    "Yes."


    "You are not lying." He stepped back, fondling his wand that appeared between his fingers, waiting for Severus to continue.


    "They sneaked in by a route nobody knew about but Dumbledore. We have sealed it at once, My Lord. They certainly came for the snake and its body parts¡­ The damages done to it correlate with a phoenix''s attacks. We just don''t know why they only took the fangs and venom... go for all the trouble to-"


    "You don''t need to know¡­ enough that I understand why¡­ some things can only be destroyed by other¡­ dark methods!" He answered in a deep, hissing tone, clearly fuming with anger.


    "How?" He asked, and it was a question he expected no answer for... yet Severus Snape produced a book.


    "..." He took it wordlessly, flipping through it before shutting it with a snap and placing it on his desk. "Corvinus Gaunt..." He whispered, realizing that one of his ancestors, responsible for keeping it a secret when works were done in Hogwarts in the 18th century, left clues behind. Explanation to his heirs... to Slytherin''s heirs. It was another blow caused to him by one of his ancestors... no wonder that line died out. What he didn''t know, it was not Dumbledore who got the clue from it but Draco. The same book he found and figured out there was a chamber belonging to Slytherin, hidden under the castle. What he never realized was that it was the Chamber of Secrets.


    "My Lord..." Snape opened his mouth, seeing him fall into silence.


    "I am not punishing you, Severus¡­ I know you can''t deal with anything on your own¡­ I just wish I would have more loyal followers like you." He waved his hand, but his mind was already racing about a different issue. He knew Dumbledore knew about his Horcruxes. They had already destroyed the locket and his diary. The latter was lost just this year while his people transported it. He even stepped out, being the main diversion, yet they still failed their critical mission! Just thinking about it made him angry. Now they had more weapons that could threaten his other ones.


    "Thank you, My Lord."


    "I will place dementors around the school. They would be perfect guard dogs, sniffing out all the hope the little terrorists delude themselves with!"


    "I agree, My Lord. What about-"


    "Yes, yes¡­ the boy. I am happy to hear that some of the young generation is growing quickly and showing great potential! Keep an eye on the Anguine boy and the Black girl¡­ About Draco¡­ bring him to me, and I will make him into a Death Eater! The youngest in history! We will make it public and show the people I am a merciful leader who acknowledges ambition and drive! He saw the opportunity and grabbed it! He realized power when he came across it and wasn''t afraid to use it! That is what it means to be a wizard!"


    "Y¡­Yes, My Lord." Severus nodded, audibly gulping, having many thoughts but not daring to voice any of them.


    "How quaint. I was about to exterminate the Malfoys, and now their son saved their life. Well¡­ granting him some publicity may also lure out the hiding terrorists. It does not matter if he gets put down; then he will turn from idol to martyr!" He chuckled, returning to the window, watching the glowing city under a full moon.


    ¡°Yes¡­ My Lord¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "You are kidding me!" I whispered, reading the Daily Prophet, and Quincy was just as speechless, dropping her toast into her lap in the Great Hall.


    After learning about Professor Umbridge''s death, it was our first day back into a kind of ''normalcy.'' It was weird that Draco was not mentioned, but now he was on the front page, receiving his mark from Lord Voldemort himself! What¡­ the¡­ hell?!


    "Conrad¡­" Quincy gulped, afraid to say anymore.


    ¡°Well¡­ fuck¡­ This is not something I expected."


    "Many did not!" I heard a familiar voice as Professor Lockhart appeared behind us. "What do you¡­ think¡­? I was cordial to our young friend here, no? The next year when he comes back¡­ I hope he remembers that! Ahaha!"


    "Next year¡­" Quincy and I whispered, watching each other, stunned by the news. What was it going to be like next year? I¡­ I don''t know anymore. Damn¡­


    "Well¡­" Lockhart clapped happily, "I now am fully your Dark Arts teacher! I just don''t know who will be your new Charms professor next year, but oh well! It is almost summer; let''s not ruin it by speaking about school, eh?" He clapped us on the back, heading to the teachers'' table.


    "Yeah¡­ Summer¡­¡± I murmured, throwing down the paper. "I need that break to collect my thoughts!"


    "Yeah, very true!" Quincy moaned, trying to get the jam out of her uniform. "Conrad, why does all you do end up in a clusterfuck?"


    "Beats me¡­" I shrugged, munching on my toast, but I felt no taste reaching my brain. "I think I am cursed¡­"


    "Then start working your new blood to expel it!" She moaned, clearly stressed.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ good idea¡­¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I finally let the jam''s taste fill my senses, the same with many other fragrances prevailing in the Great Hall. Since ingesting the blood of the basilisks, my senses were heightened to a scary new level. I needed days to acclimate to it and not be freaked out by the new waves of stimulus crashing against my brain every minute. As to what else I could do? It was hard to tell¡­ as this was the most prominent improvement to my body that showed itself¡­ yet.


    "Haaah¡­" I let out an audible sigh.


    It was too late to start worrying. Everything was done already. I had to focus on what we had at hand¡­ which was the end of the year and the upcoming summer vacation. In three months, Quincy and I can work out all the details, review everything we did in our first year¡­ and prepare for the second¡­ Hopefully, there will be a second, and we won''t be killed without a chance to fight back.

 Chapter 41 – Summer Break (1)

    Arriving back home, I did it alone. Quincy would only come and visit in July, but then she would remain with us until the start of the next term. I expected Father to question me at once, but nothing like that happened. He acted as if I came home from a completely normal year of school, ignoring the fact of what had occurred at the end of it. We talked about how my studies went, which teacher I liked the most, how exciting the castle could be... but nothing about the death of Umbridge.


    "Father¡­" I approached him a few days later when he was heading into his study.


    "Everything is under control, son." He said with a wave of his hand. "I will deal with anything that crops up, don''t worry."


    "But-"


    "I am too close to the fire." He replied to my unasked questions with a warm smile, patting me on the shoulder. "I don''t need to know everything, especially because I trust you. Don''t worry about my side; I can handle it¡­ just grow strong. That is all!"


    "I''ll be more careful next time," I answered, not really knowing what to say.


    "Even better." He chuckled and then entered his study, closing the door behind him.


    "Too close to the fire¡­" I whispered, leaving and heading out into the back garden to enjoy the warm night and the stars above us. "Maybe he is afraid of someone reading his mind?" I asked myself, thinking I would also not want to know about certain things if that was a possibility. It is the best way to protect information¡­ to protect¡­ me.


    "Is something the matter, Master?" Squeaky appeared, bringing a pot and cup to pour cold, iced tea for me when I stopped and sat down on a bench.


    "No, nothing." I took a sip, rubbing her head, "Thanks, this tastes nice!"


    "Squeaky is happy to serve, Master. When will young Mistress come?"


    "A little later! But then she will stay for the rest of the summer! Did something happen while I was away?"


    "Nothing important, Master. The old Mistress did complain a lot until old Master let her go on a vacation to¡­ I think Mallorca it was, Master."


    "I see! That is why the house is so peaceful and silent!" I laughed, making Squeaky smile a little, trying to hide it without much success.


    I closed my eyes, leaning back and enjoying the taste, which was then mixed with a plethora of new aromas. Taking a deep breath, my mind quickly managed to separate them into different types. There was the tea, the grass, four different flowers, the wooden tray she was holding, the smell of manure from far away, and finally, Squeaky''s natural scent. Even more, by licking my lips, I did not even need to breathe, and I managed to taste all of them, quickly recognizing which smell came from where. It was a weird feeling but something that came to me naturally by now.


    "How weird¡­" I heard Squeaky mumble.


    "Hm? What is?" I opened my eyes and saw her point toward the ground.


    In the silver moonlight, I saw a few tiny spiders scramble away, climbing through the grass, heading towards the walkway filled with chipped rocks, and doing anything in their power to get as far away from me as possible. Yeah¡­ that was¡­ interesting. Was it the basilisk''s blood? Most likely, I had no other ideas come to my mind. Now I was a bit afraid¡­ what if my eyes also changed? Then how will I look into Quincy''s eyes? I don''t want that kind of power!


    "Master¡­ Is everything really okay? You look worried!"


    "I am worried a little, but not because of a problem!" I sighed, drinking the rest of my tea, "It is nothing but a bit of nervousness about what happened at school!"


    "Squeaky heard about it from old Master¡­ it must have been hard for Master to go through all of it! But at least the evil woman is gone!"


    ¡°Yes Squeaky¡­ she is gone¡­¡± I murmured, flashing a small smile, feeling proud of the achievement, especially now that we clearly got away with it. My next thought was¡­ who would replace her? Who is going to be our next teacher? My guess would be someone from HIS circle. "I am overthinking things!" I said, mostly to myself, "Let''s go back; I think I will go to sleep before my brain overheats!


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    "The bath is already ready, Master. I will make the bed then!"


    "Thank you, Squeaky!" I gave the cup back to her, and she disappeared with a snap of a finger while I walked back to our mansion.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    A few days later, on a hot, sunny day, I was facing Neville on an empty field, my wand pointed straight at him.


    "You are fast!" I said, feeling my heart beating fast, slowly lowering my hand, hiding its tremble.


    "Not as fast as you!" He answered, holding his wrist and rubbing it with a wry smile before collecting his wand. "The advantages of formal training and magical education, eh?" He asked with a sad, somewhat disappointed voice.


    "Y-yes¡­" I nodded, replaying the previous duel we just had in my mind.


    We came out to practice spells, and as Neville was also a wizard now, it was a good idea. At least, that is what I thought. Both of us started learning magic this year, him being taught by others, wizards hiding in my father''s care. I wanted to teach him some spells too, and share things I learned¡­ but he was no joke and already knew almost as much as I did! He even had a fast draw and could fire the same spell as me only difference was that I had my wand in my sleeve¡­ if not, I would have lost our duel.


    "You are exceptionally good!" I walked over, patting him on the shoulders, "Damn, you almost got me!"


    "Nah¡­ I was not even close! But thanks! It was my first time trying out my spells against somebody!" He smiled, holding his wand, fondling it gently. "When I got mine, I couldn''t believe it! It was not long after Christmas!"


    "That means you only had a few months to train¡­" I whispered, even more amazed. What the hell was going on? Neville sounds like a genius! I think I would only have the upper hand over him if I used wordless casting! Something I wanted to avoid, as the least people knew about it, the better.


    "How was school?" He asked again, missing my murmurs, asking me interestedly.


    "Fine, I guess. Not the worst, but we had a horrible Professor. Luckily, she is no longer with us."


    "Ah, the Umbridge story?" He asked, looking around, "I heard people whisper about it! And about a guy named Draco! They say he is the youngest Death Eater ever! Maybe he will even be taught by¡­ you know, HIM!"


    "Maybe¡­" I replied, thinking, hoping it would not come to that. I was sure HE would see through my memory charm. I just hoped he would see it beneath him to personally interrogate a child or start teaching someone while he leads the Wizarding World. "I will see it when next year starts. If he attends at all!"


    "Come on¡­" Neville whispered, "Tell me the full story; you were there!"


    "Well, I don''t know the details!" I chuckled, nodding towards a nearby tree to go and sit down below its shade, "I can only tell you some of my guesses and what I saw while in school!"


    I was mainly honest with him when retelling my experience at Hogwarts, leaving out the things that were only for Quincy and me to know about. When I finished, I saw him fall into deep thoughts, smacking his lips multiple times.


    "I don''t know Conrad¡­ I disagree with what Draco did. I get it that woman was evil, but¡­ Killing her? That is a bit too much!"


    "Is it?" I asked, not offended by his words. I disagreed, of course, but¡­ I admired the fact he said it. "I think she deserved it. It was coming for her. She was using the Cruciatus curse on us as punishment! I myself experienced it!"


    "That is¡­ bad, yes, but¡­ killing is not the solution!" He answered, keeping his answer the same. I could see he had his own ideals in his mind and eyes, and he was steadfast in adhering to them. That¡­ even if I disagreed, was something I could respect.


    "When would it have been okay? In your opinion." I asked, curious, watching his eyes while waiting for his answer.


    "When someone killed someone you care about. Yes¡­ then I can understand it." He replied after a minute of silence, and his voice was clear and firm. I knew that he came to that conclusion right there and then, reinforcing it for himself by saying it out loudly.


    "That, I agree with!" I clapped his shoulder, squeezing it, "Only, I think it is best if those people are gone early! Before they have a chance killing someone you care about!"


    "You can''t make the decision about who would do something like that, Conrad! You can''t judge people like that! What if you are wrong? That thinking will lead into a dark place!"


    "Maybe." I shrugged, hearing the concern in his voice, and I appreciated it. We were friends, even if we did not spend all that much time together, especially since school started. But I knew a friend when I met one. "I appreciate your feelings, Neville! Maybe if I slip, you can help me back up?" I joked, but he took it seriously.


    "Sure! Plus, I trust Quincy will do so, too, no? You two will be married after all!"


    "The whole world knows that, huh?" I grinned.


    "You are not protesting~ So¡­ I know it was arranged but¡­ you two are really on the same wavelength! I saw it in the winter!"


    "Weeeeell¡­" I pursed my lips, feeling a bit shy for some reason, "Yeah¡­ I think I really like her!"


    "Good! My Uncles and Aunts always say love is a strong weapon against the darkness! They always say I am here because of it!"


    "Aren''t we all?" I laughed, but then I stopped, twisting my lips, "Well¡­ I am apparently not, as I am 100% sure my dad does not love my mom. And vice versa¡­"


    "Ugh¡­" Neville jerked in place, not knowing what to say. "S-sorry¡­?"


    "Nah, no matter! What do you say to bringing out a spare broom and having a race? Around the village?" I asked, standing up and patting my bottom.


    "So you can beat me again? Both of us know you are a better rider!"


    "Hey, you almost beat me in our duel! Who says you won''t beat me in a race?" I grinned.


    What I did not expect¡­ was that he genuinely did. Sitting in my bathtub back home, I was looking at the ceiling, watching the last rays of the setting sun shine through the small window on my left. Neville did beat me in our race¡­ not by much¡­ but he did! And he was learning magic for only half a year? Bullshit! Something was going on with him, or he was a special kind of wizard¡­ or both.


    "Haaah¡­ no matter!" I laughed to myself, "Having a strong ally is something that can only be an advantage and not a hindrance!"

 Chapter 42 – Summer Break (2)

    The first month of the summer break was going very slowly. Surprisingly so. I remember that it usually flew by before it was school time again¡­ learning to write, read and count to infinity. Okay, not that far, but I am not fond of math. I couldn''t wait until I was admitted to Hogwarts to finally attend a real school, not that¡­ muggle, mundane version of it.


    Well, the moment Quincy arrived, and we welcomed her, along with her grandmother, the days started to really fly by me. Luckily, her grandmother did not stay for long, and Father was the one entertaining her. When we could, we escaped into the town, spending most days with Neville as we explored the surrounding forest and fields, trying out our spells in duels. Or just racing on brooms. It was liberating.


    "Ouch¡­" I hissed while Quincy cleaned a scratch on my knee with alcohol back in our estate''s garden.


    "Man up already!" She chuckled while I sat on the grass, looking like someone who just crashlanded. Okay¡­ I did precisely that. I tried a new move with my broom, but I ended up hitting the ground instead. It wasn''t a big crash, but I slid on my knees a little, scratching them up.


    "It''s just stings¡­ I am not complaining¡­" Looking to the side, I murmured, "Why not use magic?"


    "Because then you forget that acting like an ass has consequences! Magic can''t solve everything for you!" After finishing the quick ''first aid'' care on my knees, she berated me, giving the alcohol back to Squeaky, who appeared at once when I ''landed.''


    "Master should be more careful!" She said, nodding when hearing Quincy''s words.


    "Yeah, tell him that more!" She agreed wholeheartedly. "Were you trying to impress me? Because it did not work!"


    "Hmph¡­"


    "Master did mention Mistress a lot to Young Neville."


    "Squeaky!" I barked, but she just snapped, disappearing with a loud pop.


    "I see." Quincy chuckled, blushing a little, "Well, I am happy to say, your blood looks normal and human! You did not turn into a snake! Yet!"


    ¡°I hope I won¡¯t¡­ the spiders did flee¡­¡±


    "Yeah, you mentioned it." She crossed her arms, thinking, "But I wouldn''t worry about it! I was thinking about something else! I read about many snakes back home, going through old bestiaries and whatnot, and a new idea came to mind!"


    "Venomous bite?"


    "Err¡­" She flinched, looking at me weirdly, but then she did consider it, "Maybe. I¡­ Well, if you feel like spitting and it smells foul, I would consult Madam Pomfrey about it first! Maybe better mouth hygiene is what you need!"


    "Ha. Ha." I rolled my eyes but did smile at her jab.


    "What I was thinking is being an Animagus!"


    "Ah!" My eyes flashed, intrigued by her idea, "That is not a bad idea! Wait, you think we should be able to turn into snakes?"


    "Why not? Of course, I don''t know if that is possible. If our new gift would give us any advantage regarding it¡­ but yes! I do think it is a good idea to master it!"


    "I can also see that! That totally slipped my mind; nice job!"


    "Ehehe~ Of course, I am smarter than you, anyway!"


    "Ha. Ha. So, Miss Smartest Girl in Britain, how do you think we should go about it?" I asked, standing up, no longer feeling pain in my knees, excited by the idea she brought forth.


    "It is not easy, and it can go extremely wrong very quickly!"


    "Isn''t that the description of all of the spells?" I shrugged, "We did some pretty dangerous stuff a few months ago! I don''t think turning into an animal will be any more risky."


    "True." She conceded at once, not even sounding angry, "I read up on the process! The first step is keeping a mandrake leaf under our tongue for a month! From full moon to full moon! Swallow it, spit it out; we have to start over!"


    "Err.. okay¡­ that already sounds bothersome."


    "It is. But we have spares from those that I did not turn into potions. The second phase is that the full moon has to be clear! If it''s cloudy¡­ we start over."


    "..." I simply blew air out of my nose, too tired to even be surprised¡­ and this was only the first step?


    "Then we will have to spit the leaf into a vial within range of the moon''s pure rays. Then, we add one hair of ours, a silver teaspoon of dew that had not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for seven days, and the chrysalis of a Death''s-head Hawk Moth."


    "Okay, that does some feasible! At least it is more straightforward than sucking on a leaf for a month."


    "Then, the resulting mixture has to be put in a quiet, dark place and could not be disturbed in any way!"


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    "Manageable. Easily, in fact. The Room of Requirement is perfect for it."


    "Here comes the worst part!"


    "Hit me!" I shrugged and saw her crack a smile with a bit of pain on her face.


    "We wait for an electrical storm, whenever that might be. At sunrise and sundown every day without fail, we would also have to chant the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus with the tip of our wand pressed against our chest. Exactly where our heart is! When the storm comes, we must immediately move to a big place, drink the potion and recite it one last time!"


    "And if we screwed up, then?"


    "Permanent transformation. Or half-beast appearance. Disfigured for life! It is tedious, I know! But our previous ritual was also somewhat sucky, wasn''t it?"


    "Yeah¡­ you are right. It was. Okay! We can do that! Now¡­ thinking about it, this is not that bad¡­ We just need to fiddle with a leaf, from full moon to full moon, make a potion, and then on its nothing, just chants every day until we do the slurping!"


    "If you say it like that¡­ yep. Not that problematic!" She chuckled. "Should we start?"


    "I''d love to say yes, but no." I groaned after considering it. "My mother will be back home¡­ the place will be anything but quiet! It is best to do it at school."


    "Maybe ask the teachers for help?" Quincy thought, but then I shook my head.


    "Any animagi has to be registered. Let''s not do that."


    "Ah¡­ okay. Yeah¡­ good idea!" She nodded, blushing that she had forgotten about it.


    "Plus, imagine we do everything, and no storm comes! Then we head back to school, and bam, it hits! I don''t think the Hogwarts Express is the best place to finish the ritual!"


    "Err¡­ yeah, that is for sure!" She shrugged again.


    "Hey, it is summer! Let''s enjoy it! There is a small river not that far here; want to go tomorrow and enjoy it a little?"


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you mean¡­¡± She blushed from head to toe, listening to me.


    "Duh! We could splash around a little! Or you didn''t bring swimsuits?"


    "N-no¡­ I did¡­ not." She murmured, looking at the ground, kicking small pebbles around.


    "No worries! I bet we can ask Father to order some! Or we can go and buy it together!"


    "Let''s order it!" She replied hurriedly, almost biting her tongue while saying it.


    "S-sure." I nodded, not really getting why the sudden weirdness. It was¡­ just so we could have a little fun. I liked the cold, clear water; sometimes, fish swam past my legs. It was¡­ tranquil. Nice. Beautiful. Haahh¡­ girls.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    With Quincy accompanying me through the summer, it indeed went fast. I could barely believe it was already time to buy our books and get ready to travel to Hogwarts. Father couldn''t see us off this time, so some of his subordinates took us into London to King''s Cross. I won''t lie; it was good to stand on the platform, watching the red engine again and hearing the bustle around us. I looked around, trying to see if I could spot Draco, but I did not see him. A bit weird, but I was also glad of the fact.


    "What''s up?" I nudged Quincy, who was a bit lost in thoughts.


    "I was wondering if I saw it right."


    "Saw what?" I asked as we climbed up to one of the carts and helped her lift the heavy trunk up.


    "You know, I mentioned that some of Neville''s caretakers, especially those brothers¡­ What was their family name? Rubio?"


    "Ah, yes¡­ you mentioned they are looking at you constantly." I remembered, a bit concerned. I started paying attention to it after Quincy told me about it, and true enough¡­ they were undoubtedly watching her. Especially the one named Jack. Muggles¡­ are weird, so I ensured Quincy never wandered too far. Magic or not, people can be dangerous.


    "I could swear I saw them just now!" She said, but her voice was unsure as she looked out the windows, trying to find them in the crowd.


    "Impossible! They are muggles!" I countered, yet still stuck my head out, searching, but what I could see odd was only two weird-looking dogs sitting not that far away, one black and one grey. Weirdly enough, they were looking at us too, or so it seemed.


    "Let''s go!" Quincy shrugged, pulling on my robe as we continued walking down the cart, finding an empty compartment.


    "Say," I opened a box of chocolate frogs, giving one to her, "do you have any idea who will be the new professor added to the roster this year?"


    "Nope!" She answered briefly, catching the escaping frog and popping it into her mouth, already forgetting about feeling stalked. "Ehhh, I got myself a Bellatrix again¡­" She grumbled with a mouth full of chocolate.


    "I have it worse." I flipped over my card, which was Lucius Malfoy. "Funny enough, I only got my dad 2 times."


    "Is he rare?" She asked curiously.


    "Nope, I just usually pull people I don''t want. Maybe I''m jinxed!" I laughed, throwing the card away.


    "Like Professor Lockhart?" She joked, making my face sour and twitchy, yet she just laughed.


    In August, that idiot showed up at my home¡­ He only stayed for a few days, supposedly on a mission nearby, and he lodged at our place. At first, he was to stay in the village, but Father insisted on offering his hospitality to a famous Professor from Hogwarts. Not to mention, my mother was really eager to agree. Seeing the two, I knew why... I did think about jinxing his crotch. Or my mother''s. Giving them some itch that wouldn''t stop¡­ or something.


    We talked briefly while he was at our place, but it was mostly about memory charms, practicing, and some school stuff. He tried to ask me leisurely about my family life, what Father does in his spare time, and I gave him some¡­ answers. Ones that I rehearsed with him because, of course, I told my Father everything about Lockhart. The moment I saw his expression change and come up with what I should say to him, I was 100% sure he was dabbling in something dangerous. Something that would mean he could be killed if it came to light, and he was trying to spare me from it¡­ for now. I had to get stronger so he could rely on me for real and tell me what is going on!


    "Conrad?" Quincy asked, seeing my face change as I was immersed in my thoughts. "When we are alone, you tend to show everything on your face¡­" She smiled softly.


    "Ehehe¡­ because I trust you. So?" I cleared my throat, "Your guess about our new professor? Mine is on Bellatrix!"


    "A prime-time Death Eater?" She laughed, "Surely not! I think any of those guys would feel it to be a demotion! An exile, being chased out of HIS inner circle!"


    "Or an important job. For example, like the Headmaster''s position!"


    "Our Headmaster does not teach." She reminded me.


    "Yeah, I know, he has other, important things¡­ like torturing others."


    "And helping you? Why the animosity?" She asked with honest surprise.


    "Sorry, sorry¡­ I know... You are right; I do like him. Really! He did cover for us a lot; I do trust him! It''s just¡­ knowing what is happening behind the hidden corridors and walls is¡­ it taints the school''s image for me."


    "Why, the curses we are going to be taught do not? Or how punishment works?" She smirked, "Don''t forget, we start learning how to use curses for real this year! Not the deadly ones, but¡­ you get it."


    "Point taken!" I shrugged, feeling a bit weird, "With Professor Lockhart, eh? I don''t know if I trust him teaching us curses¡­ the spells he did all went awry every time! The only thing he is truly good at is memory charms! The rest? I think I could do them without a wand at the same efficiency as he does!"


    "That¡­ I do not doubt!" She grinned, making me laugh, too, as we headed straight toward Hogwarts to start our second year.

 Chapter 43 – Start of the 2nd-Year

    Stepping off the train, it was good to be back at school, especially now that there was no more Umbridge. I already forgot the question of who would replace her, and instead, I felt excited to have a year where I didn¡¯t need to be tiptoeing around, afraid to stumble into her and get myself tortured for no reason. Bye-bye detention, and welcome real school life!


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Quincy nudged me, ¡°Do you see that?¡± She pointed at the carriages we would take to the castle, as the boat ride was for only the first-year students.


    ¡°That is one ugly horse.¡± I nodded, watching the dark, black skeletal horses with their bat-like wings. It wasn¡¯t that surprising; I could see that some wizard would want something like that¡­ even if they looked like the horse that Death would ride to battle.


    ¡°Those are¡­ thestrals, I think.¡± She added, watching them tied to the carriages while she climbed up, me right behind her.


    ¡°They are.¡± A voice replied, making me look back; one of my legs was already up, my hands clasping the handlebar, turning my head around. ¡°Up.¡± He pushed me, and she sat before us with a weird smile.


    ¡°Draco.¡± I raised an eyebrow while the carriage started moving, and we were bouncing uncomfortably in our seats. ¡°We didn¡¯t see you on the train.¡±


    ¡°I came early.¡± He answered, leaning back with an extremely smug look, ¡°I had important things to do!¡± He added with a chuckle, making his sleeve fall back, showing her mark as a Death Eater.


    ¡°Congratulations?¡± I replied, trying not to sigh or roll my eyes.


    ¡°Why, thank you! Now that you mention it, I have two open spaces for subordinates! And, as you somewhat helped me, I thought offering the gesture to you~ You know, many others would jump on the opportunity, but I don¡¯t want them to say I am not taking care of my people!¡±


    Just hearing his smug voice, seeing his head swelling to triple its original size¡­ I felt sick. I stole a glance at Quincy, whose face was as placid as a corpse¡¯s, refusing to show any emotion toward Draco.


    ¡°Well, I feel humbled, but I think we will refuse the offer! We are good as is, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He smiled, which surprised me. I expected something different. Threatening us? Trying to blackmail us with something? Saying he will tell his father about this? Anything but this. ¡°Well¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Quincy answered for me.


    ¡°Your choice¡­ a bad one, but yours.¡± He smirked, and I had a feeling he expected it¡­ and there was something going on that we were blind to. ¡°Did you hear who is going to be the new Dark Arts teacher?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it Professor Lockhart?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I asked about the new one, you idiot!¡± He snarled, looking at me like some kind of braindead creature, ¡°Professor Lockhart will teach charms! The toad woman¡¯s successor is going to take over the Dark Arts class!¡±


    ¡°So we are good to assume you already know who the individual is?¡± Quincy asked, furrowing her brows but her voice remaining indifferent.


    ¡°Oh, yes, yes, of course I know! I came early because of it!¡±


    ¡°And care to tell us or not?¡± I leaned back, too, showing a more relaxed side of me and letting my annoyance with his bravado show through my voice. From out of nowhere, Quincy also leaned back and up against me, having the same idea of trying to irritate Draco. Looking at his eye twitch a little¡­ it was working.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. It would spoil the surprise! But this year is going to be way different!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of this year¡­ are you still on the Quidditch team?¡± I let another jab in, knowing how miserable he was in our previous year¡­ not to mention our House coming in dead last place while Ravenclaw won the cup. Not that I really cared, but it was good to see him nearly losing his bravado.


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    ¡°I am, and I am going to be made captain!¡± He replied coldly.


    ¡°As a second-year student?¡± Quincy laughed, ¡°Who will listen to you?¡±


    ¡°Anyone I show this to!¡± He sneered, stretching his hand out with the skull and snake tattoo on it.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± I answered placidly, not really impressed. Enjoy it, Draco¡­ take it as my gift, saying sorry for trying to kill you. Just don¡¯t get too carried away because then they will realize you are a fraud, or you will get yourself killed for real this time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need luck¡­ I have skills!¡± He replied with a smug grin before climbing out of the carriage as we arrived at the school grounds.


    ¡°What. A. Prick.¡± Quincy groaned word by word, still leaning against me.


    ¡°You could say that again!¡± I chuckled, and we suddenly realized what we were doing. With a quick separation, we climbed out of the carriage, trying to look as if nothing happened, and I changed topics while walking towards the main gate with the others. ¡°So, what is it about the horses?¡±


    ¡°Thestrals.¡± She corrected me, ¡°Magical beings, only seen by those who saw death.¡±


    ¡°Well, does this mean that animals count too?¡±


    ¡°I think what counts is that we organized said death.¡± She whispered, ¡°Or the case of Crabbe and Goyle¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So, they are invisible to others, huh?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, yes.¡± She shrugged while we entered the castle, heading to the Great Hall.


    Sitting down at the tables, I was finally feeling hungry, waiting for the sorting, welcoming the newcomers, and finally getting to eat. I looked up, scanning the teachers¡¯ table, when I noticed him. I couldn¡¯t help but feel my mouth open wide as I nudged Quincy.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe this¡­¡± I whispered, making her look and freeze in place, just like me.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is worse or not¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take me long to notice the new teacher. It was a man I did not expect to see here¡­ Lucius Malfoy, Draco¡¯s father himself. No wonder he was so smug and full of himself¡­ Daddy came through, and now he started teaching at Hogwarts.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± I turned my head away before our eyes had a chance to meet.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad¡­¡± Quincy said, trying to sound optimistic.


    ¡°We will see¡­¡±


    I had nothing for an answer. Will it be? It could be, yes. But¡­ who knows. I knew Draco would be an ass, unbearable after being made into a national celebrity. What I did not expect was his dear father coming into play. Now I had to be extra careful, and I couldn¡¯t go around jinxing Draco when he became annoying, which I had in mind before this little development of ours.


    While listening to the sorting, I made sure to avoid the father and son duo¡¯s eyes, acting as normal as possible. My mind was free of plans or weird ideas¡­ well¡­ at first, that is¡­ but I couldn¡¯t let them fester, not like before! For one, reviewing our little stunt from last year, so many things relied on blind luck and stumbling from one plan into another, somehow coming away scott-free and making everything work.


    It was a miracle that both of us survived, and none of us got caught in the act. We no longer have a beast to kill or make it do the killing for us. Not that I would try and murder Lucius too. A second teacher¡¯s Death? It wouldn¡¯t fly¡­ one is an accident, two in a row is a pattern, and I don¡¯t think HE is that stupid to ignore it. I wouldn¡¯t expect him to come and investigate it personally, but he would send¡­ a¡­


    ¡°Deatheater!¡± I murmured, and even though there was a cacophony of talk around us, people speaking, eating, and laughing, Quincy quickly caught my word.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She leaned in.


    ¡°Lucius is a death eater, and so is his son¡­ do you think he had been sent here to investigate?¡±


    ¡°I thought about it too!¡± She agreed, looking around, ¡°It is logical to have a backup at the ready!¡±


    ¡°What is even worse, is HE suspecting us, I mean, suspecting me? Lucius is a rival of my Father!¡±


    ¡°Remember what he told you?¡± Quincy said, reminding me, seeing my anxiousness reflected in my eyes, ¡°The Malfoys were almost out of HIS favor! That would have meant death to them!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°I think,¡± She continued, gently patting my hand, ¡°This is just a test¡­ If I were HIM, I wouldn¡¯t welcome them back into my inner circle just like that! I would test them! His son may be promising, but that is his son, not Lucius! Besides the Headmaster, who here is a real follower of HIM? Someone who can talk with HIM face to face? Nobody! If I wanted to clear my doubts about a follower of mine, I would send him to serve under my best agent!¡±


    ¡°Under Severus Snape¡­¡± I whispered, following her logic and feeling it to be correct.


    ¡°Exactly! And your Father talked with him? No? You said it when you went to get your wand, remember? I think being a teacher for Lucius is a kind of test! Do it right or die trying!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ hm¡­ yes, I can see that! Thanks¡­!¡± I smiled, feeling much more relaxed now.


    ¡°No worries~! Don¡¯t be too lax, either, but stop stressing! It will show! What you should focus on is how to start our little ritual to become an animagi!¡±


    ¡°Right! Let¡¯s eat, sleep, and when school starts tomorrow, we can head to the library after classes to look things up on it!¡±


    ¡°The library¡­ again¡­ eh?¡± She grinned, ¡°Why Am I not surprised?¡±

 Chapter 44 – Charms Class

    The first day came quickly, and our first lesson was Charms with Professor Lockhart. He looked just as jovial as ever when we bumped into him at breakfast. He was unbothered by the fact he was replaced entirely by Lucius Malfoy, and he was no longer involved in any way with teaching Dark Arts. Not that it mattered because he couldn''t teach us anything in the first place. I thought, maybe charms will be different¡­ at least he wouldn''t curse us, blow up our chairs, or- ah, who am I kidding? Of course, he would!


    "Nervous?" Quincy chuckled, sitting down beside me after finding our way to the back rows.


    "So-so." I shrugged, "At least it isn''t transfiguration, and I don''t need to worry about being turned into a bat. Or a half-monkey. Or worse."


    "I can''t argue with that!" She grinned, leaning in, "Wanna make a bet?"


    "About what?"


    "How long will it be before something goes wrong? I say¡­ 15 minutes!"


    "5!"


    "Ooooh, you are brave!" She raised an eyebrow, leaning back, "You are on! If I win, you are going to carry my stuff around; these bags got really heavy!"


    "Sure, and if I win, you are going to accompany me when going out for a ride on my broom!"


    "Eh¡­"


    "Why are you so against it? It''s fun to fly around, and it wouldn''t be a race! It clears your head to soar through the sky, and we were finally allowed to bring our brooms!"


    "I''m not that fond of flying, okay?" She shrugged, "I feel¡­ unstable up there, like a stronger wind, and whoosh, I am falling to my death!"


    "Nonsense! Plus, I would catch you! Come on, if I win, you are coming with me, at least once! I will show you it can be enjoyable!"


    "Okay, okay¡­ but win the bet first!"


    "It''s Professor Lockhart¡­ 5 minutes, maybe even too long!" I rolled my eyes but didn''t expect it to be so true.


    When he strolled into the classroom, greeting us back to school, he acted like we missed each other so much, we went to sleep, crying about it¡­ about him. Was it only me, or did he become much more insufferable now that Umbridge was gone?


    "Let''s dive into it, little champions! Ahaha~! It is no use waiting for nothing! Conrad, my boy, please, come up!"


    "What?" I asked by reflex, surprised, almost falling out of my chair.


    "You will be my helper in today''s class! Be a good lad, and come out already!"


    "Shit¡­" I whispered, watching Quincy, who bit her lips, trying not to laugh, avoiding my gaze.


    "Class! Today, we are going to learn the ''Dancing Feet Spell,'' which originates from Italy! And no, it is not for making you a proper dancer! Well¡­ you could become a tap dancer if that is what you are looking for!" He joked with that stupid grin permanently stuck to his face, "This spell can work on both living and inanimate objects! It is a handy spell in duels, mind you! Confuse your enemies! Jinx their bodies! Make their legs unable to stay still! The creative mind can turn the simplest spells into its greatest weapons!"


    ¡°Well¡­ that is true¡­¡± I thought to myself, watching him where this would go, checking my watch. 3 minutes. I can still win the bet¡­ wait, wouldn''t that mean¡­? But it was already too late as I looked up at Lockhart.


    "Remember the hand movement, boys and girls! The incantation is Tarantallegra!¡± He explained, but after moving his hand and speaking it out loudly, the spell fired from the tip of his wand, hitting me square in the chest.


    The feeling was horrible¡­ not because it hurt but because I lost all feelings in my leg, and they no longer obeyed my thoughts. Instead, they started dancing, carrying me left and right, giving a tap dance performance without my consent.


    "Ah¡­" Lockhart looked at me, then acted as if this was what he wanted to do from the start, "As you can see, our young friend here completely lost the ability to control his movements!"


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    "Even under a spell, he can''t really dance; it is more like a fish flopping on the ground, trying to breathe!" Draco laughed loudly, making some of his new cronies join in at once. It reminded me of seals being trained to clap and make some unearthly noise with their mouths. They are a bunch of bootlickers.


    "Say the one who looks like a fish." I retorted without thinking, but before it could get out of control, my legs betrayed me, kicking over some furniture before jumping up and down on them like a Russian dancer and making me fall over the mess.


    I would have been annoyed by the loud laughter if not for the fact that, lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, I was watching my feet flailing around without stopping for a second. Damn, it¡­ this is the first day! I would have been fine with carrying Quincy''s bag! I don''t need this to start a new year with!


    "See? The legs are still moving without stopping! Usually, it only lasts briefly, but it depends on the mage and his or her proficiency! Professionals, like yours truly, could make it so that their enemies remain dancing forever!"


    "WHAT?!" I whined, trying to stand back up, but I couldn''t as I had no command over my kicking, trashing lower appendages.


    "Ahaha, don''t worry, my friend, I am an expert when it comes to charms and dispelling them!" He aimed his wand at me and shot the counter-spell before I could say no.


    My legs did stop, and I regained the feeling in them. Even managed to stand back up! But¡­ now my hands were going wild, turning me into a damned windmill! I couldn''t stop and was flailing like I was trying to swat away a swarm of bees. Oh, come on¡­ Why me?


    "Sometimes.... er... Well, this can happen!" Lockhart chuckled as if it was entirely expected. "A too-strong version of the spell, like the one I can use, has some side effects! Don''t worry; it should stop in an hour or so!"


    If my eyes could kill, like a basilisk, I think my stare would have finished him off right there and then. Instead, I was escorted to our next lesson, which was potions, by Quincy. She was trying not to laugh and restrain my hands that were flailing around¡­ for everyone else''s entertainment. Sometimes they started doing some weird moves, throwing out signs, and I think some of the other students took it pretty... badly. Thinking I was insulting them...


    "I hope everyone starts choking very soon¡­" I grumbled, heading into the classroom, my hands making some elaborate moves, something that I think the muggles called ''disco fever'' or something like that¡­ I wonder if they named it after a sickness? Like mine...?


    "What happened to you, Mr. Anguine?" I heard Professor Slughorn''s voice, watching me trying to avoid slapping the cauldron off of our table.


    "We are coming from Professor Lockhart''s lesson!" Quincy expressed, wiping her eyes clean but also interrupting Draco before he could say something nasty.


    "Ah!" He nodded, understanding it at once, pointing his wand at me, and a moment later, I finally managed to reign in my hands.


    "T-thank you, Professor!" I gasped, feeling my hands ache and tremble, barely having any strength in them to grab anything.


    "I can''t let you flail around while I am teaching!" He chuckled, and I was sure he helped me because I was on good terms with Quincy, his favorite student in our year. "Now! We are going to see if you are still there after the summer break or did your skills regressed? I am most curious!" He walked to the blackboard, writing up multiple steps in quick succession.


    <ul>


    <li>Add [ingredient] until the potion turns red.</li>


    <li>Stir until the potion turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add [ingredient] until the potion turns yellow.</li>


    <li>Stir until the potion turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add more [ingredient] until the potion turns turquoise.</li>


    <li>Heat until it turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add more [ingredient] until the potion turns pink.</li>


    <li>Heat until the potion turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add five [ingredient].</li>


    <li>Heat until the potion turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add five more [ingredient].</li>


    <li>Add [ingredient] until the potion turns purple.</li>


    <li>Stir until it turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add more [ingredient], this time until it turns orange.</li>


    <li>Stir till it turns [color].</li>


    <li>Add [ingredient] until it turns back to a turquoise color.</li>


    <li>Add [ingredient].</li>


    <li>Stir the potion again, then let it simmer for [time].</li>


    </ul>


    "I won''t name the potion; as you can see, I left out some parts too! We all learned about it, although none of you ever had the chance to brew it... Until now! You have two hours to finish the potion; the first to do so will be rewarded by me!" He laughed, rubbing his palms together, looking at Quincy. "Oh, and of course, if you finish first," He glanced at Draco, "But the potion is not something consumable or has a different effect than the original¡­ you still lost! Happy brewing, class!"


    Looking at Quincy, I already knew the Professor was expecting her to do well¡­ and I also agreed with him. Seeing her eyes, I knew she already recognized the recipe and the potion we would do as she stood up, going for the ingredient cabinet and getting them out one by one. Of course, everyone else was looking at her, quickly copying the things she took. Typical.


    "It''s-" She whispered to me like last year when getting back to her seat, but I raised my hand.


    "I know," I replied, smiling, going for them as the last student, taking out the ingredients of salamander blood, flobberworm mucus, lionfish spine, and boom berry juice.


    "You got smarter?" She smiled, showing a bit more cocky side of her while her eyes sparkled, watching me pick up three ingredients less than her. It made her look even more beautiful.


    "Maybe¡­ you little devil!" I winked at her as I tried not to laugh.


    Quincy could be really nasty sometimes... Which made her even more charming! She knew she would be copied, so she purposefully picked more ingredients than needed. Scanning Professor Slughorn''s expression, I knew that he realized it, beaming at her even more vividly. Oh well¡­ at least I know it is the Wiggenweld potion¡­ I should be able to make it; I remember the recipe as if I were looking at the textbook. Does it have to do something with our ritual? Do snakes have better memories? Mmm¡­ I should look up that¡­

 Chapter 45 – Small Sparks

    At least the Potion class was good and uneventful. I didn''t get to poison myself, and I didn''t get to blow the cauldron up in my face, like Pansy Parkinson, adding one of the fake ingredients she copied from Quincy. Speaking about the potions, I finished right behind her, with around a fifteen-minute gap between us.


    "Very good!" Professor Slughorn smiled at me, which was surprising. I didn''t get anything but a handshake, yet he seemed much more friendlier than before.


    "Thank you, Professor." I smiled back, and while leaving the classroom, I whispered to Quincy, "What is it with him?"


    "He knew you mostly copied me last year, and he is not fond of copycats. I think he is pleased that you are improving!" She answered calmly, fixing the bag on her shoulder.


    "Hm¡­ I see¡­ well, that is true, I did copy you most of the time¡­ because you are just better at potion brewing!" I grinned, taking the bag off her shoulder and throwing it around my back.


    "But the bet-" She looked at me, slightly embarrassed and red in the face.


    "Nah, don''t worry about it! We have time before the next class¡­ what will it be?"


    "History of magic."


    "Geh¡­ right after lunch? I will fall asleep¡­ oh boy¡­ Want to go out a little? Sit at the lakeside? While it''s still warm outside!"


    "Sounds good; let''s go!"


    "And you could tell me what it was that the Professor gave to you because you pocketed it so fast, I couldn''t see!" I whispered, looking around, knowing some of our classmates, who were heading the same way as we, were thinking about the same thing.


    "I''ll show you!" She winked, and I had to wait to see it until we reached the lake and sat down on the green grass, watching its calm surface and enjoying the early autumn sun and its warm rays. "It was this!" She produced a small, little rock.


    "What, a skipping stone?" I quipped, looking at it dumbfounded and expecting it to be a joke. It was a practical one; I will give her that.


    "It''s a bezoar!" She moaned, rolling her eyes, disappointed that I did not get it at first, pocketing it.


    "That is a fancy name for a rock."


    "Argh¡­ Idiot! Don''t you remember it?" She asked, pouting, and I almost answered that I didn''t, but then¡­ yeah, I did. Now that she mentioned it, the name did ring a bell.


    "The stuff in the stomach of goats? That can cure almost any poison? Yuck."


    "See? You do know what it is!" She nudged me, looking frustrated that I was playing the idiot on purpose.


    "I just remembered it! This is the weird thing¡­" I murmured, turning towards the lake.


    "The only weird thing is that you have a brain that can remember things." She added with a plain voice, then realized what I meant, watching my eyes being lost in thoughts. "What was weird?" She leaned closer while asking.


    "I recalled it from our previous year''s textbook. Like having it before me. Same with the potion recipe the Professor wrote on the blackboard! My memory feels sharper."


    "Oh! That? Yeah, mine too!" She exclaimed, "I think it''s the ritual thing! I don''t know what or how magical snakes think, but yeah, when I try to recall something I learned, I am doing it is much easier now!"


    "Really? Hmmm¡­¡± I scratched my chin, now much more relaxed about it, "That is an unexpected boon! Anything else?"


    "Nothing. Besides a bit better senses, speaking with snakes and¡­ I think that is it! You know, with my new powers, when brewing the potion, I could smell when to stir and add the next ingredients! No wonder Professor Slughorn was so happy; I made a perfect potion!"


    "I do have a feeling you would have made one without the extras!" I nudged her right when both of our ears twitched, hearing steps heading for us. Turning towards the origin of the noise, we saw Draco and two of his new cronies coming our way; Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini.


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    "What a first day, huh?" I whispered as we stood up, watching Draco come up, wearing a pretty smug face.


    "Nice day, isn''t it?" He asked, displaying such a fake smile it reminded me of Professor Lockhart.


    "Was," I answered plainly, and I knew he got my meaning, same as his new followers. At least they were not as blockheaded as the previous lot.


    "I''d watch my tongue if I were you, Anguine!" Parkinson said in a sneering tone, "You are speaking to a Death Eater! Show some respect."


    "Yes, Your Highness." I bowed ceremoniously, "Please forgive this humble servant for forgetting his place!" While speaking, I could hear Quincy''s chuckle from behind and the silence from before me. I wasn''t surprised seeing their weird expressions, seeing me present a ''proper'' etiquette, but also hearing my tone, oozing with sarcasm.


    "I want to see the reward Professor Slughorn gave you." Draco continued, his tone much colder, looking behind me at Quincy.


    "Sure." She picked the bezoar out of her pocket, showing it to them, holding it between her fingers.


    "You take us for idiots?" Parkinson spoke again in her high-pitched, ear-hurting voice. "That''s a rock you picked up, don''t dare to mock us, Blood Traitor!"


    "I am not a traitor!" She pocketed it, flaring up at once. "I am a pureblood witch like you!"


    "Like me? Dream on! You are the child of traitors; you should have been executed just like your mother was! You are worse than Mudbloods!"


    "Calvorio!" Quincy shouted at once, and I heard her spell whizz past by me, hitting the stunned Parkinson in the face. She was so surprised that Quincy attacked her at once she didn''t put up any defenses. Tapping her body, she felt fine, exhaling the air stuck in her chest, thinking everything was fine. Well¡­ not really. Her hair was gone, blasted off her head which was now shining like a bowling ball.


    "You dare-?!" Zabini reached for his wand, same as Draco, who was also surprised by the quickly escalating events¡­ Like I would give them time for that!


    Flicking my hand, my wand was already in my grip, casting spells, aiming at Zabini first, "Locomotor Wibbly!" I shouted, turning his legs jelly, making him fall to his back while my aim was turning towards Draco next, "Expelliarmus!" I cried out and watched his pale body rise to the sky before I swished my hand, making him land with a loud crack on the ground.


    ¡°Petrificus Totalus!¡± Quincy called, freezing the trio as we stood above them victoriously.


    "That was not the disarming charm." She whispered into my ear, and I just smiled. It wasn''t. I used Levioso on Draco, lifting him up and then dropping him on his back, confirming my theory that I could use wordless casting and mask it by saying a different spell''s incantation. I just had to match my hand movement to the real spell formulated in my mind. "What now? He IS a Death Eater, and his father is here too."


    "Now you remember?" Draco said it with his eyes, watching us while being bound by Quincy''s spell.


    "Not a big deal. If he does not go crying or walks back injured, prompting an investigation, we should be okay!" I pursed my lips, raising my wand. "Well, we could throw them into the lake too. What do you say?" I grinned, seeing Parkinson''s face turn whiter and whiter.


    "Not bad¡­ I can conjure some stones and attach them to their feet." Quincy nodded, agreeing nonchalantly.


    "Sure!" I grinned, and when I pointed my wand at them, I couldn''t help but find delight in the terror in their eyes. "Obliviate!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    We were coming out of Professor Binns''s classroom, yawning simultaneously, deciding to visit our little North Tower headquarters to relax and wake up from our hypnotic trance. While walking away, I watched the trio of Draco looking at us, feeling somewhat confused. I was wondering if I screwed up something or not¡­ but that should not be the case. They shouldn''t remember what had happened. Maybe wondered why Draco''s back hurt, but that was all. Or¡­ And I am sure they wondered, just like everybody else, why Parkinson''s head turned bald and why wasn''t she taking it leisurely. Did I go too far with implementing a memory in her that it was Draco who ordered her to show her loyalty to him? Probably not. I hope...


    "Weren''t we supposed to not get into trouble?" Quincy asked when we arrived, wearing a slight smile on her face.


    "You started it." I retorted at once.


    "Okay, okay~! Sorry!" She chuckled, "But her attitude¡­ and words¡­" Her voice trailed off, turning sorrowful.


    "I get it," I whispered, gently hugging her, which she let me do, wrapping her arms around me in response. "It''s okay¡­"


    "I didn''t know her¡­" After a brief silence, she added, "But that does not mean she can speak badly about her!"


    "Was she¡­" I tried asking the questions in my mind but couldn''t put them into words.


    "She was punished for what my father did. The coward escaped, leaving the mess to my mother, and she paid his price! I hate him!"


    "..." I had no words to comfort her with, so I decided to remain silent instead, stroking her head in response which slowly calmed her down.


    "Let''s drop it¡­ sorry to lay it out on you so suddenly."


    "Nah, do it more if it helps!" I smiled, ruffling her hair which made her pouty and angry, a much cuter look than her crestfallen expression. "Want to play something? We can visit the library tomorrow! We have the whole year before us!"


    "Hehe¡­ you know¡­ that does sound good! Less stressful than before!"


    "That is what I''m thinking, ahaha! I have a feeling this year will not be as stressful as our previous one!"


    Oh, how wrong I was¡­

 Chapter 46 – Like Father, Like Son

    The first few days were really nice, and I didn''t enjoy school like this last year. Or at least, I don''t think so. All was great until it was time for our first Dark Arts lesson. I knew it would not be something nice because of the father and son duo, but I wasn''t expecting what would happen in the end.


    "From this year onward," Lucius explained the moment he strolled into the classroom with his fancy walking cane, "You will start learning what it means to use magic¡­ the proper way." Just as he said it, Draco sat up straight, proud like a peacock, making my stomach turn. "Anguine! Come out!"


    "..." I only looked at Lucius once before shrugging, standing up, and feeling Quincy''s eyes follow my back with a bit of worry flickering in them.


    "Slow!" He tapped the stone floor with his cane impatiently.


    "Sorry." After a brief pause, I murmured, adding the last part, "Professor."


    "Your father is said to be a great duelist!" He continued with a sneer hanging on his face, looking down at me.


    "22 against 4," I answered plainly, and although nobody understood it, the change in Lucius''s expression, fighting hard to maintain his sadistic smile, filled me with satisfaction. It was how many times my Father won over him in their official duels.


    "Today''s lesson will be about proper dueling etiquette!" Lucian continued, pulling his wand out of his cane, waving it, and making space for practicing. It didn''t take long to realize I would be his partner in demonstrating how it is done.


    "Okay¡­" I thought to myself, feeling my blood boil, my anger rising. He wanted to humiliate me because he couldn''t do the same to my Father? Win a duel against me? I can take a lot of things¡­ but this is ridiculous¡­ I won''t play along!


    "A wizarding duel is to showcase two wizards or witches'' skills and can only be fought by magical means!" Lucian explained, standing at the opposite side of me, watching me perform the courteous bow that was required by the etiquette¡­ not that he imitated me in response. I knew it was beneath him to bow to a student, especially to the son of his most hated colleague. Or rival, but I failed to see him as my Father''s equal. "All spells are allowed in a duel, but of course, this being a lesson, I will act accordingly!" He smirked, signaling to Draco, "There needs to be an official count to three! Son, if you will!"


    "With pleasure!" He grinned, standing up and coming close to us, wanting to watch my demise from the front rows. ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­!¡±


    I don''t know if it was because of the ritual, but I could perceive the change in Lucius''s eyes. The twitch of his fingers, the throbbing of the vein on his neck. I heard his heartbeat quicken as blood rushed to his fingers, gripping his wand. It was like looking at a slowed-down image, watching him raise it way before Draco counted to one. Already cheating? Like Father, like Son¡­


    My eyes were fixed on his hand movement, seeing his lips opening, and by the first syllable and the way he was raising his hand, I already recognized the spell he was trying to unleash. Confringo. Was he trying to blast me apart? Probably not¡­ but that did not mean I would come out of this scenario uninjured. Multiple scenarios played out in my head before I decided to do the most sensible thing that would result in an easily explainable situation.


    "Protego!" I said calmly, doing the movements at the exact same time as he and raised a sufficiently strong enough defensive charm to deflect his spell¡­ right into the face of Draco, who was flung backward, crashing into the tables and his cronies. His blonde hair turned black, the same as his skin from the burn marks and charcoal-like smoke from his ruined robes.


    "What are you doing?!" Lucius roared at me, making me raise an eyebrow.


    "Defending myself. What else?" I asked back, not looking at Draco. "Standing close to dueling wizards is a stupid thing to do. Spells do fly off to the sides and can hit people who are over-eager to witness it. It was the first thing MY Father taught me not to do."


    I saw him raise his hand again and noticed the rise of magic around him. I could smell it¡­ taste it in my mouth, on the tip of my tongue. I knew that the next spell would be more potent and by what margin. My defensive charm would not hold up to it, so I made the next best choice and rolled to the side, dodging it and hearing it blast against the castle walls. If not for them being magically reinforced, I bet it would have blasted a hole in it.


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    "That is enough!" A voice interrupted us right when I was thinking if I should try and disarm him. Guess¡­ not.


    "Headmaster¡­" Lucius said calmly, lowering his wand, watching the door where Snape stood silently, looking directly at him.


    "There was already a death in the school last year." He continued in an evenly paced voice, with so little emotion, I wasn''t sure if this was warning him or me. "We are not to make¡­ a habit out of it."


    "Did you come here¡­ to tell me this?" Lucius asked, feeling indignant about it.


    "No." The Headmaster replied, and I could swear I saw a faint smirk on his face. "I needed your son¡­ as Death Eater, he has¡­ responsibilities, which you should be aware of. Albeit¡­¡± This time, he looked at the unconscious Draco with unmistakable disappointment. "But I see that he is unavailable."


    And with that, he was gone. Of course, this sent Lucius''s mind reeling about what it had to be, probably scaring him as he left after Snape without saying anything, leaving me standing there like an amused idiot.


    "I guess¡­ this means our lesson has ended?" I joked, smiling a little, feeling¡­ great.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Two weeks later, things did not really improve regarding our Dark Arts lessons. I was singled out whenever a new spell came up, or it was time to practice dueling. Every¡­ damn¡­ time. I was getting more than fed up with it, and I was getting extraordinarily stubborn and combative. I spoke to Lucius with fake respect, and every time I made extra sure not to give him an inch. Not to back down¡­ I started to wait in front of the class now, knowing I would be called out anyway. I stopped playing stupid games; it wasn''t funny at all.


    I was expecting him to snap soon and attack me with the intention to kill. I wasn''t afraid of that; I was waiting for it. It would be a good reason to get my Father and probably the Headmaster involved in this too. I wouldn''t resort to that if it was Draco who I was dealing with, but¡­ I was cursed with putting up with the older Malfoy, of all things. Well¡­ until that happened, there was another matter that I had to watch out for. One that was discussed with Quincy daily.


    We concluded that we would start the ritual of becoming an animagi at the first full moon in September, which is only a few days away. It should play out in a way that by the time November rolls around, we will surely have a storm to get done with it quickly. The only problem is if we screw up and get closer to November, it will be harder to find a clear night with the full moon shining. Oh well, we will get to cross that bridge when we get there!


    "Here!" Quincy gave me a tiny, little leaf.


    "This is it?" I asked, surprised at how tiny it was.


    "We scoured the texts!" She said, reassuring herself more than me, "None of the instructions stated how big the leaf must be! It doesn''t matter! The smaller, the better because it won''t impend our speech!"


    "Yeah, and we must keep conscious about it, not letting it slip out from under our tongue!" I shrugged, already annoyed with it.


    "Nobody said it would be easy!" She shrugged, flipping the mandrake leaf over and back in her palm while we were inside our hideout of the old divination classroom. "The difficult part will be when we are sleeping¡­"


    "I thought about that!" I stood up, bringing over a library book about jinxes, "Miblewimble. The tongue-tying curse! It gave me an idea, and I devised a new jinx!" I pointed my wand at Quincy, who didn''t even flinch, trusting me completely. "Lingua gluten!"


    The next moment I saw her surprise, opening her mouth while picking out a hand mirror, looking at her tongue in wonder. It was completely stuck to her jaw, and she could not raise and speak coherently. Revoking it, giving its freedom back, she chuckled while slurping back her saliva.


    "This will be nice!"


    "Only, we will be drooling like idiots!" I laughed with her, proud of my new spell, "Plus, it is perfect because you need wordless casting to use it! You can''t pronounce it otherwise! I will cast it upon us every night and morning; it should be fine!"


    "Extra fine! Plus, don''t forget the ritual''s incantation!"


    "Amato Animo Animato Animagus. I won''t." I assured her, "I''m totally not in the mood to start it over multiple times! Luckily, it has no ''r'' or ''l'' in them, so we can speak it with our tongue glued down."


    "But we probably will screw it up at first... Anyway, I have enough for ten tries! And I can get more going through Professor Slughorn! Oh, by the way, he mentioned to me that if you keep improving¡­ you will also be invited!"


    "Oh? Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. That was¡­ a surprise.


    "Your proficiency in the Dark Arts has been¡­ noticeable."


    "Really now?" I murmured, surprised a little but also¡­ not really. I just didn''t expect Professor Slughorn to care about it.


    "He likes unique people, and you are starting to pique his interest. He knows of your Father, although, back then, he wasn''t part of his¡­ club."


    "My Father never was a good student. He was very plain in school¡­ he came to name after graduation." I thought out loud, knowing well that my Father was, in all the sense, an average guy while going to school. Good, but not the best marks. Even in some courses, he barely passed. He made a name for himself by dueling¡­ but only outside of school. In his words, the rules were suffocating him. It was not something he enjoyed when dueling. "Well¡­ Now I want to keep it up even more¡­" I smiled at Quincy, "I am curious about what those dinner invitations look like!"


    "That would be great!" She exclaimed happily, "I hate going there alone¡­ Especially when the older students start talking, I feel¡­ sticking out like a sore thumb! Everyone else is already in their fifth, sixth, or seventh year! Ugh¡­¡±


    "Mhm¡­ Then it is settled!" I clapped with a grin, "I will make sure he has no choice but to invite me!"

 Chapter 47 – Struggles

    We were lucky that the first full moon was clear of clouds, and we put the mandrake leaf under our tongue, repeated the incantation, pointing our wands at our hearts, and then went to sleep. With my spell in effect, we both woke up with the leaf still under our tongues¡­ although we were drooling like some kind of troll. Then came the second challenge. Breakfast.


    "This is¡­ very bad." I groaned, looking for some milk and pastry to dunk into it. Anything that would make it so I can just slurp, chew very little, and keep my tongue from moving too much.


    "It is¡­" Quincy agreed with a desperate look, as eating while keeping that damned leaf in its place was a hard-fought battle in itself.


    "Shit¡­ this is not what I expected¡­" I grumbled a little more before finishing breakfast and somehow managed to keep it where it should be as we headed to our next class in the greenhouses; herbology.


    "I totally forgot about eating¡­" Quincy moaned the same way, feeling hungry as she barely managed to get anything down her throat.


    "You need to chew on one side, tilt your head a little¡­ It gets somewhat easier. So, this is our life for the next month, huh? Won''t this leaf melt away or something?"


    "It¡­ it shouldn''t. I think." Quincy added, thinking about it, "It would be illogical! Then how do you keep one under your tongue? And finish the whole process?"


    "True¡­"


    As we talked and walked somewhat weirdly, trying our best to keep our tongues as still as possible, I felt a push and almost crashed into Quincy. Looking around, it was Draco who walked into me purposefully, shoving me into her with his elbow.


    "Oh, sorry, you almost kissed, didn''t you~?"


    "And what if we were trying to do it? Then what?" I asked angrily, as my temper was already unstable because of the Malfoys, and the mandrake leaf only added to the fire.


    "Oooo, so you like tasting shit?" He chortled, same with his new lapdogs, and I saw Quincy''s head turn from red to a deeper shade of red, switching from embarrassment to anger.


    He was already leaving, laughing in that annoying, high-pitched voice, and I was about to go after him when Quincy grabbed my arm.


    "Don''t." She said, spitting fire from her eyes, watching his back. "Any trouble, especially one that includes him, and we will be busted. Or swallow and start from the beginning¡­ He isn''t worth it."


    "I somewhat had a guilty concise about what we did to him. I even felt happy that he survived." I whispered, listening to Quincy and stopping myself, "But not anymore."


    "Do you have another plan?" She smiled at me, and I just shrugged, shaking my head, "Not a problem¡­ I do. But!" She raised a hand before I could ask in surprise, "First, get this animagi ritual over with! Everything can come after that! I can endure a lot¡­ so start learning from me~!"


    "Yes, Ma''am!" I grinned, already feeling much better, following her and we joined the others in the greenhouses.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    In the next two weeks, Quincy never elaborated on any kind of plan, and I knew not to ask about it. I was being patient, as she suggested¡­ but it was getting harder and harder to maintain. As Hallowe''en was getting closer and closer, just like the next full moon, we were getting closer to finally finishing the first part. Not to mention the difficulty in keeping that soggy leaf under my tongue was a hassle; Draco and his dear father''s antics improved nothing. No¡­ it got even worse.


    It was a struggle to stay composed, focusing on keeping my tongue locked in place. I once even used my charm on it throughout the day, refusing to eat and drinking only little sips of water¡­ I just wanted nothing more than to be done with it. Then, that... that... well, dipshit challenged me to a duel in our most recent Dark Arts lesson.


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    I had my tongue glued to my jaw and couldn''t pronounce the spell correctly in time. I should have used wordless casting; my body wanted to do it... but I still had enough faculties active in my raging brain that I did not do that. I don''t want to give away one of my trump cards right in front of Lucius Malfoy, that bastard father of a bastard son! So¡­ I ate Draco''s spell, got flung off from the dueling platform, skidding on the marble floor, stopping my quick advance with my skull, crashing it against the stone walls. I heard a crack, and everything went dark. When I came to, I was in the infirmary, watching the familiar ceiling from my previous year staring back at me. What¡­ a¡­ pain.


    Luckily, thanks to my charm, the leaf was still there, the ritual was still going on, intact, and I let out a long, relieved sigh¡­ then I looked out towards the scenery behind the windows, which was already shrouded in darkness. I hurriedly scrambled for my wand, murmuring the incantation, hoping it was not too late. I couldn''t help but feel my stomach drop, feeling that it was¡­ and the anger building up inside me towards Draco reached a new height. I could feel the vein on the side of my neck throbbing, which was probably visible through my skin.


    "...!"


    It was that moment when an intense headache came over me, and I let out a hurt groan, curling up on the bed, feeling like my brain wanted to burst out of my skull and run away. Then the horrible feeling started to radiate all over my body, making me sweat and shiver. Thank Merlin that I didn''t undo my tongue-tying spell, or I would have swallowed that damned leaf! I could sense that this dreadful, abnormal pain was coming from my brain, traveling through my nervous system, going up and down on my back¡­ no, on my spine, before finally jolting straight into my eyes.


    It was a kind of pain that was only below getting hit by the Cruciatus curse¡­ and now I experienced both. Lucky me... When it reached my eyes, I wanted to scream, but my mouth was kept shut by the spasming muscles in my face. It burnt¡­ it was like a sizzling metal rod was being inserted into my skull, right through my eye socket. I tried grabbing at my face, but my hands were stuck to my body as I was paralyzed from head to toe. The burning sensation didn''t subside for at least ten minutes, and I could swear I saw my eyes glow in an intense light reflected in the infirmary''s windows. They were turning golden from their usual, deep purplish color, like two torches¡­ like that of a basilisk''s.


    Or I was dreaming it all because of my head injury. I couldn''t tell because I woke up on the bed in the following morning, feeling fine. Was it a dream? I thought it wasn''t¡­ it was too real for that. It had to be real, and when Quincy came to visit in the afternoon, I told her everything. She listened to me without interruption, but she hurriedly asked the moment I finished.


    "Did you do the incantation?"


    "I did¡­ I just don''t know when! I woke up, and it was dark already¡­"


    "We should start over¡­"


    "No!" I protested, "We are so close¡­ I think we are fine! I''m not starting this whole pain in the ass ritual from the beginning!"


    "We could do it in the summer!" Quincy argued, "We have time!"


    "It''s fine!" I reassured her, "It should have been still good because Madam Pomfrey wasn''t here, so she must have been at dinner!" I said it not just to calm her down but for my own sake too. It was my logical conclusion why nobody came and attended to me when I was agonizing over¡­ whatever that was.


    "Let me see you!" She said more gently, climbing up on my bed, holding my face with her two hands, running her fingers along the side of my face as she leaned closer, looking deeply into my eyes.


    I never saw her up this close before¡­ she was even more beautiful. Her brown eyes were like gentle lights or like sparkling gems, and I felt getting lost in her gaze. Not to mention her sweet scent¡­ I could fall asleep quickly, snuggling up to her, smelling it¡­ ah¡­


    "Stay still and stop squirming!" She grumbled while our foreheads almost knocked against each other, and I felt my face turning red like a ripe tomato. "Seems normal¡­" She breathed out a sigh of relief before leaning back. "It is a bit bloodshot, but I see no damage in it! And I didn''t feel any magic coming from it! No paralyzing effect, and I am not turning into stone!"


    "Are you suggesting that I am transforming into a basilisk?"


    "It is on the table!" She nodded heavily, "I see a chance for it! If not completely, I wouldn''t be surprised if you manage to transform into one at the end of our ritual; Everyone''s animal form comes from their inner self!"


    "I hope not¡­"


    "Why? You would be powerful!" She said, clearly surprised.


    "I couldn''t look you in the eyes anymore¡­" I murmured sheepishly and felt the bed tremble as she shifted back and forth before finally climbing off, clearing her throat.


    "Well¡­ yes¡­ that would be problematic¡­ anyway! You look fine!" She switched topics immediately and started to tell me how the day was and what I missed, making me copy her notes.


    Not that I complained about it¡­ It was good to sit next to her, let her lean close, and I could watch her face¡­ I wouldn''t want to miss this experience, not even for the power to kill with a glance.

 Chapter 48 – Moonlit Night

    It was the night of Hallowe''en; from the third year up, many were already in Hogsmeade while the rest remained in their common rooms. We, on the other hand¡­ sneaked out of the castle. We were now far behind the usual spots that students frequently visited. We were somewhere between the back gardens where the spare brooms were kept for the first-year students and between the famous Whomping Willow. Looking up at the clear sky and the big, fat full moon, I was delighted. We already had our vials and all the required extra resources.


    Spitting that accursed leaf into it was such a relief I wanted to cry. We hurriedly added our hair, a silver teaspoon of dew we collected a week before, hiding it in the Room of Requirements, and finally, the chrysalis of a Death''s-head Hawk Moth that Quincy got through Professor Slughorn.


    "Finally!" I laughed, looking at the vial and watching the leaf dissolve in the dew and the whole thing turning into a weird, greenish liquid.


    "Sssh!" Quincy waved hurriedly, "It needs peace and silence!"


    "Sorry¡­"


    "It seems fine; I hope we did everything in order!"


    "It''s okay!" I reassured her, and she just waved her hand.


    "Let''s go¡­ we still have to sneak back and place them in the Room of Requirement!"


    Creeping back the way we came was not an issue as most people were out in Hogsmeade, and the castle was fairly abandoned. We were just coming up on one of the side entrances when we heard voices up ahead. We slipped behind the nearby thick bushes, inching along the stone wall and the green foliage, trying to hear who was talking further along.


    "You want¡­ THAT girl? Are you out of your mind? Do you want to shame our family?!"


    "Is that¡­ Lucius?" Quincy asked, whispering into my ear, and I nodded. It does sound like him¡­ who is he talking to? Isn''t he supposed to be at Hogsmeade with his son? Hosting an event in celebration of HIS victory? Giving a speech about Draco and how to best serve HIM?


    "It''s not like I would really marry her! It is more about getting a one-up on the Anguines!" Another voice replied to him, which belonged to Draco. What the¡­ Is this a ploy against us? "I just showed you where the room is that they found¡­"


    "I heard about it from you multiple times already¡­" Lucius nodded as they walked down the narrow footpath, approaching our hiding spot. I knew already he was talking about the Room of Requirements¡­ I would bet a lot on the fact that they were trying to get into it when the least number of people were present. Damn! It was lucky we missed each other! "But even if it is there¡­"


    "It is! I was in there!" Draco protested but then failed to remember why he was in there... and what he did.


    "Then you were fooled on how to open it." Lucius retorted, and I heard his cane landing on Draco, making him groan and wince. "Hogwarts''s magic is ancient; I can''t break it! You should have paid more attention to it!"


    "..."


    "So¡­" They stopped almost at the other end of the hedges, making us hold our mouths'' shut, trying not to breathe too loudly. "What the room has to do with this all?"


    "I already told you!" Draco replied with subtle anger in his voice, "It is Conrad who found it! Maybe it is his father that knew about it and passed it on! Who knows what they are hiding? You always said you suspected the Anguine family of working with the Order!"


    "..."


    "Conrad is clearly smitten by the Black''s only daughter! I bet he told her everything! If we can''t get something on his father, why not get something on the son?"


    "Sometimes, you can make me proud," Lucius answered in a kind yet sneering voice. "I can speak with Walburga and see what we can do. She promised her over without thinking¡­ but now, you, the youngest Death Eater, must be a much more desirable prospect! It would also be a great blow to their family''s reputation if we can do it."


    "And we could get to know everything that the girl knows! Even the method of how to get into that room! And¡­ after that¡­ we can discard her. If she survives it!"


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    "You are growing up to be a fine Death Eater¡­" Lucius said, repeating it in his low, sneering voice that made me want to kill the two right here, right now, while Quincy was grasping onto my hand with such force, it started to hurt. "But I sense you have an unnatural hate for the kid, not that I am complaining!" He laughed, and I heard him pat Draco on his shoulders.


    "I don''t know¡­" He answered, sounding puzzled about it too. "I just feel like¡­ as if I want him¡­ gone."


    "I do too, son. His father is untrustworthy, and somehow all my failures, when I looked back on it or started investigating, had ties leading to him! Yet nobody is listening to my calls! I know he is a two-faced bastard¡­ I just can''t prove it! We will get the girl, then through her the son! From that on, I will bring down the main bastard himself!"


    As they were talking, they were leaving us behind, getting further and further from us. When we crouched in complete silence for a minute straight, I finally stood up, looking at the pale-faced Quincy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ hide the vials first¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was a lot to take in. We had been sitting at the top of the North Tower, in the old divination classroom for the past hour, without saying anything, just leaning against each other, watching the full moon. My mind was whirling with ideas about what to do, but none seemed plausible or doable. I realize that the hate Draco must feel results from his subconsciousness, from my meddling with his memories and using him to kill Umbridge¡­ and trying to sacrifice him in the process.


    "I didn''t expect him to come up with something like this," Quincy said, being the one between us to speak up first.


    "Me neither. I thought him to be a bit¡­ stupid."


    "It is still only a plan, and we now know about it. We can prepare¡­" She whispered.


    "I will write to my father to warn him."


    "That is a must." Quincy nodded, sitting up straight, looking serious, collected¡­ and calm. Calmer than I was, that is for sure. "I am not entirely sure that my grandmother will hesitate for long! On the one hand, your family is in good standing¡­ Malfoy''s name is not so much. Yes, Draco now got fame and restored much of their standings in the eyes of the public¡­ But that does not mean they are out of the hole!"


    "You are something else¡­" I murmured, watching her analyze the situation, and I think I was falling in love with her even more.


    "But¡­" She ignored my remark, biting her thumb, nibbling on her nail, and displaying some nervousness. "She probably will annul the engagement at one point. I have no delusions about that¡­"


    "Our side will have a say about that too!" I raised my voice, "Do you think we would take something like that, lying down, saying nothing? No! That would be an open humiliation to me and to my family!"


    "Yes¡­ it would be."


    "Plus!" I continued, raising my hand, "I wouldn''t let it happen myself! If it comes to it, I am going to challenge Lucius Malfoy himself! Like hell, I am going to let them have you!"


    "Thank you~ And don''t forget!" She confidently smiled, "I wouldn''t let it happen either!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "You look down, champ; what''s wrong?"


    It was the voice I did not want to hear right now. It was only the first day of November; I was coming out of the library on a Saturday that I spent all alone. No, not really, because I was accompanied by many codexes and my troubling thoughts¡­ while Quincy was off, attending an extra class with Professor Slughorn and following him to his unique, invitation-only dinner afterward. So, I decided to spend my day reading books to focus my mind on something, or I would already be a nervous wreck¡­ I couldn''t help but think about Draco and Lucius and how I would love to gift them a basilisk''s eye and watch them turn to stone.


    "Professor¡­" I moaned, turning towards Lockhart, but he interrupted me.


    "What''s the sad face for? Is it your loss against Draco?" He slapped my back with jovial laughter, "Everyone loses once or twice! Not me¡­ but I am special, ahaha! Want to come with me? I am finishing up my newest manuscript of my next book¨C Dancing with the Order! You could help me write letters to my loyal fans about it so they can pre-order quickly!"


    "Dancing with the what?"


    "The famous terrorist organization, what else? My boy, if you want, you can have a sneak peek into it! It has the latest and freshest bombshell in recent history! I dueled against none other but Regulus Black, the second treacherous son of that family! It was a wild battle where his brother Sirius and even Dumbledore himself appeared!"


    "You did?" I asked, stopping in my steps. His words piqued my interest. I bet he did not do it¡­ someone else did, and he gets the credit for it. As to why? I don''t know. Well¡­ a lot of people read his books, and whenever something¡­ "Ah!" I jumped. "Can I really read it?"


    "Yes, yes, of course!" He laughed again, leading me to his office, seeing my eagerness as a sign that I was secretly a big fan of him.


    Well¡­ not really. But an idea came to my mind. No matter how secretive the Death Eaters are, no matter who writes the news¡­ information will get out. Especially when the Order of the Phoenix also has its own resources to spread its own version of the events. I remember my father telling me that something significant happened last year and that it was the Malfoys'' blunder.


    It took time for it to spread, but I am sure many wizards knew about it! If my conjecture is correct, and knowing my Professor''s inept abilities¡­ I was convinced he was given a story he spun around and presented as his own. As a kind of¡­ truth about what happened, battling the Order''s spreading news under the table. I was most curious as to what he wrote in his manuscript. Especially if it was before any editorial review! I couldn''t take it as facts¡­ but I could use it to start and draw a picture that would become clearer later on¡­

 Chapter 49 – Machinations

    Professor Lockhart''s story, or more precisely its climax, the battle against the Order of the Pheonix, was fascinating. Very much so, and I can''t lie about it. I don''t know if it is because he is a good writer or not, but his retelling of the events was vivid and immersive. I hate to admit it, but he could sell himself on paper. In-person? Not so much, but most people know him from his books anyway.


    Reading the ''recollection'' was a bit hard. On the one hand, it was so descriptive I felt like being there. On the other hand¡­ I didn''t know if I should believe everything. Knowing the Professor, my doubts were high from the start, but I had to approach it with a clear and open mind. Through this work, I got a glimpse of how the bulk of the Order laid waste to a very important convoy of wizards. They were traveling from the school back to London when they were ambushed.


    As the teacher, Professor Lockhart was accompanying them out of courtesy to the borders when the attack happened, and he fought with the Black brothers while flying on brooms. Ignoring the flashy descriptions of his skills, the maneuvers, and the fact that spells were flying left and right, missing him by an inch, I did feel my heart quickening reading it. The presence he gave to their leader, Dumbledore, was tangible through the papers. It was he who ended one of the Death Eater''s life before sounding the retreat and escaping with the rest. It took me only one read to memorize the text, and after I was finished, I closed my eyes, rereading it multiple times in my mind. Something wasn''t making sense.


    "Why did they retreat?" I asked in the end.


    "Hmm?" He looked at me, up from signing his promotional letters.


    "Why did the Order retreat after one kill? It wasn''t even someone¡­ special."


    "It was a Death Eater! That is pretty special!" Lockhart corrected me, "Someone from HIS inner circle, one that was with HIM all those years ago when HE came to power!"


    "But¡­ so what? He now has multiple circles under him."


    "Raising talent takes a lot of years and effort, young Conrad!" He warned me with a smile and an air of superiority. "A death of such a noble warrior is a big blow!"


    "It just doesn''t make sense¡­" I argued, tapping my finger on the table, "They were on the offensive and on the winning side¡­ after that kill, they should have gained a real advantage! They could have pushed on and eliminated everybody! It was a check-mate situation! Yet they¡­ left."


    "Don''t forget, they are also human, they can be tired out, and a Death Eater is a better fighter than any of the members of the Order! Just look at your Father, for example! Or me! Even with that kill, they couldn''t hope to achieve more! They had to run, or it was their time to lose someone!"


    "Professor, are you a Death Eater too?" I asked innocently, knowing the answer and laughing at the twitch of his face.


    ¡°Ahahaha, no¡­ no I am not. Even though my talents are unparalleled, I am best utilized¡­ more freely!"


    "Thought so," I whispered, but he didn''t hear it.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    I was sitting in a chair, facing the fire in our common room. It was already close to midnight, but I felt no exhaustion, no sleepiness assaulting me, and my mind was working at maximum capacity. The story that the Professor was writing was fake. I mean, the reasons behind the whole event were. If I was the Order, I would ambush not a group of people but individuals, one by one. Get rid of them one at a time and with superior numbers.


    "They are not stupid¡­" I murmured, blinking my eyes slowly.


    There is no way the supposedly most dangerous and insidious wizard of all time, Dumbledore, would make such a mistake. So, if I could rule out them being attacked because they wanted to eliminate them, there had to be a different reason. I know Lockhart paints it like his presence was what foiled their plan, but Father told me that last year, something big happened¡­ something that enraged HIM and caused the Malfoys'' perilous position; it had to be connected.


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    "They were transporting something¡­"


    I was sure of that conjecture. It had to be the real reason for the ambush! They had something in their possession that had to be transported from point A to point B, but they never made it. My bet was that the Order managed to snatch it away or destroy it on the spot. As to which of the two happened, I had no idea, but I was sure that I was right. I may even ask Father in the winter, hoping it is something I can be told about¡­


    "Ah, are you still up?" I heard a familiar voice and was surprised to see Quincy coming in.


    "Eh¡­ what time is it?" I asked, a bit out of it before realizing how late it was.


    "Close to midnight!" She shrugged, walking in, looking tired and collapsing into my lap without question. "This was¡­ too much!"


    "What happened?" I asked with a smile, rubbing her head while she leaned against me.


    "First off, I had a debate with Draco."


    "What?!" I questioned, almost swallowing my tongue, not expecting anything close to it, and just when she was about to explain, the door opened, and the guy himself walked in, sneeringly looking at us, before he disappeared from view. "Judging by his looks¡­" I hugged her closer, looking out from the big armchair, "He lost?"


    "Of course!" She grinned, showing a V-sign. "I''m not an easy prey! Anyway, he got invited to Slughorn''s little dinner party. I don''t think it wasn''t an honest invitation because the Professor mostly ignored him. My guess is he was attending only because of the pressure from his Father!"


    "Typical¡­ can''t get in by himself, gets bought in! If not by money, then by his new tattoo!"


    "Something like that!" She giggled, agreeing with me, "Anyway! He was saying stupid thing after stupid thing, and I got fed up with it! He was trying to impress the Professor, but instead, he was making a fool out of himself! The only problem, nobody dared to say it to his face!"


    "You did."


    "I did more than that!" She explained, her eyes glowing with excitement while snuggling up to me, recounting the whole affair. It was the best night of my life so far. Holding her close, listening to her voice, feeling her sweet scent and warmth¡­ Sitting there in the dark, in front of the glowing fireplace. I felt like melting. "I told him face-to-face that what he is saying is utter nonsense, academically wrong, and I can prove it!"


    "And you did it?"


    "That is why it took this long to come back! I proved it, then challenged him to a standoff in potion making! Hah! You should have seen his face; it was not even a proper battle! I demolished him! No, I DESTROYED him!" She laughed, totally in high spirits, acting like a drunken man.


    "I bet he would deny it~!"


    "Pft, so what? I know what happened; he can''t fool me! Nor you! And look!"


    "What''s this?" I asked, watching her take out a tiny vial with a golden liquid inside.


    "Felix Felicis! Liquid luck!"


    "No idea."


    "Don''t you listen in classes?" She groaned, looking at me with an annoyed gaze, "The drinker of this gets super lucky in whatever he or she tries to do! This drink is banned in many competitions¡­ hell, I think it is banned everywhere except potion making!"


    "If it''s banned, it must be good! You got my attention!" I exclaimed, taking it from her, inspecting the vial, and marveling at its golden color.


    "It is good! But can''t consume it in great volume because it is highly toxic and can result in reckless behavior! Many died because of it! Imagine you start doing something because you just can''t make mistakes! Then it wears off, and you end up dead¡­ Bummer."


    "Yeah¡­ it does sound dangerous¡­ and also addictive! Is it safe?" I asked, now a bit more warily.


    "Self-control, Conrad! Then it should be fine! Keep it!"


    "What?" I blinked my eyes, surprised, before pushing it back to her hands. "No! You earned it; it''s yours!"


    "Yes, but you will need it more!"


    "Why¡­?" I asked, feeling confused, and saw her sigh.


    "I wanted to tell you this tomorrow, but since we are still up¡­ there is going to be a tournament in the school starting in December! It will last right until the winter break!"


    "Aaaaand?"


    "It will be a Dueling Tournament hosted by Lucius Malfoy, and you will be made to enter it!"


    "Wait a minute?! What do you mean, I will be ''made'' to enter?"


    "Draco, let it slip that he will laugh when you two meet, and he will demolish you before everyone."


    "Why is he so sure that I would sign up for some stupid competition?" I scoffed, uninterested in the idea.


    "That is why I said you will be made to sign up! I don''t know what they are playing at, but I am sure they will develop something that makes you enter it! It is better to be ready, Conrad; they are planning something!"


    "So¡­ you think I will be forced to participate?" I murmured, thinking, furrowing my brows.


    "I am more than sure of it¡­" She nodded with a bit of worry in her eyes.


    "Haaah¡­ so be it. Thanks for the heads up!" I smiled at her, rubbing her head.


    "Um! It is the least I can do!" She beamed brightly, placing the vial in my palm, "Wait with it until you need it! I know you will easily kick Draco''s butt¡­ but if you are made to enter, why not win it? That would shut up not just him but his Father too!"


    "Mmmmh¡­" I raised the little bottle, looking at it in the fireplace''s light. "You have a point there¡­ But isn''t this... cheating? Or disallowed?" I grinned, and she simply stuck her tongue out.


    "The rules are for those who can''t break it without getting caught!"

 Chapter 50 – Bloodline Problems

    She was right. The moment the next day arrived, it was announced, and when I looked, my name was already signed up for it. So they do it without asking me? That is it? How blatantly oblivious you can get, I don''t believe this¡­


    "What is it, Anguine?" Draco asked sarcastically, watching me read the announcement stapled on the notice board in our common room. "Should I tell Father you want to step back? Take your name off? It isn''t late yet! Nobody would think that¡­ You are a coward!"


    "No, it''s all good!" I smiled, "I would have been disappointed if I had not signed up, seemingly before anybody else! Look, my name is even before yours! How great I am!"


    "Yet you look anxious~! Don''t be afraid, nobody will die!" He chuckled, smirking, and he was half-right.


    I was anxious. Since waking up, the sky was dark; it was still as if it was deep into the night because a storm was brewing, and-


    CRACK!


    "...!" It was the unmistakable sound of a lightning strike. I saw Quincy flinch, standing not that far from us, looking at me knowingly. We had to rush to our potions right now!


    "Where to?" Draco asked, stepping in front of me and blocking my way. "Afraid of the rain? Need the hug of your girlie?"


    "What if I am?" I tilted my head, my voice turning flat and cold. "You are right, I am afraid. Now¡­ can this chicken please go, Lord Malfoy?"


    "No." He answered at one, placing his hand on my chest. "You are not going anywhere. Whatever you want to do, I won''t let you do it! Don''t try to play with me¡­ Traitor."


    "...?" I silently raised one of my eyebrows. What did he mean by that? Was it his subconsciousness? Or was it something else? Maybe both? Glancing at Quincy, she was even more nervous as it genuinely turned out to be a storm¡­ and a big one at that. "Go. I will deal with this." I said, looking at Quincy, but before she could say anything or Draco had a chance to turn towards her, I grabbed his robe and simply headbutted him.


    I never did something like this before¡­ Fighting like muggles. Being so... raw and uncivilized... but my anger was rising, and I felt my blood boiling. I wanted to strangle him¡­ and I did try it, my fingers wrapping around his neck like a snake. It felt¡­ good. Natural. I felt a smile creeping up to my face before I snapped out of it and let go. No¡­ I was pulled off of him by Professor Slughorn, who appeared from nowhere, followed by Lucius and then many others. Looking around, I didn''t see Quincy anymore¡­ good. At least if I can''t finish the animagus ritual, she can. Nobody will disturb her while they are dealing with our problem¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    When I was released, not only was the storm finished, but the whole day was at its end. My punishment was surprisingly light, considering what I was doing. I was to, for the upcoming week, report every afternoon to Professor Lockhart and help him with¡­ whatever he came up with. Lucius, of course, wanted a stricter deal because Draco was ''scarred,'' heh! A bit of torture is what he desired before me being expelled¡­ but that was quickly shot down. Well, I could tell he was right and Draco was scarred¡­ he was afraid, probably because of seeing my face while I tried choking him out. Right now, coming back to the common room, nobody was there, which wasn''t surprising as it was already past midnight. My punishment started immediately, and my hands were hurting, faking so many signatures of the Professor!


    "An owl?" I stopped walking, noticing the small barn owl sitting on one of the tables, staring at me constantly. "Who let you in, little one?"


    "I let myself in."


    To say I was surprised was an understatement. Seeing it jump and transform back to Quincy before me, beaming, her mouth going from ear to ear, made me kick out my leg, landing on my butt.


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    "Surprise!" She chuckled, helping me up and hugging me.


    "It works! Great!" I laughed, patting her back, "And an owl? Well¡­ you can fly; that is cool as hell!"


    "It is! I was afraid at first¡­ but¡­ now I get why you like flying on brooms! It was¡­ wonderful! I¡­ I can''t believe something can feel this good!" She explained it with great enthusiasm.


    "I am surprised!"


    "Me too! I thought I would turn into a snake¡­ At first, it was weird, but¡­ I am not complaining!"


    "I am happy for you! I will do my own¡­ well, probably in the summer¡­ I am not in the mood to start over!"


    "I understand¡­" She nodded, letting me go, holding my hand, and drawing me closer to the fireplace, sitting down. "Conrad¡­"


    "I went a bit overboard¡­ I know."


    "I wouldn''t care if you strangled that idiot!" She raised a hand, interrupting me, "But yes, it is a problem¡­ and I looked up what may be causing it!"


    "Huh?" I leaned back, taking her words in surprise and tilting my head. "What do you mean? Am I under some kind of spell? Or magical influence?"


    "You could say that! You are being influenced by the basilisk blood in you!"


    "The blood¡­ Mmh... Please explain it." I whispered, looking into her eyes and listening to her closely.


    "They are the king of serpents, and I read up on their temperament¡­ they are like a mad king!"


    "That¡­ does not bode well."


    "They are dominating towards other snakes; they either draw them in and make subordinates out of them or eat them. No in-between. Next to this, they are possessive creatures, not known to share."


    ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­ well¡­ I wouldn''t want to share either¡­" I mumbled, feeling a bit shy but also happy seeing her face turn a bit redder.


    "Don''t joke now¡­ this is serious!" After clearing her throat, she continued, "The worst part is that when they get angry, they strike to kill! As kings of their species, they don''t take kindly to being challenged, not even by another basilisk! They will move in to eliminate the threat by venom, by their gaze, or by crushing it! Absolutely no mercy!"


    "So¡­ you are trying to say my rageful outbursts are because of the basilisk''s blood? Not that I had so many problems with my anger." I murmured, but then I remembered that, yes, I did have some problems feeling angry more than once. One time, it caused me so much pain I fainted.


    "We, I mean YOU, have to be alert! I do think the blood can influence you! This can cloud your judgment, Conrad; it can be extremely dangerous!"


    "You are right¡­" I whispered, "I will try to keep it in mind and not let myself be overcome by it¡­ I am a human first and foremost, not a snake!"


    "Yes~!" She smiled happily, seeing that I do take her seriously. "By the way¡­ I spied on Draco a little¡­ he was totally out of it! You had a strong grip; I could see the marks on his neck!"


    "Really?" I chuckled happily, "Good, let him be reminded that his tattoo is not something I care about!"


    "We should care about it, but¡­ yeah, I get what you mean. The bigger problem is his father¡­"


    "I don''t care about him either!"


    "I do!" Quincy shrugged, "In my owl form, I went to the owlery and saw him send a letter to my grandmother!"


    "He did¡­?" I sank back in the chair before the fire, furrowing my brows.


    "I saw the address; it was ours. I don''t know what he wrote or what my grandmother will think about it, but he made his move."


    "I will write one home too!" I stood up, going for parchment, quill, and ink, "Unlike last year, I will need Father''s support this time. Let the adults take care of their side of the problem; we will deal with our end. I will demolish Draco and win the tournament to rub it under Lucius''s nose! Plus¡­"


    "Mhm?" She walked beside me, looking at the parchment while I wrote my letter.


    "If I show more considerable talent than our famous Mr. Draco Malfoy, your grandmother will be harder to sway to their side!"


    "That is true¡­ I just hope it works!"


    "Worst things worst, we will elope!"


    "We will?" She flinched, looking at me weirdly.


    "Why not? It does sound romantic, doesn''t it?" I grinned widely, "A young pair hiding from the world because they love each other so much! Isn''t it how most of the love stories start?"


    "Hah¡­! Sure, like I read many stories like that!" Quincy scoffed, crossing her arms, looking away with a pout, but her tomato-red face and unmistakable smile showed I nailed it. It was exactly what she thought to be exciting and romantic at the same time. Maybe she even dreamt about something like that? I knew she grew up with the knowledge she would have to marry early to revive the Black family bloodline. "Hey, we may even join up with-"


    "Ssssh!" She put her hand on my mouth, silencing me at once, "Are you out of your mind?" She said scoldingly. "Don''t even mention them here!"


    "I wanted to say the muggle circus, but¡­ oh well¡­"


    "No, you didn''t!" She stomped her feet loudly, looking extremely cute when angry. "I know full well what you wanted to say! Stop it, or I will get angry and leave you here!"


    "Okay, okay! You win! But¡­ think about it. If we ever become everybody''s enemy¡­ it is a good alternative."


    "Maybe, but stop, okay?" She moaned, rubbing her forehead, "Let''s not plan the worst-case scenario from the start¡­"


    "Okay, okay!" I nodded, finishing the letter and sealing it, "Let''s focus on the now! I am more confident, you know¡­ I feel taking care of Draco, and Lucius is easier than taking care of Umbridge¡­"

 Chapter 51 – Reading Letters

    I was in detention, but I was not in the castle. It was dusk, and I was missing dinner, accompanying Professor Lockhart in the dull job of patrolling the school''s perimeters. To his explanation, it was a new thing that every teacher did in rotation. I guess it was because of the opening of the Chamber of Secrets? I just hoped it didn''t mean we would go into the forest again, and he would leave me behind. Again. Not that I would be afraid; I guess no spiders would come close to me now.


    "How are you enduring the cold?" He laughed as it was already mid-November, and the first snowfall was getting closer and closer. It always got dark very quickly, and rain was falling more and more. Which always made me angry, reminding me of my failure with the animagi ritual.


    "It''s not bad¡­ I have no problems with it, to be honest." I answered, pulling my thick winter robes together. "At least it''s not raining." Just when I said it, a loud rumble rushed through the air, originating from high above us.


    "Look out what you are speaking!" Lockhart chuckled as we headed towards the owlery. "We are going to check the incoming letters! I have a duty to review any suspicious messages!"


    "Aren''t posts coming in in the morning?"


    "They do, but the inspection takes place at night!" He said in a jovial mood while we climbed the long, stone stairs on the road. Hearing a familiar hooting, I looked up and noticed the barn owl following us high above, and I didn''t need to think who she was.


    It was a chore to climb up to the top of the big tower, where multiple dozen owls were scuttering about, some still clutching letters that we started collecting. Of course, some owls didn''t really want to let it go but they had no choice. When I passed by Quincy, she winked at me, following along, curiously looking at the letters.


    "Professor, are we going to read them here?" I asked nonchalantly, going for those whose recipients looked the most interesting.


    "Yes!" He answered, keeping his back to me, "I will teach you the spell that opens and seals them, no problem!"


    "I see¡­" My reply was drawn out because I noticed that one of the school''s owls held a letter. It was addressed directly to me. Sensing that Lockhart was still facing the opposite way, wrestling with a spicier owl, I quickly got it and slipped into my inner pocket. Lucky! Well, Quincy used to come out in her owl form every night nowadays and check for letters¡­ but still. This was the best outcome!


    "Little buggers!" Lockhart grumbled, waving his scratched hand. "Are you done, my friend?"


    "Yes, Professor." I patted the dozen or so letters and listened while he taught me the simple spell for opening and closing them. I was surprised it went without a hitch, and his example piece didn''t burst into flames or something! But, as he wrote so many letters to fans and publishers¡­ I guess it was a given.


    Starting to read them one after another was more tedious than I expected. Most were simply letters of what they shouldn''t forget, asking about how school went or what achievements they managed to bag for the family¡­ it was all about raising their household''s standing. I got to read some tips on who they should make friends with or what the newest, juicy rumor was, and then an idea came to mind.


    Looking over my shoulder, watching Lockhart be immersed in reading a letter, seeing his focus¡­ I was sure he was thinking of stealing an idea for his book. His eyes were betraying him. Holding the letter addressed to Pansy Parkinson, talking about how she should try and get even closer to Draco, I tapped my wand on the parchment, saying the incantation in my head. The letters quickly rearranged itself on it, changing to a mysterious message, saying the following;


    "Good job, M. Friendships at high places are what matters. Aim at the snake; it will make rising back to the top a matter of time. Your friend, D." I smiled at Quincy, who was looking at me with her big, owl eyes, before turning over the letter and similarly changing the addresses, obscuring it. "Professor!" I spoke up after rechecking everything. "I found something weird!"


    "Hm? What do you mean, my little friend?" He asked, a bit more nervous coming over and taking it from me. "Huh¡­ this is truly spooky! Well¡­ good find!" He bit his lips, now annoyed that there was something and it would be him to make a report about it.


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    "The rest seemed okay!" I patted the letters, looking at him with an innocent but curious look. "Should I go and report it?"


    "I will do that!" He put it into his pocket quickly. No matter how annoyed he was, it was still a merit that would bring him some benefits¡­ sharing that was not really something he was too keen on.


    "Sure! Does this mean?" I smiled eagerly, especially when he nodded, laughing, patting me on the shoulder, letting me out of my detention early. Heh! I wouldn''t want to be there when he goes presenting it to the teachers or to the headmaster!


    "You are nasty!" Quincy giggled, waiting for me in our headquarters when I finally ascended the ladder. It was much easier for her to come and go now in her owl form, and she made a complete 180 on his opinion about flying.


    "It should confuse them a little!" I chuckled, "Even if they realize it has been tampered with, I was with Lockhart! It couldn''t be me!" I continued explaining while taking off my thick robe, and Quincy pointed her wand at the little black stove we smuggled in one day, letting fire roar to life inside and warm the old classroom up very quickly.


    "What do you think? Would they start suspecting it was for one of the Malfoys?"


    "I hope so! That is my intention, to get them annoyed a little! Let others still think they are weird! I hope they connect the snake with Snape and think Malfoy is trying to aim for his position!"


    "Or this will mean nothing." She shrugged, but she changed subjects before I could knock on her pessimism, "The letter! The one for you! Let''s check it!"


    "On it!" Opening it up, I saw it was directly from my father because I immediately recognized his writing. "It''s about you¡­ us."


    "Read it!" She said, sitting closer to me but too afraid to read it for herself, so my voice filled the room.


    "I was contacted by Walburga in person. She came to visit a few days ago to have a talk with me. You were right; she came intending to break up the engagement and was prepared to pay a pretty hefty sum as compensation. I don''t know what she sold or how she got it, but¡­ it was an amount of galleon that even I was surprised.


    Of course, I refused. I told her it is not about money; it is about prestige. I politely conveyed that it was US who approached her first, and SHE was ready to agree to the terms without question. Not to mention, I also didn''t raise any alarms about the fact that my first grandson would wear the name of Black! Now that the Malfoys also knocked on her door and she is changing her mind so quickly, it is a direct slap against our family''s face. We are not taking it lightly.


    To Quincy¡­ you should have seen her face. Watching it change colors and to so many under only one minute was amusing!"


    "Did he really write that?" She asked, leaning close, and I pointed at it.


    "Yep, Father ain''t joking around!" I grinned before continuing to read it, "For now, I gave her an ultimatum to decide, ending by the new year. We will take this public if she still wants to annul the engagement. I am sorry, Quincy, but everything will be put into the open if this keeps up."


    "I like your father." She whispered, leaning against me, and I couldn''t have been more proud while I continued reading.


    "Son, when the break comes, don''t come home. Stay with Quincy at Hogwarts. That is the most logical step right now. If she comes home, even if she stays with us, it will be problematic and could be used against us. Stay at school."


    "Mhm, he is right! Plus¡­ I bet the school will be different when nobody is here! Only a few students!" Quincy smiled happily.


    "It already sounds awesome! The whole common room just for us? Hehehe~!¡± I laughed, reading the rest of the letter while Quincy knocked on my head.


    "Don''t have silly thoughts!"


    "About the Malfoys, do what you want, Son, I will deal with the rest. Don''t be afraid of stepping up to the old, slimy bastard; if he gets out of hand, I will be there to back you up! Also¡­ I read your letter about the competition. Be careful, and don''t be afraid to use your full strength! Don''t expect that everyone will play nicely¡­ There are times when you have to put your foot down, or they will think they can walk through you!"


    "He is-"


    "Right, I know." I finished it for her, reading the last encouraging words before throwing it into our stove and fueling the fire. "If he says it, then I will do it! I will eliminate every opponent and win it with all I got!"


    "Well, if you can defeat sixth and seventh-year students¡­ I think you will set a new record!" Quincy chuckled, continuing to snuggle up to me.


    "And your grandmother wouldn''t think of changing your future anymore!"


    "My future is only mine to change~!" She argued strongly, looking at me while I turned fully towards her.


    "I won''t argue with that! So¡­ what do you see in your future?"


    "I''m not a seer¡­" She mumbled while we continued maintaining eye contact, and I could hear my heartbeat rising, more than when we were facing the basilisk.


    "We are in the ex-divination classroom¡­" I whispered, leaning a bit closer.


    "That means nothing¡­" Arrived her answer, and by then, our noses were almost touching.


    "I¡­"


    But none of us said anything as we continued leaning forward until our lips touched. It was¡­ awkward. I didn''t know what to really do, neither did she. We were looking at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. It was¡­ well, extremely lame as we were stuck, touching lips. But¡­ but it was the most exciting and beautiful thing I ever experienced.


    In the end, both of us broke out in laughter, unable to hold it back, seeing the other''s weird expression. I don''t think any of us would forget it, and even if it turned out like this¡­ it was still the most fantastic first kiss I could ask for.

 Chapter 52 – Dueling Tournament (1)

    When the first day of the Dueling Tournament arrived, it became a school-wide attraction. To not interfere with lessons, it was decided that it would be hosted on Saturday, so I had to slog through Professor Binns''s lesson and then have an exhausting one at the greenhouses on Friday and to top it all off, an Astronomy class in the cold, December weather in the dead of night! I thought all this was a ploy to make me mentally and physically tired before the whole thing started.


    "How are you feeling?" Quincy asked as we were heading to the Great Hall from our common room to have breakfast.


    "Fine." I replied with a smile, "I''m not really afraid, no matter who I am going to face in the first round. I just don''t know why are they stretching it out?" I yawned, not even trying to hide it. "First rounds now, seconds at the next Saturday, and then finals before the Christmas break¡­ tsk. We could do this all in one go!"


    "Confident, aren''t you?" I heard Draco walking into the common room, passing us, but we ignored him without taking note of his presence.


    "Hey!" Pansy Parkinson shouted, but the door was already closed behind us.


    "So-" I continued, forcing another yawn to end earlier than it wished to do so, "My plan is to blast the poor sod who comes up against me with a strong spell, win quickly, and get back to sleep! I''m tired!"


    "I told you I would let you copy my notes!" She chuckled, glancing down at my hand, and I could see she was thinking of holding it, so I acted before she could change her mind, interlocking my fingers with hers. "You could have slept the lesson through¡­" She continued, blushing, but didn''t pull away.


    "It''s fine! Astronomy is a kind of interesting and unique subject, although I find no practical use for it. I thought it would be just as obsolete and banned as divination."


    "Some spells do use the stars and their powers, so¡­ maybe it has more of a ground in magic?"


    "Eh, maybe! Let''s eat, and we can discuss the secrets of the stars while doing so!" I chuckled, but my smile was frozen to my face.


    I very quickly realized why Draco was coming back in the morning¡­ and not leaving. The Great Hall was already altered, the future dueling stage was being set up, and I saw the notice on the door. Breakfast time was changed to very early morning, and we ran out of time already. Somehow, we were not notified of this, and I don''t remember reading anything related to this on our noticeboard either!


    "Scammed¡­" I groaned, along with my stomach, letting out a protesting rumble.


    "Tsk! Those bastards!" Quincy clicked her tongue, her grip tightening around my fingers.


    "The competition starts two hours later... at 10¡­ so this was made deliberately¡­" I looked around, and it was futile to stand here like two idiots, so we left for the North Tower, where we did have some snacks hidden.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Chocolate frogs and jelly beans are not ideal for breakfast, but¡­ I won''t say it was the worst one I have ever had, either. What I will say is that the place was jammed with students before the whole thing kicked off. We arrived early to get Quincy a prime spot while I sat down where the participants ought to wait for their turn. I ignored most gazes as I was one of the youngest present. It was something I expected. I think a student from year three was the closest; the rest were from year four and up. Not that it mattered much.


    While waiting, I read through the instructions manual we all received from Lucius himself. It stated the rules of etiquette, the bow, waiting for the referee, Lucius''s countdown before firing an attack, and last but not least, all the spells that were forbidden, which was only the killing curse. I made sure to read it slowly, from back to front, and even used the revelio charm to see if there were any hidden secrets, obscured from me specifically¡­ but no. Or I was simply too weak to notice it. So I randomly swapped with someone who looked at me weirdly, but oh well. Hufflepuffs are not that bright, anyway!


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    "Nothing¡­"


    After going through the same gimmicks, I concluded the rules were indeed that simple, which meant injuries were bound to happen. There are more ways to kill than using the signature spell of HIS. A well-aimed confringo can do the same or worse. It would result in a more painful death, for sure. Thinking about it, I was honestly baffled¡­ why was it banned in the past? I get that its sole purpose; the only usage of that spell was to kill someone. But wasn''t it more humane? So, to speak¡­ then set someone on fire and watch him burn to death?


    "Conrad Anguine!"


    It was Lucius''s voice that knocked me out of my thoughts, ending my daydreams. I didn''t even notice when the contest kicked off, and now it was my turn. Looking at the stage, a 6th-year student from Gryffindor was already there, waiting impatiently, wand in his hands.


    "Afraid? Then why did you sign up?" Lucius mocked me, but I just yawned, standing up, fixing my robe, and walking up to the stage.


    "Sorry, I was totally spaced out because it was really boring so far!" I replied, and I gleefully enjoyed the sudden change in his eyes. As to what the others thought? Who cares! Father is right; sometimes, you must make a ruckus so people won''t believe they can walk over you so easily.


    "Pretty big mouth, kid!" My opponent sneered, getting offended by it, which was precisely why I did it. Angry enemies are easier to predict or lead into traps.


    "Not as big as yours; I bet you can fit plenty of di-"


    "Enough!" Lucius interrupted us, getting so angry his face was turning pink. This was his tournament, and glancing around, watching the other teachers'' stoic looks, they were here to observe him. Not us, no¡­ they were watching Lucius and probably Draco, wanting to see this for themselves. As to why? I couldn''t guess. Interesting. Then I should make it so that Lucius''s competition blows up in his face? Let him be humiliated?


    "I will wipe that smirk off your face¡­ kid¡­" The Gryffindor student said through gritted teeth, redrawing my attention to him as we walked to our starting points.


    "I will try the same, but with your giant mouth, I will need to cast the cleaning spell twice."


    "Bow!" Lucius ignored my voice, commanding us to continue to perform the required etiquette in our duel.


    I had already tuned out everything by then. What my ears were hearing was my opponent''s heartbeat, the sound of his muscles flexing in his arms, the twitch of his eyes, his fingers¡­ the feeling of mana surging in and around his body. It was as if time slowed down to a crawl, and I could react to anything way before any average human could. I felt relaxed, fresh¡­ calm. My heart was beating normally without speeding up even a little. I saw him start raising his hand, perceiving his throat''s movement as the air was coming up from his lungs, strumming his vocal cords, and his mouth beginning to form words. It was confringo, the blasting curse. I never learned it yet, but somehow I recognized it¡­ and then I realized where. It was in Umbridge''s office. I was there once in detention, and she had a book laid out on her desk, and it was in it. I remember glancing at the pages, skimming it through¡­ Why do I remember all this so clearly now? Is this the effect of the basilisk''s blood¡­? Must be.


    "Oh¡­"


    My thoughts then sped up a little, remembering I was in a duel. My opponent was already in the middle of his incantation, starting to point his wand at me. I quickly focused on my peripheral sight and noticed that people thought I froze. Heh¡­ then it is time to make my move, too, no?


    "Frigus Ignis."


    My words came out as a blur, speaking them lightning fast but clearly. My hand movement was quick and precise, and before my opponent could utter the last syllables, he was bathed in a sea of blue fire. I could only hear cries before I made a swish, ending the spell and looking at the shouting Lucius.


    I wasn''t hearing what he said; my mind was tuning his words out. I could only see the anger in his eyes, the vein popping on his neck, and his tongue flipping around in his mouth, throwing saliva everywhere. I thought about killing him there and then. He was so vulnerable. Just a quick jab, right into his throat, and¡­


    "Ugh!"


    I couldn''t help but flinch and hold against my head as an intense headache assaulted me, just like that night in the infirmary. It wasn''t as bad, but the sharp, needle-like piercing feeling in my brain did hurt the same way. I turned away from Lucius, watching my opponent, who was unconscious and badly burnt. Other teachers were already there, bringing him away while I finally caught some of Lucius''s words, asking what I was thinking?


    "It wasn''t against the rules," I replied through gritted teeth as my headache was snowballing the more I listened to him. Or, more precisely, as I heard his voice, I couldn''t really focus on anything but the feeling I wanted to see him dead.


    "You think-" He started over but was interrupted by Snape.


    "I read it. It wasn''t against the rules." And with that, he nodded at me and then at Lucius to drop it.


    I bowed to the Headmaster before returning to my place, sitting down, and closing my eyes. The pain wasn''t subsiding; it was taking form, making me hear the same hissing voice that I hadn''t heard for a year.


    "Just kill him already. It''s the quickest way to get rid of an annoying problem¡­"


    Even though it was speaking with the mix of my own and Herpo''s voice, I recognized it¡­ It was the same snake I had been running in my nightmares many times¡­ and now I had a dreadful premonition about it.

 Chapter 53 – Dueling Tournament (2)

    "Conrad¡­"


    It was Quincy''s voice, and maybe that is why I was able to concentrate on it, calling my consciousness back from its murky state. The competition''s first round was wrapped up, and she came to me immediately. She saw something was off and asked no questions, merely helping me leave quickly before anybody could stop us.


    We didn''t head back to the common room, nor did she lead me to our own classroom at the North Tower. We went straight to the Room of Requirements, and the moment the door closed behind us, my mental fortitude gave out, and I collapsed in a howl of pain, clutching my head.


    "Conrad!"


    I could hear her voice, but it was muffled to my ears, and I felt my consciousness was slipping into a different state of existence. I can''t recall when I crossed between reality and dreams, but I was in a familiar-looking, dark forest, and I could feel the presence of the same snake that had pursued me so many times in the past.


    "What¡­ do you want?" I turned towards where I sensed its presence, and to my surprise, there it was. A viper with its deep, midnight-colored scales. It wasn''t ordinary, especially because its size rivaled that of the basilisk while looking down at me. I faced its glowing, golden eyes and watched its pupils smile before he turned into a human. "Herpo?" I asked, but I wasn''t surprised. I had already guessed as much.


    "You should have just killed him. Why spare the weak?"


    "If you really think that, you are an idiot!" I chortled, unafraid of the consequences. If he wanted to kill me, why was I here? If he is the source of my pain, then-


    "I am not the source of it. Not¡­ entirely." He shook his head, smiling.


    "What do you mean?"


    "What you are feeling is simply the transformation you are going through after injecting yourself with basilisk blood." He explained readily, and I felt his sincerity. No¡­ it was amusement. "I didn''t think it would be the same type of blood I used in my youth, but¡­ it was a lovely surprise!"


    "What are you¡­ talking about?"


    "I made the first basilisk ever to appear on this earth, boy!" He laughed proudly, stating a fact that should be celebrated in his eyes, "It was a magnificent killer, a potent weapon, a beautiful beast! But¡­ alas, it was uncontrollable. I had to come up with a way to handle it! What use does a weapon have if it can''t be aimed at your enemies? I already had my knowledge of imparting knowledge into my bloodline; the snake blood was simply the newest addition to it! Learning the snake''s language¡­ was an unexpected but welcomed boon!"


    "You want to tell me¡­ the gift of being a parselmouth is nothing but an¡­ accident?" I groaned, my head starting to throb again.


    "Don''t you know, kid? The biggest gifts in the world are all accidents! What you are experiencing is simply the pure, raw power of the King of Snakes! I made the perfect specimen; it has everything that I was known for! POWER! Why are you denying it? Why don''t you accept it?" He walked closer to me, tapping my head with his cold finger, and I was not really in a position to draw myself away from his touch, "Your head hurts because you are fighting against it¡­ You will never get rid of it unless you let it be assimilated into you. You have to give it an outlet!"


    "..."


    "Don''t you want more power?"


    "I am good¡­" I groaned, twitching my eyes, trying to ignore my resurfacing pain.


    "Spoken like a true basilisk¡­ they also think they are perfect~!" He grinned, baring his teeth at me, "At least you are more reserved, unlike my other descendant¡­"


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    "You mean¡­" I blinked my eyes, feeling them watering up, trying to keep my focus straight and ignoring my vision that was slowly starting to swim.


    "Tom Marvolo Riddle. Yes. He amassed great power¡­ so much of it that even I am awed by his achievements! But¡­ that will be his downfall."


    "Why¡­?" I asked because I won''t lie¡­ I did think about getting powerful. Who didn''t?


    "Balance. If anything, it is something that I learned in my years while I was a living being! The strongest living being..." He smiled like a gentle grandfather, telling his life story to his grandson. "Magic¡­ is part of nature. And nature always strives for balance! You don''t need to believe me, but go and check all the laws present in nature! It is always about getting to a balanced level! Too much of something, and it will self-destruct! Releasing the energy back to nature, returning to a leveled-out state!"


    "He will explode?" I grunted, squinting, feeling like that the dark forest was too bright for my eyes.


    "Ahahaha! No, no! But things are already in motion! Nature, in this case, Magic, and that is with a capital M, already started acting to balance his existence. No matter what he does, he can''t prevent that! Kill one; there is always another! Haaah... I have already experienced it myself... Didn''t I tell you this? I am already dead! I fought to become Immortal! I even found a way to dodge Death itself and return from beyond the grave! Did it work? No! You can''t fight the power that makes up Magic itself!"


    "Why are you telling me this?"


    "Because you are doing the same, only on a smaller scale. Stop fighting against it! You are out of balance! That is why you are in such pain now that it will kill you! Maybe not this time, but a few more fits like this, and you are gone! Embrace your new part¡­ then the pain will be gone!" He smiled again, his face kind and caring¡­ but I caught a different kind of light in his snake-like eyes. Before I could say anything or ask about it, I was back in reality.


    When I regained consciousness, I was looking up at a foreign ceiling. It was made out of wood and looked really cozy. Turning my head to the side, it was as if we were in a homey cabin in the dead of the night while the fire was burning in the fireplace. It was painting the place much more welcoming with its warm orange color. I say we because Quincy was lying next to me on the bed. The moment I moved, she opened her eyes and hugged me, saying nothing. It was enough¡­ I could tell her worry leaving her body and finally calming down.


    "Is this¡­?"


    "The Room of Requirement, yes." She replied, "It was like this when we came in, but you immediately collapsed! You were screaming in pain! What happened?!" She asked, getting worked up once again.


    "Even I''m not so sure¡­" It took great effort to retell everything as I felt extremely weak.


    "So¡­ you get dark thoughts, and when you try not to act on them¡­ your head hurts?"


    "Simply put, yes." I moaned as it was more than that, but¡­ the gist of it was still correct. "It''s like my anger goes from zero to a hundred and then keeps accelerating without me doing anything."


    "I get that¡­ I mean, I get why you can''t act on it! Not when everyone is looking! I will look into things and see if there are¡­ potions that can help calm you down! It was¡­ dreadful! You were howling as if you were dipped into boiling oil or something!" She sniffled, snuggling up to me.


    "Yeah, I did feel like it! But it''s much better now!" I chuckled, enjoying hugging her. I couldn''t care less that our uniforms were getting wrinkled up¡­ this was bliss itself!


    "It is not better! We have to do something about this! It isn''t a joke!"


    "I didn''t say it was! I get it. I really do! But worrying about it is also not a solution. "


    "Yes¡­ um¡­ and Conrad?"


    "Hm?"


    "Don''t listen to him! I don''t trust that old wizard!


    "I listened once, and check out where it landed us! Haah¡­ Worry not, I won''t!"


    "I mean it, Conrad!" She looked into my eyes, "He was a wizard as infamous as Grindelwald and¡­ HE! Only those two rank before him!"


    "Infamous?" I chuckled, "Careful! Others hear it, and they will accuse you of something bad! It sounds like something that the Order people would say!"


    "Hmph! Everyone knows they are nasty people!" She grumbled, rolling her eyes, "In here, they won''t know about it, and the truth is the truth! You can''t trust people like them!"


    "Okay, okay¡­ I was just teasing you! Yeah, I don''t trust him either! Somebody like him wouldn''t just appear in my head to help me."


    "Do you think¡­" She asked, and I knew she was thinking about the same thing.


    "I don''t know if I believe that he really died. He talked about coming back from the grave and, well, the hungry glint in his eyes that I caught¡­ yeah, it did make me think about what he might really be aiming for."


    "Your body¡­"


    "Yep. I also concluded the same terrifying idea!" I shrugged, caressing her face. "Well, for now, I am me!"


    "Um¡­ I can recognize your gaze. You are still my Conrad."


    She whispered it so gently a shiver ran through my back, and we kissed before I could say anything. This time, it was much sweeter and less laughable than before. It was¡­ a real one¡­ and if anything, the second time was even better than the first.

 Chapter 54 – Dueling Tournament (3)

    I noticed that something has changed in the next week''s atmosphere. Or at least¡­ inside our classroom. People looked at me differently, which was not surprising as I severely burnt one of our peers. As I heard, he is still in the hospital wing and waiting for some ointment to be ready and applied to regrow his skin. What I got from catching a conversation with others is that he will have to have a full skin replacement. It''s not the best way to spend the upcoming winter vacation, but that is no longer my problem. My, or more precisely, our main problem was¡­ me.


    "Nothing¡­" Quincy moaned, collapsing beside me in the common room, close to midnight. Our desk was littered with books, all from the library, describing possessions and similar incidents.


    "I told you anything like that would not be in books!"


    What we managed to gather and read was about the different magical beings. About vampires, their blood-magic methods of bounding a ghost to a body. Magic of some dark species that supposedly bound dead souls into living beings, giving them nightmares and driving them insane¡­ or books about the Inferi. Some even theorized that if an Inferi is let to roam the earth for a long time and consume magical flesh, meaning eating wizards and witches, it can gain intelligence. As to whether it becomes a new being or regains old memories¡­ that was up for debate as it was nothing but a theory. We didn''t find anything about people coming back from the dead.


    "It was worthy of a try¡­" She mumbled, sulking that we didn''t come across anything. Last year, our sessions in the library always produced results.


    "We know too little about souls!"


    "What about the ghosts?" She looked at me while lying her head on the table, blowing her away from her face.


    "We can ask them, but¡­ I don''t really know what to expect. They were people who were too afraid to go. Their thing is probably entirely different from someone who is deliberately attempting to remain amongst the living! Or planning a future chance to return to life!"


    "We can ask them all, going around, interviewing them all in the winter break. We will be stuck here anyway!"


    "I''m in! There are no reasons not to do so! For now¡­ let''s rest! The week is still long, and on the weekends, I am going to have to burn another poor man!"


    ¡°Heh¡­ bully¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Well, look at that¡­ Come Saturday, I had to face a handful of people. Why? The reason given was that my previous performance disrupted the natural schedule. No matter! Bring it on! If Herpo says I need an outlet, then I will use this competition as one!


    My first opponent was someone from the fifth year, taking me more seriously than the previous one. Once again, I disarmed him faster than he managed to finish his spell, making sure that it was by only a hair. I don''t want to look TOO good. This time, now that the competitors had fewer numbers, it went much faster, and soon it was my turn. Again.


    When my turn came, it was a sixth-year student, and to show I was still only a second-year student, I started with a shield charm and went on the offense from there, defeating him in a bit longer bout than before. Heh¡­ I was unsurprised when I didn''t have a chance to sit down as my next match was called with my name right after. I knew that it was Lucius''s doing, trying to exhaust me.


    I was watching Draco''s duels when I had time to rest. They should have hired better actors, or when bribing the enemy, they should have instructed them better! It wasn''t only me but many others who noticed that something was off. They were losing too obviously, and he barely spent any energy in the process. It didn''t take one to be a genius to realize why... I would face him soon enough.


    After six duels, it was finally time. Or Lucius thought it was time if you ask me. I was ''ready'' to face his son. Was this because of me burning that Griffyndor student? The show of my magical power? Bending the rules this much is good enough to ensure Draco''s win? Lucius, do you really think that? Heh¡­ good! Let''s do it! What remains for me is to win the final the following week against someone who got there with their own skills because Draco won''t get past me!


    Walking up to the stage, I was closely observing Draco''s countenance. He was part anxious, part serious, and part confused. I think he suddenly realized I wasn''t as weak as he may have thought. The delusion given to him by his tattoo was wearing off. By now, nobody thought I was only a second-year student. I heard my Father''s name being thrown out increasingly as someone known to be one of the best duelists in the Ministry.


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    "..." I said nothing, simply flashing a small smile, bowing towards Draco, preparing to duel. Let me see what the youngest Death Eater in history can do!


    Cheating. That''s what. He started casting his spell way before the countdown of his father finished. No matter, my reflexes were faster. I quickly voiced the incantation, throwing up a shield, blocking his flame spell, and letting the orange fire redirect to the sides. Instead of counter-attacking, I gave Draco time to cast a different spell, which I hit with my own copy. Then we threw another one at each other¡­ and the next¡­ and the next¡­ Come on, Draco. Fight.


    Ultimately, we exchanged almost a dozen spells; I only moved after him, copying and countering his moves. It was a wonderful feeling. There were spells that I didn''t know before, but reading the change in the movement of his throat, recognizing the incantation, and copying his arms'' actions, I easily mimicked it. I was toying with him, and I was sure the teachers also realized the fact. If from nowhere else, from the smile hanging on my face throughout the ordeal.


    Did Lucius see it that way? I can''t tell. But he was fuming because almost everybody from the students was surprised and looked at it as if we were fighting an intense battle, matching each other perfectly. But as with all things in life, it was time to make it end. With a flick, I countered Draco and went on the attack. He could block the first spell, but the second, my well-aimed expelliarmus flung his wand far away while I stood there with my arm stretched out, pointing my wand''s tip at his sweaty face.


    "You lost, Mr. Youngest Death Eater."


    "I¡­ Lost¡­?¡± He gawked, unable to believe it. I think he was so sure of his talent that he thought it was only a dream. He was a Death Eater¡­ the youngest at that! He couldn''t lose! Not like this!


    "Evidently," I answered, keeping my wand aimed at him but watching Lucius for any movement. I noticed it wasn''t only me but also Snape.¡­ maybe that is why he didn''t do anything to me in the end.


    To my slight surprise, I walked down from the stage without obstructions and was welcomed by Quincy, who jumped on me with a hug when the day was deemed finished. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucius leave with Draco and land a blow on the back of his head with his cane. Hah¡­ not easy to be a Malfoy''s son, eh?


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "He lost?" A cold, high-pitched voice asked, standing in a luxurious, old-looking room, twirling a glass of wine in his hand, looking at the dark sky. Everything was obscured by thick clouds, ready to snow at any moment.


    "Yes." Snape''s voice answered, coming from the fireplace where his floating head was giving a report to the Dark Lord himself.


    "The blood of his Father has been passed down, it seems. I do not mind another good warrior under me¡­ but I do mind giving more power to a snake." He chuckled at his own little, twisted wordplay. "I can speak to them, but taking control is too troublesome when I have more important matters to deal with."


    "Angus Anguine is a valuable asset."


    "Yes, but he has ambition. I know he wants more power for himself, or do you want to say I am mistaken?" He looked over his shoulders, his eyes glinting with strong, crimson light.


    "Of course not, My Lord. I merely suggest that a man with ambition is easier to control and point towards others."


    "This is why I like you the most." Voldemort smiled, turning back to the window, "Yes, yes¡­ he is a good sword to hold against traitors in our fold. But it can turn into a double-edged blade very easily. Why do you think I am keeping his family at a certain level of power and influence?"


    "My Lord¡­ I know you have an idea in mind."


    "Oh yes, yes I do!" He laughed softly, sipping his wine, "But I know you have one too. Tell me! Let us see if we are still thinking of the same thing or not!"


    "The easiest way to control Angus is through his son." Snape answered without hesitation, "He is still impressionable. Talented¡­ and he can be controlled just as easily through the Black''s daughter, Quincy."


    "I''m glad that at least one of my friends can reach my level of thoughts!" Voldemort sighed with a pleased voice, "But don''t rush it. Let the pot boil, and let its contents bubble and overflow! We, and I mean you, will step in only at the last moment. A life debt is the best leverage over someone. I want to see it play out until the end!"


    "Yes¡­ My Lord." Snape nodded, and his head disappeared from the fire, leaving the Dark Lord to his own thoughts.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    In a different mansion belonging to the Anguine family, Conrad''s Father stood before another fireplace, waiting. At 3 o''clock in the middle of the night, a green light flashed, and Snape stepped out of it, whispering in a voice that only Angus could hear.


    "Are you sure about this?"


    "He is talented. He will do fine¡­ I trust him."


    "It is your son, Angus¡­"


    "Everyone makes sacrifices, and I have trust in Conrad. He will pull through it! I can''t tell him everything, but he will piece it together by himself! You know how adept HE is at reading others! I think it''s only you who can shut him out directly¡­"


    "You will send your son into the wolf''s den¡­"


    "More like into the snake pit." Angus smiled, a little pain flashing in his eyes, "But he has the King of Snakes blood in him now. I think he is going to be fine¡­ Neville is still not ready. He is growing, but he needs time. We will buy him that time."


    "Kids¡­ are not for doing our work. Bloodying their hands is¡­"


    "I never thought I would hear this from you, Severus. I thought you told Dumbledore you would do anything to take your revenge. Even sacrificing your own life if you must! I am in the same boat as you..."


    "I''ll do my part." He answered, his face turning stoic. "Just make sure you do your part just as well."


    "Worry not¡­ HIS days are numbered, and I think he knows that too!"

 Chapter 55 – Dueling Tournament (4)

    I don''t really know what happened to the Malfoys after our match, but the news was they were... away. As to why? Nobody said anything, and I was not in the mood to ask. Out of shame? I don''t think so. They wouldn''t know what shame is even if they were hit in the face with it. Were they sent away by the Headmaster? Could be¡­ or did HE have something to say about it? Well¡­ whatever the reason was, I can''t believe to say this, but it was fun to have a Dark Arts lesson with Professor Lockhart hosting it. We were just finishing a class with him on Friday, the last day before the winter break and the day before the final.


    "Little champ!" He laughed, clearly asking for me, making my mouth twitch while I turned around.


    "Yes, Professor?"


    "Here!" He grinned, giving me a letter, "It''s from your Father!"


    "..." I took it while looking at him, knowing it was probably read by him, and saw from the corner of my eyes that Quincy quickly stiffened, expecting some grave news¡­


    "I didn''t read it!" He whispered, leaning closer, patting my shoulders, "We are friends, kiddo, don''t forget that! When you get to be a Death Eater¡­ You ought to remember me!"


    "Buying me off?" I asked it in my head but formed a small, friendly smile. Watching his eyes, all my senses told me the same: he wasn''t lying. He truly did not read it and was trying to get on my good side. Huh! "Thank you, Professor!" I answered, slipping the letter into my robe''s pocket. "I will remember this."


    His simple answer was a hearty laugh before we left with Quincy. Heading to the North Tower was a given, and it was there where I opened the letter, reading it out loud for her.


    "It was a good choice for you to stay at school. I met with Lucius in the Ministry two days ago. He is cashing in all of his favors! He spoke and visited everyone who owed him and he is planning to run a campaign against me¡­ against us. Our family. And that is not all! He is going to publicly attack the Blacks through the Daily Prophet. He will try and use the public to denounce both of our families and pressure Walburga, giving her only one way out of it: giving Quincy to him."


    "If he does that, why does he still want me?" She snorted, sounding indignant on my behalf.


    "Father is an oracle it seems, because he answered it." I chuckled, not really bothered by the news. Watching Father''s handwriting and the letter''s tone, I could almost see him smirking when writing it. "He was always a narrow-minded man. More of a snake than anything¡­ no. That is an insult to snakes as he is a weasel, nothing more. He doesn''t want Quincy he just wants to make you feel hurt. I will deal with the public, so don''t worry about it! This is nothing more than a hissy-fit of an idiot. If he would have the gall, he would have challenged me to a duel¡­ but I may do that to him. We will see. For now, enjoy the break, and don''t mind us! As to Walburga¡­ I care not what she decides on. Quincy is staying with us as long as she wants. Case closed!"


    "I like Father!" She concluded happily, asking for the letter and reading it herself before putting it away.


    "You mean, my Father?"


    "I mean, our Father! Or do you want to annul the engagement, too?" She asked with her eyebrows raised.


    "No!" I answered in a panic and saw a grin creep onto her face.


    "Good! He is right! We will enjoy the break! You win tomorrow, then we forget everything and¡­ just relax a little!"


    "Fine by me! I''m only surprised he didn''t mention Draco¡­ oh well! If we are lucky enough, we won''t see him for a while!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When the next day came, I woke up with a ready-for-all attitude. I felt refreshed and my mind free of distractions, exactly what I needed. We were not late this time, had breakfast early, and waited patiently for the finals to commence. The Great Hall was crammed with students, the teachers, and with some house elves. The three other finalists were beside me, all of them 7th-year students, as we stood in a straight line, listening to Lockhart''s speech. Two of us were Slytherins, while others were from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor... interesting.


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    My opponent for the first round was the other Slytherin. I didn''t get her name, but she was a tall, lanky girl with dark blonde hair and nervously clinging blue eyes. Unlike some of my previous opponents, she didn''t give me any trouble and was surprisingly cordial. We did the bow and waited for the countdown of Professor Lockhart, who became the new host. I have to say, he knew how to raise something''s entertainment value, giving a flowery speech and commenting about us before calling us up to the stage. Am I starting to like him? I think I will need to check into the infirmary after this¡­ because a spell could have impacted my brain¡­


    My opponent didn''t play any dirty tricks. But she did open with the Imperius Curse, trying to catch me off-guard and make me give up at once. Luckily, our ritual equipped me with the mind-shield I needed to battle against it; otherwise, I would have lost this round. The moment her thoughts crept into my consciousness, the basilisk blood in me shook it off and lashed out at her, expelling the girl from my head. I saw her falter and take a step backward, and I capitalized on it. I missed the raised eyebrows and the fact that people were surprised about me shaking it off like nothing, overlooking the fact that I performed something equally as strange.


    Although I exclaimed ''flipendo'' in my head, I was focusing on a different spell. Two in fact. I was making her levitate off the ground before quickly hitting her with another jinx, sending her flying. I ensured she landed off the stage, but not as hard as any of my previous opponents. She was cordial all the way through, and I did not want to hurt her. When she realized that she lost, she bowed towards me and took it gracefully, which I returned the same. Why can''t more people be like her?


    Well¡­ my next opponent, the Ravenclaw student, was the exact opposite. The guy was pompous and acted like a younger Lockhart in my eyes¡­ wait? Was this his son? I took a few quick peeks, but no¡­ this one had faded red hair and green eyes. His facial features were more that of a squirrel, and even though I would compare Lockhart to the butt of a baboon if you asked me¡­ In reality, he was good-looking. The bastard.


    "One more¡­" I told myself, calming down my emotions, looking for Quincy, and her smile and thumbs up was the only thing I needed to succeed.


    The guy was crafty, I give him that¡­ He started casting wordlessly before Lockhart finished the countdown¡­ Sill. I noticed the change in his neck and forearm muscles. But I didn''t recognize the spell itself. It was¡­ unique. It had to be something he came up with because I had no recollection of any magic like this. I opened with Protego, but it still slipped through, turning the ground below my leg into an ice field. I very quickly turned the bottom of my shoe sticky, getting back my balance and firing a flame spell, hitting his second bizarre and cold projectile.


    It resulted in a massive explosion, sending water vapor everywhere and pushing him backward. Because I was literally glued to the frozen stage, I didn''t move an inch, giving me time to cast my blue flames. Uttering the incantation, I enveloped him in it, knowing it wasn''t as useful as before. He was prepared for it.


    His shield charm was made out of ice, nullifying the fire''s strength, but he made the mistake of thinking this was my trump card. No. My trump card was the fact that I was able to adapt faster than any of my peers in this competition. I blasted him with ''confringo'' and made sure his shield and some of his bones were shattered, making him vomit a significant amount of blood before collapsing.


    "Jackass," I mumbled, waving my wand ceremoniously before putting it away, taking a deep breath, and feeling¡­ refreshed. This felt good¡­ dominating others¡­ felt really good. "No." I shook my head at the thought. That was not really MY thought. Damn¡­


    "Conrad!"


    Quincy''s shout was what brought me out of my weird state, and I didn''t mind her jumping on me in front of everyone, and I also didn''t mind pecking her lips right there and then. Lucius be damned¡­ Let everyone know what is what!


    "Ahaha, little rascal!" I heard Lockhart''s laugh as he approached me, patting my shoulders, winking at Quincy, who was bright as a tomato, wanting to hide while repeatedly kicking my shin. Oh well¡­ it was worthy of this type of punishment¡­ and I would do it again in a heartbeat.


    Surprisingly, after all of this, the school hosted a banquet in the evening, gratifying every finalist and me. I even got an award, which was a plaque with my name that would be placed in the trophy room of the school. Hah! Great! I can point at it any time, angering Draco and Lucius every day¡­ perfect! This is even better than giving me money or something else! The feast was extraordinary, even by Hogwarts standards. When we finished I felt that the trek down to the dungeons and back to our common rooms was torture¡­ but this was bliss.


    Sitting there with Quincy was relaxing. Yet it was broken as others came up to us, congratulating us, and soon we found ourselves at the other end¡­ She was mainly looked at weirdly from the start of the first year. Now? That seemed to change. Was I the reason? Probably. Did it bother us? Not really. I, in fact, welcomed the change! I didn''t plan to suddenly make everyone into my friend¡­ but having a standing and an influential voice amongst the others didn''t sound bad. No¡­ it sounded exactly what we would need¡­ If the public is on our side, Lucius can try manipulating it as much as he wants¡­

 Chapter 56 – Start of the Winter Break

    Waking up, it was already past 10 a.m. I slept like a log after yesterday and didn''t wake up to the noise made by others leaving early, heading home for the winter break. Not that I would have heard it, thanks to my bed''s curtains blocking out all the noise. Standing up and dressing quickly, I felt myself full of energy, looking forward to our holiday¡­ right until I pulled the curtain away.


    "..."


    I couldn''t believe what I was seeing. It was Draco, sitting on his bed, reading. He ignored me, saying nothing; not even a smirk came my way. I quickly regained my composure and walked out, meeting up with Quincy, who was already waiting in the common room.


    "You saw him too¡­?" I asked, noticing her expression confirming it with a nod.


    "He was here when I came out. He said nothing and returned to your dormitory after a while."


    As we were speaking, he came back out, walking past us, sitting into one of the armchairs by the fire, and continuing reading. I had a really bad, no, a really annoying feeling welling up in me. Without further hesitation, we left the common room and got our confirmation at once¡­ he followed us right away. Damn¡­ he was not back by choice, but I am sure it was by his father''s orders to keep an eye on us. Quite literally, it seemed.


    "Hey!"


    It was Quincy who lost her temper first, turning around on the first floor and shouting at Draco. Seeing him flinch and hear her voice echoing all around us was funny to watch. If it were regular school days, I may have been worried we would lend ourselves in detention, but now? Not really.


    "What?" Draco asked, but his voice was anything but calm.


    "Why are you following us? Are you a peeping tom?"


    "What?"


    "Heh¡­ what? What? W-H-A-T-?¡± She mocked him, her tone cold and sharp, "Did Conrad''s spells damage your brain, cutting your vocabulary down to one word?"


    "Wh-" He wanted to say something but then caught himself, and I couldn''t help but laugh, echoing around us like a raven''s cries.


    "I see¡­ Poor Youngest Slug Eater got a booboo on his head and now returned as a special student¡­" She continued mercilessly, and I saw the veins popping on Draco''s neck and head. He was already reaching for his wand, wanting to curse us.


    "You wretch! You dare-" He spat through gritted teeth, but Quincy was faster.


    With a good-aimed move, she flicked her wand, disarming Draco, raising his body into the air, and flinging him into a suit of armor, creating an unearthly ruckus.


    "Ohohoho! Naughty-naughty!" We heard a clear cackle, and looking up, it was Peeves, circling above us, having the time of his life. "I should tell~ I shouldn''t tell~; Peeves is in a pickle because the show is so good, he doesn''t want a farewell!"


    "For once, I agree with him," I added, watching the groaning Draco trying to get out under the collapsed suit of armor.


    "Wait until I tell-" He complained, which was met with Quincy''s mocking laughter.


    "That the famous Dirt Eater got wrecked by a girl? Go ahead! Tell everyone! You know what?" She licked her lips with a wicked light in her eyes, "Peeves, what do you think? Would the others mock him because of it? Hearing that a proud boy, a talent of the century, got bested by a lowly girl?"


    "Ooooh~! Draco is a talented wizard who, when in trouble, loses his wand like the tail of a lizard!" And with that, Peeves was whooshing off, singing a song about him, calling him anything but pretty names.


    By the time he managed to stand back up, we were gone. I didn''t have any false ideas and knew he would be back soon enough¡­ but until then, a little peace. This break may turn out even worse than before¡­ but damn, watching her demolish him felt good! I could see that Quincy thought the same as she was visibly glowing and chuckling to herself while we headed to our little headquarters at the top of the North Tower.


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    "What do you think?" I asked when we settled down on our beanbags. We were making hot chocolate when I ignited the fire in our little stove and opened some cookies to snack on in the meantime. Knowing that we would spend the holidays here, we stacked up on munchies and wanted to have days where we do nothing, just lazily enjoy ourselves.


    "No real idea!" She shrugged, wiping the windows with her sleeve, watching the snowfall covering the landscape in white. "Keep an eye on us? Annoy us? Something like that!"


    "Kill me while I''m sleeping?" I joked, but seeing Quincy''s face turning so dark, I knew she wasn''t taking it as one.


    "That¡­ could be right. You should move to a different room. Or¡­ to mine? It''s empty."


    "I would, but I can''t. Don''t forget, enchantments are put up in the dormitories! I can''t visit yours, or I would be flushed down¡­"


    ¡°Err¡­ yeah¡­ I forgot¡­ Then what about me coming into yours? Girls are not prevented from doing so!"


    "Heh, old ass enchantments and morals¡­" I mumbled, "It would annoy him for sure! But we have to keep up some decorum. We can''t make it out as if you are some kind of¡­ weird girl!"


    "Why not?" She raised an eyebrow, taking away one of the cups and slurping on it, "I wouldn''t mind! It would at least paint an even worse image of the Malfoys!"


    "Because it would paint a worse image about you! I don''t want people to have the wrong idea about you! I want you to walk with your head held high!"


    "Let''s forget him for a second then!" She chuckled, turning a bit redder while doing so, "We should talk about what we will do in the castle! Many teachers left just the same; we only have a few remaining! We can easily slip by them!"


    "Listening to you, it seems you want to explore by night?"


    "Of course!" She nodded with excitement glinting in her eyes. "And you know what I was thinking of?"


    "I''m all ears!"


    "Let''s find Salazar Slytherin''s old room!"


    "Mhmfh?!" I almost choked on my drink, blowing it out through my nose and landing in a coughing fit.


    "I read it here!" She stood up, ignoring my plight and bringing over a book that she borrowed from the library a few days ago. "It''s a history book about Hogwarts!"


    "Yes, I know!" I groaned, wiping my face, "I recognize the cover; copies of it sit on Professor Binns''s table all the time! The moment I saw it, I felt sleepy!"


    "His lessons are boring but only because he is a bad teacher! How much do you know about the history of Hogwarts?"


    "That it was created in the tenth century when Muggles were prosecuting witches and wizards left and right¡­ so they came here and created it far from prying eyes. Plus, the fact that the four were the greatest witches and wizards, like, ever!"


    "Surface level knowledge, but correct." She nodded, giggling after seeing my reaction.


    "Thanks¡­ Professor Black."


    "Hah! The four founders were friends, and they wanted to make this school the best place to educate future wizards and witches! But even a strong friendship couldn''t withstand the arguments of what type of people should be accepted. Especially Slytherin''s view of only accepting pure bloods!"


    "I know of that." I mumbled, sulking a little, "I also know he left after being defeated by Gryffindor, and until HE came to power and reclaimed Slytherin''s title, his ideas were ready to be finally implemented... After a thousand years! I am not stupid; we read about this last year when we learned about the basilisk!"


    "And here comes my question! Where did these teachers live? Presumably here, at the castle, no?"


    "I suppose so."


    "We know that few of their belongings were used later on, displayed in the Headmaster''s office, normal stuff."


    "Mhm!" I nodded, recalling it, "I know that the Sorting Hat is of Gryffindor''s design and also know that his sword is with Dumbledore."


    "Yep! But¡­ what about the rest? They lived here! Where are their stuff?! Where are their living quarters? Clothes? Artifacts? Knick-knacks? Nobody knows!"


    "You are starting to pique my interest, Quincy!" I grinned, leaning forward, "What did you find?"


    "Nothing."


    "Eh?!"


    "I found nothing, but¡­ that is because this place has so much mystery! How was it built? How did the first years go when they were still in harmony? Who did they teach? Where did they live? Where are their STUFF?! Then it hit me! Of course, we wouldn''t know! Not if they don''t want us to find it!"


    "You found a clue?" I asked eagerly, but she shook her head once again.


    "Nope, but think! Salazar was a parselmouth! He left behind a chamber¡­ who says he didn''t hide his own abode here? Maybe it''s similar to the Room of Requirements! Now¡­ both of us can speak parseltounge¡­ I think if we put our heads together and explore the castle, we could find something!"


    "So¡­ are we going to go around at night, hissing at the walls?"


    "Err¡­ well¡­ not really, but¡­ sometimes?" She flinched, apparently more excited about a treasure hunt than really thinking it through. Not that I am faulting her¡­ It sounds fun, and I would love to try it!"


    "When do we start?" I smiled, watching her eyes light up once again.


    "Tonight? What do you say? I will transform into an owl, slip out and you just need to ensure Draco isn''t following you!"


    "Ahaha¡­ don''t worry, I will deal with him! And if we are searching¡­ why not start at the Chamber of Secrets?"


    "Mhm! My idea exactly!"

 Chapter 57 – Looking for Secrets

    Getting rid of Draco was not something I was worried about. It would have been best if I could change into an animal¡­ then I could slip away¡­ but no, he had to screw it up for me. The moment I remembered it, I felt my blood boil, spurring my thoughts to imagine him being strangled to death. I had to shake my head and distract myself, pushing everything back down forcefully.


    I had to come up with something different. So I asked Quincy to brew me a sleeping potion that I mixed into a nice, tasty-looking hot chocolate I conveniently left in the common room, unguarded. I played it off as if I was careless, and I knew he would take the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Of course, he drank it when I seemingly went to the bathroom. Too easy. When I questioned him, he played the dumb idiot, prompting me to prove it¡­ I knew he wanted me to attack him.


    The fact that he was doing everything to spur me into action made my senses tingle a little. Something was not right, or he would not be this eager to get into a fight. Not when he was all alone¡­ as to what his plans were? I don''t know, but I remained calm. It wasn''t hard; this was my plan from the get-go anyway. He was sleeping in one of the armchairs only a little later, knocked out entirely. Even if I punched him, he wouldn''t wake up now! But I held back. Before leaving, I made sure to place a charm on his clothes that would alert us if he ever got close to us. I couldn''t put all our trust into one potion, even if it was brewed by Quincy. Anything could go wrong, and if we don''t prepare for it, it will go wrong! When I met up with her, she was in the dungeons, in her owl form, changing back only when I gave the nod that all was clear.


    "Did it work?" She whispered.


    "Yep!" I nodded, and we headed straight to the bathroom, opening the secret entrance and descending carefully. "I was thinking, don''t you think this place has been boobytrapped? You know¡­ because what happened?"


    "I had the same idea, but what do you think?" She asked back as we headed deeper, and soon we were in the chamber where we last saw the basilisk. "Then we shouldn''t be able to open the entrance that easily! Also¡­ can they close off something from someone who can speak to snakes? Because I don''t think so!"


    "And there is no more valuable stuff here. Gotcha."


    Soon, we realized my last comment was absolutely right. There was nothing down here. The snake''s remains? Gone. Any clues of the fight? Gone. Only Salazar''s giant statue remained. Quincy turned into an owl quickly, flying around the chamber, trying to see from above or check hidden crevices and spots. I was doing the same thing on the ground, holding out my wand, casting spells, looking for anything unusual, and mumbling in parseltounge. Nothing.


    "Damn¡­ I expected¡­ something!" She hooted as she transformed back into a human, doing it mid-air, landing after a summersault. She was more than used to flying by now!


    "Honestly? Me too¡­ tsk! There is¡­ oh, wait!"


    "What?!" She jumped, looking towards where I was looking. "Oh!"


    She very quickly caught onto what I was looking at. The statue''s mouth! It was open as the snake came from there. It didn''t look out of place from where we were standing, but it had to lead somewhere! First, I let Quincy use the levioso spell on me and float me up there while I climbed in, then she followed me in her owl form. I once again cursed out Draco as I wiggled my way through the hole, and the pitch-black tunnel was terrible and terrifying at the same time. Going in all four was like climbing into the depths of hell¡­ at least in an animal form, it would have been more comfortable. Or something¡­


    While I was thinking, I failed to hear Quincy''s hooting in time and placed my hand forward, pushing it against air and falling along with her biting at my ankle, getting dragged down to hell. We whizzed down on something like a slide before landing in a ''nest.'' I call it that because it had to be where the basilisk originally slept.


    ¡°Owie¡­ that hurt¡­¡± She moaned, climbing off me while turning back to a human as I managed to give her a black eye while we slid down.


    "Sorry¡­" I murmured, summoning multiple balls of light so we could see better. "Yuck!"


    The place was filled with crunchy, white, shredded snake skin, who knows how old. It was anything but welcoming. Other than that, it was a bland, oval room with another statue of Salazar decorating the wall behind us.


    "What now?" I grunted, feeling trapped. Getting back will be a chore!


    "Revelio!" Quincy shouted, and the moment she did, I heard a chime; looking at the wall, it was¡­ different. Glowing? No¡­ not really, but thanks to her spell, now it was simply¡­ more vivid. "That wall is magical."


    "Ohoho!" I stood up hurriedly, pulling her up as we walked before it, no longer minding the sound of ancient snake skin being crunched under our shoes. "Nice find!" I said, then tapped my wand on it, speaking in parseltounge¡­ but nothing.


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    "It''s not opening." She stated the obvious, to which I only replied with a nod.


    "Probably has a password. If it''s only speaking to it in snake language, the basilisk could have left any time he wanted. It has to be a combination of magic, parseltounge, and a password¡­ tsk!"


    "Any old memories? From your blood?" She shrugged, but I had nothing.


    "Let''s think! What would Salazar Slytherin choose as a password? Not 1, 2, 3, 4, that is for sure!"


    "Why not?" Quincy giggled, trying it, but of course, it didn''t work.


    "If it would have opened up, I would be outraged now."


    "Hehe~!"


    "I bet it''s not a simple spell either." I continued, tapping my wand against it, trying to feel any change, but nothing.


    We spent the next hour or so trying different words, phrases, and passwords, uttered in parseltounge, infused with magic, but nothing worked. In frustration, we attacked the wall with spells, but it simply rebounded, setting the dried snake skin on fire, which was¡­ not fun. And stinky. After we managed to deal with that, Quincy had an idea that, and in all honesty, it was pretty simple. Something we should have started with. Just use blood. Unlike Salazar or any of his heir''s blood, mine had a more significant presence of the basilisk''s blood. The same inheritance came from Herpo, who established the line into which Salazar Slytherin was born. Did he even know it? Who knows.


    "Hah!" I laughed at once because the moment I pressed my bleeding finger against the wall, it started trembling, moving as the stones separated, opening up into a small tube we had to slide down.


    It was a much shorter ride than before, and we appeared in a study room from the mouth of a statue of Salazar. The braziers burst into flames at once, the same as the torches on the walls, filling the room with gentle, orange light. Standing up and looking around, both of us were gobsmacked as this place was filled with books, codexes, and ancient relics, and everything bore the symbolism of Slytherin himself. The green and silver decorations, the many S-symbols, and crests of snakes¡­ this was his adobe! No doubt about it!


    "Merlin''s beard¡­" We said at once, barely able to contain our excitement. "We found it! Let''s look around," I added, excitedly holding her hand, "But be careful! Traps could still be present!"


    Luckily, that was not the case. Anyone reaching this place was worthy of his possessions. At least, that is what we thought after being able to touch and open every book that was present. It was a field day for Quincy, getting her hands on so many ancient and exciting codexes¡­ although many needed time to be translated. Those few we could read were still in old English, and we had to use charms that helped translate them to modern English.


    "Listen to this!" Quincy exclaimed while I was rummaging through a cupboard, looking for more treasure.


    "I''m all ears!" I shouted back, half of my body still leaning into said furniture.


    "This book describes the Crucio-spell! But more than that, listen!" She spoke hurriedly, quoting the pages, barely able to contain herself, "I have to lament that my invention seems to be the last straw between me and my old friend, Godric. I am devastated to see our friendship crumble in such a way, but his mind has been corrupted by the other two, and his ideals have grown beyond common sense, blinding him to the correct path we wizards and witches must take. The honor he values so much is nothing but a twisted sense of valor and the cravings of his ego to indulge in his grandiose fantasies. The muggles will never understand us, nor will they ever accept us. Thus, we can''t teach their kin magic! Give a weapon into their hands that they can use against us? Never! Alas¡­ my methods are deemed wrong. Inhuman. Why would it be? The human body remembers pain¡­ a short punishment from my spell, and the students would never break the rules again. But¡­ they see it otherwise."


    "Woah!" I hurried over, listening to her reading it, realizing it was direct admittance that Salazar Slytherin created the Cruciatus curse!


    "See? I told you this is awesome! It even has a description of the spell and its usage! And there is more!" She flipped the page, continuing Salazar''s recollections. "No reason worked with my old friend. Not even when pointing out Rowena''s preferred method of punishment: putting her students under a charm that made them obey her words. Even though mine dealt pain, it did not rob the individual of his or her free will. Which of us is the Dark Wizard, then?"


    "Imperius curse?" I asked, but there was little more to go on.


    "Maybe¡­" She tilted her head, thinking before continuing, "Our biggest argument came from the fact I wanted to teach the students the Avada Kedavra spell, but they were protesting against my idea. When I pointed out that Godric''s favorite fire spell was much more painful to suffer through than the killing curse¡­ I was ridiculed. My notes that it was a spell created to kill one of history''s foulest wizards, Herpo, was the proof that we need to use it, to wield it against others who may rise up and endanger our way of living! Our existence! But all of that is ignored like ancient nonsense. Did we become so full of ourselves that we think we are above all? Maybe. I will leave this place and start anew. One day, I should return, and if not, then my descendant. When my views prove to be correct, my line will return to mend the mistakes of my old friends."


    "Huh¡­ the killing spell was made to defeat that dark wizard?" I asked, surprised, and if it wasn''t the handwriting of Salazar Slytherin, I would have questioned its validity.


    "To those who come across my Scriptorium," Quincy continued, "I leave all my knowledge to you. Use it well, use it wisely¡­ and don''t be blinded by false ideals. Power can''t be shared with everyone because power corrupts. Share it without thinking, without vetting, and soon, one of those people you pulled up from the mud will rise above the rest and take control of everything¡­ you included."


    "Shit¡­" Both of us exclaimed at once, looking up at each other. "Does this mean all of this belongs to us now?" I murmured, watching the priceless books around us.


    "Seems like it!" Quincy gulped, flipping the pages over. "And this one also has the other curses¡­ besides many others, I have never heard about yet!"


    "I think¡­ we have a jam-packed winter break before us, eh?"


    "I can''t wait!" She giggled happily, and I couldn''t help but agree¡­ this was the best Christmas present one could ask for!

 Chapter 58 – Leaving The Scriptorium

    The place was a treasure vault, plain and simple. We found many manuals of ancient rituals and spells, books about potions, runes, and other obscure fields that Salazar himself dabbled in. Our biggest hurdle was translating the texts that could take who knows how long¡­ And looking at the quantity of books? This may even take decades.


    "What now?" She asked as we stood in the middle watching the antique desk, the magically preserved ink and parchment, and the previous'' office'' of one of the founding fathers of Hogwarts.


    "We can''t take everything away. It''s too much, and it would be too dangerous. It gets discovered, and we would be dragged away and questioned where we got it!"


    "We truly can''t tell this to anyone¡­"


    "Not even my Father!" I warned her, "He always told me to be careful¡­ and if I find something beneficial, he won''t ask me for details."


    "Still¡­ I think¡­ well, okay. I won''t argue. I like him, and I believe your family." She shrugged, giving up on it in the end.


    "I say we take this!" I continued, holding up the codex with the three main curses. "We won''t be taught them until we are in the 5th year! I say, let''s go ahead and do it! If the Malfoys are a danger, I don''t think Lucius wouldn''t teach it to Draco!"


    "I agree! Let''s take this too!" She held up another codex, a potion maker''s wet dream, detailing many lost recipes.


    "Um! Let''s find our way out first and get an idea of how to come back! When we finish with one book, we can move on to another! I think¡­ I have an idea of what I want to become when I grow old!"


    "Oh? And that is?" Quincy asked, watching me with a curious look.


    "A Professor here, then become the Headmaster! Then I can come and go any time!"


    "Ahahaha! Nice idea! I think I will copy it!" She giggled, sticking out her tongue as we headed to the only door present.


    The moment we got close, it opened up without question, and when we stepped out, it slammed close with a loud thud, making both of us jump. Looking back, we saw a cold and dark door with a quote written in old English that took a little time to translate.


    "What makes us crave power? Pain. Getting strong means conquering that pain¡­ and what is power in reality? Knowledge. Everything is decided in the mind! We have to train it to withstand the pain. Only a strong mind is capable of wielding my knowledge. My power." Quincy read it out after finally piecing it together.


    "Crucio," I murmured, looking at the book in my hand. "To open the door, you must perform the Cruciatus Curse."


    "Very much so¡­"


    It was easy to see the way we could open the door. Which meant the way we got in was the easy way! Wait¡­ no¡­ it was probably a hidden entrance and one that wasn''t considered to be used. For that, you would have to fight, defeat, or control a basilisk! It''s a way more complicated feat than someone casting a curse on you.


    "So if you come alone¡­ You can''t even get in?" I asked, which made Quincy flinch.


    "Probably not¡­ In theory, the Cruciatus Curse won''t work if you use it on yourself. You can''t torture your own mind and body as it instinctively stops you."


    "Then you have to learn it!" I shrugged, "I ain''t casting that spell on you!"


    "Conrad!"


    "I am not arguing about it!" I waved a hand, turning around, "When we come again, you will cast it on me, and that is it! I already have experience; I can take it!"


    "But-!" She rushed after me, panicked, but there was no way on this earth that I would cast that spell on her. The last thing I want to hear is her screams. Her steps stopped right when mine did. We came across a dead end. A smooth, hard stone wall. Looking at it, it was clearly something that had to be opened. Without that, we were stuck.


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    "Open," I spoke in parseltounge by reflex, and luckily, it had an effect this time. The stone blocks parted, revealing an archway through which we entered a maze-like chamber. "It looks like Slytherin himself expected his own to get this far."


    "Probably. I bet he wanted to keep his knowledge in his bloodline. Ah, look!"


    She didn''t have to point it out as I saw the braziers on the walls lit up and the maze''s walls slowly sink down, revealing a road for us, directly to a big, stone door. Because we were coming from the other way around, we won''t have to solve it¡­ lucky! Walking through, I wondered what type of test it may have been¡­ was it deadly? Or only dangerous? Will we have to solve it the next time we come? Or will it remember us?


    "Haaah¡­"


    "What?" She asked, holding onto my arm, hearing me sight loudly.


    "Nothing! We will face whatever comes the next time! Together!"


    "Yep! Together!"


    Touching the wall, the ''door'' shimmered in a blue light, and the next moment, we were in the dungeons, right in the corridor connecting the common room and the stairs leading towards the potion classroom. We passed here many times in the past and noticed nothing¡­ Were we teleported away? Or was it some kind of magic that hides it? I was about to touch the wall when we heard steps coming, and it was Professor Slughorn who was coming down the stairs.


    "Professor!" We both said, flinching, looking a bit panicked, and I think he misunderstood the situation.


    "Relax, kids, it''s the Christmas break! Enjoy yourselves!" He chuckled, going or, in his case, wobbling towards his office like a penguin.


    "Shit, we missed dinner!" I moaned, realizing why he looked like he had eaten a horse along with its rider.


    "Let''s go; we may still find a few plates!" She moaned, her stomach giving an angry rumble, and we sprinted up the stairs with books in hand.


    Our luck kept holding out as when getting to the Great Hall, we could find empty plates that when we put down and tapped on the tables, food appeared on it, and we could enjoy a feast like never before.


    "Haah¡­ nothing can beat the food here!" I moaned, patting my belly, which looked twice its standard size.


    "Of course!" Quincy copied me, just as bloated and sleepy. "I read it in the book; all the recipes are coming from Helga Hufflepuff!"


    "Really? Now that explains a lot¡­ geez, now we will have to walk all the way back?"


    "Seems like it!" She shrugged, looking around, and besides some ghosts and the Headmaster sitting at the teachers'' table, nobody else was around. It was¡­ silent, calm¡­ magical. A somewhat different magical.


    "What do you think¡­" I asked, looking up at the enchanted ceiling, "What was it like in the old days? Or just in our parents'' days?"


    "I don''t know what it was like back in the four founders'' time." She answered while following my gaze, "But I do know that in my own parents'' days, it was¡­ more colorful. That is what I get from the diaries of my father and uncle."


    "You have diaries?" I asked, astonished, and she smiled so sadly that I quickly hugged her to me.


    "I only have done. Our house elf, Kreacher, had it, and he was the one who borrowed it from me once. Of course, I never told my grandmother¡­ and those were the only ways I could read about who they were¡­ and what this school was. In their descriptions, this place was different. More lively, welcoming, and¡­ kind."


    "Hmmm¡­ I don''t find it that different."


    "Not even my father wrote about wanting to kill a teacher." She chuckled, saying it whisperingly while leaning against me, continuing to watch the ceiling that started snowing; only the white, twinkling flakes never reached us.


    "Touch¨¦. Well¡­ I''m not complaining!"


    ¡°Hehe¡­ me neither¡­¡±


    "Khm."


    It was the Headmaster''s voice that made us flinch and separate very quickly as he stood close to us.


    "Leave. It''s late." He said, crossing his arms. "Indecent behavior in public. 5 points from Slytherin."


    "S-sorry¡­" We said, lowering our heads, turning bright red as we left, feeling his gaze on our backs right until we stepped into the common room.


    "Huh?!" I heard a loud snort, and it came from Draco as he was waking up in his chair. "What?"


    "His vocabulary is deficient, ain''t it?" I said softly but loud enough for him to hear it.


    "Yeah¡­ it is. Probably the head damage¡­ You know how it is¡­ kids getting dropped when they are born, and their parents have clumsy fingers¡­"


    "Yeah, yeah, totally!" I nodded profoundly while walking past him. "The shape of his head is starting to make sense if you think about it!"


    "Where¡­" He rubbed his eyes, wiping the saliva from his mouth, trying to reorientate himself.


    "He is improving! How cute!"


    "Conrad!" He snapped at my latest chime, making me raise an eyebrow and stop. "Where were you?!"


    "Why should I tell you?" I shrugged but then raised my codex, covering it enough that he only saw the empty sides, "In the library if you want to know."


    "And we ate dinner!" Quincy added pityingly, "If you rush, you may still have something!"


    "What?!" He flinched, feeling extremely hungry and weak, and rushed out, almost tripping while we laughed without holding back.


    "Haaah¡­ that felt good!"


    "It did!" Quincy agreed, but then she asked me, tilting her head, "Did you see that?"


    "Hm? What?"


    "Fear. There was fear in his eyes when he realized he slipped up."


    "Sorry, I won''t start feeling pity towards him!" I waved my hand before she could say more, "I lost any sympathy for him and his family! Let''s go! We have books to translate, and it won''t do itself!"


    "I was just saying!" She turned around, no longer bothering with him either, "And you are right! If I can get a good recipe from mine¡­ You bet that Professor Slughorn will do anything I ask him to do!"


    "Scary!" I whistled, elbowing her, "But having an ally who can brew up some of the best potions of today¡­ Don''t hold back!"


    "I''m not intending to!"

 Chapter 59 – Bad News

    "How''s it going?" I asked, sitting down next to Quincy in our common room, bringing up food from the Great Hall and placing it on the table before us.


    I just sat down when I heard the door open and knew it was Draco wandering in¡­ of course, he was following me all this time. The moment we split up, Quincy remaining here and I leaving, he chose to go after me. The slight panic on his face was still hilarious. In the past few days, we were doing the same thing repeatedly, shaking him off quickly like this. I wish we could have recorded it and shown it to his Father, like when we spent Christmas directly in the Room of Requirements, hiding there for two days straight.


    "I managed to finish one!" She chuckled, presenting me a parchment, ignoring Draco, who was sitting down close by, eavesdropping. "I think the Professor will love it!"


    "I bet! This is why books are awesome~!" I grinned, reading the ancient recipe Quincy was assembling, ready for submission. We were speaking in a way to make sure Draco doesn''t learn anything important, and if he reports that we are planning to butter up to Slughorn¡­? So be it. "What do you think? Can you make it?" I asked curiously, but Quincy quickly shook her head.


    "No chance. This one is way too advanced; to brew it, you need decades of experience¡­ It takes a year to complete it!"


    "Damn¡­"


    I would totally forget what step I was at if a potion took a year to make. No wonder it was only something true potion masters would attempt¡­ well, that is an ancient recipe for you! Reading the description, it was a drink that, when consumed, would turn the wizard or witch immune to fire. Not permanently, but depending on the quality of the finished product, they could ignore it for a few minutes, right up to multiple hours! Drinking it would let people swim in lava if the description was correct. I wouldn''t try, but damn¡­


    "What about you?" She asked, munching on the dinner, leaning back, and placing her legs into my lap while I massaged them.


    "All good!" I nodded happily, "I perfected the new spell! I can cast it now; I just don''t know if it''s effective as¡­ trying it out for real is too dangerous."


    "That it is!"


    We were, of course, talking about the killing curse. I studied it intensely before trying it out on a puppet, not on a living being. The light that came out of my wand, hitting the target, was bright green, illuminating the Room of Requirments, turning everything to jade in color. It was¡­ weird. I already told it to Quincy, but using the spell placed you into a strange state of mind. When I started to utter the curse in my head, I felt my mind calm down and became clear and cold. I knew exactly what was going to happen, and that coldness traveled through my body, coming out from the tip of my wand and rushing forward at lightning speed. In that brief moment, I felt no emotions, and nothing really mattered¡­ everything was empty and pointless. It only lasted for a brief moment, but still¡­ it was weird. Uncomfortable. I felt... frigid.


    When that feeling evaporated, one part of me felt extremely happy, almost gleeful of obtaining such power and wanting to use it on my enemies. The images in my head that were previously about strangling Draco when he angered me were replaced with pointing my wand at him and simply finishing his life with a simple incantation. No pain, no fuss, no resistance. Not even a shield charm would save him. He would have to dodge or fire back a countercurse, hitting my spell mid-air to block it. I finally understood why the killing curse was developed¡­ it was to eliminate a soul, no matter the defenses it puts up. Whatever Herpo did in his time, it made others devise a spell to stop him. The other part of me... was simply disgusted.


    "It is better to know it than not and fall victim to it!" Quincy moaned and yawned simultaneously, feeling tired while enjoying my little massage.


    "I totally agree! Now that you are finished, I can teach it to you!"


    "Um, I intend to learn it, even though school is starting back up soon enough¡­"


    "And you better get ready." Draco interrupted us, something that he had been waiting for a long time. With a smirk, he slapped the Daily Prophet''s Special Edition on the table with the headline: The Anguine Family Accused!


    Quincy immediately sat up like me, but none of us reached for the newspaper. Draco merely laughed after seeing our faces and, for the first time, left on his own accord. When he was gone, I started to read it in full and gradually opened it up to read more.


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    What it detailed was simple and straightforward. Lucius Malfoy, along with multiple other people, probably who owed him one, accused my Father and my family of helping the Order of the Phoenix under the table! Not just that, there were accusations about my Father trying to form his own army, his own powers, and planning a coupe, declaring that many wizards and witches who were muggle-born, identified, and handled by him thoroughly disappeared. It was a full, frontal attack against my family, and even if my Father did refute the multiple claims, nowhere in the paper did that show up.


    "Conrad¡­" Quincy whispered, grabbing my arm, and I could feel her shaking.


    "That bastard¡­" I spew fire from my nostrils, turning the page and seeing maybe the worst part of it.


    It was Walburga''s claim that she abhors traitors the most, so she immediately breaks up the engagement, and to show her and the Black Family''s stance, she supports the Malfoys wholeheartedly. In response to her, Draco and Quincy were immediately engaged, saying it was the logical thing to do as Draco''s mother herself was from the Black family¡­ and it should have been the first choice to do anyway; they just wanted to wait a little more unlike the Anguine family, who are probably trying to kidnap Quincy to ship her off to her traitor''s Father and brainwash her, too.


    "What an absolute nonsense!" She cried out, standing up, tearing the paper up, and throwing it into the fire.


    "It is." I answered, hugging her from behind, "Relax¡­ by the end of the year, all of this will blow over!"


    "..."


    "..."


    The silence between us was stifling. Even I wasn''t sure if it would go away by then¡­ and if not? What then? I was hoping Father had something up his sleeve to counter it. But¡­ probably, with all that Lucius has thrown at him, our engagement was the last thing on the list of importance.


    "Ouch¡­!" She hissed suddenly.


    "Sorry¡­!" I mumbled as I realized my grip tightened around her, and it started hurting.


    "Nah¡­ it shows you are angry..." She chuckled, turning around and pecking my lips. "But keep calm; let me be angry! Don''t let your head go throbbing!"


    She was, of course¡­ right. I, once again, felt the headache creeping up and my murderous intent rising. She gently rubbed her sides, where I tightened my grip too firmly, making me realize I should calm down. The last person I would want to hurt was her.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    The first week of school was¡­ interesting, to say the least. I expected many to return to fanning over Draco, but not everyone did. Almost half of our classmates, belonging to Slytherin, came up to us, saying that they didn''t believe it at all. Even older students did it and from other houses too. I just now realized that my Father did have friendships with many other families, and the Malfoys'' plan was not working out as fluently as they expected.


    Of course, there were those who sided with Draco, and on the first day when Lucius held a class, he immediately tried to make Quincy swap chairs with a disgruntled Pansy Parkinson sitting next to Draco. But it didn''t work. Quincy simply refused to move and told Malfoy that he was nothing more but a worthless idiot, a disgrace to the title of Professor. This then escalated to threats and the moment he pulled out his wand to cast the Crucio curse on Quincy, my anger made my body move. I only managed to hold back the last moment, and instead of casting the killing curse, I disarmed Lucius before he could do anything, surprising him and the rest of the students. Primarily because I uttered no incantations. This was something that was doomed to explode into a big trouble and by the end of the class Quincy and I were in the Headmaster''s office with Lucius gloating, ready to expel both of us.


    "Enough!" The Headmaster raised his voice, standing up from behind his desk and looking into Lucius''s eyes. I felt he was telling him this only, even if we were also present.


    "Se-"


    "Shut! Up!" He waved a hand, speaking with utter disgust, "I am fed up with you, and I am reporting everything to HIM every month, just you know! Your disrupting conduct, arrogance, and self-importance are all the things that build roadblocks for raising the future generation of HIS followers¡­ all of this is presented to HIM directly! Yet you act like you are the Headmaster of this school and not ME!"


    Holy¡­ shit¡­ I never heard the Headmaster raise his voice, and I never imagined Lucius could turn that type of white and fail to find anything to say.


    "If you think your ruling is above HIS, then go ahead! Continue! But this school is HIS, and HE appointed ME as the Headmaster! Anyone disrupting the work here is disrupting HIS plans for the future of the Wizarding World! Do you understand this, Lucius? Are you registering this with your brain? As long as Lord Voldemort refuses to give a verdict of any wizarding family, you better act within reason! Or are you trying to break the order of our lines? Which faction would benefit from a civil war within us, hm?"


    "You try to¡­" He stammered, but Severus Snape simply cut him off with another wave of his hand.


    "I am repeating the thoughts of our Lord!"


    Quincy and I exchanged a subtle gaze, holding back our laughter, already forgetting our fear or anxiety while coming up here¡­ all replaced with the sweet taste of vindication.


    "I don''t and won''t deal with any of this! This stops NOW!" The Headmaster finished, slapping his table. "Go!" He excused Lucius without listening to anything he wanted to say, but we were made to stay. "You two."


    "Yes?" We asked in unison, realizing it wasn''t over yet.


    "Minus fifty points from Slytherin. DON''T!" He interrupted our outburst without it having a chance to turn into intelligible words. "I meant when I said I won''t deal with this! Detention for both of you! Every day, after lessons, report to the head of your house for your tasks! Now go! Get out of my sight!"


    Leaving his office, we couldn''t help but shrug and look at each other.


    "It¡­ could have been worse." Quincy chuckled, making my lips curl into a smile, holding her hand.


    "Yeah¡­ yeah, it could have. Oh well¡­ Detention with Professor Slughorn doesn''t sound that bad!"

 Chapter 60 – Surprise News

    On our first detention, we were accompanying Professor Slughorn into the potion''s classroom as he intended to use us as his little helpers. This was the most fun of all the detentions I have ever had to attend. Even though I am not a potion aficionado like Quincy, I still enjoyed learning about the different ingredients and how to prepare them. I mostly remained silent, knowing when not to embarrass myself, and let Quincy do the talking and questioning.


    "Outstanding, Miss Black!" He laughed, adding the prepared beetle wings to the potion, seeing how they were sliced up almost to the same size, prepared to perfection. "I couldn''t have done it better myself! Hah¡­ probably not even as good as you did, as my eyes are not what they used to be!"


    "Thank you, Professor!" She smiled, accepting the compliment wholeheartedly, which seemingly further raised the Professor''s approval of her.


    "It is nice to see someone accepting the praise, ahaha! Now! What was it you wanted to say when we were coming down?" He asked, stirring the cauldron before leaving it to simmer a little.


    "It was this, Professor!"


    I was eagerly waiting for this moment when Quincy finally presented the recipe she translated from Slytherin''s book. At first, there was nothing¡­ then I saw the Professor''s head turn white, then red, and start to sweat, letting it drip onto the paper. After finishing it and reading through it twice, he hurriedly waved his wand, locking the door and windows.


    "W-w-where did you get this?!" He stammered, looking at Quincy, trying to stop his hand from shaking.


    "We pieced it together, Professor, from books found in our families!" She replied, pointing at me.


    "I only provided a few things; Quincy was the one translating and making out what was what!" I quickly added, not wanting to rob this achievement from her.


    "This is¡­ this is invaluable! This would¡­ shake up the wizarding community! I never heard about something like this! Do you still have the original recipe?!"


    "We can''t bring that!" She hurriedly explained that it was part of our family''s legacy and some generic lie we made up so he wouldn''t press too hard for it. "But this is the best translation we came up with, and we hoped the Professor could look at it¡­ maybe even validate it!"


    "I already see it working!" He exclaimed, walking up and down, thinking what to do. The fact that there was a complete recipe in his hand quickly made him forgo getting the original, at least for now.


    "We thought of giving it to the Professor¡­" She murmured, making him stop in place and look at Quincy. His eyes were no longer that carefree, and he looked at us like an adult would look at a trading partner.


    "I am not as thick-headed as I seem to be." He whispered, drawing a chair close and sitting down, watching us silently for a minute. "You want me to stand on your side, yes? Is this a gift from your Father?" Professor Slughorn asked, turning towards me now.


    "No." I shook my head, "Father is too preoccupied with what is happening. The recipe''s source is me, my family." I answered firmly as it was a half-truth. I don''t know if he can use legilimency or not, but I felt it would be best if we worked with half-truths. That way, we can get through this the safest! The source was indeed me, as it was the fruit of me doing that ritual last year¡­ or we wouldn''t have the chance to get to Salazar''s scriptorium. "And it was Quincy who made sense of it and translated the recipe. This has nothing to do with our parents! This is entirely on us, Professor!"


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    "..." His eyes slowly swam towards Quincy, and I saw his gaze soften and get much, much warmer. "Oh, you two¡­ I understand that what is happening is horrible! Most horrible! Especially to two such promising youngsters, to such talents! I will¡­ take this." He added, gently folding the parchment and sinking it into his breast pocket, patting it. I couldn''t help but smile inside, as I already knew he was convinced to help us. "I can''t promise a lot of things, but¡­ I can show my support and maybe send a letter to some of my friends and ex-students! Yes¡­ I think I can do something that shows that this ugly squabble has to be handled between families!"


    "We agree!" We said simultaneously and smiled at him with relief and happiness.


    "I will also speak with the Headmaster¡­ but this doesn''t mean you are out of detention! From tomorrow on, you will come here every day, and we will start working on our¡­ little project!" He giggled, slapping the recipe now hidden close to his chest. "Before anyone else knows about it, we have to do¡­ tests! See if we can truly make it! How effective it is! This could be a multi-year project, so don''t slack off!"


    "We won''t!" Came another answer from us at the same time, and when we finally left the classroom, it was hard not to laugh. This was an immense success, more than any of us had expected!


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    As the weeks went on, things looked like they were settling down. Quincy and I ordered a few Daily Prophets following the news, and more and more people came through on our side, refuting claims from the Malfoys'' side. People with whom we had no contact at all, to my knowledge! Probably the work of Professor Slughorn. Still, the most significant support was the fact that HE remained silent. HE didn''t make a move, nor did HE make any statements. As if what was happening was beneath HIM¡­ which, thinking about it, was true.


    This, in turn, raised Lucius''s anger and annoyance, but he couldn''t express it directly, not after the warning from the Headmaster. So, instead, it was back to the old tricks¡­ I was the test subject for any new spell, performing all that we were learning before everyone''s eyes. He was checking my homework first, looking for any fault he could find, and so on and so on. Did it bother me? No. Not anymore. I even welcomed it and gloated that I always performed in such a way that he had nothing to criticize.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    When it was already February, I got into such a rhythm that I was once again enjoying school. My only disappointment was that just as the Malfoys couldn''t resort to some underhanded methods, I also couldn''t touch Draco and his gang¡­


    "Conrad!" Quincy rushed up to me as I was coming back from a bath, deciding to head to bed. It was a long day, and we only left Professor Slughorn''s office at eleven! She clearly just received some important news as she was already in his pajamas, her loose hair flip-flopping behind her as she rushed across the empty common room.


    "What happened?" I asked, my heart rate increasing while catching her before crashing into me.


    "Read this!" She gasped for air, pressing the Daily Prophet into my face.


    What caught my attention was that the date was signed for tomorrow. Where did she get a copy so fast? It was still only past midnight! Well¡­ that question was quickly pushed out of my mind as I read the headline: The Anguines challenge the Malfoys!


    "What?!" I read on quickly, my eyes growing wider and wider.


    Angus Anguine directly issued a challenge to Lucius Malfoy, inviting him to a duel to the death! According to our inside sources, Lucius Malfoy has refused the offer multiple times! Now, the head of the Anguine family presented his request directly to the Head of our Ministry, Lord Voldemort himself! All of this was happening in the background, but now, we got confirmation from the Ministry itself that the issue will be resolved directly at Hogwarts at the end of the month! We can report with 100% certainty that Lord Voldemort himself will oversee the subject and the conflict between the two prominent families, and it will be resolved once and for all! Our reporters will be at the scene and-


    But I didn''t read it any further. Instead, I was looking at Quincy, not knowing what to say. Was there even anything to say? Probably not. We had no way to say anything or influence anything¡­ this would be decided right here, once and for all. This was not something that Lucius could weasel out of, not anymore.


    "If my Father did this¡­ he is confident," I said, breaking the silence, but it was mostly to calm myself down. This was a duel to the death!


    "If¡­" Quincy opened her mouth and quickly closed it, shaking her head. "No. I won''t even think about it!"


    "Um¡­ don''t! Because he is for sure a better and stronger duelist than that idiot!" I replied, steeling myself to what was coming. Somehow¡­ I had a feeling this was spiraling out of control really fast¡­

 Chapter 61 – Avada Kedavra (1)

    The news left a tremendous impact on not just us but the whole school. Watching the Malfoy pair''s expressions told us they were also in the dark about it. We heard from Professor Slughorn that Lucius received the official letter of the duel at the same time it appeared in the Daily Prophet. I don''t know how much the Professor''s hand was in it, but I think this mainly fell on Lord Voldemort''s shoulders. My guess was that he had enough of this farce, especially because this made it much easier for the Order to move around and plan their next move. A splinter in the community of wizards and witches was dangerous and could not be permitted.


    At last, that was the main sentiment, in my opinion. I don''t really remember how the remaining days went by, as my stomach was the size of a pinhead. I tried to not show my nervousness on the outside, but I don''t know how well I managed it. When the day of the duel finally arrived, I had no chance to speak with my Father as he was welcomed by the Headmaster and led away, giving us no chance to say anything¡­ even if we may never be able to do so after today. But I tried not to think about that possibility.


    The duel was to take place outside, at the lake on the shore. Spring was coming up on us, so the snow was already melting; everything was wet, muddy, and damp. The sky was still grey with clouds, ready to rain at any given moment, and the air was filled with the coldness of winter, lingering around like some kind of ghost. Of course, none of this bothered anybody as people gathered around, waiting for the spectacle¡­ and for the judge to arrive.


    As part of the ''problem,'' Quincy and I stood with the teachers. Behind us stood Professor Slughorn and, to my surprise, Professor Lockhart. I glanced toward the Headmaster, who was standing with my Father, Lucius¡­ and Draco. Who, because of being a Death Eater, was also a ''supervisor.'' Or something¡­ Tsk. I was about to grimace when my eyes met with Father, who only smiled, looking casual and unbothered, exuding such confidence I felt my heart rate slow down a little.


    "It should be¡­ alright!" Quincy murmured, squeezing my hand, which I returned, nodding at her, but both of us knew. We were more anxious than when we dealt with the basilisk.


    When HE arrived, the man we were waiting for, HE did so on a flying carriage, pulled by four thestrals. After landing, a woman stepped out first, who I recalled was Bellatrix Lestrange. A relative to not just Draco but to Quincy, a cousin to her Father¡­ and an aunt to Draco. I hadn''t had to ask whose side she was on¡­ I guess. What was a bit surprising for me was the reverence she had when she opened the door and helped the man down from the carriage. It was my first time seeing HIM in the flesh.


    HE was tall but thin. I wouldn''t say HE was at a healthy weight at all, a bit more on the skeletal side. Still, HIS features had an otherworldly charm or¡­ power to it. HIS dark hair was well-kept, and as HE looked around, sometimes HIS eyes looked like they were flashing with a crimson color. Wearing an elegant traveling suit, HE walked forward, almost as if HE was floating above the ground, unbothered by the muddy earth below HIS feet.


    No matter where he went, the sea of people parted before HIM, and anybody caught looking into HIS eyes quickly lowered their heads. When HE finally turned towards us, and I gazed into those snake-like pupils, I couldn''t tear my eyes away. Something in me stirred, and I felt¡­ threatened. Like when a predator meets another in his own territory¡­ Which was simply laughable as HE was so much stronger than me.


    "Good kid." HE said in a clear voice before looking at my Father, forming a small smile. It was a sudden and surprise exclamation, and it brought me out of my weird stupor, realizing Professor Slughorn put his hands on my shoulders, squeezing them a little.


    "Thank you for the high praise, My Lord," Father answered, bowing respectfully, hand on his chest.


    "Now, now! I am happy to see talented youngsters rise in these troubled times!" HE smiled, looking towards Draco, who quickly puffed out his chest with pride. "I am only ashamed that the parents forgot to learn how to behave¡­ like a civilized person." HE added with another smile, glancing towards Lucius first, but then the cold, dreadful gaze turned towards my Father.


    "I agree, My Lord." He answered before Lucius could open his mouth to say anything. "But sometimes enough is enough. Others may think I turned soft if I don''t show some teeth."


    "That they do¡­." HE nodded, looking around everyone silently before continuing to speak in an amicable tone. "Coming here made me remember all those good years!" HE chuckled, nodding towards Professor Slughorn, who smiled back, but his hands squeezed my shoulders so hard I felt them crack. What the hell? "In turn, it also made me think about the principle being taught here!" With a slight raise in HIS voice, Lord Voldemort turned towards the others, but HE was clearly questioning Lucius and my Father. "Unity! We are pureblood wizards and witches, equipped with power that nobody else has! Do we really need to kill each other? When others would want to do it, waiting for the opportunity? You all know who I am talking about¡­" HE asked, looking at my Father first, letting HIS gaze linger a little before moving on to Lucius.


    Was HE here to smooth things out? That was the first question that popped into my head, and I think many others were thinking the same at that moment. I saw the sudden surprise in my Father''s eye, too; this was clearly not in his calculations.


    "I am asking you two, of course!" HE turned towards them for real this time. "Is a worthless blood traitor truly a prize I have to risk losing two capable men under me?"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    HIS words were harsh, not just to hear, but the power behind them was also infused with magic, making my blood start to boil immediately. My gaze quickly snapped to Bellatrix, who was standing there bored, unimpressed, and she wasn''t bothered by it. Yet this was simply declaring openly what HE thought about the most ancient of families¡­ the Blacks. I felt Quincy''s nails dig into my palm, but I just let her do so. I totally understood her feelings at that moment.


    "I am asking this from you!" Lord Voldemort continued, speaking to my Father.


    "We were approached first." He replied firmly, without stuttering, controlling his surprise and answering cleanly. "We agreed on all terms. This is about the honor of my family and its name. Its reputation."


    "But they betrayed that, didn''t they?" HE continued, sounding like a dad trying to teach his son about something straightforward he was refusing to understand, "Like the worthless bloodline they are, they immediately betrayed their words and wiggled out of it, didn''t they?" I could swear while watching HIS face¡­ HE was enjoying this. This was nothing but a play... a farce that HE was going along with. "Why do you want something like that in your family? In YOUR bloodline?" HE asked again, but this time, it was a question directed at Lucius.


    "Everyone¡­ deserves a second chance," Lucius replied, trying to say something that would resonate with most people present¡­ but it was the wrong choice of words.


    "No, that is not true." Lord Voldemort replied with a smile, "So not true. Now¡­ I understand the Anguine family''s decision. Youngsters are like that. Falling in love, following their immature desires¡­ be it dreams¡­ love¡­ or jealousy. I understand that." HE continued holding HIS smile as HIS eyes looked at Quincy¡­ me, and finally, Draco. "To me, this is¡­ childish. A squabble between kids. Why should I lose my capable people over something trivial? Why not let them settle it?"


    My body flinched the moment HE asked it, and I knew my eyes were filled with excitement. I could feel my mind switch to overdrive, my darker thoughts resurfacing and clamoring at the chance to put Draco into his place¡­ right into the dirt. Looking to the side, I noticed my Father put his hand behind his back to hide it from trembling. He was angry¡­ I could tell that much.


    "My Lord¡­" Lucius opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but Lord Voldemort simply raised a hand, waving him into silence.


    "I decided!" HE spoke, raising HIS head slightly, "Draco is a Death Eater, is he not? Isn''t he my youngest? He should be capable enough to deal with this on his own! Come on! Step forward!" HE laughed, and from nowhere, a wand was already in HIS hand, directing us like a conductor does with his orchestra.


    "Conrad¡­" Quincy opened her mouth, but I just kissed her cheek before walking forward with steady steps. I wanted this¡­ Deep down, I was enjoying it¡­ Especially when I saw how horrified Draco''s face was.


    I briefly looked at Father, seeing him ready to make a move, only stopping when I told him with my eyes that I was prepared for it. Seeing him hesitate but then stop himself further raised my courage. I was standing in the mud a moment later, facing Draco, who had no way to back out of it this time. I wanted to ask him how it felt to wear that tattoo now? Was it still such an honor or not? But there was no time to talk as Lord Voldemort continued to conduct our duel, his personal show, which I was sure he was enjoying to its fullest.


    "The duel was set to be fought to the death!" HE clapped, speaking in a kind voice as if we were only participating in some friendly competition. "And that is what we shall do! The traditions are strong within Hogwarts! We can''t disrespect them! Bellatrix!"


    She simply laughed, walking out from the crowd and becoming our referee. I could tell that she was enjoying it just as much¡­ even though it was her nephew who was facing me. Maybe she was so confident in him that she thought I would have stood no chance? Then I had some surprise for all of them¡­ We were supposed to start at the count of three. I was standing there without any tremble, my eyes focused, looking straight at him, registering all the little shudders in his body and the twitches in his fingers. After the ceremonial bow, my mind shut out all unimportant noises, smells, and feelings¡­ the only thing that remained for me to hear was Bellatrix''s countdown.


    This time, I wasn''t playing around. The moment she finished counting, I had my wand in hand, raising it. At first, I wanted to cast the killing curse, my feelings ordering my body to do it, but seeing how Draco was trying to use a different spell¡­ I hesitated. I could read from the movement of his hand that it was the disarming charm he was trying to cast. In the end, my rationality, the feeling of resisting the urges that seemed too strong to be really mine, managed to overcome my desire to eliminate him, and I did the same, calling it out faster than he could. It was finished before it had a chance to start. Draco stood there, pointing his empty hand at me, saying the spell''s name, just realizing he no longer had the wand between his fingers.


    "He looks faster than his father."


    I knew Lord Voldemort spoke just now, and I could sense his sadistic enjoyment radiating through every spore on his body.


    "But it is a duel to the death!"


    "My Lord¡­!" Lucius spoke up, his voice so weak, and I almost looked towards him¡­ but I kept my eyes on Draco, my arm raised, wand pointed at him. I couldn''t lax my senses, not now.


    "I said¡­ it''s a duel to the death¡­" HE repeated, now HIS voice cold and authoritative. HE was commanding us.


    "Lord Voldemort." I opened my mouth, lowering my hand, turning towards HIM, seeing HIS raised eyebrows and curious glance, interested in what I had to say. I think HE was expecting me to beg for an amicable resolution. But¡­ I knew HE wouldn''t want that. HE was already half disappointed in what just happened, and I could feel my emotions swirling in turmoil, also wishing to explode out¡­ I had to release it, or the pain gathering in my spine and head would be worse than ever.


    "Speak, child."


    "I want to challenge Lucius¡­ and let him replace Draco."


    "Oh?" HE formed a surprised smile, and I knew HE wasn''t expecting it. Neither did my Father and Quincy, who were now shouting my name¡­ but I barely could hear them. "Are you sure?"


    "Lord¡­ You have nothing to risk here." I repeated, feeling an involuntary smile creeping up on my face. "If he wins, you lose nothing¡­If I win, you only lose a worthless pawn that caused more trouble than what it''s worth to keep him around."


    "Angus¡­ Anguine¡­¡± HE looked at my Father, and I could feel HIS voice growing excited once more, "You spawned an interesting son¡­ Lucius!" HE snapped towards him this time, "Fight the kid!"

 Chapter 62 – Avada Kedavra (2)

    What was happening at that moment was a weird blur for me. I can''t recall the reaction of the people around me, and I can only remember my boiling blood, wanting to get rid of a problem. One that was slowly walking out to stand before me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Draco was dragged away by a somewhat disgruntled and angry Bellatrix. Was she disappointed in her nephew? Well¡­ I couldn''t care less at that moment. I was watching the befuddled Lucius, whose surprise was slowly replaced with malice and glee. I could see he was thinking it was just perfect¡­ and the thought that now he could hurt my Father in a way that would be way better than just killing him.


    When it was time to bow, both of us refused to do it. Good. I wouldn''t bend my back before someone this scummy, and I wouldn''t have felt good receiving it from him. It would have felt like some kind of mockery. I was looking into his eyes, watching without blinking while my ears were picking up the countdown of Bellatrix. I was surprised he didn''t try to cheat, but maybe it was because Lord Voldemort was here. But I was unsurprised that he opened with the killing curse at once.


    I remember reading in Salazar''s book that everything is about intent when using spells. Besides the movement of the wand, the incantations, the third deciding factor of a spell, was the intention behind it. It had to be clear, and it had to be firm. He wrote about how to block or hit attacks. About why sometimes spells seemingly passed by each other, yet other times they clashed mid-air, canceling each other out. If your intent was focused on harming the other wizard or witch, your spell would most likely pass by or through the one your opponent conjured. While if your intent was to defend against it, there was a high chance your spell would hit it mid-air, resulting in the spells clashing.


    I knew my intent full well¡­ it was burning my insides, holding my spine, twisting it, literally hurting me. I wanted to finish Lucius off so all this farce and problem comes to an end, right here, right now. In turn, I knew that whatever spell I would conjure would pass by his. I had to be precise as I only had one shot at this. I waited until Lucius finished the movement, and I could swear I saw the green light appear at the tip of his wand. He was locked in¡­ it was my time to make a move. I nimbly rolled diagonally forward, avoiding the jet of jade light, hearing a rushing sound passing by me, but I didn''t flinch.


    He was shocked¡­ but he had experience, so he was already making a move to hit me with another spell. My eyes remained focused, looking into his, and I felt the pent-up anger and dark thoughts coalesce in my brain. It hurt¡­ like nothing before, but something happened that I had no explanation for. Lucius suddenly froze while casting his second killing curse. He didn''t turn to stone, nothing like that¡­ but he was mentally petrified and stopped moving for a brief second, all that I needed as my mind finished the incantation. With my wand pointing at a surprised Lucius, my own spell came out, glowing green and blasting him in the chest. There was no scream, no exclamation; he simply fell back with the same surprised look on his face.


    Did I feel anything? No. Not really¡­ and that is what made it a bit weird. All that rage I felt was gone, like escaping from me with the spell, replaced by nothing but cold, unemotional thoughts. I just killed someone for real; it wasn''t planning or fantasizing about it, nor was it something done remotely¡­ done by detaching myself from the act. This time, I did it with my own hands and¡­ I felt nothing.


    "YOU-!"


    Draco''s shout made my blank, uncaring mind return to reality, seeing him rushing towards me.


    "Ah¡­ yes. You too¡­" I thought to myself, and before even thinking about it, I pointed my wand at him, and with another green flash, the son joined his father in the afterlife. This time, I did feel something, and looking around, I think it was the shock of the others standing behind us. I didn''t care for most of them, whose faces I was looking for were Quincy, my Father¡­ and that''s it. Luckily, they looked more relieved than disgusted¡­ or angry. Then, all the noise returned, like being dragged out of a silent room straight into the middle of London on a busy day. It was hurting my ear right until loud claps silenced everyone.


    "Wonderful! Just¡­ Wonderful!"


    I didn''t need to think who it was who was clapping and saying it.


    "I think we can settle the issue now!" HE continued, turning to my Father, "I am clearing your family''s name and placing Quincy Black under your care as she is the last of the Blacks."


    "What¡­?!" Quincy flinched, surprised by the news, placing a hand before her mouth.


    "Ah, yes¡­" Lord Voldemort smiled, looking at her. It was a dark¡­ cruel smile, taking great enjoyment out of the fact the news shocked her. "Before coming here, I decided that the family of Blacks betrayed our kind more than enough times, so I killed the old witch myself. As punishment, all their belongings are now state property." Which meant¡­ HIS property, but I don''t think anyone would have dared to say it. "You are now an Anguine, young lady! If you ever leave their family, you will be nothing but a blood traitor. Be grateful to them!" HE laughed, showcasing how much HE was enjoying the show, not even hiding it.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Thank you, Lord¡­" Father spoke up before Quincy would do something stupid, drawing HIS attention from her, bowing.


    "Don''t thank me yet!" HE raised a hand, "We now have another problem!"


    "Y-yes?"


    "Your son has killed two of my Death Eaters¡­" While saying it, HIS wide smile turned into a sadistic grin. "So¡­ I will have to investigate this myself!"


    "My Lord¡­? Investigating¡­?" Father asked, as bewildered as everybody else; it was the first time I could see the apparent panic in his eyes¡­ yet I felt¡­ normal. Relieved that all our problems were gone.


    "Yes. Investigating. Bellatrix!"


    I only felt a push coming from behind; my hand was twisted and locked behind my back, and my wand was quickly taken away. She wasn''t kind¡­ not at all. By the time my mind got back all of its faculties, I was led towards their carriage by her and saw Lord Voldemort speaking to everyone around him. I couldn''t hear his speech, but he walked over the two dead bodies like they didn''t even exist. I saw the Headmaster placing a hand on my Father''s shoulder, keeping him in place, while I saw Professor Slughorn and Professor Lockhart doing the same with Quincy. We locked eyes briefly, and I felt my lips curl into a smile before I was thrust into the carriage like a sack. Soon, we were off, me sitting inside with Bellatrix next to me and the most powerful wizard of all time right before me, examining me with HIS almost glowing red eyes¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    I didn''t know where we were going¡­ but I knew it was my life''s worst ride. Bellatrix said nothing, but the side-eye she gave me was worthy of being pricked with multiple burning needles. What was worse was that Lord Voldemort was sitting before me, and from the initial scanning look, he kept ignoring me.


    "Relax a little¡­" HE said after half an hour, breaking the silence, but it was aimed at Bellatrix, not me.


    "Cissy will not survive the news¡­ And this boy will be the reason for it!"


    "Then the woman is not worthy of keeping around!" HE shot back, silencing her at once. "You will go and tell her the news; if she is too weak to handle it, so be it! I will send others to their mansion. You can take the first pick of their belongings¡­ as compensation."


    "..."


    "Now¡­" It was time¡­ HE finally turned towards me. I was steeling myself for this moment but with little success. I felt my stomach churning, my body was sweating, and I felt¡­ fear. Such a fear that I never knew would be possible. "Don''t be afraid." HE said soothingly, but it had no discernible effect. "I won''t kill you¡­ you are proving useful to me. Even though you probably did cost me two pureblood families!"


    "..."


    I felt Bellatrix change her position next to me when hearing HIS words, but I simply couldn''t tear my eyes away from the Dark Lord''s. I felt HIM¡­ inside of me. I knew HE was reading my thoughts or at least¡­ exploring my mind. What do people say? Think of nothing so they can''t read anything?


    "I already know what I want. I already knew it the moment Draco Malfoy came before me, and I accepted him into the Death Eaters."


    Now I was even more afraid¡­ how much did HE know? Did HE realize Draco had his memories modified? Did HE dig deep? No¡­ I can''t think about that, not right now.


    "I knew at once he was lying, and it was not him who planned it out." HE chuckled, and hearing it sent a cool air through my mind. HE didn''t dig deep¡­ then; HE probably didn''t take me too seriously either. I am still young, after all¡­ "Neither he nor his father knew that my most loyal servant had already provided me with all the information I needed!"


    Who? I wanted to ask, instinctively turning towards Bellatrix, but Lord Voldemort chuckled.


    "I am speaking about Severus Snape, of course! He brought before me what remained of that disappointment of a snake¡­ All that the Order couldn''t bring away... And presented all the evidence I needed to know, Lucius Malfoy was leaking information to the Order!"


    By then, HIS voice turned icy and almost savage¡­ surprising not just me but Bellatrix too. Although¡­ my surprise came from the fact that the Headmaster did¡­ what? Did he¡­ did he shield us? Caring for us this much? Why? But I could not ask that from anyone right now.


    "I see in your head, you are asking why¡­" HE licked HIS lips, making me realize I was sitting with someone who could tell if someone was lying, even feeling the others'' thoughts¡­ I had to focus! "Let me tell you why so you may learn from me, young Anguine! I let Lucius off the hook because I wanted to bait the Order out¡­ alas, Dumbledore is easy to discard pawns he no longer finds any use for! I sent Lucius to Hogwarts to see what their move would be! I let this nonsensical parade play out because it entertained me! And¡­ I wanted to catch the tail of the Phoenix! Well¡­ It surely was entertaining, but then again¡­ Dumbledore wouldn''t look back if one of his followers fell. Not until it affects his plans. In a sense¡­ we are very much alike, Dumbledore and I. The main difference is I am stronger, or he would still be Headmaster!"


    What the hell? What was this all for? Ego boosting? Calming himself down? Wanting to awe me? What was going on?


    "Draco was simply another puppet¡­ I wanted to see how they would react, but, once again¡­ Nothing. I don''t like keeping failures around, so it was time to finish the little farce and get on to my next plans. But then¡­ I found you."


    "Lord¡­?" I asked, and I felt my voice hoarse. My throat and lips were dry, and I realized I felt extremely weak.


    "You are a few years away from your ceremony, yes? When you become an adult and swear your fealty to the Ministry, to Me¡­ Well, based on your show of talent today, I will skip over all that!" With a smile, he grabbed my hand, pulling it out, and before I could ask, he pointed his wand at my arm and branded me with the Dark Mark. "You are now not just an adult but a rare and special amongst them! You are now one of us and will be under my personal watch!" He kept up the smile even when Bellatrix''s shocked voice wanted to ask a question¡­ yet a simple glance from HIM stuck in her throat. "We are going to a place where I will test your true strength, boy¡­ and we will see if you will be the first to be granted the opportunity to call me¡­ Teacher."

 Chapter 63 – Training

    "Conrad!"


    I woke with a scream and could feel my pajamas drenched with sweat. Looking around, it was still night; I was still in my dorm room, panting heavily¡­ I felt lucky that the curtains blocked all noises, or I would have woken up my roommates multiple times in the past month. Looking out of the window to my right, I could see the clear, starry sky and the moon shining, but it gave me no real comfort. I could swear that I heard him scream in my dreams¡­ and I could only hope that it was my nerves and nothing else.


    I no longer had the will to lie back and sleep, so I put on my slippers and quietly walked out to the common room, which was empty. The fire had long gone out, but with a flick of my wand, it was roaring again, and I sat down, watching it. Too many things had happened, and I was still trying to make sense of it. I couldn''t tell if I was sad that my grandmother was gone¡­ or not. She was never kind to me¡­ I never felt¡­ love towards her. So the news of her death was, although surprising, even shocking¡­ Looking back, I didn''t really feel bad about it. What I was angry about was that they took everything that should have belonged to me¡­ to us, with Conrad. Now it was gone¡­


    I just hope he won''t be gone. I exchanged letters with his¡­ well, now also my Father. He is seemingly holding up well, but he doesn''t write much in his letters. I know he is just as worried as I am¡­ but I also feel something is happening in the background. Call it my¡­ female intuition. As to what that is? I don''t know, but from what I saw, the Headmaster''s hand must also be in it. I am not in a position to ask and to not bring trouble to my family; I won''t. Yes¡­ family. With the official announcement from HIS lips, I guess I am no longer only the fianc¨¦ of Conrad but his wife. Which is the only good news in all of this mess¡­ Now I can do nothing but wait for my husband to return¡­ No. That is wrong¡­ I can do many things¡­!


    I can''t let myself be overwhelmed and allow my nerves to crumble! I have to prepare for everything! First things first, if he is in trouble and getting tortured, I will have to make sure when I get him back, I can soothe all the pain¡­ both in body and mind! I will have to learn new charms and brew potions that can help with that! I will also have to start learning curses! I still had his book, took it to my room before they could find it if they decided to go through his belongings¡­ I let myself lament for far too long; I could have used these days to learn the killing curse and all that is to it instead of worrying! If something happens to him¡­ I will have to use it well and kill Voldemort myself!


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Young Missy, you should rest!"


    It was the voice of Professor Lockhart, who came into the Dark Arts classroom as our new teacher. After Lucius''s death, he was again appointed to the position, and it was finally made permanent. Every day, I would come and train myself with the new spells we were learning right until dinner. Then, after eating a little, I would go to Professor Slughorn so he could teach me potion-making. He never said no to it¡­ he tried to tell me to rest and not push myself too hard, but he seemed to understand that if I let my mind rest, I would start worrying again.


    "There is still half an hour until dinner!" I answered, wiping my forehead.


    "Missy¡­" He sighed, trying to keep that silly smile on his face, "You look worse for wear than me after fighting that group of vampires in Transylvania! A young beauty shouldn''t let herself wither away! Especially when she should be in full bloom, waiting for her bee to return!"


    "Err¡­" I couldn''t help but flinch. It was poetic¡­ but also¡­ creepy, hearing it coming out of his mouth. I know he is a writer, but¡­ still. "I will take care of myself." That was the only response I could think of.


    "That would be the best! Now, let''s stop it here so you will have time to rest a little! Eat and sleep well tonight!"


    "Professor¡­" I said, turning towards him. Although we had our thoughts about him¡­ it seems he still has a side that can be liked. "Thank you."


    I think it was the first sincere thanks he received because I had never before seen him look... embarrassed. Maybe he was right¡­ so I took it a bit more relaxedly. I rested in the common room, which meant that I sat alone, looking at the ceiling before going to have dinner and head to the office of Professor Slughorn. We were working on the potion we gifted him, and he was also teaching me easy-to-make ones that could help alleviate pain and the troubles of the mind.


    "Now¡­ you should take one of these tonight!" He handed me a finished one at the end of our session, already close to midnight.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Professor?" I asked, surprised as I knew that the potion in my hand would make me sleep¡­ probably long enough to miss half of the classes tomorrow.


    "Just do it." He expressed, and it was more of an order than a suggestion. "I will check on you tomorrow; if you didn''t drink it before going to bed, I will make you drink it! Understood?"


    "Yes¡­ Professor."


    "Good!" He smiled, rubbing my head, "Now go, Miss Anguine!"


    Somehow, hearing him call me made me really happy¡­ so I didn''t argue and drank the potion, and for the first time in a month, I had a long, deep sleep without nightmares.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Is this all?"


    I wanted to answer something crude¡­ but no word could leave my mouth at that moment. I was lying on the ground, trying to fight back with my mind, breaking free from HIS curse and regaining control over my body.


    "Are you going to disappoint me, Conrad¡­ Anguine¡­?¡±


    The sarcastic smile on HIS face and the way HE was twirling HIS wand made me angry, and I felt my blood boiling again, resisting and finally expelling HIS thoughts from my mind, allowing me to stand back up, panting for air.


    "See¡­?" HE chuckled, licking HIS lips, "You can do it if you want to. The Imperius curse is something that only the weak have to fear! A strong enough mind can shrug it off! I let you hit me with it because it does not affect ME! Do you understand why? Because my will is stronger than any other wizard!"


    ¡°It¡­ is still¡­ hard¡­¡± I moaned, trying to regulate my breathing as the spell ordered my body to exhaust itself, doing jumping jacks and all kinds of moves, getting repeatedly harder and harder, sometimes close to breaking my neck in a wild front or backflip. There were moments if I didn''t regain my faculties, I would have been dead. I would have thrown myself off the cliff we were at.


    "For a weak mind." Lord Voldemort nodded, scrutinizing me. "But you are throwing my spell off again and again¡­ Taking less and less time every turn. Fascinating."


    "Thank¡­ you?" I asked, straightening my body and dusting off the dirt from my robes. Looking around, the wind was strong, the sky was partially cloud, and I could see the waves crashing against the rocky coastline. I don''t know where we were¡­ even if we were still in Britain or not.


    "Why do you think I train you?"


    My honest answer almost escaped my mouth¡­ saying that HE was not training me but torturing me. In the past month, besides ''coaching'' me to resist the mind-controlling curse, HE was demonstrating to me many others¡­ and by demonstrating, I mean HE was casting them at me, and if I failed to dodge, fight back I was in for a significant amount of pain. Under my robe, I already had multiple scars that I was sure would never fade away¡­ but the anger it brought with it made my mind and blood boil, and somehow, I always got through it.


    "Establishing a legacy?" I asked uncertainly. "I heard that Your Excellency wanted to teach at Hogwarts before."


    "Yes." Came HIS cold answer. "I always had my mind on teaching the young generation, raising wizards and witches who are loyal and capable! Just look at the Malfoys¡­ One man simply can''t trust people who are not committed to the cause."


    "So¡­ What cause should I be committed towards?"


    "My cause, of course!" HE laughed gently, walking past me, which was a clue to follow, so I did. "I don''t fully trust your father. Although, I don''t fully trust many other wizards either. I am training you so you can see my powers firsthand. I am not giving out my legacy because I don''t need to. Simply because I AM the legacy! I conquered Death itself, young Congrad Anguine." As HE said that, looking at me from the side, HIS eyes were red as a ruby, and HIS smile was savage, "I will always be here while you and the other families will grow up, grow old, and wither away. This part is still a foreign concept to the generation that grew up when I did. That is why I must focus on the younger ones."


    "I''m still not really following you, Your Excellency."


    "You do." HE shook HIS head, "You just want to know more, but so be it! I am in a good mood, so I will tell you more! As long as you are loyal to me and continue showing such great potential, you will be able to rise to the same position as Severus Snape¡­ and replace him. I will always need capable people at my side who I can trust¡­ with everything." HE whispered, leaning closer to me, patting my back, and even rubbing my head. Damn¡­ HIS hand was freezing¡­ cold as death. "As long as you are loyal, your family will thrive. You and your little wife''s life and well-being will be guaranteed no matter what happens. Those who I trust, I protect, you see¡­ I take care of my¡­ friends."


    "Meaning¡­?" I asked, gulping down the lump in my throat as I felt fear, the same kind of fear when we were sitting inside the carriage that took us here¡­ wherever the ''here'' was¡­ because most of the nights HE disapparated, leaving me alone here to do whatever before appearing in the morning.


    "Meaning¡­" HE looked towards the horizon while speaking as we arrived at the edge and faced the grey, wild waves of the ocean, "That your bloodline can thrive. Not just now but for all eternity, serving me. Your children will have my support, and not just your life would be pleasant, but theirs too. Serving me faithfully is a guarantee for lifelong success! And in this case¡­ the success of your unborn children, Young Conrad Anguine. Think about it: What''s more important? An unpredictable future where anything could be taken away from you with a snap of a finger? Or a stable and clear hereafter, where the safety of everyone you love and cherish is guaranteed?"


    HE didn''t wait for my answer as he simply disappeared, signaling that our discussion was over. Not that I had an answer for him¡­ I felt confused¡­ unsure¡­ lost.


    "Haah¡­ I wish Quincy was here¡­ so we can talk it out¡­"

 Chapter 64 – Voldemort’s Plans

    "No."


    It was a simple, straightforward answer coming from my lips, and before my body had a chance to do anything, I regained my control over it. Looking forward, I was gazing into Lord Voldemort''s eyes, who wore a small, pleased smile on his face.


    "Good¡­ and I say that rarely. At your level, you will be adequate to repel most Imperio spells that may fly your way! Now¡­ our next exercise will be a bit different!"


    With a wave of his wand, the landscape started to change. Massive stone pillars rose from the ocean, going high and being connected by floating steps. Peeking down, the dark waves crashed against them like some ancient creature, looking like an open maw with the white foams being its teeth. A fall from this high up would be deadly¡­ so I was sure that it couldn''t be as easy as just waltzing up the steps.


    "It''s easy!" HE exclaimed, walking towards me. "Reach the furthest pillar to finish it!"


    "..."


    I was not stupid. So I waited, looking at HIM after finding the last one around a mile out in the ocean. They were interconnected with similar, small stone platforms snaking around them in the air.


    "Revelio!" I said, waving my wand after HE was refusing to elaborate further. The moment I did so, multiple platforms disappeared, indicating that they were nothing but illusions.


    "For starters¡­ it isn''t so bad." HE nodded, looking at me, waiting for me to start HIS newest challenge¡­ but I was already at my wit''s end for being subjugated to HIS whims without any reason.


    "Why should I?" I turned towards HIM, refusing to go. "A mage can apparate; if I could, I would be already there. Why should I risk my life by going through traps?"


    "You don''t have to. I can kill you here and now if you want to quit." HE answered so calmly and so benignly that it took me by surprise.


    "I would prefer to live."


    "Then off you go!"


    "Not without a reason!"


    "Oh?" HE widened HIS smile, "You need a reason to do something? Like a good little puppet¡­? I can appreciate the honesty."


    "..."


    "Alright! I give you a reason, Conrad Anguine! The Triwizard Tournament!"


    "Huh?" I honestly don''t know what THAT has to do with anything? What was even that? Never heard of it¡­ Quincy probably did, but she was not here to tell me about it¡­


    "History is not your strong point, hm?" HE chuckled, and I don''t know if it was an insult or not¡­ probably it was. "It is something ancient that is going to be revitalized next year. For what or why, you may ask¡­ So let me tell you, and you can have your REASON to do what I tell you to do!"


    "Thanks¡­" I whispered as I could feel the underlying anger in HIS voice. HE was controlling it, letting it slip just fine enough to be a warning. Probably the last before I am thrown off the cliff¡­


    "The three top schools in magic are going to come together: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbaton. All will nominate a student and compete in three tasks for the title of Champion!"


    "Lord Voldemort¡­ you¡­ want me to win it?" I asked, gulping, but HE only continued to smile and look at me as if I had asked something foolish.


    "You killed Lucius Malfoy. Don''t tell me you are afraid of some competition between students?"


    "..."


    "Good, I take that as an answer! Yes, I want you to win it, but this is just secondary! You don''t need to worry about Durmstrang; they are on our side! Karkaroff, their Headmaster, is an agent of mine. He has been set to infiltrate their school for the past 20 years and now serves as their leader. But that doesn''t mean you can relax; their champion will do everything to win! Same here¡­ if you end up killing him, you need not worry about any real retaliation."


    "Real ones? Charming..." I whispered under my breath, "So I should only worry about the Beauxbatons Academy?"


    "Yes. And if you have the opportunity to kill their champion, I expect you to do so. The agents I sent to infiltrate it all disappeared... I suspect that they are one of the biggest contributors to hiding members of the Order. I also believe that Dumbledore himself is hiding within the school! With this tournament, my real goal is to draw them out! Make them reveal their cards!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "I am surprised they accepted the invitation."


    "They had no choice. Refuse, and I would have declared war against them. With Durmstrang, we would have demolished them! We will still do that, of course, but I want to handle that when Dumbledore is no longer in the picture! The moment I leave Britain, he would be wreaking havoc in the country... The weasel¡­"


    Haahh¡­ great¡­ now that Dumbledore''s name has come up, I can feel HIM getting increasingly angrier. It seemed I had no other chance but to go and do the exercises he threw out for me.


    "Do you have any more questions, Conrad Anguine?"


    "No, Lord." I shook my head, trying to remain calm.


    "Perfect! You focus on performing in the competition and being the good bait that I want you to be! Off you go!"


    With a deep breath, I went ahead and jumped, landing on the first stone step. The moment I did, I could feel it heat up under my feet, and I leaped to the next one at the last moment before it detonated. I had no time to think as the new one responded the same. It was a rush to the first pillar, and when I had to jump over wide gaps, I had to cast the levitating charm on myself to make it over. It was a panicked rush, to be honest, and when I landed on the pillar, out of breath, I was ready to die. Luckily¡­. It was a safe spot, and it didn''t explode. Looking back, I no longer could see the land. I was alone on a barren stone pillar in the middle of a raging ocean¡­ and my only road was forward.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Me¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was in the middle of the night. I was lying on one of the bigger pillars, looking at the starless, dark sky covered by clouds. The only light was the flash of blue lightning that sometimes streaked through them, followed by deafening thunder. I was exhausted¡­ so much so that I had no mind to worry about it. In the past day, I brushed past Death itself multiple times and got numb to it. But I did learn something of myself¡­ I am not one who likes to give up. I could have just let it end, but somehow, my blood refused to do so and propelled me forward. I was only a last push away from the final pillar¡­ the problem was that the stone steps or, more precisely, the moving platforms were too much for me to tackle right now.


    "Great¡­" I whispered, feeling the first drops of rain falling on my face before it began to pour from the sky in earnest.


    It was cold, making me feel like I was being pricked by little needles. The clothes I was wearing were already torn and scorched. Besides exploding platforms, there were some that were cold, and if not for my magic, I would have been frozen onto them. Others were slippery as ice, while another set crumbled the moment my weight landed on them. By the end, I was casting magic by reflex, without thinking, just waving my wand, using spell after spell until I was safe on a pillar. I don''t think I have any magic left in me. Will this really help me? I can see that it trains my reflexes and hones my instincts¡­ But it teaches me nothing new.


    "Intent¡­" I murmured, remembering the words in Slytherin''s book.


    Magic is all about the mage''s intent. The movement of the wand and incantation are all physical recordings of the wizard''s intent. It is how one manifests his spell and binds the theory into reality. Which in turn means that magic can do anything. Per Salazar Slytherin''s explanation, any spell was limited to what the individual mage''s mind could comprehend. If they believe it is impossible, it will remain impossible.


    "It sounds easy but hard at the same time." I chuckled, raising my hand, which was trembling, gripping my wand like how an old man holds onto his walking stick, and pointed it at the sky.


    I had no actual incantation in my mind nor any idea what I wanted to do¡­ I let my tired, somewhat delirious mind do what it wants, moved my hand around, and lit up my wand. The next moment, the falling rain simply avoided the pillar, no longer landing on me, and I was starting to dry up without doing anything else. I didn''t question it¡­ nor was I surprised. I just wanted this before finally going numb and fainting.


    When I woke up, I felt like I was beaten by a whole football team, kicked down, and ground into a meat paste before reassembling to represent a human being. In other words, I felt horrible. But there was still the last hurdle I had to go through. Watching the moving platforms, my still dizzy mind recognized a pattern that I failed to track yesterday. Once again, I wasn''t thinking, letting my body move on its own, quickly hopping from one to the other, and when the third, twirling stone slab started to glow, I just waved my wand, freezing it and stopping its explosion. The one that began to crack the second my toes touched it? I used a spell, turning my weight to almost zero, preventing it from crumbling. Everything came naturally, and I was already on the pillar when I snapped out of it. With a forceful push, I stumbled forward, falling face-first onto the grass. I was back on land with the fresh, wet dirt taste in my mouth.


    "Pathetic." I heard Lord Voldemort''s voice from behind, but I had no will to argue.


    "Results matter. Not how I achieved it." I answered after I spat a clump of grass out of my mouth, standing back up.


    "True." HE replied, and I could feel a surprisingly satisfied undertone to HIS words. "It will do... In the competition, you will need more stamina, though. Here."


    With that, HE threw a broom at my feet. It was an old, shoddy one, probably slower in the air than me walking on the ground.


    "Your next task is simple. Find your way back to Hogwarts! You have to arrive before the end of the term. Simple, isn''t it?"


    "And if I don''t?" I asked while picking up the broom, and half of my question was inaudible because of the rumbling of my stomach. I was hungry¡­ famished even. No wonder that I barely recovered any energy from my knocked-out state!


    "Then you are expelled. That''s all!" HE smiled, patting my shoulder, and I felt HIM disapparate.


    "Fine¡­ Not like I need explanations¡­" A cursed, growling just like my stomach, uttering an incantation while waving my wand around, "Point me!" Now that I knew where north was, I knew where not to go. Wherever I was, I was sure Hogwarts were down south. Why? I couldn''t explain¡­ it was a hunch but a strong one. So I mounted by rickety broom and took off. "I need food¡­" I groaned only ten minutes after¡­ The wind was strong, throwing the broom all around under me, and I had to use my waning strength to steer it and keep it afloat. I was losing what energy I had in me fast¡­ I think I will eat everything off the table in the Great Hall when I return to school!

 Chapter 65 – The Return

    "Haaah¡­"


    I couldn''t help but let out a sigh. I was sitting in the old Divination Classroom, which was so empty without him¡­ Looking out the window, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but nothing¡­ In the past months, I expected to see him appear in the Common Room one day, but no¡­ nothing. We were already getting ready to end the year; it was getting hot, and I was starting to really worry.


    "Huh?"


    While I was thinking about what to do, I could swear I noticed something¡­ It was a dot on the horizon, coming toward the castle¡­ At first, I thought it to be a bird, but watching it bobbing up and down, it should have been a very drunk one then. No, that wasn''t a bird! That was a broom¡­ Nobody would dare to come in on a broom just like that, and it was only allowed for others to ride one around the quidditch field! I don''t know why, but my heart lept to my throat, and before another thought, I opened the window, turning into an owl, flying out in a hurry.


    Since being able to transform, my eyes were just as sharp as in my animagi-form, and I wasn''t mistaken; it WAS Conrad! But he looked horrible! When I arrived, I almost crashed into him, and he didn''t notice me at all! Circling around him, I quickly realized that he was unconscious... His eyes were... blank. Dull. He was in a horrible state! His gaze was empty and expressionless, murmuring something while steering the broom in his subconscious state, following the wind like a bird would. I was afraid to disturb him; what if he fell? Damn it! What did they do to you?! Was this the effect of the Imperius Curse? Then why does he look like he was beaten to death?! He even lost a lot of weight! What did they do to him!? I will kill all of them!


    "Stupid!"


    I couldn''t help but curse myself as my angry exclamations came out as loud hooting noises, and I could see two brooms lifting up from the castle''s grounds¡­ I had to go before they discovered me¡­ I had no other choice but to leave after I made sure that the two who were coming were the Headmaster and Professor Slughorn. Zooming back towards the North Tower, I hurriedly transformed back, running down the stairs and corridors, heading straight towards the Hospital wing just to be stopped by Professor Lockhart.


    "Wait there, Missy!" He smiled jovially, pulling me back by the shoulders. "He is being cared for! You will wait here with me, okay? I was told to not let anyone, especially you, in!"


    "But he¡­ he is my husband!"


    "Ahaha, yes, yes, yes, we all heard, but both of you are kids, so no, he is not yet your husband! Anyway! For now, be patient and come with me! We are going to have tea, eat some biscuits, and I tell you about one of my adventures!"


    "Nobody cares about your fake stories, you big phony! Let me in, or I will curse you and all your future children!"


    "Oh boy¡­ Conrad''s work will be cut out for him, won''t it? Tsk, tsk, tsk!" He wiggled his stupid head like a pigeon. "It is the Headmaster''s orders! If you waited for a few months, this should be nothing, right?"


    "..."


    "Okay, you don''t need to come with me, but at least sit?" And with that, he conjured two chairs out of nowhere¡­ "Thank you!" He exclaimed when I stopped struggling.


    I sat down not because I wanted to but because I realized the door was magically sealed. Whatever was happening in there was to be kept between those who were inside. Well¡­ I won''t move from here! The moment someone comes out, I''m going in!


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When I returned to consciousness, I wasn''t sure if what I had gone through was real or not. Did I die? Well¡­ the fact that I felt tired and hurting all over told me, no, I did not die. Then that could only mean I arrived back and in time nonetheless. Finally¡­ Even though I don''t know how I managed it¡­ I blanked out some time ago...Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Mhm¡­"


    I tried to sit up, but my body was heavy, and when I lifted the covers, I knew why¡­ Quincy was lying on me, sleeping on my chest and hugging my body with her hands and legs. She looked more cute than I remembered. Gently stroking her head, she managed to wake up, and with a sharp cry, she hurriedly climbed off me, helping me up into a sitting position.


    "Sorry, Sorry! Did it hurt? I didn''t realize I was sleeping on you; I-" I silenced her with a gentle kiss on the lips, something that I did dream about while stranded in that unholy place.


    "It''s alright¡­ You could have stayed on me; you are not heavy."


    "Were you¡­ tortured?" She asked, her voice going low and worried, climbing back to bed with me, hugging me close.


    "Not really," I answered, tilting my head. It was torturous, but it was not really torture. Well¡­ it depends on how you look at it.


    "But your body!" She argued immediately.


    True. Looking down, I could see into my loosely buttoned-up shirt, watching my body, knowing that my chest, sides, and probably my back were filled with different cuts or scratches, none healed up fully. Not that they would be, I assume, as many were caused by magic or magical beings.


    "I was lost in a literally unplottable place." I started explaining, describing to her how it looked, what I had to do, and why. At least, going by Lord Voldemort''s explanation. It was good to see her eyes moving, almost making me hear how the gears were turning in her head¡­ it was good to be back.


    "So the road back was¡­ hard?" She asked while I skipped through some of the embarrassing parts. Like eating whatever I found on the way¡­ trying to collect rainwater, or fighting against some overgrown, lizard-like beasts. With how low I was on magic, it was a chore, and their claws or sharp tails injured me more than once. If not for the fact that because of my blood and its scent kept most beasts away, I think I would be sleeping in the stomach of something way bigger than me.


    "The hardest part was getting out from that place!" I shrugged, taking a deep breath, "Even though I could point out where North was, traveling was confusing! I think I was flying in a circle for a month before I finally realized I was going around! When I say it was unplottable, I mean it! I will be honest with you¡­ I gave up finding my way out; I just sat on the broom and decided to go straight forward and think about nothing. Then¡­ I woke up here."


    "I don''t care how you got out, I only care about you being back!" She exclaimed, hugging me close... And I never before felt so relieved and happy¡­ it was good to be back.


    "I think he is using you¡­"


    "I gathered that much," I replied, stroking her hair and enjoying the sweet scent I missed all these months.


    "What he told you is the basics and nothing more. Think about the trials he put you through! First, the Imperius curse! This means it will be used in the tournament!"


    "It will be a potent weapon to interfere with the others, for sure. To resist it will be a great boon; I am not denying that!"


    "Then there was the platform puzzle¡­"


    "Puzzle?" I chuckled, "If that is a puzzle, I don''t want to know what a deathtrap is!"


    "Y-you know what I meant!" She pouted before continuing, "It helped you master your spells and practice wordless casting! You were trained to be quick and efficient, to use spells by reflex, summon the right ones on instinct, and react to incoming dangers! In a duel to the death, the fastest wizard wins!"


    "So¡­ there will be fighting? I guess?"


    "More likely, there will be chaos and¡­ free-for-all! Chaotic action, or something even worse and more dangerous! You can''t give up practicing throughout the summer!"


    "Woah, woah, my dear wife! At least¡­ let me rest a little, okay? I had enough practice!"


    "Y-yes, of course¡­ but it will be dangerous!" She answered with a deep blush, kissing my face before getting out of bed. "I will bring you something to eat!"


    "Thank you¡­"


    "Hehe~!"


    I had never seen her giggle so happily before, skipping away and leaving the door wide open. She arrived only fifteen minutes later, bringing in multiple trays floating behind her, and it looked like she brought food to feed a whole quidditch team! But¡­ seeing how loudly my stomach rumbled the moment I caught a whiff of the food¡­ I wasn''t complaining. She only grinned while seeing me gorge on the mouth-watering meal, and I think both of us knew everything was back in order.


    "I also thought about your last trial." She spoke up while I was munching on a chicken drumstick. "There ought to be something that will take place in¡­ somewhere where you won''t be able to navigate or¡­ something like that..."


    "We can look that up later, but right now¡­ let me rest!" I smiled, enjoying my meal and the fact that I was in a soft bed.


    "Yes! While you rest, I will look up more about the previous Triwziward Tournaments!" She smiled like an angel, sitting on the edge of my bed, and if this is what it feels like to be married¡­ I pity my Father; he had to marry someone like my Mother¡­ No. I should pity my Mother as I know that if anyone asked if I would die for Quincy, I would say yes¡­ and I knew that Father would not say the same about her.

 Chapter 66 – End of the Second Year (End of Volume II)

    "Was this a wise decision?" Slughorn asked, sitting in the office of Snape while the Headmaster was looking out of the window, watching the full moon high up in the sky.


    Their meeting happened right after Conrad had returned, unconscious, and they brought him into the Hospital Wing. Everything was sealed at once because Slughorn used a potion to force down his throat, making him drink it in his delirious state and retell everything that happened to him. Because Conrad''s defenses were virtually null at that point, his mind recalled everything he went through, down to the most minute detail. Thanks to his improved bloodline and memory, he painted a much more vivid image than any of the two expected. When they no longer could learn anything new, they made sure he was healed to the best of their abilities and finally left, letting Quincy come in and leave the two to their own.


    "It was. We already learned something we didn''t know."


    Of course, Snape wasn''t talking about the Triwizard Tournament. That was already known to the participating countries'' leaders since a year ago when it was decided to be brought back. It shook up the wizarding community''s elite as since Voldemort took over Britain, his rule was viewed with mixed emotions. Some parts of other wizarding nations supported him, feeling their community needed someone like him. Someone with power, a vivid goal, and someone who isn''t afraid to say what so many wizards and witches thought: They are special.


    His greatest supporters rose up in the north and eastern parts of the European Continent, while his most significant opposition formed around the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, encompassing most of Central Europe''s wizarding communities. Then there were those who remained watchful, refusing to state their stance, still feeling the scars from the era of Gellert Grindelwald. Many of those who openly oppose Voldemort''s rule call him the second Grindelwald and accuse the fence-sitters of letting him do whatever he wants in Britain, something that would surely spread further away if not stopped¡­ While others call the opposing voices the ones who want to instigate another bloody conflict.


    "If we are not careful, this could turn into a second Global Wizarding War," Slughorn spoke up, breaking the silence, and Snape simply turned away from the window, walking back to his chair.


    "Maybe it will. Maybe it is already happened. In the past 40 years, HE has been raising an army that HE used to take control of our world. Now, HE is looking out towards the continent and beyond, building an army from the younger generations. HIS plans are not made for a year¡­ or five years. Or ten. They are made for generations. Sooner or later, HE will focus on expanding his rule over every facet of a wizard''s life!"


    "Well¡­ I will not see that come to fruition¡­ I am already old!" Slughorn chuckled, sighing a little afterward.


    "It is best if nobody sees that, and we end it before it has a chance to bloom. That is why HE is so adamant in getting to Dumbledore!" Snape groaned, rubbing his forehead, "HE may have puppets, spies, and followers in other areas of the continent, but HE doesn''t have allies."


    "What about Karkaroff? Isn''t that what we learned?"


    "No, we knew about it for a long time by now. We have plans if he finally starts to act to ensure Karkaroff can''t leave Durmstrang and its influence or risk losing it. Not everyone is on their side in their countries, either! The new thing we learned is that HE knows that Dumbledore IS in France."


    "He is?" Slughorn asked, surprised as he was never told that.


    "Nicolas Flamel, the Headmaster of Beauxbatons, is a good friend of his¡­ maybe someone who Dumbledore would call a mentor. He helped him against Grindelwald, and when he was ousted from here, he helped him again. Even became the Headmaster of the Beauxbatons to be able to give all of his support to Dumbledore under the table."


    "Then¡­!" Slughorn went stiff, realizing something.


    "Voldemort''s real goal is not really to draw out Dumbledore." Snape nodded.


    "That is very much a possibility."


    The new voice, appearing out of nowhere, almost scared Slughorn to death. He knew that voice¡­ it was Dumbledore''s! But¡­ that can''t be, he can''t be here, that would be foolish beyond belief.


    "You heard everything?" Snape asked, placing a chocolate-frog card on the table with Albus Dumbledore''s image coming into the frame.


    "Yes. I also received your message. I already had the idea of this being the case. When the talks about revitalizing the tournament came up, it was either a trap set up for me or for Nicolas. Or for both of us. It is customary for Headmasters to attend, and Nicolas being the head of Beauxbatons¡­ you can guess the rest."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "But Albus!" Slughorn leaned forward, whispering, afraid of being overheard, "He can''t think that Nicolas Flamel would be so trusting that he brings the stone with him!"


    "No, I don''t think so either." Dumbledore agreed with a placid smile, "I think he will try to either kidnap him, force him to tell how to make one or ask for it in exchange for Flamel''s life. Or maybe simply dig into his mind and find it for himself."


    "Then why attend?"


    "Because we are confident in walking into the snake''s nest." Dumbledore chuckled again, his image on the small card turning towards Snape.


    "Are the preparations ready, Severus?"


    "Ready as they can be." He nodded firmly, "If he acts, we can respond¡­ but that will also trigger the other communities and probably ignite what Horace is worried about."


    "Oh Merlin''s beard¡­ I am too old for this¡­" Slughorn shrugged, wiping his sweaty forehead with a napkin.


    "I thought you yearned to be free from your Hogwarts prison, old friend?" Dumbledore whispered, looking at the slightly panicking potion master.


    ¡°I am, I am but¡­ haah¡­ Life is not that hard here¡­ Not counting¡­ you know what¡­.¡±


    "Always the ever so conformist! Well¡­ This kid, Conrad, yes? Support him and try to steer him well."


    "Should we invite him in?" Snape asked, and Dumbledore fell silent for a long time before answering.


    "No. A child''s mind is easier to probe. HE suspects Angus, which is why HE tries to get to him through his kid. HE always chooses the paths that have the least resistance in them. But this can also used to advantage¡­ we just need to turn the kid to our side... more naturally."


    "Ablus, you can''t mean¡­" Slughorn asked, his hands a bit shaky.


    "Start the transport and get Neville out of the country!" Dumbledore continued, ignoring Slughorn. "Use our connections and underground forces to do so, then tell Angus Anguine to get ready to act!"


    "Yes." Snape nodded, and the image of Dumbledore walked out of the card, waiting for no questions to be asked.


    "Are you¡­ Are we going to sacrifice the Anguine family? Just like that? Weren''t they loyal to the core of our cause?!" Slughorn asked, going white, and he couldn''t help but think of the two youngsters that he really started to fancy¡­ even like them. Since his imprisonment here, most of her students were more like Draco, and their pride overshadowed their talent. Quincy was a rare gift, and he really liked her talent and attitude¡­ While Conrad was not as shining of a genius as Quincy, at least in his eyes, he still appreciated the boy and his apparent backbone and loyalty.


    "Angus has just as a deep grudge against Voldemort as I do," Snape answered with closed eyes, leaning back in his chair. "Death Eaters killed his only love when they were teens because she was a mudblood. Because his family erred, the same sentence was carried out on his parents, and only Angus was spared because he renounced everything."


    "He did?" Slughorn gaped, hearing this for the first time.


    "It wasn''t publicized because Angus showed ample proof of relinquishing everything; HE decided that the problem was dealt with and all is well."


    "What did he do¡­? I mean¡­ Angus¡­ What did he do to convince HIM of his loyalty?"


    "Something bad," Snape whispered, and his voice was filled with pain and sympathy. "But he did it because their death was inevitable¡­ and if he also died, who would take revenge for all of their unjust fate? He has been preparing for this in the past 25 years! Nobody, not even him, expected that his protective charm would fail and gift him with a son. That was the only slipup he made since being an agent for us."


    "The kid¡­ was a mistake?"


    "Yes." Snape smiled more because of how weirdly fate plays its cards and not because he found the situation funny. "But we talked enough; there are things not for you to know about!"


    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ haahh¡­ I hate this part..." Slughorn slowly raised his wand, taking out his memories of the past day, all related to Conrad''s ''interrogation'' and the previous talk they just had, placing it into a bottle, doing it automatically and with a blank look. The Headmaster simply took it away, storing it safely as it was only returned to the Professor when they needed him to remember it.


    "Time has flown away!" Snape spoke up, jolting Slughorn back, not letting him ask questions about why there were holes in his memory now. "It is time to go to sleep!"


    "Y-yes¡­ yes."


    "Horace," He called after him when he reached the door, "Don''t grow too attached to the students. Or they will be your weaknesses that HE will use against you."


    "..."


    Horace Slughorn opened his mouth to say something but remained silent in the end, leaving the Headmaster''s office, slowly waddling down the spiral staircase, finding it strange that he felt his stomach so contracted¡­ so nervous. What were they talking about, and why wasn''t he remembering any of it?


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Sitting on the train, heading back home, was a feeling that brought calm to my mind. It was already hot, and after getting out of the school uniform, I folded up my shirt sleeves before pulling down the window in our compartment.


    "Did it hurt?" Quincy asked, looking at my tattoo, the pitch-black mark of being a Death Eater.


    "Yeah. I don''t really know what its use is. I only know that he can call upon us with this¡­ and that I would be glared upon by any muggles because of it. Does it disturb you?"


    "Hmph! No!" She replied as if I asked something really nasty, "Why would it? I don''t care about your scars nor about that thing!"


    "Glad to hear~!"


    "Conrad¡­ did you think about doing it again?"


    "Kissing?"


    "Idiot!" She blushed, playfully kicking my shin while sitting opposite of me. "I am talking about the Animagi Ritual! I have everything ready!"


    "Oh! Yeah, I was thinking about it! Hopefully, it will go well!"


    "Good, because we should start now!" And with that, she gave me a leaf that I promptly put under my tongue. "We will do it this time! I will make sure of it!"


    "I missed you¡­" I whispered, which, once again, turned her face even redder than before, but seeing the joy in her eyes made me just as happy.


    There is nothing more I could wish for, and now that Quincy was part of our family, officially¡­ I wasn''t even afraid of next year''s tournament!

 Chapter 67 – A Strange Summer (1)

    Returning home was lovely, especially now, with Quincy permanently staying with us. Father hosted a party for us, and even my mother couldn''t turn it into something back¡­ though she did try after a few glasses of wine, but Quincy very quickly shut her down with a simple sentence:


    "Even with my family gone, I still have purer blood than you."


    She had no chance of arguing back as my Father prevented it with a simple look, making her leave us early and return to her own wing in the mansion. It was a good night, something I will remember for a long time. The following day, both of us slept in, walking out of our rooms at the same time, close to noon. Even though we were married on paper, Father didn''t let us get the same room¡­ at least not yet.


    "Young Master, Young Mistress!" Squeaky approached us at once, wiping her hands in a towel, "The breakfast had gone cold already; I can make lunch instead!"


    "Nah, breakfast will do; just heat it up or something!" I waved with a yawn while Quincy agreed with slow, big nods, rubbing her eyes.


    "Will do!"


    "Is Father home?" I asked before she could snap her fingers.


    "No, Young Master! Lord is out; he said there is a very important thing he must do, and he will be only home on and off in the next three days!"


    "Probably my fault¡­" I sighed, thinking that he was undoubtedly tasked with many things because of what happened to me¡­ or maybe because of the upcoming competition. "Quincy, what do you say? Should we visit Neville after breakfast?"


    "Sounds good!" She immediately agreed, "We can have another duel to see who improved the best!"


    "Good idea! I am confident I can take you both on at once!"


    "Oh?" She grinned widely, pointing at my chest, "We will see about that!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Well¡­ we didn''t. We walked to the town and found it empty. Everybody was¡­ gone. As if nobody had lived here for centuries. The houses were emptied out, covered with age-old dust and cobwebs. This was¡­ not neutral. Not. At. All!


    "Hey¡­" Quincy nudged me, worried, "Am I going crazy? This place looks like it was abandoned in the last century! Everything is overgrown and¡­ empty!"


    "It¡­ is. And no, you are not going crazy because I am seeing the same thing! Whatever happened here is heavy! I will have to ask Father about it! For sure!"


    "What if he¡­ um¡­ what if he doesn''t say anything?"


    "Then I will press on! This is way too weird, and I want to know what is happening! I have a right to know!"


    We walked around the town, going into all the houses, but we found nothing besides more dirt, dust, and spiders. We even found a hidden cellar, but nothing was down there besides the rock walls, empty wine barrels, and clutters from a bygone era, displaying old family crests of died-out wizarding families. I couldn''t wait for the night to come. While Quincy went to bed at midnight, I stayed up until Father returned home, emerging from the main living room''s fireplace at around 3 a.m.


    "Conrad?" He asked, surprised to see me there, sitting on the sofa accompanied by four empty cups of coffee.


    "Father, we need to speak!" I stood up at once, and before I could continue, he simply shrugged.


    "The town is empty. Always had been, and it is a part of the scenery. A so-called muggle-charm¡­ A kind of reservation, as they would call it. They love those things, so when someone stumbles nearby, we can send them away with the reason that they are trespassing government grounds."


    "Both of us know that is not true!"


    "I am telling you. It is that. Do you understand me?" He repeated, looking into my eyes, and it was not something I had a chance to argue about.


    "Where is Neville?"


    "You don''t know anyone called that. Neither do I."


    "..."


    "Any additional questions? Ask them now because I won''t let you do so from now on!"


    "What is going on?" There were too many things to ask about, so I decided to go for the obvious one¡­ I wanted to know what the hell was happening and why I was not told about it!


    "War." He said simply and with a voice that was so cold; I never heard him speak like this. I even¡­ I even saw his eyes burning in a scary fire. I saw his gaze slowly fall onto my forearm, where the same tattoo was placed on him.


    ¡°Is it¡­ because¡­¡±


    "No." He walked up to me, gently hugging my body and patting my head with a kind of love that only a parent can provide. "There are times when we must choose a side, son. I just hope when you make your decision, you will choose what is best for you! Not for me, not for our family name, not for anybody else! For you and for Quincy. That is what will matter."


    "I¡­ don''t really get it¡­"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "You don''t have to. Not right now. It''s late; go up and sleep! You will have to practice this summer, and I will make sure we have time so you and little Quincy can duel me! If something, I am confident in my skills!"


    "Really?!" I yelped as that fired me up much more than any of the coffee I drank to keep myself awake. I even forgot about my questions about what was going on!


    When the morning came, I couldn''t wait to tell Quincy about it before she steered the conversation back to what it should have been about.


    "He said war?"


    "Yes." I nodded, biting onto my toast, sitting at the dining table while Squeaky poured tea for us.


    "Choosing sides¡­ Do you know what this could mean?"


    "Is this a rhetorical question? Because I really don''t, besides that the Ministry expects something bad to happen."


    "It expects war! And if the Ministry does, that means HE does too!"


    "We are already in a war, no?" I tilted my head, watching her spread jam over her toast, "The Order is doing all it can for the past twenty or how many years to overthrow HIM. It isn''t news."


    "No, it isn''t¡­ but what if the war escalates this time? It could easily happen with two other, mind you, pretty strong schools coming over!"


    "Then let me also ask you a question!" I shrugged as I thought about it. To be honest¡­ the moment Father said the word war, I already thought about the trouble that was brewing behind the scenes. Thinking there had to be some kind of plan going on orchestrated by Lord Voldemort. Father, being a renowned duelist, would also have a crucial role in a conflict¡­ I wasn''t told much about Father''s plans, but I am not stupid. I have eyes and a brain of my own! The missing villagers could only mean that he already started moving his people and getting ready for the task he was given by HIM. Of course, that was a question if Lord Voldemort knew about his followers¡­ I don''t think so. And it is best if I don''t ask or think about it. "Quincy¡­ say, if you would even know all the details and answers to any of our questions, could you change things?"


    "..." At first, she fell silent, thinking about it long and hard. She opened her mouth multiple times to speak, but then no words came out. "No. I don''t think so."


    "Exactly! Whatever will happen is out of our control! We can do nothing but react to it! So we either worry about it or we prepare for it! Whatever will come will happen during the tournament! So, I will only focus on tackling that first and foremost! Besides training with Father, I will have you teach me more recipes and how to recognize plants! Hopefully, we will have a storm, too!" I chuckled and couldn''t help but move my tongue a little as the little leaf was still under it, having to keep it there for a month. After the previous run I had, this time, it felt much more effortless. More natural. I could even eat and drink without worrying about it!


    "You are right¡­!" She sighed, letting her shoulders drop, "Worrying will cause more problems!"


    "Worrying is bad!" Squeaky joined in suddenly, "Young Master and Young Mistress should enjoy the summer! Squeaky knows school is hard! Squeaky will do her best to make sure there is nothing to worry about while at home!"


    "Ahaha¡­ Thank you, Squeaky!" I laughed, grinning at the elf, which, in turn, made her smile, too. Sometimes, that was all one needed. A smile and a little bit of encouragement.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Training with Father was anything but easy. He didn''t hold back at all, and although he only used stunning spells, we were being flung up and about in the garden, landing hard on the grass repeatedly. He didn''t let us rest at all, and when our spells met mid-air or got deflected, the bushes caught on fire, or the marble statues got blown to pieces. It wasn''t something that a quick repair spell couldn''t fix, but¡­ it created a mess in our garden.


    Unlike when I faced Lucius or was in any other, dangerous situation, I could never really call on my instincts as in those moments¡­ but I did not mind that. This was much more raw and exactly what I needed. Facing Father without any advantage and getting used to how a duel is and how fast things can happen was the perfect training. Relying on my blood could fail me any time... What if it won''t activate next time? What if something blocks it? This experience was what I needed the most!


    "Not bad!" He laughed, patting his robe, putting the fire out, and chasing the smoke away.


    "Which part¡­?" I asked, groaning, frozen from the waist down, stuck in place.


    "The part where you two worked together well and caught me in the end!" He added, winking at Quincy, who was behind him and the one using the flames, setting his robes on fire.


    "Ehehehe!" She couldn''t find the word to answer him, so she skipped forward with a bashful and happy smile, getting me out of my icy prison.


    "How''s the ritual coming alone?" Father asked, looking at us with a satisfied glint in his eyes. He knew about us doing the Animagus ritual and about Quincy''s owl form. He wasn''t angry about it, quite the opposite. He was supportive and wanted to help before learning I had already completed the first part. Now, we were waiting for the storm that seemed to elude us as the weather was keeping up its excellent, sunny form with a surprisingly intense heatwave.


    "All fine!" I answered, finally able to move again, "I didn''t forget to repeat the mantra, and we are just waiting for a good thunderstorm! Can''t you¡­ conjure up one?"


    "I''m not that good of a wizard!" Father laughed, coming over and patting our shoulders, "But there should be a storm coming in the next week."


    "Is this literal¡­ or?" Quincy asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Both. I won''t be here as the Ministry will go and meet with the delegation of the other two schools. They are coming to survey the grounds and the place where they will stay and where the competition is going to be held!"


    "You mean they are coming to check on Hogwarts," I replied, shrugging.


    "How do you know it will be held there?"


    "It is easy!" Quincy explained instead of me, "Even though Severus Snape is a known right-hand man of HIS, Hogwarts is still neutral ground! It is ancient, protected, and overseen by magic predating all of us! The same is true for the other two schools! Its magic is sacred and something that is to be respected! They wouldn''t trust or even come if the tournament is not held there!"


    "Smart kids! It is exactly as you said, Quincy! So I won''t be home for the foreseeable future."


    "Can''t you tell us about what the tasks will be?" I asked, trying to be cheeky, but he just knocked on my head.


    "Nope. Believe me, I would, but I am not the one coming up with them! When it was decided that the tournament would be revived, for fairness''s sake, the three Headmasters put their ideas for tasks into the Goblet of Fire and let it choose them!"


    "It is said that the Goblet is even more ancient than our schools! An artifact from an unknown date!" Quincy blabbered on with excitement.


    "Maybe." Father chuckled at her explanation before turning around and fixing the garden. "The thing is, it did choose three trials, and it was agreed to go from there! I wasn''t informed what it would entail; my work is simple: I am to oversee security. The problem is, I have to work with Dementors¡­ tsk. I hate those wretched things!"


    "Wait a minute¡­" Quincy spoke up, looking at me then back at Father, "If it will be as in the old stories¡­ the champions will be selected by the Goblet, no?"


    "Oh yes, that is true." Father looked back at us over his shoulder, "And the Goblet is in Hogwarts right now. People will have a chance to sign up, putting their names into the fire! But our choice is already predetermined."


    "Others won''t be happy about it!"


    "Who said you will be the only participant, son?"


    "Huh?" Asked both of us, looking stunned.


    "It is agreed upon that every school sends two champions into the competition¡­"

 Chapter 68 – A Strange Summer (2)

    I was quick asleep after finishing a tiring 7-day tour. To account for all the possibilities, Quincy and I went on a trip, bringing only the bare essentials and a broom with us. We walked to the edge of the county, avoiding muggles and placing down charms when we camped outside, and it was a thrilling, fun experience! She even came up with a new spell, something original that made muggles simply ignore us. We tested it by entering a roadside inn, and none of them batted an eye or looked at us! The charm worked perfectly, and when I shouted, they remained nonchalant, their minds filtering out our antics.


    After leaving and going back on our route, we discussed in length if it could be used against magical beings¡­ so we tried to improve it. She used it on me, and although it did not have the same effect, I had to concentrate more to see everything she did and not be hoodwinked. With more practice and tuning, we probably could use it on witches and wizards, too. It won''t make us invisible to their senses, but we could get away with more if we are careful and our sleight of hand is up to the task.


    When we reached our goal, arriving at the border of my family''s influence, we decided to have a race. I got on my broom while Quincy turned into an owl, and we were off! It took us around six days to get there, but only one to come back to the mansion with me bagging in the win. It was fun and helped us take our minds off the weirdness of the empty village and what may wait for us in our third year and the upcoming competition. I was surprised that it wasn''t announced in the papers yet, and everybody was silent about it.


    On the other hand, what did appear in the papers was the fall of the Malfoy family and the news that the widowed Narcissa Malfoy was brought to St Mungo''s Hospital after her mental breakdown. I would be lying if I said I felt sorry. I¡­ I did not. Not a little bit, and Quincy was the same. Looking at the short article, she just scoffed, saying nothing on the subject, and continued to spread jam on her toast. Maybe that''s why I was dreaming about having breakfast with her at that moment but was interrupted by a loud noise waking me up.


    "Squeaky?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, but it was not our elf who did something¡­ it was thunder! "Shit!" I scrambled the moment I realized what was happening and rushed out of my room, knocking poor Squeaky over, who was hurrying towards me, wanting to wake me up. She didn''t even flinch, just shouting after me.


    "Don''t forget the incantation, Young Master!"


    "Yes! Thanks!"


    With another crash, I burst through the door leading down to our cellar, where the potion was hidden for weeks now, waiting for me to drink it. I repeated the incantation, made sure all was right, and downed it without hesitation. I felt my body change and morph, and I was¡­ growing. And growing. And kept growing way too quickly to react! I started knocking over the shelves, smashing the wine bottles, and then I was stuck, coiling up against the rubble, the walls, and myself. What the hell? Looking at my body, I knew I became a snake, but the size¡­ oh¡­ oh no¡­ Is this what I think it is? I only had to focus to return to my human form and walk out of the cellar¡­ still dazed... If I am right...


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "You didn''t wake me up?!" Quincy exclaimed in the morning, realizing she had slept through the storm and I had finished my ritual without her.


    "I think it is a lucky thing¡­ It could have gone horrible!" I groaned, holding my morning tea with two hands.


    "Why? What happened?" She asked with a concerned voice, and when I told her, I watched her eyes go wide, "No way! I was 90% sure you would be a snake, but¡­ a basilisk? Are you sure? Doubly sure?"


    "I am a giant snake, and I know no others that grew that big! But I didn''t check¡­ can a basilisk affect himself with his gaze?"


    "Err¡­ I don''t think so, no. That would be¡­ weird. Maybe if the snake is stupid enough to trigger its effect on itself¡­ but I think you, being a human, should be fine!"


    "Should be. Great¡­¡± I let out a long sigh once again, but Quincy''s excitement didn''t subside at all. No¡­ it evolved.


    "Show me!"


    "No."


    "Come on, I want to see it! Show me! You can close your eyes if you are worried! I just want to take a look at it! See how big you are! Please!"


    "What the hell am I walking into here, kids?!"


    The voice of my Father shook both of us, and I quickly turned towards the dining room door, seeing him stand there with raised eyebrows and disbelief in his eyes.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Quincy, my dear, I did not expect this from you! I thought my son would be the wild one of the two of you, but¡­. Oh my!"


    "Ah¡­!" Both of us exclaimed at once, realizing what he meant, and while I burst out laughing, Quincy turned so red and hot I saw smoke rising from the top of her head.


    "She was talking about Young Master''s creature form!" Squeaky appeared, bringing coffee to my Father, who just arrived back from the Ministry, looking like an overworked pit pony.


    "Oh." He exclaimed, sipping on it, and I could tell he was teasing us. I knew that look in his eyes very well. "That''s different! So you succeeded? Great! What have you become, son?"


    "Probably a basilisk," I explained, stopping my laugh when I remembered it.


    "Oh¡­" Well, this time, there was no playfulness in his voice. "That is a potent form¡­ Let''s go to the garden and see it! Just¡­ keep your eyes shut, okay?"


    "Y-yeah¡­"


    By the time we arrived at the back gardens, Quincy had regained her excited mood, waiting for me to transform. When I did, I made sure to keep my eyes closed, murmuring it inside my head over and over again.


    "Merlin''s unwashed socks¡­ you really are one, aren''t you?" Father asked, exclaiming loudly, followed by Quincy''s high-pitched squeal.


    "You are almost as big as the¡­ you know!" She rushed forward, touching my scaly body, halting her words at the last moment, trying not to look back at my Father, who ignored it promptly. "And you are dark purple! Almost black! How nice¡­"


    "Am I?" I hissed, nearly opening my eyes, stopping it from happening at the last moment.


    "Yes! And your body is hot to the touch¡­ It is really pleasant!"


    "You understand him?" Father interjected, making both of us shiver. We forgot¡­ not that we wouldn''t tell him about it, but he said we should not divulge our secrets, not even to him. "That''s convenient!" He smiled, not pressing further. "Son, try looking at yourself in the pond!"


    "Ugh¡­ I''m unsure if I want to see my reflection, but¡­ here goes nothing!"


    I was surprised by how natural it felt to move around without legs or arms. I expected it to be different, needing time to adjust, but no. Everything happened naturally, and sticking out my forked tongue was like I was seeing without my eyes open. I knew exactly where I was, where Father and Quincy were, and I could feel and hear their heartbeat and breathing. It was¡­ weird because it was not strange at the same time.


    "Here goes nothing¡­" I thought to myself, slowly opening my eyes and gazing at my reflection.


    There was no mistake about it. I was now a basilisk. My eyes were glowing in the same dark orange color the codexes describe. With the contrast of my deep purple scales and my viper-like head, I looked menacing. I can''t lie¡­ I looked awesome. It felt incredible, too! The fact that I did not turn to stone also answered my question about self-harm. Judging by how high I was, I estimated that I was at least 6 meters tall and, looking towards my end, 8 to 10 meters long. Merlin''s beard is not a readily usable form¡­ and not for sneaking!


    "It is perfect for battles." Father exclaimed as if he read my thoughts, "But keep it a secret! And don''t use it where others can see you change! Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ Son, you look like the beast from our family''s crest!"


    "Yeah¡­" I shrugged and turned myself back with little to no effort, feeling Quincy patting my back.


    "I think you look awesome! And if I perch up on your head as an owl, all is good!"


    "Just don''t look into my eyes."


    "Yep!" She giggled, pecking my cheeks, which immediately made me happy again.


    They were right! This is not bad; I just need to come up with how to utilize it. I''d like to say I had time to think about it, but in reality, not so much. August was coming to an end very soon, and we already received our letters. It was time to gather all our needs and buy a new robe as our previous one already looked and felt small on us¡­ which meant a trip to Diagon Alley.


    I liked revisiting it; it had a¡­ charm to it. Some say you can buy everything in Diagon Alley, and I do believe every word of it. Although¡­ besides looking through the shops and windows, I noticed that I was being watched. I couldn''t help it; my face did appear in the Daily Prophet as someone who killed two Death Eaters just so I could take their place. What did it call me? A ''bloodline assassin'' or something... I was not the youngest of Death Eaters either; that title still belonged to Draco¡­ but I was the youngest murderer. I¡­ I did not like the sound of that, and it made me shudder. It¡­ really irked me.


    "Let''s go and buy new robes!" Quincy interrupted my thoughts, holding my hand and dragging me along. She always knew how to push me back on track... and I love her for that!


    We headed for Madam Malkin''s shop, and when we entered, a few other students were trying on robes inside, and, more importantly, dresses were hanging from the ceiling. I couldn''t help but notice their gaze turning towards us the moment we stepped in. It wasn''t easy to ignore it, especially when older students from our House came up and greeted us like we were¡­ friends. The gall¡­ oh well, we played along; it is best to have a good impression on others anyway!


    We were told to get ahead of the waiting line but refused. We both remember how Draco acted and how very few felt sorry about his fate, maybe except the Parkinson girl or those close to him¡­ so we wanted to avoid that and patiently waited for our turn. When it was time to get a formal outfit, and I first saw Quincy emerging in her lilac-colored dress, I forgot to breathe for a moment¡­ then turned just as red as she. She just looked¡­ gorgeous.


    "Hey, Anguine¡­" A 7th-grader Slytherin boy elbowed me, jolting me out of my lost state. "Why do you think we need formal dresses? You know something?"


    "No idea!" I lied, shrugging, not even thinking about his name. "It isn''t because of me, for sure! Maybe there will be a ball or something? Honestly, I have no clue!"


    I had to repeat the same sentence over and over again as more and more people found us while walking from store to store and heard we were pretty easy to approach and nothing like how Draco acted. It was more tiring mentally than anything, but it was also¡­ fun. I liked spending the day with Quincy, seeing her happy when I invited her for ice cream or bought her a hairpin she fancied. It was¡­ relaxing. Something I hoped to repeat next year. I just didn''t know back then that this semester would turn everything upside down¡­

 Chapter 69 – Start of the 3rd-Year

    Sitting on the train heading back to school¡­ it was hard to believe two years had already passed. I felt like it was yesterday when I first met Quincy.


    "What?" She asked, munching on a gummy snake from the pile of sweets we bought from the trolley.


    "Nothing! I just remembered how it was the first time I took the train!"


    "It wasn''t as of a rainy day!" She shrugged, looking towards the window of our cabin.


    She was right. The window was fogged up and wet, while on the outside, the sky was dark as night, raining heavily since morning. I could not see the scenery changing; only the flashes of lightning were discernable whenever they happened.


    "I am not envying the first-year students now! Taking the boats in this weather? Sheesh!" I shook my head with a half-smile.


    "I am on you with that! By the way, do you think it will be announced now? At the start?"


    "I am sure of it! It would be strange if they keep it under wraps¡­ or did something change? Who knows!"


    "We would know about that!" She shook her head, looking at me confidently, "You are one candidate, so¡­ do you think you would be left out of it because someone better appeared? Not without telling you first!"


    "I wouldn''t be angry about it!" I retorted, grabbing a chocolate frog from her side and popping it into my mouth, "I would be much, much, muuuuuch happier to just sit back and enjoy the show!"


    "Lazy."


    "Yep!"


    "Why not show off some strength? You already did; you could show them how awesome you are!"


    "Quincy¡­" I leaned forward, turning deadly serious, "Your infatuation with my perfect self is showing! Be careful!"


    "Eh?!" She yelped, turning bright red; then she realized I was teasing her and started pouting, "Who is infatuated with you?! Besides you?! Hmph!"


    "You, of course!" I grinned, sweeping away the snacks and sitting beside her, leaning closer, "You are basically worshiping me!"


    "I am not!"


    "I do worship you¡­" I whispered, leaning closer and closer until our noses gradually touched.


    "You¡­ do?" She asked back timidly. I could feel her breath on my face; it was still sweet from the candies she had eaten.


    "From the bottom of my heart¡­"


    I wasn''t lying, and to show it, I finally kissed her, pressing her against the wall of the cabin. It was a much more intimate¡­ more passionate kiss than ever before. I slowly hugged her, and she wrapped her hands around my neck, returning the kiss with the same intensity. What did break us apart was the train''s whistle, signaling that we were nearing Hogsmeade Station. Fixing our robes and saying nothing, just feeling how both of our faces turned red, we got ready to leave.


    Stepping off the train, the falling rain and strong wind were horrible¡­ for those who failed to use simple charms to deflect it. I still disliked how wet and musky it felt, so we hurriedly got onto the carriages and rode towards the castle with a few other Slytherins around us. They, of course, were trying to act as if we were old friends, yet I never remember speaking to them. Oh well, I was already expecting it, so once again, I played along. The sole reason that I could see Quincy being talked to and looked at normally by the others was worth it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Arriving at the school, I took a deep breath as the air was something that was filled with a scent you could only experience here. It was a mix of ancient lore, paper, and ink. Something unique yet relaxing. The Great Hall was quickly filling up with students, and looking at the teachers up at the podium, I had to smile back at Professor Lockhart while Quincy gave a happy wave to Professor Slughorn. To my surprise, there were no new teachers. It''s weird¡­ but I''m sure that it would be explained to us, so it was time to be patient.


    The sorting ceremony went by quickly, and to my surprise, our House had the least of new students¡­ I only counted 14 of them, around half of when we were sorted. Looking at the teachers, nobody found it weird, or I just couldn''t read it from their expressions. Maybe this was normal, and the previous years were the strange ones... What brought me out of my imagination was the voice of Severus Snape, addressing all of us.


    "This year will be special! Our school, starting with the first day of October, is going to host the revitalized Triwizard Tournament! Many of you, I expect to know nothing of the name¡­ especially after looking at the yearly average grades produced in History of Magic by you lot¡­"


    "Shit¡­" I smirked, whispering, making Quincy and some others who heard it chuckle; the only problem was that Snape''s head snapped toward us at once. He didn''t scold me, but his eyes gave a serious warning.


    "It will be an event for which anyone among you can sign up for¡­" After a dramatic pause, letting us murmure, he continued, "But it will be the Tournament''s choice to determine who gets to be the school''s appointed champions! The process will be explained once the other competing schools, Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, arrive! Until then, think hard if you want to risk signing your name up for it! The Tournament has no rules other than to win¡­ many who join die in the process. This competition is for those with the talent, the will, and the luck required to succeed and survive! The tiniest failure and you will be only remembered as the fools who threw their lives away!"


    Well¡­ if someone wanted to hold a speech to discourage anybody from signing up, this was it! I already saw many excited faces turn pale, quickly abandoning any desire to become famous. Everything is permitted? That did sound dangerous¡­ but I also saw some eyes lit up because of it. Brewing ideas of grandeur and fame. Haaah¡­ I wish I could exchange my spot with any of them!


    "Woah!" Quincy exclaimed next to me, and I agreed. The food that appeared on the golden trays was extraordinary, even by the school''s standard. I''m not complaining, though; it did quickly make me forget all of the Headmaster''s speech and let me indulge in a very satisfying dinner!


    Coming to the Common Room felt like coming home as I collapsed into the most oversized armchair beside the roaring fire while Quincy sat on my lap without hesitation. Both of us were sleepy and relaxed after eating so much... It was heaven. I just sat there, gently stroking her tummy, ignoring the others, enjoying the fire and the peace. I was about to open my mouth when the door to the Common Room opened, and Professor Slughorn walked in. He talked a little with the first-year students, encouraging them before calling Quincy and me to the sides.


    "I think you have been briefed, yes?" He smiled nervously, rubbing his hands together.


    "If Professor means what I will¡­ have to do, then yes." I nodded, making sure if anyone heard us, they wouldn''t know the selection would be rigged.


    "Good. Listen, I will host my first Tea Party on the last weekend of October. The delegation of the two other schools will arrive by then! It will be an opportunity for the chosen Champions to meet and greet each other."


    "This is why we needed the dresses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, but he shook his head.


    "That will be for the Yule Ball at Christmas!"


    "The what now?" Quincy gawked, but he simply waved the questions away.


    "What is important is¡­" He looked around, lowering his voice and speaking to me directly, "You will be one of the youngest participating. I have strict orders to make sure you show enough decorum, talent, and brilliance! I am here to tell you in advance to take it extremely seriously!"


    "Professor, would he be in my shoes if I didn''t kill Draco?"


    "Yes¡­" He nodded and wiped his head, feeling troubled by simply the thought.


    "You know¡­" I groaned, glancing at Quincy, who started chuckling, "I wish I could have seen that!"


    "I am happy that you are taking it this lightly, but this is very important!"


    "Don''t worry, Professor, I wouldn''t bring shame to the House, the School, or my Quincy!"


    "Hey!" She elbowed me but smiled like the happiest girl around.


    "Good¡­ good¡­ haah, I don''t know kids¡­ somehow, since summer, I have been extremely nervous! I have trouble eating and had to change my robes twice as they became too loose!" Now that he mentioned it¡­ true. He was looking less like a meatball and more like a human.


    "I can''t do anything about it, Professor! Worrying isn''t worth it, so I can do only one thing: take it as it comes!"


    "Excellent¡­ I hope you keep it up, boy¡­ I really do!" He patted my shoulder before leaving.


    "He did look troubled," Quincy murmured, leaning against me.


    "When does he not?" I asked, leaning over and kissing her head, "Let''s go to sleep; I feel tired!"


    ¡°Mhm¡­ me too~!¡±

 Chapter 70 – A Date

    Our first week came and went pretty quickly. Even with our two new elective courses, our days were not much more packed than before. Of course, we chose the same subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes. For starters, the former was surprisingly easy, following Professor Grubbly-Plank and learning about nifflers. Quincy found them cute¡­ I found them useful.


    "Useful?" She asked me when I mentioned it.


    "Their tummies."


    Their habit of stealing anything shiny was a problem for many. No wonder we were warned to take off and hide anything like that before class¡­ but for me, the more interesting thing was the fact that their bellies worked as some kind of¡­ magical bag of holding. An endlessly deep one at that. It gave me the idea of getting one. Not a niffler, of course, but a bag like that.


    The second extra class was¡­ less exciting. It was okay, and we first began to learn the basics of recognizing runes and tell them apart from nonsense scribbles on a wall. To my surprise, Quincy had difficulty memorizing them, as most looked the same in her eyes. On the other hand, I think I cheated. Thanks to my bloodline¡­ For my eyes, every and all rune was clear and distinguishable; I felt like even naming them all!


    Luckily I didn''t say that out loud because the name that popped into my head often differed from what our teacher, Bathsheda Babbling, wrote on the blackboard. Silence is gold, and I wasn''t thinking about wasting it now. What I found just as interesting as the niffler-situation was that, supposedly, runes were how ancient witches and wizards communicated. Back then, writing had the same power as spells. Then, it diminished increasingly as we advanced, and nowadays, they are only used in artifact making.


    "At least you can help me with our runes homework while I help you out with potions!" Quincy sighed, collapsing next to me after our first week. It was an early night, and we had just returned from the Great Hall after supper.


    "Sure! Give it to me, and I will write yours too!" I nodded, taking out a parchment and deciding to do it right now. It was straightforward as we only had to copy the actual, known runes from a sample text that we were given.


    "It all looks the same to me¡­ or like some crude drawings of a goblin!"


    "I think they do use it to this day." I raised an eyebrow, biting onto the end of my quill and quickly scanning our small sample text.


    "Really?"


    "Just look at their craftsmanship! All their items! The real goblin-made goods are inscribed with runes! Were you listening today or¡­?" I grinned, and she just rolled her eyes, going pink in the face. "Heh¡­ I will take it as a no."


    "It is a bad subject¡­"


    "You just don''t like it!" I chuckled, hugging her, writing down the correct runes in a jiffy, and giving it to her to copy. "I think you can still change courses!"


    "No!" She answered, almost in a panic, "I will get through it!"


    "I''ll help~! It''s not that bad, you''ll see! Every word in it is something that holds power!"


    "Huh¡­" She stopped writing, looking at me weirdly. "You are speaking about it as if you are a master of runes¡­"


    "I¡­ can''t really explain it."


    "That never bodes well¡­ So we should look into it! I think we should get back to¡­" Then she stopped, looking around and leaning in, whispering into my ear, "To the Scriptorium!"


    "I thought about it too!" I agreed, forgoing complaining about her worries. "But first, I want myself a bag. A niffler-like one!"


    "Good idea! It is a neat way to bring away many things we need from there! But¡­ how are we going to get one?"


    "Buying it, of course!" I grinned, "Tomorrow is Saturday, and now that we are third-year students, we can ask for leave to go into Hogsmead! I intend to visit Professor Slughorn and ask him to let us go!"


    "Ah¡­ I totally forgot about that!"


    "Hehe!" With a quick peck on her face, I stood up, stretching, "I brought some gold with me from home, so¡­ let me take you on a date!"


    The moment I said it, she almost choked on her saliva and turned as red as a tomato¡­ but she didn''t complain. Not that I would let her! I know we have been together for two years now, but¡­ we never went on one, and¡­ how could I look into her eyes then?


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was a warm, sunny Saturday as we were walking down the dirt road, heading towards Hogsmeade. It wasn''t hard to get permission to leave school grounds; we didn''t even have to go to Professor Lockhart. As it was both of our first times here, we were marveling at the picturesque image of the village. It was different from the one at home¡­ this was much more¡­ magical. It was more natural for us than the houses the muggles were used to.


    Some looked a bit more crooked from the outside, while others were much more colorful, and in the shops'' windows, moving posters told us about the recent available sales, or a moving mannequin was inviting us to try a new witch''s hat on.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Want it?" I asked with a smile, watching her be mesmerized by a pair of earrings in one of the displays.


    "They are too expensive¡­"


    "But they have a charm applied to them! It says it can protect from any hexes cast upon you!"


    "Yeah, sure!" She giggled, glancing at me, grabbing my arm, and snuggling up to me. "Probably there is an asterisk somewhere telling you it means up to year five or something!"


    "Err¡­ I can see that happening¡­ Still! It would look good on you!"


    "I''m fine! Really! It is nice, but I would not want to spend this much on it! We could buy much more ingredients from its price, and I could make potions that would fetch triple that!"


    "Oh, hey! That is not a bad idea! We could sell your potions and make some money out of it!"


    "Then," She pecked my cheeks, "buy me ingredients if you want to gift me something!"


    "Sure thing! But before that, come!" I dragged her along and entered one of the shops.


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­ want me¡­ to¡­¡± She stuttered, going red, stopping me at the entrance.


    "Huh?" I stopped and realized my error and the source of the misunderstanding. The front was filled with women''s undergarments being on sale right now.


    "I don''t mind¡­ but¡­" She whispered, looking down at her feet.


    ¡°Um¡­ I wanted to buy a pouch¡­ you know¡­¡±


    "Ah! Y-yes, of course! Yes!" She blabbered on immediately, trying to act as if nothing had happened.


    "But now that you mention it¡­"


    "Come, it should be at the back!" She pulled on me so hard I almost fell, and she didn''t give me a chance to ask¡­


    "Okay, okay! I get it¡­ Hehe¡­ Don''t need to be so forceful, Quincy! And one day, you wouldn''t need to wear one anywaaaah?! You good?" I yelped as she stumbled so hard after hearing my words that we fell, and I landed on top of her.


    "No¡­ I''m not¡­" She moaned, her eyes teary and embarrassed¡­ but not because others were looking at us, giggling.


    The rest of the time inside the shop was still just as awkward, but in the end, I bought a little, unassuming pouch capable of holding many things. We tested it out at once by purchasing alchemy ingredients, and no matter what we put into it, it ate it up without issues. How wonderful!


    To nail down our first actual date, I invited her to Madam Puddifoot''s Tea Shop¡­ but¡­ that didn''t turn out as expected. Somehow, the air inside was stuffy. We sat down and ordered a cake and tea, but¡­ none of us felt it as magical as we had heard it from people in the years above us. The atmosphere was... weird. Overly sweet, so much so that it made us nauseous. Only after ten minutes did we both agree to leave, and we exhaled simultaneously when we were back on the streets.


    "Let''s not go there again¡­ it was weird." Quincy smiled at me apologetically.


    "Agreed. What do you say to go to Honeydukes instead?"


    "That does sound better!" She giggled, intertwining her arm with mine, and while heading towards the shop, we failed to realize that others were watching us. Since our arrival¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­..


    ¡­¡­


    "Relax, Regulus¡­ he is not a bad kid."


    "That''s the point! She is just a kid! Yet look at them!"


    "He is a kid too! And it is not like you have a place to speak!"


    The two ruddy-faced, travel-weary men were two individuals who, if sawn by Conrad and Quincy, would recognize them as the Rubio brothers. The pair that took care of Neville¡­ in reality, they were the Black brothers, wanted fugitives, and also, the uncle and father pair of Quincy.


    "Hell, you should be happy for her! We watched the kid grow up; he is a good one¡­" Sirius patted his brother''s shoulder, pulling him back to the Hog''s Head. "Don''t make a scene, not now! Be happy we are stationed here and that we were trusted to keep an eye on things!"


    "But¡­ he is groping my daughter!"


    "No, he is not! Your daughter snuggling up to him! And to remind you... you abandoned her!" Sirius raised a voice but then very quickly went soft as right now, he barely had anybody left besides his younger brother and Neville. If not for the fact the two were present, he would not have known what to do with his life after losing his best friend. "Sorry."


    "You are right¡­ you are¡­ right." Regulus sighed as the two sat down back in the pub, and a man with dirty, red hair brought drinks for them before joining their table. He was young under the ugly scars that distorted half of his face, hiding behind his hair¡­ yet his visible eye was as old as the two brothers.


    "Thanks, Charlie." Sirius patted his back as the trio were now staying in here, hiding underground, sometimes literally as the Order was preparing for their biggest strike yet against Voldemort.


    "I hate the waiting." He whispered, his voice hoarse and sounding like sandpaper thanks to the injuries on his neck. "I can''t wait to kill some of them."


    "We neither," Regulus replied, knowing how his companion must be feeling.


    Looking at him, he knew he was the same as his brother, Sirius. If not for raising his youngest brother Ron, Charles Weasly would probably already be dead. His human eye was either way... Seeing his whole family being massacred while saving the Longbottom kid left a deep scar on his body and his very being. The three of them were, maybe because of this, always the ones to be sent behind enemy lines.


    While everyone else was smuggling the ''Chosen One'' out of England and into France, using the preparations for the tournament as a cover, they remained back and were their forward units, the spearhead, so to speak. Not that any of them complained¡­ it was all they ever wanted.


    "Can we even trust the Anguines?" Charlie asked, making the brothers roll their eyes.


    "We lived under his care for a decade!" Sirius snorted as Charlie was more paranoid than any of them.


    "Dum-" Regulus started, but after a gaze from his brother, he quickly corrected himself, "He is trusting him. That should be enough."


    "I trust nobody."


    "We know that." The two retorted at once but left it at that.


    "I don''t like the smell of his kid." Charlie continued, swiping away his hair and revealing an eye in the burned socket on his face. An eye that was like that of a dragon''s. "He stinks of something evil. It courses in his blood¡­ I can smell it."


    "Isn''t it the dragon blood that you are sensing?" Regulus asked, somewhat doubtful as Charlie always said this about anyone he disliked. "I don''t know how you survived the transfusion¡­"


    "..." He didn''t answer as he had no answers for that. When he escaped the massacre, seeing the Potters and his own family being slaughtered by Lord Voldemort, he suffered grave injuries. The only thing that kept him alive was the thought of saving his sibling, and to manage to do that, he transfused the lost blood with a dragon''s¡­ and lived to tell the tale about it. "I am telling you¡­" He pressed on, "His son stinks of dark magic¡­ He should be killed in the chaos before we gift that sociopath with another weapon he can use against us!"


    "Just¡­ follow the plan¡­ okay?" Sirius said, ending the conversation, but he couldn''t help but think about what Charlie said. Although he trusted Angus¡­ He knew his motivations¡­ his son was a liability. Something that could be used by Voldemort to turn one of the key figures in the upcoming operation against themselves¡­

 Chapter 71 – History Lesson

    It was deep into the night the following Friday. Both of us sneaked out of our Common Room, heading straight toward the hidden entrance to the Scriptorium. My guess was correct, as speaking directly to the ''wall'' in parseltongue made it react and ripple, letting us step through it. Walking through the corridor, we faced the labyrinth, but as if it remembered us, the walls quickly rearranged themselves, revealing the straight road forward. That is when we came face to face with the biggest hurdle. The door that refused to budge or open, no matter what we did.


    "Told you¡­ the only way in is using the spell."


    "Conrad¡­ I won''t!"


    "You will have to."


    "I won''t!"


    "Come on, Quincy! It isn''t a big deal! I am asking you to do it! I can handle it!"


    "Me too! You use it on me!"


    "I won''t hurt you; I love you!"


    "And I don''t love you?" She retorted so loudly it echoed painfully between the walls.


    "You do¡­" I smiled, holding her hand and looking into her eyes, "I am¡­ more resistant than you¡­ I have a basilisk''s blood in me! Please¡­ don''t argue with me about this! We could already be in! Just¡­ do it, please!"


    In the end, with great hesitation, she wicked out her wand, pointing at me and uttering the curse¡­ when it hit me, I simply fell to my butt, but it didn''t really hurt.


    "You need to mean it!"


    "I just¡­ can''t!" She sniffed, and I knew this would probably be the same for me. This was¡­ a pickle.


    "Well¡­ you know what this means?" I laughed, standing up, dusting my butt and hugging her.


    "We can''t get in¡­" She buried her face in my chest, but I just playfully pinched her bottom, making her yell out and look at me with shock and embarrassment.


    "Silly! Come! We are going around again!"


    Around an hour later, we were inside the Scriptorium, not really browsing, just stuffing the holding bag full of all the interesting books. Or at least those with an exciting title.


    "I totally forgot about it¡­" She murmured, ashamed of her initial panic.


    "Don''t be so down! It just took a longer turn to get in! I was afraid it might be monitored or sealed up or something¡­ but oh well! We are all good! It is too bad the tournament came 300 years after Slytherin''s time¡­ he could have great tips for it!"


    "Well, we can do nothing about that, but we can peruse his vast knowledge! But¡­ he probably would say just blast your opponents with the Avada Kedavra or something¡­"


    "I don''t think so," I answered after thinking about it, flipping through his notebook. "He was best friends with Gryffindor. Do you think they would have become one if he was simply evil? All the historians say Gryffindor was heroic and brave. This also means he was brash and strong-headed¡ªsomeone who charges in and thinks about the consequences later. Slytherin, on the other hand, was someone who planned things out. He was thoroughly calculative¡ªsomeone who didn''t act without knowing the outcome first. Yet these two individuals became friends. Best friends."


    "Polar opposites." She murmured, sitting down on Salazar Slytherin''s old chair before his desk, looking at me while I continued.


    "Yes, and they complemented each other perfectly. In here, too!" I showed her the notebook I was reading, "He is recalling one of their adventures and reminiscing how they explored an ancient ruin under Constantinople and how he misses those days."


    "Really?" She raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the papers, finding reading the Old English handwriting exceptionally hard.


    "Um. At least, from what I gather, it needs a correct translation first. But I feel he thought it was a mistake establishing the school. Or at least, he regretted it¡­ because it broke apart their friendship in an irreparable way."


    "Were they even friends then? I mean, that type of good friend? That none of them relented? None tried to understand the other; none tried to move closer to a middle point where they could agree? Both were so strong-headed that they let their friendship crumble¡­ If you ask me, they were obstinate old men! Both of them!"


    "Hah!" I laughed loudly after hearing her, closing the book and sinking it into my pouch, "I agree! Slytherin even left in such a bad mood he built the Chamber of Secrets and left behind a basilisk to cause trouble when they are no longer here!"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Mhm. See? None of them was a good guy; I don''t believe that for a moment!"


    "Not that it matters! It was a thousand years ago; it is irrelevant now! Plus, right now, the two fighting sides¡­ what do you think, Quincy?" I asked, getting curious, remembering what my Father told me about choices and about deciding what is good for me¡­ for us. I felt he was trying to tell me something, but I just couldn''t really put a finger on what.


    "Well, hopefully, here we can be completely honest without the fear of being listened to!" She shrugged, half-smiling, looking around, "I think the current system is horrible. The leaders are horrible. The laws are horrible. Everything is just¡­ horrible! Why?"


    "Just asking. I don''t have any opinion¡­ at all. I dislike HIM, but I also¡­ fear him. For real¡­" I answered, looking down when talking about it, not noticing I grabbed my own hand. I heard her quickly stand up and come up to me, hugging me close. "Hehe¡­ thanks. I also don''t know about the rest¡­ I never really thought about it, unlike you."


    "I only did because Grandmother was shopping me around¡­ Hah¡­¡±


    "Well¡­ I like Neville. I hope he is all right. I don''t have a problem with muggle-born wizards and witches! I just don''t see why shouldn''t we allow them in and accept them!"


    "I agree! I totally agree!" She nodded rapidly, "Nobody can do anything about their origin! Their parents! What they can do about it is what they are going to do with their life! Who says muggle-born people can''t be great wizards?"


    "Yeah, totally! That is why I have also no real opinion about the Order. I never really knew any of them, nor did I see any of the ''great destruction'' they lay upon our world! You¡­ Do you¡­?"


    "I know nothing!" She shrugged, opening her arms. "I never met my parents. And I don''t care about my biological father, not even a bit! He can rot wherever he is! If he failed to bring me away, then that just shows how much I meant to him!"


    "I understand¡­ and I would thank him for not¡­ Because then I wouldn''t have met you!"


    "Ehehe¡­ True!" She giggled happily, tiptoeing and kissing my lips, which I passionately returned before separating. "Thinking about it," She continued with a cute, pinkish hue still lingering on her face, "Was that Grindelwald''s speeches made much more sense!


    "Grindelwald?" I asked, furrowing my brows and then remembering. I read about him back home. "Wasn''t he some kind of¡­ revolutionist or something?"


    "I see you also know not about him, huh?" She smiled weirdly, "His name has been suppressed by HIM; at least, that is what my grandmother told me. He was a Dark Wizard, on par with HIM, you see."


    "Really? Is he suppressing his name and achievements because of jealousy?"


    "I think not." After a brief silence, she answered, "I think he does it not to give Dumbledore more of a presence within the wizarding community! You see, I read a thick codex about it, written by Bathilda Bagshot, one of the greatest historians of our time¡­ who was killed by HIM."


    "Err¡­ well¡­ then she really was the best historian, huh?"


    "Sadly, yes." She nodded with a wry smile, "And also the aunt of Gellert Grindelwald. What I am saying, Conrad, is that Dumbledore knew Grindelwald. They were friends!"


    "Godrick and Salazar, all over again." I hummed, making Quincy chuckle and nod in agreement. "The thing is, Dumbledore stopped Grindelwald and defeated him. He stopped one of the greatest Dark Wizards of all time, someone who managed to bring forth the Global Wizarding War! He was someone who got really, really close to ruling the world! Not Britain, not Europe¡­ the world! And someone like him was defeated by Dumbledore. Do you see it?"


    "Heh, I do! No wonder he doesn''t want others to learn about him! It would not just make HIS accomplishments smaller but also give Dumbledore a boost! He once saved the Wizarding World; who says he can''t do it again?"


    "Yep! Now that you say it that way¡­ That Grindelwald guy does sound more menacing!"


    "I don''t know¡­" She shrugged, looking at me with a sad smile, "I read his speeches. They were recorded in Bagshot''s retellings. He wasn''t like HIM. He was¡­ convincing. Spoke about things I could agree with. He didn''t fill me with fear nor make me abhor others! He wasn''t doing things for himself; he wanted to protect us from the muggles!"


    "From the muggles?" I asked, finding it hilarious as we were taught, and I heard it multiple times at home, too, that they were not a threat, not at all.


    "He spoke about a weapon that could level a city like no magic can do!"


    "Yeah¡­ okay." I rolled my eyes.


    "It is true." Quincy said, looking directly at me, "We are forbidden to learn about muggles. Their world is like being behind a fog for us¡­ What do you know about muggles?"


    "Not much¡­ you?"


    "Same. But I did try to learn about them. I once thought about running away and living amongst them. So, I looked things up. That weapon Grindelwald warned the magic community about 50 years ago? Became a reality only a few months after his fall! His speech was about protecting us from them. He didn''t want to turn away wizards or witches from muggle heritage because they could be a bridge for us to understand their world. He wanted to rule over them because their weapons could destroy us both¡­"


    "Fascinating¡­" I whispered, totally mesmerized by the history that we were not taught.


    "He thought he was doing the right thing for us¡­ he said it was for the ''Greater Good,'' you see. Now¡­ About HIS regime? I never heard anything that compelling! I only heard about bloodlines; magic is power, power is might, might is right! About me being a tainted one, about having to breed so the family name comes back to life, blah, blah, blah! Only things that made my stomach turn!"


    "It''s okay¡­" I hugged her quickly, rubbing her head and letting her calm down.


    "Sorry¡­"


    "It''s okay¡­ You are cute when you get worked up!"


    "Silly¡­" She chuckled but buried her head in my chest. "What I mean is that I don''t care about either side now. My dad rushed off to the Order but never tried to bring me along or tried to come back for me. HIS side never even looked at me like something proper. So why should I care about any of them? None made anything close to as compelling! I trust them not! I only trust you¡­"


    "Hehehe~ You are making me blush! But¡­ thank you¡­ and I also only trust you! And my Father. And Squeaky."


    "Silly¡­" She whispered, letting me go, "So? Are we ready?"


    "Yep! Let''s get back, and tomorrow¡­ you could tell me more about this period! Now I am truly interested!"


    "Hah! I don''t know everything, but¡­ sure! I read that book many times, so¡­ why not?"

 Chapter 72 – Arrival

    With the books we brought out from the Scriptorium, I felt like we were going to have something to read for the following decade or more. We spent most of the days going through them after homework, and I felt at home immediately. It was just like when I first got here, our time in the library¡­ with the difference, we spent it in our tiny ''home,'' in the old divination classroom. By now, it was completely refurbished by us, and we had desks, bookshelves, and even beds set up. It happened many times that we were past midnight when stopping and sneaking back to the Common Room was a hassle, so¡­ we slept here. Close to each other¡­ it was bliss.


    What ended this brief calmness was when preparations were beginning to be made for welcoming the soon-to-arrive delegations of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. While it fell on mostly the fifth-year students and up, I was called to the Headmaster''s office one afternoon.


    "You know why I called you, don''t you?" Severus Snape asked me, looking out his window, watching the lake and its calm surface.


    "About the competition, I guess. I know that I am expected to perform well."


    "You are expected to win."


    "..." Well¡­ I guess, but thanks for putting that on my shoulders and ensuring I get it. "I know my role, Headmaster."


    "Every school will send out two competitors. Only your position will be fixed from the two, so whoever your pair will be, I expect you to work with her."


    "I just hope they will think the same way!"


    "Make them! We can''t nudge the Goblet two times, but we will ensure that only capable witches put their names in!"


    "Okay." I shrugged as I didn''t know what to say to that. The thought of working with someone I didn''t even know made me uncomfortable. Then I thought about something, but the Headmaster interrupted my thoughts.


    "The delegation will arrive tomorrow. The school will line up on the grounds and welcome them. I want you to pay close attention and take this seriously. You already gathered a bit of infamy around your name, so they will know about you."


    "I did?"


    "What''s the surprise for, Conrad?" Snape asked and turned towards me with a smile that I couldn''t tell if it was mocking me or not. "The youngest killer in a century is worthy news everywhere!"


    "Wasn''t that Malfoy?"


    "Both of us know that what happened to Professor Umbridge was your doing." He said softly, making my body flinch and my back sweat. I couldn''t tell how much he knew¡­ and if he knew, HE for sure did!


    "..."


    "From now on, I want you to be on your best behavior. Stop sleeping in the Divination Classroom. There won''t be time to play around anymore!"


    "Y-yes¡­" I gulped¡­ damn it?! How long does he know that? Does he know about the Scriptorium? Our visit to the Chamber of Secrets? Or¡­ damn, damn, triple damn! I knew we shouldn''t have used the Chamber! It surely has been under surveillance since its opening!


    "I wasn''t reprimanding you." He continued, seeing my face turning white, "As a Death Eater¡­ you are not a student. Not just a student¡­ But I am warning you to behave. I expect more from you than from Draco. Got it?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "Good. Now go!"


    With that excuse, I was gone from his office, not wanting to stay any longer, afraid that he would read something out of my mind without me realizing it. When I told it all to Quincy, she was shocked but not as worried as I am, mainly because we were not questioned, detained, or anything like that. So far, we were in the clear.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "That reminds me!" I exclaimed, holding her hands. "Join me in it!"


    "What?" She asked, blinking her eyes, not getting it.


    "The competition! I don''t want to pair up with someone I don''t know! Put your name into it, and if I am lucky, we can do it together!"


    "I¡­ I did think about it¡­" She murmured, squeezing back on my fingers, smiling, "I was going to ask you what you think about that!"


    "I think that is a great idea! I just hope it works! Heh¡­ put a little blood on the name when you drop it in! Let that Goblet have a taste and know you are special!"


    "Heh, I''m not!" She blushed but chuckled nonetheless.


    "I could argue with you on that¡­ but oh well~! I won''t! But believe me, when the other schools arrive, you will see that I am right because they will feel it, too!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    When the day arrived, we were told to gather in front of the school and present a strong face for the school. Us, the Slytherins, were foremost, followed by the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, while at the back stood the Hufflepuffs. I didn''t know what we were expecting or waiting for¡­ Will they come by carriage? Brooms? Apparition? Or what? Well, the weather, at least, was nice. It was still cold but sunny, and as I was thinking about it, looking towards the sky, watching how the setting sun was painting it redder and redder, I noticed it. Something was flying towards us, descending from the clouds, leaving a trail behind it.


    "Hey¡­" I elbowed Quincy, who too quickly spotted them.


    "A carriage?"


    Yes. It was a giant carriage, the size of a house, pulled by two¡­ dragons? No matter how I looked, those beasts were huge, red dragons. Now, that was an entrance! As they got closer and closer, more of us recognized it, and after taking a round above the castle, they slowly descended, halting an empty space around a hundred meters away from us.


    "That''s the Beauxbatons''s crest¡­" Quincy whispered to me, pointing at the carriage with her eyes. "Coming with dragons? This is a clear show of force!"


    "That I agree with¡­"


    From our side, it was the Headmaster and the four Houses'' leaders who walked out, namely Professor Slughorn, Lockhart, Wormtail, and Grubbly-Plank. Looking at Wormtail, I felt he was more nervous than usual. His classes were always mediocre; I rarely paid any attention to either him or what he was teaching us¡­ If anything, he had no respect amongst most students, not even his own house.


    "I totally forgot that there was a change¡­" Quincy murmured, tilting her head.


    "About what?"


    "Lockhart was made head of Ravenclaw, his old House, while Professor Grubbly-Plank had been raised to be Head of Hufflepuff."


    "Is that a good thing? Or was she punished?" I asked with a soft sigh, but now I understood why Lockhart was strutting about in a black and blue, fancy robe. It made sense.


    The carriage''s door opened when they got close, and a man stepped down. He looked to be old¡­ yet not. The longer I looked, the more confused I got. I couldn''t tell if he was young, strong, and healthy or if he was old, as he had long, white hair reaching down to his shoulders. I didn''t need to be reminded that it was the legendary alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, who created the Philosopher''s Stone and now also served as his old school''s Headmaster. By all accounts, he was almost 700 years old¡­ That alone spelled danger, as even if he had the elixir of life and could live almost forever, there are many possibilities for one to die. Be it sickness, war, or treachery. The fact he survived for this long was already telling.


    "So he is that friend... or mentor of Dumbledore?" I whispered as we watched the Headmaster greet the delegation.


    We couldn''t hear what they were saying, not that we were really interested in, as most of us watched the girls and boys coming out of the carriage. They were... beautiful... and I mean both. Not in the sense that you would fall in love, no. They were... elegant. Regal. Aaaaand... yes, some of the girls were extremely beautiful, I can''t lie.


    "Hmph..." Quincy snorted beside me, making me flinch, reemerging from my sudden stupor. Looking at the side of her face, I decided to remain silent. It was... the better choice.


    When the carriage emptied out, and I counted them, there were 50 people in total... but I only saw five adults, including Nicolas Flamel, and none seemed familiar or someone of the Order. I wanted to speak when, with a loud crash, we all looked towards the lake and saw a ship emerging from the depths of it. It was like a submarine or the legends of the Flying Dutchman. After all the water was pushed off the deck and out of the drainage holes on the side, we started seeing people emerge, emanating a robust and warrior-like aura, coming ashore on small rowboats.


    "Hey..."


    Now, it was my time to be a bit jealous because, for a moment, I saw Quincy''s eyes light up... Of course, I wasn''t angry. I get it... their entrance and the way one strong-looking guy was standing at the end of the small boats, holding a flag with their crest on it, billowing in the wind... it looked heroic.


    With a sigh, I looked at the two groups, and then my eyes wandered around on our side. They did know how to make an entrance, be it dragons or coming ashore like some kind of invading army... yet we were standing here like sticks in the mud. Pathetic. Somehow... At that particular moment, I felt I was itching in my heart to get into this competition and show what we could do!

 Chapter 74 – Selection of Champions

    The days went on as usual, with the only change being the extra students attending some classes... but not all of them. For us, being only in the third year, it did not really play a big role as most of the guests were 15 or older. Weirdly, mingling with each other was not happening as much as I expected. I mean, the three schools were not mixing so well, probably because every side was thinking about protecting their secrets from the other.


    The newcomers took it seriously as the Durmstrang students were sleeping on their ships and usually quickly retreated to it after dinner. The Beauxbatons were similar, but at least they kept up the facade of talking with the other students a little before returning to their carriage that now looked like a miniature castle. We were warned not to approach the two guests'' adobes without a proper invitation. The lake would swallow us if we did, while in the Beauxbatons''s case, the dragons would turn us into their meal. Charming.


    I wouldn''t say I wasn''t curious about what their temporary homes looked like inside, but I was content not risking my life to find it out. I would have plenty of chances to do it when the competition finally kicks off! What I did not expect, however, happened on the fourth day after our guests'' arrival. One of the Beauxbatons students, a surprisingly pretty girl, stopped me in my tracks. I was heading to our Common Room after getting two books from our ''secret classroom,'' and she stopped me on the 4th floor''s staircase.


    "You are that boy they call Anguine, yes?" She asked with a heavy French accent, looking me dead in the eyes.


    "Who wants to know?" I asked back, smiling, trying to look friendly, but all my senses were screaming that something was wrong. I couldn''t put my finger on it, but I felt I was being manipulated. Or was she trying to control me, not by words, but by magic or... by my senses? I couldn''t explain, but I felt as if I was being put under some spell without using any traceable magic. Was there power in her voice? What was she doing that alarmed me so much?


    "My name is Fleur Delacour. I heard you were the youngest prodigy?"


    "Well... I don''t know what they say about me, but prodigy? I doubt it! I have average grades in many subjects."


    "Subjects that has no use! No real... utilisation pratique. Sorry, I don''t speak French."


    "I know!" She snorted, rolling her eyes, and momentarily, I was mesmerized by her beauty. Her long, blonde hair seemed to emanate a silvery glow, giving her the aura of a fairy, while her blue eyes were like the summer sky. It took me all my willpower to break free... it was only a second or less, but my heart was beating unreasonably fast.


    "If there is nothing else-" I murmured, as I just realized she was as tall as me... standing way too close, so much so, I could smell her sweet scent. Even more.... she was exuding a domineering aura, making me feel like I was the target of some kind of... bird of prey or something... It made my blood boil, angry and aggressive. I was starting to think about killing her, which was absurd! I had to get away...


    "I want to see your talent! You showed... bravoure! You... m''int¨¦resse, Conrad Anguine!"


    "Sorry, I''m already engaged."


    "Hmph!" She snorted so loudly that it made me step backward to hit the wall. "Je pense ¨¤ l''amour! Des enfants idiots!" And with that, she turned around, hit me in the face with her hair, and walked away, just so that at the corner, she looked back, meeting my eye. She held it for a second and disappeared only afterward with a seductive blink.


    "What the hell was going on here...?"


    While walking back to the Common Room, I debated whether I should tell Quincy or not... but... I came to the decision to do so. I would hope if someone did something similar to her, she would not keep it a secret from me either.


    "She did what?"


    I didn''t expect her to flare up like this, and if not holding her arms, pulling her back to the chair, I think she would have stormed off, and dragons be damned, she would be knocking on the door to the Beauxbatons''s carriage.


    "It happened, as I told you! And as I said," I turned my voice softer, looking around, "my blood was telling me to finish her off! It felt the same when I was looking at Lucius or Draco last year!"


    "..." At first, she said nothing but then asked in a much calmer voice, "Is it your blood?"


    "I think the warning part... with the slight anger of being the target of someone... yes. But the killing intent... the darker feelings... the brutal ones... Those feel foreign. I felt it more clearly now!" I added, explaining it as I understood it. And it began to scare me... "I was still being swayed by that Delacour girl''s scent and aura-"Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Hmph!"


    "Listen to me! Please!" I urged her, looking into her eyes, seeing her pouting and sulking go away, replaced by worry, realizing I wasn''t joking around. "Then I felt the urge to kill her at the same time! It was in my head, but it wasn''t my own thoughts! Not completely!"


    "What do you... want to say? There is someone... Ah!" She yelled out, then held her mouth in a hurry, looking around before turning back toward me.


    "If it isn''t Herpo''s influence, I have no other ideas besides me going slowly mad. I don''t know if I believe him anymore! That he is truly dead..."


    "He should be... there is no magic, no matter what kind of dark arts are hidden in the world, that would make him truly immortal! That is impossible!"


    "I hope... I just also hope there is no magic that can bring back the dead!"


    "..."


    "Sorry... for dropping two hexes on you from out of nowhere..."


    "It''s okay..." She whispered, hugging and kissing me... I think I needed that, as I felt better almost immediately. "I will browse the-"


    "Books." I finished with her in tandem, chuckling, hugging her close, stroking her head, lifting my mood to new heights. "Somehow, the fact that when we get into a pickle, we always go and consult books... became a habit of ours, huh? Well... it feels being at home.... hehe!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Only two days later, she pulled me away after our regular classes. I instantly knew she found something, so I waited for her to explain it.


    "I didn''t find anything about Herpo or thought-transference via bloodlines in Slytherin''s books, but there is too much to go through... but I did find something that would explain your reaction to that wench!"


    "I love it when you are this aggressive!"


    "Heh! Stupid..." She chuckled but gave me a small peck on my lips. "What do you know about Veela?"


    "The things that many people derived the succubus mythos from?"


    "Something like that, yes. They are not human but look like humans and can mate with us! But they are magical birds in the stricter sense. Salazar Slytherin had multiple Veela slaves; he described them in his books."


    "The old bastard..."


    "In their time, they were not considered... intelligent. They were categorized as magical beasts." She murmured, feeling weird, but then, with a shake of her head, she continued, "What you described is the magical effect of a Veela. Especially the glowing hair, her scent, and the effect on your mind!"


    "You want to tell me she is a bird and-"


    "No! If she were a pure Veela, the others around her would be affected and start doing foolish things! Idiots... She must be a half-breed!"


    "Huh... So my blood reacted because they wouldn''t be able to affect a basilisk?"


    "Something like that, yes! But you are not a basilisk, even if you can turn into one now!"


    "True. I will have to be more careful around her! I still don''t know what she wanted from me, so I think she will try to speak to me again."


    "Don''t worry! This time? I will be there; she won''t be able to affect me!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Quincy didn''t joke around; she indeed followed me everywhere. Even into the bathroom... Waiting outside of the stall while I... well... you get the gist of it. Luckily, it didn''t last longer than I expected as time marched on mercilessly... and the selection of the champions happened two weeks after the Goblet was put up in the entrance hall. When the morning came, it was gone; instead, it stood silently burning in the Great Hall, making it hard to focus on our breakfast.


    "What do you think?" I asked, but Quincy just shrugged.


    "It is not up to me anymore! I put it in; the rest is all up to chance! But I did write it with blood, who knows... maybe it can sense I have been... upgraded? Is that a good word for it?"


    "Ahaha! That does sound badass!"


    I didn''t need to think about it for long. Only the morning classes were being held as usual that day, while the afternoon ones were dismissed in favor of the selection of champions. When it happened, new faces appeared that we hadn''t seen until then. To my surprise, my Father was amongst them, but there was no time to go up and greet him, only to exchange a slight nod to each other. I knew he was present to guarantee safety, while I guessed the others were also ministry officials overseeing the selection.


    "Those are French officials..." Quincy leaned over, whispering into my ear, pointing out three of the blue-robed individuals. "You can tell by the cuffs they have! I have seen them in history books; their ministry uses the same type on official uniforms!"


    "Hmmm... Now I understand why Father is assigned here to watch them... They could cause trouble, but I don''t think they would try it. Not now."


    "I agree, but... you never know!"


    "It is time!" The Headmaster''s voice echoed loudly inside the hall, silencing the hubbub swiftly. Everybody, be it us or the guests, looked at the Goblet, not even blinking, fearing we would miss something truly magical.


    There was no fancy speech, no encouraging words as the Goble''s fire turned blue, and before long, a paper was spat out from it straight into the hands of the Headmaster.


    "Viktor Krum!"


    I expected as much. At least I''m not first; that would... draw too many eyes.


    "Martyn Poliakoff!"


    Huh... another Durmstrung student... Will we go in order or-


    "Quincy Anguine!"


    Before I could ask myself the question, she stood up, glancing at me both happy and worried, before walking out to stand before the other two competitors. I could see the surprise on the faces of many others, including the guest Headmasters and some of our professors. Me? I was sure that she would be chosen! If that Goblet had any sense, she would feel the uniqueness of Quincy''s blood!


    "Fleur Delacour!"


    Another name I was not surprised to hear. Watching her walk out, she looked directly at me before turning away and meeting the angry eyes of Quincy. She wasn''t bothered, scoffing a little before standing right next to her... now if I am called, I wouldn''t be able to stand-


    "Conrad Anguine!"


    "..."


    Here we go. I knew I was going to be part of it, but... it was still weird. I stood up, going forward, and I pushed myself between Quincy and Fleur. I wasn''t playing now, and she used our family''s name! Like hell I will let a half-veela toy with me!"


    "Celine Castillon!"


    By then, I didn''t pay attention to the last chosen one as I was stuck in the middle of two piercing gazes... maybe it was not a good idea to stand between them. Well... it was already too late... The competition was set in stone, and there was no going back now!

 Chapter 75 – The First Task

    The fact that two young students were selected from Hogwarts was a great surprise not just for the guests but for our own side, too. I could feel it in the air and see it in their eyes. Turning towards the other ''champions,'' they were also eyeing us, probably filled with questions to the brim of their heads. Why us? Why so young? Are we special? What the hell? Probably.


    "This way!" The Headmaster said, leading us through a door, entering a side of the Great Hall I had never visited before, right beside the teachers'' podium.


    The inside was reminiscent of a private dining room with its own fireplace, a couch to sit down to have some tea... probably a place where teachers could come to relax a little. I was looking around leisurely and almost asked a question before Quincy pulled on my robes, whispering to me.


    "Stop it!"


    "Stop what?" I asked back and saw her getting a bit embarrassed.


    "You are taking this too lightly!"


    "Am I? Well... maybe. I can not truly worry about it now, can I? It is long past that! Especially after last year''s events... I... I mean, we have already been chosen!"


    "Right." A third voice agreed, and turning towards him, it was Krum who looked at me, trying to read into my thoughts and ideas. "You brave, which is rare."


    "Excuse me?" I asked, shaking myself as I couldn''t determine if he was provoking me or not.


    "There is rumor, Hogwarts elit big voice but small men, unable to live up to predecessors." He added, taking it seriously, and even though he had a deep accent and a bit of broken English, I couldn''t help but feel he wasn''t provoking me... simply telling me how he thought about us. Huh... I couldn''t feel mad about it; I was admiring his bravery just the same.


    "Now, now!" Came the voice of Karkaroff, who just entered the room then, followed by Nicholas Flamel and a few ministers I didn''t recognize. "Don''t antagonize our kind hosts; keep your energies for the tasks!"


    "Which won''t be easy, being your student." Nicolas Flamel added with a sharp quip, surprising me... but more interesting was the fact that Karkaroff managed to hold back whatever his thoughts were.


    "Let''s focus on the now." Snape raised his voice, stopping anyone else from commenting on anything further. "First and foremost, we congratulate those who have been selected to participate in the Triwizard Tournament!" While speaking, his eyes stopped at me, and I could see him questioning me wordlessly about what I did to end up with Quincy... but I had no honest answer.


    "It is not the rare." After seeing our Headmaster''s gaze, the legendary alchemist chuckled, and it just clicked for me then and there. He was old... extremely old! He was so old that he had to see how a tournament was played out for real! Maybe he even participated in one?! What type of unfair advantage is that?! "I never signed up for it," He continued as if reading my thoughts, "But I saw wizards and witches who were just as young as these two participating... and dying... but also succeeding! So don''t look down on them, but neither think they are unbeatable!"


    Was he saying this to the teachers? The ministers? Us? Or to his students...? Damn... this old man felt dangerous all of a sudden!


    "Now that you have been selected by the Goblet, there is a magical contract binding you to participate. The option for retreat is no longer possible; you can only go forward and get through the competition." Our Headmaster continued without pausing to address Flamel''s words. "There will be three tasks that you must complete, and we will rank your performances together. The first task will start today and end on 24 November, the second will happen on 24 February, and the last on 24 June!"


    "As for your first task..." Nicolas took over, smiling and rummaging through his small pouch hanging on the side of his waist. Right before our eyes, his hand went elbow-deep inside it before pulling out multiple rolled-up parchments. "Here-"


    "Not so fast!" Karkaroff interjected, taking them from him and already pointing his wand at them, looking for... spells.


    "They are not enchanted." The alchemist smiled at his compatriot, but he only grumbled something in response, in a language I couldn''t understand.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "They could still be marked." Severus Snape agreed with Karkaroff, but Nicolas simply smiled, letting everyone, including the ministers, examine them without unfurling any. "But they are not."


    "I value honor." The leader of the Beauxbatons continued while his students looked on, spewing flames at us as if our suspicion deeply hurt their virtue. "As I said, here! Take one!"


    As the champions, we hesitated. Not because we were afraid but because of who would be the first to go? I was about to simply grab one when Quincy did it first, pulling away one before I could. I couldn''t help myself but grin and be faster than the rest as we all snatched one... and noticed we couldn''t open it. The thin, crimson ribbon holding it together resisted our tries, and the more force we put into it, the stronger it became.


    "Careful!" The Beauxbatons Headmaster warned us playfully, "The paper is that... just a paper, but it contains all clues and information on what you need to do to complete your first task! Use too much force, and you will left with nothing! You have until 24 November to manage it and retrieve the item you need for the second task. Good luck!"


    And with that... we were sent away. No explanation of rules, no warnings of what not to do, nothing. We were given a task, and how we solved it was left to us. Of course, everyone else was still in the Great Hall, waiting for us to come back, and started bombarding us with questions about what was going on. It took Quincy and I at least an hour to go through it multiple times before we retreated to the Common Room, saying we needed rest.


    What awaited the two of us was a pleasant surprise as we were put into the same room, being the champions of Hogwarts. Finally! With this, we could go through the details without interrupting it just because we had to sleep.


    "Any idea?" I asked the moment we were left alone, sitting down on my bed right next to Quincy''s.


    "Nothing yet." She replied, watching her parchment, examining it over and over again.


    "I tried some spells on it; none worked, and it didn''t reveal any seals or jinxes either! But it could still be masked from us!"


    "Check yours on the right side from the ribbon facing you!"


    "Oh?" I followed her instructions immediately and looked at it... there was nothing. Only the slightly yellowish surface of the paper. "Wait..." I looked closer, raising it towards one of the candles in the room and letting its light shine on it. There was a faint image of an... an... animal? I couldn''t make sense of it, but it looked like some kind of beast. A bird? Maybe.


    "It is really faint..." She murmured again, investigating hers, "But I think it is the image of a Grindylow."


    "Grindylow..." I murmured, but it didn''t really ring any bells.


    "It will be in this year''s curriculum!" She explained while dragging her trunk over and rummaging through it, getting out our Beastiarium and going through it, flipping so fast I was seeing double. "Ah, here it is! It is a water-based beast... pretty nasty!"


    "What does it have to do with the parchments?"


    "I don''t know!" She shrugged, rubbing her chin, scanning the information of the little, malevolent creature.


    "Sickly green skin, dragging children into the depths...charming. If it would be pink, I would mistake it for Umbridge." I whispered, climbing over to her bed, leaning on her gently, and reading the codex under her fingers.


    "Hah! True! Anyway... I can go and capture one with ample preparation; that should be possible... the question is what to do with it? Give the scroll to the monster?"


    "And hope it won''t tear it up? I don''t think so."


    "Let me see yours!" She asked, putting her hand out, and I gave it to her without thinking.


    "Fwooper." She exclaimed only after one look. "You have a lucky hand."


    "Bless you."


    "No, it is a fwooper!" She chuckled, giving it back to me. "It is a bird, a pretty and colorful one! I saw one in Diagon Alley once, and they are being sold with a silencing charm placed on them!"


    "Are they that noisy?"


    "So much so that listening to their sounds can drive someone mad... so yeah. It is not a bird that you want to keep because it sings beautiful tunes! But their feather can be made into quality quills. I think 90% of what we use is coming from them."


    "Really? I never thought about it..." I mused, picking out a simple quill from my bag that was... black and normal. Nothing extra.


    "Yeah, they come in various colors, but after plucking them out, they all turn black. But magic is not gone from them; that is why you can enchant your quills so easily! To keep them colorful is a whole other process, but... I don''t know about that; I only know the basics I read! But seeing that yours is different on your task, I at least know I should give this parchment to the beast if I find one..."


    "Yeah, I don''t think a bird could open it up! Probably would shit on it instead..."


    "Stupid!" She elbowed me, giggling, "I don''t know where to find one for you. Probably in the forest? But they are not native to here... they live in Africa... I think."


    "Well, I am pretty sure I am not expected to go on a safari! So, I will get myself a... what was it? Fwooper? Well, a little birdie in a different way... Don''t you worry about me!"


    "I''m not worried about getting these beasts... I am worried about finding out what to do with them! I am not keen on the idea of keeping a monster in our room..."


    "Oh well! Let''s catch one of yours, and then we can experiment with it and see what works and what does not! It is best to get to it soon and not wait on the others!"


    "And keep it confidential!" She warned me while looking into my eyes, "The fact that there were no rules mentioned means there are none... Getting the information out of the others could be a viable and acceptable option... which can mean many things! Don''t trust those half-human women at all!"


    "Ahm... o-okay! Sure!" I nodded, barely holding back my laughs, but I also felt especially warm in my heart... suddenly, this competition didn''t look so dangerous.

 Chapter 76 – Grindylow

    After being selected as champions, school took a different turn for us. We no longer had to take tests and were given a pass for the whole year. No end-of-term tests! Which, in turn, meant we were not obliged to attend the classes either. Of course, skipping all the lessons would not be wise, especially considering we will have our Ordinary Wizarding Level exam in the fifth year. It would suck to try and fill in a whole year we missed right before that. Still... that did not mean I was not happy to bounce and miss one of Professor Binns''s lectures.


    "Here!" Quincy exclaimed, putting a massive codex before me in the library as we were looking up more information about Fwoopers and Grindylows. Looking at the vivid image, I saw a small, nasty-looking frog... man... manfrog... frogman... err... whatever that thing was. It was snarling with sharp teeth, ready to bite my finger as I touched the paper close to it.


    "Gross. It looks slimy and stinky."


    "Probably is..." She shrugged, biting her lip. "And I would need to catch one to start experimenting with what I need it for... how to open the scrolls..."


    "I''ll help. My birdie can wait."


    "Are you sure?"


    "I already know where to get one!" I grinned but decided not to say more. In all honesty... it was thanks to what she told me... and I bet she would be surprised, so I didn''t want to spoil it for her.


    "If you say so... First things first, we will have to go into the lake and find one. Reading about their habits, they are creatures who dwell and hide between thick layers of Potamogetons."


    "Amongst what?" I asked, twitching my mouth.


    "Pondweed." Without looking up from the book, she answered, "They dislike bright lights, so they are active during the night and cloudy seasons."


    "Check. We didn''t have a sunny day for a week now. So... do we go and dive down, find one, and come back at once?"


    "That is the plan... The question is, how quickly can we find one?"


    "Tell you what!" I leaned back, stretching with a yawn, "Let''s get ready and go for it tonight!"


    "At night?" She looked at me, unsure of the idea, twitching her mouth a little.


    "What are we waiting for? It would be great to breeze through the first task! Don''t forget, we only have a month, even less, to finish it! Do you think the parchment is the key for the second trial? Don''t be so naive!"


    "I''m not..." She pouted, making me chuckle and kiss her cheeks.


    "The parchment is what will lead us to the thing we need... if not, I would be disappointed! Also... didn''t you think about it? That Nicolas Flamel is old... ancient! Do you think he won''t drop extra hints to his own students? I want us to be already working on the scroll when, finally, the party of Professor Slughorn comes up!"


    "Ah! I totally forgot about it!" Quincy yelped, just now remembering we would have a tea party with him on the evening of Hallowe''en. "You are right! We should not dally! I will go and visit him, ask for some gillyweed!"


    "Gillyweed..." I murmured, working my brain before I remembered, "Good idea! It is the best way to breathe underwater! I will go and prepare some spells that make us resist the cold water!"


    "Okay! Meet you-"


    "Woah, woah! Easy there!" I laughed, holding her back before she could run away. "We will go under the cover of the night! I don''t want the others to see us and start suspecting something. Who knows if any of them also have a nasty lake monster on their parchment! We will do this on the hush-hush!"


    "Ahaha... right... sorry, I just... became excited!"


    "As you should~! You go ask the Professor for some gillyweed while I prepare the rest! Then we have a dinner in the Great Hall, and when everyone is sleeping, we go diving!"Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Sneaking out of the castle was easy. Somehow, I also felt like we were doing this so much that it became... normal. I could no longer count how many times we strolled around the castle in the night since coming here... Not that it was something to complain about.


    Standing at the edge of the lake, looking at its black surface, the scenery was more scary than I expected. It was like looking into the dark abyss, and you didn''t know what was waiting for you down there.


    "Here!" She passed me a bunch of gillyweed that I quickly chewed on and swallowed while waving my wand around.


    "How long will it hold?" I asked after placing two charms on us, making it so we wouldn''t get wet and would not feel the coldness of the water.


    "The Professor was nice and gave me the finest ones, so it should hold out for an hour or two! Your spells?"


    "They are going to be active after getting in contact with water, and they will deactivate when we get out. Simple."


    "Good! Brr... somehow I still feel cold just looking at it!"


    "It won''t get better!" I grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the water and making her scream a little.


    I wanted to laugh, but the moment we touched the water, the spells kicked in, including the gillyweed, and we hurriedly dived down, feeling it hard to breathe above the water. With my wand in hand, I brought light into the darkness after a firm wave and noticed that the water was surprisingly clean. We could see pretty far without problems or further spells. Looking at Quincy, I asked with a nod what to do now, and she took the lead, swimming away with a clear goal in mind.


    What we didn''t count on was how to communicate. We couldn''t really speak underwater; it only produced bubbles and made me gulp down nasty-tasting lake water... oh well. We did well with weird hand gestures, anyway! It was good that we knew each other so well! Reaching the depth we were aiming for took around half an hour, going slowly and carefully. Getting there, the bottom was like an underwater forest with two- or three-meter-high pond weeds growing below, waving back and forth like grass on a windy field.


    "What now?" I asked, waving my hand around, for which Quincy simply shrugged. Tapping her wand, glowing words formed before her, making it easy to see what she was thinking about.


    "It said the grindylows are nasty creatures. Ready to kidnap kids. I thought one would come at us..."


    "Huh... I see." I answered by copying her method and writing with my wand. "Maybe they need to be woken up!"


    I pointed my wand at the ''forest,'' and with a bang, a giant air bubble blasted forward, parting it and causing a proper ruckus. That was a mistake... The moment I did so, it was like kicking a hornet''s nest. We saw a dozen creatures rise up, screeching and swimming right at us. It was frightening to see, but somehow, I wasn''t afraid. Glancing at Quincy, I couldn''t say the same. Even then, she already tried using a spell, but being underwater, her hand movements were slightly off, and the spell misfired.


    It was then that my blood flared up, and an idea popped into my head. Without hesitation, I turned, taking up my basilisk form and glaring at the incoming swarm of beasts. I had never read about basilisks living in water... or being able to swim, but I felt alright. No discomfort or anything. I couldn''t say the same about the beasts as they were sinking down to the bottom, turning into stone instantly when they looked into my eyes. Well, at least we know my snake form has its killer glance of the original.


    What I was surprised by was that Quincy shot out, swimming fast, catching a dark body that was going downwards. To not hurt her, I quickly returned to my human form, swimming after her, trying to see what she caught. It was a small grindylow, maybe a youngling, unconscious but not turned to stone. She said nothing, just grinned, nodding at me, and started to swim away, me following her close, ready to change appearances the moment we ran into something else. I began to realize... I was dangerous.


    ...


    .....


    ......


    "He is too dangerous."


    In an underground tunnel, deep below Hogsmeade, Charlie Weasley and Regulus Black were meeting privately, the former exclaiming in a dry, cold voice.


    "I agree. I also read the report from the mermaids... Angus didn''t mention that his son can turn into a basilisk!" Regulus groaned, biting his lower lip, "I didn''t like him from the start... I know Dumbledore trusts him, but I don''t! Now it turns out he keeps secrets from us!"


    "Even if he and his kid are our friends, the fact that the child can kill by looking at someone is the same as wielding the killing curse and using it willy-nilly... he has to be eliminated before he becomes more dangerous... we don''t need a second... HIM!"


    "Mhm... Do you have any plans?" Regulus whispered, but Charlie slowly shook his head.


    "I am focused on the dragons and the current plan. But in the chaos that will erupt, I can spare time to deal with him. It won''t be traceable anyway... A dragon is... uncontrollable when it''s angry."


    "Even for you?" Regulus smirked as Charlie''s blood, by now, was fully draconic, the only man who could genuinely tame dragons and even control them at will.


    "Yes." Came his answer that turned Regulus''s smirk into a plead.


    "Just make sure that my daughter comes under no harm!"


    "She won''t be hurt, don''t worry. And... Didn''t you plan to recruit her?"


    "Yes... but I need to be careful about it. It would be best if you could make it so she blames HIM for the kid''s death..."


    "What a father..." Charlie murmured, suddenly remembering his father and how he used to be, feeling a sharp pain stabbing his heart, making him grimace.


    "Just focus on... the mission," Regulus grumbled, standing up, not wanting to discuss it anymore. The only thing he was worried about was how the boy was distorting his daughter''s mind day by day...

 Chapter 77 – New Clues

    "Now what?" I asked while standing in the Room of Requirements, watching the unconscious grindylow inside a pretty big tube filled with water to the brim. We placed it under a spell that ensured it couldn''t break out even if it woke up, but the bastard was especially ugly looking.


    "Err... good question..." Quincy whispered to me, feeling a bit troubled. "I can''t just put the parchment into the water... can I?"


    "It doesn''t feel water resistant at all!" I shrugged, looking back and forth between her and the little monster we caught. "Tell you what! Let''s try tapping it with it! Use it like... like a wand!"


    "O-okay."


    While she got ready, I lifted the thing out, and the moment I touched it, it came to life. It started trashing around, splashing water everywhere and clawing at me like an angry cat.


    "Damn it!" I shouted when it bit me, drawing blood, and saw Quincy hit it on the head with the parchment.


    It was a reflexive action on her part and without any effect. The grindylow continued fighting, and it was like a mad little monster, wanting to kill me. When the bastard bit me a second time, I lost my temper and grabbed it by its body; I smashed its head against the tube, making it dizzy and also stopping it from struggling. I probably used more force than I wanted as the glass cracked, water began leaking out of it, and its head was bleeding... which gave me an idea.


    "The blood! Use that!"


    "It worked!" She cried the moment a drop touched the ribbon as it automatically unfurled, falling to the ground, along with the grindylow, as I let go of it immediately.


    "Hah! Great!" I sighed, feeling relieved, shaking my hands, that were hurting like hell.


    "Let me see!"


    Quincy wasn''t interested in the parchment anymore and instead looked at the deep scratches on my arms that she quickly began to bandage up... from the first aid kit that appeared next to me from out of nowhere.


    "One looks really deep! This needs to be stitched up!"


    "Just bandage it," I grunted, enduring the pain, "I will visit Madam Promfey later... it isn''t a big deal."


    "Hmph... monster!" She spat, and when finishing wrapping my arms, she took out her wand, pointed it at the grindylow, and used the killing curse on it without hesitation.


    "Well, it was." I chuckled, watching a red spot appear on my bandages, but I let the sleeve of my robe hide it. "Forget the aberration! Let''s read what is inside!"


    "Oh, yes! Ye...yes? Huh?" I couldn''t fault her reaction as it surprised me just as much. The paper had runes in it. Whatever the clue was, it was written in an ancient way that had to be decoded. "Why is it runes?" Quincy groaned, making me giggle and kissing her cheeks.


    "Be glad I''m here, gimme!"


    Of course, I wasn''t able to read it just like that and still had to consult our rune textbook. But that mainly proved useless... The words on the parchment were much more complex and ancient than in our beginner course, so once again, it was time to hit the library!


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "I think I got it..."


    "Mhmm..."


    Quincy''s answer was a simple, satisfied moan as she was sleeping on two pushed-together chairs, her head lying in my lap. With one hand, I stroked her head while with the other, I continued waving my wand, using it to flip multiple open codexes simultaneously, searching for the correct runes. It was already morning, and I heard some people in the corridors going to have an early breakfast, yet I felt neither tired nor hungry. I was excited, if anything! The text inside was a map. A clue that spoke about a route Quincy must take through the forest surrounding the school. It was describing a safe passage to reach the nest at the end. What kind of nest? It didn''t say, but looking at the last rune, I was sure it wasn''t a coincidence that it looked like a spider...


    "Sleepyhead~!" I whispered again, slowly shaking her up.


    "Mhm... I''m up... mm... what is it...?" With a big yawn, she finally sat up and rubbed her eyes, watering her lips with her tongue.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "I decoded it! Here, I wrote down it, word for word! Memorize it, then burn it!"


    "Awesome!" With a happy laugh, she kissed me and read it through twice before turning the paper into ash and even making it disappear. "What does ''Leathal gleam, making you dream...'' mean? Why is it included both at the start and the end?"


    "Good question. I thought it was an error on my part, so I rechecked it three times... My translation should be perfect."


    "I do have an idea... but it comes from potion making... oh well! I will see you when I go into the forest! Tsk... I hate spiders... But this quote makes me think I will need their venom."


    "Same, and this time... I can''t accompany you."


    "Ehhhh?! Why?!" She cried out, but then I saw her comprehend it, "I see..."


    "Yeah! I bet if I go with you, you will not find any spiders, none at all!"


    "I... won''t fail!" She proclaimed loudly, but it was mostly for herself. I saw it in her eyes; she was afraid... but she wanted to prove herself more than anything.


    "No, you won''t because you are Quincy! My wife! And... don''t forget you can also change, so you have the advantage of going from above!" I winked at her, and putting the books away happened in a much, much more relaxed mood, filled with excitement of our quick success.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Why are we going to Hogsmeade?" Quincy asked me as we were walking hand-in-hand while the afternoon cloudy sky above us sometimes rumbled like a hungry man''s stomach.


    "To solve my side of the problem!" I answered with a yawn, feeling extremely sleepy.


    "Fwoopers don''t live in cities... they would chase the people into madness!"


    "Heh, I don''t need to catch one; I just need a drop of its blood... I told you! You gave me my answer the moment you explained what that bird is!"


    "I did?"


    "You''ll see!"


    I didn''t want to spoil the fun, so I said no more and instead let out a few more yawns. I now felt extremely sleepy. My hands were still bandaged, but Madam Pomfrey made it heal quickly. I simply wore them because they were soaked in medicine, making it so I wouldn''t have permanent scars left behind. Just as we entered the town''s premises, we came across two girls whom Quincy was not keen on meeting... The Beauxbatons champions.


    "Les deux plus jeunes champions du nouveau mill¨¦naire? Regardez comme ils sont d¨¦tendus! Sont-ils en rendez-vous? Qu''en pensez-vous?"


    "Je pense que tu ne devrais pas apporter la honte ¨¤ notre ¨¦cole. Nous ne sommes pas comme eux, tu te souviens? De plus, dans leurs yeux, je sens plus de d¨¦termination que chez les deux autres de nos rivaux! Comporte-toi bien lorsque tu es avec moi!"


    "English, please..." I moaned softly, gazing at the two as none of us wanted to move out of the way... yet the street was wide enough. Yet... we both ended up staring at each other. What was strange was that the half-veela girl, Fleur Delacour, was looking at me intently.


    "We thinking if you this relaxed because you be young or not?" Fleur answered me in a kind of broken English, flashing a small smile that was one part seductive and one part provoking.


    "We are here on a date. To celebrate that, we solved the first part of our clues!" Quincy answered sharply, grabbing onto my arm, which made me hiss. Not because it hurt... but because I wanted to scold her that she blurted it out so openly. Of course, the French girls'' eyes instantly traveled to my bandaged appendages, and their eyes shrank down immediately.


    "Ils mentent, Fleur!"


    "Regarde de plus pr¨¨s, observe leurs yeux! Ils ne mentent pas! Ces deux-l¨¤ sont dangereux... surtout le gar?on. Ses yeux font monter mon anxi¨¦t¨¦..."


    "English!" Quincy cried out, stomping at place, "Don''t you know this is even more rude than whispering?!"


    "We don''t need nice to be each other." Fleur scoffed, waving her hair before walking past us, "We rivals, forget it no!"


    "What was that all about anyway..." She mumbled next to me, watching them disappear.


    "That is my line! Why did you tell them? Tsk..."


    "They should have learned it anyway at the dinner party, no?"


    "Maybe... ah.. well... no matter!" I shrugged, not minding it anymore, and instead, I walked forward, pulling her along.


    "Wait... noooo... you do not!" She gasped the moment I stopped in front of a very specific shop.


    "Yep! Come!" I grinned and pulled her into the exotic pet shop.


    By the time we came out, I had an unsealed parchment and a wide grin on my face, while Quincy looked like someone who was sulking and laughing simultaneously. It wasn''t hard asking for a Fwooper; the hard part was drawing blood from it without the shopkeeper noticing. While Quincy drew his attention away, I quickly pricked the bird, who had no way of alerting the owner as he was under a silencing spell. It was the easiest play of my life!


    "Mine is similar," I explained to her after reading it through multiple times. "And I also have a riddle... ''On the head of death, sparkling in jet black.'' Beats me..."


    "Death... brr... yours sound more darker than mine!"


    "It does." I shrugged, "I will have time to figure it out while I follow my route, anyway! When will you attempt yours?"


    "I can''t rush it!" She answered with a long, tired breath, placing her hands on her hips, thinking. "I will need to brew some potions and ready myself! I think I will attempt it a few weeks later, maybe in the middle of November!"


    "Same. I think we should go on it together as it takes us to different parts of the forest anyway."


    "Mm... I was thinking of the same... Plus, I can make you some potions that way! It will keep you safe!"


    "Ahaha, thanks~!" I laughed, hugging her close, and after a short kiss, I couldn''t help but look towards the castle in the distance. Even though this year was maybe the most dangerous of them all... somehow, I enjoyed it the most. Everything seemed to be... perfect.

 Chapter 78 – Hallowe’en Party

    "I still haven''t decided if I like this or not!" I grumbled, fixing my bowtie the hundredth time, making Qunicy chuckle, grabbing my arm, and pulling me out of the Common Room.


    "You look fine, don''t worry about it! You are not coming to awe the girls!"


    "Yeah? What about you? You look magnificent in your silver and green dress, but... are you here to make all the boys jealous or something?"


    "I do! Because I''m yours~!" She grinned, holding my hand even tighter, and I had to give it to her... she did shut me up; that was a marvelous answer.


    We were dressed up like the elite students we were supposed to be, heading to the Hallowe''en party hosted by Professor Slughorn. When we arrived at the repurposed classroom, now turned into a ballroom, our rivals were already present. Krum was surrounded by other guests, primarily senior girls from our school, while his ''buddy,'' the guy with the name Poliakoff, looked at him enviously. Watching the flicker in his eyes, I felt that their group was bound to have conflicts later on... they may be working together now, but Poliakoff''s jealousy was something we could exploit. It would be the perfect weapon to weaken an enemy.


    "You looked evil for a moment there!" Quincy whispered into my ear, making me smile while we held hands, walking in.


    "I did have some evil thoughts... I''ll tell you about it when we are alone."


    "The Anguines."


    "Hmph..."


    Quincy''s cold response was an indication of who addressed us. From a sea of love-stricken males emerged the figure of Fleur Delacour, wearing a white dress, making her look like a bride looking for her groom.


    "I thought you were not coming." She continued in her weird but somewhat cute accent, ignoring Quincy and looking at me. "That would have been... shame."


    "On second thought, we shouldn''t have come... alas," Quincy stepped forward as if she was shielding me from her, "We wouldn''t want to hurt Professor Slughorn''s feelings or reputation."


    "I heard he good alchemist."


    "The best." Quincy countered without thinking, yet even I knew that was not a good idea. Not to mention seeing Fleur''s smile grow wider.


    "Really? I knew one too. He is our Master."


    By then, Quincy realized it too. It was futile to argue alchemy with them as their Headmaster was the world''s one and only master alchemist. The only person who ever managed to create a philosopher''s stone.


    "..."


    "Hmmm?" Fleur hummed after seeing Quincy become silent, "Was my... English bad? Hard of understanding?"


    "No, I heard you well. I was simply thinking about the reasons why I should care about it... yet... I came up with nothing." With a shrug, Quincy simply walked away, dragging me along, murmuring under her breath. "I hate that French wench..."


    "Maybe a half-veela''s effect manifests itself as jealousy in girls?" I tried to joke, but she just looked at me with a sharp snap of her head. "Well, you are cute when angry, but don''t go too far with it!"


    "Yes, yes, it is best to make friends and not enemies!"


    It was Professor Slughorn who said that, leaving his guests and welcoming us warmly. It didn''t take long to mention that we should mingle and try to... impress the students from the other schools. As with what? I had no idea. Should I go around telling everyone what we did in our first year? Probably not a good idea. As to what happened last year? Everyone saw it. I think the others knew it too; I mean, our guests... the way they were looking at me. Or at Quincy. It was clear that our reputation was not the best... or friendly.


    I don''t know how it happened, but around an hour later, someone, by the owner of the voice, most likely Fleur, suggested that we should have an impromptu contest between alchemists. Was she here to cause trouble? I couldn''t think about anything else as she said that it should be the teachers who compete...


    Surprisingly, I saw some excitement in Professor Slughorn''s eyes, glancing at the famous Headmaster of the Beauxbatons. In the end, everyone agreed that it would be ridiculous, but then again, Fleur had another suggestion... let the champions brew up something. She was aiming for this from the get-go; I knew it. The way she looked at us told everything that had to be seen.


    What was worse was that Quincy agreed to it, and before I had anything to say, three cauldrons were put forth, and I was standing next to her, feeling I was being played like a fiddle. And it didn''t even feel good. Looking around, my eyes met with Viktor Krum''s, and he looked just as baffled as me. So... alchemy was not his forte, huh?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "What should we brew?" Quincy asked as this became nothing more than a competition between her and Fleur.


    "Let''s make interesting." She answered, flicking her hair, smiling serenely. "A great alchemist can do many. Let''s see who can make best from what we have!" She finished with a chuckle, smiling like an old friend of ours.


    "Well, the ingredients..." Professor Slughorn started, and I almost laughed out loud. I could see that he was nervous because this was going toward the point where he would have to supply us with his private stash. To any alchemist... that was like a merciless bloodletting.


    "Let me be a proper guest!" Nicolas Flamel cut in, smiling amicably at everyone present and with a wave of his hand, a dozen different ingredients appeared at all of our tables. Half of it, I didn''t recognize; the other half looked barely familiar. Even with my better memory, I just never read about or seen any of them before.


    "This is up to you... You say what to do, I follow!" I whispered to Quincy, who was already in the process of determining them all and devising a recipe in her mind.


    "Make it simple!" The master alchemist continued, looking at us, "This is just for fun, don''t go for something complicated as we don''t have all the time, ahaha!"


    "Yes, yes! It is best to create something fun but unique!" Professor Slughorn chimed in, and somehow, it felt like he was trying to give us a tip.


    "Let''s start before some over-eager adult ruins the fun~!" Flamel countered him with a friendly grin and clapped, signaling the start of the little exercise.


    Watching the French girls, they were already working. Somehow, I doubted this was a coincidence... They provoked us until it was a proper contest. Do they really think we can''t see it? I bet it was already pre-planned, and they had a recipe in mind.


    "Don''t stare at them!" Qunicy whispered, stepping on my toe and with her high heels, it hurt so much, I wanted to cry. "Grab two stalks of Thornspike-weed and cut them up diagonally into 1.5 millimeter pieces!"


    "The what?" I asked, but she just pointed at the bluish-green, thin, bamboo-like things. I knew she was not in the mood to explain while starting to handle another ingredient.


    I was not foolish enough to ask more, and instead, I began working. At least I could do my part without issues. Whenever Quincy gave an instruction, I followed it to the letter, and about fifteen minutes later, she was putting them into the cauldron, stirring them with great focus.


    "Four, five... six... One... two... three..." I could read her lips quiver as she counted the stirs, changing from clockwise to counter-clockwise multiple times while doing it.


    As seemingly my part of being her little helper was over, I allowed myself to look around. The Durmstrang people were hopeless. They didn''t even start the fire, so... we could count them out. The Beauxbatons, on the other hand? They were in the same phase as us, working like a team. I don''t know what they were doing, but their cauldron gently released some colorful sparks here and there. Ours? Looked like a caramel soup. Although, I have to admit... it smelled wonderful. I was already thinking about some Christmas snacks, yet it was the night when November was just arriving.


    I wanted to see what the teachers thought, but it was even more surprising. Not just Professor Slughorn but also Nicolas Flamel was looking at our cauldron, furrowing their brows. Whatever was being cooked up by Quincy was not standard nor part of our curriculum... it made me think that she borrowed a recipe from Salazar''s book. I just hoped it wouldn''t be some kind of poison that turns the victim into goo or something.


    It didn''t take long to finish, and Quincy raised her hand almost in perfect sync with Fleur, signaling that we were done. I couldn''t help but smile, seeing the mild shock and surprise on her face and the proud, competitive glint in Quincy''s eyes.


    "Very good!" Professor Slughorn clapped, and before anybody could say something else, two Headmasters stepped forward, Severus Snape and Nicolas Flamel.


    "What do you say?" Snape asked the old alchemist in a calm, even voice as if he was not talking to a legend, "I judge your students; you judge ours?"


    "Fine by me, Headmaster." He agreed with a smile, and soon, he was standing before us.


    To say I was not nervous would be a lie... yet Quincy didn''t even flinch. She just smiled with confidence, letting him lean in and smell the concoction inside the cauldron. Looking to the side, I saw Snape doing the same thing, taking a sample and putting something into it, but then my vision was obstructed by Quincy, who nudged me to pay attention.


    "Very interesting..." Flamel murmured before finally taking a spoonful out and spreading it on a piece of bread. Now it looked like a peanut butter sandwich or something... Hell... I even had the urge to take a bite. It looked and smelled delicious! "This is an insidious yet creative way to apply poison, young girl!"


    To his assessment, the smile from Quincy''s face slowly receded, and she just nodded in reply. Was it poison? Huh... really now... Glancing at the others, they also looked on curiously, not knowing what to make of it. The Durmstrang champions and their Headmaster? They were already forgotten, no matter their dark faces. They wouldn''t mention it anyway, as it would just draw more eyes to their failures.


    "What is this poison''s name?" Flamel asked, but Quincy just shrugged.


    "I didn''t name it yet."


    "Oh, so it is your invention?" He asked loudly, and this time, even the Beauxbatons champions'' heads turned toward us. "You are a perilous woman, young Quincy Anguine... Just like a snake..."


    "Thank you." She replied with a proud smirk while Snape walked to our table, looking at it with furrowed brows.


    "Your assessment?" Flamel asked, straightening his back.


    "It is the most potent Thought Eraser I have seen any student make. One sip and the victim would have to relearn how to speak and walk from the start." Snape exclaimed slowly and coldly, without any surprise in his voice, giving his rating of the Beauxbatons'' concoction.


    "They are talented girls, yes... but your students won this round." Nicolas Flamel chuckled, shocking everybody, including me... and Fleur, who I heard snort in anger. "Young Quincy here created a poison that could kill instantly. Not to mention, it camouflages itself as a desirable snack, something that wants you to eat it. With one whiff, it could ensnare a muggle''s mind to take a bite. I never saw this thing before, yet my memory is still perfect... So... I believe the claim that it is her own creation. Her husband should be careful who he flirts with, ahaha~!"


    "Hmph..."


    It was not just Quincy who snorted at the comment but me too... but... I couldn''t help but feel proud. This impromptu round was our victory! Now... we only had to win the first official round, too!

 Chapter 79 – Dueling (1)

    "Was it from Slytherin''s book?" I asked the moment we were back in our room, the clock''s arms already passing by midnight.


    "Yeah, and I, luckily, failed to create it perfectly!" Quincy answered while undressing behind a room divider, throwing her clothes at the top of it.


    "Wait... what does that mean?!" I asked, feeling my eyes twitch, listening to her somewhat embarrassed voice.


    "Well, I knew it wouldn''t work out on the first try, so I wasn''t that worried! But... if I had done it perfectly, the smell of the poisons would also affect wizards! It wasn''t made to deal with muggles but with... guests that Slytherin didn''t appreciate. I simply won because Flamel thought it was an original recipe! I am more worried about his girls..."


    "I never heard about something like their concoction."


    "I read about it!" She continued, sticking her head out behind the divider, looking at me, and turning deep red as I was also in the middle of undressing.


    "And?" I asked, unbothered by it, standing in my underwear, looking for my pajamas.


    "It is an old punishment drink, as they called it in medieval times! If someone was deemed guilty of a serious crime but not severe enough to be killed, they would brew it and make him drink it!"


    "Why not use Professor Lockhart''s favorite spell?"


    "Because this is permanent!" Quincy said with a profound warning, coming out in her nightgown while brushing her hair. "It will destroy memories! It erases part of the mind, part of yourself! If you want to talk about spells that were called Unforgivable once, then this ranks amongst the same in the world of potions!"


    "Oh... I see... Huh! It does sound evil!"


    "I am more concerned that they knew how to brew it..."


    "And it looked easy to make..." I murmured, now thinking about it more, crossing my arms.


    "Its recipe was destroyed in the 16th century. We only know of its effects, its smell, and its characteristics! We don''t know half of its ingredients and the method to brew it! If it were me judging, I would not have guessed it at all!"


    "Shit... so... was this some kind of warning or boasting from their side?"


    "Most likely!" She agreed, sitting down next to me. "Never accept anything from them! If they damage your memories, it could be fatal! Not to mention, if you forget yourself, they can remold you anew! Insidious to the bone!"


    "Well... then they have done goofed it up!" I grinned, "Now nobody would trust them now!"


    "Who knows what they are playing at!" She shrugged, hugging me when we lay on the bed, and soon, we were spooning in the dark, letting our minds and bodies relax.


    "I have my own master alchemist... so I''m all confident~!"


    "Hehe... I am still far away from that... but! If I ever become one, I''ll make a philosopher''s stone for us both!"


    "And live forever? With you? I would love that~!"


    "Mhm... me too!" She snuggled up to me, murmuring before falling asleep, "I would love to travel the world with you without... thinking about... tribulations..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    The following few days were finally... average. As much as possible, at least. We sometimes brushed away the other champions or their groups, but there were no real problems between the factions. It was... surprisingly calm and friendly. I expected more fire... well, they say, be wary of what you wish for, yes?


    We were planning on Quincy''s route into the forest, trying to pinpoint it on modern, local maps by the lead on the clue we unlocked. No matter how we looked at it, she would have to go into deep and through a part that was marked as infested by spiders. My part? It went in the opposite direction without any warning labels. I was sure I identified the correct route on our map and... I was kinda surprised. It was within safe zones and without any warnings at all! Unlike Quincy''s task, mine seemed to be... easy?This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Want to swap?" I asked, but she just shrugged.


    "No, they would notice it for sure!"


    "No rules had been set up against it! I never heard one!" I argued, ready to truly exchange our tasks, but she refused it again.


    "Nope! I will do it! Trust me, I CAN do it! You would scare away all the spiders with your smell!"


    "I do not smell..." I murmured, sniffing myself, making her laugh and kiss my cheeks.


    "You know what I mean~! I will be fine! You focus on your end!"


    "Ooookaaaay!" I shrugged, giving up in persuading her and that was when multiple students flooded the library. There were not just Slytherings but from all the other houses and clearly looking for us. "Quick!" I whispered, closing the books and mixing them up with the dummy codexes we picked randomly from the shelves. We had to have precautions ready...


    "What happened?" Quincy asked when they got close, and a senior, probably a fifth or sixth-year Ravenclaw, exclaimed loudly.


    "The Durmstrang students! They have been badmouthing you!"


    "A-and?" We asked back, surprised, looking at each other. We expected something like this to happen. What was truly wild to me was that it didn''t happen sooner.


    "Well..." They flinched, not expecting our indifference, "There was a scuffle, and their champion appeared and used spells to knock us out! Three of us ended up in the hospital wing!" Now... that made a difference.


    "Which was it?" I asked, turning more serious, nodding at Quincy, and we were heading out, letting them lead us forward.


    "The other... um..." A Hufflepuff girl thought loudly, trying to remember his name.


    "Martyn Poliakoff," I said, remembering his face and how it looked on the night of Hallowe''en... and between him and Krum, he was more jealous than his partner.


    "That''s the one!"


    "Okay... lead us! If a champion interfered, we won''t back down either! But guys... girls? If they badmouth us, don''t lose your temper, okay?" I grinned, looking at them one by one, "We don''t really care! The weak can bark at us; we will win anyway!"


    I know that I may have sounded smug or boastful at that moment... but... heh! Sometimes, you just need to be a little bit arrogant, or others may think they can step over you! Plus, I didn''t want to let our fellow students think we were afraid or didn''t care about them.


    In the end, we were guided to the gardens, close to the greenhouse, where a collection of Durmstrang students were still gathering, laughing, mockingly discussing what happened in an excellent mood. I didn''t know their language, nor did I care... their tone, their expressions, and their mocking gestures were enough to know it was us who they were talking about. I noticed Poliakoff at once, being at the center of attention and enjoying it. Good... I will make him enjoy it even more.


    "I hope you guys told me the truth!" I smiled at the rest while my wand slipped from my sleeve, landing in my hand. Quincy just nodded at me, encouraging me and stopping in place, halting the group with one hand. They were still in the middle of figuring out what I meant when I released the first spell.


    With a flash and a bang, two Durmstrang student was flipped into the air, spinning like fallen leaves before landing unconscious. By then, I was already casting a new spell, disarming those of them who were in the motion of drawing their own wands... which was a futile effort. A quick flash, multiple yelps of pain, and only one student was remaining standing... Mr. Champion.


    I won''t sugarcoat it... I felt liberated at that moment, and it was... good. It was satisfying to put them into their place. With another wave of my hand, I blocked his panicked attack that, after deflection, landed on a nearby statue, blasting it apart. Quincy, with a quick movement, already used the repair spell, fixing it while I sidestepped another one, bowed, and indicated with a smile to continue.


    Yes... I was mocking him. I didn''t intend to hold back at all. If the potion was the Beauxbatons'' power demonstration, this would be ours! With the duels we went through the summer, fighting my Father, this was nothing. I felt as if Poliakoff was way too slow to be a proper wizard. I parried or deflected all his spells but refused to deal a finishing blow. I wanted him to fear me.


    I was younger, I should be weaker, well, if he wants to bully us... so be it. I will play their game, even if they are secret allies of us. Well... probably only the top branch and not the students, but... who cares about that right now? Not me, that is for sure. When he seemingly ran out of magic or spells to throw at me, I simply shrugged, shaking my head and casting two spells in such quick succession that they looked like one only.


    "How far are we from the lake?" I asked while holding my wand, and Poliakoff was dangling in the air, screaming something in his weird tongue.


    "§±§à§Ý§à§Ø§Ú §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ, §Ú§Ý§Ú §ä§í §á§à§á§Ñ§Õ§Ö§ê§î §Ó §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§Ú§Ö §ß§Ö§á§â§Ú§ñ§ä§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú!"


    "Shut it." I groaned, having enough of his bullshit.


    "Around... 500 meters? 800? Why?" Quincy asked, and I just shrugged.


    "Pray she is right!" I grinned, winking at Poliakoff, and flicked my wrist. The next moment, he shot out like a bullet, flying and disappearing over the castle, heading towards the lake like some kind of pebble.


    "If he doesn''t land in the water..." I shrugged, "Oh well, he should still have his wand; he can deal with it!"


    Before the others could say anything, another voice interjected.


    "You shouldn''t done it."


    From the accent alone, I knew who it was... Victor Krum.


    "Oh? Why?" I asked, turning towards him and raising an eyebrow. "Want to duel me yourself then?"


    "Yes." He nodded, crossing his arms, but didn''t reach for his wand, looking into my eyes with a steady gaze. "Let''s duel."

 Chapter 80 – Dueling (2)

    Hearing Krum say the words quickly made me feel he was not talking about doing it via magic and waving our wands at each other... so... I holstered my wand.


    "I''m listening."


    "Know fly?" He asked, and I nodded, already guessing his intentions. I heard he is a great player... but one can''t be sure about it until you see it, no?


    "Want to play quidditch? Just so you know, I am a weirdo, as I am the least interested in the sport that seemingly everyone loves."


    "No. Not play. Race."


    By then, more and more people were gathering around us, noticing the ruckus. After hearing him challenge me, it became an exciting event.


    "The route?"


    "Around castle." He nodded towards it, and I couldn''t help but agree. Simple, and if one wants to cut off corners, one needs to fly through narrow gaps of towers and walkbridges.


    "Fine."


    The moment I agreed, there was no going back. Two senior students quickly brought brooms over, both being the shabby, old Comets that the first-year students practiced with. Krum didn''t hesitate, nor did he complain; he just clutched one firmly, testing its balance once before mounting it and rising to the air. The way he did it, the ease and speed... I knew the sayings were correct. He was good.


    We kicked off to the spell of Quincy firing into the air and began the race around the castle. The fact that he suggested it, knowing full well I was at an advantage, being a student here, told us a lot. He was confident in his skills... and I saw them for myself when we passed the first hundred yards. The way he turned, even on this shitty broom, was perfect. His reflexes were sharp, and he noticed the best routes at the same time as me. We were cutting through low, our feet almost touching the ground, flying around the first tower and under the bridge connecting it.


    I guess something like this is a must if you want to be the best seeker of your time and one of the youngest people to play in the World Cup finals. I had nothing to complain about, and I wasn''t going to play dirty. I could have, but... Then, I would only tarnish the reputation of our school and also show that I am nothing more than a sore loser.


    It was a close-cut finish, but I still came in second when we arrived back at the starting point. I could blame it on the broom, that I was not used to it... but so was Krum. He beat me, fair and square, so when I dismounted, I nodded at him.


    "Are we at a draw now?"


    "Yes."


    "Want a tiebreaker?" I grinned while we were being surrounded, and I saw reinforcement arriving in the form of teachers and more Durmstrang students... even some Beauxbatons showed up by now. But... before anyone would need to worry about a fight breaking out, I tried showing our side that losing is not the end of the world. We can handle it and be more than some whiny kids. When someone wins fair and square, we can accept it.


    "No."


    "Mmhm... I see. Well... if your companion still wants a rematch later on... Tell him to think about it first."


    "I will."


    "Should keep your strengths to the challenges!" Came the shout of Karkaroff, who arrived first, glaring at me. Was it an act? Probably. It was a good one. "Come, Krum! Let''s go back!" He shielded him and, while leaving, stabbed some complaints at Severus Snape, who was arriving with Nicolas Flamel. He just looked at him once, dismissing Karkaroff with a cold gaze before looking at me.


    "You lost?" His question was simple, and his voice was even. Uninterested.


    "Sometimes you can''t win all!" I smiled back, making Flamel chuckle.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Smart young boy you have here, Severus. He is confident to act and unafraid of admitting when he is bested. People who know when to retreat are more troublesome than those who refuse to give up!"


    To that, our Headmaster said nothing, only looked at the rest of the students, and that was enough to tell them it was time to disperse. I was in the middle of turning around when his black eyes traveled back to me.


    "You. To my office."


    Well... I half expected that, shrugging and glancing at Quincy, who just smiled at me.


    "Did I kill him?" I asked weakly, knowing that the others were still listening to us when I followed the Headmaster.


    "No. He landed in the lake. Your aim was off."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Were you punished?" Others asked when I appeared in the Great Hall at dinner, sitting down next to Quincy.


    "Nah, I wasn''t. Supposedly, Karkaroff wanted to do something, but... Our Headmaster shot him down."


    "Heh, of course! If that bastard wants to do something to the youngest Death Eater, our teachers wouldn''t allow it!" A sixth-year Slytherin chuckled, making me twitch my mouth.


    "I am not the youngest-" I started, but he quickly cut in.


    "Draco is dead. You are."


    "Tsk..." I answered with a click of my tongue, and the others burst into laughing while my eyes met with Krum''s, who kept the contact up for a moment before turning away and going back to his dinner. I didn''t see Poliakoff here, but I didn''t expect to either. After dinner, when we returned to our rooms, Quincy finally could answer the question she had been holding back since I returned.


    "What did the Headmaster want?"


    "Nothing, he just warned me not to kill the others before the first task. If I do, I should do it between the first and second tasks and focus on the Beauxbatons'' champions. He also nudged me to try and provoke them instead of the Durmstrang students... Besides that? Nothing more. He asked me how I was going with the clue, and I told him all was fine... aaaaand... yeah, that''s it!"


    "Huh... I thought it would be... something more!"


    "Me too, but no. Probably, he would have helped us out if I said we were stuck, but seeing we were fine, he let me go quickly."


    "Hmm... yeah, I could see that... haaaahh... Anyway, tomorrow, accompany me to Hogsmeade! I want to buy some stuff and set off on Saturday! I looked it up, and where I go, the bastards are nocturne... I want to go in the daylight, set up some traps, and prepare well for it!"


    "Sure thing!" I answered with a grin, kissing her before we headed to bed.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "So she got the route with the spiders?" Sirius asked his younger brother, who nodded while the two were conversing in a dark, hidden place underground.


    "Yes... I just learned about it..."


    "What about the kid?"


    "I don''t care about him! I am talking about my daughter here!" Regulus flared up, "Are you coming with me or not?"


    "And blow our cover?"


    "She won''t notice us! I am not going to watch her waltz into her death!"


    "What I saw so far, she is not defenseless... but okay, I will go. She is my niece."


    "Be careful..." A third voice interrupted, scaring the brothers, but they quickly realized it was Charlie, "If any of you gets discovered, the whole operation could be jeopardized..."


    "We will go in animal form." Sirius nodded, as so far, it served the brothers well, helping them avoid enemy detection many times. "What about the meeting? Is it over?"


    "Yeah. Our mole in Durmstrang relayed a few interesting things. Dumbledore now considering recruiting the boy, just as he did with the father. If you want him dead... reconsider it."


    "..." They couldn''t help but exchange glances, and it was Regulus who spoke up. "You want to cancel it?"


    "No. I don''t trust his lot. I am still committed to what we talked about. I just wanted you to know that Dumbledore does consider the usefulness of the child. He is not yet deformed by the new teachings."


    "We will not change our plans." Regulus shrugged, shaking his head, reinforcing his own will.


    "Haaah... let''s go!" Sirius patted his shoulder, nodding at Charlie, "We are on patrol tonight!"


    "Keep safe," Charlie whispered as he retreated into the shadows, disappearing.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When the weekend finally came, and we slipped out of the Common Room, it was still dark, the sun barely grazing the edges of the horizon. Both of us were heading towards the forest with a holding bag fastened to our waists, prepared for most obstacles. Quincy was in a surprisingly good mood, but somehow, I couldn''t shake off a dreadful feeling hanging above my head since I woke up.


    "Nervous?" She joked, poking at my side.


    "A bit... something feels off. I should come with you."


    "Haaaah... Conrad, I am not some little flower you need to protect! I can take care of it, trust me! Or...? You don''t...?"


    "No, no! Of course, I do! I just... I... I am worried, okay? I... I feel something is not right!" In the end, she silenced me with a deep kiss.


    "I''ll be fine! Now, let''s go and finish the first task, and then we can laze around! Instead of worrying about me, try thinking about your riddle!"


    "On the head of death, sparkling in jet black." I repeated, shrugging, "Damn if I know... but I will keep a lookout for more clues while walking!"


    "Do that, and we''ll meet here, okay?" She kissed me again, and soon she was off... hurrying into the dark trees. I watched until she disappeared, and somehow, the fact that I no longer saw her back made my strange, dark feelings double in intensity... something was not right.

 Chapter 81 – Dangerous Task (1)

    The air was chilly, and I could see my breath with every exhalation. Even though the sky was mostly clear, with only a few clouds swimming upwards from the south, the temperature was close to zero degrees. By now, only the evergreen trees remained green, and the rest were either dressed in yellow, orange, or red clothes, falling constantly around me as I walked forward.


    "At least it isn''t raining..." I shrugged, feeling the earth be relatively firm under my boots, and I wasn''t getting caught in the mud. What I was most anxious about was still Quincy''s side, but I had to focus on my mission. If I managed to finish it quickly, I could go and find her... although I didn''t even know what I was looking for.


    I was walking forward along the trail suggested by the clues, and if not for them, I would have missed this little footpath. I was sure it was not man-made but left behind by creatures of the forest. Where was it leading me? It was a good question... yet I felt calm and safe while following it. Was this the reward? Were our clues there to make it safe? I didn''t have much time to think about it as suddenly I heard footsteps. Listening closely, they were coming from behind me... who?


    It wasn''t the time to hesitate, so I quickly abandoned the trail and hid among the trees, listening closely, with my wand in my hand. As the steps were getting closer, crunching leaves under her boots, I had already learned a lot. Going by the sound and the heaviness of the steps, my head painted an image of a girl, and I could only think about the two Beauxbatons students.


    "Bingo..." I thought to myself when I noticed the figure coming along the same route... Celine Castillon, if I remember correctly. I never heard her speak English, so I wasn''t exactly sure if she knew how in the first place... but she did follow Fleur around wherever she went. "Is she also around?"


    But I could not hear any other steps coming my way, so I was sure she was alone. Was she following me? No... That was not the case, not after I noticed the parchment in her hands. So, some of the clues were the same... did this mean Quincy had the potential to run into another competitor? Damn it... of course she did...! Lord Voldemort wanted me to cause trouble... Was this a setup? How? It was their Headmaster who presented the parchments! Was this... a coincidence? I think I was overthinking. It should be a coincidence! Solving it at the same time? Following it through the same day...? It had to be.


    I watched in silence as she mumbled to herself, looked up once or twice, and checked her surroundings with her wand, making me quickly cast counter-spells on myself so she would not discover my location. After checking twice, she continued her trek and left me no other choice but to follow. With another wave of my wand, I muffled my steps and followed in silence, keeping a reasonable distance and relying on my sense of smell instead of my eyes. I was going after her scent...


    I was tempted to turn into my basilisk form, but I resisted the urge as it would also be a killer move. I don''t know how prepared our side was, but... somehow, when I thought about what I should do, I was... unsure. Being told to kill someone was not the same as deciding it for myself. It was my choice to get rid of Umbridge and also to end the line of Malfoys. It came from within! It was all me... this time? It was an order. It just... didn''t feel right. While I was thinking, I noticed that my target stopped. I approached slowly and carefully until we came to an opening. I saw her walking around, kicking leaves away, searching, looking... and then grumbling in her native tongue.


    "Of course..." I whispered, the riddle finally making some sense. "On the head of death, sparkling in jet black! She can''t see them? Heh... poor girl!"


    Now, I was confident; I knew I had the upper hand! The field where she was looking around was filled with thestrals! Yet, she couldn''t see them, but I could. I watched as the skeletal-like horses walked out of her way, avoiding her like the plague as she walked around them. As they moved their heads, I noticed their black mane waving, shining in the morning sun that broke through the treetops, and then it clicked for me. Only those who have seen death can see them. Miss Castillon was clearly someone who had never faced it, so her eyes were still shrouded by a veil.


    "What now?" Was the question that escaped my lips. I could go in and help her, but why should I? If anybody watching, that would be a bad option... I could kill her... but then again, I shook my head and lowered the wand that I was raising up subconsciously. No. Not... yet... "Tsk..."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Now, I truly felt frustrated. I was stuck and had to watch her moan and grumble, reading the parchment repeatedly, casting random spells, trying to figure it out while the thestrals were getting increasingly annoyed by her. Would they attack her? Ah... no, they wouldn''t, as I saw them starting to leave. Damn it, she was chasing them away! There was no other choice but to sneak around and follow where the horses of Death himself were going. Maybe it is better this way...


    I made sure that I followed the thestrals closely, and when I no longer sensed the presence of Castillon, I made my move and made myself known to the animals. I don''t know if it was the fact I appeared suddenly or my basilisk blood, but I did startle them as they reared up like horses, spreading their wings wide open.


    "Easy there! Easy!"


    I tried my best to calm them down, hoping for the best. I didn''t want to scare them away or use spells to capture one by force. I was unsure if that would alter anything and if one thing I learned from Quincy was that the origin of ingredients mattered a lot. How they were harvested determined their quality, and I don''t know what the second test would be, but I was sure I needed the best possible ones. In the end, they calmed down after they saw I was not posing any danger to them. I don''t know if they were used to humans or not, but soon, they let me approach them, and I even got so close I could stretch out my arm and touch them.


    "Weird..."


    It was the only way to describe it as they looked like dead horses, but to the touch, they felt alive. Now... I needed to get some of their mane... but how? Should I just pluck some? That could startle them, and if they kick my head open, I''m dead.


    "Just kill one and cut off its head."


    The simple thought, coming from deep within, scared me. I don''t know where it came from... no... that is a lie. I knew very well. It originated from the same place where I felt my anger rise when I looked at Lucius Malfoy. It was my thoughts, but also not. It was like... something amplifying those intrusive thoughts that you have once in a while. Those insane, devil-induced ideas that you throw out very quickly because they were... troubling. Was it the basilisk''s blood? Or something... more sinister? I... couldn''t tell, but-


    "Huh?"


    While I was thinking about it, the thestral next to me nudged my head with his, and when I looked at it, multiple strands of its mane remained between my fingers. I was still immersed in my thoughts and felt silly just standing there, watching them leave... but I got what I came for. No... It was given to me. I could ask ''what'' multiple times, but there was nobody to answer me... Maybe Quincy knows it... Ah! Yes! Quincy! I quickly stashed them and hurried away, not bothering with the fact that I was trying to avoid Castillon. I had to get to Quincy as fast as possible!


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Following the animal trail was easy. I was a bit nervous after Conrad and I split up, but I was ready to show him I wasn''t someone who needed to be babysitted every time. I had to be prepared and able... for anything! That was what made me go forward with confident steps. I read everything I had to! I knew their weakness, and I had already memorized most of the useful spells to conjure different flames! It was while I was thinking about such spells that I went around a huge tree just so I could collide with someone else, making me shriek.


    "You..." I gasped for air, my heart beating within my chest as I looked at the young woman, rubbing her bottom and getting back to her feet.


    "What you doing here?" She asked with her broken English.


    "I... What are YOU doing here?" I asked while standing back up. She didn''t answer at first but started to examine me, and in the end, with a flick of her hair, she asked a different question.


    "You solved the puzzle?"


    "Why should I tell you that?"


    "Bien s?r, vous l''avez fait. J''aurais d? deviner qu''il y aurait des parchemins en double. Donc, le Ma?tre Flamel ne nous a pas tout dit... il joue franc jeu, mais nos ennemis ne le feront pas. Quel d¨¦sordre![modern_footnote]Of course, you did. I should have guessed that there would be duplicate scrolls. So Master Flamel didn''t tell us everything... he is playing it fair, yet our enemies won''t. What a mess.[/modern_footnote]"


    "..." I don''t know what she was grumbling about, but she did mention the name Flamel. So she was here because she solved her parchment... was it the same? Most likely.


    "Araign¨¦es?"


    "English!" I grunted, and her smile told me she was simply teasing me. The audacity of this... Witch! With a capital... B!


    "Spiders?" She asked again, and seeing my body react, she just nodded, "I am not, not reasonable. We work it together and get poison for both. Then leave. That way, no need fight; we all get the thing. Deal?"


    I wanted to refuse... I just didn''t trust her. But... then again... It made sense. Was she trustworthy? I was annoyed to acknowledge that she would be more reliable than some of my classmates. Haaahh... I wanted to win with Conrad... if it means a temporary alliance with this woman? Let''s do it!


    "Okay." I nodded, watching her extend her hand, and I briefly shook it. "But after we got it, we go on separate ways."


    "Mhm. Okay. Come! I already found nest!"


    And with that, she turned around, walking quickly, letting her back face me without hesitation... She was either overconfident... or stupid. Whatever it was, I also had to be careful and not let her lead me into a trap. But... without risks, you can''t be the best witch!

 Chapter 82 – Dangerous Task (2)

    Following Fleur was making me nervous. Was I afraid of her? No... it wasn''t that... something else was pricking at my nerves, like an invisible enemy that lurked within the trees.


    "Be careful!" As we walked past a massive spiderweb hanging between two trees, she spoke to me, "This is already their territory, and day they exist underground but still dangerous!"


    "I know. I read all that is to them! I was planning to find the entrance to one of their hidey-holes and send down flames, forcing them out."


    "Mhm, similair plan here." She nodded, flashing a flask in her hand. "We use this. Pour it down, watch them come and kill all!"


    "What is it?" I asked, but somehow I already knew. A simple glance, a smell, even if it was sealed perfectly... I was sure of her answer.


    "Basilisk blood."


    I wanted to ask how she got their hands on it... but I knew that it would be futile. She wouldn''t tell me or simply lie. I would do the same in her shoes! Was it from... our basilisk? Its corpse did disappear... but no, that wouldn''t be possible! If that was the case, then that would mean we had a traitor amongst us. Who? The Headmaster? Yeah, sure... not a chance. That would not be possible!


    "Scared?" She smiled, looking back over her shoulder, "Blood can''t hurt you."


    "No, I am not scared; I was just wondering where you got something so dangerous and so rare."


    "Our school ancient and rich. Ingredients is what we lack not!"


    "Sure."


    I was not in the mood to start a verbal argument, not when we were in the spiders'' territory. I watched as she led me to the entrance of a hole covered with leaves and sticks... clever little beasts. The moment she pulled out the cork, I felt the ground shaking a little, and I could hear dozens of legs scampering below us.


    It took less than a minute when the first dog-sized spider emerged and was hit by an exploding spell from Fleur''s wand, killing it. I didn''t hesitate or hold back, attacking in tandem with her as more and more spiders emerged from underground, screeching and wailing. They didn''t look at us or attack us as they were trying to escape, doing everything in their power to get as far away as possible.


    It was... a complete massacre. I was now glad Conrad didn''t come; if they reacted this to a little bit of blood, his presence would have made it impossible to slay so many of them and have an easy shot at extracting their venom... they would be gone before meeting them!


    "Quick! Blood will soon fade; we must hurry!"


    Fleur said hurriedly while lowering her wand, flicking her long hair as she rushed forward and began to expertly extract the venom from their nasty, slimy mouths... I was a bit surprised to see her work so efficiently and without making a fuss. I expected her to be more... pissy about it. But she was right. I didn''t wait for a second reminder and chose to do the same, but in a way, I could keep one eye on her. It was still a competition, and she could turn against me at any moment...


    "...!" Just as I thought about it, I heard it... I knew I couldn''t trust her! I could hear steps coming towards us, they were fast, animal-like... yet she didn''t look worried when hearing it, no... she looked... confused? Especially when I finally noticed the two dogs coming out from the woods, one black and one grey, turning their heads back and forth, watching us.


    "..."


    What was weird was that Fleur remained calm and collected, looking at me once and then at the dogs. Something was not right... she wasn''t raising her wand or preparing any spells... and the dogs were also strange. The intelligence in their eyes was almost... human-like...


    "Ah!" It clicked immediately. These were animagi! I think they also knew, I realized as they changed forms, turning into people whom I vaguely felt familiar with. Were they... the same people as-


    "What you doing?" Fleur asked, breaking my thought process as I started backing away, holding my wand, and pointing it at them.


    "Making sure that everything is fine." The one who was the black dog answered, watching his compatriot whose eye was transfixed on me. It was... a weird and uncomfortable feeling.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Bad idea. Now what we do with her?"


    Fleur complained, making me realize they were working together... Were they from the Order?! But that would mean that Conrad''s Father-


    "We can''t kill!" She added quickly, but... What?! I felt my legs tremble for a moment... if they wanted to kill me, I wouldn''t be able to defeat three people...


    "Of course not!" Snapped the man who previously appeared as a grey dog. "She is my daughter!"


    "..."


    It wasn''t just me who fell silent... but Fleur too. I couldn''t believe my ears... was that my Father? That... vagrant-looking man with a sunken face and greasy hair? I would have thought he was a bum! But... those eyes. I remember watching the family photos many times back home. I remember those eyes... then the other one must be Sirius, my Uncle. Damn it... what are they doing here?!


    "Does Dumbledore know?" Fleur asked, and the name alone made everyone shudder, and now I was sure. These were all members of the Order, and they had already infiltrated us! But what really troubled me was that I am sure they were hiding in our village! I saw them! Did Conrad know about it? Or... Did his Father know about it? He had to! No way they would have remained hidden if not for him!


    "Quincy..."


    The way he said my name made my legs shake even more as I raised my wand at him... but I couldn''t stop it from trembling between my fingers.


    "To you, it''s Miss Anguine!" I answered, trying my hardest not to let my voice break.


    "My ass you are! You are a Black, like us!" He snapped at me while I saw Sirius place a hand on his shoulder.


    "We are not here to hurt you." My uncle continued in a much calmer and friendlier voice, "We were worried about you, so we just came to make sure you are not injured!"


    "I don''t believe you!" was my firm answer, and I even looked at Fleur, who took a step back, signaling she wanted nothing to do with this.


    "Quincy... listen, dad came because-"


    "You are not my dad!" Even I was surprised by the strength of my voice when I shot a furious glare at him, and I could see the surprise and pain in his face... in his eyes. Good... good! I hoped it hurt a lot because I know how it feels! "Don''t you dare call me by my name and call yourself my father when you were nowhere to be seen in my life until now!"


    "I-"


    "The moment you abandoned me, you gave up the right to call me your daughter! So go away... Regulus Black!"


    "We understand what you feel," Sirius continued as my supposed ''father'' was left speechless and frozen in place. "But we are not your enemy! We are here to help you!"


    "Help me? Hah! Great joke! I''m not falling for that! Just wait until I get back... then-"


    "Angus Anguine is part of the Order of the Phoenix." Sirius continued, and it was now he who interrupted me. "You have to trust us... You two were still too young to be inducted, but now that all comes down to this... this is too dangerous for you! You must come with us, or you will be in grave danger!"


    "Yes!" My so-called ''father'' finally found his voice again, but I would have been happier if he had just never talked to me... never again! "Big things will happen, and it isn''t safe for you! You must come with us! Quincy!"


    "Don''t call me by my name! And I am not going anywhere! Not without Conrad!"


    "For-"


    "He will join us later." Sirius interrupted him, but I somehow had a feeling I knew what Regulus Black wanted to say to me... I could hear his unfinished words in my head.


    "I don''t believe you. No deal!" There was no time to hesitate. Before any of them could react, I jumped and turned into my owl form in mid-air. I was already close to the canopy of the trees when I heard a shout... then I felt a slight pain spreading through my back, and everything went dark...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It was shocking when Quincy turned into an owl, as no one thought she would be an animagus... It was not just a surprise for the Black brothers but also evoked a strange feeling, making them proud of Quincy deep within their hearts. Still, they just couldn''t let her go... but none of them were ready to cast any spells.


    "Stupefy!" Shouted Fleur in the end, aiming perfectly and hitting Quincy''s small form, who transformed back into a human in mid-air just so Regulus could catch her before hitting the ground.


    "Are you trying to kill my daughter?!" He roared at the young woman, holding the unconscious Quincy.


    "Je ne suis pas mal¨¦fique.[modern_footnote]I am not evil.[/modern_footnote]" She replied with a dark look, clearly unsatisfied with Regulus... no, she was furious with him. "La punition viendra plus tard... pour l''instant... partez! Avant que les ennuis ne nous trouvent![modern_footnote]Punishment will come later... for now... leave! Before trouble comes and finds us![/modern_footnote]" She didn''t wait for their answer and hurried away, continuing to curse in French, making Sirius twitch his mouth while walking up to his younger brother.


    "She is right... come! We need to hurry and disappear! I will make our trail disappear, and if she wakes up before we get back in our hiding hole, it will be trouble for real!"


    "Tsk... yeah... okay, let''s go! At least I got her back! She will be safe from now on and won''t have to worry about caching a stray spell!" Regulus murmured, watching his daughter''s face, almost feeling like he could cry.


    "What about the kid?" Sirius asked, looking towards where Hogwarts was.


    "Who cares? He is a Death Eater! Let him rot along with his kind!"


    "Were you not one, too?"


    "I brought the first Horcrux to Dumbledore... I couldn''t have done it without it. If not for me, we wouldn''t have known what he did! He? He killed when he was only 12!" He countered sharply, but Sirius wasn''t having it right now.


    "You weren''t any better and didn''t know what you had! It needed Horace''s confirmation to make sure!"


    "I-"


    "I know!" He raised his voice as the two brothers began leaving, "I am not saying you didn''t provide great help to defeat the Dark Lord... but don''t forget that everyone makes mistakes! And that kid is just that... a kid. Quincy loves him..."


    "She is simply brainwashed as she didn''t know better! Drop it! Let''s go! She will see the light soon enough!"


    "Yeah..." Sirius sighed, shaking his head, thinking silently, "Ironic as we live underground... but I hope you are right, little brother."

 Chapter 83 – Anger

    "Where the hell are you?!"


    It was already night, and the forest looked like a battlefield. I was in my basilisk''s form, rooting up trees and turning the earth over, but nothing... She was not here. I followed her scent right until the point where I lost it completely. Somebody can''t just disappear like that! Not possible!


    "What happened....?" I asked without getting any answers, returning to human form, standing there in the dark, surrounded by multiple corpses of spiders, torn to shred.


    I had to calm down... I needed a cold, collected head to gather information... come on, Conrad! Focus! With a few slaps, I forced myself to take another look around and recall every detail I encountered while coming here.


    Quincy''s scent was weak... extremely weak. It didn''t make sense, but there was a possibility that she was making sure she wouldn''t be followed, so she masked it. The second option was the same as what my gut told me to be right... was that someone came along and wiped all the clues away! As to who? I could only think about the other champions.


    Still... I knew Quincy. So well, even with their handiwork, I identified her trail... But right at the spider''s nest, it totally went dark. Even I couldn''t pick it up from here on, and I was left alone... clueless. The only positive thing was I didn''t smell blood, only my own scent. Probably from one of the scratches my body had and started bleeding...


    "Quincy... Why didn''t I come with you?" I grunted, feeling so intense pain in my chest that I started swaying, forced to lean on one of the trees. My spine was tingling, my head was throbbing, and I wanted to find the one who did this, strangle him... or her to the death!


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What are you doing in front of my office this late... and why is everything covered in mud?"


    "Quincy is gone..." I answered with a hollow voice, looking up at Severus Snape, who came down from his office, and the only light shining on us came from the tip of his wand. This time, there was no second, snarky comment but a simple spell that cleaned me up, and with a turn, he headed back to the tower, inviting me over without any words. I was standing here for two hours now, waiting for him to come down as the gargoyle refused to let me in, no matter what I tried.


    "Explain." He commanded in a serious tone as he closed the door behind us when I stepped through it. I watched him cast a spell, probably to cut the room off from all possible spying charms. It took me only a few minutes to retell everything while he crossed his arms, towering over me, looking down, deep into my eyes. Was he... using occlumency? I didn''t know, but I met his gaze while retelling the events, sharing nothing but the truth.


    "I know no more... after finding nothing, I came back."


    "The probability that she is dead is low but not zero." I don''t know what kind of answer I wanted to hear... but it was not this. "You say you ran into one of the Beauxbatons''s champions? Did you kill her?"


    "No. I would have mentioned it otherwise."


    "Why not?"


    "I..."


    "It is your mission, no?" He pressed on, maintaining her ever so calm, even tone.


    "What use does it have if I just killed one of them like this?"


    "And now, instead of your wand finding its mark, another successfully eliminated a competition... The most genius thing about it is that this move took not only one Hogwarts champion out of the picture... It also significantly compromised you. This can''t be a coincidence."


    "..."


    "Go back and wait. There is a high chance you will hear from her, and they will use her against you. When you know which group did it, inform me."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "And what will you do in the meantime?" I asked, raising my voice, which in turn made Severus Snape raise one of his eyebrows, answering me coldly.


    "I am your Headmaster and a peer in the Death Eaters. I have no obligation to answer any of your questions, Anguine."


    "It is obvious that it was the Beauxbatons! Dumbledore is hiding behind them, no? Who else would do something like this?! Durmstrang?! Aren''t they allies to us?!"


    "First, your voice. Keep it up, and I will make you unable to speak for the rest of the semester. Second, it is Karkaroff who is on our side. Until he says so, the competition is an open game for all. They are still your enemies just as much as the Beauxbatons. And lastly... If you suspect them, go and ask them in person."


    "I may just do that!" I scoffed, feeling my anger bubbling to the surface, and left without saying goodbye. My target? Their transformed carriage!


    It took me only a few minutes to get there, my wand flashing in my hand with green lights, reflecting my honest desire. Their carriage was transformed into a miniature castle, like one in any muggle amusement park... but an actual dragon guarded this one. Two, in fact. The one in the back only raised its head, looking at me, then went back to sleep, feeling unbothered, but the second one? That was much more lively as it stood up, growling like a dog, which was greeted by my killing curse.


    I think it felt the intention as it shielded its head with its wings, its scales scattering the spell, resulting in a jade-green light show. I wasn''t surprised; I knew that the dragons'' hides were resistant to magic, and if I wanted to kill the beast, I would have to be at the level of the Dark Lord. I didn''t care; I had to let out some steam, and this varmint was perfect for it!


    I rapidly fired off multiple spells, Avada Kedavra, Frigus Ignis, Stupefy, Confringo, Bombarda, and Glacius; every spell that came to mind was fired off, some even multiple times as it looked like fireworks were going off constantly. Even though I couldn''t truly injure the beast, it was forced to take on the spells, shielding its body in frustration while the other dragon sat up, watching with curious eyes. With a sidelong glance, I could have sworn it was laughing at his partner.


    "ENOUGH!"


    A long shout echoed, and I knew Nicolas Flamel came out of the carriage, holding his own wand, dispelling some of the spells bouncing everywhere from the dragon''s hide. My body was already in motion, obeying my first thought without me confirming it was what I wanted to do. With just a flick, a green jet was heading directly at him from the top of my wand. My aim was flawless... it would have hit Flamel perfectly in the chest, but he was fast. He countered with his own spell, and it collided with my killing curse mid-air, causing a massive explosion.


    "You dare?" Was the second sentence he uttered, and I felt time slow down to a crawl. All my senses were whining at me, wailing into my ears, but the old man was fast. I was hit with a spell straight on, sending me flying backward and landing hard on my back.


    Even though I was feeling pain rushing through my limbs, my ears were ringing, and I felt exhausted; I still stood up and, without any words, attacked. Fuck. Them. I think it surprised the ancient bastard, too, because he deflected two spells before gaining the upper hand and sending me into the air again, crashing down even harder. I heard a crack, and I lost all feeling in my right arm. Fuck it. Holding my wand in my left, I stood back up and took aim, sending blue flames forward just to have him dispel them quickly, and I found myself in the air again. This time, I wasn''t falling; he was holding me up high.


    "Stop your madness, child!"


    "You took her away... I will kill you for it..." I groaned, just noticing that a mouthful of blood was welling up in my mouth, spitting it out while I sent a spell forth. It was the same moment when I felt gravity return and fall from the sky. I saw the Beauxbatons''s students watching from the door, from small windows, like little elves, and I could also see people coming out of the castle... but then a loud crack sent pain into my brain, and everything went dark.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "I think this is enough."


    "I will have to get some pretty solid reasons for what happened right now, Severus Snape!" Nicolas Flamel demanded, watching the Headmaster of Hogwarts, who appeared as a black shadow, streaking through the sky, blocking the last attack of his and saving the boy''s life.


    "Our second champion disappeared while they were solving the first task. He believes it was your handiwork. This is the only explanation you will ever receive."


    "..."


    "..."


    The two parties stood there, unmoving, but Severus''s eyes flashed as he scanned the reactions of the students visible in the windows and at the door. With a wave of his wand, he made Conrad float up a little and carried him away, leaving the Beuxbatons behind and the two dragons who were ready to rampage, but their collars somehow held them back, making them unable to go wild.


    Many didn''t know that the two Headmasters communicated silently, simply by reading the others'' eyes, concluding that neither of them knew about what happened to Quincy... but both of them suspected who may be the ones who could have done something. For now, Flamel''s anger was placated quickly, no longer pursuing the matter; instead, his eyes traveled towards the two of his champions, and after meeting with the eyes of Fleur, he understood everything...

 Chapter 84 – Helping to see Thestrals

    When I woke up, I felt... nothing. I mean, nothing hurt. I was expecting to wake up to a world of pain, but no... I felt... fine. As far as my body was concerned. Watching the ceiling of the infirmary, I could tell it was still dark outside... or it was the clouds and the falling rain that made me think that. Not that it mattered...


    "..."


    There was not much to say, especially because my mind was in a really calm state right now. The previous frustration and anger that controlled me were gone, and in my head, I was going through all that had happened in the past 24 hours. For one, I could no longer trust the Headmaster. I thought he was going to help me... I wasted precious time waiting for him for what? For nothing. If I can''t trust him, I can''t trust anyone from our side... Death Eater... I should make them eat a killing curse. He didn''t even come out to help me or back me up against their leader! What kind of helper is he, then?


    "Trash." With a soft sigh, I sat up, looking around and finding my cleaned clothes, starting to change while letting my thoughts roll onwards.


    I was sure that I saw the Beauxbatons champions'' expression change, especially the one named Fleur. She has to know something; I am confident of what I saw in that split-second. Now I just have to get her... Even though I failed to push Severus to help me, all is not lost. Even if they will be more cautious now, I have an idea... and I will find Quincy, competition be damned. Walking out of the infirmary, I bumped into two Hufflepuff students... So it was already morning, only the weather was abysmal, and it remained dark as night.


    "Conrad! You are up!" They said simultaneously, surprising me as I didn''t recognize them at all.


    "Ah... y-yes, I feel good already..."


    "That will be great news! Nobody was telling us anything about what happened yesterday! We only heard rumors... is it true? Did something happen with Quincy?"


    "Yes..." I replied, feeling my expression darkening.


    "Bastards...!" They snorted as if they were a pair of twins in a perfect synch. I wanted to add something else, but then my stomach rumbled, and even though I wasn''t hungry, I realized I really needed to eat something, or I would have no strength remaining within me.


    Hearing it, they didn''t laugh, simply accompanied me to the Great Hall, which was very soon filled with other students, all coming up to me wanting to ask how I was, what happened the previous night, and if the rumors were true or not.


    "No wonder they didn''t show up! Any of them!" A fifth-year Slytherin exclaimed, slapping the table next to me, making me ask a question between two small bites of toast.


    "What do you mean?"


    "None of the ''guests'' appeared this morning! None came even close to the school! The Durmstrang bastards are staying on their ship while the Beauxbatons are held up in their carriage!" A Ravenclaw student explained hurriedly while a Gryffindor''s laugh echoed from my right.


    "I bet they are afraid of you because of yesterday! Dude, you dueled their Headmaster!"


    "Yeah!" The others parroted it at once, "Even if you lost, that was still not something any of their Champions would dare to do! You went up against a dragon, for starters! You are mad!"


    "I am sure they took Quincy, and I don''t care if it''s Nicolas Flamel or a dragon that I need to fight to get her back..."


    "...!"


    I don''t know what to make of the soft cries and sharp breaths being taken around me, but I didn''t think that it was such a surprising statement, not after yesterday.


    "Hey..." A seventh-year Slytherin said, breaking the sudden silence. "Let us help. If you can''t do it alone, let us help you! It is not part of the task, is it? Then it isn''t forbidden!"


    "Would it be even forbidden? I didn''t hear any rules!" A Gryffindor laughed, and it was rare that every house agreed so quickly, but it was somehow warming to see.


    "I won''t say no." I looked at them with a small smile, and soon enough, I was already delegating tasks to my new group of helpers. I didn''t expect something like this, but I will take full advantage of it!


    One of the seventh-year Ravenclaws came up with a surprisingly nifty idea, and soon, we all had a little notebook in our hands, enchanted by the Protean Charm. We ensured that all of them were capable of two-way communication so that when someone wrote something, the others would immediately see it. This way, information could be shared lightning-fast, and I sent them on the mission to be outlooks.


    Their task was simple: keep a constant watch on the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang headquarters, and if they saw one of their champions emerge, follow them. I wanted constant surveillance, day and night, so they would take turns... and of course, I wasn''t asking for their help for free. Even if they said they would do it for the school, I didn''t want to be indebted to them. You just can''t trust people... So I paid them with my own money. That way, even if they were hit with a lack of motivation, they would have something that kept them in line.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    With my scouts already in place, I headed toward the only two people whom I had any hope of asking for more help. The first one whom I visited was Professor Slughorn... I really thought he would help me, as Quincy was one of his favorites.


    "I can''t help you, my boy..."


    "..."


    "As a teacher, I can''t meddle in the competition, and it would be very... problematic! Don''t worry, Conrad, I am sure that-"


    But I didn''t hear what he had to say as the moment he said he couldn''t help me, I turned around and left. I secretly desired that I would run into my father... he would help me for sure... But I haven''t seen him anywhere since our ''guests'' arrived, and who knows what kind of mission he was tasked with? I had to rely on myself for now. My second target was Professor Lockhart. I did not expect anything from him, to be honest...


    "Kiddo! You up? Good, good, youngsters are full of energy!" He laughed after seeing me slapping my back.


    "I need help, Professor."


    "Of course, of course! Tell me!"


    "Really?" I questioned, honestly surprised as I didn''t expect it... not from him.


    "I have been anticipating you coming for advice since the start of the competition! Knowing the things I know... ahaha, it is surprising you lasted this long, you stubborn mule! So, what stumped you?"


    "I need someone to gather information for me. You are a Professor; you could ask the other teachers what they know or think about Quincy''s disappearance."


    "Ah... you... mean that... problem..." He stuttered, and I knew he wasn''t expecting this kind of plea for help... "Well. I... I think I can see what I can do..."


    "Thank you, Professor." I nodded, looking into his eyes, and even though I saw him troubled, wanting to turn me down... he didn''t. Was it his pride that made him agree? Or is it just the inability to tarnish his fake bravado? I didn''t know or care; the only thing that mattered was that he would help me. That I would not forget.


    For the rest of the day, I mostly gathered potions and visited Hogsmeade for resources I needed before trading with my fellow students for things that couldn''t be bought. I was hoping to run into a Durmstrang or Beauxbatons guest, but they were nowhere to be seen. At the end of the day, I turned in my report that I had finished my first task and was told I was the first to be done with it... which was strange... But that made me confident they couldn''t stay holed up in their home bases for long. This continued for two days until my enchanted notebook alerted me late into one night. Opening it up while hurrying out of the Common Room, I read the message that four shrouded figures sneaked out from one of the windows of the Beauxbatons''s carriage, acting very strange before heading towards the forest.


    It didn''t take me long to catch up and take over their position, as I was sure where they were headed. Sure enough, they were coming towards the field of the thestrals. I made sure to use spells to muffle my steps, and I remained upwind, not letting even my scent drift their way. I cut ahead of them like a specter, only thinking about my next step and concentrating on not giving away my position.


    As they were coming closer and closer, I could hear them speak. I knew they would converse in French, so this time, I was ready... I had an enchanted little scroll and pen that was writing automatically, translating everything they were saying. I don''t know if it was the adrenalin or my blood coursing at an extreme speed as my heart was beating fervently, but somehow, in this dark and damp forest, I could see just as well as if it was a cloudy morning.


    "Enfin, la pluie s''est arr¨ºt¨¦e! Le sol est encore mouill¨¦, mais au moins ce n''est pas un bourbier!"


    "Regarde devant toi, C¨¦line! Nous devons ¨ºtre particuli¨¨rement prudents apr¨¨s ce qui s''est pass¨¦!"


    Now, that was a new voice... a male one. Teacher? No... maybe?


    "Fran?ois a raison; nous venons avec toi parce qu''une embuscade pourrait nous attendre. Nous avons perdu trop de temps ¨¤ attendre que la pluie se calme! C''¨¦tait une erreur!"


    Another man... interesting. So... Are they bodyguards? Going by the tone of their voice, they are either adults or at least students in their last year...


    "Et nous avons besoin de vous deux parce que nous ne pouvons pas voir les Thestrals... Il serait pr¨¦f¨¦rable qu''il ne se passe rien. Je ne sais pas comment expliquer ce que nous faisons ici si nous sommes surpris."


    Fleur... good. I hoped you would also show up! I somehow had a feeling that you wouldn''t let your little friend come along after what happened... Now, let me help you see those horses without the need to rely on outside help! My first move was simple... I used Avada Kedavra to smite the man at the front, leading the group of four and killing him in an instant.


    They didn''t realize what was happening until they saw the green light lighting up the dark forest. Of course, I wasn''t idle as the moment the spell left the end of my wand, I slithered forward, turning into my basilisk form. I slid past the first boy who was still falling backward, his eyes wide open, ready to say something, wearing a student''s uniform. So they were not adults... good. Made it easier!


    Hearing their screams and seeing my bestial form appear from within the trees gave me a strange satisfaction. It was just like in my old dreams... only, this time, I was the snake. I made sure not to look at the girls, but I didn''t stop myself from glaring at the last man in their group.


    "Ne regarde pas dans ses yeux!"


    "Too late, Fleur Delacour." I hissed, but of course, she couldn''t understand it.


    I watched as the other man turned into stone, stiffening and darkening at once before I smashed him into hundreds of pieces with a swipe of my tail. Two down. That left me with the girls... With a thought, I turned back into a human, casting two disarming spells in quick succession, using the panic within them, knocking their wands out of their already weak grips.


    "C-conrad?" Fleur asked, unbelieving, but then she fell silent at once, the same as her friend, who was still screaming at the top of her lungs. I didn''t know back then that what made them shut up was that my eyes were glowing in a dangerous orange hue. It was similar to that of the gaze of a basilisk... only, as a human, it didn''t turn them stone. But just like Lucius, they were suddenly frozen in place, unable to control their bodies.


    "Let''s talk... And it is best to be honest with me... I am not in a good mood."


    I whispered, glaring at them without blinking, and soon I had to realize that they didn''t answer me not because of fear... but because I spoke in parseltongue without me recognizing it...

 Chapter 85 – Lockhart’s Forte

    Standing before the two girls, wand in hand, I was not in a mood to be patient. Not wanting to talk? Standing there and just looking at me? Okay... then, onto phase two.


    "Stupefy!"


    After both of them were knocked out, I decided to start by invading Fleur''s mind first. The moment I used Obliviate, I realized it wouldn''t be that easy. As soon as my consciousness slipped into hers, it was as if I ran into a brick wall. It repelled me so violently that I was flung a few meters back, knocking my head against the forest ground.


    "Damn it... They are being protected...? I should have guessed it..." I groaned, scrambling back to my feet, trying the same with Celine, but the result that welcomed me was identical.


    There was no time to play around, so I forcefully transfigured the two into ferrets, bringing them back to the castle in the dead of night, hurrying straight to Professor Lockhart''s office.


    "What is it, kiddo?" He welcomed me with a yawn, woken up by my constant kicking at his door. "I still didn''t-"


    "I am not here because of that!" I brushed past him just to drop the two ''ferrets'' onto the ground before they turned back to the two girls. Fleur was already waking up, so before she could regain her consciousness, I blasted her with another stupefy.


    "Oh no... no, no, no..." I couldn''t help but shrug, hearing the panic murmuring of Lockhart. He was quickly slamming the door behind me, walking up and down next to the bodies, biting at his thumb. "What have you done?"


    "Nothing. I just killed two others and brought these girls to you. I need the charm on their minds to be broken! I am too weak to do it quick enough or without damaging them."


    "You did what...? Oh, my young friend... this is not good! Very, very not good!"


    "We don''t know that yet. But it will be if they wake up and see you, Professor." I continued calmly, and to my own surprise, I didn''t feel nervous at all.


    "You will be my death!" He cried, pulling at his golden locks, looking exceptionally panicked. "Okay... they need to go, fast!"


    "I can kill them." I shrugged, picking my wand out, but he stopped me at once.


    "No, no, no! Not here! Geez! Okay, let me think!"


    "Sure." I smiled at him encouragingly, but I wasn''t kidding before. If nothing else, I will trigger Lord Voldemort''s plans and do as he wishes! Hells... I will deliver the bodies to Flamel myself and feed them to their dragons!


    "Okay, I will unlock their memories and extract whatever I can! I will only focus on the past few days when she disappeared! Is that good?"


    "Perfect, Professor." I nodded, crossing my arms, "Also, we should erase their most recent memories and replace them with the fact that these two sneaked out to finish their tasks."


    "What were they doing in the forest- wait, don''t answer! I will learn it soon enough anyway!" He shrugged and began working.


    The ease with which he blasted through the defense erected around the girl''s mind was incredible. Even if most of his spells backfired in our classes, he knew how to fiddle with others'' memories! I watched his face twitching multiple times, frowning and grimacing before tiny, white swirling energy began to appear around his wand, coming straight out from Fleur''s forehead.


    "Here!" He gasped, placing it into a vial and giving it to me. "You will need a pensive to watch it... damn!"


    "Couldn''t you tell me?" I asked, surprised and unsure why he didn''t say anything and simply looked more nervous than when I brought the unconscious girls into his room.


    "No! I won''t say it here! Too dangerous! Go, watch it yourself! Fuck..."


    "...?" Now, I was both nervous and excited. What did Fleur know that made Professor Lockhart swear? I couldn''t wait to see it for myself.


    "This one knows nothing..." He sighed, and I could feel a kind of relief in his voice.


    "I see. Then-"


    "Don''t be hasty! I need to construct new memories for them and rebuild the defenses! It will not be as good as it was originally, but it shouldn''t be evident that it was tampered with! Not until the one who planted it in them starts probing around in their heads! Damn... DAMN!"


    "So... bad news?" I asked, not wanting to hear his answer but I had to know what had happened to Quincy. NOW.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Your girlfriend is okay, and she won''t be hurt! You will understand when you watch it! But this is bad... Conrad, this is extremely bad! If this develops into what I fear their goal is, I will be in deep trouble! It will count as my failure, and I will be killed! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuuck!"


    "Professor?"


    "Sssh... let me focus... then I will cry... Then drink myself to bed! And think about it later! Conrad, my boy, you truly will be the DEATH of me!"


    Okay... now I was sure the memory in my pocket was invaluable, not just because of Quincy. I never saw the Professor this distraught. I thought I saw his golden hair turn white for a moment, but it was probably only the dim lighting playing tricks on me. For the next hour, Lockhart worked maybe the hardest in his life, and when he finally finished it, he almost collapsed.


    "Done! I made it so that when they wake up, they will remember fighting a big snake. I made it so that they don''t remember bringing helpers along, so... just dispose of their bodies somehow!"


    "No worries. One was smashed into pieces, and I will deal with the other when bringing the girls back! Won''t they ask questions why can they see thestrals now?"


    "I added that they think it''s because they experienced death when witnessing the death of their grandparents. No worries there!"


    "Professor, you thought of everything, huh?" I smiled for the first time since Quincy disappeared. The news that she wasn''t in mortal danger significantly eased my mind.


    "I am an expert... tsk... go! Hurry before the sun rises! Use your giant snake form... Shit! Kiddo, you are hiding some evil things under your friendly smile!"


    "Only for my enemies," I answered before bowing respectfully and leaving, turning them back into little ferrets.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "If you think I will start calling you ''Daddy'' and hug you, you are sorely mistaken."


    "I just want you to listen to me a little..."


    "No."


    It was a discussion that had been happening multiple times in the past two hours, deep below Hogsmeade, where Quincy was now confined to an underground cell, sitting on a small cot behind bars.


    "Quincy..." Regulus tried again, but she just spat at his feet.


    "You locked me up. Thanks... Regulus, I am so grateful! I have only one father, and his name is Angus Anguine! And the only man I will ever call Daddy is Conrad! So go and lick a goblin''s bedside chamber clean!"


    "So this is your daughter? She has a fiery temper... it probably runs in the family, hm?"


    The new voice immediately made Regulus stiffen, and Quincy felt her blood freeze briefly. Although it was a kind, old voice, it was also filled with unmistakable power, so much so that she had never felt someone''s voice being this oppressive. No... She did it but only once. When Voldemort appeared at school, she felt the exact same way.


    "Dumbledore..." She murmured, only that single name coming to mind, and as soon as she opened her mouth, the legendary figure stepped into the light before her ''cage.''


    "Good to meet you, Miss Anguine."


    "..." This time, Quincy didn''t find it easy to talk back, and it was impossible to keep looking into those piercing, blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles for long.


    "Regulus,"


    "Yes, Professor?" He asked, quickly straightening himself, feeling as if he was a student in Hogwarts once again.


    "We will talk about this later... But punishment will come. What you two did now was not just reckless and dangerous but outright treacherous. We have no time to discuss it at length, but I will remember this."


    "..." Regulus had no answers and could only lower his head while Dumbledore turned back to Quincy.


    "Now, Ms Anguine. You must understand that you must stay here for the time being. I will instruct some people to take care of all of your needs, so please don''t be afraid to state your wishes!"


    "I wish to be released!"


    "I understand..." Dumbledore answered with a friendly smile, gently clapping and holding his hands together, "Sadly, I can''t make that happen, not yet. Don''t be mistaken; we will set you free, but not before our mission is completed. I just ask you to remain calm and endure the time in here until everything is settled. Then you will be reunited with Mr Anguine."


    "T-" Regulus almost opened his mouth to speak, but just one quick, sharp look from Dumbledore made him nearly fall down, forgetting to even breathe.


    "So you want to kill me?" Quincy snorted with searing hate in her eyes, "I am contracted to compete in the tournament!"


    "The magical contract binds you to it, yes." Dumbledore nodded, smiling and speaking kindly, "But as you were kidnapped while participating in one of its tasks, the magic contract is still valid and won''t punish you. Your inability to participate comes from an outside source, not within yourself. You won''t suffer punishment!"


    "Really?" Regulus whispered as he turned deathly white at first, but after Dumbledore''s explanation, he couldn''t help but let out a big, relieved sigh.


    "Why are you still here?" The leader of the Order asked coldly, and before long, Regulus turned into a dog, quickly scurrying away. "Now... what happened right now is unfortunate, Ms Anguine, but it is what it is." Dumbledore sighed, but Quincy didn''t feel that it was an honest opinion. She remained silent and simply watched him conjure a stool with a wave of his wand, sitting down. "I would be glad if you would tell me everything that happened so I can get a clearer picture."


    "I won''t say anything. You can interrogate me, but my lips are sealed!"


    "No, no, Ms Anguine!" The old wizard laughed, but his wrist moved gently, flicking his wand. "This is not an interrogation... we are just talking. Now... please. Tell me everything..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Ah... ?a va, C¨¦line?"


    "Oui! C''est juste que... j''ai l''impression que ma t¨ºte va exploser! Ce serpent a explos¨¦ beaucoup trop violemment!"


    "Je pense que nos sorts ont fusionn¨¦ quand ?a a frapp¨¦ cette b¨ºte! Heureusement, car je n''avais jamais vu un monstre aussi redoutable! Allez, rentrons! Le bruit a s?rement d¨¦rang¨¦ les autres; on ne r¨¦ussira pas ce soir! Essayons ¨¤ nouveau plus tard!"


    "Good..." I whispered, watching them leave, making sure the Professor''s spell worked perfectly. Now, there was only one thing to do... get myself a pensive, and I already had an idea how to do that. "Time to visit the Room of Requirements once again..."

 Chapter 86 – 3-Way Trouble

    The memories of Fleur were not something I would have ever guessed. I couldn''t help but sit silently inside the Room of Requirements, right at the foot of the giant, stone pensive. I wanted to speak with my Father right now! Is this true? Or is this just some kind of farce? No... it had to be accurate; I also realized who they were. I saw them over and over again while growing up and visiting Neville! There was no question in my heart they were speaking the truth... So, my Father was a double agent? Why? That was a question I wanted to ask him the most, but I had no chance to do so.


    "Okay... Think..." I whispered, closing my eyes, taking deep breaths, and starting to talk within the confines of my mind. "Her father takes away Quincy. The Professor is right; she is in no danger. This means the Order knows very well that we are trying to provoke a war in here... so they must have come prepared, which means..."


    "Dumbledore." Answered a familiar voice in my head before I continued.


    "Yes, he is here. There is no question about it! Fleur is also part of the whole affair, but I bet she knows way less... Still, she has to be an Order member!"


    "And you sent her back."


    "I wouldn''t want to keep her with me even if I knew it beforehand!" I replied to the voice subconsciously.


    "Doubt it."


    "Heh, I don''t want to make a deal with them! The moment I make it, multiple things could happen. They could take advantage of me! Realizing my sheer desperation. NEVER start demanding things when you are desperate. They will smell it from miles away! Not to mention, HE could use it to kill me, as I made a deal with the enemy. The perfect reason! Both sides do nothing but look at us like discardable pawns! The Order would use Quincy to pull on my strings like a puppet to do what they wanted. I already have a puppet master, no? If I tried bargaining, that would turn from a hostage exchange into me running laps, doing ''just one more thing'' before they give her back. But they would keep her and know I couldn''t say no. It is a lose-lose situation."


    "They say Dumbledore is an honorable man."


    "And I was told to trust Severus Snape! Heh... thinking about it, no wonder he doesn''t want to help me! If Father sent me to him, it means he is also a Double Agent! Ahahaha! What a snake! And HE doesn''t know? What a perfect agent... No... I do not trust either of them! Bastards! Both!" Rolling up my sleeve, I looked at the Death Eater tattoo on my hand, thinking about how to remove it or if I could even manage something like that.


    "Let me help..."


    Now, I not only heard that second voice, but I felt a hand grabbing mine, and I watched as the tattoo started bleeding as it flew out from my skin, black magical energy mixing with my red blood, dripping to the floor.


    "Your blood is potent... use it more. Don''t suppress it; let it explode when you feel it bubbling."


    "Are you me, the basilisk blood, or Herpo?" I asked while calmly watching it happen, not minding the pain.


    "Why question it now?"


    "Because either I am going insane, or there is something worse happening to me."


    "There." The voice chuckled as I felt the pain subside, but the tattoo was not gone completely, and I could still see its outline.


    "It is still visible."


    "Of course! Until it''s time, we can''t remove it for real, or it would be too suspicious."


    "Can you break the contract with the Goblet too?"


    "No. You are too weak for that. I can''t help you there."


    "So, which are you?" I asked again, but I was waiting for an answer for naught. Walking to the pensive and looking into it, I could still see my somewhat orange-colored eyes reflecting back at me, slowly returning to their natural hue. "Not good... Something is not right with me..." I sighed, but it had to wait.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    With a deep breath, I pushed my worries down and forced myself to focus on my current mission. Picking out my notebook, I wrote to inform my helpers to keep their eyes open and notify me if they see the Champions and their Headmaster.


    If the Order is here, their hiding place must also be local. In the forest? That was my first guest... My second was Hogsmeade. I had no idea how they would manage that or where in the village they would hide, but that also could be a possibility. I will have to hire more of my classmates to keep an eye out. I will visit Hogsmeade soon and, if nothing else, place people under the Imperius curse to spy for me... So, I will need to master it first from Slytherin''s own books.


    When I find their hideout, I will tackle the problem of sneaking inside... But I will worry about it then and not before. What gave me peace was that I now knew who took Quincy away and that they wouldn''t hurt her. That mattered the most right now!


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What should we do with the child?" Asked a calm, cold voice belonging to none other but Severus Snape, meeting with Dumbledore hidden under the town of Hogsmeade.


    "I miscalculated with the Black brothers... I thought they would have been more mature, especially after they did not act on their impulses while living under Anguine''s care."


    "I told you many times that they are liabilities. Both of them!"


    "I know Severus, I know." Dumbledore sighed softly, raising a hand, calming his top agent down.


    "The kid won''t give up; he is too much like his father."


    "He won''t be able to do nothing, Severus. He is still just a child."


    "Don''t underestimate him! His father is still holding that grudge against HIM and has managed to come this far, using nothing but pure hatred as his fuel. Yet... he also kept it in check, and not even his son noticed it."


    "Do you think a young wizard like Conrad could cause trouble to us? Find us when top-tier Death Eaters fail to do so?"


    "I am telling you to not think about him as just a kid! I understand Angus very well... and his son is just like him. He won''t let Quincy go; if anything happens to her, he will become like his father."


    "And you are sure of this because...?" Dumbledore asked, still remaining calm, his voice kind and conversational, searching Snape''s black eyes for answers.


    "Because I am the same, you know that."


    "Yes... yes, I do!" He sighed, nodding his head while gently stroking his long, white beard, "My good friend Nicholas is already brewing some potent Thought Eraser; we will still use it if we must! This mission is too crucial to not take precautions. The two are... unfortunate to get swept up in it."


    "I... Understand." Severus nodded, but before he could leave, Dumbledore held his hand, lowering his voice.


    "I will still need you to stay close to HIM even if we succeed here. In the future battle, I allow you to deal with your school bullies."


    "..." Severus couldn''t help but freeze for a moment, looking deeply into Dumbledore''s cold, blue eyes, knowing he wasn''t kidding.


    "What they did could have ended in disaster. Punishment is in order... We are so close to defeating HIM! We must get into the castle and destroy his Horcrux that is still hidden here! We will have only one chance right when the chaos breaks out! I can deal with losses but not with liabilities, not at this stage! Do you understand... Severus?"


    "Yes." He nodded heavily, but a little excitement did flash in his eyes.


    "Good..." Dumbledore smiled like a kind grandfather, patting his hand and letting him disappear into the dark tunnels, going back to stroking his beard. "Conrad... Anguine. Quincy Black... How interesting..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It took four days for the guests to reappear once again on the castle''s ground. There was a meeting between teachers, and I knew it was about me, but as to what its result was, I have no idea. Not that I cared. When the two visiting schools'' students saw me, I couldn''t help but snort, seeing them part ways or outright avoid me. I didn''t really care about that, but it seemed that further raised my position among the other Hogwarts students.


    Thanks to this, my retinue, who were keeping secret lookouts, counted around 60 members, and I was getting constant updates on where Fleur Delacour was or where Nicholas Flamel popped up. I was just reading the latest updates when I was approached by someone calling out to me. It was so surprising that I almost dropped my notebook, closing it just in time.


    "Viktor?" I asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.


    "I heard story. Your wife...? I am sorry."


    "Thanks... but she is not dead."


    "Sure?" He asked me not to threaten or mock me; I could feel it. He just wasn''t good with English.


    "Yes."


    "I see. You know who? I heard what did you."


    "I am 100% sure they did it." I answered calmly, and with such confidence, it conveyed I had proof... I was just not ready to share it with him.


    "I see. Fighting to death with honor is part of contest. This? Despicable. If help you want... I give." He said while looking into my eyes, stretching his hand forward.


    "Mhm." I nodded, grabbing it and shaking his hand, "Thank you, Viktor. If anything happens, I will not hesitate to look for you. Also... Same here. If we ever fight, it will be face to face, in the competition."


    "You say it as if we snakes." We were interrupted by a third voice, and turning towards it, I was surprised to see Fleur Delacour here... I knew she was close by; that is why I had checked my notebook earlier. But for her to come to me by her own accord? That was something new.


    "No. I think highly of snakes. You? Not even close." I replied, but Fleur didn''t flinch and only peered into my eyes, frowning a little. I was hoping it was not the result of the Professor''s spell failing.


    "Talk." After just standing there for a minute, she said with a hard voice, "Privately."

 Chapter 87 – Scare Tactics

    "Is this far enough from spying ears and eyes yet?" I asked as I walked in front of Fleur while she followed me, never letting me fall behind her. We were already way away from the castle, right next to the cold lake that was getting closer and closer to being frozen over.


    "Yes."


    "Then speak." I stopped at once, turning not towards her but facing the water, watching the Durmstrangs'' ship in the middle of it. Krum wanted to come, but in the end, he closed his mouth before speaking, nodding at me before watching us leave.


    "Two classmates gone. You killed them."


    "Proof?" I chuckled, and neither did I deny nor acknowledge it. Although I didn''t turn towards her, I could feel the anger radiating off her body. Behind my calm exterior, some nervousness began rising, as I wasn''t sure if the spells on her had been reversed or not.


    "None... but I feel I right. You attacked us with unforgivable spell... you are evil."


    "Then why are you still alive?" I asked, this time turning to face her and peer into her eyes, making her subconsciously step back multiple times. Was it fear that I smelled in the air? Probably... and I could clearly hear her heartbeat jump.


    "You dare?" She said hurriedly, wand in her hand, raising it at me.


    "I attacked your Headmaster. You tell me!"


    "That was stupid! You thought much of yourself, Conrad Anguine!"


    "Yes. It was stupid, but I felt my head was about to explode. So, I thought less about the possible consequences! Now, you called me out here for what? To ask me if I killed your missing classmates? Why? When? Don''t worry; if they had anything to do with Quincy''s disappearance, I will find them and deliver their corpse to you."


    "You don''t scare me!"


    "I am not here to scare you, Fleur Delacour. I am stating my intentions... anyone who had anything to do with it, I will kill them. You can go and tell it to those who kidnapped her."


    "I see... Hogwarts raise same evil that rules your school..." She snorted, wanting to leave when I blurted out a question that came to mind, not expecting the results it had on her.


    "How''s your sister?" I asked, remembering a flash of her from Fleur''s memories and thoughts. It made her stiffen, and whatever else she wanted to say was stuck in her throat. Instead of arguing, she hurriedly turned around and left while I picked out my notebook and wrote in it as fast as I could. "Keep an eye on Fleur. DON''T LOSE HER."


    Was she coming with an olive branch originally? I doubt it. She wasn''t thrilled with what happened. I could gather that from her memories and feelings, but she wouldn''t betray them as she was committed to the thought of eradicating evil. Was she trying to confront or make a deal with me? Should I have told her what happened to their missing students in exchange for news on Quincy? Was that what she wanted? Or was she sent here to ask me about it because nobody could explain where two of their students disappeared? Good, because they can''t explain Quincy''s disappearance either! Whatever she thought would happen initially was thrown away by now as I watched her quickly disappearing figure.


    She was afraid. I felt it, and I realized one thing that never really came through in the lessons we had in school. Fear was a powerful weapon if used well. I think Umbridge was the one who told us something similar in one of her lessons.


    "Bitch..." I grumbled, walking back towards the castle myself, keeping an eye on my notebook.


    Barely ten minutes had passed when the first message arrived. It detailed that she was seen rushing into their carriage, looking pale and worried. Only five minutes later, she was scurrying out, looking worse for wear, almost sprinting towards Hogsmeade.


    "Does anyone know where her sister is?" I wrote, asking, and an answer came back after a minute or so while I changed my route to head into Hogsmeade.


    "She is in the village; we saw a group of Beauxbatons walk around Zonko''s joke shop."


    "Try to lure them out of Hogsmeade before Fleur arrives, and don''t let them see each other! I don''t care about the methods; just don''t let them see each other! I don''t need to do you anything else; just make sure they don''t meet!"


    It seems Merlin himself was on my side today, yet I didn''t drink a Felix Felicis either. My little question, which I threw out on a sudden impulse, sent Fleur into a panic... not finding her sister could be the breakthrough I needed.


    I was nearing Hogsmeade when a new message appeared in the notebook, making me frown.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "She looked erratic and disappeared inside the Hog''s Head... We waited, but she didn''t come out, so Liam went in, but she was not there. She couldn''t have left; we were watching the pub and its only entrance!"


    "You did good... No, you did even better. Keep it under watch! Write down anyone who appears! No matter how they look! I want to know everyone who goes in and comes out!"


    When I arrived, I went to the Three Broomsticks and drank butterbeer at the window, reading the messages coming in until dark. She never reappeared in the end, but then came a new report from the castle grounds. She was seen going into the carriage, arguing with her sister so loudly everyone could hear it.


    "How did she do it? Invisibility cloak? Were we busted?" Appeared a new message as more and more began popping up.


    "Liam, were you seen?"


    "Hell no, I was careful!"


    "You are Hufflepuff; being careful is not in your vocabulary!"


    "Stop it." I wrote down, smiling. "This means that something is hidden in there that can lead to who knows where... There must be multiple entrances in and out that are not as obvious as the front door!"


    "Shouldn''t we report this to the teachers?" Asked someone, and she had to be a freshman by the handwriting as her letters were still perfectly paced out.


    "I am a Death Eater, appointed by Lord Voldemort himself." I ''said,'' making sure thick lines and authority accompanied my writing. "When this is all over, and I make a report, I will mention every and all of your families'' names. Do you want to be part of this, or should we let the teachers solve it? What? Do you want the Rat-Man to bag the rewards? Which teachers helped me when they took Quincy?" Watching the notebook, nobody was writing, which made my smile grow a little, and I felt confident. "Which teacher helped me then? I waited for the Headmaster, yet he said he couldn''t do anything! I went to Professor Slughorn! You all know he favored her, yet he refused to help! What then?!"


    "Sorry..."


    "No..." I continued, my quill almost tearing up the paper as I was writing, "Think about it more, my friends. Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw? Gryffindor? Slytherin? Who cares... when shit goes down, it is shown we can''t trust the Professors! It was a Slytherin student who went missing. It was a Champion of Hogwarts... It was MY WIFE! A Death Eater''s family! Just think! If they refuse to help someone like Quincy, like Me, would they care if YOU go missing? Heh! No. They wouldn''t!"


    "Right... if nobody is willing to look for someone who is important for the school''s prestige to win the tournament, why would they bother about anyone else?!" Somebody else wrote it, and I couldn''t help but nod at the hurriedly appearing words.


    "I promise you this..." I continued, "I will remember every one of you who are in this with me. If you ever run into trouble, I will help. With everything I got."


    I don''t know how successful my impromptu speech was, but I hoped it would significantly affect them. I need reliable helpers not just now but in the future, too. Whatever is happening in the background, whatever my Father is involved in, I won''t be able to do things alone. Otherwise... HE wouldn''t need the Death Eaters, either.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Snow was hanging above our heads when December came, but it had not yet come down. I was cursing at the clouds multiple times as we realized that repeating, familiar faces were coming and going from the Hog''s Head on a rotation, like people sent on patrols. Something was happening with that place as people were going in, reappearing elsewhere afterward. Apparation? It could be, but then they manage to outplay the warning systems. You can''t do it here without a proper license from the Ministry. That would set off all the warnings directly at Lord Voldemort himself! No. There was something different at play, and with a fresh coat of snow, we could look for clues and footprints.


    "Hey, Conrad!"


    It was Professor Lockhart''s voice that pulled me out of my thinking. Looking around in the classroom, I was sitting there alone, biting on the end of my quill.


    "Sorry..." I murmured, starting to put my things away, totally not paying attention in his class.


    "It''s okay..." He shrugged, surprisingly normal, missing all of his jolly attitude since the memory incident. We didn''t really speak since then, and it was the first time he approached me on his own accord. "So... I was asking around." He whispered, leaning over my table, making me blink my eyes and rub my ears... He really did?


    "And?" I asked, trying to contain my excitement.


    "Multiple muggle-born wizards who your Father obliviated and sent back into their world disappeared. I have multiple friends in the Auror division, and they looked into the names I had... All gone."


    "I see..." So Father was really part of the Order, and whatever was happening he had a role in it. Did he know about Quincy? I bet not because he wouldn''t have let it slide! Nor would he not tell me!


    "Something big is happening, and we are in the middle of the eye of it!"


    "That I gathered so far, Professor."


    "Anyway..." He waved his hand, continuing, "I was speaking with some other friends of mine in Hogsmeade, and they say multiple unfamiliar faces have been popping up constantly. Of course, it is explained with the tournament, but I''m not buying it!"


    "How''s the two come together?" I asked, furrowing my brows, watching him sigh.


    "Look... You know that I was there to monitor your family, yes?"


    "Yeah, that is why you are having sex with my mother."


    "Err... n-no, we were just, I... I..." He stuttered, not knowing what to say, and that was a first. I couldn''t help but laugh, which I hadn''t done since Quincy was kidnapped.


    "I don''t care! My mother never showed any love for me. I. Don''t. Care. You can take her away; I would be thanking you instead! But please, Professor... continue!"


    "Let''s... drop that topic... so! If it comes out that your Father is a... you know what... Then I would be beheaded! Worse! Cruciated into insanity! My life is over!"


    "I get that part. So...?"


    "I need to get out of the country! I need protection! Fast! I need to speak to your Father! Now, I know you don''t know where he is, and neither do I! But... BUT! I found one of the supposedly muggle-born wizards who was dealt with by your Father! Right here in Hogsmeade! If I go there... That can be trouble... but you! My young friend!"


    "I got it," I said, standing up, grabbing his hand, and shaking it. "I will do my best!"


    "Ah, my boy!" He yelled, hugging me firmly, "I knew we were best mates the moment you arrived at Hogwarts!"


    My happiness was twofold... Even if this clue doesn''t lead me closer to their secret hideout, it could lead me to my Father. Both would be good...


    "Now, Professor! Tell me all you know about this man, and let''s go find him!"

 Chapter 88 – Growing Support

    Finding the person in question wasn''t going to be easy; I knew that. I didn''t even have a concrete idea of what to do with him when we did, but I was eager to act. Sitting around and trying to come up with scenarios was useless; I would much prefer to improvise just to let me get closer to Quincy.


    "Professor, I need you to draw me how he looks. Can you do that for me?" I asked, placing my special notebook before him after we entered the Three Broomsticks, where most people would come when visiting the village.


    "Ah, of course, of course!" He chuckled, waving his wand, and for a moment, my heart stopped, thinking he would turn my best tool into a burning manifesto. Luckily, that didn''t happen. Instead, the quill began moving, and soon, a life-like portrait appeared of a guy who should be around his mid-twenties, with sweptback, black hair, and a bit sunken eyes glaring straight at me.


    "Thank you!" I said, looking at it and writing that everyone should keep an eye out for him before closing it. "I memorized him. Where did you see him first?"


    "Right here!" He said, fumbling with his fingers and looking around, but we only saw locals and some older students who had some free time between classes. "Around noon, I think!"


    "Did you follow him?"


    "No, I had different things I had to take care of."


    "Like?" I asked, pressing on as it was rare for him to be this straightforward. The executioner blade above his head seemed to wash away the always confident and jolly persona he had put forward so far.


    "Haaah... it is no use in keeping silent about it, not when a storm is coming! If the Order is here, it will come to light anyway!"


    "Professor..." I urged him, leaning forward, wanting him to just tell it as is.


    "Do you know that the castle has multiple hidden routes?"


    "No, but I guessed so." I nodded, especially after finding the Chambers of Secret.


    "Now, there is more than one. We know about seven. Four of those seven have been destroyed, collapsed, and ensured nobody can come and go from them. The remaining three? We are using them to transport fugitives in and out of the castle... there is a whole prison underneath Hogwarts with some high-ranking order members held there!"


    "I gathered as much. I heard things and thought there was some shady business going on." I nodded, leaning back and ordering a butterbeer. "Will they try to free them?"


    "There is a possibility. I am sure they know about it! But they wouldn''t know about the layout..."


    "So you want to trade the information for your safety." I finished for him, already having an idea why he was so proactive.


    "Exactly! I can tell them how to get in without triggering any alarms and get their people out!"


    "If they are here for them..." I murmured, furrowing my brows because I didn''t think Dumbledore would have come for them. Or just for them. Are some captured ''soldiers'' worthy of him risking everything?


    "What else? I don''t see any other points! I will have to find Professor Slughorn too... Maybe he also takes the chance to escape!"


    "Hoh?" I asked, surprised once again, but it made sense... If a potion master can''t make someone talk, working in tandem with someone who can extract memories, then the victims surely know nothing. "This sounds like a conspiracy after conspiracy... How many layers are there?"


    "Damned if I know!" He moaned with pain, and while drinking his own butterbeer, I felt my notebook get warmer.


    Opening it up, I saw new writing appear as one of my sentries recognized the mugshot of our target. He did enter the Hog''s Head once and was seen at the outskirts of the village later on. If that is the case, then he will be back; I just need to be patient.


    "Professor, can you draw me those tunnels?" I asked him, and with a bit more persuasion, he penned it in great detail, even explaining the enchantments placed on them and how to deactivate them. Some I didn''t even hear about, but after he was finished, he stood up with a dejected sigh.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I can''t stay longer; I have classes in the afternoon and duties at night! Kiddo... My friend! Will you help me? Inform me if you find him?"


    "Yep! You are the only teacher helping me, so of course, I will return the favor!" I answered, looking into his eyes. After he left, I hurriedly opened my notebook. "Memorize the tunnels and their entry points! We will keep an eye out on those, too, but I am sure there are others only the Order knows about! Don''t go into them; it could be dangerous, but if something ever happens and you are in trouble, don''t be afraid of escaping through them!"


    I don''t know why, but I had a feeling that something horrible was brewing, and by now, I was worried about the School and the others. These few days made me realize only some people are like Draco and his entourage. Most of them were... just like me. Us. Kids... wanting to learn magic. I was surprised how many of them, from different houses, were willing to help me... I owed them this much.


    Two hours later, I was ready to head back when a fifth-year Ravenclaw student hurriedly wrote that she saw the man. He had just entered Hogsmeade, coming from the side of the train station. I didn''t hesitate, rushing out and a minute later I saw him. He was doing rounds around the main market square, looking at the stalls and the shops, seemingly just strolling around but edging closer and closer to the Hog''s Head.


    "I need some of you to either block him or herd him towards the alleyway on the left! Make sure people don''t notice it because I''m going to knock him out!"


    A moment later, a group appeared with a dozen students, and it made me smile. They acted perfectly, being loud and obnoxious. They blocked the narrow roads just right to make my target take the designated alleyway, and when he entered, I stepped after him and hit him in the back with a stunning spell.


    "This way!" A sixth-year Gryffindor whispered, opening a door with alohomora, and we pulled in the unconscious man.


    "Thanks!" I nodded as more students filled the room that looked like some abandoned, old shop.


    "Who is he?" Asked a girl whisperingly, and I could tell she was part fearful, part excited.


    "Probably a member of the Order!" I said, making them take in sharp breaths. "I will look into his memories. You guys, keep an eye out for me!"


    "You can do that?" A Ravenclaw student asked, sounding impressed.


    "Professor Lockhart taught me. Believe it or not, that is the only spell he is good at!"


    "It is tough to believe!" The others chuckled, making me also smile before casting the spell.


    At least there were no weird blocks or defenses inside his memories, so I could ''walk around'' freely, looking at the images. It took only a short time until I found the one I wanted. It was an underground passage leading from the train station to the edge of the School. It didn''t head into the grounds but ended right before it, concealed by a trapdoor, transfigured into a bush. Walking through his memories, I didn''t see the picture of my father at all, and some shots were blurred into an unrecognizable state. Probably tampered with... By whom? I couldn''t tell.


    "Let''s see if I can untangle this mess..." I murmured and pointed my wand at one of the blurry pictures, but the moment I did it, blue flames erupted around me, and I felt incredible pain searing through my mind.


    It jolted me out of the spell, making me take a step back as I heard multiple screams and saw the body of the man erupt in flames, turning into nothing but ash at a moment''s notice.


    "What happened?!" A Slytherin student asked, holding me by the shoulder, keeping me from swaying.


    "His memories were obfuscated!" I groaned, wincing multiple times, "The moment I tried to undo it, something activated! Probably a curse placed on him or... I don''t know!"


    "Your nose!" A Hufflepuff girl said, giving me a tissue as it was bleeding profusely.


    "Thanks... damn it!" I cursed as the rest of the students looked to be whiter than a ghost.


    "They don''t want this to be discovered... This is really bad... very bad!"


    "It is." I nodded, not wanting to argue with them, "But panic is not a solution!" I said, raising my voice and making them look directly at me. "Listen! This competition is going to turn really ugly... But it won''t help if we start panicking and making a fuss! In the guy''s memories, I found the underground tunnel he used to move around! I bet there are multiple dozen others that they use!"


    "Like what we saw in the notebook appear?"


    "Kinda, but the one this guy knew about didn''t go straight to the castle! But I bet there are others that do!"


    "What should we do?!" They asked as, by now, for them, this was not about helping me find Quincy. Nor about the competition. They feared an attack from the Order... the threat of war and death.


    "If there will be a battle, that would be catastrophic here. I will speak with the Headmaster!" I started with a lie because I won''t even mention this to him... But this simple promise would still calm the others down. "But I am just one man... This is now more than a kidnapping of my partner! They are planning an assault on our school!"


    "That would mean war!"


    "We are already at war with them for many years!" I answered, waving a hand to calm them down. "I told you before... I will help. All of you! Look for your friends, those who you can trust! Make more notebooks and involve them in this so we can keep in contact and share information! When trouble comes, we can only trust each other, understand? We are Hogwarts students, so we have to look out for each other, no matter the house! Those passages that lead from the castle to the outside world? If something happens, use them! Use them to escape or hide! Got it?"


    "Y-yeah..." Some weak answers did come, but I could feel that they were nervous, so much so that it was hard to speak.


    "Trust me on this... and I will do my best to ensure that all of us are safe."


    When we slowly, one by one, left the room, I was the last to leave. By now, my nosebleed had stopped, and I wasn''t heading towards the castle. My goal was the entrance of the tunnel the guy knew about.

 Chapter 89 – Labyrinth

    I went to the train station first, finding the entrance in the public bathroom hidden from all eyes. I had to push one of the ''out of order'' toilets and descend a few yards on a sharp slope. There wasn''t any light source present, and the darkness was so bad even my eyes were struggling to adapt. Probably only Quincy would have no problem navigating down here. After lighting up the tip of my wand, I began walking forward, inspecting the floor and the walls, advancing very slowly and methodically. I didn''t know if they had any traps here, but I wouldn''t be surprised, so I constantly used the revealing charm, ready to dodge some spikes or darts... as if I was exploring an ancient tomb from some adventure book.


    "Nothing...?" I asked after more than an hour of walking. I was tempted to stop using spells, but that would be stupid because I would surely activate something if I gave up caution.


    Well... after another hour, I reached the other end, emerging close to the castle''s grounds. Was this a one-way tunnel? That sounded stupid. That can''t be it! So I headed back, this time more confident, not wasting time looking for traps. Instead, I was focusing on the walls and possible hidden marks, anything that would give me clues.


    My efforts bore fruit after multiple hours and repeated back-and-forth walks. Maybe somewhere in the middle of it all, I noticed weird markings on the right-hand side of the wall. They were like scratches, like left behind by scraping two stones together. The tunnel itself was made out of earth and stone; it was nothing fancy, so they didn''t really stand out. Not until you stopped and began looking at it directly.


    "Now, what is this?"


    With my wand, I gently tapped the walls on both sides, but nothing happened. I tried some unlocking spells, revealing charms, even some weaker hexes... nothing. It didn''t react. That told me it wasn''t magical, so I tried brute force.


    "Hah!"


    With a healthy push, the wall moved, and scraping against the rocks, it rotated 90 degrees, opening up to a different tunnel. No magic huh? Interesting... no wonder it didn''t react to anything as it was ''mechanical.''


    "I am now wondering if it was truly a good idea to stop learning about muggles!" I whispered, looking into complete darkness.


    Entering the new route, I returned to take it slowly and surely, making plodding progress, but I could feel my heart beating rapidly. Once again, I found no traps, but knowing what I was looking for, I more easily noticed the multiple similar scrapings on some of the walls this time. Pushing against them, they turned, revealing another route.


    "This is worse than a maze!" I groaned, drawing in my notebook and making a rudimentary map for myself and the others. I had to constantly cast spells, determining where I was, where was north, or whether the route was bent or not. It slowed my progress even further, and I think it was way past midnight when I looped back to my starting point.


    Looking down at my notebook, I discovered 14 tunnels and four other exits. Of those four, three were in Hogsmeade, while the last put me at the forest''s edge. How the hell was anyone finding their way through this mess? I didn''t know, but Quincy must be here somewhere, so there was no time to give up... but it was time to rest. I felt exhausted from continuously using magic; if it came to fighting, I would be defeated.


    I had no choice but to leave the underground maze, close every door, and return to the Common Room at sunrise, collapsing onto my bed. I didn''t even take off my shoes; I just went to sleep the moment I got into a slightly horizontal line.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Please, Quincy... you have to eat!"


    "No." She answered, not accepting the food, looking worse and worse as the days went by. Her face was getting sunken in, and her lips were parched as she rarely accepted any drinks either. She only took the chance when she was on the verge of collapsing.


    "Please! It isn''t poisoned! I am your Father, for Meriln''s sake!" Regulus pleaded with her, taking a bite from the ham sandwich, proving it to her. Even with water, others had to drink from the same water and the same cup she had to, showing that they did swallow it and stay there for half an hour before she took it for herself. But only if no visible effects were happening to the other party. "At least take the drink! It''s butterbeer!"


    "Bring me water or nothing at all. I told you already!" She scoffed, not even looking at him, just facing the opposite wall, sitting on her single cot. "I will drink my own urine if I must! I can''t tell if you slipped any serum into the garbage you brought me, not to mention some thought-erasing ones! Hmph!"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "We wouldn''t do that!" Regulus complained, but Quincy just smiled as if she had heard a cute joke from a child.


    "You yourself don''t believe that rubbish! Your leader already questioned me about everything and used some kind of spell because I couldn''t lie. So now that he knows all I do, I have zero use for you lot."


    "Dumbledore is not like that! The moment we leave, you will be freed!"


    "You mean made free to follow you or nothing, yes? Don''t take me for some stupid girl, Regulus Black! Now, if you finished, go away. I wish to be alone."


    In the end, Regulus just sighed, feeling pain in his chest, sliding the tray inside Quincy''s cell before walking away. He knew it would be futile as she wouldn''t touch it, no matter what they offered her. Looking at Quincy''s withering figure, it was the most stressful period he had faced in a long time.


    "Maybe it was a bad idea to bring her away..." Regulus murmured after entering their resting room, where Sirius, Lupin, and Charlie sat and discussed something when he arrived.


    "That it was." Lupin nodded, not mincing his words, "It was foolish... but I understand. Still, it was not the right choice!"


    "I would have stopped you two from leaving," Charlie said calmly, "Even if it means by force."


    "Don''t start it again!" Lupin interjected, stopping the brewing argument. "Focus on our current task. For now, we are on standby! Don''t tire yourself out before time!"


    "We will be fine, relax... we have been waiting for this for a long time!" Sirius laughed, getting up and bringing over some heavier drink, filling small glasses with its greenish content. "It will be great to finally attack and finish off some Death Eaters! You will have the diversion you need, old friend!"


    "Good." Lupin nodded, accepting the glass, "But be careful, okay?"


    "It will be chaos." Charlie smiled with his injured face, looking savage before downing the shot, "The perfect time for infiltrating the school and finding that cursed item!"


    "Will it be enough?" Regulus asked, somewhat unsure.


    "Dumbledore knows the castle more than anyone!" Sirius countered his brother''s worries, "Our biggest advantage is that HE thinks we don''t know about the Room of Requirements!"


    "Whoever found the Chamber of Secrets gave us an advantage!" Regulus chuckled while the others raised their cups at that. "It confirmed for HIM that we genuinely don''t know about it, or we would have gone there to find his Horcrux! Instead, we came to steal some basilisk venom to use against him. Hah!"


    "Which is true." Lupin smiled, "Severus did provide it for us."


    "He just continues kissing up to Dumbledore." Sirius scoffed at the mention of Snape''s achievement.


    "Yes, but we will use the fang to destroy the Horcrux hidden here!" Lupin countered him, knowing that their childhood animosity was still there, maybe even stronger now, after the death of James, Lily, and little Harry.


    "And if we succeed, Tom will only have two left in his possessions." They immediately stood up as the voice belonged to Dumbledore, who just entered their room, looking serene and all-knowing. "Sit... I''m just visiting because I need your sharp noses." He smiled, looking at Regulus and Sirius. "Alastor sent word that one of our sentries died.


    "What happened?" They asked in unison.


    "Someone captured him and tried to access his memories when the defensive spell activated. Sadly, after that, he was disposed of!" Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head.


    "Lockhart?"


    "Maybe." Dumbledore shrugged, "If anything, he is proficient in the ways of the mind. He wiggled into many of our members'' brains, even extracting some pieces of information that made us give up on crucial missions!"


    "We will keep an eye out for him, and if he appears, he will die." Said Charlie without any emotions.


    "Death is sometimes inevitable... how unfortunate... he has a brilliant mind but a twisted personality. Now, Regulus. Sirius. If you, please entertain me, go out and take a walk around the village in your animal form and try to sniff out who was the one trying to find us!"


    ...


    ....


    .....


    When I woke up the next day, I felt horrible, but after a quick wash, I was ready to return to the underground tunnels. It was when I exited the front gate of the castle that I realized winter had come, and snow was falling, covering everything in a thick, white layer. Winter had finally arrived. I picked out my notebook, and my eyes focused on the latest news: They found something!


    I hurried into Hogsmeade as the students who went out early found footsteps in the fresh snow. I could have kissed them for their quick thinking, as right then, it was still new, and the routes weren''t covered in hundreds of footprints. What was weird was that they were the pawprints of dogs emerging from an abandoned well.


    "Animagi!" I said the moment I met up with them and could see it for myself. "They know of the death of their comrade!" I concluded as the trail went straight to where I knocked out the man yesterday. "And I know who these two are..."


    "What should we do?" The Slytherin students who found it asked, looking at me for answers.


    "Go about your day! Keep an eye out for a black and grey dog, though! They will be our shape-shifting mages! Don''t try to stop them; they could be dangerous... Just keep your eyes peeled!" I said commandingly and also wrote it up in the notebook. "Now... I want some of you stationed at the entrances we found. Keep an eye out because I will go down from where the footprints originate and explore it! If I stop reporting via my end for more than an hour, take it as if I was captured. Or killed. Burn your books then, and don''t believe anything I write into it because that will no longer be me! Got it?"


    "Yes." They answered, and before I went down, those with me insisted that they shook my hands before watching me disappear underground. It felt good... I didn''t know what would happen, but it boosted my optimism, feeling I wasn''t alone in descending into the abyss.

 Chapter 90 – The Nest of the Phoenix

    I was much more nervous going down underground than previously. I knew the same people who kidnapped Quincy used this route to move around, so I was sure I would find her. I kept my eyes open and my nose sharp, wanting to pick up on any movement in the dark before they could sense me.


    "Wet dogs..." I whispered as the air had a thin trail of that particular smell. Not that I was complaining, no... I was following it. It led me forward, straight into a wall with the familiar markings. When I pushed it open, I was looking down into a stairway leading even deeper underground, speeding up my heartbeat. "Shit!"


    I felt it. The moment I stepped over the threshold, I picked up on a whiff of magic, speeding away from my position. It had to be a silent alarm, alerting others that a door had been opened. There was no time to dawdle, and I broke out in a sprint, casting counter spells in case some hexes started flying my way.


    And they did.


    "Protego!"


    I shouted, erecting a shield charm at the last moment before an invisible fireball could hit me. It exploded against my shield, throwing sparks and flames everywhere, lighting up the long tunnel that opened up into a round chamber. I could see multiple doors on the wall, leading to who knows where, but I had no time to think about it.


    "Solidifico!"


    With a jump and a precise aim at my feet, I managed to create a stable surface to stand on as the ground below my feet turned into quicksand, trying to pull me under, either killing me or trapping me in place. I watched as the earth began sinking, now golden in color like the Shara''s dunes. With another spell, I pointed at one of the doors randomly, opening it up, but sand started pouring out instead of an escape route. Luckily, my second try was a success, as the tunnel behind it was dark but stable. With a quick flick, I propelled myself forward, gliding through the air, landing in the tunnel just to lose all balance as it began rotating about.


    "Epoximise!"


    I had to think fast, gluing myself to the ground to stay afoot, but it didn''t help the fact that the feeling of vertigo was making me nauseous. The whole world was spinning, and it was going faster and faster. I was trying to close my eyes and get my bearings when I felt a spell heading towards me, and my body reacted on its own.


    As the two jets of red light clashed, a second one headed towards me from the room where I came from, making me raise another shield charm, fending it off. Still, there was a limit to what I could do as a third one was already coming, aiming at the gap in my defenses.


    "Expelliarmus!" I recognized that voice the moment it appeared, and the spell hit the third one, blocking it for me. "STOP! NOW!"


    "Father..." I whispered, opening my eyes as the turning of the room slowed down, and I managed to regain my sense of direction. I still felt horrible, but now I could finally see that at the end of the tunnel stood a red-haired man with a disfigured face. He was the first one who attacked me. Looking behind my shoulders, I saw that the circular room had already returned to normal, and three people stood there, one of them being my Father, with wands out and pointing them toward me.


    "What is the meaning of this?" The red-haired man asked, his voice raspy and cold.


    "I am here to ask the same thing," Father replied, not lowering his hand. "I received news that you kidnapped my daughter-in-law and have to return to find you attacking my son?"


    "She is my daughter! She wasn''t kidnapped!" One of the men shouted back, making me look at his disheveled, bum-like appearance... I see. He must be Regulus Black. The other one is Sirius, then. The doggy-brothers. Fitting. No wonder they look like some mangy strays.


    "Stop it." Echoed a new voice, much older, calmer, and commanding. Even I began lowering my wand before stopping my hand from following the strange order. With another turn, I looked at an old figure emerging next to the red-haired guy, and I didn''t need introductions to realize it was Dumbledore. "This has been spiraling out of control since the day you two left our Sanctuary without my permission. So this will end now!"


    "Will it?" I asked, interrupting them.


    "It will." The man next to Dumbledore said, and I saw him raise his hand, just moving it for an inch before a red light passed beside my body, curving unnaturally as it hit his hand, flinging the wand from between his fingers.


    "Try it, Weasley, and it will be the last thing you do in this life." Now that is the Father I remember... I don''t care what he is doing here; he is my Father, and he is on my side.


    "Relax, Angus," Dumbledore said, raising one hand before turning towards the man called Weasley. "You too, Charlie. Go back to your post! Sirius, Regulus, go ahead and check the tunnels! We can''t have another visitor right now! Angus, Young Conrad, this way, please!"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I was still stuck on the floor, but with a gentle flick of his wand, Dumbledore easily unglued me while my Father walked past the others, standing behind me with a troubled, painful, yet proud expression.


    "I know you have questions..." He whispered as he led me forward.


    "Yes, but I won''t ask them. I will trust your decisions, Dad! I am here for Quincy..."


    "We will get her back." He smiled, squeezing my shoulder. "I am proud of you, Son. More than you think! I didn''t want you to get this involved... the less you know, the safer you will be."


    "I don''t think I can be any safer, not after, well, last year."


    "Maybe you are right... but as your Father, I wanted to do all I could to ensure you are in the least danger."


    "Fate has a weird humor." Dumbledore interjected as we reached another room with only a round table and a few chairs. Soon, floating teacups arrived, but I was not in the mood to take either of them, no matter how playfully they were bobbing up and down before me. "It isn''t poisoned." The old wizard smiled, taking one and sipping on it.


    "Thank you, but I am not thirsty." I refused verbally, and he didn''t seem to mind.


    "Why didn''t you turn into a snake?" He asked, making me and my Father flinch. In such a weird way, he was letting us know that he had already interrogated Quincy.


    "I wouldn''t have fit into the tunnel."


    "But you could have killed them." He countered sharply.


    "I am here for Quincy. That is all. It is harder to escape if others are chasing me with a vengeance."


    "I see." I couldn''t tell if he was impressed or not, as his voice remained calm and conversational throughout our brief exchange. "Angus, you should have not come here."


    "I left behind a decoy clone; as long as another Death Eater doesn''t come, I can be missing for a few hours. I am here for Quincy."


    "Ah yes... Quincy." He shrugged, making my heart skip a beat. "Don''t worry, young man, she is fine. She just refuses to eat or drink, so she is in a... troubled state."


    "..."


    "Now!" He clapped, wiping his lips after emptying his cup and looking at both of us, "Here is the problem! Or... in the two children''s heads, to be precise! Memories of this place must be purged!"


    "You want to burn me with blue flames?" I asked sarcastically, but Dumbledore only glanced at me without saying a word.


    "You will drink... this." I recognized the flask... it was a Thought Eraser elixir.


    "Heh!" I scoffed, looking at him like he just asked me to kill myself.


    "It is a specific brew. It will erase your memories up to the point of Quincy''s disappearance. It is either this... or nothing."


    "No deal."


    It was not me who said it, but my Father. It was the first time I saw genuine surprise arising in the old fogey''s eyes, looking up at my Father from behind his half-moon spectacles.


    "Use memory charms, altering his memories of today''s events or nothing." Okay... now it was my time to be surprised, but I remained silent. "If you try forcing Conrad or Quincy to drink that, go and find another wizard to do my job!"


    "Angus..." He whispered, but it was not a friendly voice.


    "I am not kidding, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. This. Or nothing." I had no idea what was going on; I just knew that whatever Dumbledore wanted, my Father had the upper hand in this conversation.


    "So be it."


    His answer was so quick that I barely managed to feel the underlying coldness and frustration. I wanted to speak, but then a spell flung at me faster than anything I had ever seen. It hit me on the forehead, and then everything went dark. The last thing I thought of was that not even my Father could react to it.


    ....


    .....


    .......


    "I will destroy this," Dumbledore said, letting the memories of Conrad swirl above his palm. "Don''t worry, he is uninjured. But we have little time to waste."


    Angus said nothing in the end, just leaned down, picking up his son''s limp body.


    "You must come with me and persuade the young lady, as she is most reluctant to cooperate with us. I am willing to risk this as we are in the final stretch. Don''t fail me, Angus Anguine! Don''t become like the Black brothers!"


    "I already told you. I will fight the Dark Lord myself, giving you enough time to find his Horcruxes in the castle and destroy them. That was our deal from the start."


    "I''m just afraid that you will falter in the last moment because of the child you hold in your arms. To give us the chance, you must go all out."


    "I raised him well. He is already becoming independent and no longer needs my protection. He found your place without me and infiltrated your base!" Angus added with a visible smirk on his face, unseen by Dumbledore, as he walked ahead of the two.


    "Yes... yes, he did." The old wizard hummed, looking at the memories within his fingers, wanting to inspect them, but there was no time for it. Not with Angus being here, so he simply crushed it, destroying all of it. "I will implant new memories into the kids. It will be your job to create a scene for their return."


    "It will be done, and don''t worry. I know my task, and I will perform it well."


    "The ties of a family are always the ones that cause problems in all plans under the moon... It did so almost a hundred years ago, and it is doing it right now!" Dumbledore murmured to himself, not minding Angus listening in, "This is one advantage that Tom has over us..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When I woke up, I felt my head whirling around, surrounded by thick smoke rising toward the sky. I was surrounded by dead spiders and saw Quincy, cocooned, wrapped up in a nasty sleeping bag made of spider silk. But finally, I found her and she was now safe!


    "No..." I groaned, holding my head, feeling it thumping. That was not right.


    "Of course it isn''t." A voice chuckled within me as my blood began heating up. It was like someone turned on a heater within me as bubbles of memories started emerging from my blood. Very quickly, a red mist washed away the fake memories, replacing them with those that Albus Dumbledore thought he had ripped out of me. Yes... Now I remember.


    "Damn..." I coughed, spitting out a bit of rancid-smelling blood. "It''s no time to wonder... Quincy!" I rushed to her, freeing her from her weird prison, seeing her awful state. "All is good now... yes... all is fine!" I whispered, picking her up and hugging her close. First, I had to bring her back. Then? I can sit down and sort out my memories and decide what is real and fake.

 Chapter 91 – Mind Games

    I was sitting next to Quincy''s bed in the infirmary, holding my notebook in my lap, reading it through over and over again. I was told to stay and rest, so I didn''t argue against it, which also meant I could keep an eye on Quincy. I had fake memories to deal with in my head while I was waiting for her to wake up. Ones that felt so real it was scary, and it was hard to believe they hadn''t happened. Thankfully, through this notebook, I could discern what was real and what was the machinations of Albus Dumbledore.


    "I got Quincy back." It was the first thing I wrote into it, followed by a warning to everybody. "If you ever feel yourself to be in danger, burn your notebook. Its existence could bring forth your demise."


    To my surprise, very few people wrote they would do it, while the rest assured me they would be with me going forward, whatever happens, even if they have to fight the Order. In the end, I had more than forty students who signed their names, saying they wanted to follow me as everyone felt a storm was coming.


    "I will have to come up with a codename for everyone," I murmured, closing the notebook. "I need a security backup if one of these books falls into the wrong hands!"


    "We can... enchant it, so only the selected people can read... it..."


    "Quincy!" I yelled out, standing up at once when I heard her weak voice, helping her sit up before I hugged her close. "Finally, you are back..."


    "I... remember some weird things... it doesn''t make sense..." She whispered, her throat dry, so I helped her drink some water before doing anything else.


    "Most of it is fake memories. Don''t force it! We were captured by the Order, and our memories were tampered with!"


    "How do you know?" She asked, looking confused, holding my hand, not wanting to let it go. I knew it would be hard to believe, yet her eyes weren''t questioning me.


    "My blood. I think the ritual... or Herpo is doing it. He imprinted himself into his bloodline, which already means that he knows how to store memories in blood."


    "Isn''t he... gone? Dead? He said it!"


    "And who would believe one of the most powerful dark wizards of ancient times?" I asked with a half-smile, making her blush. "We will deal with that when we must; let''s not worry about it! First... rest! You look horrible!"


    "I feel horrible..." She chuckled, but still, I climbed into her bed, hugging her close to me and rubbing her head.


    "Worry not! We will deal with your jumbled memories, and I already know how!"


    "I am not worried... not anymore!" She whispered, burying her face into my chest, and for the first time in a long time, I felt everything was back in order.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Two days later, I brought Quincy to the office of Professor Lockhart. If memories needed fixing, I know no better experts to ask to help us. When I entered, he quickly closed the doors and made sure we were not spied upon, asking me nervously.


    "So...? Kiddo? What did they say?" He yelled like a kid, holding my shoulders and shaking me a little.


    "Nothing." I shrugged, and I wasn''t lying. Not really. There was no chance to even bring it up. "Sadly, things turned out... really bad, Professor."


    "How bad?" He asked, turning whiter, biting on his nails after letting me go.


    "Well... You will be able to see it! Please help me reorganize Quincy''s memories, as they have been tampered with! After that, we can talk!"


    "What about you?"


    "I''m fine, my mind was prepared." I lied, and he was more nervous than to question it.


    "Okay... I will need you to help me with it, Conrad! You know Quincy the best, so you will come with me, and we will work in tandem!"


    "How?" I asked, and he explained simply.


    "Both of us will cast the spell at the same time and enter her memories simultaneously! Don''t worry, I will take the lead!"


    I was surprised that I wasn''t even questioning him and trusting his word from the get-go. Huh... I couldn''t have imagined it in my first or even in the second year. Not even Quincy was bothered by it, and when we used the same spell as if we were one entity, I found myself standing next to the Professor, right in the gallery of Quincy''s memories.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Good. It worked."


    "What do you mean by that? That did not sound as if it was something I wanted to hear!"


    "I never did this before; I only theorized it." He told me, not looking at me. Instead, he was nervously scanning the ''paintings'' on the walls. I wanted to tell him off, but it was not the right time for it... That had to wait until later. "Yes... I see..."


    "What do you see...?" I asked, holding down my anger and regulating my breaths.


    "Many of the memories here are fake; you can tell if you look at their frames! Every memory has a unique frame, like fingerprints! The fake ones? Look closer! They are identical!"


    "Are they?"


    No matter how hard I looked, the wooden-looking, swirly-twirly decorations on them looked the same in all of the paintings. They always did. Nothing new here!


    "I don''t know, Professor, they all look the same to me anyway!"


    "Exactly! A ton of memory got ripped out and replaced!"


    "You said once that memories can''t be destroyed! That nobody did it before!" I countered, fearing that Quincy''s memories couldn''t be recovered.


    "Have you ever heard of amnesia?"


    "Of course!"


    "The only way to get rid of memories. It still won''t destroy them, but it will be close. Close enough! Whoever did this was forceful... Ripping out memories causes the effects of amnesia! It is a brute force method and could lead to permanent brain damage! Think of it like knocking off the paintings from the wall. They fall into the abyss! Then the caster just has to replace them with his own version. A crude method! No sophistication or respect towards the art of it at all!"


    "Is she okay?" I asked, feeling my heartbeat fasten at once.


    "Yes, yes... she is fine... now, let me work! Conrad, you know her best! Your job will be to concentrate on memories that you built up together! Try interacting with the fake ones here, projecting your own into her mind! I will try to fish out what is hidden deep within so we can restore what has been lost!"


    ...


    ....


    .....


    The whole ordeal went on for the entire day. The one who was the most relaxed was none other than Quincy. With every session, more and more memories resurfaced of what happened to her, and by the end, she could distinguish between her natural and fake memories. When we were finished in the evening, I wanted to collapse, feeling like I had run a marathon.


    "Thank you, Professor!" She bowed towards him before sitting in my lap, snuggling up to me.


    "Yeah..." He nodded, looking disheartened and crestfallen.


    I knew the reason. In one of Quincy''s memories, Dumbledore was interrogating her, and his name came up. It was evident that Dumbledore looked at him as someone unimportant and that he would not want to do anything with him. That alone crushed all the Professor''s hopes for striking a deal with them.


    "I''m done for..." He groaned, placing his head into his palms, and it was the first time I saw a grown man crying. It wasn''t loud... it wasn''t a tantrum. It was pitiful, desperate sobs. I can''t lie. I felt sorry for him.


    "Not is all lost, Professor!" Quincy whispered, walking up to him and patting his head.


    "It is... it is!" He answered, trying to fix his posture and wiping his eyes, but it just made him even more pitiful.


    "I will vouch for you, Professor!" I blurted out, not even knowing if that would have any use or not. I am nothing but a glorified bait anyway. Vouch to whom? Voldemort? Dumbledore? Laughable... both of them.


    "Thanks, kiddo... you are truly a good friend. My only friend... Keep yourselves safe, okay?"


    For some reason, I was feeling really bad while being led out of his office. I wanted to say something, but then again, he just closed the door behind him, and I heard the locks clicking into place.


    "We should visit him maybe a bit more." Quincy murmured, feeling the same way as I did.


    "If we have time!" I answered, holding her hand and leading her towards our ''classroom'' in the North Tower. "It is December, and soon it will be the Yule Ball!"


    "Can''t we skip it? After what happened, I am not in the mood to celebrate... anything! I just got back; I should be able to say I am still weak and battered to go to any celebration!"


    "Me neither. But I don''t think we can shrug it off..."


    I think he knew that, too. After getting to our little place, I ignited a fire in our undersized stove, and soon, the cold room began warming up. Sitting before the orange-colored fire, I listened to her recounting what it was like being a captive of the Order. Although I did see it in her memories, it was different from hearing it from her lips, and it helped her reinforce her memories. It was followed by my side of the events, leaving nothing out.


    "I want to see it..." She murmured, kissing my neck as she sat in my lap. "You, fighting that prick Flamel and his dragons!"


    "I thought you would scold me for being stupid!" I joked, caressing her hair.


    "Well, I would, but not now, no. But Conrad... what will we do next? Your Father..."


    "I know. I mean... I don''t know! To be honest with you, I have been doing nothing but improvising! Reacting and not planning ahead! I hate to admit this, but we are not the ones who hold the reins! That is in the hands of Dumbledore and Voldemort! We are just pawns in a game... and our positions are the ones that try to pull out the opponent''s Queen."


    "Yes... you are right..."


    "The only thing we can do now is to prepare, prepare and prepare! Deal with what is in front of us! My only hope is when this tournament is over, and the dust settles, we will have a chance to regain control over our lives!"


    "Until then, we will continue to ready ourselves!" She hummed, kissing me more and more as if trying to fill up the quota she missed in the past month. "That notebook was a good idea! Can you gather the people? I will help you put a hex on it!"


    "What kind of hex?" I asked, returning the kisses by now.


    "With a few from the books of Salazar! They will be very effective, you will see!"


    By now, it was increasingly hard to talk as we were trying to seal each other''s lips, and no more words were being said. At least not verbally but through mouth-to-mouth.

 Chapter 92 – Alliances

    "Thank you!" Said a 4th-year student, bowing towards Quincy as she finished enchanting her notebook, the last one that we created.


    Quincy''s hex was something else, and it amazed me with how much ease she performed it. For anyone uninitiated, the notebook''s contents would look like nothing but a student''s diary. Even if they begin to explore it in more detail, the more potent spell they use, the stronger the backlash would hit them! By her description, the spell was not countering the enemy but bending against the spell and rebounding it. If it goes over a threshold and the hex can''t handle it, then the notebook would burst into flames and be destroyed. It was simple yet effective, just like how Salazar Slytherin liked it.


    "No, I need to thank you!" She repeated the same thing she already told a dozen times, "You helped me escape!"


    There were two stories floating around the school. The official version, which the three Headmasters personally announced, said that the spiders trapped Quincy and that it was part of the tournament. The second one was that she was kidnapped and held captive by the Beauxbatons and rescued by me. Of course, the second was coming from us, from my group, but it was never publicly acknowledged by me or her.


    As to why? To cause a slight headache for our Headmaster and the Order. This alone made the Order question what happened. Did Dumbledore fail to deal with me? With my memories? Or was this a ruse? Was there a leak within their ranks? Who? On the other hand, it caused problems for Severus in navigating through it. He even called me to his office when the rumor started spreading.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" He asked me plainly, and I could detect an underlying coldness in his voice.


    "What should it be?" I asked back, maintaining an innocent smile.


    And that was it. Nothing more was said between us, and I was excused after sitting there silently for ten minutes, looking at each other. But I wasn''t done.


    Knowing that the Order would most likely assault the castle from an undiscovered underground tunnel, I made my decision to do the same. With Professor Lockhart''s lead, we mapped those with which he knew the passwords and could disable the warnings and traps. One led directly under the lake, opening straight into the water above us. When the door slid apart above our heads, a magical field stopped the water from falling in, but I could still feel its coldness, like some dark, black ice. The second tunnel was much more straightforward, leading us into Hogsmeade, but I already knew which one I chose from the two.


    "Why the lake?" Lockhart asked, clearly not happy about the idea.


    "If there is a battle that breaks out, there will be chaos up on the surface. Down below the lake? Not so much. It would be our best route to escape!"


    "If we are not captured or killed by some nasty beings who live in the water... or by the mermaids."


    "Professor, since when did you become so pessimistic?" I asked with a smile, but he just sighed in response. He really hasn''t been himself since our previous meeting. I am horrified to say this, but I was missing the old boasting prick of a teacher.


    "The Durmstrang delegation would also fight on ''our'' side!" Quincy added, mainly explaining it to the Professor as it was we who came up with the idea in the first place. "Their attention will be on the battle!"


    "If there is a battle!" He quipped at her, making me groan.


    "Dumbledore is here... You really think there won''t be any fighting?"


    "..."


    "So!" Quincy continued, clearing her throat, "The ship will be mostly unguarded! It is our best chance to board it and escape!"


    "You want to steal their ship?!"


    "Yeah." We answered simultaneously, nodding, not understanding his shock, "Why not?"


    "Youngsters... And their infinite optimism..."


    "You had it too! Where did it go? Plus... I am not just planning on doing it by ourselves." I chuckled, putting my hands in my pockets, "We would escape with those who are with us. And... I will have a talk with Viktor Krum. The guy looked honorable, and I think we could see eye-to-eye!"Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    I was meeting with Viktor close to the lake. The weather was clear; the sun was on its way down, its last rays painting the sky orange before disappearing under the horizon. I was standing there alone. Well... not really, as Quincy was nearby, perched on a tree in her owl form. The point is that I was demonstrating that I trusted him enough to not bring a group of people along. To my surprise, he did the same and arrived unaccompanied.


    "Conrad." He nodded at me, and I returned the gesture, stretching my hand forward.


    "Viktor." After a firm handshake, I decided that the cleanest way forward was to be upfront. "How much do you know about your Headmaster?"


    "..." There was no answer coming at first, and I let him think. I had to be patient because everything could turn out horribly if I came off as a liar or someone who wanted to stir up trouble. "Not much. He strict, secretive. Weird."


    "What if I told you he works for our side?"


    "Your side?" He asked, furrowing his brows. I slowly picked out a small vial from my pocket.


    "You know what is this?"


    "Memory. I learned." He nodded, recognizing it at once.


    "This is the memory as to what happened between HIM and me."


    "Who? Headmaster?"


    "No..." I flinched, feeling my lips twitching. "Me and Voldemort. It is up to you whether you want to believe me! I just ask you to watch it."


    "That''s all?" He took away the vial with a doubtful gaze, still looking at me.


    "That is all! Look at it, think about it, and if you believe me, find me again. Then we can talk for real!" With a nod, I decided to leave. Nothing else would be achieved here; if I began pushing, that would have the opposite effect on my plan. People like him can''t be forcefully persuaded.


    "Do you think he will believe it?" Quincy asked after we were far away, and she transformed back into a human.


    "I think that he will. He is not stupid and must have noticed things going weirdly. We will see!"


    We didn''t need to wait long because two days later, he said he wanted to talk with Quincy and me privately.


    "I believe you. Headmaster was weird for long time, and I disagree with ideals."


    "Such as?"


    "Usage of curses. Ideas of allying with ''Dark Lord.'' My family knows that, it is not good."


    "What do you mean?" Quincy asked, furrowing her brows, and I was also intrigued by what he was saying.


    "My country and my school, Durmstrang, was home of mostest evil, Gellert Grindelwald."


    "Oh." I nodded, remembering what Quincy told me about him. "You have personal experience with them? I mean, your family?"


    "Yes. Grindelwald''s emblem... his mark. It still on Durmstrang walls. Can''t be removed. Reminder of his rule and time. I disagree with idea. He was wrong. My family fought against but lost. Many relatives dead, taken Nurmengard, dying there. Same place evilest is rotting away. Still, many believe he right." He snorted and I could detect a deep sarcasm inside it, "Yet no believing minion goes into Nurmengard freeing him. Tells all! Evil never wins!"


    "I don''t know about evil winning or the ''good guys'' triumphing!" I sighed, shaking my head, "I just know that neither side is trustworthy in this battle that is upon us."


    "War is bad. If war breaks, students die. I agree; battle is not what needed. Not here."


    "At least on that part, we agree!" I nodded, watching his eyes, "I want to work with you and people you trust. My goal is very simple! The moment hell breaks loose, we escape! I have multiple followers, and we can escape the castle''s grounds secretly. We could board your ship..."


    "I see..." He whispered, crossing his arms, his eyes moving left and right as he was putting it together. "I have friends too. We can escape with ship, but it is enchanted. Can be found and not all Durmstrang would follow me. It can''t take far."


    "That''s fine, and I don''t care how many of your side you can collect; just have them ready! You must see that a battle is inevitable. The Beauxbatons are 100% prepared to go through with it, as is my side. They are all just waiting for a spark and using the competition to continue building defenses and playing their private chess game!"


    "And we are the pawns on their table." Quincy added with a dark look.


    "What after escape?"


    "We don''t know yet." I answered honestly. "I just know that Quincy and I will disappear. They don''t take lightly to traitors!"


    "Why become Eaters of Death?"


    "Hah!" I chuckled, shaking my head. "That wasn''t my choice!"


    "I see..."


    Once again, it was time for him to think silently before we came to an agreement. I even gave him a notebook with the only caveat that it was connected to a special one in Quincy''s hands. Of course, we did not tell him that part. He doesn''t need to know every detail. With Krum on our side, it was time to start planning how to deal with the upcoming battle.


    "At least we have time until summer!" Quincy chuckled, grabbing my arm while walking back towards the castle, letting the snow crunch loudly under our boots.


    "Don''t be so sure about it! If our side thinks we are ready, I am sure the Headmaster would nudge me to be the spark I should be! The fact that it didn''t happen means that HE isn''t entirely confident of catching Dumbledore. This means he doesn''t know where he is hiding or if he genuinely came! But you are right. We still have time, so we need to gather supplies! Potions, books, spells, disguises, artifacts, everything we can imagine! Haah... I''m sorry, Quincy..."


    "Hm? What for?" She asked, stopping, holding my hands, squeezing them, and looking up at my face.


    "That you will have to become a fugitive, running away with me."


    "Ahahaha! I always dreamt about it when I was younger! A prince coming for me and taking me away! I am not bothered by it!" She giggled like an angel, tiptoeing and kissing my lips. "I will go with you wherever the road takes us! If I become a bum, I won''t mind as long as I''m with you!"


    I did not know what to say, so I hugged her close, never wanting to let go. I knew I would be ready to face whatever came next with her by my side.

 Chapter 93 – Quincy’s Idea

    Since Quincy''s return, I never had a chance to speak with the Beauxbatons students, although I wanted to. The reason was simple: they usually kept to themselves or didn''t even leave their carriage. The atmosphere was clearly against them as many students, even those who didn''t really talk to me, also thought they were behind the disappearance of Quincy. Simply put, the air was filled with gunpowder, and the tiniest spark would be enough to ignite the conflict.


    On the other hand, I had multiple talks with Viktor as we began planning how to board the ship and what to look out for. Those who were with me were working on gathering everything they may need and devising spells or potions to help them swim through the dark, cold water, reaching the ship safely. The only question was when it would happen and whether everyone would have time to prepare. So now I was also looking to buy time and not start something before we were ready to jump ships. Literally.


    "Have you ever thought about what the second test will be?"


    "Hm? Where did that come from?" I asked, looking up from my homework we were about to finish, sitting in our Common Room, enjoying the warmth coming from the nearby fireplace.


    "I was pondering it, and I think I know what the second hurdle will be."


    "Oh? I''m listening!" I answered, putting my quill down and thinking about our collected clues.


    "Here!" She pulled out a book from her bag of holding, putting it before me. "I already translated most of it and marked the pages where these exact ingredients come up!"


    "Are you sure it would be about that? They could be about anything!"


    "My instincts are telling me, yes! A hundred percent yes! And don''t forget, one of the people who made up the tasks was Flamel himself! There has to be a challenge dedicated to alchemy!"


    "Fair point. What did you find?"


    "A handful of recipes require either of our ingredients or just one! Not to mention, there has to be a third one we don''t know about! The thing is, all the potions that have both of our stuff are defensive potions."


    "Defensive... potions? First time hearing it!"


    "Salazar Slytherin categorized potions differently than the norm." She explained, and I felt like I was in one of Professor Slughorn''s classes. "He pushed for them to be recognized in the following order:


    Offensive Potions.These were, in his mind, the ones that were used to attack or hurt their target. Be it one that is thrown like a bomb or after consumption, giving the wizard some extra powers. I am sure you already guessed, but most poisons do fall into this definition!


    Defensive Potions.In this category, they gave the user buffs and helped them avert dangers. Be it something that gives you stone-like skin or hides you from enemies, their goal is to protect the user against spells, potions, or their effects.


    Support Potions.He put everything else into this category, writing that any tonic that deals with healing is considered part of this class."


    "It sounds way too vague. I don''t like it."


    "Me neither!" She chuckled, nodding, "Not everything he came up with must be perfect, no? He was a great wizard, but he wasn''t God! They say that even Merlin made mistakes! Ahahaha! But in his books, he referred to them as like, so I had to read up on how he looked at it!"


    "So, to pass the second test, we will have to create a potion that will help us get through it. Got it!"


    "Um, most likely. Not only that but the defensive potions that require these are all hiding one specific attribute!"


    "What do you mean, hiding? Shouldn''t be support- You know what? Forget it. Please, continue!"


    "Ehehe!" With a cute giggle, she kissed my cheeks, thinking the same thing, "Yeah, don''t stress it, his categorization is horrendous, no wonder nobody wanted it! He was a human, after all! Reading his notes, it felt like he was trying to one-up Ravenclaw but failed to do so."


    "Probably would have cursed you if you told this to his face."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Good thing he is dead, no? Anyway, Conrad, check this out!" She pointed at the index page, where she circled multiple titles. "Yours is present in four potions! All of them give you a kind of invisibility!"


    "Only selected things could see me... like how the thestrals are, yes?"


    "Bingo!" She nodded while her finger moved to another row. "Mine is against smells! It would mask our scent, and there are seven such potions! Now, I also looked at the spells that have both; guess what!"


    "What?"


    "Ha. Ha."


    "Sorry!" I grinned, enjoying watching her roll her eyes and still giggle, "They mask both things?"


    "Exactly! Now. I went ahead and made a guess what the third one could be!"


    "Hearing?" I assumed, and she nodded with a proud smile.


    "Yep! I found two potions with both of our ingredients, which mask the user from all three primary senses... and, here is the kicker." She grinned, flipping to the two potions recipes. "Both of them have a third ingredient that pops up in them: the tail of a Sighban."


    "A what?" I asked, looking at the codex, but no images were drawn on the pages before me.


    "I already looked it up!" She added, closing this one and picking out a bestiary from the library, "It is a small, rodent-like creature!"


    "It looks like a squirrel mixed with a chicken."


    "Yeah, and it has exceptionally sharp hearing, so it is hard to find one! But!"


    "There is always a but, hm?" I chuckled, making her smile, tapping the book''s description.


    "It has an unhealthy obsession with wine."


    "An alcoholic chipmunk?"


    "Ahahahaha! Nooo!" She laughed, filling the room with her voice that made me smile even more, happy that she was back with me, "Anyway! When in danger or feeling they are getting caught, their tail detaches like a lizard''s! And we need that! Also, there was a note in the old codex that the tail would only be a useful ingredient if the Sighban itself sheds it under heavy stress! Otherwise, it won''t be usable!"


    "I see... hmmm... Sounds tricky! Are we sure this is the third ingredient?"


    "No. We are not." She shrugged, leaning back and biting her lips. "This is only my conjecture!"


    "I know how to make sure of it!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    I sent word to Victor the following day, asking him to meet me again in private.


    "Have you figured out your clue yet?"


    "..." I saw him hesitate to tell me, so I took the first step.


    "Mine was thestral hair. Quincy''s was spider venom. Is yours a tail, perhaps?" This had an effect as it made him flinch, picking out his own parchment and showing it to me.


    "I guessed creature type but couldn''t narrow my search."


    "Damn... Quincy was right; the riddle in yours most likely points to the beast she discovered! Especially this part: ''So slim and frail,


    A sudden scare, I drop my tail.'' This has to be it!"


    "I thought lizard."


    "Close, but this one is a Sighban! Look it up!" I answered, giving it back to him. "We are pretty sure of it!"


    "You... sure?


    "Yep! We are!"


    "Thank you... Conrad."


    "Don''t mention it!" I chuckled, watching him tower over me. "If you can control your partner, you can bring him along too. We won''t mind. But we want to cooperate."


    "I''m listening."


    "We think that the second task will have to do something with potions. Or at least it will help us complete it! Now, I don''t know you, but Quincy is an excellent future Potion Master! She was the one who decoded the possible recipes ahead of time, reverse engineering it from only two components!"


    "Make sense why Beauxbatons kidnap her."


    "Um." I nodded, agreeing, not wanting to explain to him that that part was merely a coincidence and other reasons led to it happening. "And the deal is that the potions that can be brewed from one ingredient are just one of a third useful! Combine all three, and you get the best one!"


    "You want to work together? In the tournament?"


    "I didn''t hear any rules forbidding it!" With my hands stretched out, I answered, "We can fight in the finals if you want to duel, but let''s get there first! By pooling our resources, we can face the second task with all the advantages we can get. That is worthy of cooperation!"


    "Agreed." He answered plainly, shaking my hands. "I get ingredient soon."


    "Don''t rush it now; we have time. Plus, it is almost time for the Yule Ball!"


    "And?"


    "Besides being a fun event, we will open it with a dance." I explained, surprised at how calm he was. "As champions, it is our task to give a show."


    "And?"


    "Aren''t you nervous? Or excited?"


    "No. It is formality that I do. Duty. No risks."


    "Well... okay. What I wanted to get to is that the Beauxbatons won''t be able to avoid it, and they will have to appear. So be ready and don''t take it lightly. I don''t trust them!"


    "I see. We will ready." He nodded at me after a bit of thinking, thanking my help once again before leaving.


    "Do you really think they will stir up some trouble? After all that happened?" Quincy asked me after Victor was out of sight, and she transformed back from her owl form.


    "I don''t know... but I can easily see that our Headmaster or someone else will nudge it towards anarchy and chaos. The heavy air around us right now is in the perfect state to set everything ablaze. So be alert, Quincy! I don''t trust either side!"

 Chapter 94 – Intermezzo

    The Yule Ball. I didn''t understand the frustration and fear that some of my classmates showed as it got closer and closer. Isn''t it just dancing and having fun? Where is the issue there?


    "You are weird..." The others sighed as we sat at dinner in the Great Hall. People from our group converged around Quincy and me, joining the Slytherin table from all the other houses. At first, it garnered strange looks from others and even from the teachers, but as it happened every day, nobody spoke up against it.


    "It''s just dancing!" I repeated it for the hundredth time.


    "Yes, before everyone else!" They retorted, looking at each other. "Quincy, what do you think?"


    "Hm?" She looked up from her plate, too occupied by enjoying her dinner. "It will be my first ball to attend."


    "No, we are asking if you are nervous or not!" The others questioned her again, but she just tilted her head, not getting their troubled looks. "I was made to practice dancing and whatnot when I was younger."


    "Same." Some other girls chimed in, feeling just as confident.


    "It isn''t a big deal!" I chuckled, trying to calm them down, "First things first. It will be us, the champions, who will waltz in and start dancing before everybody. Nobody will start scrutinizing the others when the first dance finishes to see if they did it right! So why are you all so nervous? It should be us biting down our nails!"


    After what we went through in the past years or just in the past month, dancing before everybody else sounded perfectly fine. A little release from all the troubles brewing in the background and a night where we don''t deal with problems.


    "I am more worried about making everyone laugh... My family is not the wealthiest, so I have an old-fashioned dress." said another boy, turning red in the face.


    "It doesn''t matter." I spoke up before he could feel bad about it, "So what if others can dress fancier? What matters is what is underneath it! So, we should just go naked- OW! Why?!" I moaned as Quincy elbowed me while the others began laughing.


    "Don''t be pervy. It is enough that the Rat is one."


    "Oookaaaay!" I moaned playfully while Quincy looked at the guys from Gryffindor.


    "Is he that bad in private, too? How are you handling him?" She asked, thinking about something.


    "The Professor? He mostly latches himself onto the freshmen." One guy sighed, leaning closer, speaking more quietly. "He is the most unsecure teacher here, and his favorite pastime is making the young students praise him! So, as long as you compliment him, he looks the other way. What you can''t get used to is him turning into a rat and sneaking up on you. When he feels like some secrets are being discussed, he always wants to learn about them. It is a hassle, but after years of dealing with it, we have become experts in avoiding being discovered!"


    "Yep!" Another Gryffindor student nodded agreeingly, "It is like he trained us to how to avoid being detected when doing something undercover!"


    While the others were laughing, I kept glancing at Quincy, knowing her question wasn''t just thrown out randomly. When dinner ended and we returned to our rooms, I finally had a chance to ask her.


    "What is it? Did something happen you didn''t tell me yet?"


    "Sirius and Regulus talked about him while I was locked up." She began while undressing and changing into her pajamas. I wanted to ask why she called her father Regulus but decided against it. Knowing all that I do now... yeah, I wouldn''t call him ''father'' either. "Supposedly, he was a friend of theirs, but he betrayed them."


    "Hmmm? What I remember from what we were taught is that the Rat-man was supposed to be a double agent in the Order. He was the key to ambushing them and chasing Dumbledore out of Hogwarts."


    "The brothers told a different story when they were trying to turn me." She continued, retelling me everything, "By their account, or Sirius''s, the Professor was part of their group, called Marauders. It consisted of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."


    "Wormtail..." I chuckled, and Quincy smiled at me as we sat down on our bed. "What lame names!"


    "Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. In this order. From what Sirius told me, this Potter guy was the leader in their group."


    "Oh, I heard that name!" I nodded, remembering the stories I heard being retold occasionally, "They were one of the key families in the Order, yes? Staunch supporters of Dumbledore and the family who have chosen death instead of acknowledging HIM."


    "They said more than that." She continued, holding my hand and looking into my eyes. "They told me that there was a prophecy! It foretold that a boy will be born who will be ordained by magic to destroy the Dark Lord. The prophecy said that Magic is Nature and always balances itself out. The boy was born... or, more specifically, boys."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Twins?" I asked, but she shook her head.


    "Two separate boys were born on the same date the prophecy foretold, and HE attacked both on the day Dumbledore fled the country!"


    "I know that the Potters died, and it was what secured that day''s victory..."


    "Yes, but the second boy survived." She interjected before I could continue my thoughts, "I don''t know if HE knows it, but Sirius told me that the prophecy is still coming true. The death of the Potters only made it even more genuine, and the chosen one is growing up to be a powerful wizard!"


    "Heh! And they wanted to draw you over with this tale?" I grinned, but I couldn''t help but slowly stop smiling because she remained just as serious.


    "They told me because I know that boy. And you know him too!"


    "I do?"


    "It''s Neville. Her parents and most of the Weasely family died to protect him as a baby."


    "Damn!" I yelled with a sharp intake, thinking it through and realizing my Father was in on it probably before I was even born. He has been helping them for more than a decade! Why? I wanted to know, but I could not find out right now. All I could do is to trust him.


    "I tried asking." Quincy continued after a brief pause, watching my changing expressions, reading my thoughts perfectly. "They didn''t say why. But what I gathered is that they are not trusting your Father. He helps them, but he is... working for his own goal. That is what I feel."


    "Um... That does sound like him... haah... this is a lot."


    "It is. They wanted to convince me with this information that I needed to be on their side... but I am on your side! If you join them, I will follow... otherwise... no."


    "No. Father told me once to follow my decisions and my feelings. I am not trusting them, period!"


    "I knew you would say that!" She chuckled, leaning closer, kissing my lips as we lay back on our bed, hugging each other closely. "We will need to warn the others to avoid the Professor. The way Sirius and Regulus were talking about him, they would want to find him in the chaos and kill him. Anyone getting in their way would be in danger!"


    "Mhm, then we will make sure they avoid him at all costs! Although, if the rumors are true, they won''t hurt us, no? Isn''t their overall motto exactly this? Being the ''good guys'' and all that?"


    "Are there any good guys?" She asked, and she remained very serious. "When Dumbledore interrogated me, he was kind and friendly, but there was no way to resist him. I don''t know what spell he used, but I couldn''t say no, nor could I lie to him. I told him everything, Conrad."


    "It is fine!" I hugged her closer, knowing she was feeling guilty about it. "Don''t worry about it! And yes... there are no good guys. I think there never was. Well, I could not be called one anyway after my first year!"


    "Hehe... idiot..."


    "Yep! That fits perfectly!" I chuckled, stroking her head, enjoying her sweet scent as we slipped into a deep sleep.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "I looked at everything and everybody. It didn''t leak from us! Our side didn''t pass information on to the kid. So, it had to come from outside or directly from the kid''s head. What do we know about those options?" Alastor Moody asked, leaning on his walking stick, having a private meeting with Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel somewhere below Hogsmeade.


    "It could be the ritual you learned about, Albus." Flamel concluded, looking for answers to the possibility that Conrad and Quincy still remembered everything even after he ripped their memories out.


    "I thought the same." The old wizard nodded, stroking his beard, "I couldn''t force the child to reveal the proper ritual circle as it was drawn by the boy. But from what she managed to replicate from memory, it is ancient and dark. It is my conjecture that it''s blood magic."


    "Blood magic is nothing but a legend from ancient times!" Moody countered, knocking with his stick on the floor, "It may have existed, I will agree on that, but no texts remain that describe it, only words of mouth! It was already lost magic when Hogwarts was founded! Do you want to tell me a kid rediscovered it? In Hogwarts? Please, you were a Headmaster for longer than his father was a dream in his father''s dreams! If it existed, you would have found it!"


    "Hogwarts, and magic itself, has secrets that can only be discovered by those who are chosen to do so." Dumbledore answered, playing with his wand between his hands, looking at it with transfixed eyes.


    "Chosen by whom?" Moody countered, and it was Flamel who answered his question.


    "By fate. Countless alchemists looked for the Philosopher''s Stone. Yet I brought it into reality when I was not even searching for it."


    "It is futile to theorize!" Dumbledore added, coming out of his deep thinking, putting his wand away, "The kid has found something dangerous, and he is playing with fire that could burn down the world. We need to stop letting a second Tom appear before the first one is even vanquished! Flamel, can you help Charlie get into the scene of the Second Trial? We need to boost its effectiveness so the boy doesn''t survive."


    Nobody said anything at first, looking at Dumbledore and how quickly and easily he signed the death warrant of a young, promising child. The son of one of their key figures in the upcoming operation.


    "Angus won''t sit still." Moody whispered, being the first to speak up.


    "It will trigger the battle." Dumbledore nodded, agreeing with him, "He will have no choice but to act. He came too far; he can''t back out. Sacrifices must be made, and when evil is defeated, I am willing to take all the responsibility and appear before a court! But until then, we can''t flinch! We must stand strong, or light never shines on the wizarding world ever again! This is for the Greater Good of all the wizards and witches!"


    "I lived through countless muggle wars and eras." Flamel lamented with a sigh, "In their history, such things have happened way too many times."


    "Speaking of muggles... this reminds me that you are still missing two students, yes?" Moody asked, turning his magical eye at him. "Any luck?"


    "No." He shook his head, "I am sure that they are dead."


    "Of course they are!" Moody scoffed, picking out a flask from his pocket and swinging it. "I''m just saying, start looking within your kids for clues!"


    "They wouldn''t betray us!" Flamel answered with a raised voice, trusting his students with all his heart.


    "I am not saying that!" Moody shot back with an even stronger voice, starting to hobble towards the door of their dark room, "I am saying that they may have been compromised! If I would be allowed to leave this damned labyrinth before time, I would have already found the bodies of your boys!"


    His parting words made Flamel flinch and planted a thought he could no longer chase out. It was something that spurred him to start investigating and look into the head of his chosen champions, finding something troubling...

 Chapter 95 – Yule Ball

    On the day of the Yule Ball, most students woke early, especially the girls who began getting ready hours before the event even started. But not Quincy.


    "Shouldn''t we get out of bed?" I asked, lying on my back while she was snuggled up to me, her head resting on my chest while I gently stroked her long hair.


    "It''s Christmas... we can laze a little, don''t we? I am not planning on going overboard anyway, so I will simply dress up and fix my hair, and there it is!"


    "Heh, I heard some girls doing makeup for hours to look gorgeous... and here you are, pretty without doing anything!" Although I didn''t see her face, I could tell she was blushing as she softly rubbed against me, trying to hide.


    "I don''t really have much makeup anyway... I never learned how to put it on."


    "I assumed your grandmother would have done so, trying to sell you..."


    "It was done by magic. I never bothered to learn the spell myself."


    "Convenient." I chuckled, looking towards the window, watching the heavy snowfall while we were lying on our bed. The crackling fire in the fireplace filled the room with warmth and was my most peaceful morning of all time. Will we have mornings like this in the future?


    "What are you thinking about?"


    "Hm?" I turned away from the window, looking down into her eyes.


    "You looked lost for a moment."


    "Nothing. I was simply enjoying the moment! Sometimes, I wish things like this would last forever, but no magic could guarantee that."


    "Not until you have a Time-Turner!"


    "A what?"


    "A Time-Turner!" She smiled while explaining, "It was a very dangerous artifact, capable of allowing someone to travel back in time! In the end, they were all destroyed, and all knowledge of them quickly followed suit. Their usage and creation were banned way before HIS time."


    "Huh... how do you know about it? I never heard about them." I murmured, imagining using it to return and explore the past.


    "I had an adventure book back home that had one in the story! I came across it when we were researching in the first year, and it turns out it was a real thing once! I just didn''t mention it as it was irrelevant."


    "Oh... I see. Heh, if even HIM and Dumbledore can agree on something too dangerous to try and recreate or use, then that is something else!"


    "Um, I agree!" She moaned and yawned before sitting up, stretching, "I feel hungry; let''s go eat something!"


    "That, my dear, is an excellent idea!" I grinned, giving her a quick kiss before we headed to the Great Hall, hand in hand.


    After breakfast, we spent the whole day relaxing, ignoring the multiple panic-stricken students rushing around like headless chickens. When it was time, I put on my formal attire, and I couldn''t help but get a bit red in the face when I saw Quincy. She was wearing a crimson dress with faint, golden trims at its edges, outlining her blooming figure. It left her shoulders bare while her hands were covered with a silk glove, going right up to her elbows. I didn''t know where to glance as she looked stunning, her lengthy hair now slightly more wavy than usual, being held up by a red butterfly pin.


    "How is it?" She asked, her face turning redder and redder by the moment while I leaned in, pecking her lips.


    "Perfect... More than perfect... you really don''t need any makeup!"


    "I did try to put on some..." She murmured, and I noticed that. Especially around her eyes and eyelashes and on her lips, which were much more glossy than usual.


    "And it made you even prettier. You did practice, huh?" I joked, which she only giggled at before holding onto my arm. "Let''s go, we don''t want to be late!"


    As champions, we had a duty, so we left the Common Room before the start of the ball, arriving at the designated classroom where another pair was already present.


    "Parfait. J''esp¨¦rais que tu arriverais avant les autres."


    "English, please." Quincy and I said simultaneously, looking at the two girls inside. To our surprise, Fleur wore a man''s attire while Celine wore a blue, frilly dress with a long skirt.


    "Are you a crossdresser? Huh." Quincy jabbed at them but Fleur remained unpetrubed.


    "It necessary. One can''t appear without a partner."


    "I wonder why you haven''t got any, forced to play the role of a man..." I murmured, and she simply sneered at me, shocking me with her following words.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Says the murderer. The killer of our classmates! Absurde!"


    "I don''t know what you mean." I lied straight into her face, but she wasn''t letting it go.


    "Oh, je ne te crois pas du tout! Tu es un serpent dangereux, et ta petite amie est tout autant une vip¨¨re que toi!"


    "English." We repeated again, but she wasn''t going to heed it, scoffing angrily at us.


    "I remember right you killed two of my classmates. You modified memories, but you are weak! Truth comes to light, always! You will die, Conrad Anguine. You evil man!"


    At that, Quincy''s countenance changed in a snap of a finger, stepping forward, standing before me, which surprised me just as much as it did the two Beauxbatons students.


    "Try it, wench! Let''s see if you can do that, or it will be you who ends up dying!"


    "You are being... rotten. Tainted... lav¨¦ de cerveau by this evil person! If you defend him, you die same way!"


    "They are not evil!" Arrived another voice, belonging to a 5th-year Slytherin student I knew as she was part of the group that helped me find Quincy. She was now wearing a bright green and silver dress, accompanying Victor Krum, who looked like some kind of military officer.


    It seemed everyone was present, even Martyn, who was the only nervous man in our group, followed by a female student from Hufflepuff who I only saw once, maybe in a joint herbology class.


    "Proof always important." Victor interjected, trying to play the role of the mediator, but Fleur clearly wasn''t having it. I could read it from her eyes, and I also caught a glimpse of something else. She looked at Victor as if she was asking why he was trying to take my side. "When people threaten the family, actions can turn drastic. You must understand."


    This was interesting... I saw surprise in Fleur''s eyes as she wasn''t expecting it from Victor. Did she believe he wouldn''t try to smooth it out or take my side in this argument? Do they... know each other? Better than I assumed? What was going on?


    I did not have much time to dwell on it as the door to the room opened again, and multiple teachers, including the three headmasters, walked in. Nicholas Flamel only looked at me once as if nothing had happened between us, stopping next to Severus Snape.


    "By now, all of the champions have successfully finished the first task." Our Headmaster began speaking, addressing us officially. "Good... You didn''t know it, but you made the second task easier for yourself, as you will have over a month to prepare!"


    "For the next part, happening in February," Flamel took over, making Karkaroff fume as he was about to speak, yet he ignored him completely. "you will have to steal this vial."


    What he produced from the pocket of his white robe was a small glass in the shape of a teardrop, no bigger than a plum seed. Inside it, a blood-red liquid was sloshing around, so brilliant in color that it looked like it was glowing.


    "This is diluted essence from my Philosopher''s Stone, capable of granting 60 years of life to anyone consuming it." He announced, making us stiffen. I couldn''t help but squeeze Quincy''s hand, looking at the precious ''potion'' I had only heard about but had never seen before. "You will need it for the last trial."


    "There is... only one?" Quincy asked, finally looking away from it, glancing at the one holding it between his fingers.


    "Only one." Flamel nodded with a smile that was anything but friendly. "And it is not for consumption, or nobody would have the chance to complete the third trial." Was that a warning? Sounded like one.


    "Getting it won''t be easy." Karkaroff finally cut in, not letting Flamel hog the limelight any further. "The vial is hidden in the nest of a Cerberus." A what now? I raised an eyebrow, and now it was Quincy who squeezed my arm, telling me not to interrupt them. "You will have to get through the beast to get it. The first Champion to do so will have a head start in the last trial!"


    "With only one vial..." Victor murmured, and it was Snape who finished their speech.


    "Until the last trial''s beginning, the vial can change hands. As for how that happens, it is up to you as Champions. You will know about the last trial in due time, but you must possess the only key to complete it. The person going into the finals holding it in his or her hand will have the greatest chance of becoming the True Champion. What you all have now can be used to make the second task easier. As to how? That is up to you to figure out!"


    "Now," Flamel chuckled, putting it away, "It is time to celebrate! The ball is ready, and the first dance is what everyone is waiting for!"


    We didn''t really have any time to process what had just happened, and Quincy and I were thrust to be the first to enter the redecorated Great Hall where the Yule Ball was happening. My mind was still reeling as I automatically held her hand, waltzing to the tune of the music. She was in the same state, and our bodies moved by themselves while our minds were preoccupied with something else.


    Maybe this was what we needed, as without worrying or thinking too hard, we performed a perfect showcase of how it should be done. I never knew that those lessons I took while little would be helpful as I thought it was just some kind of etiquette training my Father wanted me to go through. So as not to bring shame to our family in the future.


    When the song ended, and we faced the others, I finally snapped back to reality, listening to a short speech from Severus before everyone was allowed to join the dancing and have a great time. With a look, I pulled Quincy on, starting to dance again, deciding that it was best to talk about it while moving around, not letting others eavesdrop easily.


    "What is a Cerberus? Is it really a three-headed dog?"


    "Yeah. They are not too common around here, mostly living in Greece or Cyprus. But now I get it!"


    "I don''t." I replied with a smile, one hand holding hers while my other was resting on her waist.


    "One head has a perfect sight, one has a perfect hearing, while the third has a perfect smell. How''s that?"


    "Now I do get it. We will need the perfect potion to trick all of its heads, or it will sniff us out much more easily!"


    "Um. I am not worried about getting the vial; what I am troubled about is what comes afterward!"


    "You see, I am not!" Now, it was my time to grin at her as she looked into my eyes, trying to make a guess. "We know of a room that only appears when you know how to find it, hm?"


    "Oh... You are bad!" She chuckled, sticking her pink tongue out at me playfully.


    "Mhm... Maybe. But, aren''t girls into bad boys?" I asked jokingly, and her giggles made my heart flutter.


    "No, not particularly. But I am thinking about making an exception here~! But under only one condition!"


    "I am all ears~!"


    "Dance with me until we can''t stand!"


    "Mhm." I nodded, moving around in the dancefloor with her, never taking my eyes off of hers. "Exactly what I was thinking about!"

 Chapter 96 – Potion of Apsens

    The Yule Ball was more pleasant than I first thought, and for a night, I forgot about the competition or the dangers around us and simply enjoyed dancing with Quincy. When it ended and we headed back to our room, the moment we laid down, the exhaustion sent us into a deep sleep.


    "You are in danger."


    "Huh?"


    It was a profound voice that roused my consciousness, but I immediately knew that I hadn''t ''woken up'' and was still in a dream. Looking around, I saw that it was not the forest that I was used to nor Hogwarts but a weird, dark chamber, only lit up around my immediate vicinity. This was something new. Vastly different from any of my previous lucid dreams.


    "Herpo?" I asked, recognizing the voice that spoke to me. From the darkness, I watched as a giant snake, a basilisk, slithered forward into the light, making me avert my eyes in a hurry.


    "Hehehe... Don''t be afraid, young man." He cackled as I heard him change shape, transforming back into the form of a man.


    "I am because I am not trusting you, old man." I grunted, turning towards him carefully, trying to keep some distance. "I have a feeling you are lying to me."


    "Am I?"


    "I don''t think anyone else lives within my blood, so yes."


    "Son, I told you that I already died." He continued with a kind, friendly voice, opening his arms and looking at my face. "I am just an amalgamation of memories, not a living being."


    "Aren''t we all?" I shot back, making his smile go even wider.


    "I am here to warn you. Your life is in danger. If you finish the competition, you may very well die."


    "Why are you worried about that if you are not alive?" I asked, now even more sure the old bastard wasn''t honest... was he aiming to cultivate my body to his tastes? To take it over?


    "I am worried about my legacy." He answered without flinching, continuing the explanation in the same friendly manner. "By now, there are only two lineages who have enough power to carry it on. One is already heading down the same road I traveled two thousand years ago... the other is you. If I lose both, my legacy will be gone from the world for good."


    "See? This is why I don''t trust it when you say you are not alive and can''t come back..."


    "I wouldn''t trust myself either." He joked, surprising me, which in turn obviously amused him a lot, "As I said, you are in danger. Either run away now or when the time comes, don''t fight against your urges. Your head hurts when you deny your blood."


    "..."


    "If you try to hold back in the critical moment," He warned me again after I remained silent, "It won''t be you alone who will die."


    I wanted to retort, but then I woke up for real this time. It was still dark in the room, and Quincy was snuggled up to me, sleeping blissfully. Raising my hand slowly, I could see it shake and feel my heartbeat racing within my chest. What did he mean by that? Shit... I had an innate feeling that the fact I ingested basilisk blood into my body was the worst decision I could have ever made. He has been appearing more vividly in my dreams instead of just being some kind of night terror. Did I give him powers? Am I in danger in more ways than one? After that, I could not fall asleep, remaining in bed and watching my wife''s sleeping face, helping me calm down a little.


    It was close to noon when Quincy woke up, and she quickly noticed I was lost in my thoughts. After retelling her everything, she said nothing besides squeezing my hands, and I didn''t need to hear anything either. It was enough, and it told me everything. To not ruin the holidays, I quickly ignored my thoughts, and we spent the day going into Hogsmeade and having a simple but fun date. We saw the familiar silhouette of two dogs following us, but we ignored them. There are times when you simply don''t care and just want to enjoy life.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Victor has bigger trust in us than I expected!" I chuckled as we entered the Room of Requirements, patting the bag of holding in my pocket.


    "Then I will try not to fail him!"


    "I never saw you fail a potion before, now that you mention it!"


    "You never saw me trying to brew a difficult one!" She shrugged while closing the door behind us. "All the potions I made so far, I did so because I knew I could manage it! This will be the first time when I am not 100% confident in my skills!"The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As she explained, I watched the stone room lighting up, hundreds of candles igniting at once, along with the fire under a massive alchemy table.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll help! I memorized the recipe, so I will help prepare the ingredients. I will be your perfect kitchen boy!"


    "Idiot~!" She giggled, relaxing as we picked out all the ingredients, and she began preparing for the first session. "This room never fails to amaze me! The cauldron is in the perfect shape, and its walls are at the exact thickness!"


    "Does that even matter?"


    "Didn''t you listen to the Professor''s lessons?"


    "Not all the time." I shrugged, admitting that sometimes my mind did wander when I felt bored.


    "It matters a lot as there are potions when the cauldron has to be pre-heated, and ingredients have to simmer in it for different time-frames, depending on how thick it is! It affects how quickly they heat up! Why do you think there are universal measurements and schematics to follow? Their shape and material matter a lot, and once again, the Room provided us with the perfect one for this potion!"


    "I wonder who made this room... Ravenclaw? All four?"


    "We will never know! But focus on this, okay?"


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    Although I was joking around a little, it was to lighten the mood. When it came to making the potion, I ensured that my attention was on preparing the components to perfection. The first attempt lasted for four hours, stretching from early evening into the dead of night, and it was a total bust. I somewhat felt guilty, as if I just jinxed it by opening my big mouth at the start.


    "I think I made the mistake when adding thestral hair..." She murmured, her eyes closed, going over her steps, retracing them.


    "We still have enough for a redo. Want to rest?"


    "Um, let me think while the cauldron cools off! After a proper rinse, we will start over! It was almost done, but with the mistake of stirring it one and a half times less, I doomed it! Tsk... it was an amateur mistake; no wonder the potion turned into a hardened sludge!"


    "Don''t be that tough on yourself!" I smiled, rubbing her back, "It has so many steps I think I would mix up a few at every attempt!"


    "Next time, it will work! You will see!"


    I was glad to see her be this fired up, and after a brief rest, we began anew. It wasn''t shorter nor longer than before, going for the exact same length with the difference of ending up with a slightly glowing cauldron. It was filled with a turquoise-colored liquid, bubbling as it slowly cooled down yet kept its form and did not turn into rock. It was much thicker than water, reminding me of honey while I watched Quincy pour it into multiple vials after it cooled off.


    "Oooh! Congratulations!" I hugged her happily, watching her tired eyes glowing proudly.


    "Thank you! Hehe, this was the hardest one I made yet! Potion of Apsens! I am curious if they thought any of the Champions would realize they could make it or only look up something with their single ingredient!"


    "We will see! Also, I didn''t expect you to make this much!"


    "Me neither!" She nodded happily, "Two per person, as its effects only last for ten minutes! After drinking, you will not just be invisible, but the noises you make will be muffled! If you are careful, you will be completely soundless! Not to mention, its aura will cover your smell just the same!"


    "It sounds too perfect!"


    "It has its drawbacks!" She nodded and continued explaining it to me, "It isn''t true invisibility. If you are moving in intense light, it will be noticeable! Think of it like being a chameleon! If it can''t adapt quickly enough, it can''t reflect light properly and could be seen through! Secondly, you can''t really speak while under its effect. As it muffles the noise you make, the same is true for your voice. You would have to shout at the top of your lungs to get a message through which beats is purpose."


    "Why do I feel we are cheating?"


    "It will be great to help us sneak past the three-headed dog. But don''t forget that beasts like that are not stupid! Cast a spell while it''s looking, and it will know! Also, who said there won''t be other traps? It gives us a great opportunity, yes, but it isn''t a guarantee for victory!"


    "I get it, I get it!" I nodded, kissing her face, making Quincy smile happily, "But I am feeling confident now! This competition may be a farce for the two sides, but now I want to win it. Just out of pure spite!"


    We stashed the potions afterward and left to go back to the Common Room. Others were just about to wake up when we headed for sleep. It was late afternoon when we woke up again, and I delivered four vials to Victor, explaining their effects.


    "I didn''t expect so quick result. Thank you, Conrad."


    "I''m glad to impress!" I laughed jokingly while shaking his hand, maintaining eye contact. "Good luck in the next round. You will need it because we won''t hold back."


    "Good. Let best wizard win." With a smile, he let go of my hand, leaving, pocketing all four potions, and I wasn''t so sure he would share it with his classmate.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Anything to report?" Dumbledore''s voice asked, coming from a tiny, little card, the same ones that could be found in any chocolate frog candies.


    "No." Replied the young voice, belonging to none other than Victor Krum. "Karkaroff still thinks of me best, never suspecting anything."


    "What about the kid and his girlfriend?"


    "Nothing. I''ve been friends with Conrad."


    "We know." Dumbledore whispered, looking up at him from the small card, scrutinizing his unwavering eyes, "If you learn something about him, always report back. Any exchange, any news, anything. Understood? We can''t let a second Grindelwald or Tom appear!"


    "Yes." Krum answered, visibly flinching when the name Grindelwald was brought up, but he quickly calmed down. "There nothing is. Conrad is cautious; he doesn''t divulge secrets. He unlike Karkaroff."


    "Mhm... Continue trying to get close to him and keep an eye on the boy at all times. We will need to know where he is when the battle begins so we don''t lose sight of him and let him slip away!"


    "Yes. I will."


    "How''s the competition? Any ideas for the second task?" Dumbledore asked amicably, like a caring teacher who was ready to share some tips for the solution.


    "I am working. Already has potion idea, will finish before time. All good."


    "This is why you are one of our best undercover assets... keep working hard, Victor. For the good of your people and your family''s memories!"


    With that, Dumbledore walked out of the picture, turning it into a simple, unimportant card that Krum slipped back into his pocket, brushing past the little vials of potion in it.


    "§¥§à§Ò§â§à§ä§à §Ù§Ñ §ç§à§â§Ñ§ä§Ñ... §±§à-§Ô§à§Ý§ñ§Þ§à§ä§à §Õ§à§Ò§â§à... §ç§Ñ?"

 Chapter 97 – Planning the 2nd Trial

    When January arrived, we were slowly getting back into the same rhythm we had before the start of the tournament. Well, not precisely, as now we were having meetings with the same group who helped me and stood with me when Qunicy got abducted.


    "You need to be quicker!" I chuckled, helping up a sixth-year student from the ground after my disarming spell hit him.


    "I need to perfect my wordless casting!" He smiled, shrugging as he patted the snow off from his Slytherin robe.


    It wasn''t just us who dueled; all of those who were part of our group took up a big chunk of the grounds. As I looked around, spells flew from one to the other, colliding in mid-air as students from all houses participated in the activity. I watched Quincy fight against two second-year students and triumph over them, making me smile proudly. Our recent dueling practices were seen by the teachers as an excellent example to the guests, displaying our dedication to the magical arts. We were even commended for it.


    In reality, we were making sure everybody was on the top of their game when the time came to flee. We all knew what was coming, and nobody wanted to be caught by a stray spell. Most of those who were in the fourth year or lower were told to focus on learning shield charms, while the more experienced students were exercising attacking spells.


    "It is kinda cheating, going up against the best duelist in school!" The others joked, making me smile.


    "Am I? I don''t know about that!"


    "Duh!" A Gryffindor student laughed, patting my shoulders, "We all saw your duel with the Malfoys! I would have been dead before realizing what was happening!"


    "Then you should have seen my Father! I couldn''t count how many times I was pummelled into the ground in the summer!"


    With our little training session going on for another hour, we were about to finish it when Professor Slughorn appeared. I watched as he approached Quincy, talking with her, and although I saw her remain smiling, kind, and cordial when the head of our house left, he looked disheartened.


    "Okay, guys!" I clapped, turning towards the rest, "Keep practicing when you can, and we will meet again next Friday and have another group exercise! I know it is cold, but those who are ready for it, bring your brooms, as we will practice while flying!"


    "Isn''t that... dangerous?" A girl from Ravenclaw asked while her friend elbowed her hurriedly.


    "What do you think?! Would the enemy wait for you to walk around and initiate a proper duel? This isn''t the 18th century!"


    "It''s okay!" I chuckled but agreed with her friend, "I am not forcing anyone to take part in it. But I want those who are brave enough to try."


    With that, today''s training was finished, and when I remained with Quincy, walking towards the castle, I finally had a chance to ask what Professor Slughorn wanted.


    "He is trying to butter up to me." She shrugged, shaking her head, "But by now, I refused his invitation to his parties twice, and I keep doing it. I do not blame him for not helping you, but I also don''t want to act as if nothing had happened. From all of them, the fact that only Professor Lockhart stood with us says a lot!"


    "Yeah... that also surprised me. I''m just happy he looks to be in a better mood nowadays. I think he finally came to terms with the fact he will have to escape with us."


    "He began planning, which in turn calmed him." She added with a giggle, holding my hand as we entered the castle. "Are you thinking of bringing him along with us?"


    "No, not really. I... I don''t know. I still haven''t even considered where to go..." I admitted it with a heavy voice. "The thought of our lives, our normal lives, ending just like that hasn''t settled in. I don''t know if it ever will until it happens."


    "We will deal with it as it comes! I am sure that after that battle, your Father... Our Father will contact us! He may be in the Order, but we have both seen how he acts! There has to be something we don''t know, or at least not yet!"


    "That is what bothers me. Haaah... But you are right! We will see what happens. After escaping, we can lay low in London and disappear within the crowd."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "You have hidden properties somewhere?"


    "No, but we can confuse some muggles for the time being."


    "Hmmm, yeah, that''s true! But we will also need to keep moving amongst them! It will be exciting!"


    "Quincy, you sound as if we are going to go on a holiday or an expedition!" I laughed, leaning in and kissing her face.


    "Staying positive is very important!" She answered with a proud grin, tilting her head, "That reminds me, have you been thinking about what I said?"


    "Yep, and I am browsing Salazar''s books. I won''t rely only on the potion. I have been searching for a spell that helps me dominate a beast''s mind or at least confuse it. The Confundus Charm may work on smaller, dumber beasts, but I don''t know if it works on this specific Cerberus. What kind of willpower does it have? Would it even function?"


    "Then use the Imperius Curse."


    "Yes, but that also could be shrugged off. House-elves have a natural resistance to it, for example. What if I use it and the dog remains functioning? It has three heads!"


    "Hmmm..."


    Both of us fell silent as we walked not to the Common Room but to our little base in the North Tower. With a flick of my wand, fire was quickly warming up the room while Quincy picked out some snacks and butterbeer.


    "If not against the dog, we could use spells against the others. It will be a free-for-all all to get the vial."


    "I was thinking of the same thing." I agreed, picking out the two potions, fiddling with them, and giving one to her.


    "Why?"


    "I will need only one. I was playing with the idea of being the bastard in the round."


    "Huh?" She flinched, looking into my eyes questioningly.


    "I would work on harassing the others. I don''t think they will be fair about it either; just think about it! Every school has two Champions, and the goal is to get one little vial. The writing is on the walls! The ideal solution is that the Champions work together. Not everyone can win; sometimes, you must sacrifice personal gain and glory."


    "So, while you attack the others and draw the beast''s attention, I should sneak in and steal the vial."


    "That is the gist of it. I will cover you against their meddlings and also try to hamper their progress in the meantime. You can drink the potion, turn yourself into an owl, swoop down, and disappear with the prize! Easy!"


    "If it will be that easy... but yes, that does sound good!" She nodded, slurping on her butterbeer.


    "Glad you agree! I will use my potion when I need to escape or if the beast goes directly after me. So, one vial will be enough! On the other hand, you can keep yourself hidden for longer! If you get the vial, don''t even stop! While the potion is in effect, head straight for the room of requirement and hide it!"


    "They would have a hard time finding it there, ahaha!"


    "Not just that!" I grinned, leaning closer to her, "I plan to create a counterfeit if we get the original. I want to lose it to one of the other Champions. Let them fight over it! We can sometimes ''try'' to steal it back to not rouse suspicion, but it would make our following months much more leisurely!"


    "You are being evil... again!" She whispered, leaning closer, kissing my lips, "But it suits you~!"


    "Says the girl who helped me get rid of Umbridge! You are just like me~!" I answered with my own kiss, and soon, we were lying down, lost in each other''s embrace.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Charlie, please. Sit." Dumbledore said amicably as the red-haired man walked into his private room.


    "Thank you, Professor." He whispered, bowing a little before sitting down, trying to hide the pain that every move of a muscle sent through his body.


    "Here." The old wizard said, placing a mug filled with hot tea before him. "It will help ease the discomfort. Using your blood is not something I would ask of you lightly; I hope you understand that."


    "I''m fine, Professor. I am glad to be of service."


    "I know... You are just like your parents. They would be proud of you!"


    "I hope..."


    "How''s Fluffy?"


    "Professor, you know that Hagrid will be furious when we return to our base without his dog." Charlie warned him, but in his eyes, there was no place for doubt. He simply wanted Dumbledore to be prepared for it.


    "His anger will be directed towards the necessary targets; don''t worry about it. I would trust Hagrid with my life. He is loyal beyond reason!"


    "I see. I sneaked into the enclosure," Charlie continued, no longer trying to warn Dumbledore, "It is still hard to believe music is all it needs to become docile. I injected him with some of my blood, and for now, it lays dormant within its body. My draconic mutation will drive the beast into madness the moment it activates. Its bloodlust will be overwhelming and push its body to its limits, probably killing it in the process. It may be a Cerberus, but the dog doesn''t have the willpower to control a dragon''s blood. It. Will. Die."


    "If all goes well, it will trigger the conflict. The death of Tom''s little disciple has to draw him out. I know he must be hiding close by, watching, looking for me."


    "Do you think he will care about the boy?"


    "Oh, no. He won''t!" Dumbledore answered, laughing, "He doesn''t care about him, but he does care about his reputation. He announced Conrad to be his first personal disciple, a wizard who he teaches himself! He will appear when he dies."


    "And the kid''s demise will fuel Angus just as well."


    "Mhm. He must not fail and give us enough time to destroy the Horcrux hidden in the Room of Requirements. That is what matters! Maybe he can get lucky with consuming a Felix Felicis."


    "Even if Angus manages to kill him, he will come back. He still has some that we couldn''t locate."


    "Yes, but if he dies, he has to use one up to return!" Dumbledore smiled, looking at Charlie''s mangled face from behind his half-moon spectacles. That equals as another Horcux gone."


    "And brings us a step closer to victory..."


    "Exactly. The moment Tom is gone, peace can finally return to the Wizarding World, and all those who sacrificed everything can be made to remember as heroes! People who gave up their lives for the Greater Good!"

 Chapter 98 – The 2nd Trial (1)

    The snow had already mostly melted away, but I wouldn''t call the weather warm yet. It was still cold yet warm enough for the snowfall to turn into rain. It was the worst kind of weather when the second trial was right around the corner.


    "If the weather remains like this, it would be advantageous for us."


    "Would it?" I asked, shrugging, looking out the window of the North Tower, watching the black skies and how the rain had been going on constantly without slowing down in the past three days. "It''s cold, it''s relentless... and it''s wet."


    "It is water; of course, it''s wet!" She answered with a giggle, walking behind me and hugging my waist. "I''m saying it would be ideal because the potion''s invisibility would be less noticeable in such a horrible condition!"


    "Ugh... Okay. I will shut up! I heard Victor say the same thing, that they played Quidditch in much worse weather, where lightning could strike them any time!"


    "See? You will be fine! How''s your preparations?"


    "All fine! I am ready with some explosive and loud spells! I will wreak havoc and make sure you have time to transform without anyone noticing; swoop in and grab the vial!"


    "Will you attack Victor, too?"


    "Yeah. He knows; I told him to be ready as this is a competition. I don''t think he would want us to hold back, and I am prepared for a fair fight! But the Beauxbatons? If they don''t try something nasty, I will be surprised."


    "Hmph! They don''t have the gall for it!"


    "I met the eyes of Fleur a few times. She no longer looks interested in me."


    "Hah! I would have already challenged her if she did!"


    "Relax!" I laughed, ruffling her hair with a wide grin lingering on my face, "I am also uninterested in that girl. She may be a beauty, but she can''t hold a torch to you!"


    "Good answer~!"


    "I have my moments! Her eyes are much colder than before, and I guess they will try to do something wild, so be on your toes!"


    "Same to you! She will most likely go after you."


    "You are probably right..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When the day finally arrived, the whole school was getting ready as classes were canceled so everyone could witness it. It was the first time I saw all three headmasters use a spell at the same time as the quidditch field was no longer present; instead, it was an enchanted arena. From the outside, it looked small, like a theater set of a half-destroyed ghost town with a crater in the middle where a three-headed puppy was guarding a rotting bell tower.


    Of course, I knew fully well it wasn''t as it seemed at first glance. Above it floated a magical projection showing the apocalyptic cityscape and the colossal dog patrolling the tower, its head growling, looking exceptionally frustrated. I couldn''t accurately measure the size of the ruins, but I was sure it was more prominent on the inside than from what we could see from the stands.


    "Nervous?" Victor asked, looking at me as we were transferred to the dressers, where I was putting on more sturdy leather clothing than my usual robes.


    "A bit, but it isn''t my first time facing off against a beast. What I am more worried about is you."


    "Same." He nodded, and I could see the second Durmstrang Champion scowl. I guess he didn''t receive a potion from Victor as he didn''t look too happy about our task, saying something to Victor that I couldn''t understand.


    "§©§Ñ§ë§à §ã§Ú §ä§à§Ý§Ü§à§Ó§Ñ §á§â§Ú§ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§ã§Ü§Ú §ß§Ñ§ã§ä§â§à§Ö§ß §Ü§ì§Þ §Ó§â§Ñ§Ô§Ñ?"


    "§³§ì§á§Ö§â§ß§Ú§Ü, §ß§Ö §Ó§â§Ñ§Ô. §¥§Ó§Ö§ä§Ö §ß§Ö§ë§Ñ §ã§Ñ §â§Ñ§Ù§Ý§Ú§é§ß§Ú. §£§Ö§é§Ö §ä§Ú §Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§ç, §é§Ö §Ú§Õ§Ö§ñ§ä§Ñ §Ù§Ñ §Ú§Ù§á§à§Ý§Ù§Ó§Ñ§ß§Ö §ß§Ñ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§ä§Ö §ã§ì§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ü§Ú §Ó §Ù§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ö §Ú§Õ§Ó§Ñ §à§ä §ß§Ö§Ô§à, §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ñ §é§Ö §Ò§ì§Õ§Ú §Ò§Ý§Ñ§Ô§à§Õ§Ñ§â§Ö§ß! §ª§ß§Ñ§é§Ö, §ß§ñ§Þ§Ñ§ê§Ö §Õ§Ñ §Ú§Þ§Ñ§ê §ß§Ú§ë§à, §Ü§à§Ö§ä§à §Õ§Ñ §ä§Ú §á§à§Þ§à§Ô§ß§Ö."


    "That didn''t sound nice." I added with a chuckle, watching them, finally looking at Martyn, "If you have a problem, tell it to my face. I respect Victor, but you? I won''t hesitate shooting you in the back."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Are you threatening?" He asked with a sneer, trying to look bigger than me, which wasn''t a big deal... If he thinks I care about something like that, a big surprise is waiting for him, right here, right now.


    "Yes. I am threatening you. So keep to yourself and don''t come crying when you get trashed. I threw you away once; I can throw you out of the second round, too."


    "Heh, this time, I am ready, and I see it, the Beauxbatons will try to squash you like bug!"


    "Don''t worry, Martyn Poliakoff, unlike against you, I have plans to deal with them. You? I can walk over you whenever I want!"


    "You!"


    "§¥§à§ã§ä§Ñ! §³§á§â§Ú §Õ§Ñ §ß§à§ã§Ú§ê §ã§â§Ñ§Þ §Ó§ì§â§ç§å §ß§Ñ§ê§Ö§ä§à §å§é§Ú§Ý§Ú§ë§Ö!" Victor barked at him, making him stop in place.


    "It''s okay." I added with a smile, walking past Martyn, "I don''t know what you said to him, but it is unnecessary. He can blabber all he wants; I will show no mercy in the arena!"


    When I opened the door, it was at the exact moment when lightning struck, and we could hear the rain begin pouring once again. It seemed that this time around, not just the playing field but even the weather would be fitting of the apocalypse. So be it! Bring it on!


    ...


    .....


    .......


    All of us were led to a different entry point after I finished with preparations, and we were further separated from each other. Was it to be fair? Well, it didn''t matter; I was already focused and keen to start it. I didn''t hesitate to step through the threshold when the creamy-colored magic field blocking my entry disappeared.


    "Tsk!"


    I felt like entering a cold shower as the rain was falling heavily, cold as snow, drenching me in an instant. Looking around, I was surrounded by the wreckage of a town, rubbles, broken crates, and carriages littering every street. With a flick of my wand, I commanded the ruined side of a cottage to realign itself, forming steps for me so I could run up to the roof and take a better look.


    "This isn''t going to be simple..."


    The cityscape was even bigger from within than from the outside. Looking up, I could see the quidditch arena, but from here, they looked like faraway mountains with giants sitting atop them, looking down on us ants, playing their game. It was... weird. And unsettling.


    "Focus." I repeated for myself and closed my eyes, casting another spell, letting it carry my senses forward, trying to locate Quincy. Instead, I found another fragrance. "Just as good."


    It wasn''t her, but it was a girl''s... Fleur. Hopping around the rooftops, I had to cast a spell on my boots, making them stick to it more before I would slip because of how wet it was. That would be a stupid way to lose, falling off and breaking my neck, heh. When I caught up to its source, she noticed me instantly, stopping in place and slipping back a vial into her pocket.


    "Come to kill me too, monster?"


    "If I wanted you dead, you would have died in the forest." I answered calmly, watching her fingers, twitching around the handle of her wand, just like mine. We were both waiting for the other to make the first move and counter it.


    "So you are not hiding it? Cold-hearted killer... so young yet evil. Shame. I expected different!"


    There was nothing more to say as she aimed a red jet of energy towards me that was hit by my counter-spell, resulting in a loud, firework-like explosion. She didn''t wait for it to die down and instead aimed at the house I was standing atop. With a forceful blast to its walls, it began to crumble, trying to bury me under it.


    With a leap and a follow-up spell, turning my weight half of what it was initially, I quickly jumped over to the opposing building. Right after landing, I was letting a curtain of blue fire explode from the tip of my wand. The moment it appeared, it let out a loud, sizzling noise like a snake slithering forward as the falling rain turned into mist when coming in contact with it.


    Fleur didn''t try to block it. Instead, she opted to flee, jumping into one of the houses and crashing through its damp, wooden door. I was about to follow her when roof tiles and bricks began flying my way, right out from the house she disappeared into, cutting through my blue flames and coating them with it.


    By the time I countered them all, I lost her from my sight as she escaped into another street. I tried to locate her once again but was unable to. There was no scent to pick up on anymore, and the falling rain didn''t make it any easier.


    "Towards the center!"


    With a shrug, I didn''t hesitate or waste time in finding her. Instead, I was aiming to get to the three-headed dog and prevent anyone from sneaking by. With the one vial in my pocket, I had two options before me. Use it to set an ambush or hold onto it so I can use it to escape. In the end, I decided to keep it for later as I don''t know when I will run into another Champion.


    I was just about to stop and reorient myself when a loud explosion interrupted all my thoughts. Looking forward, I could hear a deep and enraged howl as orange flames rose toward the sky, consuming a part of the ruined city. It was coming from ahead of me, and I was pretty sure it had to do with that bastardly dog. Was someone this fast and reached it already? Tsk!


    I was just about to place my feet on the rooftop''s edge, ready to jump over to the next one, when I felt it. It was a spell being cast at just the right moment, aiming not at me but below me. It made my spine tingle, informing me that I would be in great danger if I fell for it. With a subtle flick, I redirected my own step with a spell, twisting my ankle, choosing to stumble from the rooftop instead, grabbing the gutter at the last moment.


    "Protego!"


    It was at the last moment that I managed to raise a shield as the rooftop exploded, throwing me away like a small ball inside a pinball machine, crashing me through another wall, this time burying me under the collapsing building. I could feel two people closing in, already in the middle of casting spells. I could tell one was Fleur while the other was Celine, working together to deal with me.


    The thought and feeling of danger were the same when I faced Lucius in our duel. I was suddenly reminded of what Herpo told me, and I couldn''t help but do as he said... listening to my instincts as my body began changing, taking up my basilisk form.

 Chapter 99 – The 2nd Trial (2)

    My instincts were stronger than any other thoughts as my body began to change. I felt myself shrugging off the rubble, rising towards the dark sky, emerging from it like a monster from a lake. I felt two spells hit me in the stomach, or at least in my much bigger body''s underside. It was like two rapid punches, but it wasn''t strong enough to harm me. Turning towards their source, I saw Celine rush into the building to her left while Fleur was backing off, eyes closed, using magic to detect her surroundings and avoid my eyes.


    "Vermin." I uttered coldly, and I knew they heard my voice even if they couldn''t understand me now because I saw Fleur shudder as she retreated.


    With a tail swing, I slammed down on the house Celine was hiding in, prompting Fleur to use explosive spells and attack me again. Every time one landed on my body, I felt like being punched, but I could go on and ignore it for now. Even without seeing her, just by sticking out my tongue, I could sense Celine and that she was buried under the rubble. Was she unconscious? Dead? Alive? I didn''t know... but I didn''t care. I was about to open my mouth, ready to spit my venom on the structure so it would dissolve her along with it, when my whole being shuddered.


    I hadn''t felt this kind of fear before, not even when Lord Voldemort took me away for training. Turning towards the source, I saw Fleur''s hand disappear into a weird bag, pulling an animal out. When its bottom half appeared, its leg clamped down by her hand, I already knew what it was. Shaking myself, I hurriedly turned back into a human, using the levioso spell to land on a different rooftop, watching Fleur hold a rooster, making it cry out forcefully. Although it didn''t hurt me in my original form, I still felt uncomfortable hearing it, and my spellcasting failed when I tried to shoot a silencing hex at the animal.


    "You sneaky bitch..."


    I didn''t wait for long and instead opted to run away, heading towards the bell tower and letting Fleur start digging out her friend from under the rubble. At least that will keep her busy for now... and calm my nerves as my inner thoughts became chaotic the moment that rooster appeared. This clearly showed that Dumbledore told Flamel what we did with Quincy, and I am sure he also unlocked all the memories inside Fleur''s mind, confirming my basilisk form.


    No matter, the fact that I am a human, first and foremost, shows that it can''t kill me instantly. Or until I remain unchanged. I wasn''t really keen on experimenting to learn, which was it. Nearing the middle of the city and watching the tower, I could hear loud thumpings, feeling the shaking travel through the air and the rooftops long before I saw the three-headed dog.


    "Something is off..."


    I didn''t need to be an expert to know that, as the beast was straight-up rabid-looking. All three heads were foaming from the mouth, and their barks were like thunderclaps next to my ear, deafening and stomach shaking. I saw it chasing Martyn Poliakoff, who was cursing and running away, but the dog slammed through a building without stopping. That wasn''t a dog; that was a damned wrecking ball! It seems Victor didn''t give him a potion, but this also could mean he was already here and aiming for the vial; it was time to use everything.


    "Evocatio Solis!"


    It was a simple spell that shot a ball of golden light high into the air, illuminating the area around the bell tower. It worked as expected because I noticed a silhouette sneaking forward, already trying to scale the tower as its ground floor was blocked by rubble. If I didn''t know what to look for, I would have missed it... Sorry, Victor.


    "§£§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ó§Ñ§Û!" I shouted loudly before aiming a spell at the tower, blasting it and making it shake. "Once again!" This time, I hit the already broken bell atop it, making it chime out mournfully, and that made the rampaging dog stop and turn around, heading back straight for us... for me. "Come pup... chase your daddy!"


    I wasn''t really running away. My aim was simple: get near my enemies and prevent them from getting past this rabid dog. Whenever the sun spell wore off, I shot out another one, looking for the invisible Victor and ensuring he had the most challenging time possible, even if he tried sneaking just me and the dog on my heels.


    "Pes Velox!"


    Aiming my follow-up spell, I charmed my own shoes, making me run faster than usual, hearing the rabid barking coming close every time I made a turn. Looking back, I saw the beast slide on the wet cobblestone, crashing into an abandoned home, climbing out with visible anger on its face, its bloodshot eyes staying locked on me.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It took only four or five minutes to notice that Fleur and Celine had also arrived, and I saw them drink a potion, turning invisible. Bastards! I won''t believe they figured out the potion by themselves when one of them needed help to realize her clue was for thestral hair! Cheaters... all of them!


    "Imperio!"


    I didn''t know if it would work on the beast, but I had to try. My command was simple: to turn around and attack the space I was going to aim my spells at... but something different had happened.


    The moment the curse landed on the dog''s mind, an even stronger consciousness stirred within it. I realized the feeling because this was the same type of will coming from the dragons when I attacked those damned beasts! Was this normal? Or...?


    "Shit!"


    I didn''t have time to ponder about it, and I had to focus on maintaining a shield charm with all my strength against its new attack. From the left and right mouth of the Cerberus, some kind of ash-like cloud flew out while the one in the middle bit down on it with a feral snarl, igniting it despite the rain and creating an explosion in a 50-foot-wide area.


    It wasn''t finished with just that as it reared up on its hind legs, slamming down, causing a mini earthquake, repeating it over and over again, completely losing control of itself in a mindless rage. I was still coughing, lowering my shield charm, smoking rising from my body just to be hit by another spell. It sent me flying and made me slam against the tower, breaking through a boarded window.


    "Fuck you!"


    I saw and heard Poliakoff laughing as it was him who attacked me... but my revenge could never come as he lived no longer than a few moments. I caught a glimpse of the giant dog leaping into the air and landing straight on him... As to what happened next, I only heard a scream, which was cut in half by another explosion.


    "Idiot..." I grunted, standing up from the rubble and ruined furniture, hissing after noticing that my left leg was pierced through a wooden stake, maybe an old leg of a chair; I couldn''t really tell. I pulled it out with a determined yank, pointing my wand at the deep wound, "Ferula!"


    I watched as the cloth around my leg ripped apart, becoming an enchanted bandage, covering the wound and easing the pain. I won''t heal it, but for the time being, I won''t have a problem going on.


    "Up, hurry!"


    "Fleur..." I whispered, recognizing the voice immediately, and I knew they were inside... no. They were outside, trying to climb the side of it like Victor did. "Confringo!"


    Aiming at the source of the voice, my spell demolished the wall, throwing stones everywhere, resulting in a sharp scream on the other end, followed by a world-ending roar as the dog was already hurrying over. Was... was he aiming at me? Or was it the noise? It was hard to tell, but soon, I saw a bloody, foaming snout of a dog press into the hole, trying to bite me. When it couldn''t reach me, it began stretching out its tongue, which was filled with blisters as if it had been recently doused in acid. It was licking out the rubble and spitting out after chewing on it, wanting nothing more but to catch me.


    "Stinky, mangy, rabid mutt!"


    With a flick, I sent blue flames into its mouth, making it whimper and pull back. I only had a quick moment to breathe as it slammed against the tower and began spreading cracks on it everywhere, roaring, barking, and going nuts. I saw blood dripping to the ground, washed away by the heavy rain... it was killing itself by headbutting the tower repeatedly. Was it truly that mad?


    *HOOT!*


    "Quincy!" I inhaled sharply, snapping my head up as that owl sound came from the top.


    I didn''t have much time to be happy about it as the tower finally cracked, and it began collapsing in on itself, coming down, burying not just me but everyone around us, including the dog. When I came back to myself, I was in my basilisk form, shrugging off the rubble once again, rising up, disoriented, and coughing. The ash, mud, and whatnot were sticking to my scales, and just when I managed to blink it out from my eyes, I saw the dog, which was still alive, standing back up. Or... partially alive.


    Its left head was split open, clearly dead, half of the bell sticking out of it, while the one on the right was unmoving, its tongue hanging out and blood flowing from its mouth. The middle one wasn''t in any better shape, yet its crazed eyes were just as frenzied as before. It still wanted to fight, but it was over when it looked into my eyes. I saw it go stiff, and that was it... it moved no longer.


    "Shit... the rooster!"


    With a hurry, I transformed back, stepping only twice before collapsing again. Looking down, I saw that my intact leg was no longer uninjured as it was facing the wrong direction.


    "The 2nd Trial is over."


    The voice that spoke, echoing through the land, was that of Snape''s. I felt my body surrounded by creamy, white light before feeling like someone yanked me from behind, pulling me through a weird tunnel before finding myself at the starting point, encircled by teachers. Was it a forceful apparition? I couldn''t tell, but I watched as the others emerged the same. First, it was Victor, then Fleur, who was unconscious... and that''s it. I almost asked what happened to Quincy when Severus Snape''s cold voice hushed everybody around us.


    "Quincy Anguine has obtained the vial. The trial has ended. Follow your teachers, and they will take care of your injuries. Tomorrow morning, an official announcement will be made in the Great Hall regarding the trial!"


    I no longer wanted to speak. Looking at Victor and then the unconscious Fleur, I knew that the others were dead and Quincy was ''gone,'' doing exactly what we spoke about. She was hiding the prize... good! I couldn''t help but smirk and meet the eyes of Fleur, who just regained consciousness thanks to the spell of the great Flamel. Heh... Once again, her Headmaster needed to pull her out of a crisis. When she noticed me, what I saw in her gaze was malicious, and I knew she wanted to scream at me, but somehow, I couldn''t help but maintain my smile, satisfied with the outcome.


    Victory feels really good...

 Chapter 100 – Casualties of the Trial

    I spent the night in the infirmary while Madam Pomfrey fixed me up, although she did mention I should not stress my legs for the upcoming month or so. Not that I would have the necessary energy, as simply standing or walking felt like straining me from all my powers. What I was worried about was the fact Quincy didn''t appear before me through the night, and I was already thinking about what may have happened. The moment the sun was up, so was I, ready to return to the Common Room, but the Headmaster''s appearance stopped me from leaving.


    "Follow me."


    His voice was just as cold as before; this time, he didn''t even try to ask me what happened. I mean, he had to see everything as they were all observing it, but he never asked me why we did what we did. Not that he could, as Lord Voldemort himself asked me to spark a conflict and give them a reason to kick off a war. According to him, what happened in the 2nd Trial was going as HE had planned.


    Entering the Great Hall, I was surprised that it was already filled, with the different headmasters and teachers sitting on a podium. At the same time, the tables were now laid out horizontally, filled with students. I let out a relaxed sigh, seeing Quincy sit at the one smaller table, facing the teachers directly. While she sat on its right side, next to Victor, Fleur was occupying the left end of it, looking like someone who slept not a moment since yesterday.


    Walking by the tables, I saw many eyes directed at me, some fearful, some in awe. When I met with the eyes of those who helped us a lot since Quincy''s kidnapping, I gave them a slight nod and smile before sitting down between Victor and Quincy.


    "All good?" I asked her quietly, and she slipped her hand into mine, squeezing it reassuringly.


    "Murderer." Fleur mumbled, looking at me before turning towards Victor. "You too calm, he murd-"


    "The competition was dangerous. Always." He answered without looking at either of us, sitting still, and I was not in the mood to entertain Fleur, especially when I watched the three Headmasters standing straight, silencing the crowd.


    "Now that everybody is here, we are going to commence a public review of the previous event, where two Champions lost their lives." The one who was speaking was Snape; his voice carried throughout the Great Hall, reaching everyone at once, "First, Martyn Poliakoff, the student of Durmstrang."


    "His death was his own doing." Karkaroff remarked calmly, and it surprised me a bit as I expected him to be angry and vindictive. "He failed to capitalize on his advantage and paid the price for his stupidity. Everyone knew that the Triwizard Tournament was dangerous. Lives have been lost in it since its inception."


    "Two in the same Trial is still too much. Deaths in the competition were still a rare occurrence whenever it happened."


    "Well, if you thought about interjecting," Karkaroff countered Flamel as if he was waiting for it to happen, "Let''s talk about the beast you provided! What was its problem? I know about Cerberi; I even raised one myself! I never saw them act anything like that... did you do something to it?"


    "Why would I do anything to my own pet? I wanted to ask the same... what happened to our Fluffy to go that berserk? I want its body back so we can investigate it carefully!"


    Oh boy... was this it? I couldn''t help but look at Quincy, who thought the same, squeezing my fingers even stronger than before as we listened. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I glanced at our friends, telling them with my eyes to be ready if anything happened.


    "We are doing just right that." Snape differed, joining the discussion and taking the side of Karkaroff. "That Cerberus wasn''t behaving like its kind should. As we all watched, it wasn''t the work of a spell, but it could-"


    "Nobody wants to talk Celine?!" The scream-like shout came from none other but Fleur as she stood up, slamming her hands on the table, "About the murderer?!"


    "Calme-toi! Ne perds pas ton sang-froid! Personne n''a oubli¨¦ sa mort, mais ce n''est pas le moment d''agir ainsi! Assieds-toi!" Flamel shot back, ordering Fleur to do something, but she resisted, staying standing.


    "Son meurtrier est ici! Punissez-le! Il l''a fait exploser, je la vois encore devant mes yeux, d¨¦chir¨¦e en morceaux! Il doit ¨ºtre puni!"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Assieds-toi, maintenant! Je ne le dirai pas deux fois!"


    This time, it seemed to work as she sat back, breathing heavily, seething and trembling in place.


    "It seems you can barely contain your own pupils, Master Alchemist." Karkaroff chuckled, sarcastically smirking while speaking, but Flamel wasn''t interested in a verbal battle.


    "She saw her friend die. It is a human reaction, one you know nothing of, Headmaster Karkaroff. Or should I say, Death Eater Karkaroff?"


    "Hmph! What a lame and cheap way to try and besmirch my words, especially when I lost a student myself! It is the Triwizard Tournament! Is your school too weak to accept losses? No wonder your people lack talent when you are caressing only weak wizards and witches! Cuddling your students cost them their lives!"


    "Are you sure you want to say that to me right now?"


    The way Flamel shot back was threatening not just in tone but by action because he already had his wand between his fingers. The ''weird'' thing was that our Headmaster wasn''t stepping in to diffuse the situation. Instead, he was letting it continue. Of course, it was perfectly reasonable for us, who were in the know. This was their ultimate goal.


    "The problems rose from the fact that the beast was tampered with." Severus spoke up in the end, but not to ease the tension but to throw more oil onto the fire.


    "It could have been only one of your factions... the fact that only one school has both Champions living..." Flamel was not backing down. It seemed that both sides were ready, and this was an avalanche that couldn''t be stopped, not even by a wizard.


    "You want to tell us that we outplayed the greatest alchemist of all times and poisoned your Cerberus?" Karkaroff asked with a peal of mocking laughter.


    "Yes."


    Flamel''s answer was like a signal as I felt a tremor run through me... no, not just me, through everybody who was present. I didn''t need to think too hard as Snape pulled out his wand, pointing it at Flamel.


    "What did you do?!"


    "Disabled the protection around Hogwarts." Was his answer, along with a spell flying directly at Snape.


    I didn''t have time to watch the duel as I was pushed down by Victor, who raised a shield charm, blocking a spell from Fleur.


    "Traitor!" She screamed, but Victor shook her head.


    "I am not backstabber, Fleur Delacour. If fight, fight with honor."


    By the time I got back to my feet, total chaos reigned over the Great Hall. The Headmasters were dueling, their spells crashing through the windows, smashing them apart while the teachers were rushing out as shouting could be heard from the grounds itself... we were under attack. I caught a glimpse of our group scurrying out, heading to the route we previously talked about, led by none other than Professor Lockhart. While Victor fought with Fleur, trying not to hurt her, Quincy pulled me away as we slinked towards the exit.


    "To the Room!" She whispered hurriedly, "Get the vial and escape! It is too valuable to leave it behind... I wouldn''t have hidden it if I knew this would happen first thing in the morning!"


    "Agreed!" I nodded, noticing her pressing a potion into my hand. It was the invisibility one we made for the Trial.


    "I only used one! I knew it would come in handy!" She winked at me as we drank it simultaneously and held each other''s hands, disappearing.


    Now I understood why Madam Pomfrey urged me not to stress my legs. Every step I took on the stairs was painful, and both of them felt heavy as if they were made of iron.


    "...!" Quincy stopped me, and it took me a moment to notice why. Others were already there, coming from a different wing. "Dumbledore... and I think the other one is called Lupin." She said, not with words but by writing into my palm.


    Peeking over the edge of the corridor, we saw the two wizards. They were so hurried that they didn''t even look around or use spells, only focusing on summoning the Room of Requirements and entering it. We waited a little before going after them, and it was my first time seeing the room like a labyrinth where an endless amount of ''stuff'' was cluttered, reaching far up to the ceiling. Bags, old furniture, backpacks, and who knows what else littered the landscape wherever one looked.


    "It''s in the same shape as when I came hiding the potion!" She wrote hastily, "Are they looking for something here?"


    "Most likely! We don''t have time! Where did you hide it?"


    "In plain sight!"


    Although I couldn''t see or hear her, I felt her tug me along, and we only took two steps toward a cabinet right next to the door. Pulling out its first drawer, there it was, wrapped in an old sock.


    "That... that is kinda genius." I wrote with amazement as my first thought would have been to go and start searching deep in this labyrinth.


    "Thank you~! Now let''s go! I don''t want to be here when they return!"


    I couldn''t have agreed more. When we were out, we broke into a rush, heading downstairs and looking out the windows; I could see the battle going on everywhere around the castle grounds. I saw Death Eaters apparating in, fighting against the wizards of the Order who now were wreaking havoc everywhere. I even noticed the Black brothers chasing a rat... or was that our Professor? Or did their dog-like instinct kick in?


    By the time we got to the hidden corridor, it was wide open, signaling us that the others entered it already. With the potion wearing off, we could see and hear each other once again, and she immediately noticed my pained look.


    "Are you okay?!"


    "Yeah, yeah! It''s fine, just my legs... I can keep up, don''t worry! Let''s go; we have to escape!" I chuckled, dusting off my palms on my thighs.


    "I will miss the school..." She whispered, taking a last look, and I couldn''t help but feel guilty... which quickly disappeared when she kissed my face. "But as long as I am with you, every place will be just as much fun!"

 Chapter 101 – Revenge

    Walking through the secret tunnel, all of its defenses were already disabled. We couldn''t hear the chaos above us from here, as if we were in a completely different world. Reaching the end, it didn''t surprise us that the hatch was open, its magic keeping the dark water from flooding us.


    "Ready?" I asked, and Quincy, with a nod, bit down on some gillyweed and jumped, disappearing into the water.


    I didn''t hesitate to follow her, and we were swimming fast, heading towards the surface and the ship of the Durmstrang students. Feeling the freezing water bite into our bodies wasn''t something one could be prepared for. I expected it to be cold, but to hurt like this? Damn...


    As we approached the surface, I could see some flashing lights, probably wild spells, going over the lake''s surface. I couldn''t let myself be distracted, so I kept my eyes locked on the ship''s bottom, not that far from us. As we got closer, I nodded at Quincy to head towards its anchor, and we used it to scale the vessel, me going first.


    When my head popped up at the top, I couldn''t help but let out a relieved sigh as I saw our classmates and Professor Lockhart there, working hard to disable the magical defenses of the ship.


    "Conrad!" One of the others called out as we climbed up, using spells to dry and warm ourselves up.


    "Good work, everyone! How are we?" I asked, unable to help myself, and looked towards the school, seeing the battles going on, watching some of the explosions and loud screams carried forward by the strong wind.


    "We are fine, but the ship''s defenses are giving me a headache!"


    "Nobody''s hurt, yes?" I asked after hearing the Professor''s words, making the rest chuckle, knowing what I meant, "We will wait for Victor; he should be able to unclog it with ease!"


    "If he comes."


    "Professor, please, be a bit more positive!" I grunted as it was no time to be depressed. If we don''t try to be optimistic, then why are we even trying anything? Should we just flop down and die?


    "Look!"


    All of us turned towards where one of the fourth-year students pointed, and I saw a broomstick heading towards us with incredible speed, making me smile, turning towards Lockhart.


    "See?"


    The way he landed was immaculate, and he didn''t wait for questions or introductions, beginning to unseal the vessel, taking control of it at once.


    "Inside! Everyone!" He ordered, and I was about to repeat it, telling the others to hurry down the now open doors and hatches, deep into the ship''s belly, when an incredible pain stabbed me in the arm.


    "Conrad!" It was Quincy who noticed it as I almost kneeled over, looking towards the school.


    "HE is here! And HE is calling everyone!" I groaned, feeling the tattoo burn my flesh.


    "HE?" Victor shuddered, just as the others did as we all turned towards the shore.


    It didn''t take long to notice him standing in the air, surrounded by multiple Death Eaters... including my Father. I immediately felt my heart speed up, rising to my throat. The roar of dragons followed their appearance as the two carriage-pulling animals rose to the sky, attacking the group and making them scatter, dodging their fiery breaths. I may have been awed by the scene in a different life, but now I was feeling such dread that my legs were shaking. Something terrible was going to happen.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Screams. Ear-piercing, hearth-wrenching screams. It was what filled the dreams of Angus Anguine for many years. Countless nights made him wake up to them, echoing in his ears, drenching his body with cold sweat. He could see his parents'' faces distorted by being subjugated to the cruciatus curse over and over again.


    Worse, it was his one and true love''s expression, on the brink of madness, crying, biting her lips until blood flowed, begging for death, the sweet release just so she would not suffer anymore. He was not just made to watch it but made to experience it himself. It was the punishment for betraying Lord Voldemort and the rule of the Ministry.


    They were going to die... but before that, they were going to break them all. When Angus''s eyes met with his Father''s, he suddenly understood something. His always kind and wise parent told him everything with that one look, only clear for a blink of a second between two blasts of torturous curses. He understood what had to be done.


    When the final trial happened, every family member acknowledged their sins of harboring mudblood witches and wizards. They were intentionally muddying their bloodlines, wanting to make their son marry a muggle. Angus, stoically, never looking at her parents, also told the Wizengamot that he was forced to comply and that he abhorred what was going on, but his Father held every power within the family.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    To this statement, the old man didn''t fight back but acknowledged it without any resentment. Not long after, Lord Voldemort himself decided that the family would be purged, leaving only one life to atone for their sins. Angus Anguine. Of course, this had to be sealed by blood, and it was deemed that the last Anguine would become the executioner. Either that... or be killed just like the rest of the family.


    To this day, whenever Angus looked at Voldemort, he couldn''t help but see the faces of his family. His smiling Mother... his always kind Father... and the relieved expression of his one and only love since childhood. What was worse, none of them were angry at him in their moment of death, knowing full well that one day, Angus would avenge them all.


    "Soon we will meet again... I can''t wait to tell you all about little Conrad..." He whispered to himself, dodging the dragon''s flames, watching Voldemort''s back.


    There was no more hesitation. With a flick, he unleashed the killing curse straight at the back of Lord Voldemort.


    "LORD!" cried out one of the other Death Eaters, but his master was already facing Angus, hitting the green jet of magic with his own spell, as the two curses canceled each other.


    With a loud roar, one of the frenzied dragons interrupted them, scattering the group once more as it flew past, trying to eat them alive, taking its sweet time turn in the sky, ready to breathe fire from above.


    "I knew you would do this one day!" Voldemort grunted, waving his hand to the others to deal with the raging dragons while he began dueling Angus in earnest. "I wasn''t sure which of you is the traitor! You or Severus, but now it came to light! Good, good! Fight me, Angus Anguine! Let me crush you just like your family! Maybe your death will finally make the old bastard appear!"


    Angus said nothing in turn as their duel commenced, multiple flashes of light clashing mid-air as they waltzed around the battlefield, trying to kill each other. It wasn''t just Voldemort who attacked Angus; three other Death Eaters were in close pursuit, trying to assist their master. Even the Dark Lord himself had to acknowledge the man before him was an exceptional duelist. One mistake would be enough to kill him... deep down, he was disappointed that he would have to kill one such great asset.


    "UGH?! NOOOO!"


    The profound and unsettling cry that interrupted their fight came out from none other''s mouth than Voldemort, with his free hand clutching his chest. He knew full well what this meant... Dumbledore found it. The bastard was not here to kill him... but to obliterate the Horcrux hidden inside the Castle! How did they find out about it?! Nobody should know about it, not Angus, not Snape, nobody. Only. Him! It was inconceivable for Voldemort to think this was even possible as only he was the master of Hogwarts; only he should know about the Room of Requirements, being the blood of Salazar Slytherin. But he could no longer think about it as a jet of green light approached him very quickly...


    When the howl of pain left the mouth of Lord Voldemort, Angus didn''t waver. He knew what to do, and even though he was surrounded by multiple other Death Eaters, it was what he was waiting for. Decades passed since that day, but finally... it had come to him. He used the killing curse with a precise and elegant flick, sending it directly at Lord Voldemort and hitting his body, which disintegrated for some weird reason. Still, he wasn''t questioning it, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.


    "I''m coming..." Angus whispered, looking towards the horizon, his eyes already calm, unbothered, and filled with tears of happiness. The screaming finally stopped... he could no longer hear them. "Take care... my son."


    His last thoughts were of Conrad when three different curses hit his body, tearing him apart, without a chance to fight back, letting his mangled body fall from the skies.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Conrad!"


    I heard my name being called, but it was as if somebody was shouting it from far away. Every noise was muffled and distorted as I watched my Father''s body plummet from the sky, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I felt two hands grab me, one belonging to Quincy and one to Victor, pulling me into the belly of the ship before it was fully submerged and we would be washed off from it.


    My Father... died? Killed? Just... Just like that? No... that can''t be... can it? But... he is the best duelist; he just defeated the Dark Lord himself... how was he dead? That... that can''t be...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    As it was later called, the Massacre of Hogwarts lasted for multiple hours, ending in the retreat of the Order''s forces, who remained unsuccessful in occupying it. Of course, few knew that it was not a failure but a success that the members of the Order celebrated for multiple days onwards.


    Even though they lost a lot of people, it was a great success. Dumbledore not only managed to find and destroy the hidden Horcrux, but Angus Anguine, sacrificing his own life, destroyed Lord Voldemort''s body.


    "Ultimately, we were triumphant." Moody grunted, swinging his flask as the Order of the Phoenix leaders were gathering in a villa hidden by ancient magic somewhere in the British Isles. "With us back at home, we can finally spread the flames of rebellion! The bastard is down to two lives!"


    "Are we sure?" Flamel asked, only present through a chocolate frog card, as he was accompanying his students back to France, preparing for war.


    "Yes." Dumbledore nodded, looking over the others who were attending this meeting. Some of them were surprising for him to be found alive, like the Black brothers. They were battered but living, something he wasn''t expecting, especially after giving the nod to Severus. But it didn''t matter... Then there was Charlie, who looked way too calm, which could only mean he was beyond angry. These were people; he was sure to die along with Angus... yet did not. "Tom only has two Horcruxes left. Now, with him dead, he will be whittled down to the last one. When he returns, he will only have a lone Horcrux that we need to find, destroy, and finally be able to kill him for good. ''Tis was a great victory for our Order!"


    "The kid escaped..." Charlie murmured, incensed by the thought that his dragons were sacrificed for nothing.


    "Come to France." Flamel said, catching Cahrlie''s attention. "Their ship must have headed towards the mainland. My student, Fleur, is already preparing to go and hunt the two youngsters down before the Death Eaters. You can team up with her."


    Charlie quickly glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded in agreement, letting him go on his own way. He was unstable... let it be Flamel''s worry from now on. His mind was already on different problems. He was back, back in England. It was time to begin executing plans that they had been working on for decades. By the time the Dark Lord returns to a new body, they must welcome him with the flames of war.

 Chapter 102 – Death Will (End of Volume III)

    "How long until we reach shore?"


    "Soon."


    "You said that an hour ago."


    "Still soon."


    It seemed like Victor was not in the mood to talk with the nervous Lockhart, who was pacing up and down on the control deck.


    "We get there soon. I need to be careful to not be spotted. You disturb me, please, quiet."


    "Sorry..."


    It wasn''t just Lockhart who was nervous and finding it hard to sit still; the rest of the students were, too. They were still within the British Isles, heading east, slowly and meticulously, to avoid being discovered. If all ran well, they would soon reach the shores of Scotland, where they would resurface, and the students could disembark.


    It was never in the plan to bring them away as most students would not face any repercussions for fleeing the battle, and in the chaos, nobody would fault them for escaping, not after Lord Voldemort''s death. The only ones they would be looking for are probably Krum, Lockhart, and the last persons bearing the Anguine name.


    "You stay?" Krum asked suddenly, surprising the ex-Professor.


    "I will come until we reach the mainland. I have some friends in Germany who can help me."


    "I will navigate ship north then. Dock in Denmark; you can go from there."


    "Thanks."


    "Yes. Conrad?"


    "I don''t know their plans. Which is for the best, for their own safety." Lockhart shrugged, making Victor also let out a short breath, asking no further as the duo was inside the captain''s quarters, and since leaving, they didn''t come out of it.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Lying on the bed, watching the wooden ceiling, I felt my mind to be empty. Thoughtless. No matter what came to mind, it slipped away like a dream after waking up. It was hard to focus on anything, and if not for Quincy''s silent breathing next to me, I would have already lost myself... I think. When I looked at her, she was asleep; her eyes were puffy and red from crying, snuggling up to me with two hands.


    "I only have you..." I whispered, not wanting to let go of her.


    I wanted to sleep like her, just so I could reset my mind a little, but no sleep would come to me. I expected Herpo to pop up and say something, maybe try to convince me of something he wanted, but even he remained silent. Was I really that numbed? Probably... yes.


    I don''t know how long I was out, but I returned to myself when Quincy began stirring next to me. Was I sleeping? I frankly couldn''t tell... it was so... weird, as if I was there, yet not.


    "Conrad..." She whispered, seeing my face, hugging me, almost breaking into tears, but I made her stop this time.


    "Let''s go up... We may have arrived already."


    "C-conrad..." She mumbled, but I forced myself to smile at her.


    "It''s okay... we are still not out of hot water. Let''s go..."


    Holding her hand calmed me enough to function without any visible issues. I somehow didn''t even feel angry; I felt... nothing. Seeing us appear, Victor took a good look at me, nodding while the Professor opened his mouth to speak but then fell silent. It was a rare occasion, that is for sure.


    "We are going up soon."


    "Where are we?"


    "We left city... it called... Aberdeen? We went north, no muggles around so it safe coming up."


    "Thanks."


    "Of Course. You did good. That war could cost lot of innocent life. Not worth it."


    "It wouldn''t have happened without your help, Victor. I won''t forget this." I answered, shaking his hand as we finally resurfaced once again.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It was already dark and cold outside as we all gathered atop the deck. I didn''t have much in me to talk or give a speech, so instead, I shook the hands of everybody present, telling them to be careful and that it would be best to discard the notebooks we used. It could be dangerous after what happened today. Seeing them board the little boats, ready to go to shore, I felt very weird and stuffy. I watched them until they all disappeared in the dark night, my last connections to Hogwarts and to my previous life. I just hoped they would be okay...


    "Let''s go." I shrugged, holding Quincy''s hand until the last moment, right until we heard a whistle. It was so sudden and fast that none of us could react to it, and before any of us caught on, a silvery tube was floating before me.


    "What''s this?" I asked, raising my hand as it fell into it, the light surrounding it disappearing.


    "Is that... a Death Will?"


    "A what?" I shuddered, looking at Lockhart, who audibly gulped before continuing. "It is used to leave behind a magical will. It is not something you see used nowadays. It was more in fashion in the Middle Ages. They are usually authored by someone who knows he is going to die to leave a will behind that will be delivered to the target, no matter what. It''s just as sure as the Triwizard Tournament''s contract."


    "Shit..." Suddenly, all my thoughts went blank once again as I was reminded of it, looking at Quincy, then back at Victor.


    "It''s good." He nodded, surprising me, "I am with Order, spying on Durmstrang."


    "What?!" I flared up as I was not expecting it, but very soon, I was back to an equilibrium. He helped me... and there was no Dumbledore here, not yet, that is.


    "That is that this is this." He continued with a small smile, "I have my own idea. Not all must be as is. But I tell you now, Conrad Anguine, you don''t need worry about the competition. You have vial?"


    "We do."


    "The competition is ongoing. Still. The task was get vial and use it in last trial. As long as it is unused, nobody wins nor loses. Even if we not told what it must be used on, trial is still ongoing."


    "Is this some kind of... loophole?" Quincy asked, thinking about it, widening Victor''s smile with her question.


    "Yes. They set up this way on plan. They knew problem will rise, so they made sure we safe from punishment."


    "Old bastards..."


    Although the exact words were swirling in my mind, it was Lockhart who said it out loud. The knowledge that we were safe made my thoughts return to the silver tube in my hand. They also noticed it as we went back down while Victor took the helm, making the ship disappear as we began our travel.


    In our cabin, Quincy and I sat on the bed, looking at the Death Will, but my hands refused to open it. I... I don''t know if I want to hear what is in it. Quincy never once urged me, simply watching me, keeping silent until I managed to force my fingers to touch its top, where there was a lid. The moment that happened, it popped like it was a bubble, and the room went dark with a silver specter of my father appearing before us. He was standing there, dressed casually, smiling at us as if nothing had happened in the past 24 hours.


    "The fact you are listening to this means you escaped and are safe. I knew you would manage it; you are my son, after all. I also know that you have many questions; let me answer them all, so please, listen well. I know you may hate me after this, but this was inevitable."


    "I would not hate you..." I whispered, hearing my voice break and feeling Quincy hold my hands in hers, squeezing them.


    "My family, your grandparents, and the woman who should have been your mother was killed by my own hands. I was about to marry someone who was a muggle, magicless. I don''t know how it came to light, but the whole family was punished. We were made to be examples of what happens if we go against the system. Voldemort ordered me to do so to save myself. Since that day, I have seen their faces and heard their screams whenever I closed my eyes. I lived for only one goal... kill Voldemort."


    "W-what...?" I barely had time to comprehend what he was saying because he continued explaining it.


    "Then he forced me to marry and carry on a bloodline. Probably to further test me. Or torture me. I don''t know... I used every protection, yet somehow, my ''wife'' became pregnant. Then... you came into my life. My son. My Conrad. Whenever I was with you, I could not hear the screams. You were the only thing that numbed it. You were the only light in my darkness, my son."


    "Father..."


    "I am sorry it came down to this. I tried giving you the best childhood possible, and seeing you and Quincy together reminded me of my own life, that which was torn away from me. I hope you two will experience what I couldn''t. Please, I want you to do it. I want you to live happily. I ensured that this message would only reach you if you successfully escaped! I don''t know where you are right now, but head to Switzerland. Go to the local Gringotts, under Bern, and show them this Will! It will give you two access to a confidential vault where I accumulated enough wealth for you and your future families to survive. It has also plenty of muggle money and assets, too, with muggle identities. As your Father, I have a final advice to you, my Son, my Daughter." He smiled happily, looking at both of us, "Live as muggles from now on. Leave the Wizarding World behind and have a happy life. I worked with them a lot; you would be surprised how fun they are! Ahaha..."


    "Dad..."


    "It is your life. You two can decide on it; nobody else can. I just hope you take this old idiot''s advice. Now, I will have to say my goodbyes. I am sorry, Conrad. I can''t be with you anymore as my time has finally come. I was planning my revenge, and I needed it. I... Need... This. I would have done it without the Order''s help, but with them, I could use their connections and resources to my advantage. Whatever happens next, don''t trust them. Trust nobody, Conrad... Only Quincy. Well... that became dark, ahaha! Sorry, sorry! I have to go now. Don''t be sad, neither of you! Because, from the other side, I will be watching over you two, and when you finally grow old together, we will meet again. You make me proud... both of you. Take care and live a happy life... Goodbye."


    "DAD!"


    I don''t know how loud I was, but my throat, my eyes, everything was burning. It hurt... breathing hurt. Existing itself... hurt. I don''t remember much, only that I was crying like never before, wailing like a banshee, buried within Quincy''s chest, who was holding my head sobbing just the same...

 Chapter 103 – On The Road (1)

    "Soon, we will arrive; we should start getting ready."


    "Um." I nodded, climbing off the bed and starting to dress up.


    In the past few days, as we traveled in silence, I had a lot of time to think. Although I still didn''t know what to do next, we had a goal. Get to Switzerland, to the Gringotts that my father mentioned. After that? We will see. Coming out of our cabin, Victor asked nothing, nor what our plans were or where we would go. Both of us knew why. He intended to return to the Order, and if he didn''t know something, they couldn''t extract it from him, no matter what.


    "I hope one day I can repay this." I said when the ship emerged from the depths, only a few kilometers off the shores of mainland Europe.


    "Maybe we meet, maybe we not. Take care. Both you."


    "What about me?" Professor Lockhart asked, finally recovering his humorous side, receiving a nod from Victor.


    It was no time for long farewells, so we simply mounted our brooms, took off from the ship, and disappeared in the night. I looked back only once, seeing the ship go under the waves before we were flying in the cold, windy twilight.


    "Well, this is a goodbye for us too, huh?" Lockhart shrugged after ten minutes of flying as we noticed the shoreline and the lights coming from the muggle cities.


    "Take care, Professor... and thank you for everything."


    "Nah, it should be me, thanking you, young Conrad. Quincy. Both of you, be careful and avoid using magic in the muggles'' world! It is the easiest way to draw attention to yourselves."


    "We will do so and... goodbye, Professor."


    We said it simultaneously before we split up, and soon, only the two of us remained, flying silently. Of course, we intended to fly only some of the way to Switzerland; going all the way would be too easy for other wizards to notice. The moment we were adequately far away into the land, we touched down and entered the first city we came across.


    "How weird." Quincy whispered, holding my hand as we walked the empty streets. It was deep into the night, so it looked pretty abandoned. The streets were lit by their electric lamps, but their light differed from what we were used to.


    "It is... weird. One would easily mistake it for magic. But floating candles and chandeliers are more homey, in my opinion. I don''t like the muggle''s unnatural light. Its color just doesn''t match."


    "Where to now?"


    "Well, I know very little about their lives, but I do know that they are using something called a bus to get around. It''s the same as the car my father operated to get us off the train and back to the estate. Only, a bus is bigger and can carry a lot of people."


    "Oh, I know which vehicle you mean! Those big ones, the types that are colored red back home! I sometimes saw them when we left our home while I still lived with my grandmother. I saw multiple muggles get onto it."


    "Yeah, that''s it. We will get onto one that takes us to our destination. Then, we will have to learn to apparate somehow. It would help our travels immensely."


    "Hvad laver to sm? blomster her, midt om natten?[modern_footnote]What are two little flowers doing here, in the dead of night?[/modern_footnote]"


    I didn''t know the language, nor was I interested in what the words meant. The moment I heard it, turning towards the source, I saw multiple men appearing, heading directly toward us. The light in their eyes was enough to make me move and not ask any questions.


    "That was quick." Quincy murmured, putting away her wand a step behind me, watching the green light dissipate and turning away from the dead muggles. She kept holding my hand, squeezing it gently. "You have become faster!"


    "I need to keep improving." I whispered, smiling at her weakly, "I will have to be strong so my father won''t be angry that I refuse his wishes."


    "So we are fighting back. Mhm! I also thought of the same!" She hugged me, kissing my lisp gently, "Don''t worry, I am with you! No matter what!"


    "I know... let''s go... Before someone comes and discovers them!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "My Lord... we raided the home of the Anguines. I am personally investigating their belongings while the others are currently interrogating the wife of the traitor!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "She will be of no use..." A weak, dreadful voice whispered, sounding like a snake''s hiss, coming from a dark orb, which was swirling with unnatural magic. Just a simple look at it and Bellatrix felt like throwing up, yet she thought she was used to interacting with the vilest magic of wizard-kind. Apparently not. "No matter, torture her until she breaks. I want the kids found... bring them to me alive. Understood?"


    "Yes... My Lord. About the rumors..."


    "That I''m dead?" Voldemort cackled, sounding like an ancient book''s pages being flipped rapidly, "I will be back in seven days. Prepare a meeting within the Ministry for it. I will make a public appearance! Killing me? I defeated death! I am unkillable!"


    "Of course, My Lord! Of course!"


    "But before that, publish the two traitors and their faces in the Daily Prophet. I want them to place wanted posters everywhere. EVERYWHERE! No matter their background, anyone who finds them will be heavily rewarded. Anyone giving a tip to us that leads to them will get rewarded just the same. I want them found, and SOON! If you want to impress me, find them before I return and use my mark to do so..."


    "We will do as you wish, My Lord! I will see to it personally! They can''t hide forever!"


    "Tell Severus that he should investigate the students the kid was friendly with. Use any method, but get me information and make him prepare the castle to be adequate for my arrival."


    "My Lord?"


    "After I return, I will take up residence in Hogwarts and take over as its Headmaster. Dumbledore and his precious Order have returned... They will not give up Hogwarts and will try to retake it. A final battle for it is inevitable; I will welcome the fight with open arms. I will be there and ready... whichever of us wins will rule the world, simple as that!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "We have made contact with our sleeper cells. I have to admit that Angus''s works were impeccable. All those half-blood or muggle-born witches and wizards whom he supposedly dealt with are ready to join us. I kinda feel bad that we are using his work after his death." Moody murmured, shaking his head before swinging his flask and taking a big gulp from it.


    "It was inevitable." Dumbledore hummed, sitting in a big chair, watching the orange flames dance in their hidden headquarters''s fireplace. "Are they informed to keep a lookout for the two kids?"


    "Yes. We sent out a message to tell us if they found them. We notified everybody to be careful as they could be dangerous, so only try capturing them with ample preparation. They may be kids, but they are good. I want to teach them personally."


    "Maybe even too dangerous. Did we make contact with Krum yet?"


    "Just an hour ago. He is heading to our base in France. Should I go and bring him here?"


    "Mhm. Please do so, Alastor. I have some questions for him personally." Dumbledore nodded, finally drawing his eye away from the fire, standing up and walking towards the window with hands behind his back. "The search for the kids will mostly fall onto the shoulders of Flamel and the rest who returned to the mainland."


    "I don''t get why we made the chosen one travel to France when we just returned."


    "It will do good for Neville to attend a proper magic school for a few years. Now, he can learn about his true potential and see the world for what it is. He already has an attachment to it, so he can start developing the drive to save it... Also, there is a muggle saying. Never keep all your eggs in the same basket. The prophecy is already in motion and will play out as it should. It said that he would be the one to deal with the Dark Lord, and if we try to do it instead, we are bound to fail. So... our job is simple. Find the remaining Horcruxes and deal with those. Tom will be young Neville''s job."


    "Hogwash... but if you say so, I will believe it."


    "That is all I ask from you, my old friend."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Did you get it?" I whispered when Quincy got back to me, showing me two tickets.


    "Yep! Charming a muggle and making her buy it for us was a good idea! We just need to find the station it leaves from and board it!"


    With a giggle, she was proud of her achievement while I kept a lookout so we wouldn''t be discovered using magic. After repeating what I did in school and enchanting a little book, we finally had some translation in place. It took us a whole day to uncover where we were, where to go next, and how money worked in this muggle country.


    "I can''t believe they could get this far without any magic. It is way too easy to manipulate them..." I whispered as we walked. Just this morning, we realized our clothes were way too suspicious-looking, so we entered a massive building filled with shops. Charming them made it easy for both of us to pick out fitting garments and leave unhindered. Right now, I was wearing jeans, a shirt, and a thick coat, while Quincy sported warm leggings, a skirt, and a blouse hidden below a puffy jacket.


    "Yeah, but there are way too many of them!" She added while holding my hand, passing by many others, heading towards station 12. "Anyway, the bus will go from the 12th and take us close to their border. From there, we must pass into the other country and look up another transport towards down south!"


    "We will fly." I said, tapping the two brooms hanging from my shoulder as they were wrapped up, looking like luggage. "We will do it in the night, keep low, and try to avoid places where muggles live. We will use their public transport throughout the day until we get to Switzerland."


    When we got to the spot, we only had to wait for around half an hour before the bus pulled up and we boarded it. With a quick, hidden wave of my wand, no muggle found it suspicious that we were traveling alone and we could remain unbothered by sitting at the back.


    "It won''t be a short distance..." I whispered as both of us were watching a map we swiped from one of the shops. "I can''t get how they can live like this, taking days to get from one place to another!"


    "Well, it is nice... feels like an adventure!" She added with a smile, leaning against me while looking up and out the window, watching the changing scenery. Although it was cloudy and could rain any time, it was... different. It was unlike the views I was used to. If not for how we left, I may truly enjoy this slight change of pace.


    "Adventure... huh? Well, we can look at it like that. Especially because what waits for us at the end is gold."


    "Did you think about what you want to do after it?"


    "Not yet. I... I don''t want to think about it... I don''t really want to think yet..."


    "Um, I get it. Then don''t. Just focusing on the now is enough. We will get it done, step by step!"


    "Yeah, that does sound good... Then the problems also don''t look too big that way... They remain small enough so I can feel that we can deal with them."

 Chapter 104 – On The Road (2)

    Reaching the next country was easier than I expected. We got through the border quickly by flying, and after two days of travel, we finally stopped to rest.


    "We should be good; I charmed the receptionist and placed down some wards. If someone comes in who isn''t a muggle, we will be notified!"


    "Thanks! I went ahead and brought up some food!" I answered her, watching her close the door to our little room in a tiny hotel and take off her jacket.


    "Are those sausages? They did look good!"


    "Hehe, I waited for you so we can try it together. It will be good to finally sleep in bed and not on a bus or train!"


    "And to take a proper bath!" She moaned loudly, sitting beside me as we began munching on our dinner, watching a box that the muggles called a television. Even without understanding the language, it was... fascinating.


    We were already close to the border between Germany and Switzerland; tomorrow, we had to catch the last bus that would take us over, hopefully without any problems. Still, we had already prepared spells and practiced them on muggles we came across. It mainly was to control them, so they ignored our presence.


    "I still think," She began speaking after the second sausage, "that after we pass into Switzerland, we should ditch the bus and go on brooms. There is a high possibility that we are leaving a trail by using magic."


    "I agree. After we get to the city, we will need to interact with the local wizarding community, so we will need to be extra cautious."


    "We practiced it; it will be fine!" She winked at me, leaning over and cleaning my face with a warm smile, "If anyone asks, we will say we are exchange students from Australia and stay in the city for only a few days while traveling through Europe. Easy!"


    "After we get what is inside the Gringotts, we should head here..." I murmured, taking out the map and unfolding it until finding the point I marked. "It is far away from everything and in the mountains."


    It was a ski resort. Going by the description and my father''s words, we should have some muggle money to go there and rent out a room or a whole cabin for a more extensive period.


    "Mhm. I''m fine with it. We can then sit down and think about our next move. By then, I think I will also be pretty good at casting memory charms, ahaha!"


    "You do improve quickly!" I smiled, being honest, as she picked up its quirks surprisingly fast and had been charming most of the muggles we came across.


    "But before anything, it is time for a bath!" She yawned, stretching, and after a bit of awkward silence, she stood up, heading to the bathroom. I watched her go, and when she stopped at the door, looking back, I felt my face turn redder. I saw her open her mouth to say something, but no words emerged from between her lips.


    Yet, even though she went in, the door remained slightly open, only partially closed. I felt my heartbeat increase, and after a brief hesitation, I stood up, went after her, and closed the door to the bathroom behind me.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    The next day started with an embarrassed silence between us that lasted until we boarded the bus, bringing us further along on our journey. Although that didn''t happen yesterday, we still bathed together, experiencing each other''s bodies more closely than ever before...


    "You are blushing... you are thinking about it!" She whispered to me as we sat at the back of the bus. She was poking my sides with her finger, just as blushed as me.


    "Ah, um... s-s-sorry!" I replied by reflex, making her pout.


    "Don''t say it like that! It sounds weird... we are... husband and wife, it is normal!"


    "Then... we should do it again." I mumbled, not knowing where to look as we both fell into silence again, but she nodded in answer.


    What ended our awkwardness was when we reached the border, and people got on the bus, checking everyone''s passports. We heard about the muggles'' border control, so it didn''t take us by surprise, but still... it did make us nervous.


    "It''s clear; I sense no magic present." I whispered, using revelio to see if any mages were around us or not.


    With a nod, Quincy took aim, raising her wand slightly, silently casting at the people before us. While she was literally erasing our presence from the passengers'' minds, I used the same spell on the muggle officers, making them constantly forget that we were on the bus, which was a degree harder as I had to do it every time they looked at us. Luckily, we passed the inspection, and fifteen minutes later, we were on our way once again, now inside Switzerland.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "That was... exhausting!" I shrugged, putting my wand away while she took out a thermos we nicked, pouring hot tea into small plastic cups for both of us.


    "Here! Hehe, this thing is nice; it keeps it warm, even without magic."


    "True, I thought muggles were weirder, but they do have some really lovely inventions. I especially liked that TV thing."


    "Um! I did, too! When we rent out our place, we should have one. We could learn about them a lot from it without asking muggles in person and making them suspicious."


    "I thought the same. We may even go and ski a little if we are already here.


    "Have you ever done it before?" She asked, curious, but I just shook my head with a smile.


    "No, but it can''t be harder than sledding!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It was weird coming into the magical city of a different country. When we arrived, we first walked around the muggle part of Bern, looking for that feeling... that little tremble that tells you where to go if your blood is attuned to magic. In the end, we found it next to a train station. Going past an ''out-of-order'' staircase, it hit us in the face: the presence of magic. Going down and tapping the locked-up chainlink fence with our wands, it opened up nicely and revealed another staircase, which led us back up, coming out into a city that looked wholly different.


    The people who walked these medieval-looking streets were wizards and witches alright, wearing mostly robes and old-fashioned hats. Nobody batted an eye on us, not even when we were strolling around aimlessly, trying to find the local Gringotts. In the end, we asked for directions, and I was surprised that the old witch switched to English in a heartbeat, giving us perfect directions.


    "We would be hard-pressed to speak another language..." Quincy murmured as we walked down the cobblestone street, feeling ashamed.


    "Well, we can speak parseltounge... that doesn''t count?"


    "Ahaha, idiot... you know it doesn''t!"


    "We will have time; we can pick up extra languages if you feel up to it. For example, it would have helped a lot if we knew French."


    "True... and I bet we should try and learn it; I don''t think they would leave us alone."


    "Sadly, I agree!"


    When finding the big, white building of the goblins, we saw some weird, 2 or 3-meter-tall suits guarding its stairs at the base, looking majestic and mighty. Both of us could feel the power radiating from them, telling us that they were neither man nor beast but automatons made by the goblins... which also meant that they were probably also spell-resistant.


    "Damn... This place is much more protected than the one in London..."


    "Of course!" A voice answered me as I saw a wizard walking down the steps, his back being just as crooked as a question mark. I met some old people before, but he had to be in the top 3. "This place is the most secure bank in all of Europe! Whatever you deposit here, not even Grindelwald could steal it! Although, this is not like any other Gringotts. So don''t go in if you are here with some trivial things; they will beat you and throw you out."


    "Thank you for the advice, Mister." I replied politely before holding Quincy''s hand and walking up the stairs.


    At its front door, two wizards wearing some flashy clothes stopped us, speaking in their own tongue, looking at us weirdly as to why we didn''t answer.


    "We really need to learn more languages..." I murmured under my breath while taking out my father''s Death Will. The moment they saw it, their mood suddenly changed, and as if I used a spell, they began speaking in perfect English.


    "Please come in and head to the second booth on the left."


    When the door opened for us, the inside of their building was dazzling. The floor and ceiling were made out of black and white marble, while the pillars holding it up were accented with gold. It looked like a palace, a fortress, and a theater mixed together, built from the most precious metals available. Following the instructions, we arrived before a curtain that pulled away by itself, and inside, two colossal leather seats awaited us before a mahogany table filled with dozens of magical artifacts.


    Walking in, I could smell the scent of wood, parchment, and ink, reminding me of Hogwarts and its library, feeling a bit sad that I would never visit it again. The moment we sat down, the lone chair opposite us at the other side of the table turned around, and I had to fight the urge to laugh as an old, no, ancient goblin was sitting on it... atop of five books just to reach our eye level.


    "Welcome to Gringotts. Names?"


    "..." At first, we exchanged a glance, but both of us were on the same page that it would be futile to lie. "Conrad Anguine."


    "Quincy Anguine."


    As we spoke, he only watched us while a small notebook floated next to him, and a quill took notes automatically.


    "We are here because of this." I raised the Death Will, placed it on the table, and observed the goblin snap his fingers, making it float into his hands.


    "Authentic." After touching it and smelling it like a cigar, he continued to whisper, "The original holder is no longer alive."


    A moment later, a tube appeared from the table, and he put it into it, gone from view as we just sat there, waiting, saying nothing. I was about to express something when I heard a click, and the old goblin nodded, picking out a key from one of the drawers.


    "Follow me."


    Seeing him climb down from his throne was still funny, but luckily, Quincy pinched my hand so I didn''t laugh out loud. We were led through a different door, descending down to an elevator that took us deep underground. The humongous chamber was filled with hundreds of massive doors on all sides when we exited it. Some were so big that a giant would fit through them without leaning down. Each and every one of them had similar automaton guards standing next to it, forming a whole army of metal.


    "Do not approach any door, only the one I mark for you." He said while walking before us, making me think about penguins. "We are not held liable for accidental deaths. If you die, the contents of your vault will be the property of Gringotts if you are the last of your kin."


    "U-understood." We answered him at the same time, now no longer that calm. Now that he mentioned it, those halberds, glaives, and hammers in their hands looked weirdly menacing... and their knight-like helmets were slowly turning, watching us pass by.


    "Here. Vault-3-4-R. To open it, place your hand on it and speak your name clearly and confidently. You will feel a small pricking sensation, but don''t pull your hand away until the door opens."


    With a nod, I took a deep breath. I felt weird... as if I was trying to say goodbye to my father once again. But... it was no time to hesitate, so I followed the goblin''s instructions, watching the door slowly open before us.

 Chapter 105 – Inheritance

    We were greeted with a neatly kept chamber as the door opened, parting in the middle and siding away, disappearing into the walls. The inside of the vault, on both sides, was filled with differently sized drawers, going from the bottom to the ceiling, so I had to tiptoe to reach the highest one.


    Most of them were filled with different kinds of bundles I now recognized as muggle money. I couldn''t tell what their worth was, but we may need it, so we began putting all of it into our holding bags. Reaching the highest-placed drawers, we also got ourselves gold. And I mean solid gold bars.


    "Why?" I murmured, trying to figure it out, and our goblin escort answered, standing in the doorway, not stepping in, probably because of some kind of rule they had.


    "Every country has different currencies. Muggle money is easy to keep around as it''s paper and has multiple, high-tiered values. Wizarding money is different. Thus, gold bars are the perfect choice. We can exchange them for the local currency if you wish to do so."


    "Thank you... but so far, we think it is fine." I answered with a smile and noticed a slight grimace on the goblin''s face, but only for a moment. I knew they were greedy, so I am not surprised he would be happy to take our gold.


    "He really thought about you, about us..." Quincy murmured as the amount of wealth we were putting into our bags was astronomical. Even I could realize that the muggle money alone must be worth a fortune as those banknotes had way too many stacks, no matter their country of origin. "We could go anywhere with this, especially in the muggle''s world."


    "Yeah... I know..." I answered with a sad smile, feeling my heart being squeezed.


    "Conrad... look!" She exclaimed when opening the drawers on the opposite side, "What''s this?"


    Looking at the goblin, this time, he remained silent. That one refusal was enough to make him antagonistic against us, so I could no longer expect any help from him... typical. Taking it out of Quincy''s hands, examining it, it was some... document.


    "A deed?" I asked as she looked for more and found multiple similar ones with official-looking stamps.


    "A few have magical seals, but many of them are muggle-looking. Wait... these are deeds for..."


    "Properties!" We said simultaneously, realizing what they were.


    My Father not only left us money but also made us inherit multiple homes around the world, including some muggle businesses. Moreover, the ones with magical deeds were purchased with fake aliases, going by these documents. If this is all true, and I had no reason to doubt it, we were set for life.


    Emptying our vault made us rich beyond our beliefs... yet if I could, I would trade it all in a heartbeat to see my Father, even if just for one more time. All this gold and money didn''t make me feel good, not at all... I wanted to cry instead. The more we found, the more I felt what he wanted to tell us... leave everything behind, go, live a muggle life, a happy life, and forget about everything. Still, I... I just couldn''t.


    I think Quincy noticed it, too, as we were awfully silent while emptying the drawers, stashing everything in our holding bags. Heading out of the bank, we did so by ourselves as the cranky goblin no longer showed any courtesy towards us besides what was minimally expected from someone in his position. Not that I mind it. Greedy bastard.


    "Where do you want to go?" Quincy asked after we were out, standing at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Gringotts''s building.


    "I don''t think we should wait around too much. We may be far away from England right now, but this is still a wizarding city. Who says they can''t just apparate here? Let''s go; it is best if we merge into the muggle world; it is much safer."


    "To the ski resort then?" She smiled at me, holding my hand and making me nod.


    "I hope Squeaky managed to escape in time." I murmured, and just then, with a pop, she appeared next to us, looking a bit dizzy.


    "Ah, Master! Mistress! How good to see you! Squeaky is very happy to be finally summoned!"


    "Squeaky!" We cried out, hugging her, which surprised the elf just as much as her appearance stunned us.


    "Old Master told Squeaky to go away until I am called again! Squeaky was hiding until now, but Master finally called! I will be happy to be of service again!"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Good... It is good that you are okay!" I whispered, rubbing her head, feeling the tears well up in my eyes.


    "Ah, Master, don''t cry! Squeaky will do her job well!" She panicked, not knowing what to do, although I was sure she knew full well what had happened in the past few days. She wasn''t stupid.


    "Squeaky, we will go into muggle territory... will you be okay?"


    "Oh, don''t worry, Mistress!" She nodded rapidly, letting her big ears flap around, "Squeaky is very good at avoiding the eyes of muggles! They won''t notice Squeaky, and they won''t cause trouble for you! Promise!"


    "Worst thing worst," I chuckled, wiping my eyes, "We can obliviate them."


    "Eh... yeah, that is true." Quincy nodded, looking back and forth between me and Squeaky. "Well... let''s go then! It is pointless to stand around!"


    "Most certainly!" Squeaky agreed, and after we told her where we were going, she saluted at once. "Squeaky will go ahead and scout it for Master!"


    "Wait!" But she was already gone. "Haahhh... I do hope she is truly good at not being seen."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It was a sunny day; the sky was clear, free of clouds, and the bright rays of the sun reflected off the white blankets covering the mountainside. It was early spring and the first week of spring break that a group of youngsters aimed to enjoy to its fullest.


    "Are you ready yet?" One of the girls shouted, looking up the stairs from the lobby of their log cabins. She was already dressed up wholly, ready to go skiing, her bushy auburn hair sticking out from under her thick hat.


    "Relax, relax! We are coming! Geez, this muggle thing is so hard to get right..."


    "You said you wanted to come with me when I told you I would go skiing! You can''t complain by now!"


    "It sounded fun, and we never did it. But doing it, carrying all this stuff without magic... ugh!" The same voice added as its owner began waddling down from upstairs.


    "Well, don''t cry!" A different voice added as two young girls walked down, still somewhat struggling with their clothes and equipment. "It is a good thing to do something new, and we can take it as training on how to remain unseen within muggles."


    "Just follow me and do what I say; you will be all fine, Elodie, Brigitte!" The first girl smiled, leading them out of their cabin, ready to head towards the ski lift and teach them how to do it properly.


    "I have to say, your French has improved a lot, Hermione!" The second, tallest girl of the three, Brigitte expressed, making her friend chuckle.


    "I agree! I remember when you first attended school, you were struggling to keep up!" Elodie added.


    "I am a quick learner!" She said, proudly grinning, "It was a surprise for sure... My parents didn''t know what to do when we were thrown into a sudden regime after my magic had awoken. Honestly speaking, it was frightening!"


    "Bet!" They answered her, both trying to sound encouraging, "You were lucky to escape ahead of time. At least with us, you can learn proper magic and be free!"


    "Yeah, the Beauxbatons are just as good as Hogwarts, if not better!"


    "I do like it here, yes." Hermione nodded, smiling at the friends she had made while attending the academy in the past three years. "I even got used to attending a boarding school, which certainly helped me learn a second language! Hehe~!"


    "What about your parents? Are they safe?"


    "Yeah, they are fine as they are muggles. Not all is bad, you see. The people who discovered me kept it hushed, and I was offered to attend your school like many others from my country!"


    "Speaking of that, did you hear the news? What happened at the Triwizard Tournament?"


    "They are just rumors!" Elodia shrugged, but Brigitte quickly continued in a hushed voice. While talking, they were nearing the lifts that would take them up the mountain and beginning to enter the crowd of muggles.


    "Nu-uh! They are not! Fewer students came back than what was left! Why do you think the Headmaster didn''t hold any explanation? I heard Fleur left school on a private assignment, too! Not to mention, didn''t you all see the newspapers?"


    "I did." Hermione nodded, remembering it because it was something big. It described that during the Triwizard Tournament, a separatist wing of the Death Eaters tried to initiate a coup but failed in the end. For a few days, it was believed that Lord Voldemort himself was killed in the battle, but then again, a week later, there was not only news about how he was fine but photos of him giving a speech, vowing that everybody responsible would be found and killed. The papers even included two pictures of two kids who couldn''t be older than her, wanted everywhere on the continent. What felt strange to her was that not only did Lord Voldemort''s side want them, but even the French authorities warned its people to be careful and contact them if anyone noticed the pair.


    "Even if Voldemort wasn''t killed, the way he looks in those pictures is baaaaaad! His face is sunken in, looking like someone who just returned from death''s bed... brr! For sure, he was close to death, maybe hit by some nasty, forbidden spell that is still affecting him!"


    "I think that''s enough!" Hermione shrugged, warning her friends, "We are too young to know enough, and we are here to relax, no? I took you two here to have a little fun and not deal with politics!"


    "Sorry, sorry!" They laughed, smiling at her, letting Hermione buy the tickets and follow her towards the lifts.


    As they walked along, she couldn''t help but snap her head towards two voices as they were speaking English... and their words were weird.


    "Let''s go back, it''s getting crowded."


    "Mhm, I agree. We can do it later when there are fewer muggles around! Let''s go and get something hot to drink; what do you say?"


    "I''m in! Snowboarding is not bad, but... it can''t hold a candle to brooms."


    "Hermione!" Brigitte exclaimed, snapping her friend back to reality, "Come, it''s our turn!"


    "Ah, yes, yes!" She flinched as they boarded the lift that began ascending while she was watching the crowd, wanting to see who said those words, but it was impossible to pinpoint it. She was sure she heard it right... those two had to be wizards! But... what were they doing here?

 Chapter 106 – Living Amongst Muggles

    We have been here for more than a month now. I''d like to think that we got used to living within muggles, and I won''t lie; I find many of their inventions and tools really entertaining. Even though they don''t have magic, they come up with many pretty magical things. For example, the so-called CD player. Even without enchanting it, you just had to put a round disc with music, somehow already on it, don''t ask, into the machine, and voila, there it was. Your own house party. Or just tune it to a specific frequency, as they called it, and you could listen to the news. Hah... I wonder why we don''t have something like that? Is it because of our prejudice against muggle inventions?


    They are even capable of far more than we give credit to. For example, there is the television. Or TV for short. We could watch muggles talk about events happening in any part of the world, be it shown on the TV, and transfer news faster than we can. I even heard of the thing called the internet, where muggles can send letters from one point of the world to another. No matter the distance. And it is instantaneous. Which owl can do that? None that I know about.


    "Did Squeaky come back yet?" Quincy asked, coming out from the bathroom, wearing only her bathrobe, her hair still wet, sticking to her neck, stretching and moaning after refreshing herself.


    "Not yet. She did say it will take a few days to get us the newest brooms."


    "It will be worth it! You were right; the old ones could have been tracked, so it wasn''t a wrong move to destroy them. Where do you want to go afterward?"


    "I was thinking just about that." I answered, biting my lips while she walked over, sitting in my lap and leaning back, pulling my hand around her waist. I could smell her sweet, strawberry-flavored scent, and the wetness of her hair didn''t bother me at all. It was wonderful...


    "I''m listening~!" She giggled, knowing full well why I fell silent.


    "Prankster!" I grinned, rubbing myself against her, "But I was thinking of going east."


    "Hm? To where?"


    "Nurmengard."


    "Huh?"


    I knew she did not expect it, turning around and looking into my eyes before spinning back about, thinking silently for a few minutes.


    "You think he is alive? Or you just want to visit a place he built?"


    "The latter. And... Haaaah, we should have brought away more modern books!" I joked, making her chuckle, nodding in agreement, "We don''t know what happened with him after he was defeated."


    "I don''t remember reading about if Grindelwald was killed or not... hmmm... But if something does ring a bell, it''s that he was imprisoned! Do you think he is there? To this day?"


    "Ehhh... I doubt it." I answered her with a shrug, voicing my honest opinion, "Why would he be imprisoned in the same place he built? Wouldn''t that beat its purpose? Wouldn''t he be able to escape?"


    "Huh... True... I don''t think someone would build a place that could potentially be his own prison."


    "Maybe if he was too full of himself. Thinking he was unbeatable. But, after seeing the things muggles make, I am more interested in his history. You did tell me he warned wizards of them. How they are dangerous, and I can see it now. I was thinking a lot... What if the war spreads? What if the muggles learn about us and join in? Then, no matter if it is Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix, or whoever else wins, we all would be in danger."


    "You think?"


    "When you drifted to sleep last night, I stayed up, watching that documentary about their wars... so yes. I am sure. They are dangerous to us. That is why I want to go to Nurmengard."


    "I don''t follow you, Conrad."


    "Gellert Grindelwald''s base must have knowledge that tells us more about muggles... and their ways, how they wage wars, how they operate, and how to counter them. They are just like us, and their history is filled with people like HIM. So they know how to fight back against someone like HIM."


    "Ah!" She yelped, sitting up and turning around, and I could see it in her eyes. She finally got it. "You want to use muggle techniques against HIM!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Just an idea." I nodded, "I need more information first to decide, but the concept has been swirling in my head since last night. What makes HIM and Dumbledore so strong? Besides their magic, it is their knowledge and experience as a wizard. What is the easiest way to get through that? Using methods they are unfamiliar with... which would be the muggles'' way. I don''t have anything concrete yet; it is just an outline of an idea... but I want to learn more. I want to know more. This is why that infamous, dark place is the best spot to start. It is something that would surprise both the Order and the Death Eaters; it could be our advantage to take them out!"


    "The Death Eaters..." She murmured, looking at my hand where my tattoo used to be. When we left Gringotts, on the same night, I summoned up the same will that Herpo once showed me, expelling the last of Voldemort''s ink from within my body. I no longer had any connection to him, and I don''t know if he noticed it, but I hope so. And I hope he is angry about it! The only thing I found weird is that Herpo still did not show up to this day. "Okay!" She nodded, interrupting my thoughts, settling on the idea with a big smile, kissing me, "I''m in! How do you plan to find it?"


    "Well... I don''t know. That is where I need you to help me comb through the ton of books we have! I am confident that a place like Nurmengard has a ton of ancient and powerful defensive charms. It must be unplottable, hidden from eyes, be it us or the muggles, but there must be some way to find a place like that."


    "Hehehe, I see! Well, we have time to find it! It has been over 50 years since his defeat; finding it tomorrow or a month later won''t matter much!"


    "Exactly!" I nodded, returning the kiss as I slowly undressed her just as her hands took everything off of me.


    It was no longer as embarrassing as before, and we went all the way since our first bath together, right on our first night in this exact cabin. We were no longer just engaged kids... we were truly husband and wife. Maybe it happened when we left Hogwarts... but we have ceased to be children anymore.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Any news? No, positive news?" Asked a serious, dejected voice belonging to Regulus Black, already knowing Fleur''s answer.


    "No, they not here." She answered, sitting opposite him as the two were meeting in a muggle diner near the border between France and Germany.


    "I told you they would not come to France; the whole country is under your school''s jurisdiction."


    "It would be easy if Krumm would say more." She snorted, her fingers tapping the table quickly, displaying her deep annoyance.


    "He was already probed; he knows not where they headed!"


    "Why you not show angry? Hm? Are you-"


    "Don''t start it again, Fleur! Quincy is my daughter! If you try to hurt her when we find them, and we will find them, don''t even think of harming her! You can kill the boy but do not dare touch my daughter, or I will end you!"


    "Hmph, it will your job to deal with Quincy Black. Conrad Anguine will be my capture! I will bring killer back and make him face justice!"


    "Yeah, yeah, like I care... We should move over to Germany next. I know some people there who sent word for me. They saw that slimy Lockhart! Get him, and we will get the kids!"


    "Maybe... Word of the crazy?"


    "Charlie?" He snorted but did not refute her. He has been... uncooperative since they went on this mission, chasing the two fugitives. "He said he was looking for their scent. No words so far, so I guess he did not sniff them out. Yet. Leave him be; if he finds them, we will know!"


    "You can go Germany... I won''t."


    "Huh? Why?" He flinched, never expecting her words.


    "I will go elsewhere."


    "Tsk, you are just like Charlie, impossible to work with! Fine, do what you want, woman!"


    He didn''t even wait for an answer and simply stormed out, leaving her there, but Fleur wasn''t bothered by it. She was happy about it... None of the two listened to her because of her age; she was fed up trying to persuade them. She alone will hunt the two down and if must... kill them. They are dangerous and bloodthirsty. They must be eliminated, or they would simply leave more corpses behind.


    To find them, she had an advantage, something the others did not. It was Flamel who explained it to her as it was because of the Triwizard Tournament and because of the vial, the key to the final challenge. To the Goblet of Fire, the competition was still ongoing. No time was set for the final challenge, so it was still on. When the teachers created it, the goal was arranged simply yet cleverly: Use the essence of the philosopher''s stone on a withered, dying entity to bring it back, to give it another lease on life.


    It was supposed to be a wilting tree, but as the final trial never happened, now it was up to the choice of those who had the vial. For the Goblet, it did not matter. The tasks were set up beforehand; now, they just had to be completed. The one using it on something that was at the end of its life would mean they would win the tournament. Every participant could feel that it was still going on; they would immediately sense it if the competition ended... and Fleur knew that Condrad had not used it up... not yet.


    "Good..." She murmured, closing her eyes, having a strong feeling that she should head to Switzerland. It was another boon and the handiwork of Flamel and Snape. They made it so that the participants instinctively felt where the vial was and who had it. On the one hand, it was to give an edge to the Beauxbatons... but on the other, it was conceived especially for something like this. No matter how little it was, Flamel did not want that elixir to end up in the wrong hands... Which ultimately did happen... but he couldn''t modify it. It was one of the main bait for Voldemort, and they were afraid he would notice it if they tampered with it.


    She didn''t have any trust in the two Englishmen, so she decided to let them do their own things. Charlie was weird and harsh, while Regulus would definitely interfere, just as he did in the tournament. None of them were trustworthy... and they would stand in her way, avenging her murdered friends.


    "I will find you... Conrad... Anguine..."

 Chapter 107 – Horcruxes

    I was laying on the sofa, placed before our cabin''s fireplace, reading one of the ancient codexes of Salazar''s, detailing his views on muggles and their constant witch huntings, growing in frequency every year. Quincy was sitting opposite me, her legs resting above mine, her face hidden behind a similar book. We have been at it for hours now, and I was so immersed in Salazar''s words that when she exclaimed, I almost jumped up.


    "Found something!" Sitting up, holding the book, she let her fingers run over the lines she was reading, "A Way of False Immortality: The Horcrux. To create a Horcrux is to delve into the forbidden art of splitting one''s soul, a path that leads to the most heinous form of dark magic. The very act of committing murder tears the soul apart, and it is in that moment of wickedness that a sorcerer can imprison a fragment of their own soul within an object."


    "Err... then we are not really whole anymore, huh?" I grimaced, making her shrug and continue reading it.


    "This object becomes the vessel for their malevolence, anchoring them to the mortal realm even if their physical form is destroyed. The creation of a Horcrux is an abomination against nature, a twisted pursuit of immortality through the foulest means. As long as the Horcrux remains intact, the dark wizard or witch can never truly be defeated. They become a spectral menace, always lurking in the shadows, waiting to return and rejoin the living as a deformed beast."


    "No wonder the news said he was back... He must have had one..."


    "I am sure of it. You told me what Herpo said to you when you met him for real! He asked for immortality, and he was given the knowledge of how to create it! My guess is that Salazar himself had knowledge of Herpo''s doings. He was part of the bloodline, just the same. He just refused to dabble in it. I am especially sure after reading about what comes next. Listen!" She continued, sounding excited, "However, one must understand the grave consequences of such dark practices. The very act of splitting one''s soul leads to a state of spiritual mutilation, diminishing the humanity within. It is a path paved with darkness and despair, and those who embark upon it risk losing not only their soul but their very essence. It is not true immortality but a wretched weakening of your existence. When your end finally comes, what awaits you is nothing but limbo. Undeath, a forever state where neither the dead nor the living will see you as you doomed yourself to an eternal, shadowy existence. That is not immortality; that is the retribution of magic itself. Just ask the one who created the technique itself, Herpo The Foul..."


    "That nonexistence... that would explain Herpo..." I murmured, thinking about it for a while, breaking the silence after a minute. "He did say that he managed to incorporate his memories into his bloodline... maybe his spirit is in that shadowy limbo state, neither living nor dead. He just can''t come back from it."


    "Then how did, well, HE, come back?" She asked me, but the moment she finished, she had already found the answer: "He has more than one!"


    "Most likely. It would explain the Order''s moves and why we saw them head into the Room of Requirements. They were searching for his Horcruxes! They know he is unkillable until he has any of them remaining. Maybe they thought it was the last ones, that is why my Father fought him... but evidently not."


    "Do you think Snape knew?"


    "Hmph! I don''t want to know! He was trusted; my Father told me I could trust him, but... really? Could I? In the key moments, he never helped me. No... I only trust you."


    "Hehe, and Professor Lockhart!" She grinned, climbing over and lying down next to me.


    "Yeah, and he. If we ever meet him again... I hope he is doing alright!"


    "Well, he is crafty and can use memory charms if nothing else, so it should be all good."


    "I am curious, how many Horcruxes HE made... how many are left?"


    I just asked the question when Squeaky appeared with a loud pop, carrying two brooms wrapped up neatly on her back.


    "I returned, Master, Mistress!" She exclaimed proudly, bringing them over.


    "Good job, Squeaky!" We said simultaneously, rubbing her head. "Woah!" I couldn''t help but exclaim the moment I saw them, almost dropping the broom out of excitement.


    "What is it?" Quincy asked, not knowing the big deal about it, smiling at me after seeing my eyes lit up.


    "Firebolts! Both of them! Remember the paper that Squeaky brought in last week?"


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."Ah, the broom you pointed at? The one that was supposedly the newest and fastest? Yeah, I remember. This is it?"


    "Exactly!" Squeaky nodded, looking proud of herself, "I took notes, Master, Mistress, so I made sure to buy the real thing!"


    "Hmmmm..."


    "Hmm?" I laughed, seeing her playful smile, knowing full well she was teasing me, "I bet you anything that nobody could catch us with these, only if they ride one themselves!"


    "What about a dragon?"


    "Now you are just pulling my leg!" I leaned over, beginning tickling her, as we wrestled while laughing.


    "Stop, stop, stop! I give up! Ahahaha... haaaah... Sorry~!"


    "Apology accepted!" I answered with a peck on her lips, "Hopefully, we won''t need to run from a dragon; just attacking those two in Hogwarts was enough to tell me I wouldn''t stand a chance against them."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Where the heck did those two go?"


    It was around noon when Hermione was finally fed up waiting for her friends, so she went out and looked for them by herself. They were supposed to only go, look around a little, get something to drink, and get back soon. That was three hours ago. By now, she had walked around the whole resort but could not find them, and in her anger, she decided that who cared? She would go and snowboard by herself then!


    It wasn''t hard to decide on it as deep down, she wanted to do it instead of accompanying her friends on the beginner-friendly slopes. It wasn''t bad, but she carved for a little bit more excitement.


    "It''s the fault of the school!" She murmured, grabbing her snowboard and heading to the lifts.


    She couldn''t help it; since making new friends in the Beauxbatons, she became a bit more... reckless. Of course, she is not someone who would break the rules; she wouldn''t be able to do something like that. However, a few more exercises entered her life, including dueling classes and flying, following the steps of her mentor, Fleur. She was someone who she couldn''t stand at first, but behind her proud exterior turned out she had a caring interior, helping her and many other English students integrate into the school. The way she helped her has opened up her eyes, and, even if subconsciously, she began taking over her, copying many things Fleur did.


    "Haaaah! I just hope she is fine!"


    With a grunt, Hermione hopped off the lift, arriving at the top of the slope for more advanced skiers. She was somewhat worried about what had happened in the Triwizard Tournament, how there was no real news, but she was too young to have the chance to accompany them. Rules were rules, after all. Beginning to slide down, she finally could forget about everything bothering her and simply enjoy the cold wind hitting her face while slowing down nice and easy.


    "Slow!"


    The shout came from behind her, surprising Hermione as it was spoken in English. She thought it was aimed at her for a moment, but the follow-up part disproved that.


    "You are cheating! You went before saying go! Conraaaad!"


    "Ahahahaha!"


    She couldn''t see well as the two figures, standing on their own snowboards, whizzed by her like bolts of lightning.


    "Careful! Idiots!" She shouted after them, but they were already too far away to hear her.


    All the way down, she couldn''t help but curse without truly cursing, complaining about the two and how they clearly don''t even care about the written and unwritten rules and etiquettes. When she arrived at the bottom, she had already lost her mood to go again and instead decided to head back to their cabin; maybe those two goofs returned by now. That''s when she heard the English voices once again.


    "Wanna have a rematch?"


    "For sure! This time, you won''t be so lucky!"


    "Lucky?" The girl laughed confidently, "You cheated! It served you right!"


    "Tsk... those muggles came out of nowhere; if not for my quick spell, I would have crashed right into them!"


    "Cheaters get what they deserve, fufufufu! This time, I will count down!"


    "So it would be you who can start early?" The boy teased, but his friend only giggled in answer.


    The moment Hermione heard the words ''muggle'' and ''spell,'' her whole body shivered, standing in place before hurriedly trying to follow the voices. Wizards! They were wizards! There was no question about it. Only they would know the term muggle... the fact that they were speaking English made them even more interesting.


    "And dangerous..." She told herself, finally catching a glimpse of the two, boarding the lift again and heading up the slope. "Who are they? No, that can''t be!"


    There was a precarious thought budding in her mind. The girl did call the boy Conrad... wasn''t that one of the names of the two fugitives everyone has been looking for? No, that can''t be. That has to be a coincidence... for sure!


    "What am I doing?" She asked herself as she was already on the following lift, heading up to the top, watching them on the one ahead, blushing after seeing them clearly hugging... and kissing.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Don''t you feel weird?" I asked, looking around after we got off the lift, furrowing my brows.


    "What, afraid of losing again?"


    "No... I just had the feeling we are being followed. Weird."


    "You are not joking." The moment she saw that I was serious, she immediately believed me, looking around and stealthily producing her wand, waving it around. "There is a response... there is a wand somewhere near us."


    "Can you determine where?" I whispered as we slowly walked forward, not wanting to look out of place, telling our stalker we knew.


    "No. If I try, they could notice it. A stronger ping would make their wand react forcefully, and they could feel that..."


    "Let''s go and slide down the slope but slowly. Keep using it. See if you can pinpoint the wizard or witch that is after us! I will ''crash'' at the halfway point; let''s see what our stalker does then."


    "Are you sure it is a good idea?"


    "No, but it is better than letting them tail us. For now, we will try capturing the bastard and see what they know! Then we can decide what to do next."


    "Um... let''s go!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Hermione had trouble following them after they got off the lift, but finally, she caught a glimpse of the two heading down the slope. With a hurry, she rushed after them, putting on her snowboard, afraid she would left behind, not even thinking about the possible dangers lurking to drag her into something she was not ready for.

 Chapter 108 – Interrogation

    Following the two down the slope was something Hermione did hurriedly, not wanting to be left behind by them, yet she was still far away, going a bit faster than usual to catch up. Somewhere along the middle, the duo deviated from the main route, which was extremely dangerous. She debated whether to follow them, but ultimately, she decided to break the rules of the resort. She caught up just in time so she could see the boy hit something under the snow and crash in a way that looked painful and dangerous, making Hermione forget her suspicion at that moment and hurry over, hearing his friend''s cries.


    "Conrad!"


    So his name was Conrad... but that was irrelevant now. The boy wasn''t moving, and the crash looked horrible even from afar.


    "Let me help, first we-" Hermione said, arriving, wanting to help check on Conrad''s body. She was about to help him roll over just when everything before her vision went blank as she slumped forward, unconscious, Quincy standing behind her with a wand in hand.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Ugh, I hit myself harder than I wanted." I moaned, sitting up in the snow, feeling the world spin around me.


    "It did look bad... idiot."


    "Hehehe, sorry. All good?" I asked, looking at the young girl, who was probably the same age as us, lying before me in the snow.


    "Yeah. At least, she is kind. She wanted to help."


    "The Order says they are helping the people." I shrugged, climbing up, patting myself clean, and snapping my fingers.


    "Master!" Squeaky appeared with a pop, looking at both of us before settling on the girl''s body. "Should Squeaky bring her away?"


    "Yes. Make sure she is alright. Take her wand and keep it away from her until we arrive!"


    "Yes, Master!" With another pop, she was gone, bringing the unconscious body away, and we headed back, hurrying down the slop, not stopping until we were back in our wooden cabin.


    "What will we do with her?" Quincy asked me while walking towards our home.


    "For now, only question her, make her tell us who she is, what she is doing here, etc. After we are done, we can mind-wipe her and be on our way. We were discovered, and we used magic; it is no longer safe for us here."


    "Um, I agree. When we are back, I will begin brewing a veritaserum."


    "Can you do that?"


    "Heh!" She smiled at me confidently, "We have the ingredients, and I learned the recipe from Salazar''s books. I can make a vial very quickly! Its difficulty lies not in its making but in getting the ingredients harvested at the right time. She doesn''t look much older than us, so I don''t think I need a perfect brew, just something that loosens her tongue!"


    "I don''t know what I would do without you!" I chuckled, kissing her face as we neared our cabin.


    Luckily, the spell still held out just fine, and she was lying on our couch, unmoving. Quincy didn''t wait, getting everything out and brewing faster than I had seen her do before. It was mesmerizing to watch, and only the slight movement of our hostage kept me from zoning out.


    "What... where...?"


    "Please move carefully." I said, making her eyes come into focus while she sat up, holding her head.


    "Where am I...? Who are you and... Ah!" When she finally realized what I was holding, sitting opposite of her, she had gone stiff at once. "You are the fugitives!"


    "Fugitives...? Yes. I guess we are."


    "What are you going to do...?" She gulped, looking over her shoulder, noticing Quincy brewing the potion on the kitchen counter.


    "Nothing if you cooperate. We simply want to know who you are and what you are doing here. That''s all. When we are done, you will be let go. Easy, isn''t it?"


    "And why should I believe that?"


    "Because we will wipe your memory of our meeting. That''s why."


    "..."


    "Look, miss...?"


    "..." She hesitated; I could see it in her eyes that she was thinking through her options, measuring me, Squeaky, who stood not far from us, remaining silent and then glancing towards Quincy again. The fact that she wasn''t angry that Squeaky was holding her wand told me she wasn''t a pureblood. To us... well... to them, it would be blasphemous what I let my house elf do. I was even thinking of letting her free, but I would need to discuss it with Quincy...Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "I would not think of fighting. We have more experience than you." I said, discarding my distracting thoughts.


    "What makes you say that? Hmph..." She quipped back, making me smile, but I didn''t explain it.


    "Look, don''t make it hard, please. We are not unreasonable nor evil."


    "You are wanted by multiple countries! That says otherwise."


    "Yes, and one of those countries is England." Quincy snorted before I could answer, her voice cold and annoyed. "Tells a lot if HE wants us dead, isn''t it?"


    "..." To that, she didn''t have an answer. After a few moments of continuous silence, she finally opened her mouth once again, "Hermione Granger."


    "Well met. My name is Conrad Anguine, and she is my wife, Quincy Anguine."


    "Wife?" She flinched, going red in the face.


    "So don''t get weird thoughts." Quincy added combatively, making her even more blushed and a bit furious. What''s with girls nowadays?


    "Like I would! Hmph!"


    "Miss Granger, I''d like to know what you are doing here; why have you been following us? Did Flamel or Dumbledore send you? Are you alone or with others?"


    "Nobody sent me. I heard you speaking English and utter the word muggle. I wanted to see who you were, and that''s it! English wizards here could only mean refuges, spies, or Death Eaters."


    "And what if we were Death Eaters?" I asked with a soft laugh, turning her face red once again just after she finally calmed down. "I see. We were too lax... It is our fault. I will ask again, though. Are you alone?"


    "Yes."


    "You are lying." I nodded, watching her eyes throughout our conversation, and the moment I said it, she visibly flinched. Yeah... she was lying. "Tell me everything you know about us, Miss Granger."


    "..."


    "Don''t feel like talking anymore?"


    "..."


    "I see. Then we will wait."


    "For what?" She asked, but it was now my turn to remain silent.


    We just sat there, looking at each other while I kept pointing the tip of my wand at her at all times. The only sound filling the room was Quincy and her spoon clunking against the cauldron''s walls, stirring the potion.


    "Done!" Quincy exclaimed as the sun slowly began dipping below the horizon, painting the room orange. Her voice made our hostage jump a little, watching her bringing over a vial, still releasing white, steamy smoke from its opening.


    "What''s that?"


    "Veritaserum." She answered her, raising an eyebrow when she noticed that Hermione showed knowledge of what it was. "You appear as if you know about it."


    "Completing one under these circumstances... This quickly... it must be a very weak brew. Stronger minds can resist it, you know, and powerful mages will be immune to it!"


    "Are you a powerful mage, Miss Granger?" Quincy asked with a soft smile, feeling she was being challenged.


    "I am!" She answered, trying to show she was more powerful than we initially thought her to be.


    "Good. Let me see it then!"


    Quincy wasn''t having it and made her freeze with a wave of her wand, pouring the potion down her throat and making her drink it forcefully.


    "Y-you!" She coughed the moment the spell was canceled, wiping her mouth, heaving, wanting to stick her fingers into her throat to vomit it back out, but it was already useless.


    "It wasn''t that hot; I made sure it was fine." My wife groaned, rolling her eyes, watching Hermione breathe heavily and act as if she was poisoned. "What is your name?"


    "Hermione Granger." She answered, surprisingly cooperative this time, making herself surprised.


    "Hurry." Quincy whispered; the effects would be short; she was right. It was not a good brew."


    In the end, we repeated our questions once again, now learning she wasn''t alone and that it was truly only a coincidence that we met. It was simply a result of our loud mouths and us speaking so openly, feeling we were safe here, amongst muggles. We screwed up. Big time.


    "We will need to learn from this." I said, making my wife nod as we watched Hermione.


    "Yes."


    "What now..." The girl asked, her eyes traveling to my wand. I could see the fear in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking I was about to kill her.


    "I told you, Miss Granger. We are not evil people. You will go back to your friends without any injuries. Please... I hope we won''t meet ever again."


    "Why...?" She asked subconsciously, making me smile at her with a pained look.


    "I don''t want to kill innocents. Don''t trust the Order; they are not as good as they paint themselves to be."


    She was opening her mouth to ask again, but I had already cast the spell, invading her memory to modify it...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Where were you?!" Shouted Brigitte when Hermione returned to their log cabin. "The sun had already gone down an hour ago!"


    "I know. I was waiting for you two all morning; you never got back!" She frustratedly answered, "So I went ahead and enjoyed myself without you two, hmph!"


    "I told you." Elodie giggled from the living room. "Sorry, Hermione! We got lost, and we totally lost track of time... We won''t do it tomorrow!"


    "Better be!" She snorted, removing her coat and rubbing the snow from her hair. "Or I will once again spend all my day on the advanced courses, leaving you to figure it out by yourselves on the beginner ones!"


    "Hey, hey... okay! It was our fault! Sorry!" Brigitte murmured, looking ashamed of it, following Hermione into the living room. "But we are not to be blamed for it! Not fully!"


    "Huh? Why? Was it the local pretty boys who invited you to some hot chocolate or something?"


    "Ahahaha!" Elodie couldn''t help but laugh hearing her say that. In school, there were a few boys who courted Hermione, but she shot down most of them. She was simply not interested in them at all. On the other hand, Brigitte had already been through three relationships. Just this year.


    "Errr... noooo? Look, we received an owl!"


    "Huh?" Hermione exclaimed, going stiff, and she couldn''t understand why her stomach contracted so hard after hearing the news.


    "Exactly! It was from Fleur Delacour!"


    "Miss Delacour?! Really?!"


    "Yep!" Brigitte grinned, showing her the letter, turning towards Elodie, "I told you she would be stunned!"


    She wasn''t wrong. As Hermione read the letter, she was stunned to hear that Fleur was coming over and told them to wait for her. She just learned they would be here and has a mission for the trio. Something that they can help her with. She should be stoked for the opportunity... but... why does her stomach feel like a pin right now? Why is her heart racing in her chest? Why is she so afraid?

 Chapter 109 – Facing Fleur (1)

    It was late into the night, but we were sitting opposite each other, studying a huge map laid out on the floor of our cabin. We were trying to decide where to head next, but somehow, both of us felt lost. Around us, multiple ancient codexes littered the carpet as we searched for concealment charms and their counterspells.


    "Nurmengard is in these mountainranges. Somewhere." Quincy hummed, running her fingers over the Alps once again, making me sigh.


    "Yes, it is, but we don''t know where and none of our revealing spells worked."


    "Of course, because it has to be protected from finding it by multiple charms. Maybe even by a Fidelius charm."


    "Could be... but who would be the secret keeper? Nah, it doesn''t matter. Even if we knew that, we couldn''t find them. We need to outplay the charms..."


    "I don''t think we could disillusion any of those types of spells. We don''t have that power."


    "I wouldn''t worry!" Squeaky interjected, bringing us hot chocolate, wearing an encouraging smile. "Master and Mistress are always smart! Good people will be lucky in their endeavors!"


    "Lucky..." I chuckled, but then it hit me. "Lucky... that''s it! You are the best, Squeaky!"


    "Ah? T-thank you, Master!"


    "Felix Felicis!" Quincy exclaimed, catching on as I was rummaging in my bag of holding, disappearing into it right up to my shoulders. So many things were stored within it now that it was impossible to find one little vial.


    "Accio Felix Felicis!" I shouted, pointing my wand into its opening, and soon enough, it flew out right into my palm. "I totally forgot about it... now, this is what we need!"


    "How are you going to do it?" Quincy asked, making me fall silent, pondering about what should come next.


    "I think the best method would be if we set out, intending to go and find Nurmengard. Then, while moving, I will drink it and let my luck do its thing."


    "I hope it will work..." She murmured, watching the potion in my hand.


    "All the defenses around that ancient castle, prison, whatever it is, must be set up to deter or divert people who are intentionally looking for it. Would they work against someone accidentally... well, luckily, stumbling onto it? Can they counter something like luck? We will know after we try it!"


    "And if it doesn''t, we can still regroup and think about something else."


    "That is also true. Now... Squeaky?" I sighed, turning towards her.


    "Yes, Master?"


    "I think it is time I set you free."


    "What?! Why?! Did Squeaky do something bad?! Was Squeaky a bad elf?!" She panicked, her large eyes swelling and filled with tears.


    "No, no! You are the best house elf a wizard could ask for. It... it would be simply too dangerous and-"


    "No! Squeaky doesn''t want to! No!"


    I didn''t know what to do with her now. She was wailing so loud now it was scary. Looking at Quincy, she was just as troubled as me, shaking her head, telling me she had no idea what we should do.


    "Well..." I mumbled, "If you want to come-"


    "Yes! Squeaky will come! Squeaky will do well and be helpful! Master will see!" She nodded her head over and over again, making her long ears flap around.


    Deep inside, I was somewhat relieved. I grew up with her, and she was now the last link to my old life, to my home... and to my Father. I... I think I was happy that she refused to be set free. So, in return, I dropped the topic.


    "We should prepare!" Quincy clapped, looking at us warmly, "We don''t know when we will have peace again, so let''s get stocked up on everything!"


    "How are the potions?" I asked because Quincy began brewing multiple that would be useful since we have been living here. Most notably, she began making Polyjuice potions from the hair of local muggles and a few antidote and healing drinks.


    "They are going to be finished soon. It was a good idea to start on the Polyjuice in time; the one-month brewing period is nonsense."


    "Should Squeaky go out and buy more cauldrons?" She asked, but I shook my head, patting hers.


    "No, it is enough. Somebody who keeps a lookout would become suspicious of you... you already bought brooms, ingredients, books, and cauldrons. Even an idiot could put it together that someone was brewing something. Oh well, I knew we couldn''t stay here for long. How much time do we need for the potions?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Two days at most. Then, we can be on our way."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Hermione couldn''t shake off her nervousness and couldn''t say why. It was unreasonable to feel it like that... and her friends thought it was because Fleur was coming. It was true in a way, but even she didn''t know why the news made her this uneasy.


    "Did something happen?" She thought, mulling over it, but nothing was out of the ordinary.


    She went ahead and spent yesterday going up and down the advanced slopes, having fun, and enjoying skiing. She made some small talk with others while riding the lifts, and... that was it.


    "The time..."


    "Hm? Did you say something?" Brigitte asked, but Hermione only shook her head, smiling at her.


    "Nothing!"


    It was something. The time... it did not add up. Thinking about it, her sense of time did not work. She couldn''t fully remember how long it took to ride the lift, to go down the slope, and when she decided to end it and head back. Focusing on it more, there were inconsistencies between the memories within her mind, especially when it came to the moment she decided to head back. It was way overdue when she returned, and she wouldn''t have stayed out that long. Even if the courses were lit up at night, she wouldn''t have done it, no matter how angry or frustrated she was. It was unlike her, and she knew that.


    "Something happened to me." Hermione thought, furrowing her brows, "And the only logical solution is that my memories were tampered with. Did I see something I shouldn''t have? But what? There shouldn''t be wizards here. Miss Delacour sounded serious in her letter; her handwriting was more haggard and less eloquent than before. It was more forceful. Something is not right!"


    "She is here!" Shouted Elodie, noticing Fleur''s figure coming straight towards their cabin. Her strides were long and looked serious and even a bit scary.


    "Miss Delacour!" Brigitte said while opening the door, welcoming her in, helping her to her jacket and hat.


    "Thank you, Brigitte." She nodded, showing elegance and class and the fact that she perfectly knew who they were. "Elodie." She added, nodding at the other girl before her eyes settling on Hermione, finally smiling a little. "Hermione."


    "Miss Delcaour." She nodded back, flinching, feeling embarrassed to stare at her like that... but she looked... tired. Troubled. Black bags were peeking through under her eyes; even if she tried to hide them with makeup, they were noticeable.


    "Fleur will do. I am sorry to barge into your spring holiday like this, but this is something very important." She explained, waving her wand around and erecting a bubble around the cabin that would mask their presence and words. "Let''s sit down, and I will explain, as this is not only an assignment for the Academy but for the Order."


    "The Order!" The trio exclaimed, looking at each other, hearing themselves gulp. This meant it had to do something with what happened at the Triwizard Tournament.


    "The news you all heard is accurate. There was an attack to bring down the Dark Lord, and we mostly succeeded."


    "But..." Hermione wanted to interrupt, but Fleur raised her hand.


    "I know HE returned. There is not much I can explain now as there are secrets I am not aware of myself either. This is to safeguard ourselves. What you need to know is that the mission itself was a success. What I have been working on since then is to capture two fugitive Death Eaters."


    "Those kids in the newspaper?" Brigitte asked, finding it hard to believe. They were the same age as them... how dangerous could they be?


    "They are dangerous. I am telling you. I faced the one named Conrad, and I can tell he is... strong." She explained, not wanting to utter the words ''lost'' or ''losing'' at all. "What I can tell you is that they are evil and must be captured before they kill again."


    "What?!" The trio flinched, and Hermione became especially pale.


    "Yes. They are killers! The boy... he... he killed Celine." Fleur let the girls process the information, and even if they didn''t know her personally, the fact that one of their schoolmates died was a big shock to them. "When the battle was lost, they fled like cowards; that is why the Dark Lord is also looking for them. HE does not take lightly to traitors, you see. We need to find them before something worse happens and lock them away forever!"


    "What would be our roles... why we?" Hermione asked, feeling her lips dry, licking and biting them. She had an even worse feeling building up in her, not just because of the problems with her memories. The Fleur before her felt off. She was not like she remembered her. Did the tournament change her this much? Really?


    "We made some moves in the tournament; the short story is that I can track them, and I feel that they were either here or are still here!"


    "Here?!" They cried out once again, gulping loudly


    "Yes. This is a muggle... village or whatever, and I know that you are from a muggle family, Hermione."


    "Y-yes?" She nodded, already guessing what she was thinking about.


    "They are pureblood wizards; they won''t be able to blend in perfectly. We can find them with you, even if they change their appearance! You can tell us who acts differently and who doesn''t."


    "..."


    "Hermione?" Fleur asked, finally noticing how white she was and her unusually trembling hands.


    "I may have already met with them..."


    "Really?!" Fleur shouted louder than Brigitte or Elodie. She grabbed Hermione''s shoulders with two painfully strong hands, almost shaking the light out of her. "When?! Where?!"


    "I don''t know... But, my memories are... they... feel weird."


    "Of course! It is known that the boy has learned memory-altering charms..."


    "Hermione!" Her friends gasped, getting worried but not as much as she felt within herself.


    "Don''t worry... I have been prepared for it. Headmaster Flamel used charms on my mind before I left, and I also got restorative potions from him. Come, drink this!" She said hurriedly, picking out a vial and pushing it into Hermione''s palm. "This will extract your fake memories and recall the original ones."


    Hermione wanted to ask so many things, but seeing the dangerous, impatient light in Fleur''s eyes, she had lost the courage to do so. In the end, she had no other choice but to pull out the cork and down it. The moment it flowed down her throat, incredible pain gripped her head, making her kneel over and cry out. She felt like her skull was put into a vice, crushing it ever so slowly.


    "Endure it!" Fleur commanded, pulling out her wand as the others watched, horrified as white strands of thoughts were rising from within Hermione''s head. Fleur simply looked on and smilingly began collecting it with her wand. "Got you... you won''t escape this time, Conrad..."

 Chapter 110 – Facing Fleur (2)

    The pain Hermione felt was something she never wanted to experience ever again. It was worse than any migraine or anything she could have imagined. She couldn''t tell how long it lasted, just that the moment it was gone, she blacked out. When she returned to reality, she was sitting on the couch, fanned by Elodie, and Brigitte gently stood over her, pressing a cold, wet sponge against her forehead.


    "Hermione? You okay?" She whispered, seeing her open her eyes.


    "No..." She groaned in answer, feeling she was about to cry.


    "It will pass." Fleur commented from the side, setting up a portable Pensieve, pulling its pieces out from her holding bag. "I knew you were strong, Hermione, but you are even stronger than you think. When you feel ready, you can start remembering; now your thoughts should sort themselves out; you are no longer under their wretched spell!"


    Although the others felt happy hearing it, they were all a bit taken aback by the harshness of Fleur''s voice and actions. Following her advice, when Hermione tried thinking, a sharp pain shot through her mind, making her wince, forgoing the idea for now. It was still too much.


    "I''m fine..." she whispered, smiling at her friends, taking over from Brigitte to hold the icepack to her head.


    Glancing at Fleur, she was already immersed in her memories, examining them without waiting. It was then Hermione realized how anxious and impatient Fleur was. Looking at her trembling figure, this Fleur Delacour was not the elegant and dependable student she looked up to. This woman was not the same one she remembered. That Fleur was an exemplary leader of the girls within Beuxbatons Academy... this... impostor was not her.


    "Good... they are here!" Fleur exclaimed, raising her head, her eyes glinting in a savage light. "You did meet them, Hermione; they don''t even disguise themselves! Hah, the audacity! The only problem is that you were knocked out and don''t remember where their cabin was. You also missed a lot when they brought you out; you were probably, once again, sent to sleep. How many cabins are here?"


    "Twenty... I think." Elodie answered as for Hermione; even recalling the number made her head feel it would split. Thinking itself was hurting her.


    "We need to be careful." Fleur continued, walking up and down before them, her arms crossed and her fingers constantly tapping. "If they realize we are onto them, they can slip away. We will strike them hard when they are not expecting it. I bet they think they are safe... this is our best chance."


    "How are we going to find them? Go knocking at the doors?" Brigitte asked jokingly, but the stare she received from Fleur made her drop the smile and feel threatened.


    "Don''t sabotage me. This is a severe situation, and you are a liability if you are not being serious. Two boys already thought it was just a game and died..." Hearing that it wasn''t just Ceiline who perished further shocked the girls, but Fleur continued, not giving them time to process it. "I came prepared." With that, she brought out another bag from her holding bag, surprising the girls.


    "What is that?" Lodie murmured, and Hermione answered, which she also always managed to do back in school.


    "A Nab-Sack..."


    "A what?" They asked while Fleur nodded in appreciation.


    "It is an enchanted bag," Hermione continued, fighting back her headache, "that can hold multiple animals. There is a magical space created within where the animals can live while being transported from one place to another. It is usually used to transport magical beasts without the notice of muggles, but stronger creatures, like dragons, must be heavily sedated or subdued to be put into it."


    "Even then, they can break out, so no, dragons and the like are transported in a different way." Fleur smiled, slightly correcting her, "And no, I am not planning on putting the fugitives into it. A mage can easily break out, tearing it apart. But I do have beasts here that will help us!"


    "Roosters?" The girls asked her the moment she pulled one scared bird out by the neck.


    "Somehow, the boy had learned to turn into a basilisk."


    "WHAT?!"


    "Yes." Fleur nodded, putting the bird back into the bag, ignoring the shouts of the trio. "And it is not just an imitation. His eyes can indeed kill, and his venom is deadly. I attacked its animagus body once; it can withstand spells, but we don''t know to what degree. That is why we MUST catch them off-guard. We have to eliminate the boy first."


    "Eliminating..." Hermione murmured to herself, feeling Fleur did not mean knocking him out. It was at that moment that a young, male voice echoed within her mind, in her memories. "I don''t want to kill innocents. Don''t trust the Order; they are not as good as they paint themselves to be."


    "His girlfriend is also tricky, so be on the lookout. She can turn into an owl, so don''t let her escape to the skies!"


    "How can they be an animagus yet be this young?" Elodie grunted, feeling fear creeping up her back, "What are they teaching in that school of theirs?"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "All things that are wicked." Fleur snorted, "We heard that in their first year, the two killed a teacher because she disciplined them. Hogwarts is a bed of evil, filled with cockroaches and bedbugs! A good cleansing is what it needs!"


    This was ridiculous. Of course, Hermione couldn''t say it out loud... but it was. She was speaking like a radical fanatic, like how she remembered the words of the first mages she ever met back in Britain. When her magic first manifested, she was still young, but she still remembered the strange people coming to their homes.


    Her parents were strangely frozen in place while she was being examined and deemed to be a ''mudblood,'' which she did not understand back then. It was a scary experience because she was brought away. Kidnapped... and her parents didn''t even react to it. She heard the same words about being cleansed or getting rid of, right until she met with someone who was kind to her. She still remembers his name, Angus Anguine. She memorized it because the other men looked at him fearfully and obeyed all of his commands.


    It was he who explained to her what was happening and told her that he would save her. Becoming a witch was the scariest experience Hermione had ever had to go through. Realizing that there was a wholly hidden word, one where she was an unwanted person because her parents were magicless, was not something that she could understand back then. It just made everything even more terrifying.


    Still, she was, in the end, reunited with her parents, without the usage of spells, and after a long explanation, she and a handful of other kids who were in the same predicament were secretly transferred to a small village. They didn''t stay there for long, only for around a week, getting supplies, their first wands, and whatnot, before they were put on the move again, using ancient magic, transporting them straight to France under the mask of a thunderstorm.


    It was after she attended Beauxbatons that she finally learned that it was a version of a Port Key they used back then to escape from Britain. The magical knowledge housed in that beautiful chateau of a school was awe-inspiring. Even after everything she had to go through, the world of magic was her new passion. Finishing her first year, she had nowhere to go, so she remained there throughout the summer, spending most of her time in the library. Its effect was visible the moment their second year came, as Hermione became the top student of her year, heads above the rest. Some even considered accelerating her and making her skip a year or two, but she refused. She didn''t want to finish school early... she wanted to stay there. As long as possible...


    "Hermione?" Brigitte asked, seeing her distant gaze, jolting Hermione''s body with her words.


    "Sorry... my head is not straightened out yet..."


    "You all three just focus on the girl!" Fleur expressed, dressed and ready, waiting for them as she wanted to go and find her marks. Looking at her, she held a weird, anteater-like creature in her hands that was constantly sticking out its purple tongue, licking the air.


    "A Sniffler?" Hermione whispered, standing up, realizing it was brought here to find Fleur''s enemies as the beast was hypersensitive towards magic. It would seek it out and be near mages, constantly feeding off the residue of magic surrounding them.


    "Yes." Fleur smiled with confidence, "This one is already fed up with my magic, so it will want some new snacks. We will let it find our fugitives. Your job will be to fight and capture the girl; leave the boy to me!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    I was pretty tired as we stayed up all night and barely slept throughout the next day. Quincy was finishing up the potions, bottling those that were ready. To not be in the way, I checked our supplies, organized our bottomless bags as much as possible, and prepared to leave soon.


    "We will sleep like a log tonight!" I joked while Squeaky served us dinner an hour later.


    "For sure!" Quincy agreed with a yawn, "Just smelling the food makes me sleepy..."


    I was about to reply when I felt something that eluded me for months now. That tingling sensation shot up my spine like a needle, signaling the approach of imminent danger. In turn, it sent all my senses into overdrive, slowing time for my brain and making it process everything that was happening around me. I already knew this meant that Herpo wasn''t sleeping; he was simply ignoring me... until now... When I was in genuine danger. I wanted to shout, stand up, and cover Quincy, but my body was already in motion, raising my wand to cast a spell. As to what spell? I didn''t even know myself.


    It sounded like a train derailing next to us, crashing through our cabin, but it wasn''t that. It was snow. It was like an avalanche coming through the roof, burying us instantly. Somehow, I knew that it wasn''t an avalanche. It was a spell... I could sense the magic in the air and the way the snow lifted out, forming something that of a fist and smashing back down; it was enough to tell me we were being attacked.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Hermione, Brigitte, and Elodie stood frozen in place, their wands slightly trembling in their hands as they watched a ten-meter-tall troll-like golem made out of pure snow pummeling the log cabin, smashing it into smithereens. This was... wild, destructive, and deadly... Yet Fleur stood still, controlling it with her wand, sending in attack after attack.


    The ambush was a success, but if anything, Hermione was doubting they even survived it. This was way too brutal. Was this still the Fleur Delacour she looked up to? She barely recognized the young woman and those cold eyes that watched on without blinking.


    When the golem stopped attacking, Fleur dispelled it, letting the snow fall to the wayside. What remained behind were the ruins of a home and three bodies lying there.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    I felt my head pounding as something was desiring to take control over me. I could hear Herpo''s voice telling me the same thing repeatedly.


    "Change... Change already... Change boy... Change..."


    I managed to protect myself... somewhat. The shield charm I raised resisted, but I still felt horrible. Worse... looking up, I recognized Quincy, lying there face down in the snow... Squeaky wasn''t moving either, and I could see a tinge of red around her body. I heard muffled voices speaking in French, and I didn''t need to focus to pick out Fleur''s voice.


    "Change... Or you die..."


    "Leave... none alive..." I grunted, pushing myself up, shaking off the snow as I felt my body swell, ripping my clothes apart.


    "Sssssssuperb...." echoed a loud hiss, sending shivers through the four Beauxbatons'' students as an enormous snake rose up from the cold snow before them, its scales glittering in an unusual, dark-purple color, filled with the power of the dark arts.

 Chapter 111 – Facing Fleur (3)

    Something was very wrong... very, very wrong. Hermione couldn''t help but stand still, trembling, watching as the body of the boy began transforming. She wanted to shout that something was off, but the fear blocked every order from her brain to reach their destination. This was not an animagi transformation. They didn''t destroy the clothes nor morphed the body. None that she knew about looked so painful to go through... this was something else and dark... she could feel it. It was as if another presence was emerging from his body, taking over the original flesh. Maybe even Fleur could sense it, as she had just stood there, watching until the dark, giant snake manifested before their eyes.


    "It was such a long time since I had a body." It hissed, but of course, none of the girls could understand what Herpo was saying. "Temporary freedom... mhm... Distant memories are relived in a flash of a dream. Poetic... Be happy, my little descendant, that I am no longer the same as before, ahahahaha!"


    "Don''t look into its eyes!" Fleur cried out as everyone panicked, trying to avert their eyes, but Hermione just... couldn''t. She already glanced into the basilisk''s glowing, yellow eyes before she could move her head.


    "I''m dead..." She whispered, wanting to cry, expecting pain or just darkness enveloping her... but nothing happened.


    "As I said," Herpo hissed to himself, "Everyone should consider themselves lucky. Do you think someone like me can''t control a basilisk''s powers? I CREATED THEM!"


    With another laugh, he flung his snake tale at them, blasting snow into the air, aiming to bury them under it. Brigitte was fast and managed to cast a shield charm, stepping before Hermione, while Elodie pulled her to the ground, afraid she was turned into stone. Luckily, she wasn''t; she was simply numbed by fear.


    "Die, Conrad Anguine!" Fleur roared, raising a platform from snow and ice, standing on it, holding a bag in her hand, throwing out not one but a dozen roosters.


    "Anguine?" Hermione flinched as that name finally broke the ''spell'' on her, replacing fear with confusion and astonishment.


    "You are a stupid girl. Roosters may kill a basilisk, but I am not a basilisk. Does an animagus who took up the form of a dog really become a dog? Your understanding is weak and flawed." Herpo lectured her, standing still, letting his tail sweep the ground behind him while the roosters began crying in fear, realizing where they were.


    It didn''t take long for Fleur to realize the snake wasn''t dying, although its face did morph a little, displaying his displeasure.


    "Tsk... it still hurts and interferes with the transformation." He groaned, feeling that his body, meaning Conrad''s body, wanted to turn back into a human, which would be really perilous right now.


    "Attack! Idiots, attack him! Now!" Fleur screamed loudly, realizing something was wrong, and she herself used an explosion spell, aiming at the ancient wizard.


    Finally, the rest of the girls also woke from their stupor, summoning spells, bombarding the giant snake''s body, hearing it grunt and hiss, and seeing some of his scales fly off, revealing bleeding injuries underneath.


    "He doesn''t move... doesn''t dodge..." Hermione whispered, lowering her wand and looking behind the snake, realizing why. It was shielding the unconscious elf and girl in the snow. It wasn''t moving because then their spells would have hit them. He was... protecting them.


    "Enough!" Herpo shouted, which sounded like a deep, dangerous hiss.


    Next came a vomit of sizzling, dark acid, landing on the flock of roosters, melting them into the snow, leaving behind no bones nor feathers. It was followed by a surprisingly quick snap from its large body, just like how a cobra would attack its prey. Before anyone could see what had happened, the basilisk was already coiling around the bodies of Quincy and Squeaky, blood dripping from its body and mouth.


    "AAAAAAAAH?!"


    The shout belonged to Elodie, who was pointing at the raised platform Fleur was standing on previously. Half of it was missing, leaving behind nothing but a greenish sludge, sizzling, melting the ice. It was clear that the snake simply ate her... Maybe she already melted when she entered its mouth. Whatever the case was... Fleur Delacour was dead.


    "We are going to die, we are going to die, we are going to die..." Brigitte murmured, falling to her knees, no longer bothering with looking into the basilisk''s eye or not. It was a preferable death than what was waiting for them.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Anguine? Your name is Anguine?!" Hermione asked, shouting and standing up, wanting to know it, watching as the giant snake raised the unconscious bodies from the snow, turning its giant head towards her.


    "The kid''s name, yes. Be lucky his heart does not see you as enemies. Or I would have killed you, too. Don''t get in his way, or I will eat you just like I ate your friend. Even if I can''t cast spells, I am the Father of the King of Snakes. Nobody can control them as I do." With that, he gathered the power in his blood, using Conrad as a conduit, evoking something similar to how the elves were using magic, and with a pop, they teleported away.


    "What... what... what... was... it... saying?" Elodie asked, trembling and crying, falling to her knees, not even knowing she peed herself.


    "I don''t know..." Hermione answered, swaying, barely able to put things together before she finally fainted.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When I came to be, I was lying in a cave. It was cold and dark, and I could hear the wind howling outside. My body was freezing and hurting... and burning. When I looked down, I realized where the burning sensation came from. It was the hot blood flowing from my wounds.


    "Quick... or you will die. Cast a spell to isolate the cave and ignite a fire."


    "Herpo?" I mumbled, hearing his voice inside my head ever so faintly. Although I had many questions, it was no time to ask them. I did as asked, and soon, a fire was blazing, lighting up the cave we were in. "Quincy!" I shouted weakly, looking at her cold body, but to my relief, she was breathing. I hurriedly pulled her close to the fire, trying to warm her up.


    "She will be fine. But..."


    "Squeaky?" I asked, remembering, looking around, and noticing her small body... I could tell, from one glance, she was gone. Her eyes were still open, but her head was open at its back. She most likely died in the initial impact... "Tell me they are dead... tell me they died horribly, screaming for mercy... tell me the pain they felt was worse than anything Crucio could do to them..."


    "The one named Fleur died, yes. The others survived."


    "..."


    "Control." He said, his voice becoming sharp momentarily, "Your decisions are being influenced by the basilisk blood within you. If you are not careful, you will end up the same way as the boy who ingested the dragon''s blood. Then, you will slowly transform and lose your humanity to the will of the basilisk."


    "..." I had to concentrate on what he was saying as I was watching Quincy, rubbing her body, trying to warm her up, not even registering my own pain. Anything, just to not think about Squeaky... everything was making me so angry that I was no longer cold. Instead, I was burning with rage. My spine hurt, my eyes hurt, everything hurt. It wasn''t like it was coming from a specific wound on my body; it was coming from within my blood, cursing in my veins.


    "Conrad, listen to me. Keep your blood in check. I can''t come out again, not after so soon. It would kill you; you burnt away so much blood already."


    "What... do you mean..." I asked, breathing with difficulty, trying to do as he said, reigning in my anger, refocusing my mind on something else.


    "What I told you back then wasn''t a lie. I am dead. I am only a memory within your blood. I can''t return. I wasn''t lying to you. If I did, it would consume your blood and you would die, simple as that. If not, I would have already been back long ago. Believe me, I tried in the past!" He chuckled, "But thousands of years give someone enough time to think and evaluate things."


    "Where were you...? I haven''t been sensing you... The feelings from before were gone. It only came back just now!"


    "Because I let it come back." He said, and his voice was deep, lecturing and filled with warnings, "Those feelings are all from the basilisk. The anger and pain you used to feel? It''s your wild blood, wanting to kill and destroy. It is a blood that carves to dominate others. It wants you to use it, to transform you into the King it perceives itself as. To make you the Emperor of Snakes."


    "Am I turning into a basilisk?"


    "In a way, yes. If you keep giving in. I have been blocking it for you as you are in a very vulnerable state right now. Letting you change and lose your humanity wasn''t a good idea."


    "..." I couldn''t help but look at Squeaky again. If I had given in sooner... maybe she wouldn''t have died.


    "You know, I am in your head and can read your thoughts."


    "You let me transform now... why?"


    "It is better to risk it than to die. Plus, I know I could come out a little and bring you away. Listen well, Conrad! I will retreat again to not hurt you, but if anything, heed this one lesson of mine!"


    "..."


    "Control. If you use the blood within you, exercise ultimate control. Be the one that conquers and breaks the King. Don''t become its servant, or you will become the snake. If you can control it, it will be your power. It will be active when you want it and dormant when you don''t need it. Otherwise, there will be a day when you look into Quincy''s eye as a human and turn her to stone..."


    "...!"


    I wanted to ask more, but I could no longer feel or hear him. It was only the howl of the wind outside of the cave that answered me. I just knelt there, naked, holding Quincy''s head, facing the fire before us. So many things happened and so many things was my fault... thinking back, we were careless. We thought we were fine and just remembering all that we did... They found us because of me. Squeaky died because of me... What am I doing?


    "Conrad...?"


    When Quincy woke up, she immediately sat up, looking at me, beginning to get clothes and medicine out to treat me, but I couldn''t help myself. I began sobbing, asking her to forgive me. I couldn''t ask it from Squeaky, but I wanted to... I wanted to say so much but couldn''t, and maybe it was something she did, but I suddenly felt sleepy, falling into a dreamless sleep all of a sudden.

 Chapter 112 – Nurmengard (1)

    When I woke up, most of my injuries were healed, and Quincy was holding my head while we sat before the fire within the cave. Looking at where Squeaky''s body was before, I saw that it was no longer there, replaced by a mound of rocks. The wall next to it described who lay there in Quincy''s handwriting... and... I didn''t really want to talk about it back then, and she never pushed it, either. Instead, she helped me sit up and eat something as we reorganized ourselves.


    "The weather has calmed down, but I never went out to look where we are... any idea?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.


    "Not much." I shook my head, moving around a little but feeling weak and out of breath.


    "You lost a lot of blood... I don''t know how."


    "I do..." With a sigh, I retold her everything I remembered, and Herpo told me. I could see it in her eyes; she was doubtful, not of my words, but of how trustworthy he could be.


    "Do you trust him?"


    "I don''t know. Not yet... But things do line up with what he told me¡ªespecially considering the basilisk blood. Do you remember when I defeated Lucius? He flinched and paused a little for just enough for me to finish him off. He did look into my eyes, and if I believe Herpo, I can see why... What if one day I woke up, looked at you, and that alone kills you? I think I would go insane..."


    "It won''t happen!" She answered, hugging me hurriedly, making me nod and promise her that it would never come to that. I wasn''t lying... because I won''t fall that far. I will believe in Herpo''s words and take control of the blood in me.


    But, for that, we had to rest in the cave for days. And when I say we, it means me alone. I felt weak until my blood was replenished enough so we could begin our journey. Before we left the cave, I also added my own words to the grave of Squeaky, leaving behind a message that here lies the most fantastic house elf of all time.


    Getting ready, I couldn''t help but sigh that we were lucky to have our holding bags tied to our waists, as most of our supplies remained intact and within reach. Pulling out our brooms, we lifted into the air, flying high to get a good look at where we were.


    "We... are still in the... um... mountains," Quincy murmured as the snow-covered tops looked exactly the same wherever I looked.


    "Yeah. We are. Well... I hope we are not too far away from our previous spot, at the other end of the world."


    "Probably not. If Herpo was truthful, using his ''powers,'' it burned your blood. It wouldn''t have been able to take us far, or that would kill you."


    "Hm... Presumably..." I whispered, looking towards the horizon, watching the sun shine on us. "Maybe we can try what we originally wanted."


    I didn''t hesitate, picked out the Felix Felicis from my bag, and downed it in one go. At first, I felt nothing, unsure if it was working or not.


    "Here, try this!" Flying next to me, Quincy pulled out the map we bought, and when I took a look at it, focusing my mind on where Nurmengard could be, a particular feeling hit me. "What is it?" She asked, catching the change in my expression.


    "I... Don''t know. Something... hm... I just feel we should head that way. That''s it."


    "East?" She followed where I was pointing toward, "Sure. Let''s go! A little flying will help us clear our heads... Squeaky was so proud when she brought these to us... we shouldn''t waste their speed."


    "Yeah... you are right... She would want us to use them to their limits. Quincy..."


    "Yes?"


    "I can''t forgive them."


    "The girls?" She asked, stretching her hand, caressing my face gently.


    "No... they are fine. Victims... I am talking about the members of the Order. I don''t care if HE or Dumbledore wins. I just want to see both of them destroyed."


    "Then let''s wait until one side wins... then we can strike at the other in their moment of triumph."


    "Mhm... but for that, we will have to get stronger."


    "Together."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Together!" I repeated, leaning over and giving her a kiss before we sped off, pushing our Firebolts to their limits, testing out Squeaky''s last ''gift'' to us.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What happened to make you contact me again this soon, old friend?" Dumbledore asked, picking up Flamel''s chocolate frog card and on it, the ancient wizard looked back at him with a grievous expression.


    "Fleur is dead, and I can''t contact the other two."


    "Oh... that is... troubling." The old leader of the Order murmured, smacking his lips, thinking. As of what... not even Flamel could tell. Living for long, long years and being a genius were two different things. One could experience a lot, but reading someone''s mind like Dumbledore was still just as hard for him as for anybody else.


    "We have three survivors, but their mental state is not the best."


    "Three?" He asked, refocusing his blue eyes on the card, peering at Flamel over his half-moon spectacles.


    "Three students of mine, one of them being a refugee from England. I extracted their memories, and what I saw in them was troubling. They faced Conrad, ambushing him. They had the upper hand until he transformed."


    "And the roosters were useless."


    "..." Flamel fell silent for a little while, thinking about many things, looking back at Dumbledore, who sighed with a sad smile.


    "The fact that Fleur has died is already telling. She was a good seed; I am sad to hear we lost her. What happened?"


    "The appearance was different. It was not a normal animagi tranformation. It was more like what a werewolf would go through. This is not normal but something way darker, Albus. If those two were with her, they would have won!"


    "I know... I take full responsibility. I will find them. I will send Alastor to track them down and take over the search for the kids."


    "..."


    Hearing that Dumbledore was going to send back one of his best warriors, the most experienced of his mages, soothed Flamel''s mind a little. He had doubts about his old friend''s plans, but this showed that Fleur''s death was not something Dumbledore expected. In the past decade, he watched closely as a multitude of setbacks and brutal fights, the inactivity of the other Wizarding Communities turned Albus Dumbledore into more and more of a cold wizard. Someone calculative. Maybe it wasn''t turning him but reverting him... He still remembered those times when Dumbledore was still young. When he had someone he was very close with... and how that someone became close to destroying everything the Wizarding World stood for. This Dumbledore reminded him of the young, 18-year-old version of that genius but dangerous wizard from a century ago.


    "Alastor will first go to you for any information you can spare, and then he will find the two and be on the lookout for the kids."


    "I will assist them. Albus, this has become important. Something is off with that child; I felt it when I fought with him, too. Do you know who he reminds me?"


    "I do."


    "Then I don''t have to tell you it is important to find him before he causes problems."


    "Even if he has 10 years to grow, my old friend, he won''t have enough time to threaten our plans. I must focus on Tom and Tom only."


    With that, he put the card away, remaining alone in his room, tapping his finger on the desk before him. He was no longer bothered by the news. Instead, he had two drawn images reflecting back from his glasses: A ring and a cup. Of the two, one captured his attention way more than the other: the ring with a black stone embedded into it.


    "The last one..." He whispered, smiling behind his long, white beard while caressing his wand, his blue eyes turning towards the top drawer, knowing which cape was hidden inside of it.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Conrad!"


    "Here!" I shot out a red flare from my wand, making it easier for Quincy to find me. Both of us were holding onto our brooms with dear life as we were stuck in a wild snowstorm, trying to throw us off-course and off our brooms.


    "Are you sure we must go this way?!"


    "I am!" I nodded and continued inching forward. She was following me as closely as possible, constantly casting spells to warm herself up and prevent the broom from freezing over.


    She didn''t ask a second time. I knew this was looking crazy because I led her into a death trap, but she trusted me... and followed me in nonetheless. If not for the potion, I would have already turned back and gotten out of there, but I felt it... I felt it in my heart that I needed to continue this way. I just can''t explain it in any better way.


    The feeling became so strong that I was pushing forward without a second thought. I was about to take a deep breath and look over my shoulder when a sudden wind jerked the broom under me, pushing me forward, and... there was instant peace. Quiet. Looking around, I couldn''t believe my eyes. The storm was gone, and I was greeted with a tranquil, sunny image. I saw the mountains and snow below us again. Turning around, I saw the wild storm raging without a sound, only a dozen meters away, completely silent. It was as if I was in a separate world, and an invisible wall was blocking it out from where I was.


    "Quincy!" I shouted, and before I could panic, I saw her being flung out of it, right towards me, barely holding onto her broom.


    "W-w-w-what... where?!" She gasped, needing a minute to finally calm down.


    "I think... we found it." I whispered as we felt our bodies warm up in the sun''s golden light.


    We were, for sure, in a separate space... and not that far from us, I could see a black castle with a surprisingly high, black, almost obelisk-like tower.


    "Nurmengard..." Quincy whispered, following my eyes, and after exchanging a short glance, we both nodded, gradually beginning to descend.


    "It is best if we approach it on foot. We don''t know if there is any secondary defensive magic protecting it. It would be bad to slam into it and fall to our death."


    "Yeah... that is true!" With a weak chuckle, we landed in the fresh snow, which was clean and smooth, as if nobody had touched the ground here for who knows how long. Not even animals... The reigning silence was disturbing, especially if we looked toward the silent storm. Everything was frozen... the landscape, time, existence itself.


    "Being imprisoned here... brrr! I would have gone mad quick." I shivered, reaching over and holding Quincy''s hand, who quickly squeezed mine.


    "If being alone, yes. But not like this. Let''s go... let''s see if we can get inside!"

 Chapater 113 – Nurmengard (2)

    Approaching the castle, we could feel passing through some kind of barrier. I don''t know what its job was, but none of us felt weird, and we quickly tried casting spells... all of it worked.


    "Alarms? Maybe?" Quincy asked, and I wasn''t that sure about it.


    "Could be... I... I can''t tell. The only feeling was that breeze. No matter... Let''s go. It is not like we can just leave. That storm outside is dangerous; we need to rest before we attempt to leave it."


    It was not a lie... but also not the truth either. We could leave... I just didn''t want to. The Felix Felicis was still working, although the feeling of accomplishment was fading quickly. Still, it told me to stay put. I didn''t feel threatened.


    The outer walls were tall. Built from some kind of black rock that I couldn''t recognize. Its front gate was massive, made out of metal with a straightforward decoration. It had a giant triangle plastered on it, encompassing a circle within and right where it could be opened; it seemed like that vertical line was running down from top to bottom.


    "Is it an emblem?" I asked, making Quincy tilt her head, thinking.


    "Could be. I know of none that is like that, but I only know about our magic families and their crests. Grindelwald wasn''t English... I think. I don''t remember any book mentioning where he was from."


    "True enough." I shrugged, touching the door and pushing on it, but it wasn''t budging. Scaling the thing would be impossible. "Well... it is locked. There are no surprises there; how will we get in...? This is- Ah." I stopped because Quincy was giggling, watching me think how to open the door, feeling a bit stumped. "What...?" I asked, getting embarrassed.


    "You are tired." She skipped over, giving me a peck on my face before mounting her broom.


    "Oh... no comment..." I grumbled while I looked away, wanting to bury myself in the snow.


    We flew very slowly, carefully inching forward, exploring the air so as not to crash into some invisible wall, passing over the physical one below us, and finally landing in the snow-covered courtyard. There were ancient statues and a once maybe green garden, now frozen in ice and time, surrounded by a black castle. No... by a fortress. Watching the small, slit-like windows, this was more like the latter. It wasn''t nearly as welcoming as Hogwarts.


    "The tower is giving me the creeps."


    "I agree," I added with a hum, holding her hand as we walked towards the front gate, turning our heads up, watching the tall, black spire, "It is ominous. But I do want to scale it; the view from the top must be something else!"


    "Maybe we can use it as our room for the time being? If there is a room, that is. Like back in school..."


    "Um, that would be nice."


    Maybe it was the works of the last drops of luck in my body, but when I pushed on the front doors, it opened with a deep, low moan, letting us in.


    "Ugh! This... bleh!"


    I had to agree with Quincy, as the wind created a real duststorm as if we had introduced air to a vacuum. The marble floor was layered with a blanket of dust, taking us minutes to breathe again as the dust swirled up into the air, controlled by the sudden rush of air.


    "The last time anyone came here had to be decades ago!" I complained as we pulled up our scarves before our mouths and made sure the front door was wide open.


    The situation never improved as every room we discovered was the same. Everything was covered in grey dust. The floor, walls, ancient furniture, paintings, everything. In the end, we used magic to open the windows, letting the cold air do its thing, blow through, and create some kind of draft to help us a little.


    "I will enchant some mops and brooms and let it clean everything!" Quincy complained between two coughs as we arrived back to the main hall.


    "Me too, oh man, this is bad! The air inside is like walking into a catacomb!"


    "It is probably one." She grunted, picking out a bottle of water from her bag and sharing it with me. "But at least we have a kitchen, a ballroom, a dining room, and an alchemy room!"


    "Yes, but the storage room in the latter is sealed with magic. We will need to crack that first." I reminded her, as whatever was in there was sealed away. Same with the kitchen''s trap door, leading down to who knows where.


    "We can try to go at it later!" She hummed, looking excited, which was good to see. It helped me not think of Squeaky or Dad; maybe that''s why she was doing it. It was a bit like being back at school. I... liked the feeling of it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "True!" I answered, trying to sound just as upbeat. I had to; bad things would happen if I started thinking darkly. I can''t believe that I am saying it, but it would be best to be like Professor Lockhart. Jolly, even if things get out of control. "Let''s go; time to check the other rooms upstairs!"


    Besides the clouds of dust, we found multiple bedrooms, a library, and a war room. At least, that is how I interpreted it. The wall opposite the entrance was replaced with a map of the world, and dozens of pins were still stuck into it. I couldn''t tell what their different colors meant, but it was clearly signaling moves, allies, enemies, and bases worldwide. What else could their meaning be? Before it stood an elongated conference table with chairs at one side, facing the map, and I could see the same symbol drawn on the floor as on the gate outside.


    "This had to be Gellert Grindelwald''s symbol." I pointed it out to Quincy, and there was no reason to think otherwise.


    "Some of the battles of the First Wizarding War had to be planned here. I am surprised it was left untouched."


    "Superstition?"


    "Maybe. We do have a lot of those, huh?" She giggled before we left, heading to the last place... the entrance to the tower.


    To our surprise, the door was open... no... It was missing. It was clearly torn down as only its hinges remained, exposing the spiral staircase leading upwards. I insisted on going first, telling her that my instincts would be faster if anything dangerous happened, thanks to the basilisk blood.


    The first floor we reached turned out to be a prison. The inside of it was much larger than what was visible on the outside, which, of course, was not surprising. These cells looked simple, and we couldn''t see any clues indicating that they were magically reinforced in the past or today.


    "Maybe this was for muggles." Quincy suggested, and I couldn''t help but agree. He did have it out for them, so it was a possibility.


    The second floor, once again, was a prison. Now, this was smaller, and the cells were all busted open, their bars bent out of shape as if there was a breakout, which was probably true. We even found some weird fur or hair left behind and came to the conclusion that this was to imprison magical beings. Maybe even centaurs. Werewolves? Who knows...


    "Another prison..." I shrugged after we climbed another level. It was the same as before, with the same busted cells, some clearly opened by destructive magic, leaving marks on the stone floor and walls.


    "Well, we won''t settle at the top floor then, huh?"


    "Nope! But if you want to role-play as inmates, I''m in! Should I be the bad guard?" I joked with her, making her blush and kick my shin. "Owie... I take it as a no, then!"


    She was about to say something when we heard a clang. It was like a clock reaching its hour mark, but then it began ticking louder... no. Those were footsteps. Above? Below? We couldn''t tell as it was echoing throughout the castle. We looked at each other, trying not to move, and crouched, waiting. Soon, the clanking became louder, and it didn''t take long to watch as a slightly rusted, copper figure walked up the stairs, holding a tray.


    "An automaton?" Quincy whispered, watching the genderless figure go on its way with a bowl of congee, heading up the stairs, ignoring us.


    "Where did it come from?"


    "Beats me... Probably left here, and it keeps operating, following the spell engraved into it?"


    "Huh... I never saw one functioning. I thought they were old-fashioned. Outdated." I murmured, watching it disappear.


    "I think I read somewhere that many automatons also protect Hogwarts. You know, the statues and the many suits of armor!" She said quickly and with great excitement.


    "Well, they did not act when the Order attacked, so they are pretty useless!"


    "They need activation, anyway; let''s see where it goes!"


    I didn''t argue because I was just as curious, so we went after it, following it from a safe distance. It straight skipped the following levels, which were, once again, prison cells. They became more decorated than the others the higher we went.


    "It''s going to the top!" She whispered, and sure enough, there was the last floor. The automaton walked up, disappearing, and we waited on the stairs for now.


    We heard a clang, rattling and shuffling around before the steps resumed once again. The automaton didn''t take long to walk by us, heading back down without bothering with our presence.


    "Skeleton or not?" I asked, making Quincy roll her eyes.


    "Not. I don''t want to find a dead body!" She moaned, standing up and walking forth.


    I quickly followed her just for both of us to freeze and look at the one and only cell on the top floor. It was spacious, yes, but it was unadorned. It had nothing but a bed, a hole as a ''toilet,'' and that was it. Worse, thanks to that hole, it was cold up here. Very cold. There was only one window, higher up, giving a look at the sky but at nothing else... only the black walls remained to gaze at.


    That was not what was surprising. No. An emaciated figure was sitting on the bed, holding the tray the automaton had brought up and calmly eating the congee. His messy, long, grayed-out hair almost reached his ankles, while his beard was just as long, touching his knees, I guess. His skin was sticking to his bones, and he wore nothing but the remains of a once elegant robe, now faded and dirty. Yet when his piercing, sky-blue eyes looked at us, it was just as vivid as any living person''s.


    "Visitors..." He spoke, and his voice was hard to listen to. It was as if his voice chords hadn''t worked for decades, trying very hard to remember what it was to produce sound... words. "How quaint."


    And with that, he refocused his attention on his lunch, not looking at us. We couldn''t decide what to do. We did not expect to find a prisoner, at least not one that was still alive and being fed by an automaton. He wasn''t that surprised or just didn''t show it... who the hell was he?


    "No..." We said at the same time, looking at each other, knowing full well what the other was thinking about. While debating without words, the man finished his lunch, put the bowl down, wiped his mouth with the end of his beard, and finally stood up, barefooted. His nails were gross and long, but... I could understand why. This is not exactly a health resort.


    "I had no visitors in my prison for more than forty... no, this is the fiftieth year... yes. My last visitor came here fifty years ago. A jubilee of sorts... how... interesting."


    "Are... are you?" We asked, speaking simultaneously.


    "Gellert Grindelwald... welcome to my castle, to my home, and... to my prison: Nurmengard."

 Chapter 114 – Left to Rot

    "Are you going to stand there just like that?"


    "..."


    We didn''t really know what to answer him with. Well... we can''t just leave nor let him out... can we?


    "Do any of you youngsters know any self-cleaning spells?" He shrugged, watching us, but his blue eyes mostly wandered towards Quincy.


    "Like...?" She asked, drawing a blank for a moment.


    "No matter... haaah. How did you two get here? It should be virtually impossible." He sighed, sitting back on his cot, watching us with a calm, unperturbed gaze.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brows as, not counting the storm, we got here pretty easily.


    "This place is guarded by multiple wards placed down by the top mages of their period, including the one who visited me the last time, leaving me here all alone. Two kids stumbling in here? It is not something that should or could happen. Either you were sent here by someone, or I am beginning to hallucinate. The latter should not be possible as I know my own mental state the best."


    "Which is?" Quincy asked without thinking, making him look at her, forming a slight smile under his beard.


    "Clarity. I achieved a state that I think very few wizards or muggles could imagine. So... who sent you here? Did the muggles finally discover our existence, and some group wants to free me? Tell them I am not interested in whatever they want to do."


    "N-no, nothing like that happened..." We replied in tandem, looking at each other and realizing there would be a long discussion ahead of us. "We got here because we were looking for this place from the get-go."


    "That is still should be impossible. But I am curious why they would have sent kids... It doesn''t make sense."


    "If anybody or anything sent us here, it was the Felix Felicis." I blurted out, not knowing how to explain it any better.


    "..."


    For a moment, there was a dry, cold silence between the three of us, broken by the unexpected, loud laughter of one of the most infamous, dark wizards of modern history. It lasted for way too long, making me uncomfortable, but in the end, Grindelwald reigned it in, coughing, wiping his eyes, shaking his head.


    "All that planning and security, beaten by the favorite drug of Quidditch players! Haaaaah... I can''t believe it, and I don''t think anyone would either! Thank you, children, for allowing me to enjoy something so wonderful after so many years... I think this alone made it worth sitting here alone for the past fifty years. You really came here... to find this place? Using the lucky potion to find it...? Unbelievable. But, yes. That can work. It is so stupid that I can see it foiling the most advanced spells as it is kind of like tugging on the strings of fate."


    "You believe in fate?" I asked, feeling a bit strange, but I became even more confused after hearing his answer.


    "No. Yes."


    "Which is it?" Quincy grunted, shaking her head, trying to stay focused.


    "Fate exists, yes, but it is not a binding, omnipotent thing that can''t be fought or altered. That is the whole basis of divination."


    "Divination is banned." I said calmly, making him raise an eyebrow, tilting his head, and stroking his long beard.


    "A lot of things had happened in the past 50 years that I missed. I''d like to hear them all."


    "For one," I shrugged, looking at my wife, who couldn''t help but chuckle, knowing what I was about to say, "You are no longer the most infamous wizard. That title goes to... I can''t say his name."


    "That bad?" He asked, leaning forward, not even surprised or angry.


    "The name is jinxed." Quincy explained. It was a well-known secret between Death Eaters, so of course, Father told us about it.


    "Taboo? Interesting. Smart, I will give him that, but you can speak it freely in here. This place would interfere with the magic signal, so they won''t be notified."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Kids..." He chuckled again, looking into our eyes, and I had never before seen such confidence in anybody. "I built this place. I know it the best. Please... continue. This is fascinating to me."


    "Well... his name is Lord Voldemort. Haaah... It is a long story, but I guess we have time!"


    That we had and when we began, he never interrupted us, listening silently, memorizing everything, and only asking his multitude of questions when we finished retelling everything we knew of him, his battles, right until the point of our escape and my Father''s death. Of course, we didn''t tell him everything about ourselves. For example, the ritual, our animagi form, or most of our strengths.


    "So now you are on the run... I see. How interesting that fate brought you here... Oh, Albus... you picked up what you said you no longer care about, didn''t you? Or why would these kids arrive here?"


    "Quincy..." I whispered, leaning over, watching the mumbling old man, "I think he is a bit nuts."


    "Yeah... seems like it... I am not surprised."


    "As I said," He added, raising his voice, clearly hearing us, "I reached clarity. I am sure old Albus took up what we started, or else I wouldn''t be involved in it again."


    "What would this have to do with you? I know that Dumbledore stopped you, but what are you on about?" I asked, rubbing my head, trying to figure it out without success. He was speaking as if he knew the old bastard well enough.


    "Defeated me?" He repeated, munching on the words. I was afraid he would become angry, but no, he simply nodded, smiling. "Yes... Yes, he did. He was stronger than me, even if I had the Elder Wand supporting me. He was better, and the wand felt it, too, abandoning me. That little toy is fickle like a woman."


    "Hmph!" Quincy snorted, which in turn made me chuckle, hugging her closer. "What is an Elder Wand?" She asked, making me also realize the point I missed.


    "Good question, Miss..."


    "Quincy. He is my husband, Conrad."


    "I see. Well, Young Quincy, the question you posed to me is sharp and on point. To answer it, I must first ask you a different one. Do you know of the legend of the Deathly Hallows?"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Of course, we didn''t. Seeing our puzzled looks, Grindelwald didn''t get angry; he just nodded at us and began retelling the ancient tale we had never heard before.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Slowly, my dear... slowly!" Said an old but kind voice, soothing the pain Hermione was feeling in her head while sitting up on her bed.


    She was in a wizarding hospital back in France, not that far away from Paris.


    "Who... who are you?" She asked, surprised to find someone who spoke English so fluently, yet she never met her before.


    "My name is Minerva McGonagall, my dear, from the Order."


    "Can we hurry up?" Asked a more impatient, grizzly voice, belonging to a man who scared Hermione when she looked at him standing at the entrance to her room. He was short, his face was disfigured thanks to the many injuries, and a magical blue eye was spinning in his left eye socket.


    "This is why I insisted to come with you, Alastor!" The woman, named McGonagall, quipped at him sternly, making him groan and murmur something under his breath. "You are uncut for dealing with others."


    "Sorry... but... what is happening?" Hermione interjected, feeling left out of the conversation, yet it was they who woke her up all of a sudden.


    "We were sent here to follow up on clues as to what happened to you. Can you tell us?"


    "Didn''t you see it?" Hermione whispered, touching her head, still feeling some pain, the aftermath of Fleur''s potion. It never truly went away. It could be eased, but when her focus waned, the pain began creeping back in.


    "We did, but we need to hear it from you. Memories can''t tell us what you felt that moment, only what you saw."


    "I felt fear; is that better?" She answered with a bit of anger rising in her voice, but the woman before her didn''t get irate; she just looked at her kindly.


    McGonagall continued asking her some weird questions, mostly related to her feelings and thoughts about Fleur. Could she be under the influence of someone else or not? In the end, after half an hour of ''interrogation,'' the two left, leaving her alone. When they departed, Hermione no longer had any desire to lay back and sleep. Instead, her mind was occupied by many thoughts.


    "What was the snake doing?" She asked the same question in her head, the same one that McGonagall asked her a moment ago. "Could it have a hypnotizing effect? Did I feel anything else when I looked into its eyes? Did I smell something?"


    The more she thought about it, the more she remembered the crazed face of Fleur and the now resurfacing memories of the boy named Conrad and his... well... wife, Quincy.


    "Could I remember what the air felt like around them?" Hermione whispered the old witch''s questions again.


    She answered with a no a moment ago, but she lied. She did remember, and they looked and sounded desperate. Troubled. They did warn her, yet they did not hurt her. She was unsure what to think anymore, especially after learning that the boy had the same name as the one who saved her. Anguine... She should have asked what they knew of him!


    With that thought, Hermione ignored the pain in her head, jumping out of the hospital bed, rushing out, and catching up to them just right when they were about to disappear in the staircase leading down to the lobby.


    "Who was Anguine?" She asked, out of breath, making Moody raise an eyebrow while McGonagall hurried back up, straightening Hermione''s posture and fixing her loosened robes.


    "He was a hero who fought against the Dark Lord and perished... yet many wizards and witches, just like you, were saved by him." The woman''s answer did not explain much, so Hermione subconsciously looked toward Moody, who responded with a simple grunt as if he had to acknowledge an uncomfortable fact.


    "He was a good fighter."


    "Then why is his son being hunted?"


    "Sometimes," McGonagall continued, gently stroking Hermione''s head, leading her back towards the hospital room, "even if someone has a parent who is an example to us all, that does not mean their children would be just as upstanding. Hogwarts is sick at the moment... and that sickness has infected many young minds."


    "Sickness... that is good, Minerva." Moody added, following them a few steps behind, "And we are the cure then."


    This time, the old witch only left after Hermione was back in bed, pretending to be asleep, but the moment their steps were far enough, her eyes opened once again. This didn''t make sense. Not to her, at least. It was time that she began searching for answers by herself if the adults refused to give one. She saw Conrad transform, protecting his own and only killing the one individual who was attacking them... Even if she looked up to Fleur, she couldn''t ignore the facts that were now swirling within her mind, making her head hurt again.


    A pain whose origin lies within the Order of the Phoenix itself...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Wait!" I raised my two hands, "You want to tell us you had the strongest wand in existence, one that was made by Death itself?"


    "Yes." Grindelwald nodded, playing with his long beard, "I had it for quite a long time, in fact. Of course, not as long as Albus, but that comes down to the fact he was better than me and earned its allegiance."


    "Should we believe it?" Quincy whispered, but I simply shrugged.


    "We found Salazar''s place, no? Who says some ancient wizards couldn''t have forged some incredible artifacts? I don''t buy the ''made by Death'' part, but..."


    "It could be true." Grindelwald agreed with me, "But it could be ancient works of powerful wielders of magic, yes. Whatever the case is, the three Hallows are real, and the clues are there. I followed those and stole the wand from its previous owner, Mykew Gregorovitch, a renowned wandmaker."


    "But you said that the wand needs to be obtained through combat... no?" Quincy argued, making the old wizard smile under his beard.


    "Stealing it counts just as much as disarming the wizard. The Elder Wand chooses its master, and it switches sides very quickly. It only acknowledges the strongest, which caused so many of its owners to die a horrible death. They were betrayed by their closest ally, their own wand. If you ever get your hands on it... never trust it."


    It was weird to hear it from his mouth, from one of the most infamous dark wizards and previous owner of a supposed legendary weapon. Not that we can get it if it is really in the hands of Dumbledore.


    "It was my biggest mistake to rely on it so heavily. It made me weak and vulnerable, and it caused my downfall."


    "Wouldn''t you want to get it back?" I asked, making him fall silent for a moment before standing up, walking to the bars of his cell, and looking directly into my eyes when answering.


    "No. I had time to think. I had nothing else to do but think. The Hallows? Rubbish. The Greater Good? An illusion. I was wrong. WE... were wrong. The more I tried to control everything, the more things slipped through my fingers. I was doomed to fail from the start."


    "You say we... it means Albus Dumbledore?" Quincy whispered, licking her lips a little.


    "We were young." He nodded, his voice turning deeply nostalgic and happy, "He was the first man with whom I could sit down and freely talk to, knowing he understood me. We could finish each other sentences. We were like long-lost brothers, and he became like a twin brother to me. We had great plans on reshaping the wizarding world with the Hallows!"


    "Well... someone did just that." I joked with sarcasm, shaking my head.


    "Not as we would have done it." He argued but not with anger but with a chuckle, "Our idea was the Greater Good. Taking control of our society and imposing rules that would ensure our survival! I saw the muggles as a threat, their aggressive nature as the biggest danger to our lives... we were planning on taking over their leaders and controlling them. Everything was about that..."


    "Controlling muggles?" We asked, but he shook his head.


    "No. About control. It always is about control. But now, I see how wrong we were! Just as the muggles are trying to control nature, we wizards are trying to control magic. It can''t be done. Magic is Nature. It is something that can never be controlled... The only way to achieve true success is to open yourself to it and ride its waves. The moment you try to make the waves yourself, you are doomed to fall."


    I was trying to understand what he was saying, but honestly... I wasn''t getting it. I wasn''t even sure he was right in the head. Not to mention, this all was a bit too much. I will need to sit down and talk about it with Quincy to make heads or tails of what we just learned. It felt like when we found Salazar''s books, it was a bit too much to read through at once!


    "You will get it one day... or not. All is possible." With that, he just leaned back, closing his eyes, simply ignoring us.


    "Don''t you want to be freed?" Quincy blurted out, forcing the old wizard to answer us, yet his eyes remained shut.


    "Only my body is what is imprisoned here, young Quincy. My mind has been free for a very long time."


    She wanted to say something else, but it was already dark, and I felt my head beginning to hurt, so I gently nudged her. When we left, Grindelwald never tried to stop us, nor did he look at us... he was lost in his own world, it seemed. Maybe he was mad... I would be...

 Chapter 115 – Release

    "It is a bit weird trying to sleep down here when there is an old, dark wizard in his cell upstairs..." I murmured as we both were lying on a past-century bed, watching the stars from the small window on the wall.


    "Yeah..." Quincy agreed, waving her wand and raising the flames in the fireplace, warming us up.


    Luckily, after a few cleaning spells, the room was no longer dusty or filthy, and we could use the bed to sleep on. The problem was that no sleep came to us, even if we were tired.


    "What do you think we should do with him?" I asked, turning towards her.


    "No idea. Release him?"


    "Ugh... maybe? Would that be good? What if he was lying?"


    "Dunno... What do your instincts tell you? Both yours and the blood in you?"


    "Hmmm... I think he wasn''t lying. That was my first thought." I answered honestly and tried asking Herpo within me, too, but he didn''t speak to me at all. I don''t even know if he is awake or not.


    "Let''s look at it this way!" She chuckled, snuggling up to me, hugging my body, "He was the enemy of Dumbledore. Even if he is a menace and a source of trouble, releasing him would do us only good, as I doubt the two would reconcile. Dumbledore left him here to rot! Then there is the other side... Would the two join forces? He and Voldemort? I don''t think the Dark Lord would dare to and instead look at someone like Grindelwald as a risk factor. Someone who could usurp his rule."


    "And he doesn''t know our powers... He doesn''t have a wand, or he would have been out already. So if we let him out, we can still have the upper hand if he attacks us."


    "IF he attacks us."


    "Yes." I nodded, "I like the idea of setting him free, hehe. We would see if he is serious about what he said or not. Will he go for revenge or show his so-called clarity and return the favor of letting him out. Maybe teaching us something."


    "So? Are we getting him out of the cell?"


    "Tomorrow~!" I whispered, kissing her once, "For now, let''s rest... I am tired..."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    When morning came, the castle was surprisingly cold, so it took some time for us to climb out of bed. After a brief breakfast and a quick wash, we decided to set one of the most infamous wizards of this century free. We already have Voldemort, so I don''t think it would matter much in the grand scheme of things. When we walked up to the top floor, he was still sitting just like yesterday, eyes closed, unmoving. Was he dead? I couldn''t tell, but he did look like a corpse.


    "Excuse me?" I raised my voice, scratching my throat, and after a long second, he opened his blue eyes, watching the wall opposite him before turning towards us.


    "Good morning, kids. What can I help you with?"


    "We... wanted to ask some questions."


    "I thought so." He nodded, fixing his position a little, blinking very slowly. I thought that he might be slowed down because of the cold, but... who knows? Perhaps he is just crazy or close to death. Or both. "Ask away."


    "What would you do if we let you out?"


    "..." I expected some reaction from him, but there was nothing. He didn''t respond at first; his eyes remained calm and focused as he moved his eyelids up and down before finally answering. "Pursue pure magic."


    "What does that mean?" Quincy asked, drawing a smile onto Grindelwald''s face.


    "Pursuing Magic. It is as I say it. I no longer care about power, control, the Hallows, or about right or wrong. None of that is what matters. Those are human constructs. The real importance is Magic."


    "What does that mean?" I asked him, finding his words interesting.


    "Have you ever asked the question, why does Magic exist?"


    "No?" We replied after exchanging a quick look. "Why?"


    "I don''t know." He answered with a chuckle, standing up and walking in front of his bars. "Nobody knows. Why does Magic exist? Why do some have the gift of interacting with it while others are deemed to be magicless? We don''t know. Isn''t it interesting? Isn''t that fascinating? That is what I would pursue... everything else... is mundane."Stolen story; please report.


    "So... you wouldn''t want to go and take revenge?"


    "No." His reply was quick and sharp and arrived before I finished asking. "I lost. What I did was deplorable and horrible. I came to terms with my old self, and I know that my punishment was just. The blood on my hands is still there, even if you can''t see it. It is I who others should come and find for revenge."


    "Would you let them take it?" Quincy blurted out the same question I was thinking of.


    "No. I am no saint, young Quincy, Conrad. If you return my freedom, I will help you with whatever you want. I believe that nature, and through it, Magic is a world of balance. The equations of equal forces. My crimes brought forth my equal punishment. If a force of evil rises, a force of goodwill spawns to oppose it. If a force of good dominates the world... there will be a great evil to level the playing field. Balance is always there, or else nature, Magic, and the universe itself would collapse. That is what I believe."


    "So you would help us... to repay the fact we freed you?" I murmured, concluding his words and prompting him to nod.


    "And because that would be what Magic requires of me to keep up the balance. If I leave this cell, it will be because the roles have reversed."


    "What roles?" We asked, but I think both of us knew the answer. We just wanted to hear it from him.


    "It was I who was looking for the Hallows. It was I who learned of them, their features, their powers, and it was I who got the first one. Already discovered the second one when Albus, my old friend, stopped me. Now, the fact that you two are standing before me told me enough. This time around, he is the one who is now looking for the Hallows... and it is my turn to stop him from getting them all. Which, if I don''t mistake you two, would align with your request... and help with your quest for revenge."


    "..." I had no answer for him. He was right. It would align...


    "Child." He continued speaking to me, making me look into his eyes.


    "I know, revenge is not the answer..." I shrugged, wanting to roll my eyes, but he shook his head.


    "No. Revenge is your given right for what happened to you. What I wanted to say is that revenge alone can''t be your only goal. When you achieve it, you will become aimless. You must aim for something bigger! Something more... something that encompasses your path to revenging your Father, but even after your victory, it will bring you further. For now, just think about it, young Conrad. Your road is still long. You have time."


    I didn''t answer at first, trying to understand his words, but it was hard. I didn''t really get what he was trying to say to me, mostly because I couldn''t think of anything that would matter in the future. Right now, I knew that I just wanted both Voldemort and Dumbledore to lose. That was enough...


    "How do we open this cell?" Quincy asked, and true enough, looking around, I saw no doors, handles, or latches on it. It was just the iron bars, from wall to wall.


    "It is easy." He explained, stepping back from it. "Anyone who wants to set the occupant free has to touch it. They have to mean to set the one inside free. That is all."


    "Then why are you still inside?" I blurted out, but the dots connected at once in my head, "Ah. You can''t touch it... My mouth moved before my brain."


    "Indeed." He smiled, making me click my tongue while Quincy couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Stepping forward, I reached out, holding onto the metal rods, and the moment I thought about letting him free, those bars began vibrating before gradually turning opaque. When I stepped back, we watched as he took a deep breath and walked through, standing before us and letting the bars solidify behind him.


    "I did not think this day would come." He whispered, lowering his head, looking at us, nodding at me, then at Quincy. "Come, Young Conrad, Young Quincy."


    We didn''t know what he wanted, but it was foolish not to follow him as he walked down the stairs, letting his long nails knock on the stone stairs, looking like some kind of caricature of a beggar. Yet... something in his posture and stance was still intimidating. Full of vigor.


    He led us into the ''War Room,'' walking straight toward the map on the opposite wall and began pulling out pins from it. I wanted to ask why but forced some patience on myself. After removing the seventh pin, the wall rumbled, and the map rolled itself up, revealing the stone surface as a lone slab slid forward. When he reached into it, I could see his figure shiver a little and pull out a slightly longer-than-average white wand with a purple handle, looking royal and regal.


    "Long time no see... old friend." He whispered, giving it a swish before pointing it at himself.


    I would lie if I didn''t think about him trying to suicide himself or something like that, but it wasn''t that. I watched as his body got cleaned; those nasty, long nails fell off, as did his beard and messy hair. It didn''t take long for Grindelwald to change from a dying, homeless person into a well-kept old man with a clean shave and swept-back, grey hair. Yes, he was still wearing dregs and looked way too thin, but the change was already visible.


    "Much better." He smiled, and this time, we could see it clearly on his face. "Now, I don''t want to be rude, but let''s not get into the details immediately! I wish to bathe first, have a fine dinner, and then we can get to the nitty-gritty things!"


    "Y-yes?" We answered, looking at each other before Quincy added, "But the kitchen is... pretty empty and-"


    "Oh, yes. It is closed. Let me fix things up." He nodded, flicking his wand, and we felt air rush over us. Now, if you excuse me!"


    With that, he walked past us, heading into one of the luxurious rooms, closing the door behind him, and aiming towards the bathroom. I wanted to ask Quincy something, but then we heard multiple clanks echoing through the castle. Following the noise, we arrived at the kitchen and watched as multiple automatons came out from the now-open hatch, bringing along ingredients and proper food, and beginning to cook a feast for us all. The smell that soon filled the kitchen was mouth-watering... Something that reminded me of Hogwarts...


    "You were right..." Quincy murmured, making me turn to her with question marks in my eyes, "They were stupid enough to imprison the man in his own castle. A big mistake."


    "I just hope we didn''t make a bigger one by releasing him."

 Chapter 116 – Dinner with Grindelwald

    "Ahhh... This was wonderful!"


    I couldn''t help but agree with Grindelwald, as the feast that his automatons hosted was just as good as the ones we had in Hogwarts. Be it the soup, chicken, the mashed potato, or the different sauces... it was simply superb. Right now, we were enjoying some ice cream, slowly munching on it, sitting at the big, round table opposite Grindelwald, who changed into an elegant, crimson shirt and black pants, looking like a refined noble.


    "Now... Where were we?" He asked, twirling wine in his glass.


    "Good question." I answered, enjoying my vanilla dessert. "We told you what we know of Voldemort, and you know more about Dumbledore than we."


    "True... hm, but I need to think. Let''s go through the details." He hummed, tapping on the table, closing his eyes for a moment. "You say he was destroyed in body by your father, yes?"


    "I saw it happen." I answered calmly, but my hand did squeezed the bowl I was holding before relaxing.


    "So he came back from death. Do you all know what this means?"


    "Horcrux." Quincy answered, and I saw him nod, looking at us with proud eyes.


    "I am surprised you know about it."


    "We... learned a lot." I whispered, sitting up straight in my chair. "And we also suspect he has more than one. For sure, because from what we could learn, the Order of the Phoenix is working to destroy them to make Voldemort killable."


    "How many would he have?"


    "Well..." We looked at each other, not really thinking about it too much, "Maybe three? Or four?"


    "Incredible... We never imagined that would be possible..."


    "We?"


    "Yes, Young Quincy. We, Albus and I did studied the dark art of creating a Horcrux."


    "And you didn''t make one?" I blurted out, which he answered with a soft laugh.


    "We debated it but decided against it. You see, we were planning on doing one, but the cost was too much. Thinking back, I am glad I did not give in; I would have regretted it."


    "I learned that killing shatters a soul... I know that a Horcrux uses it somehow."


    "Not entirely, Young Conrad. Killing does not do that. Killing is part of nature, or how would a predator stay alive? No. Killing does not shatter the soul... the malice behind the act of killing that does it. The negative feelings, all released in the moment of the kill, are what injures the soul."


    "So... there is a difference?" I murmured, watching him lean forward and continue explaining it.


    "Yes. When you kill out of necessity, it''s different than when you kill for a more malicious reason. There are times when people only have one chance to save others, and that is by killing. The intent is completely different behind that than a wanton massacre. Creating a Horcrux requires malice because it is what cracks the soul, and then you grab onto that crack and tear off that weakened part! It is self-mutilation."


    "Does it hurt?" Quincy asked, gulping, and for a moment, he didn''t answer.


    "I can''t answer it. But it should. Very much so. You are tearing yourself apart and sealing it in an object. As long as that object lives, you live. Even if you die, you still have a slice of your soul from which you will be able to come back. But..."


    "But?"


    "You are no longer complete. You are no longer whole. Pursuing magic to its core is going to be impossible in that state. We deemed it too costly, so we abandoned the idea. Heh!"


    "What is it?" We asked, seeing him chuckle.


    "I wish I could have seen when Albus learned that this Voldemort has created Horcruxes and multiple ones at that!"


    "Why...? He should have known it, no?"


    "I am sure he did not even consider it. You see, when we studied it, we deemed it a failed and bad spell. The one copy of the ancient codex I had detailing the spell was destroyed so others wouldn''t learn of its existence. So, he wouldn''t consider someone comprehending it. Then, even if they did, one Horcrux would be what he could imagine. We came to the conclusion that creating two would already be tantamount to suicide! More than that...? Impossible..."


    "Yet he did it... We are sure of it."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "That is why I said, impressive. He is truly a master. I would dare to rank him above many ancient wizards, be it Merlin, Salazar, or legends like Herpo. You see, the feat alone that he managed to shatter his soul so many times is proof of his mental prowess. If he had focused on discovering magic, he could have gone far. Really far... What a shame."


    "So he would have not thought about it for a long time... huh..." I whispered, finding it funny but infuriating because maybe my father would have had a different life... and perhaps still live.


    "I am sure that he did not. Okay! So, we know what Voldemort''s strengths and weaknesses are. If you are right, I am sure he also guarding his remaining Horcruxes with all he has. As long as they are intact, he can return... My advice would be to leave him be. For now, I would wait and let Albus deal with him. Their fight won''t end soon and won''t end peacefully. If you want your revenge on Voldemort, then it is also the best option to wait for the perfect time to strike."


    "I want that, but... I don''t know if I could face him. When I stood face to face with him, I was afraid. I would have no chance..."


    "Good. Your instincts are at least working!" He smiled while clapping, "You wouldn''t. You both are still young and relatively inexperienced. But this is also the best time for you to improve!"


    "We had a thought of using muggle inventions." Quincy added, telling him about what we saw while living with them.


    "I know. I advise you against it. You may think that their inventions would give you an advantage, but you would place yourselves in harm''s way. Many wizarding counter-spells and, many times, simply the presence of magic make their gadgets malfunction. I know this because my last talk with Albus was after the muggles'' biggest war had ended. He told me that although I was right in pointing out the danger they were posing, I was also wrong in that they would turn those weapons against us, wizardkind. Or even if they did, how dangerous that would be. He told me that their technological advancement made them so proud and sure of themselves that they no longer believed in magic. Even if they see it happen before their eyes."


    "Dumbledore said that?" I asked, feeling surprised as it was very similar to what Voldemort believed. That the muggles were not worthy of consideration at all.


    "Not the way you think, young Conrad. He meant that our two worlds are not in danger of butting heads. Well... maybe after what had happened in your home country, this is no longer true, but... it didn''t happen yet, did it?"


    "No, it did not."


    "What Albus meant is that my fears were wrongly placed. They won''t destroy us, and we are not living in the last years of the wizarding world. Back then, he was still... hopeful."


    "I don''t understand..." Quincy whispered, recalling her experience with Dumbledore, "He looked kind and nice on the surface, but he forced everything I knew out of me without asking. When he interrogated me, there were no choices given, and he even played with my memories!"


    "Yes, that is the Albus I met when we were young." Grindelwald smiled, leaning back, pure nostalgia appearing on his face. "He was a confident and decisive young wizard. That is why only he could understand me as I was the same. He always appeared refined and collected, but deep within, his ambitions were higher than anyone else''s. He knew how to manipulate others and make them come to a decision he desired. He was a good manipulator."


    "He should still be one..." I whispered, averting my eyes, "He even..." But I didn''t finish. No... he didn''t need to convince my father. He was willing to do it out of... revenge. Revenge... am I becoming... the same?


    "Well," the old dark wizard shrugged after he gave me enough time to speak up but refused to do so, "that was how he was initially. Maybe the current events brought him back to those times, but I must tell you. After the death of his sister, he did change. His views remained the same, but his methods were different, and even his ultimate goal was altered."


    "What was his goal?" Quincy asked, making me raise my head back up, watching him answer us.


    "After Albus defeated me, the Elder Wand fell into his hands. He vowed that he would not let history repeat itself and teach the next generation to avoid the same mistakes that we did not. To raise wizards and witches who were not like us. He regularly visited me here, but I refused to budge. You see, it took me a long time to look at things differently."


    "Yet he left you here all alone, did he not?" I argued, which Grindelwald did not refute.


    "Yes, because I wasn''t changing. Even after decades of being locked up, I was still touting the same ideals. He had no other choice but to pronounce me unredeemable. He emptied the castle, raised the outer defenses with all the other top mages of the decade, and left me alone with one automaton active. He was a friend until the end..."


    "What a good friend..."


    "He was, Young Conrad. I was to be executed; it did not happen because of him. I don''t know what he thought would happen; maybe he did hope I would change. Whatever it was, the 50 years of solitude and silence did transform me. Many times, I wonder if he kept seeing me, would it happen? Probably not, because those visits kept me linked to my old self, my old ideals, never being able to break free of them. What I can tell you, with utmost certainty, is that he was a different Albus Dumbledore, one that was kind, not because he could manipulate others with it, but because he believed in it. He believed in others and in redemption... but..."


    "Voldemort..." We said simultaneously, watching him let out a long, dejected sigh.


    "I am afraid his rise to power and the failure of Albus''s new outlook may have reverted everything. If my thinking is right, he must have returned to the Dumbledore I met all those years ago. Heh... balance..."


    "Hm?" We hummed, tilting our heads like some kind of pair in a comedy show.


    "Nothing, young ones. It is not something that you need to worry about yet! Let''s end our chat for tonight here. I did enjoy it very much, but now I am longing to sleep in a proper bed. Tomorrow, we will train!"


    "Train?"


    "Yes. Although I am sure that most of my treasures and supplies were removed when I was left alone to rot, I intend to train you two before we leave. I can''t and won''t be your weapon... but I can be your mentor. Guardian... until you are ready. I will teach you, and it will be up to you to decide how to use my knowledge."


    We watched as he left the room, heading to his chambers. I was left thinking in my seat before Quincy also stood up, holding my hand and pulling on it.


    "Come... we should sleep too."


    "Yeah, that sounds right. You know, I was thinking."


    "I know; it is written all over your face!" She giggled, kissing my cheeks.


    "Ha-ha-ha... haaaahh... Isn''t it weird?"


    "Weird, what?"


    "That we seemingly tend to find all the ancient, dark wizards to guide us... Herpo? Salazar? Now, Grindelwald?"


    "Huh... now that you mention it..." She murmured, thinking before we both began laughing, returning to our bedroom for the night.

 Chapter 117 – Discovery

    We were standing in the garden of the black fortress, the snow around us thrown to the sides, still fluttering in the air now and then before it could settle back down to the ground. Quincy was lying in a destroyed bush, only her legs sticking out, trying to somehow climb out from under the heavy snow, while I was gasping for air, holding my wand with a trembling hand, aiming it at Grindelwald.


    "You are good." He smiled, one hand behind his back, holding his wand as a fencer would aim with his rapier. "Better than I expected, but your movements still need refinement." He attacked with a spell I didn''t comprehend, but I managed to deflect it. I was already on the back foot, constantly retreating, only defending and finding no chance to go on a counter-attack. "Good, good! But not enough!" He shouted, pushing on, and I could feel that one millisecond of lapse in my focus, and I would join Quincy in the bushes with a painful slam.


    I could feel my anger rise, and his movements seemed to become slower in my eyes. I knew by now it was the basilisk''s blood becoming irritated within me because I was losing and putting myself in danger, so it was trying to take over.


    "Control it." Echoed Herpo''s voice within my mind, and it was the distraction I couldn''t afford. It made me eat Grindelwald''s spell, which launched me into the sky before I slammed against a row of hedges, breaking them with a loud crunch. The heavy snow on them quickly fell on me, burying me under a cold blanket, leaving only my boots sticking out.


    "Your spellcasting speed and reactions are top-notch, Young Conrad." He continued, and I could hear him, albeit muffled, while I was digging myself out. "But what happened? Your concentration faltered as if something interrupted your thoughts."


    "Something like that..." I grunted, sticking my head out, looking around, watching Quincy finally free herself, shivering, trying to get the snow out of her hair and from under her jacket.


    "Not the first time either. This has happened in every session in the past two weeks."


    "..."


    "No matter." He waved his hand, smiling, "Secrets are the ultimate weapon of wizards. Just don''t let it become a visible weakness, Young Conrad. We will repeat this bout tonight once again. The conditions can not be advantageous at all times. As for you, Young Quincy..."


    "Eh..." She flinched, twitching her mouth as she also knew she was not a duelist.


    "I will test your advancement on apparition."


    Ah... Now, it was me who began pouting as I was still struggling with it, yet Quincy could apparate four out of five times. Of course, Grindelwald was not satisfied with that. He said that we would have to master it in a way that we could jump between spaces freely and duel while using it. While Quincy was close to finally getting an acceptable mark from the old wizard, meaning she was able to apparate five out of five times in under ten seconds... I was still struggling with it.


    "It is a concentration issue." He repeated, glancing at me, reading my thoughts. "Your mental state is what is holding you back. I can''t really help you with that, Young Conrad. It is your fight. Alone."


    "I understand..." I whispered, lowering my head and climbing out from the snow.


    "Don''t get disheartened. You two are very talented, and I am glad for your show of force. You just need experience, experience, and more experience. I will be there to guide you and protect your lives from certain death."


    "But not from consequences." We added it before he could, as we had heard it multiple times already.


    "My lessons are working." He chuckled, holstering his wand. Looking at him, he was no longer like a thin skeleton and regained much more vitality than when we first met. He looked... noble. I was wondering if he would be recognized by anyone outside... Probably not.


    "You okay?" I asked, watching Quincy rub her chest, grimacing a little.


    "Yeah, it just still stings."


    "You were too late to erect a proper shield-charm. You need to hone your defensive skills, Young Quincy. You are less as good a fighter than your husband, so you must focus on defensive and support spells. It would be best if you could share the burden amongst yourselves."


    "What do you mean?" We asked, listening to him as his lessons were triumphing over anything that we ever had in Hogwarts.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "You are a pair. Back in the old times, a couple that went by the name of the Bathory Duo came up with a unique fighting style. They were lovers, just like you. The woman was a master in defensive charms, while her husband perfected the art of dueling. He never faltered, never hesitated, and forgo all defenses, always going on the attack. One could call him reckless... or a berserker."


    "Because his wife protected him..." Quincy murmured, echoing the same thoughts I had.


    "Exactly. He had complete and utter trust in her. Their combo was deadly and unbeatable for twenty long years."


    "What happened?" I asked, gulping, feeling a sad ending, and I wasn''t wrong.


    "Maria Bathory got pregnant. Their enemies used it to ambush them, and this time... Her husband, Attila Bathory, was the one to protect her. With his life."


    "What happened to her? And their child?" Quincy yelped, wanting to know their end, and I saw Grindelwald lower his gaze.


    "Self-sacrifice is a powerful spell. They survived as the killing curses all rebounded, destroying the attacking wizards and witches. But she never recovered. When her son became an adult and found his own love, Maria Bathory disappeared forever."


    "..."


    "There are scars that can never heal. No matter what."


    I understood that. Just like how my Father must have felt... even if he had me, he couldn''t get past what happened to him, and if anything would happen to Quincy, I wouldn''t be able to do it either.


    "Let''s head in, children!" He clapped, drawing us back to reality, "It is time we go over some theories of magic while we dine!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What are your plans now, Minerva?" Asked Alastor Moody, sitting in a pub in the Czech Republic where local mages surrounded them, going on with their lives, not paying much attention to tourists.


    "Good question. I very much so want to discipline Regulus Black for his wild antics. He had a chance catching that slimy Lockhart, but let him slip from his hands... He doesn''t know subtlety and acts like a wild mongrel most of the time."


    "You are right about that." Moody agreed, his blue eye locked on the figure of the grey dog, sitting outside of the pub, leashed onto a fire hydrant. "Still, we need warriors, and he is one that Dumbledore can do without. Plus..."


    "Charlie is worse." McGonagall agreed, raising her mug, taking a slip like an elegant lady, "But he is the best tracker in the Order. We can''t keep him leashed like the other."


    "I am beginning to doubt it. He keeps saying he is in the Alps, but we have already looked everywhere in both Switzerland and Austria. I didn''t plan to be away for this long... This should have been a shorter search. England is burning right now, and my place should be there, not here, searching for two runaway children!"


    "I understand." McGonagall smiled, even though he had often disagreed with Moody''s methods. He was a damned good wizard and one of the best warriors in their ranks. He is being wasted here. "I don''t think Dumbledore thought so either."


    They were about to continue when the door to the pub opened, and Charlie walked in hurriedly, looking disheveled and troubled, something they hadn''t seen before.


    "I found a trail. But..." He said in a dry, hoarse voice, leaning against their table while many patrons were watching his scarred face and feeling the weird, draconic aura coming off him.


    "What is it?" They asked while Regulus, in his dog form, was also looking in through the windows.


    "I found a place that is protected by some kind of wild, dangerous magic that I couldn''t crack. They are hiding in there..."


    "What do you mean?" The older wizards'' duo asked, feeling baffled, "Are you sure?"


    "I am. I smelled the stench of the boy... that rotting smell of a snake. He is inside."


    None of them doubted his words, as his senses were enhanced by the dragon blood flowing within him. If he said he smelled it, he indeed did. After paying and leaving the pub, the quartet of mages didn''t hesitate but got on brooms, following Charlie''s directions. It was a mostly silent flight, lasting from dusk into the night until they were deep into the Alps again.


    With charms protecting them from the cold, it was not so bad, no matter how high they flew, yet when nearing that clearly magical place where an endless blizzard ruled, they couldn''t help but shiver.


    "What is this...?" McGonagall asked, looking at it with disbelief. This was a definitive, mage-made barrier, strong enough to keep them or anyone else out. No child would be able to erect something like this, nor could they head in and survive. Not even if they are lucky...


    "This is an extremely powerful charm!" Moody shouted over the wind, waving his wand, examining it, "I feel multiple, different characteristics hidden within; this was made by multiple... Oh...? Oh!"


    "What is it? Is she in there?!" Regulus asked, afraid that his daughter committed suicide going in... no, if that happened, then she was murdered by that good-for-nothing brat.


    "Shut up!" The old auror grunted, his blue eyes rolling into the back of his head, "This snowstorm has a very familiar feeling within! It has a part of Dumbledore''s magic."


    "You are right..." McGonagall hummed, trying to feel it out too, and finally, Charlie also realized it.


    "So they are not dead..." Regulus sighed, supposing that anything by Dumbledore would not be dangerous enough to kill others, not even if he wanted to keep something hidden. Whatever it may be.


    "Are we going in, Minerva?" Asked Moody, but she shook her head.


    "Let''s find shelter first. We need to make contact with Dumbledore. If this place has a connection to him, he must know. Whatever is within, it won''t be able to come out; the same is true for the children. First, we will wait for his answers, and then we will act. Understood?" She asked not from Moody but from Charlie and Regulus, looking at them sternly, making the two think they were little kids once again.


    "Yes." The two answered in tandem, making the old witch nod, maintaining her piercing, stern gaze.


    "Good. Let''s go; the sooner we get the answers, the sooner we can capture them and return home to liberate our country!"

 Chapter 118 – Face-off (1)

    "What did you say?" Asked Dumbledore, stopping in place.


    He was pacing inside his study only a moment ago, organizing his thoughts for the night when a buzz within his robe alerted him to a message. Picking out McGonagall''s little card, her face soon came into view, and he had to stop when hearing her words.


    "Just as I said, Albus." She repeated, telling him where they were and what they had found. "Is this place something... personal, or?"


    "Are you sure they went in?" He asked, his voice lowering to a barely audible volume.


    "Yes. Charlie says so, and you know how his senses are like a dragon''s."


    "That is the barrier surrounding Castle Nurmengard!"


    "..." The name alone told everything that McGonagall had to know to understand the weight of the situation. "Could he be still alive? It was... such a long time ago."


    "Even if not, that place can still harbor dark secrets."


    "Weren''t you making sure all those were gone?" She asked by reflex, making Dumbledore stroke his long beard, his brows going up and down as his mind raced to think about the possible outcomes.


    "Evil always finds a way, and he was a genius of his age. He could have left secrets behind that we couldn''t find. Do nothing, stay there; I am coming!"


    "B-but..."


    "I will apparate after ample preparations! HE won''t notice it... Just keep watch and do nothing!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "We have been surrounded."


    "Huh?"


    His words came so suddenly, and he delivered them so calmly while we were having dinner that both of our forks stopped mid-air, watching Grindelwald continue his meal unperturbed.


    "I felt different powers probing the barrier around the castle, which means that people have arrived. If they had been here for me, their probing wouldn''t have stopped just like that. Well, whatever they want, I am not interested in it anyway, but this also tells me we are no longer safe here. We should leave."


    I wasn''t happy to hear it. I was beginning to like it here; it was calm and peaceful, and it made me feel like we were back in Hogwarts. Leaving would mean returning to the outside world, which... I knew it would happen, but so soon? I was irritated and frustrated.


    "What should we do?" Quincy asked as we were no longer feeling hungry, instead becoming highly alert.


    "I will deactivate the barrier by destroying Nurmengard; that is the only way. It was meant to contain it, and to get rid of it, the castle has to fall. After that, we will see who has come, and if nothing comes up, I will bring you two along while apparating. You are not yet ready to travel long distances."


    "Where are we going?"


    "To my home... To Durmstrang."


    Both of us thought of Viktor at once, but then Karkaroff came to mind, along with the fact that he was an ally of Voldemort.


    "Is this a good idea?" I asked, making him smile, wiping his mouth into a napkin.


    "I have many things hidden in there. Just like Hogwarts for you, Durmstrang was my home for a long time before I was expelled. I will need to return and collect what I left behind. Without proper resources, I can''t train you."


    "But..."


    "I know!" He chuckled, raising a hand, waving at us to not worry. "You told me everything, which is why we must visit the school. After we finish there and leave, there will be a bit of chaos that will throw a wrench into Voldemort''s plans. For now, he keeps Flamel and the Beauxbatons in check with Durmstrang. A sound strategy but not a well-thought-out one. He may be a strong wizard but not a strategist."


    "If we take Durmstrang out of the equation..." I whispered, thinking about it, and Quincy finished my thoughts for me.


    "Then it will be Voldemort versus the Order alone. No third party."


    "Yes, children." He nodded with a smile, "If you want to take your revenge, you must make it so the two parties are playing nicely. You need to control the stage and foresee their moves. We need to make sure they will face off against each other when we want them, where we want them. Right now, our goal is to make sure Voldemort has to focus on England and prevent him from leaving it by ensuring that he can''t afford to lose it. Take away his ally and, through that, force the Order to start pushing."


    "If Durmstrang no longer poses a threat to them," I added, standing up, "Then they can focus on fighting Voldemort, and we would be left alone to move!"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Yes." Grindelwald laughed, emptying his cup, "Giving them a chance to win their war will make them forgo everything else, including their search for us. Knowing my good friend, he will decide to deal with us later as we pose the lesser danger in this situation. Instead, he would go all-in on his current enemy, trying to finally exploit his chance to win. When that happens, he can turn his undivided attention... Back. To. Us. Albus doesn''t like it when things don''t go according to plan. What he likes even less is when he has to multitask. He is best when his attention can focus on one issue to solve it quickly and efficiently. I know what his choice will be, and it will give us ample time to disappear into the shadows.


    "When do we start?" We asked, ready to go. Having a goal in mind was surprisingly refreshing. Destroying Durmstrang... Well, he did not say to destroy them, but I guess some people will have to go to take them out of the fight.


    "Right now. Gather your belongings, and then we will leave. The fact that the sudden guests stopped trying to break through tells me that Albus is already on his way..."


    ....


    .....


    .......


    McGonagall, Moody, Regulus, and Charlie were standing on the ground, looking at the whirling blizzard barrier, staying there in silence. The fact that Dumbledore was coming and that the other side hid Nurmengard, the famous home of one of the worst wizards ever, made even Charlie follow their orders.


    "Gellert Grindelwald..." Moody whispered, breaking the hour-long silence. "Who would have thought that after his defeat, not even 50 years later, another, even worse wizard would emerge... Thinking about it is like a bad joke! I remember the news when he was defeated. I was doing my auror training at that time, and I was a bit disappointed I couldn''t be there."


    "I think it was your luck, Alastor." McGonagall said, not expanding on the topic, as she was still a child when that happened, anxiously waiting on her letter to attend Hogwarts.


    "Maybe."


    He was about to say more, but then they all noticed something was happening to the barrier. The wind''s noise suddenly cut out, and it was slowing down, disappearing. Looking at each other, they knew it wasn''t their fault... which had to mean whatever was happening couldn''t mean anything good. Pulling out their wands, they stood ready, watching the barrier dissipate, revealing a small cloud rising towards the air as the old castle crumbled to the ground.


    "What happened...?" Regulus asked, gulping, but before anyone could answer, they saw three figures emerge from the mix of snow, mist, and dust.


    "Are you happy?" McGonagall whispered, watching the old man standing behind the children, wearing a calm, confident smile.


    "No." Answered Moody, recognizing the man without ever meeting him. There was no question about his identity.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Do you know them?" Asked Grindelwald, standing behind us, his wand ready to cast a spell at a moment''s notice.


    "One is my runaway parent..." Quincy answered, looking at Regulus Black without any emotion in her voice, "The other is a fanatic. With the red hair."


    "We don''t know of the other two."


    "I see." He nodded and, without warning, waved his hand, sending four strands of bright, orange fire sneaking through the air toward the other group.


    The four reacted at different intervals, and as I watched, the fastest was the man with the cane, followed by the old woman, and lastly, Charlie and Regulus. They all used different methods to counter the flames, be it a shield, a counterspell of water or fire, or Charlie withstanding it with his body.


    "I want to exercise a little." Grindelwald explained, cracking his neck. "Young Quincy will duel her father, Young Conrad; you fight with the red-haired man. I will take on the real danger. You have five minutes, then we leave."


    I watched as he suddenly apparated, teleporting between the old woman and man, while a ring of blue fire expanded from his body with a flick of his wand. The two managed to dodge at the last moment, yet the fire still managed to burn away the woman''s coat, making her take it off before shooting back spells in tandem with her comrade.


    I couldn''t focus on their fight for more as I was already being pushed back by Charlie, who attacked me like a rabid dog, sending different fire spells at me. He wasn''t as quick or precise as Grindelwald or my Father, allowing me to adapt to his speed quickly. His magic was powerful but chaotic, lacking focus, which let me begin reading his hand''s movements, predicting his subsequent spells.


    In turn, this made it easier to dodge without erecting a shield charm and allowing me to fire my first counterspell. When it hit his fireball, it exploded like fireworks, and utilizing its blinding light, I used the same trick, apparating close to him. I found myself facing his back, still feeling dizzy, but I was trying to ignore it and summon the blue flames that Lockhart taught me. It hit him straight, but he shrugged it off, turning around and wanting to assault me with his bare hands.


    "I can smell your stench, snake!" He roared while I dodged by teleporting behind him once again, hitting him with an explosion spell and knocking him forward.


    It made my eyes tick. I could feel angry, shouting that I should have used the killing curse. I wasn''t supposed to play with the food, just kill him... Burn away his foul-smelling blood. I knew it was the basilisk''s influence; should I... give in? While I was thinking, he got back up, continuing to attack me, reminding me of the tale that Grindelwald told me about that wizard couple.


    I never heard of Berserkers before, but seeing him fight, now I could imagine. He wasn''t dodging, wasn''t defending himself, letting his innate strength deflect the spells, withstanding it with his body, even if it did make him falter many times. He was like a dragon... wait. Could it be? Is it why his smell does feel weird and strange? It was beginning to make sense.


    "If so..." I whispered, watching his eyes, making me recall how the two dragons looked at me when I attacked Flamel; I was sure he had indeed infused their blood within his body. Then, he would not get off our back, no matter what. He had to go. This time, I no longer felt angry or confused. I knew I had to kill him if I wanted to protect myself... and, more importantly, Quincy.


    "Good. This is what it means to control. Make the decisions yourself and not because your blood tells you so..." Echoed Herpo''s voice within my brain, but I was already too focused on what I wanted to do to hear him. With another blink, I apparated to Charlie''s right side, my hands ready with a spell, casting it mid-way by the time I reappeared.


    "You can''t hurt me-" He began, but I wasn''t interested in his monologue.


    "You are not a true dragon. So... goodbye."


    With that, a green light rushed from the tip of my wand, hitting Charlie and making him freeze in place. I was momentarily shocked because I saw him blink his eyes and look confused a bit before, finally, the light left his eyes, and he collapsed. He really made me think that he had shrugged it off for a moment... Luckily, he was still a human. It was then when, from the corner of my eye, I could see the green light burst out again, making my heart skip a bit... who used the killing curse and on whom?!

 Chapter 119 – Face-off (2)

    "Listen to me a little!" Regulus shouted, "Just stop!" With another wave, he barely managed to deflect his daughter''s disarming spell.


    "I don''t care."


    "Quincy! Stop! You must come to your senses!"


    "..." She didn''t answer; she simply went on the attack once again, surprising Regulus. Back in the forest, her daughter was not this good or focused. Yet he couldn''t be happy about it... if he also retaliates for real, he may hurt her for good!


    "Quincy!" He shouted again, feeling that he was almost lifted from his legs to the air, barely managing to reverse the quiet, invisible spell aiming at his ankles.


    "Stop calling me by name."


    "I gave it to you! Listen to me, you must come with me! You have no future besides that bastard!" The moment the words left his mouth, Regulus could see a bright, red jet fly past him, just missing because he managed to turn into a dog and back in time. "Quincy! If you keep letting him poison your mind, you will be sentenced to death alongside him! Don''t you see I am trying to save you from his grasp? It''s death''s cold fingers around your neck, don''t you feel it?!"


    "Is it?" She asked, looking directly into her father''s eyes, her tone never before being this flat and devoid of warmth.


    "It is! Please start seeing it for what it is! He is-"


    But before he could say anything, Regulus felt as if a fist landed in his stomach as Quincy''s knock-back spell hit him, making him lift into the air before crashing back down with a loud crack.


    "You will never leave me alone, will you?" She asked, walking close and looking down at him, watching him wriggle in the snow, trying to sit up, feeling his chest being cracked at many places.


    "You are... my... daughter... I will... fight for you... for... ever... and... ever...!" He grunted, looking up at her, "You have to... leave that... scum-"


    But he could not finish what he wanted to say because Quincy''s wand erupted in a jet of green light, making Regulus fall to his back, dead. For a second, that felt minutes for Quincy; she just stood there, watching, unmoving, her hand slowly beginning to quiver. It took her great effort to lower her hand just so she could hear Conrad''s shout.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Quincy!" I rushed over, hugging her, for a moment thinking that she was hit by it and not vice versa. Looking at the corpse of her father, I felt nothing, but I knew whatever happened here was...


    "It''s fine." She whispered, finally looking away and hugging back, softly kissing my lips, and I could taste the salty flavor left behind by her tears. "I have chosen you, and I will always choose you."


    "I won''t leave you, ever..." I answered, hugging her back, flinching when we heard an explosion, and turning towards the source, we saw Grindelwald dueling the two remaining wizards.


    I had to realize that he was way faster now than when training us. It was as if he managed to cast two spells at once, not only standing off against two others but beginning to push them back. Honestly... it was a sight to behold, watching differently colored, flashy spells clash and blast to the side in a rapid fire. When they finally appeared to regain control, exhausting Grindelwald, the blue fire emerged around him once again, forcing them to break apart, retreating farther away. It was different from the spell that Lockhart taught me. This one was lighter in color and burned without any sound. It was like... blue in a way, as a ghost was. More ethereal and not part of the world of the living. At least, that was the feeling it gave me.


    "Come." He said calmly, and we knew it was aimed at us. "Time''s up."


    "No!" The grizzly-looking man grunted, warning us, "That fire is worse than fiend fire! You will die!"


    Would we? I wouldn''t believe the words of someone from the Order, not even when they are telling the truth!


    "Listen to him!" Shouted the woman, with honest-sounding worry in her voice, but I had already walked through the fire along with Quincy, and we felt nothing. It was neither hot nor cold; letting us coming to stand next to him just in time to hear a small ''pop'' sound and watch as Dumbledore materialized from nothing right in front of us and the blue fire.


    "Albus."


    "Gellert."


    The way they greeted each other was just like when two old acquaintances met on the street. I could not feel any tension or anger between them, but I could see that both were holding their wands firmly between their fingers.


    "You look healthy." Dumbledore exhaled, ignoring the two dead bodies close to him, keeping his blue eyes fixated on Grindelwald''s own.


    "Thank you. On the other hand... You don''t. Please... take better care of yourself, Albus."


    "It''s hard; you know that better than anyone else."


    "I do, Albus. That''s why I''m saying it. I took your advice; it is best if you listen to yourself; it isn''t too late."


    "Funny..." He smiled, and I saw him relax his fingers around the end of his wand, "I wanted to say the same thing."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Haaah... I hope, one day, we can sit down and talk again as friends, Albus. I would love that... Until then, please. Do take care."


    "No promises..." He nodded and just watched as Grindelwald put his hand on our shoulders, and then, everything went dark.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Was this... wise?" Moody asked, leaning on his massive stick, his magical eye whirling in his socket, looking for ambushes while McGonagall was checking on the bodies of Regulus and Charlie, closing their still-open eyes with a sorrowful look.


    "I arrived late." Dumbledore whispered, looking up towards the black sky and silver moon.


    "I will pursue them! This is the worst possible outcome!"


    "No, Alastor."


    "But Albus!" McGonagall exclaimed, drawing in a sharp breath.


    "We can''t afford to split our forces. We must focus on finding the last two Horcruxes and let the prophecy fulfill itself! Neville and his improvement is something we never saw before, which tells us that the prophecy is working, driving us close to its end. We must not falter..."


    "But..."


    "Maybe his appearance will be to our advantage. The world has changed so much, and he is only familiar with one place, the only place he could have gone now."


    "Durmstrang..." The two whispered, making Dumbledore smile, although it wasn''t out of happiness.


    "Right now, we must take advantage of the situation. When two snakes fight, you don''t separate them, but wait until they kill each other..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Where are we?" I asked after we reappeared in an overgrown, abandoned yard behind a half-collapsed old farmhouse. It was cold, but the snow had already melted away because it was in the middle of spring, revealing its unkempt mess.


    "The home where I grew up." Grindelwald answered very simply, raising up his wand, and with one simple wave, the destroyed house began realigning itself right until it was in a tip-top shape. It was like watching time flowing in reverse. "Let''s go in and rest until morning."


    I wasn''t arguing about that and followed him, holding Quincy''s hand who was awfully silent... but I could understand why. The inside of the house was old, but it didn''t smell weird, and soon, we were sitting on a couch, watching the fire dance within the fireplace. Quincy silently snuggled up to me, hugging me ever so tightly, resting her head on my shoulder while I was replaying the previous duel I just had.


    "This land and the surrounding wilderness belonged to my family for centuries. I guess no others came and claimed it, which I am not surprised by. It was jinxed to bring misfortunes to anyone but my blood."


    "Are we going to stay here from now on?" I asked while gently rubbing Quincy''s head.


    "Not for long. When the sun rises, I will go out and visit some key places. You can''t come because the magic guarding it would retaliate against your presence, so until then, stay here. After I am done, we will move up north, where Valdemar is."


    "Valdemar?" I raised an eyebrow because I never heard of it before. Not that I paid attention in any geography classes.


    "It is our own Hogsmeade. It is a city within Durmstrang''s rule, housing some ancient wizarding families. From there, we can explore the grounds and infiltrate the castle itself. But that is for then! Now, we rest. I am still weak; the battle was a good exercise, but my body is not up to par with my mind.


    With that, he ended our conversation, leaning back in his big, puffy armchair, closing his eyes, and going into sleep... or meditation. I couldn''t really tell. Whatever it was, I decided to also rest, lying down with Quincy in my arms, watching her without a word.


    "Conrad..."


    "Hm?" The moment I heard her quiet, weak voice, I rapidly blinked my eyes, chasing away the sleep that almost got me.


    "Did I do something... unforgivable?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "I did kill my father... Isn''t... isn''t that the worst sin?"


    "Nope."


    "But..."


    "When did you meet him first?" I asked, playing with her hair and looking into her eyes.


    "When he kidnapped me..."


    "Exactly. When he kidnapped you. Kidnapped. Where was he until then? Even in hiding, why didn''t he ever try to contact you? There were so many options..."


    "..."


    "I don''t buy it. Not for a moment. If he had managed to take you away sooner, you would not have said ''kidnapping,'' but it would have been rescuing. No?"


    "I think..." She nodded, pondering about it.


    "My opinion is that he was simply trying to appease his own ego. He wouldn''t have been this self-centered if he genuinely cared about you. Why didn''t he listen to what you want? Why was it about him and always about him?"


    "Your father never acted like that..." She whispered, pressing her head against my chest. "I miss him..."


    "Me too..." I answered, kissing the top of her head. "Don''t blame yourself, Quincy. I am with you, no matter what."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Did you see Hermione anywhere?" Brigitte asked, meeting with Elodie, who flinched when being spoken to, something she just couldn''t shake off since returning from their ''trip.''


    "Yes, she, once again, complained that her head was hurting and skipped the afternoon classes."


    "Tsk... I can''t believe they can''t do anything about it!"


    "You heard what the Headmaster said... It can''t be helped."


    "Yeah, right..."


    What the two didn''t know was that it was only a half-truth. Hermione did have a headache, something she had been dealing with ever since Fleur made her drink that horrible potion. Still, it was something she could deal with by simply focusing her mind and thoughts, alleviating the pain completely. That is why she was in the library, buried behind stacks of books and newspapers, researching the history of the past fifty years. Her goal was simple: he wanted to learn everything about the current conflict, what led to it, and, more importantly, she wanted to find out the history of the Anguine family.


    "I wish I was back in England..." She groaned, rubbing her temple.


    "Pst, Hermione!" Another voice interrupted her, belonging to a younger boy speaking to her in English.


    "Colin?" She asked, looking at the top of her mousy, brown hair, pushing the books apart to finally look into the small boy''s twinkling, brown eyes.


    "I heard you want information about what is going back at home, yes?"


    "Um, yeah... but..." She stopped, trying to think how to say it nicely. Colin was not in a position to really help her out. Yes, he was also a ''refugee'' like many others, saved by the same person, but besides that...?


    "Hehe, I knew it! Look, look!" He chuckled, bringing over a big album and placing it before Hermione. When she opened it, it was filled with cutouts from the Daily Prophet, dating back at least 40 years.


    "What? H-h-how? Where did you get this?!"


    "My parents!"


    "Aren''t your parents... muggles?" She asked, flipping the pages, her eyes lighting up more and more. But this was still weird... Colin was here because of the same reason as she.


    "Yeah, but they volunteered to join the Order, but that is a secret! Don''t tell anyone! They are what they call a muggle-spy! I have been speaking with them regularly; they always send me newspapers! This is my collection because I want to be a journalist one day!" He exclaimed, raising his camera and snapping a photo of the dazzled Hermione.


    "Colin... can you... ask them if they can find something out for me?"


    "Is this some kind of scoop?" He asked while going very quiet, leaning forward. "Is it important?"


    "Yes. It is very important. Can you help me out?"


    "Um... I can!" He nodded his head like a chicken, and soon, he was listening to Hermione, who could barely hold back her newfound excitement.

 Chapter 120 – Cracks

    Grindelwald was not in the house when we woke up; he had probably already headed out to the spots he mentioned before. Was I curious about it? Yes. But he was right; secrets are something that can save lives, so I was going to wait patiently and without questions.


    "Want me to make some breakfast?" I asked, gently stroking Quincy''s hair, who looked a bit tired, opening her eyes, but at least she smiled without me feeling that it was forced.


    "That does sound good... but let''s make it together!"


    "Even better~!" I nodded while climbing off the couch, stretching, and cracking some of my joints before heading for the kitchen. We didn''t go for anything fancy, so with a little scrambling in our holding bags, we pulled out some eggs and bacon, ready to fry.


    "I do miss Hogwarts... The kitchen, there was... something else!" Quincy sighed as we sat down to eat.


    "Agreed! Helga Hufflepuff and her recipe are something that nobody can stand up to, and honestly speaking, it would be an irresponsible thing to ask for.


    "Why?" Asked a voice, and when we turned to the door, it was Grindelwald walking in, patting down his coat while looking at us. "Don''t let that mindset fester and take root within you, young ones. It is bad."


    "What do you mean?" Quincy asked while I was munching on a slice of bacon, curiously watching him.


    "Thinking that you can''t live up to someone is the downfall of every mage. The thought that you can never be like some old, dead, but famous wizard is nothing but setting limits for yourself. The more you think, ''Oh, I can''t do that because I am not XYZ,'' the more you drift away from a successful life. It is nothing more than boxing yourself in. You are putting up limits and barriers that you will never break through and, in the end, fail as a wizard."


    "Barriers..." I murmured, feeling I was resonating with his words the more I was hearing him speak.


    "Ancestors and powerful wizards of the old time are to be respected, yes, but to give their achievements a rank that is not to be reached by us? That is the idea of a weak mind, finding excuses for their lack of abilities and motivation. Never fall into that quagmire, or you will sink to the bottom, never to rise to the top."


    "Yes." We answered, taking his teachings to heart.


    He was right... we can look up to the founders of Hogwarts, but why shouldn''t we think more of ourselves? Why couldn''t we become someone like them? Or even better? I bet Lord Voldemort was also thinking of the same, that he was stronger than his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin.


    "He is thinking that." Herpo answered me within my mind, surprising me for a moment. Usually, he gives me the silent treatment. Is he jealous of our new mentor? Heh, maybe that is why he speaks more nowadays. Well, I think Grindelwald caught the brief change in my eyes but, like before, didn''t ask about it. "And by achievements," Herpo continued, "I think we can say Voldemort is stronger than Grindelwald or Salazar in different regards. In the dark arts, HE beats even my old self! What Grindelwald is saying is something all ambitious people should heed. Do better. Be better. Overcome your predecessors. That''s how we evolve."


    "After you finish, we must go through some things." Grindelwald resumed, leaning forward. "Durmstrang only accepts pure-blood wizards and witches."


    "We both qualify." I answered, but he raised a hand, continuing.


    "I know, and I am saying it to ensure you both carry yourself with ample pride. Show a crooked back or a lack of will, and you will be exposed. Here, you must be strong, or you will be broken."


    "Are we... moving in?" Quincy asked, feeling a bit weird, but her question made Grindelwald smile.


    "Yes. While you slept, I went ahead and checked the town of Valdemar. Luckily, the old tricks are remained the same, and we can apparate without being noticed. They still did not fix the holes I left behind... Other than that, I have news that they lost multiple teachers after the incident with the Tournament."


    "Lost?" We asked, looking at each other with confusion. What happened?


    "They quit and are actively boycotting Karkaroff. Not everyone within the school agrees with the Headmaster''s ideas, so a divide is forming. It is not big, but it is a crack that we can expand to a breaking point. We will take on the identity of Miroslav Smirnov; well, I will take on that, and you two will be my children, Alexander and Alexandra."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Who is that? Or is it made up?" Quincy asked, making him shake his head with a smile.


    "No. Miroslav was my Uncle''s name on my mother''s side. I will stand in as his descendant, and if they test my blood, it won''t show that I lie because the family tie is truly there. Only I need to pass the test, as after that, my rank of a pureblood and having a family name that counted as noble in my region would make it so that examining you two would be a significant offense."


    "What if they go and check up with others?"


    "The Smirnov line is already broken. So they can search but won''t find it past my Uncle. That can be easily explained with a little bit of forgery on my part. We can still go on the offensive route if they don''t buy it, but I''d like to do it the subtle way. Then we will have more time to collect everything... Karkaroff is not in a position to be picky. If they do the usual background checking and only look up the family name and see the Smirnovs'' connection to me, he would most likely assume I would align with his views and support him. In a time of need, you don''t chase away an ally."


    "Which we will play along with..." I chuckled, making him smile.


    "Yes. There is only a slight problem..."


    "Which is?" Quincy asked, leaning forward, looking curious about the rest of the plan.


    "The age. I look and feel way too old. They would be suspicious that I am a descendant even if my blood shows the connection and validates my words. I am still thinking about what type of potion would make it possible to fool their magic devices."


    "A polyjuice potion is not enough, I assume?" Quincy shrugged, making Grindelwald shake his head, but that made me think of something else.


    "No. The age of the blood and the bones within needs to be rejuvenated to fool them."


    "What about this?" I rummaged in my bag, pulling out Flamel''s famous elixir.


    "That is...?" Grindelwald asked as he took it from me, stopping his hand mid-air after seeing the liquid flash in the morning sun''s rays, coming in from behind. "..."


    "You know what it is?" I asked with surprise, but he shook his head.


    "No. Never seen it, but I read about it. How do you have it?"


    "It was part of the final task." I explained, telling him all that we knew. "Drink it; I don''t mind losing that stupid competition."


    "Yeah!" Quincy agreed, and after a bit of thinking, he pulled the cork out.


    Strawberry. That was what I thought about after we tasted the smell coming from the small vial, quickly filling the room.


    "Most poisons are masked behind a sweet scent." He joked, but before I could say anything, he downed it.


    The effect was immediate. We watched as his hair regained its golden-brown color and many of the wrinkles on his face smoothened out at once. He didn''t become a kid or young man, but instead of looking like an ancient old man, he appeared more like someone in his forties. Or fifties.


    "How... refreshing..." He murmured, raising his hand, looking at it, letting out a long sigh, and turning towards us with a smile, "My debt is getting higher and higher, young ones. Thank you."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Dumbledore..." Came a knock, and after an acknowledging grunt, Lupin walked into his room, nervously playing with his fingers.


    "What happened this time for you to be this nervous?" The old wizard asked calmly, but Lupin could feel the tiredness and annoyance in that voice. Usually, it was masked and hidden away, even from his werewolf instincts, but this time, he could sense it.


    "The cup, the TriWizard cup... it announced a winner... Conrad Anguine."


    "I see. No matter; the other living contestant was Krum, and he wouldn''t go and follow his instincts to find the kids. No matter. This was within expectations."


    "Where could they have used it..." Lupin murmured, but it was just a weak attempt to draw some information out of Dumbledore without any success.


    "I have a strong guess, but it is not important. Is Sirius back?"


    "Yes, he is." Lupin nodded, not knowing why he and Sirius were both called back at the same time.


    "Call him in. I need to tell him some important news, and it is best if you stay to hear it."


    "Is Regulus... dead?" Lupin asked, going whiter than usual, feeling his throat dry up, and the way Dumbledore looked at him confirmed his gut feeling.


    "You are just as sharp as Charlie was..."


    "Was...? What happened...?" He faltered as this was the type of news he didn''t expect. They were with McGonagall and Mad-Eye Moody! What could have led to their deaths?


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Multiple hundreds of miles away, someone else was also reading some news that shocked her. Hermione was sitting alone in the library, way beyond bedtime, reading the collection of hundreds of newspapers Colin gave her the previous morning. The privilege of being one of the top students, with special access and rules, allowed her to stay as long as needed, especially now when she wouldn''t want anyone to interrupt her.


    "I can''t believe it..." She whispered, reading the old news of the fact that the Anguine family was accused of being blood traitors of the highest order.


    There were multiple headlines about it, snippets of the gruesome details, and finally, the confession of Angus Anguine himself and the subsequent judgments. She felt sick... sick to the stomach after reading what he had to do and how the Daily Prophet celebrated it as justice and saving an old noble family from degradation.


    "It had to be a lie..." She whispered as she thought about what was being said about the Anguines. She vividly remembered, and those smuggled out of England confirmed her memories that it was the same man, Angus Anguine, who helped them escape... To survive. The same man who made sure her and many others'' parents were out of harm''s way. "There is more to this!"


    She didn''t know what it was, but she was sure that it had to be connected to the Order. Even the latest issues of the Daily Prophet said that the betrayal of the Anguine family was Dumbledore''s work.


    "Conrad... Quincy..." She repeated softly, watching their pictures in the newspaper, remembering their words.


    Both sides marked them as traitors and listed them as dangerous fugitives. Why? Why was that? Didn''t his father dueled and almost killed the Dark Lord? Didn''t he sacrifice himself? Then... why is his son being hunted? And why is the Black brothers'' daughter also on the same list? This wasn''t adding up, and when she felt her head hurt, Hermione couldn''t help but begin doubting.


    "Something is not right with the Order..."

 Chapter 121 – Infiltration

    After we had prepared everything and rehearsed our names we were ready to apparate straight into Valdemar. I was worried about the fact we didn''t speak their language, but then again, it was solved by a nifty little artifact, created by Grindelwald.


    "Don''t lose it." He warned us while we fixed the blood-drop-like pins on our old-fashioned black wizarding robes. "It would reveal both of your true accents and make you unable to understand the language."


    "It''s going to be fine." I answered with a shrug, still feeling off a little. We both took a swing of polyjuice potion and had multiple others ready in our bags. Right now, both of us have blonde hair and blue eyes, similar to Grindelwald''s appearance.


    "It''s fine, we will be careful." Quincy confidently nodded before Grindelwald clamped down on our shoulders, and we reappeared in an abandoned-looking basement.


    The air was musky and sour, while most of it was filled with dust, ancient wine bottles, and a dozen or so spiderwebs. Unpetrubed, he walked up the stairs, and with a flick of his wand, the door swung open, leading us into a deserted house.


    "If someone stops us," He turned around, saying it only once, "Let me talk first. Children are not allowed to argue when adults are present."


    "Mm." Not that we thought of debating when we were here to slip into Durmstrang.


    The town was similar in size to Hogsmeade, with the only difference being that the buildings here were made of red bricks, and their roofs were colored with black tiles, while some had ancient copper crests hanging above the doors. He warned us that this place takes bloodlines just as seriously as Voldemort''s regime. The only difference was that the new generation was becoming more open-minded and welcoming, placing power above blood purity.


    When we asked about it, he told me that was part of his idea just the same, back in the old days. Someone''s origin means nothing, and what only matters is their proficiency in magic. Muggle-born or Pure-blood... it is the argument of the weak. After his expulsion and then later his defeat, that idea suffered a lot around here. The younger generation was just now finding the same beliefs, starting to consider that maybe the old ways were outdated. Wrong.


    "Come, we will visit the school''s representative in the town. They are usually a family who are close to the Headmaster."


    We didn''t need to go far because we found Archduke Rasmussen in a three-story, spacious villa. At first, their house elf didn''t want to let us in, but after telling them who we were and why we were coming to visit, a human servant shortly let us in, leading us directly into a spacious, well-decorated room.


    "Welcome to the oldest town of Wizards and Witches you can find not just in Europe but in the whole world!" The Archduke laughed, walking into the room, and I tried not to look too hard. He was comically small, shorter than Quincy, and I was doubting whether he was human or not. It was hard to tell because of his bushy, white hair sticking out from under the wizarding hat he wore and his long beard sweeping the floor as he walked up to us.


    Quincy and I looked away at the same time after greeting him with a bow, acting in sync, both of us trying our hardest to hold back our laughs. On the other hand, Grindelwald was unperturbed, beginning to talk to him, bringing up the stories he had heard about the Archduke''s father and how he supported Grindelwald in the olden days. Heh, lucky they didn''t keep photos around...


    After about half an hour of bootlicking and boring nonsense, he finally began speaking about why we were there. I watched him present multiple documents detailing the family lineage and even putting forward old relics that I guess he got from the family graves. I knew that such things were usually protected by magic related to one''s bloodline, so no wonder the Archduke was getting less and less skeptical.


    "I will relay this to Headmaster Karkaroff at once. We are short-staffed and in need of similar, prestigious offers!" He answered with a smile that was more slimy than the underside of some flobberworms. "But you must know that even if you are going to be accepted as a teacher, your children..." He took a glance at us, but we did not say anything, following the rules Grindelwald warned us about. No speaking until an adult permits it.


    "They are better than what their age shows."


    "Are they...?"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I guarantee it, Archduke Rasmussen. Whatever test Durmstrang may throw at them, they will triumph in it. My descendants may not have attended any magical school, but they have received my training and the knowledge of my family''s line. I assure you, it is more than enough."


    "We will see about that..." He grunted, daring to show a bit of displeasure. Well, he was a high-ranking wizard, so I guess it is okay... and they wouldn''t want someone who wasn''t a bit boastful and unable to show enough of a backbone. "Well, go to the Slumbering Dragon Inn and tell Miss Ludmila that I will foot the bill for your stay." He clapped, signaling that it was the end of the discussion. "I am going to visit the school and speak with the Headmaster, and then we will know better! I am sure that he will be happy to hear that there are old families, finally willing to take the correct side and come out of hiding!"


    "The world is at a stage again where it was half a century ago. We announced our allegiance then, just to be stomped down... We were waiting for another opportunity. Please relay this part, too, to Master Karkaroff."


    "Most certainly..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Bleh... I hate its taste." I grumbled after I drank my portion of polyjuice, sitting on our bed on the second floor of the inn. It was already late at night, and we were sharing one room with Grindelwald, who was seated in an armchair, looking like he was sleeping... or meditating. I could still not tell.


    "It does taste like swamp water, but... eh, whatever!" Quincy agreed, grimacing after taking a sip for herself.


    "It is weird sleeping in a room with someone else..." I whispered into her hair, hugging her, taking a sniff, and watching as she blushed when feeling my hand wander around her waist.


    "Don''t...! It is weird doing it when we look this different..."


    "Right, but..." I leaned in for a kiss, and yes, it did feel wrong... but...


    "We are not alone..." She protested, yet her hands still held onto me, pulling me closer, and we almost kissed when-


    "Keep it for later, youngsters." Grindelwald''s voice interrupted us, making us jump apart, flustered and turning red from head to bottom. "For now, you are siblings; think of it like that. That should do the trick."


    "..."


    Thanks. Now, you have made it even worse. It was already weird, but now it became bizarre. Damn you...


    "Are you meditating when you rest like this?" Quincy asked, trying desperately to change the topic.


    "You can call it that." As he replied, his eyes remained shut, his body barely moving, and his voice was eerily serene. "My body is relaxed, and it helps me let go of all desires. It is the first step for my mind to open up and pursue the essence of magic. What I am focusing on is feeling the magic around us and trying to hear its whispers."


    "Huh? Magic speaks?" We asked simultaneously, finally making him open his eyes and smile a little.


    "Hearing it is a crude word. It doesn''t explain what I mean. Magic is eternal and ethereal. It is that what makes wizards and witches stay behind as ghosts. When their mind, their will, is so strongly attached to this plane of existence, no matter the reason why, they imprint their whole consciousness onto magic itself. That is... what a ghost is. But, that is a flawed existence as a ghost then forever trapped within magic itself."


    "Is this about immortality? Again?" I shrugged, making him look at me, slowly tilting his head to the left.


    "Immortality is a mirage. Well, for some, it is reality, but it depends on what you define as immortality. Take your Dark Lord as an example. Is he immortal? Technically yes. For now. Or as long as his Horcruxes remain intact. But he is not unkillable. Is a ghost immortal? Again, from a certain point of view, yes, they are. But what kind of immortality is that?" He chuckled, shaking his head, "Is Flamel immortal? I would call all of these examples false immortality. A true immortal would be someone who is one with magic, so no matter if they have a physical body or not, they could exist with or without one and keep using magic. But that..."


    "Interferes with the balance." I murmured, remembering what he was teaching us back in the castle.


    "Exactly. So, immortality is something that will never be allowed. Even false immortality is tipping the scale out of balance, so magic interferes. What I am doing is simply trying to listen to magic. Trying to feel it and, through that, understand where it flows. I no longer want to control magic. Instead, I want to ride its waves and let it carry me forward."


    "But what if you are swept away?" Quincy asked, and I watched as his smile widened, a happy light igniting within his eyes.


    "That is what this is all about. I meditate and reach out with my mind so I can prevent it from happening. I let it sweep me under once when I followed the clues of the Hallows... No longer will I make the same mistake, and you shouldn''t do it either."


    I didn''t understand what he was saying, but I may one day. I thought about asking Herpo, but I don''t know if he had anything to say about it. Considering that he was living in the bloodlines of his descendants, rarely if ever speaking to them... his kind of existence was just as sad as the ghosts, now that I thought about it.


    "It is more like sleeping." He answered, making me flinch as I hated that he didn''t warn me in any way when reading my thoughts. "Sometimes I let myself slip, then wake up, and a century has passed. Or more. Sometimes, I stay awake and watch. Not every descendant''s blood is strong enough for me to look through their eyes and hear their thoughts, but when it is, I like to observe them."


    "Creep..." I thought to myself, which was welcomed by a loud laugh, more surprising than anything else.


    "I wasn''t called that for more than 2000 years, boy! Haaah... but yes, you are right. Still, don''t forget, I was called the worst living being of my time."


    "Yeah, It is time that I stop asking questions!" I thought to myself, shaking my head. "It is best to rest; who knows what they will want us to do tomorrow..."

 Chapter 122 – Durmstrang’s Test

    It didn''t take long for the Headmaster to invite us into Durmstrang. By noon, we were walking through a giant, open field heading towards a much smaller castle than Hogwarts. It was four stories tall but had only two towers and way less space for classrooms. It could have been only one wing of Hogwarts if we placed the two next to each other. But... the land around it was vast. Way bigger than ours was.


    Going by Grindelwald''s explanation, many of the classes were practical in nature, and it was customary for lessons to take expeditions into the forests, caves, and neighboring lakes. While we were taught from books and maybe shown some samples, the wizards and witches here got first-hand experience facing the different magical beasts and monsters.


    "Is that...?" I whispered, but of course, I didn''t get an answer as Grindelwald kept leading us past the front door, confidently walking up the stairs, going past a wall that had the symbol of the Hallows etched into it.


    I wasn''t surprised to see it; he told me he did it after being expelled. Nor was I surprised by it being still here, untouched. What was weirding me out was that a giant tube was next to it, filled with a mouth-watering amount of gold. I watched as a student walked up with a bunch of others, slotting a gold coin in and then trying a spell to remove the mark... without success.


    "They turned it into an attraction...?" Quincy murmured, making me nod, agreeing with her.


    "Keep it together." Grindelwald''s voice made us flinch, stopping speaking at once, before we entered an old office where the walls were filled with books upon books, and behind a black, wooden table, there he sat, Karkaroff... he was blowing smoke from a long pipe, acting relaxed and carefree. "Headmaster." Grindelwald said as he stopped, bowing while we imitated him, only stealing a few quick glances.


    Although he looked calm, I do remember that he didn''t used to have that sunken face, and some of the black circles around his eyes were not because of his age. Things were hard, huh? Good. I didn''t care if he lived or not; I was just happy that we were going to flip the tables for Voldemort.


    "The Archduke told me everything, and I am surprised that your esteemed bloodline is still present!" He started but never returned our gesture or stood up; instead, he kept sitting, blowing smoke from his nose and fixing his eyes on Grindelwald.


    "It wasn''t easy to stay afloat, and it still isn''t easy. But, after what is happening in the world, it may be our last hope to regain our position."


    "That is true..." He agreed, finally sitting up straight, moving his eye from Grindelwald''s face and examining us. "Young. Not yet 16?"


    "Close to 15." Grindelwald answered for us, but I was having a laugh deep within because Karkaroff''s attitude was telling enough. He had already accepted us; he just wanted to make it look like he was unsure. It''s that bad, huh?


    "What field do you feel yourself to be the best at?"


    "Dueling, the Dark Arts, and defensive spells."


    "We already have a dueling teacher, but... we do miss someone who would be able to teach our students how to defend themselves against hexes, magical traps, and lowly beasts."


    "Those are just what I am the best at. I can adapt to any position the Headmaster wishes me to fill in for."


    "What about the children? I assume they would also attend classes as long as you are here. We can''t take in people who are not up to our standards!"


    "Perfectly reasonable. Please state what kind of tests you would like to subject them to, and we will make it happen."


    "Confident! I like that!" With a laugh, he finally stood up, putting out his pipe and fixing the same clothes he was wearing when visiting Hogwarts. "Let''s test it then!"


    "Lead the way."


    It didn''t take long for us to walk back out of the school, and about ten minutes later, our group was gathering around a vast, oval field while hoops were being raised into the air via magic at different heights and sizes. Most, if not all, were wide enough for us to fit through, but a few were way too small for managing that. My eyes were already mapping out an optimal route from start to finish, and I was sure what the task would be... fly through all of them.


    "This was one of my old student''s favorite training regiments... that traitorous bastard..." Karkaroff grunted, making me smile, knowing he was talking about Victor. "Confident?" He snapped his head at me at once. Shit... he caught my smirk, but then again, it was not an option to back down.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "I can fly through all of them."


    "Heh!" With a doubting laugh, he slapped my back, snapping his fingers, and a ghostly image of Krumm appeared, sitting on a broom, beginning to fly along. He easily got through the course, hitting the rings that glowed randomly, going through even those that were way too small. I could see that the image of him used some kind of spell, but whatever that was, it didn''t get recorded. "There are 20 rings! They light up randomly, and you must cross through them all. The record time is 1:15:34. Do it under 1:20, and you pass!"


    I didn''t answer; I simply pointed my wand at my bag, making my Firebolt appear and causing him to finally ditch that stupid smirk on his face. Ignoring the old bastard, I glanced at Grindelwald, who gave an approving look, letting me take off and stop at the starting point in the air. A record by Krumm... eh? I hope he won''t be angry that I am going to break it!


    The moment the first hoop lit up in a golden hue, I kicked out, using the speed of my broom to its fullest. I will never get tired of the feeling of accelerating from nothing to sixty in only a few seconds. When the tip of my broom crossed through the first hoop, from the corner of my eye, I caught the one lighting up on my left. With a sharp turn, only a second later, I was through it, already scanning, going for the third... then the fourth.


    When my eyes didn''t register a change, I already knew the following one had to be behind me, so I pulled up, doing a loop, finding the hoop, and heading straight towards it. After the tenth one, finally, it was time for one so small that only my hand would fit through it. Luckily, I was not a muggle.


    "Engorgio!" I whispered, making sure that if someone was watching me closely and saw my mouth move, they knew it wasn''t wordless spellcasting.


    Enlarging a target was not the only thing that was making this trial hard because when I passed the following ring, it shaved off a few twigs from my broom because it began shrinking the moment I flew through it. I see... No matter. I was fast and could be even quicker than the rings, so they couldn''t trap me.


    Flying through the last one, which was changing sizes by itself, I felt a type of freedom and happiness I really missed. I didn''t count the seconds within me, but the feeling was strong that it had to be a time I could be proud of. This sensation only strengthened when I landed and saw Quincy''s proud smile and happily glowing eyes.


    "1:14:14." Grindelwald spoke up, making Karkaroff flinch, feeling lost for a moment because I just broke his old, favorite student''s record. Even if he was no longer part of the school, it was still hurtful for him. Heh... prideful idiot.


    "I knew it!" Quincy laughed and finally hugged me, planting a kiss on my cheeks that I received sheepishly, both of us forgetting our current roles. It made a few others around us look on weirdly, not just because I broke an old record, but... oh well. Who cares.


    "C-congratulations, young Alexander."


    "Thank you, Headmaster." I replied, bowing respectfully, saying nothing more, simply nodding back at Grindelwald.


    "As I told you," He spoke up with unbridled pride and a bit of haughtiness hiding within his voice, "My children are in possession of a premium bloodline."


    "Y-yes, we can see that." Karkaroff mumbled, turning towards Quincy, "For the young lady, we should do something appropriate."


    "I don''t mind difficulties." She answered with a slight bow, but her voice was just as proud as Grindelwald''s, which, in turn, clearly incensed some of the onlookers. Well, in their eyes, we were outsiders, coming in and mocking them.


    "A quick duel then should suffice." Karkaroff clapped, visibly frustrated, and one of the older students, looking even more senior than Victor did, stepped forward, volunteering. If I caught it right, his name was Vlad, but not that I cared to remember it.


    I watched as they squared up, and I already knew Quincy''s plan. It was the same trick that Grindelwald first taught us, and we also used it in our previous fight. By the time Vlady-boy raised his wand, Quincy had apparated behind him, immobilizing him, watching his body fall face-first to the ground.


    "Should have I used the killing curse?" She asked, looking at Grindelwald with uncertainty in her eyes, making many previously louder students get real quiet, real fast.


    "No. This is good." He answered, nodding at her to get back. "Now... it only remains me to be tested, yes?"


    He wasn''t giving Karkaroff time to find fault with us and was forcing him to keep up the cordial tone. I watched as he was thinking and became a little worried. Were we taking it too far? Was this going to play against us in the long run?


    "Yes, you are right. Let''s go inside for that!"


    I tried to guess what he had in mind because the smile he gave Grindelwald was surprisingly confident. And, of course, it was... because we stopped before the emblem of the three Hallows.


    "I assume you know the history?" Karkaroff asked, and we nodded simultaneously.


    "Of course. Should I try and remove it?" Grindelwald questioned, unperturbed, and his confidence made Karkaroff''s mouth twitch.


    "By all means! There is a prize for it!" He forced himself to laugh, watching as Grindelwald took out his wand, casting one simple, wordless spell.


    The symbol vanished like it was never there, but before the gasps could die down, in the end, it slowly reappeared. Still, watching their reactions, the fact that the symbol came back so soon made Karkaroff sigh, and his face smoothened out a lot compared to before.


    "Very good! The wall remained intact for almost two seconds! Well, my record is four. Still... very good, very good! You will fit into our school perfectly!"


    "Thank you for the opportunity, Headmaster!" He bowed, showing a smile but also visible frustration in his eyes, further widening Karkaroff''s pleased grin on his face.


    Heh... I wonder... how ugly his smile will be when he finally realizes all his work had been for nothing...

 Chapter 123 – Back To School

    Living in Durmstrang was vastly different than how it was in Hogwarts. It didn''t have different houses, and for example, not everyone had a room within the castle. Only those with sufficient backgrounds, influence, and prestige could live there. The rest had to either live on the grounds, find their own way, or in the nearby town of Valdemar and commune to school every day. This also meant that we, as newcomers, didn''t get to live inside the castle. Not that I minded it, so instead, we rented out one of the abandoned houses in Valdemar. We only bought what we needed for it as we didn''t know how long we would stay anyway.


    I can''t lie; I enjoyed it. Because Grindelwald was a teacher, he had to live in the castle, so it gave us a certain autonomy, taking care of ourselves and governing our days as we saw fit. It forced us to use brooms to get to school, which was also fun, and I didn''t mind flying in the early morning, watching the sunrise as we headed to Durmstrang. It was... serene. Peaceful.


    The only thing that both Quincy and I disliked was the constant need to drink polyjuice. You just can''t get used to the taste. In the end, we were placed in the 4th-year, and I was surprised at how welcoming the others were. I did not expect that. Neither did I think that the guys were going to show this much interest in Quincy... I didn''t know they would be this blatant about it and coming to me asking what my ''sister'' liked and how to court her... It took a great effort to keep myself calm and polite while being bombarded by these questions.


    As for Grindelwald, he became a teacher who fulfilled his duty to the best of his ability and very quickly became loved by the students. I could see why his lessons about magical beasts were captivating. Instead of just reciting from a book, he summoned bewitched images of the different monsters every time, displaying them in front of the class without the need to procure one and place everyone in danger.


    Of course, some were saying it was a cheap imitation because what if his fabrication displayed something wrongly, teaching the children incorrect facts? I understood why they thought that way, but I had a strong feeling that he knew what he was talking about.


    "Haaah..."


    "What is it?" I asked, sharing an orange juice with Quincy, sitting on the stone wall surrounding the back garden of the school, enjoying our lunch break, munching on a sandwich.


    "You saw it, and you still ask?" She grumbled, elbowing me in frustration. "It was the sixth guy I had to tell that I am not interested!"


    "Well, you are popular, even when you... look like this!"


    "Pft, maybe I should beat you up?" With a stifled laugh, she couldn''t help but roll her blue eyes, making me grin.


    "You can always try~!"


    "Cocky."


    "I wanted to say that!" After our laugh died down and I looked around, making sure nobody was there, I quickly leaned in for a kiss. "What do you think?" I asked, leaning back before we were discovered.


    "I prefer doing it when we are normal."


    "Not about that!" Now it was my time to elbow her gently, making her blush after realizing she misunderstood me. "I was asking, what do you think? How long are we going to be stuck here?"


    "Dunno... Until he says otherwise. Maybe the thing he is looking for has been moved or discovered; who knows!"


    "Maybe..." I whispered, going back to munching on my bread.


    "It''s not like back home, is it?"


    "No, it is not." I nodded, "It does have its unique atmosphere. I like it here, but it made me realize what we have lost and that we will never get it back. It also made me think about what the others may be up to."


    "Do you still have it? The handbook you made?"


    "Yep!" I answered, rummaging inside my bag before pulling it out, "I kept it, but I did tell them to destroy their own. So it is nothing but a memento."


    "Even if they did not, I enchanted them so if anyone else wanted to take a peek at it, it would look normal, and if they began prodding it with magic, they would self-destruct." She murmured while getting out a pencil and quickly writing into it while I watched with a smile.


    It was a simple message. ''We are fine. Keep yourself safe.'' Of course, we didn''t expect an answer, but to our surprise, messages began appearing, one after the other, expressing their relief and thanking us for saving them. Some even tried to explain why they didn''t destroy it, but... I was not mad. I felt warm inside. What made me not suspect them was one part, Quincy''s spell, and on the other, none of them tried to ask us where we were at the moment... and lastly, their handwriting. I know that portion could be faked, but still, I wanted to believe. It made me feel happy.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Ask them what happened after!" I urged Quincy, becoming excited, watching her hurriedly scribble it down, also breathing a bit more quickly while waiting for their answers.


    What they told us was not pleasant. In the battle, there were more than a dozen students who were caught in the crossfire, perishing, killed by either the Death Eaters'' or the Orders'' spells. Were they trying to fight? Nobody knew, but both sides were saying the same thing... those who died all tried to fight back. Against who? Well... Everybody blamed the other side.


    From those who escaped with us, many returned, and because of the chaos, not many asked how they got out. Those who decided to stay away hid amongst the muggles, afraid of retaliation from both sides. It was not pretty, and neither was the atmosphere in Hogwarts.


    Those who were back in school told us that the new Headmaster was Voldemort himself, while Snape was now the new Dark Arts teacher. The whole castle became much more opressive and colder than ever before. Luckily, they all said that it is rare to see the Headmaster, probably because he has his hands full with the Order, causing troubles everywhere around the country. Which there are a lot of.


    There was even an outbreak in Azkaban, freeing prisoners whom Voldemort kept in secret for who knows what purpose, probably for some magical experiments he was conducting when he was bored. Right now, most of those who graduated from Hogwarts are forcefully being drafted into the Death Eaters, and even 7th-year students are being given missions, taking them outside of Hogwarts as graduation tests.


    I couldn''t tell them much about our situation, but I encouraged them to keep working together and supporting each other, and once the time was right, we would meet again. As for when? I didn''t know, but one day, everything is going to change. Order? Death Eaters? None of that would matter anymore.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Is it true?" Brigitte asked after being stunned by the news that Elodie had broken for her just now.


    "Yes! I just asked the teachers, and Hermione is on indefinite leave! They said it is because she can barely concentrate with the constant headaches she is having..."


    "I can''t believe it... Where is she?!"


    "I tried looking, but they said she had already left!" Elodie continued in a sad and concerned voice as it was unlike Hermione... She wouldn''t have left without saying why or her goodbyes.


    "What is happening...?" Brigitte whispered, not really expecting any answers. Since what happened to them in Switzerland, she also felt weird. Somehow, the school lost a lot of its charm, and she couldn''t help but feel unsafe within its walls.


    As for Hermione, she felt even more than her friends. She just could not trust their Headmaster anymore. That distrust was consuming her, and very soon, she could no longer ignore it. Using her affliction as a cover, she asked for leave until she could recover. There was not much pushback; the school even made sure she could enter a sanatorium for witches and wizards to recuperate, but for Hermione, this felt like simply being placed from one camp to another, still keeping her under check.


    Of course, she never mentioned this to anyone and thanked the Headmaster for the opportunity, willingly accepting it... just so she could disappear while traveling to the sanatorium. Since then, nobody has seen her... As for where she was, maybe not even Flamel would have guessed.


    "Let me see..." Hermione murmured, reading her little notebook, filled with names and places she intended to visit, standing on a boat, crossing the channel between England and France.


    She debated about whether she should visit her parents or not, but she didn''t know where they could live right now. Maybe they stayed in the same place... or perhaps they moved cities. But that was not her goal right now. She wanted to find those names she had learned about, people who had interacted with the now-dead Anguine family. She even had in mind to visit the old estate... as a tourist.


    Unlike pureblood wizards, she grew up as a muggle and was unfazed by navigating through their world. She even found an old tourist ad that spoke about visiting a preserved, traditional, ancient English village, and when cross-referencing it, it was very close to the Anguine''s villa. She was determined to find out whatever was going on, and for that, she had to start out alone. She couldn''t trust the Order and their people, not anymore.


    "If you want to know the truth... you have to do your own research." With a soft smile, she happily tucked her bushy hair behind her ear as the ship neared the coast of her homeland, filling her with a sense of purpose and adventure.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    I was coming out of the bathroom, finally being back in my original shape, when I almost had a heart attack. There was someone else beside Quincy in the living room, but after I saw his face illuminated by the fireplace, I realized that it was Grindelwald.


    "It is dangerous to stop drinking the potion." He commented calmly, and it was hard to say whether he was angry or not. "No matter; I am here because I located the first cache where I hid some of my possessions."


    "Was it hard to find?" Quincy asked as I walked next to her, sitting down beside her.


    "I removed my memories of it, so I needed time to recall where it was, and I am still looking for triggers that will make me unlock more. Here."


    "A map?" I murmured, looking at the paper he was giving us, showing us a ruined castle with a well marked in its garden.


    "This is Castle Volgonid. In two days, your class will take a tour there. It is one of the old ruins, just to the east of here. While visiting, get down to the well and collect a lockbox. You will recognize it as it will have the symbol of the Hallows on it. Bring that back to me; that is it."


    "Sounds easy, sure." We nodded, feeling relaxed about it, but what he said next made our blood freeze.


    "Try to use minimal magic. I don''t know if they cleared the ruins or not, but the last time I was there, Lord Volgonid was not happy about human presence on his land..."


    "A ghost?" Quincy asked, but watching his eyes, I knew it was not that. He wouldn''t have warned us about a ghost.


    "A vampire."

 Chapter 124 – Vampires

    "At least we got two days to prepare, and Grindelwald didn''t just drop us down, telling us to go retrieve something that a vampire guards."


    "It is better than how the tournament''s tasks were." Quincy answered me while we were sitting at home, flipping through books about beasts and monsters from Salazar''s library.


    "I guess you are right. Anything on your end?"


    "Not much; this volume did talk about some other monsters, like ghouls, though. It says they are like the inferi, dead servants raised by the vampire''s magic. It also says they are a bit more intelligent but just as deadly."


    "I thought there would be more info on them from his time... ah, wait! I think I found it!"


    Flipping through the sixth book, we finally uncovered something. By Salazar''s words, vampires in his time were rampant and festering throughout the continent, giving a bad name to wizards and witches. Many times, their antics were causing trouble to the magical societies as they drew attention to themselves and everyone around them, making muggles aware of their presence. This not only ended in witch hunts but also formed the first vampire-hunting groups of mages in retaliation.


    "This is perfect!" Quincy giggled, climbing atop me as we continued reading, "Vampire hunting is exactly what we need!"


    She was right. It went into detail as to what were the most obvious signs of a vampire and their powers. This also meant it was another ranking list by Salazar, this time one that made much more sense.


    First were the fledgling vampires. Creatures that were freshly turned. Whether the individual was a muggle or not, their new magical abilities were all connected to the one that turned them. These creatures were weak, sensitive to the sun and strong lights, preferring to hide in the dark and be active when the sun was down. They mostly had magical capabilities that were similar to mind-altering spells and ones that enhanced the user''s physical abilities.


    "No holy water? Or stakes?" Quincy asked, and as I looked, I noticed it wasn''t mentioned here.


    "Maybe there are more at the end? Let''s keep reading!"


    Next came the class of normal vampires. These were those who had already been alive for decades if not more; they were experienced and dangerous. Their powers and influence on the minds of muggles were great, and even wizards could fall victim to their machinations. These creatures were less troubled by the sun, and the disciplined ones could walk directly amongst the muggles, even if they were significantly weakened.


    Above them was another rank of vampires that Salazar called ancient vampires. These were centuries old, crafty, experienced, and the most dangerous. They had advanced magical capabilities, including animagi-like shapeshifting and controlling magic without a wand. He mentioned multiple times that these vampires, although preferring to remain in the dark, are just as dangerous while fighting in the sunlight.


    "Oh, here it is!" I exclaimed, finding the last part in the codex, talking about their weaknesses and how to face them. "It says holy water does nothing; instead, we need to use mercury."


    "Hmmm... maybe we can borrow from the school? I will check tomorrow!"


    "The other thing it mentions is," I continued, nodding my hand, "to use acid. Anything that damages their tissues and blood. Oh, and here it is! A stake through the heart does the trick, especially if made of silver. Huh. Salazar says that if you can''t do that, the best alternative to deal with a vampire is fire."


    "Well... that sounds easy!"


    It did sound easy. He also mentioned that all the methods mentioned above were for those who were not good enough in spell-casting, were slow on their feet, or were simultaneously going up against multiple vampires. The best strategy was to use fire spells from the get-go and attack the vampire first before it could notice you.


    "Huh, listen to this!" I added with a chuckle, reading from the end of the page, "If you meet an ancestral vampire, either run or try to be polite. Do NOT attack."


    "Huh... What is an ancestral vampire?"


    "Good question... It only says here that no matter the vampire type, avoid direct eye contact and always keep a five-foot distance from the monster. Their mind-controlling abilities are their strongest weapons."


    We tried to look it up more, especially this last, briefly mentioned type, but nothing was there. Whatever that thing was, it was probably an even older variant.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "I think I know what it is." Echoed Herpo''s voice in my head, and Quincy could guess what had happened by the change in my expression. "In my time, I knew of a blood-sucking creature that we called it Empusa. It was old, very, very old. I never really did anything to her, nor did I meet her, but I knew to stay away from her territory. She was known for hunting young men and drinking their blood, and one of my enemies, a self-proclaimed hero, went to fight her. I never heard of him ever again."


    Well, that was not that helpful. But... he was probably right; that kind of vampire is simply ancient and powerful. I wasn''t afraid to meet one because if something like that lived here, I don''t think Durmstrang would allow it to exist for long. That was way too dangerous. Quincy was going to get us some mercury while I was preparing and practicing flaming spells for the journey.


    Luckily, it was not a surprise trip, as our teacher mentioned it a day before, ensuring we were all prepared and arrived on time. His name was Peter, and he was relatively young, reminding me of Professor Lockhart. He had the same flamboyant exterior but was a bit more reserved, with less boasting. It just... made me miss the old idiot more. I couldn''t help but think about him when I looked at Professor Peter''s back, seeing his blonde hair.


    "Shit..." I grumbled, sitting on my broom as we were flying as a group, following our teacher to the ruins for an on-hand history lesson.


    "What is it?" Quincy asked, flying close to me, listening to me whisper.


    "I thought about missing Professor Lockhart, and I felt nostalgic... It felt wrong!"


    "Ahahaha! Stupid!" She laughed loudly, turning multiple heads towards us, and I could see how much they were smitten to death by her laugh. Bastards! "But I get it; he was weird but not a bad person if you got to know him. I do miss him, too!" She shrugged, adding something that made my mouth twitch. Mainly because it made the other guys listening to us misunderstand her. "I liked him."


    Well... I think at least this will make it spread why she shoots down everyone who comes and tries to ask her out. I know that a few rumors were spreading by angry guys who were turned down that we are in a taboo relationship as siblings. Not that they were wrong, only about the being siblings part. Haaaah, explaining that would have been a pain in the butt!


    "Get ready, children!" Shouted our teacher, smiling, leading us like a flock of ducks flying in a V-shaped formation. "We are nearing the ruins! We will circle around and check for some monsters down below! Get your wands ready and cast the revealing charm to see if any nasty little critter made camp here or not!"


    Using the spell, I could quickly tell that the ruins were clean of any magical or dangerous beasts, as no living beings were loitering around or within it. Well... A vampire is undead... Would he even show up? Watching it from above, it was as if one of Hogwarts''s towers was left alone, to deteriorate and half collapse onto the smaller, supporting buildings around it. I knew that muggle tourists who would stumble upon the school would see it exactly like this... the irony. After touching down before its moss-covered, destroyed walls, we were greeted with thick bushes, leaves covering wherever we stepped, and an eerie silence ruling the land.


    "Don''t wander too far; it is easy to get lost in the forest!" Professor Peter warned us, making sure he counted everybody before beginning his lesson. "Castle Volgonid was named after its vampire lord, Volgonid the Bloodfiend!"


    "..." I couldn''t help but glance at Quincy because his title was anything but friendly.


    "Professor... is he...?" A girl from class asked, raising her hand meekly, making him grin.


    "Well, there was an alliance of seven witches who swore to kill and rid the land of Volgonid. You see, this particular vampire was only hunting for girls and virgins and made powerful enemies because of it."


    "Phew..." Even I was surprised by how loud of a sigh Quincy let out, making not just me but mostly all of the boys in our class look at her while I tried not to laugh. "What..." She whispered, drawing closer to me, not wanting to meet their eyes.


    "Professor!" Another hand shot into the air, but he waved at her, calming the suddenly tense nerves. Or I thought, but instead, he continued with a laugh.


    "No need to worry; he was meticulous and usually turned the unclean girls and men into his servants!"


    "..."


    "Now," He went on, leading us into the castle, through the central arch, making us walk under a demonic gargoyle sitting atop it all alone. "he had been terrorizing these northern lands for centuries, you see! He was a feared, strong monster... but when those seven heroic witches came here, well... you can look around and still see the indications of their battle!"


    "How was he defeated?" One of the guys asked, making Peter chuckle once again, and this time, I already expected his sinister answer. I think he enjoyed toying with us.


    "We don''t know. The only clue remaining is their battle here, but no corpses were recovered. Nobody saw either the old vampire or the seven witches anymore after that event in 1797. But no virgin girls were ever hurt either, ending centuries of young maidens waking up with bite marks on their necks!"


    "Lovely..." I murmured, making me look around, and now I had a thought that Grindelwald''s warning was, for sure, true. That old bastard is probably still alive somewhere underground but weakened. Wait... if he is a vampire, isn''t he already dead? So he is... unalive?


    "What are you thinking of?" Quincy asked, nudging me as the class was now walking around, discovering the ruins. It was like a field trip for a fun history class.


    "Some nonsense stuff... Hah, come!"


    Grabbing her hand, we headed off and made sure we slipped away from the crowd that was too afraid to stray away from the Professor. We, on the other hand, quickly ended up in the specified garden, noticing the moss-covered well. Looking into it, it was dark, deep, and dried up; throwing a rock down only made a sound after about five or six seconds, hitting the bottom with an echoey clang.


    "What now? Accio?"


    "Grindelwald said we shouldn''t use too much magic, no?" I shrugged, grabbing the old chain hanging from the top, probably ending in a bucket somewhere deep down. Testing it, it looked good enough to hold my weight as I began climbing over the edge.


    "You ain''t going alone!" She protested at once, quickly turning into an owl and hopping on my shoulder as I began my descent.

 Chapter 125 – Count Volgonid

    Descending down the well was weird. At first, we could still see well, but the light disappeared very quickly from around us after the first two meters. It was then that I heard Herpo''s voice echoing within me.


    "Focus on your blood and call it forth into your eyes. But don''t let it gain control! It is you who own it and not vice versa."


    "It wouldn''t hurt Quincy... Would it?" I asked him, and his answer was simple.


    "Depends on your focus. As I said... control it. Then no, it won''t hurt those who you care about, only your enemies."


    With a deep breath, I tried to concentrate, and after a few moments, I could see again when I reopened my eyes. It wasn''t like it was perfectly clear, not at all. Think of it like looking at a black-and-white, fuzzy image... but I could see the walls of the well and make out the chain I was holding.


    "Oh, we are close to the bottom!" I exclaimed after I looked down and let the chain go, landing on my feet.


    "Hoot!" Said Quincy, and weirdly, I think I understood her question.


    "I think it''s the basilisk blood doing its thing." I answered, subconsciously licking my lips. "Weird..."


    Down here, everything was dry. This either meant there was never water here, or it dried up a long time ago. Anyway... Box... Grindelwald said there would be a box here. No matter where I looked, I couldn''t see one, but it could also be because I wasn''t proficient in using this sight of mine... ah, whatever!


    "Close your eyes, don''t get blinded!" I whispered, taking out my wand and waving it once, "Lumos!"


    "Much better!" Moaned Quincy, turning back into a human, squinting as we stood at the bottom of the well. "Woah..."


    "Yeah... I agree... Woah..."


    There was a human-sized hole in the wall that I couldn''t see before. It was hidden with unnatural darkness that not even our magic could light up. Looking at it, the stone at the edge of it wasn''t roughly carved out or natural looking; it was perfectly arched, and the walls were smooth, without any edges. It was man-made.


    "What is this?"


    The moment I raised my wand, pointing towards the corridor, both of our blood froze because something was rushing towards us with a low screech. The first to act was not me but Quincy, as I was just thinking about changing the spell when her wand shot out bright, orange flames, catching the monster in a blast. With a bone-chilling cry, it turned to ash in an instant, and we were left standing there, hearing our heartbeat so loudly I mistook it for a war drum.


    "That was an undead. Most likely a ghoul." Herpo commented, and although I never saw one, I agreed. That thing didn''t look human anymore; instead, it looked like a mix of a skinny gargoyle and a mummy.


    "Who doth dare maketh a clamor in mine abode?"


    Now that voice... and that speech... that was new. And scary. We looked at each other in a slight panic as I increased the light''s intensity at the end of my wand, resulting in another annoyed, low groan.


    "Cease thine contraption, mortal offspring, lest I rend thy cranium asunder!"


    "Yeah, no." I answered quickly. I couldn''t see the origin of the voice, but I was sure it was coming from the end of the tunnel. We just... couldn''t see it, not even in the light.


    "So be it, then I must needs compel thee to depart hence, thou witless human spawn."


    I couldn''t believe what I was seeing as the darkness itself began changing until it finally turned into a human figure, a few meters away from us with blood-red, glowing eyes. He was deathly pale, white as marble, looking to be in his early twenties with slick, black hair, wearing expensive, black silk clothing, that of an old royal.


    "Begone from this place with all haste!" He repeated, looking into my eyes, but then, I felt my blood boil, and the feeling burst back out with full force. "...?!"


    We watched as he stumbled back, averting his eyes quickly, shielding them, coughing, and looking as if he was in pain.


    "What manner of being art thou, child?! Thine eyes, they shifteth? And yet thou namest me a demon?! What sorcery hast thou wrought upon thyself?! Thy scent reeks as a basilisk''s foul breath!"


    "Good job!" Quincy exclaimed, summoning blazing fire, but the man snapped his fingers in response, bringing forth the abyss-like darkness and extinguishing the flames in a flash.


    "Verily, the youth of today doth confound with their peculiar ways... First Grindelwald, and now these twain..." He grumbled like an old man, being annoyed by some kids stumbling onto his lawn. And... well, it was precisely what was happening.


    "Wait... you know Grindelwald? Are you the vampire Volgonid?" I asked, even though I knew it was a stupid question the moment it left my mouth. Who else could it be? So it was no wonder what we received was his annoyed groan.Stolen novel; please report.


    "It is Count Volgonid unto thee, child! Wherefore hath thy manners vanished? The world hath long since forfeited its dignity! Unbelievable!"


    "It was Grindelwald who sent us here, Count Volgonid, for his... box!" Quincy added quickly while we looked at each other, a bit confused. But if it worked, that would be best. This being we were looking at felt dangerous... Too dangerous to fight. Luckily, he stopped for a moment, thinking, and then his voice became much more mellow and cooperative.


    "The box? Ah... aye, I do recall... He did not foretell of children seeking it. I doth possess it hereabouts... come, follow in my wake." But of course, none of us moved, and he realized it after taking a few steps. "I shalt not consume thee twain. Though thy visage be youthful, the foul odor of serpents and corruption doth emanate from thy blood. I am a man of refinement. I hold to standards! Come hither, children, for I have pledged my word to Grindelwald, and I shall uphold my vow!"


    "Go." Said Herpo, which surprised me, "I don''t know how it is nowadays, but in the past, even in my time, a vow was a strong bind. Even I upheld the promises I made, no matter how far I have fallen."


    I still felt this was wrong, but holding Quincy''s hand, we followed him in the end. It didn''t take long for me to extinguish the spell on the tip of my wand as we arrived in an underground chamber lit by orange torches. The floor was covered with soft, beautiful rugs, and paintings of the local landscape decorated the walls while two coffins were laid down where the beds should have been. One was empty, but in the other, a woman was sleeping serenely... until I looked at her. Then her blood-red eyes snapped open as she floated out, her blonde hair billowing behind her body. She was looking a bit lost after landing on the rug, blinking her eyes a few times before recollecting herself.


    "My dear, we have visitors? What happened?" She asked, looking joyous, flashing her sharp, canine teeth that made me shiver. When noticing it, she merely giggled, hiding it, genuinely looking embarrassed of it.


    "Aye, my dear, they seeketh the box of Grindelwald, indeed." The Count hummed, went to a massive cupboard, and began searching for it. "I think I had it here somewhere."


    "Oh, I see! How lovely! What year is it?"


    "1995." We answered in tandem, making the woman clap, smiling, and looking as if she was greatly amused.


    "My dear, we should make a trip and see how the world changed after a century! What do you say?"


    "Venturing forth in this era? Alas, observe these youthful souls! Bereft of proper decorum!"


    "Oh please, they are just kids!"


    "Ah, behold! Here it doth lie! Take it, children; thy box awaits!" He shouted, bringing forth a hefty metal crate the size of a traveling suitcase.


    "T-thanks..." I mumbled as he pushed it into my hands, and now I was bewildered about what was happening.


    "How do you know we are not lying?" Quincy asked, blurting out the first thing that she thought about, making the two laugh.


    "Oh, we are vampires, my dear!" The woman answered us, "We would know if you are lying! Ahahaha!"


    "Who are you?" Quincy continued asking the questions without thinking, but they didn''t seem troubled by it.


    "Oh, I am Eleonora, the Witch of Seven Virtues! He is my husband, Count Mikhail Everlast Volgonid!"


    "Are you one of the seven witches who came to defeat him? Did he win and turn you into his servant?!" This time, it was me who couldn''t hold it back, and now only the old vampire laughed while the woman began pouting.


    "Seven witches, sayest thou? Doth the legend still persist? Nay, there ne''er were seven witches!"


    "They still get it wrong..." Eleonora explained, rolling her eyes, "My title was the Witch of SEVEN Virtues! Hmph! Nonsense!"


    "Oh-" We answered at the same time, looking at them, the two extremely beautiful people. If they ventured out, both of them would be snatched up by a modeling agency, I am sure of it. "Then... what happened, really?"


    "I hath found love."


    "I came here not to kill him." Eleonora responded, looking warmly at her husband, "Well... I was angry, yes, because he was biting others, unable to settle down, so I had a fight with him. My dear was always worried, not wanting to turn the youngsters he courted."


    "Verily, a vampire''s existence is fraught with tribulations." He added with a sigh, but Eleonora simply hugged him, kissing his face.


    "The short story is that I came here, battled him, and made him accept that I do love him and will be with him forever! So I forced him to turn me~! Since then, we have been happily married!"


    That... would explain why the attacks went away... our vampire has found love. Huh. It''s not what I expected... but oh well. I am glad if it''s true because of that, we are not being killed right now.


    "But... what do you drink?" We blurted out at the same time.


    "Oh, if we don''t use much of our magic, we don''t need to replenish it. So don''t worry about it, kiddos! Oh, I know, I will prepare something for you! Just wait a minute; it has been so long since I made something for humans! Ghouls are not keen on eating anyway..."


    "Ghouls..." We repeated, feeling cold sweat going down on our backs.


    "Oh yes, yes, some graverobbers and whatnot, they deserve their fate! Ahahah~ Now, just you wait-"


    "Khm."


    "Hm? What is it, dear?" She asked, looking at the Count who interrupted her. We also noticed he was furrowing his brows. Was it because of something we asked? Or he just wanted us gone? I also agreed with the notion... I don''t want to be rude but, seeing the two, I certainly not want to stay for dinner. Or be the dinner.


    "The ones aloft dost create a disturbance. Methinks they seeketh the children."


    "Oh... good..." I murmured, happy to have an excuse to leave.


    "Let me escort them out~ I will deal with the rest!" Eleonora answered, chuckling, and she accompanied us out, lifting us out of the well with one massive jump as if it were nothing.


    Outside, she looked even more beautiful, unbothered by the sun, and I finally understood what Salazar''s warning meant... She alone managed to hypnotize all of the other kids and our Professor, making them stop in place while turning towards us. They were clearly distraught and looking for us, and when we appeared with her, their panic only intensified.


    "They will not remember searching for you, so don''t worry! I will return now; I dislike the sun, you see... mmm... Maybe I will nag my husband a little more to go and see the world for a change! You two, take care of yourselves! Oh, and tell Grindelwald that our debt has been paid. Don''t come looking for us again for the next 50 years, okay?"


    "Y-yes... o-okay!" I stuttered while Quincy put the box away in her holding bag.


    With that, she disappeared back into the well, and the moment she did, everyone returned to themselves as if nothing had happened. They were no longer searching for us. Instead, Professor Peter continued his lesson about the ruins and old magical history while those who were a bit braver continued looking around the ruins.


    "I think this was the type of vampire Salazar said not to attack... huh?"


    "Yeah..." Quincy nodded, gulping, feeling a bit stifled, "And I think I understand why..."

 Chapter 126 – The Box

    On the same day, after we left the ruins and arrived back home, I hurriedly pulled out the box from our pouch, doing it like how muggles think a wizard should act. It would have been only better if I pulled out a bunny of it; alas, we didn''t have any crowd of muggles watching us.


    "Well, the symbol is on it, so this is the correct thing. The question is, are we going to open it?" I asked, making Quincy chuckle.


    "Maybe... But I don''t think we would be able to."


    "Charms and hexes?"


    "Charms and hexes!"


    "Exactly." Answered Grindelwald, walking into the room, smiling, not looking offended at all. "You can, of course, try it. I am curious if you can crack it or not."


    He didn''t have to say anything else as we took turns trying to dispel the magic on it without blowing the whole thing to pieces. It was, as one would expect, an abject failure. Our first prodding spells simply bounced off it, almost setting our home aflame. Then, we tried to do it more subtly, but that also backfired. For the following night, I had whiskers for some reason while Quincy sprouted a sunflower, growing from the top of her head. It just did not work.


    "I give up!" I shrugged, throwing my hands in the air while Quincy was trying to pull out the sunflower, but it was like yanking on her hair.


    "Make this thing disappear!" She cried, looking at Grindelwald, who simply smiled, clearly enjoying our plight.


    "It will be gone by the time morning comes, don''t worry. I enjoyed your approach, trying to disturb the sealing spell on it; the only problem was none of you had deep enough knowledge to outplay it. You would have to cast a preliminary, probing spell that does not activate the seal but excites it only enough for you to gain an understanding of its nature and workings. Then, you can identify it by comparing the spell with others of its kind, deriving the unknowns before modifying an already existing counter-spell to the parameters of this one. The true grandmasters of magic could do it. If I had to guess, Albus could open it in a day or so. That is why you don''t have to feel bad, kids. As I said, you lack the experience to do it; one day, you will be able to break it without my help!" He concluded, tapping his wand at the box that answered with a soft click.


    I don''t know what I expected to be hidden within it, but when he opened it, I did not expect a weird-looking cauldron, a rolled-up leather toolkit, and a bunch of tied parchment greeting us. But these should be important, or why would it have been guarded by a vampire in the first place?


    "Oh, so this is the Flamel-kit, huh? I didn''t remember which one I hid deep down with old Volgonid."


    "Flamel-kit?" Quincy asked, looking weirdly at him while I was also voicing the other question we both thought about.


    "What''s with the deal with the vampire anyway? He said that he no longer owes you or something..."


    "I stumbled upon Volgonid when I was young, around your age. I was searching for clues regarding the Hallows, and I found some pointing towards a very old, ancient vampire who may have known more in his time. I didn''t think I would find him; I just wanted to explore his lair. Well, he is not a barbarian, so he gave me two options when I was caught by him. Either become their menial servant for a decade or beat him in chess. You see, I used quite the force when excavating the tunnel and killed multiple ghouls they had who were there to guard their sleep."


    "Ugh..."


    "Oh? You too? Ahaha... don''t worry about it, they can quickly replenish their numbers." He waved at us, continuing his tale, sounding deeply nostalgic. "So we played. And I won. And I won again. And again. You see, I had many questions, so after my first win, he agreed to answer them if I could beat him again. At first, I thought he was going easy on me, but he became really flustered and accused me of cheating."


    "In chess?" We asked simultaneously, but he simply smiled at us.


    "So, it happened that I won a favor from him. I learned what I wanted and began preparing for my future. I knew it would cause some trouble, so I asked him to hide something for me if I ever returned and asked for his help. Later on, through the new knowledge I acquired from him, I was able to find the first of the Hallows, the Elder Wand. To obtain it was not easy as I had to steal it from a famous wandmaker, Mykew Gregorovich. It was not simply a well-hidden secret of his, but also something that was guarded by him to the best of his abilities."


    "Who''s that?" I asked, looking at Quincy, but she simply shrugged.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Ah yes... You have your Olliwander, which I always forget. Well, the world is vast, and not every wandmaker bears the same name. They are not the only family that is well respected amongst wandlore experts! So, to steal it from him, I had to practice and... what you see here is the result of that."


    "You stole these?" We asked, looking at the items that did look ancient.


    "Yes. From Flamel himself. The best part is that I don''t think he noticed it, nor did he remember it. After living for centuries, people forget where they hid their precious items."


    "But... How?!"


    "What could I say? I was a really good thief!" He answered with a laugh, visibly proud of his old achievement. Looking into his eyes, what I saw there was not gloating or stroking his own ego; it was different. Watching him felt like when someone old retells stories from his life, enjoying the nostalgia that the old memories brought along. "This cauldron here is unique, one in a kind. It has properties that can adjust to the potion you want to make, helping the alchemist. This means if you tell it that you want to make a polyjuice potion, it will set its temperature automatically, and when adding the ingredients, it self-adjusts every time, always keeping the brew at the exact temperature it needs at the different stages."


    "Telling it?" Quincy asked, and Grindelwald answered.


    "Just as I said. Point your wand at it and tell the cauldron what you will try to make. Also... I am pretty sure it only speaks French."


    "Damn, that sounds really nifty!" I hummed, picking it up and examining the football-sized thing. "And heavy!"


    "Let me see!" Quincy squeaked, looking extremely excited, so, of course, I handed it to her while Grindelwald continued.


    "Watching it, many of my old memories had been flooding into my mind. I am sure the philosopher''s stone was created in this cauldron. So, it is part of wizarding history!"


    "...!" I watched Quincy''s hand tremble and almost drop it after hearing him.


    "Maybe it is fate''s interesting way to express that things come to you when you are not looking for them. I did try to replicate his work... As a youngster, I dreamed of the power of his elixir and having it for myself. Now, after consuming it, I find the thing that is responsible for its existence. How quaint!"


    "Are those?" I gulped, pointing towards the parchments, but he shook his head, making me exhale.


    "No, there are no written recipes. He made sure to destroy them all. These are my recollections when I tried to replicate his work. On one hand, they are useless as I never once succeeded, not even partially. On the other hand, they are invaluable experiences for anyone who wants to pick up alchemy because a true talent could learn from the mistakes in them and avoid repeating them." Of course, Quincy was already opening them up, reading them, forgetting the sunflower swaying above her head with every move she made.


    "Master," I asked, not even realizing the way I called him, "Why did you hide this away, protected by such a powerful entity?"


    "It has to do with my old self''s contingency plan." He added with a sigh, leaning back on his chair, watching Quincy, who was not really paying attention, immersed in the ''toys'' before her. "I don''t remember what I hid and where I did to this day. I just know that there are three such boxes and that besides valuable trinkets in each, I also hid the clues for the three Hallows."


    "What do you mean?" We asked, looking at him and then at the cauldron.


    "I don''t know. I mean... I don''t remember. I made it when I realized I had a good chance that I may lose, so I did something to myself, most likely expecting that even if I lived, my mind would be wiped clean. I left behind thoughts, feelings, and instincts, things that can''t be modified or ripped away, prompting me to rediscover what has happened to me. That is what I am working on: triggering and recalling my suppressed memories. I am still waiting for my memories to flare up and make me remember where I hid the other two."


    "So... are the clues hidden in the cauldron... or?" Quincy questioned him, running her fingers over its surface."


    "I don''t remember. We will need to keep examining and using it, hoping that it will show itself or make me remember. But everything that was in the box contained a clue about one of the Hallows."


    "But your memories were never tampered with..." I added, furrowing my brows, forcing Grindelwald to shrug.


    "As I said, I was feeling that I may lose against Dumbledore. I was paranoid and made sure that if I did and he captured me, he wouldn''t be able to learn what I already knew. So, I made myself forget before I was defeated, but I also don''t remember how or what I forgot. Not until something triggers it."


    "Ugh... Memory spells are a bitch..." I cursed, making both of them chuckle, "We should seriously find Professor Lockhart; maybe he could think of something!"


    "If anybody, I am sure he is the one that would be the hardest to find." Quincy hummed, unrolling the leather toolkit, picking out the different scissors, scalpels, and whatnot, all for handling and collecting ingredients for brewing potions.


    "I don''t know how much Albus has learned about the Hallows by himself, but I believe that in the end, he would have made the same discoveries. So, to have a chance, we also need to unlock my memories within these. I only know that the Elder Wand ended up with him. As for the cloak and the stone, who knows!"


    "You old, grand wizards are weird. All of you..." I grumbled, and he only laughed as an answer.


    "That is true. I can''t argue with you there, Young Conrad! Knowing my old self, I am pretty sure I hid what I knew about the Resurrection Stone within this set, as this was what gave Flamel his famous, ''eternal life.'' It is something I would do, knowing my type of humor."


    "So, it is a treasure hunt with a puzzle, huh?"


    "You can look at it like that... and after you solve it," He sighed, standing up, ready to leave, "you can keep it. I no longer need it, and between you two, it would see the most use in Young Quincy''s hand. I would prefer it, to be honest, much more so than returning it to Nicholas Flamel."


    I didn''t argue with him on that. I just watched him go and smile happily because my wife''s eyes were shining so much; I knew she loved the sudden gift falling into her lap.

 Chapter 127 – Dimitris

    It was the first time since we got here that I spent the afternoon without Quincy. The reasons were two-fold. On the one hand, she was excited to head back home, study Grindelwald notes, and try out the cauldron, brewing different potions with increasing difficulties. Then, there was me, who was tasked by Grindelwald to go to the library and try to look for a book. Which one? He didn''t know, simply declaring, I will when I see it.


    "I sometimes feel like the old man is not really right in the head. Or are you just teasing me? Yeah... I should have asked him that..."


    "Who is teasing you?" Asked a voice just after I walked past the empty reading tables and when I turned towards it, a similarly aged boy was looking back at me from between a row of dozens of stacked books. I didn''t recognize him as he was from a different class... and I would remember him because his brown eyes, behind his big, round glasses, looked bigger than his head was. Not to mention his black, curly hair that would easily pass as a birdnest.


    "It''s... no matter." I answered with a shrug, making him nod, acting as if he understood.


    "You are one of the new students, yes? The two I have been hearing about? My name is Dimitris, 3rd-year!"


    "Oh, hi, I am Co-, cough, sorry... I am Alexander." I answered, looking at his stretched-out hand, grabbing it, and shaking it firmly.


    "I wouldn''t worry; they probably tease you because of jealousy. I heard you are terrific, and also, after seeing you, yeah, you are good-looking."


    "Wait, what?" I asked, but he ignored me, continuing without a pause.


    "There were no transfer students for the past 600 years! So, it is no wonder some people will spread rumors to mess with you. Like, the one where you and your sister are secretly lovers in a forbidden, taboo relationship."


    "..."


    "Oh... it''s true?!" He gasped, almost knocking over his books.


    "What are you on about...?" I grunted, twitching my mouth.


    "I did not think it was true... huh... Well, it is weird, but old families did it a lot, and I know that you are descended from one. I can understand the notion behind wanting to keep a bloodline pure, but you do need to refresh it once in a while, or you will end up like those muggle portraits of their kings with a distinct jawline! I think they were called Habsburgs or something..."


    I was stumped. This guy was weird... and spoke really fast, going on tangents out of nowhere while looking at me with those enlarged eyes of his. Every word he was saying was backed up with the utmost confidence, and he was not mincing anything, stating his thoughts without cushioning them.


    "I heard you never rebuked it, so the rumor began spreading. I wonder why you are here alone... The others say you two never really go anywhere separately. Did you have a fight? I guess fights between siblings and lovers at once become even nastier than between normal families. It''s like an amplifying spell, isn''t it? I wouldn''t worry; you should talk it out and not run away from problems."


    "We didn''t fight." I answered, being shell-shocked and losing focus on what I wanted to say.


    "Oh, that is good. Are you here to find something? This library is enchanted, you see; the inner parts are bigger than what you can perceive from the outside, and it is easy to get lost within. I heard that there were students who went in and returned after being lost for months in there. I can help you find the one you are looking for; I know this place like the back of my head."


    "Hand."


    "Yes, that is what I said."


    "No, you didn''t."


    "What book are you looking for?"


    "You are changing the topic, Dimitris."


    "Yes."


    "..." This guy... okay... I like him. He is Weird, with a capital W. "You are bullied a lot, huh?" I jabbed back, and this time, his calm and collected face finally changed, averting his big eyes and fidgeting a few times.


    "Sometimes."


    "Well, I can guess why, but it is tough. Sorry about that. So... What are YOU doing here, Dimitris?" I asked, striking up a different conversation, looking at the books he was reading and realizing a major problem. I couldn''t read them. Of course not... I may speak the language thanks to the enchanted pin on my robe, but for sure, I couldn''t read it! The classes were fine because the teachers here are more practical, showing instead of telling... but this may be a big problem if we have to take a damn test in the future!If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Well, different studies about curses..." He began explaining, missing the change in my expression as I came to the realization. "Did you meet with Andrei? The Dark Arts teacher from Romania?"


    "Yeah, we had one class so far; it was... fine, I guess. I did not learn anything new; he was mediocre at best." I answered calmly because that was simply the truth... and I saw him form a smile before trying to hide it.


    "Don''t say that in a place where he may hear it... You see, he has a bit of influence amongst the others, coming from a more prestigious family and a staunch supporter of being pure-blooded and superior to any lineage that has muggled blood mixed into them. He would probably take offense to it and try to kick you out of school or make your days insufferable."


    "Heh, he could try." I added with a grunt, recalling the Malfoys'' end.


    "You are not joking..."


    "Hm?" I asked, blinking my eyes and looking down at him.


    "Nothing..." Dimitris murmured, lowering his head and looking a bit stunned. Was... was my expressions really that easily readable? What the hell? Quincy does it, too, all the time! Tsk...


    "You don''t need to cower; you can tell me as it is. I can take it, and I won''t bully you. Honestly speaking, you are interesting... weird but interesting." I added with a laugh, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to him.


    "I get that a lot; I mean, the weird part. I always forget not to tell everything I think about, but... it''s just a habit."


    "Mhm. I see. That can be dangerous, yes... so, what is this about curses and Andrei?"


    "The end of the year test will be deflecting and lifting curses. He is going to curse each of us, and our grades will depend on how we defend against it. He said the best ones will be those who can counter it perfectly, and then the more it affects us, the worse our grades will be. Those who fail are going to be those who have to leave the school with a curse and figure it out by themselves. As a punishment."


    "Huh... It''s pretty radical; I am surprised he didn''t get into trouble yet! Aren''t the parents complaining or something?"


    "They do, but there are those who support him and the Headmaster. Andrei is enjoying Headmaster Karkaroff''s trust so he can get away with more than some others. He was responsible for the previous teacher of the Dark Arts leaving and taking his position."


    "It is always this position which is causing trouble, huh? How weird..."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Nothing, not important! I just know that in Hogwarts, it''s the same position that they suffer with. It is like... as if it was cursed or something."


    "Oh, I see! I heard things about it, but not much... you know what is going on there?"


    "A bit. Yes."


    "Can you... tell me?" He asked, his big eyes growing even more prominent, pleading, and, with a bit of obfuscation, I retold him most of the things that were also published in the Daily Prophet. I tried avoiding going into too much detail and not sounding suspicious, and I think it worked. At least he really enjoyed it.


    "So, yeah, that''s the gist of it. From what I know, the Order is back in England, and there is a war going on."


    "Um, about that part, we heard a lot, but... here, Karkaroff always speaks about how Beauxbatons cheated, interfered with the tournament, and lost us, Krum!"


    "And Poliakoff."


    "Ah, yes... him too." Huh... Was he not liked? I can''t imagine why! "He was always a bully... I don''t mind him being dead; I am just sorry that Krum was mind-controlled."


    "Wait, what?" I asked, almost yelling out, making him nod as if he shared my apparent surprise and anger.


    "Yes... They say that they used a mind-altering potion on him, turning him into their puppet. They rigged all the tasks and tried to interfere wherever they could! Many of the teachers agree and support the Headmaster and his idea of launching an attack on them because of it. There is a high debate amongst the main wizarding families as to what to do."


    "Huh..." I wanted to say so much, but instead, I sat back, trying to think. I couldn''t really reveal everything, or that would be too suspicious, but I would love to screw over Karkaroff''s plans. "Could the school even launch any attacks? Who authorizes it?"


    "I am from Greece." Dimitris added, explaining quickly, "The school has a great influence on this end of the continent, same with the Beauxbatons, more so than any official ministry the countries have here. Usually, what Durmstrang decides will happen, and its reach is vast! I thought you would know that..."


    "Sorry, we were living amongst muggles and... um, in hiding. So I am a bit out of the loop, as they say." I added with a hurry before he thought way too far into it.


    "Oh, I see, that explains a lot of things."


    "Err... I won''t ask what you mean by that... So! What if something happens to the Professor? What then?"


    "Huh?" I watched as his face went pale, looking around, making sure that only we were there and no third party was listening in. "I don''t know... it depends on what happens to him. He could be made out to be a martyr and fuel his cause, or it could also strengthen the other party who doesn''t want to intervene and stay out of it at all costs. There are many, many families here who remember what happened back then. How it turned into a Great War, and many of them were blamed for it, suffering from shame... But you know about that, don''t you? The source of your own family''s blight! The old and scary name..." He whispered at the end, leaning closer, "Grindelwald!"


    "Why are you whispering? Is the name cursed? Is it a taboo?"


    "No, but they say his spirit still haunts the corridors of the school, and if you say it out loudly or multiple times, he may appear!" Now... that was funny. I couldn''t help but grin, making him blush, "You think I''m joking!"


    "I do think it''s silly."


    "I saw him!"


    "Now I think it''s even more silly."


    "I can show it to you!"


    "And now, my new friend... you got my attention." I answered, watching his big eyes without blinking. "Show me."

 Chapter 128 – Grindelwald’s Spirit

    It was already night, and we were sneaking around the castle''s abandoned corridors. Unlike in Hogwarts, there were no ghosts here, at least, not like there. I already argued this with Dimitris, clarifying that he was not talking about regular ghosts but about a weird apparition. In his words, the spirit of Grindelwald was damaged and evil.


    "I already told you," He whispered as we were hiding in an empty classroom, listening to the sounds of a walking suit of armor getting farther and farther away from us. It was what patrolled the grounds after dark, and if they caught you, they would continue to try and beat you mercilessly. "The spirit of Grindelwald was probably destroyed in his last battle, and what remains here is only a piece of it!"


    "And I told you, he was imprisoned in Nurmengard and not killed."


    "Propaganda."


    That was his one and only answer when he didn''t want to believe me, and I was getting frustrated because I could not go and tell him, ''You idiot, he is teaching right here, right now! You have already met him!'' So, what remained for me was to gulp back my thoughts and curiously tag along to see this wicked spirit.


    "So..." I asked, slowly opening the door and confirming that the corridor was safe to continue our slow trek to the supposed dungeon below the castle. By his words, its entrance was hidden under an ancient, human-sized cauldron that had been left collecting dust in one of the abandoned chambers. "How did you discover him? Or the entrance to this dungeon?"


    "Um..." After a brief hesitation, he stopped to think but answered in a quiet voice, continuing to lead me to the correct spot, "I was thrown into the cauldron and locked in there. They said it was a prank..."


    "Ah. I see."


    "Yeah... and as I was trying to get out, I used magic to finally flip it and force the top open so I could climb out. It was then that I noticed the thing was atop a locked trapdoor leading down to somewhere."


    "And you decided to go down?"


    "Well, yes! It was interesting, and I was curious about what would be hidden down there, so I opened it and went to look. They always said the castle holds secrets of old and if I could get lucky..." He trailed off, but I could guess some of his ideas. Because I had the same ones against Umbridge.


    "You are weird... Heh, and? It was there where you saw the spirit of Grindelwald?"


    "You still don''t believe me..." He grumbled, sighing a little, but he wasn''t angry, wholly sure he would be able to prove it in just a few minutes.


    "Sorry, but I am 100% sure that Grindelwald''s spirit is not what you saw."


    "But you believe I saw something?" He asked, stopping once again and looking at me with surprise.


    "I won''t deny that you could have seen something. But as I said, not what you think."


    "You are also weird..."


    "Err, okay, Dimitris... Touch¨¦... That was good."


    Not long after, we stepped into an old room that was littered with trash and old tools that someone had put there but forgotten about. It was nothing like our room of requirements; these were genuinely just knick-knacks that had been stored here for centuries, out of sight, out of problem. Sorting them out and looking for some artifacts could have been cool, but we didn''t come to try to find gold in a trash heap.


    But, as Dimitris said, the centerpiece was the big cauldron, immediately drawing my attention to it. I can see how he could fit into it; hell, two of him could be sleeping in that. It was made of blackened, old iron, sitting on its flat bottom, unadorned from top to bottom. What was it used for? Cooking dinner for a whole army? I watched as he pulled out his wand and used it to lift the heavy cauldron off the ground and cram it against the other stuff in there, making a racket.


    "Great, now everyone heard we are here!" I grumbled, watching him let go of the thing, making a big thump as its heavy body kicked the dust up into the air from the stone floor.


    "They don''t come here, so don''t worry. I was crying and screaming for help for hours after sundown, but nobody came."


    "..." I was beginning to pity him but refused to comment on it this time. "Huh... that is the door, I guess?"


    "Yes, it is unlocked!" He continued without pausing, grabbing the rusty circle handle and pulling the door up, revealing a steep stairway leading into darkness. "This way!"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Are you going to turn around and attack me once we are down there?" I whispered, wearing a small smile, making him stop, one leg already on the stairs. The way he turned around, looking at me, was way too honest, and I never saw someone this dumbfounded by a question.


    "W... wh...why would I?" He stuttered, trying to make sense of it, making my grin grow wider.


    "It was just a joke. I trust my senses; let''s go!"


    "What does that even mean...?"


    I could see he wasn''t getting it, and I wasn''t letting him think too far, almost pushing him down so we could get moving. Summoning a bright ball of light at the end of our wands, the old stone walls revealed themselves once again as we got deeper and deeper until they widened out to let us into a spacious wine cellar.


    "Do you think there is wine in them?" I asked, looking at the humongous wooden barrels, bigger than both of us put together.


    "I don''t know, I never thought about it. Maybe? I don''t like wine. Or alcohol."


    "I was just curious, that''s all. Don''t look at me like I am an alcoholic! So... is Grindelwald here? Roaming the old bottles, drinking away his sorrows of losing to Dumbledore?"


    "Not entirely... but who knows. As I said, I think his spirit is broken. He repeats a kind of weird mantra, ending in a question, and if you fail to answer him, he attacks you!"


    "Attacks? What do you mean?"


    "Well, I failed to answer his question, and I felt an invisible hand push me away, and whenever I tried to get closer to him, it did it again! I ended up being shoved back so hard that my legs left the ground. But, if you wait a day or two, it will ask you again, and you can try to guess it... But I don''t think he knows the answer either. It is a mad spirit!"


    That sounds not like a spirit... In my head, I was already thinking that it had to be Grindelwald''s second hidden treasure, and something like a spell was guarding it. For sure, it is not his spirit nor a Horcrux going wild. That would be the biggest twist of all.


    "Come this way!"


    Dimitris led me further, through the empty, dusty shelves, to a doorway where the wooden door had already been dismantled long ago, only pieces of it remaining behind, now littering the stone floor. From there, another space opened up with different, empty cells, ancient suits of armor, or rusted weapons hanging from the walls. It was weird, but then again, I saw something that made my theory become even firmer.


    "See that? That''s the same symbol that he carved onto the walls of the school!" He whispered, pointing at the battered banner hanging from the opposite wall right above a medium-sized wine casket. "That is why I know; it''s his spirit!"


    "Yes, I am seeing it." I answered thoughtfully because I was sure that I was right. Of course, Dimitris took my change in tone as I began to believe him, making his voice proud and vindicated.


    "See? I told you!"


    "How do you summon him?"


    "Why would we?" He gasped, going pale, "I don''t want to! Don''t you know what kind of man he was? It is too dangerous, last time when I realized who he was, I wanted to cry! What if he kills us?"


    "You said you will prove to me that his spirit exists." I countered, beginning to grin again and walking closer to his symbol.


    Sure enough, a ghostly apparition emerged a moment later, floating around the casket, mumbling and muttering to himself. Looking at it, he was like a young Grindelwald, maybe a year older than me. I couldn''t help but twitch my mouth when I heard Dimitris''s surprised voice coming from behind.


    "He resembles your father."


    "We are... related. Did you forget?" I added, not knowing what to say to that... He is observing things way too quickly. "He is indeed mumbling something." I tried inching closer, wanting to listen to what it was without triggering whatever spell it may be, wishing to hear more.


    "In twilight''s veil where shadows glide,


    A shroud of whispers, unseen guide.


    Through realms of mist, I softly tread,


    Embraced by secrets, all unsaid.


    In whispered hush, I''m but a wraith,


    A fleeting breath, a hidden faith.


    Beyond the grasp of mortal eye,


    In echoes soft, I pass on by.


    What am I, in twilight''s sheen?


    A whispered secret, yet unseen."


    I could now understand why Dimitris thought he was mad or a fragment of a soul because this did sound like that. I did my best to memorize what it was saying, and when I was about to ask Dimitris if it was the same as before, the ''spirit'' turned toward me and just stared at me. Ah... was it waiting for an answer? Well... damned if I know.


    "Death?" I asked, but then I felt a hand push me by my chest, out of nowhere, flinging me backward. By the time I caught what happened, I landed on my back and skidded in the dust and grime until I was before Dimitris''s feet. "Ouch..."


    "Told you!" He grumbled, his eyes filled with fear, helping me up, "We should leave and not trouble the dead!"


    "It''s not dead. Nor is it a ghost!" I added with a moan, rubbing my waist. I saw ghosts; they can''t really do something like this. If it would be a poltergeist, yeah, sure, I can see that happening, but this thing is not one!"


    "How can you know?"


    "I know Grindelwald; trust me on that."


    "But..." But he stopped, looking at me and back at the murmuring spirit before gulping and tilting his head, "Well, you are related, so... I guess? But if it isn''t a spirit, what is it?"


    "Probably a spell that failed because of time." I lied, not wanting to plant the idea in his head to start exploring the place and dig more into it, "I know of spells that place a spectral presence in areas they don''t want others to visit. Think of it as an alarm spell. I guess this cellar was a place where he did some experiments, and this was one of the old things guarding it."


    "Oh! I see, I see, that does make sense! He was still a student back then, and he was conducting a lot of weird experiments! They say some of his classmates went missing, too!"


    That... could be true. I was not doubting him there. But, for now, I think I saw enough, and it would be best if I told this to the real Grindelwald. Maybe this will refresh his memories a little. More importantly, we had to do something about it fast because when I said we should leave, I saw a newfound excitement in Dimitris''s eyes, and I feared he would for sure look into it and come back and try to solve the puzzle...

 Chapter 129 – Resurrection Stone

    "Finally, I was starting to worry!" Quincy grumbled when I got back, coming to hug me. "How was it?"


    "Weird. There was a phantom that was Grindelwald''s, but it was definitely not a ghost. I think it is a defensive spell decorated with a riddle as its lock."


    "Did you memorize it?"


    "Of course!" I answered while rolling my eyes, quoting it word for word.


    In twilight''s veil where shadows glide,


    A shroud of whispers, unseen guide.


    Through realms of mist, I softly tread,


    Embraced by secrets, all unsaid.


    In whispered hush, I''m but a wraith,


    A fleeting breath, a hidden faith.


    Beyond the grasp of mortal eye,


    In echoes soft, I pass on by.


    What am I, in twilight''s sheen?


    A whispered secret, yet unseen.


    That''s it."


    "Hmmm... Peculiar... Hopefully, it will jar something within his mind. There have to be clues hidden within because there was one in the alchemy set!"


    "What do you mean?" I asked, raising my eyebrows while she cracked a wide grin, dragging me into our room.


    It was messy beyond belief. Most of the furniture was swept out of the way while the cauldron of Flamel was sitting in the middle, a pinkish potion bubbling within it, releasing a cherry-like aroma from within. Next to it, on a potion-holding rack, five vials were corked up, making something of a rainbow with their different colors.


    "He didn''t lie; in the documents, I found clues! Look, it is evident if you look hard enough!"


    "Evident... for you..." I muttered, smiling, watching the different ingredients circled by her.


    "I think it is pretty easy to find out..." She mumbled, biting her lips, "When I began trying to make the potions he mentions, the ones that he practiced with to recreate the Philosopher''s Stone, all the recipes had a dud ingredient hidden within! See these completed ones?"


    "Yes?"


    "Give it a sniff!" She exclaimed, uncorking one, and the moment I leaned forward, I could smell death.


    "Ugh! What the-?! This stinks!"


    "Isn''t it?"


    "I wouldn''t laugh, damn! What is in there, liquified rotten meat?"


    "Nooo~!" She continued after quickly resealing the vial. As I told you, all the recipes, besides detailing why they were a failure, also had one in them that turned them from potion to poison. The one I am brewing right now is without the planted Trojan horse!"


    "What is it? It is sweet..." I asked while leaning forward, trying to wash the horrible, rancid smell from my nostrils.


    "This one is a love potion."


    "Why do you need one?"


    "I don''t need it!" She answered at once, blushing and suddenly realizing why I was asking. Although I knew full well she wasn''t going to use it, it was just her curiosity and love for potions that made her cook up all the new recipes; I couldn''t help but tease her a little.


    "Uhum..."


    "Uuu, no, it is nothing like that! Conrad!" She moaned, crawling over me, kissing me in a hurry, and hugging me tight, "Sorry... I didn''t think ahead..."


    "As long as you don''t plan to use it..." I continued with a sulking whisper, and her hug became even stronger.


    "No way! I would never! Hauh... Sooorryyy! Really!"


    "Okay, okay... I believe you!" I chuckled in the end, making her ease up, giving me another kiss, nestling in my lap, and turning around to face the cauldron while pulling my hands on her tummy.


    "It''s Grindelwald''s fault because he added a love potion recipe into the mix!"


    "Um, um, I agree! So... what did you discover?"


    "Oh, yes! So, those duds I mentioned. It took me a bit of time, but I figured out which ones were as they were opposite to all the other elements within the recipe. No wonder they turned it poisonous! After looking them up, all those ingredients were synonyms for death, resurrection, and stone."


    "So the one piece of information hidden in there is related to the Resurrection Stone. Got it. I would have not thought about it!" I laughed, kissing the top of her head. "So the second one has to be either the Elder Wand or the Cloak of Invisibility."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "But he remembers the wand..." Quincy added with a confused murmur.


    "He could have still excluded some of his memories of it. Maybe it''s how he found it or some other lore. Perhaps a countermeasure against it? He couldn''t do much more because he was using it while fighting, so... we will see when he remembers it fully! Plus, there is more!"


    "Oh? What else?"


    "Let me tell you about this Dimitris guy I have met. He is interesting and weird. And I learned something that I may use¡ªabout someone who is destined to the same fate as Umbridge!"


    "But we don''t have a basilisk."


    "Huh?" I flinched, tickling her before playfully pinching her sides. "What are you saying, silly? We do have one!" I added, using parseltongue, making her blush because she was so used to our animagi form that she instinctively ignored mine.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When the following day came, I was surprised to see that Dimitris approached us without any hesitation during the breaks between classes. We were heading to the grounds where our following class would be about maneuvers with a broom, something that I was looking forward to. When we stopped, turning towards him, I saw the surprises and question marks on the others'' faces, watching him, halting their stops not that far away to make sure they could listen in. Did they think he came to confess to Quincy?


    "Is he?" she asked, making the boy nod and quickly shake her hand without reserve.


    "Hi, my name is Dimitris! Alexander-" He turned immediately to me, making me want to laugh, "I was thinking yesterday, and you are probably right! It must be a spell... A trick! We should go back and try to dispel it!" Tsk... I no longer wanted to laugh. This was precisely what I was afraid of.


    "I don''t know if that is smart. Just look at that!" I added with a shrug, pointing towards Grindelwald''s emblem on the wall.


    "I agree with Con-, cough, with Alexander." Quincy added, making almost the same mistake as I did.


    "..." Dimitris was surprisingly silent, narrowing his eyes, furrowing his brows, and looking back and forth between us. "Hm. Okay... But if you two go down there and take it away without telling me, I will tell everything to the teachers!" He whispered seriously, making me twitch my mouth.


    "Damn... Are you threatening us? And you said that you are being bullied?" I asked with a soft chuckle, beginning to nod my head, watching him turn a bit white, realizing that what he had said could easily be thought of as one.


    "N-n-no... I... I just... It would be unfair... I discovered it..."


    "Hah, relax!" Quincy giggled, patting his shoulders before holding my hand, "We won''t do it~ Let''s go, we don''t want to be late! See you around, Dimitris!"


    As we left, he hesitated a little, maybe wanting to say something else, but in the end, he didn''t and went on his own way.


    "Interesting guy, you were right about that. A bit weird but interesting." She murmured, looking back at once. I think the others also listened to her well.


    "I told you." I was about to continue when a second voice belonging to Grindelwald interrupted us.


    "Come with me for a moment." He appeared from nowhere, taking us away without any option to question why. Haaah... too bad, it was the only lesson I was looking forward to, and it will be the first one I miss. Typical.


    "Did something happen?" Quincy asked when we entered his temporary office, and with a flick of his wand, he sealed the room around us.


    "Yes." He nodded, leaning against a desk and crossing his arms. "I was extracting memories of the different teachers and came across a coup. At least four of the teachers are ready to launch an attack to rob Karkaroff of his Headmaster''s position."


    "That''s good, isn''t it?" I exclaimed, not getting why he wasn''t more happy about it.


    "For now, it has stopped because of our arrival, and they are trying to assess whether they can still win or not, so I can''t be sure yet. My only concern is that if something happens before we find my belongings, it will become impossible to do so afterward."


    "About that, I think I found a second one!" After retelling everything that happened, he nodded, confirming my conjecture.


    "Yes. You are right. Don''t try to steal the cask without answering the riddle. I made it so that if anyone tried that, the spell would detonate and probably kill you. But for sure, it would destroy what I hid in there."


    "Great. Now we will have to go back and start guessing until we get it right, huh?" I smiled, but his next words quickly erased it from my face.


    "Don''t fail too many times. If my returned memories are intact, the spell will turn against you after three failed tries and become hostile towards your presence."


    "Wonderful... Well, at least Quincy has better news!"


    "Oh?" Grindelwald was visibly excited hearing it, and when my wife retold everything she discovered, I watched his body shiver while he took a deep breath. "Yes... I remember now. Good work, Alexandra! What?" He asked, looking at me, noticing my twitching mouth.


    "Nothing." It''s just that even now, he keeps using our fake names while we both almost tripped up. Ugh, we are still not there!


    "Now I remember." Grindelwald continued, no longer questioning me but letting his memories flood back while reciting them loudly. "The Resurrection Stone is small, smooth, and grayish-white, with the symbol of a circle inside a triangle engraved on it. The stone itself is somewhat translucent, and when held up to the light, it appears to have a slight luminescence, giving it an otherworldly aura. Its supposed ability is to bring back the spirits of the dead, allowing the bearer to converse with them, but this does not mean that they will become flesh and bones. Think of them as spirits who are there and only perceptible to the one holding the stone."


    "Huh..." We couldn''t help but look at each other, and my first thought was that I could speak with Father if I had that... I... wanted to ask him some questions I buried deep within. I think Quincy thought of something similar, seeing the light in her eyes and how she quickly held onto my hand. Then I remembered Herpo, but... I already communicate with him. Well, at least when he decides to answer me, of course.


    "Rude." He quipped at me in my head, almost making me burst out laughing.


    "There is more." Grindelwald continued, "I already found the stone; I just failed to physically track it down and get it for myself."


    "Oh? Where is it?" We asked simultaneously, but his words were like cold water on our heads the moment we heard him.


    "It is embedded into the ring of the Gaunts. It is a heirloom of Salazar Slytherin''s bloodline."

 Chapter 130 – Bullies (1)

    "We are lucky that HE doesn''t know about it, huh?" I murmured, sitting on my broom as we headed towards the school the next day.


    "I think Dumbledore thinks the same thing." Quincy agreed, thinking out loudly, "But it is also a good thing. Dumbledore clearly wants it; to get it, he needs to deal with HIM first. Which also means there will be a showdown between them, for sure."


    "That will be the best moment for us to strike. But for that, we need to get stronger. The problem is that he has decades of experience ahead of us."


    "We just need to work together¡ªnot like the pair that Grindelwald mentioned, but as a team. The meaning was simple: working together is better than working alone."


    She was right, and... we were not really alone. Not after we had written into the notebook and our old schoolmates had replied to us. Of course, we couldn''t tell without a shadow of a doubt whether it was legit. Who knows if one of theirs ended up with the Order or with a Death Eater... But I had hope. Maybe they weren''t lying. They may have been there, still on our side, or even more so after what happened.


    "Will you look for Dimitris?" She asked as we touched down because tonight, we would try to go back and visit the shadow of Grindelwald. We didn''t plan to take the cask away yet, but we wanted to investigate the cellar more and look for possible clues that would help us solve the riddle.


    "Well, it was he who discovered it... And he is being bullied, so I don''t think he would rat us out to anyone."


    "..." I knew that look she gave, as she was also picked on in our first year, but she never let it bother her. Luckily, we stemmed it out quickly, and by the end of our third year, we turned it around completely. Dimitiris... I wasn''t so sure he had such luck, so helping him wouldn''t be too bad of a choice. Just as we said, making friends is always beneficial. "Um, let''s go and look for him before class; we still have time!"


    "Sure!"


    First, we asked around which class he was in, and after we entered and asked for him, we only got the response that nobody had seen him yet. Huh... Weird. When I asked with a bit more force, holding my wand and playing around with it, they still swore that nobody had seen the ''dork'' since yesterday. While we left without any success, I was quickly reminded of how the others looked at him from our class. Going to ask them if they did anything to him would be worse for Dimitris because it could quickly ramp up the bullying he was receiving... But, if we can''t find him, I see no other options.


    "Let''s go." I nudged Quincy, and by now, we were sure we would miss the class, but none of us cared about it anymore.


    First, I led her down to the same place where the entrance to the hidden cellar was, but he was not there. I double-checked the giant cauldron to be sure, and it was empty. We even used some dispelling spells to make sure what we were seeing was not an illusion.


    "Who would have used it?" Quincy asked, knocking at the sides of the giant pot, "This thing is horrible! It''s quality... Bah, this is an insult to potion makers!"


    "Maybe it was a giant''s?"


    "Hm... Perhaps... But I don''t know if they know how to cook a meal, not to mention making potions. Brr, seeing this is making me icky! Let''s go!"


    "You are becoming a true master, hm?" I asked while smiling, hugging her waist, and making her blush. It was good. I was not interested in making potions, yet they were essential for any mage. I would trust anything Quincy makes and drink it, no matter if she presented me with the nastiest-smelling, foul swamp water or with something that tasted like liquid death.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "That is my goal!" She replied with a proud grin while we walked up from the cellar.


    Now, I was a bit stumped. Dimitris, for sure, was bullied once again. The question was, how hard it happened this time? Or where? After a bit of thinking, I decided to go and look for Grindelwald. As a teacher, he ought to know more. When we caught him, he was about to hold his next lesson, and after hearing who we were looking for, he was ready to say something, but I interrupted him.


    "I don''t need that kind of help. I just want to know where he lives. We will check and find him ourselves." I still remember what he said to us back in Nurmengard. That he would help us but won''t solve our problems.


    "I was going to say that I will look into it, but... I am glad you are confident." He added with a faint smile, using his wand to summon the students'' logbook, telling us that Dimitris was one of the students with the rare privilege of living in the school''s dorms. Huh. I did not expect that. "Fourth floor, B-Wing, Room 101. Here, you will need this to access it because it''s magically warded against normal students." He added, tapping the top of our heads with his wand, and I felt a strange energy enveloping my body. "You have an hour before it dissipates. Don''t linger afterward, or the protective spells will begin punishing you with Crucio."


    "Thanks!" we said simultaneously before rushing off, heading straight to the top. We were only stopped by an older student, close to being 17 or 18, right at the entrance to the B-Wing.


    "What are you doing here? This place is off-limits to regular students!"


    "Maybe, but we have permission to come." Quincy answered before I could, raising her hand, showing the slight glow around it, clearly indicating Grindelwald''s magic.


    "No, you don''t; your faces are new. Every time, some idiots come here, thinking they can sneak in. Get lost!"


    "We are not here to argue." I joined, trying to look calm, "If we can''t go in, so be it, but at least you could help us out then to go and call Dimitris over."


    "I''ve never heard of him. Now get lost!" He repeated, unimpressed, wanting to wave us away.


    "You are lying." We said in sync, surprising him and narrowing his eyes to the size of a pinhead.


    "You have the gall to accuse me, newcomers? Maybe I should teach you a lesson... what, inbreeding made you all stupid?"


    "Not really, but you were definitely dropped on your head." Quincy added with a loud scoff, crossing her arms, not even going for her wand, "If you won''t call him out and won''t let us in, then we will WALK in. Through YOU. Choose."


    "Hah! As if you could!"


    The way he laughed, I could feel that he was angry¡ªoh, so furious¡ªI could feel it. But he made a fatal mistake: He raised his wand towards Quincy. By the time his hand was halfway up, I had already cast my own spell, knocking his wand out from between his fingers and pressing the tip of mine against his neck.


    "Don''t you ever think about using magic against her... My next spell will kill you, and not in a kind way. I will set your body on fire and see you melt into the ground. Understood?"


    "You... don''t... have-" He wanted to argue something, but then the cruciatus curse made him shut up as he fell to the ground, writhing in agony.


    "Now..." I continued, stopping the spell and looking down at him. Are you going to let us in?"


    "...Y... Ye... Yes..." He said, finding it hard to open his mouth with his muscles still spasming uncontrollably, afraid that I would do it once again.


    "Good. Now, wriggle aside and let us through. You can go and summon those who made you stand guard here; we don''t care. You know what? Gather your feeble strength and do it! It would be even better. Now shoo, go, call your masters!"


    With that, we both walked past him while Quincy made sure to step on his wand, breaking it into two. We were no longer bothering with the man and searched for Dimitris''s room, finding it after a minute or so. Knocking on it had no result, and we had to use the unlocking spell in multiple succession to finally open his door.


    "Geez... they got you good, huh?" I exclaimed with a sigh, seeing Dimitris sitting on his bed, awoken by our noise. His face looked as if a complete beehive had gotten to him. It had to be some kind of curse because I couldn''t see his eyes, thanks to how bloated and lumpy his head had become. He wanted to answer with something, but he could barely make a word, and breathing was already a difficulty in itself.


    "Conrad?" Quincy whispered, and I heard how angry she was. "I will whip up something for it. Can you stand guard at the door so nobody comes in and troubles me why I brew an antidote?"


    "Sure thing." I nodded, kissing her cheeks, not bothering to ask why she didn''t use my alias this time. "Stay put, Dimitris, okay? She will turn you back to normal in a jiffy!"


    With that, I walked back out, closing the door behind me, wand in hand, smiling. The hour was ticking; I just hoped the guys coming for me would entertain me long enough.

 Chapter 131 – Bullies (2)

    Standing out in the corridor, I could already hear multiple steps hurrying towards me. It didn''t take long for the owners of four guys to appear, looking towards me with fury in their eyes. Glancing at their robes, I knew at once they were all in their last year, which raised a question within me. Why were they bullying Dimitris? For Quincy? I highly doubt it because that would be more than a pitiful excuse to curse a third-year student over a fourth-year one.


    Something else we were unaware of had to be going on behind the scenes. I will also have to question Dimitris about his background because, so far, I assumed he was just an ordinary student. But then again, he is living within the castle, so he has to have a strong background. Oh well, that is for then; this is for now.


    "You! Who are you?" the first of the four barked at me, making me tilt my head. I watched his bulky, well-built figure, short black hair, and the pulsating vein on the side of his head, pumping blood toward his cold, black eyes. Why so angry? Oh well, let me pop that vessel and give you an aneurysm, then.


    "Your father."


    "What?!" They stopped, feeling as if they had misheard me. Looking at them closely, they were similar. Not like siblings, but more like a uniform unit. Same boots, same cloaks, same haircut... hm. Maybe a group that requires some uniformity? It could be.


    "Deaf? I said I am your father. What? Didn''t get the memo? I returned from the corner store, but they were out of milk, so instead, I bought you something different as a gift."


    "What...?" They asked again, stumped, and I couldn''t help but shrug, listening to their boneheadedness. Was I not speaking their language? Was my charm broken? Whatever...


    "It''s a beatdown. It was on sale in a family package for four dunces."


    Flicking my right hand, my wand appeared between my fingers in a flash, raised forward, glowing in a soft, red light. A stunning spell burst out from it as it hit the first of them in the chest, flinging him backward like a sockpuppet. When I aimed at the second guy, he was fumbling to get his wand ready, way too confident in himself to come prepared. It was a big mistake. I kept smiling, watching his body stiffen, being hit by my second spell, falling face first onto the stone floor accompanied by a crack as he broke his nose.


    "At least the rest of you are not a complete disappointment to your daddy!" I added with a laugh, deflecting their spells, throwing one against the wall with a red flash and sparks while the second attacking spell ricocheted off my shield charm, hitting the ceiling.


    This time, I didn''t attack immediately, waiting for their spells and watching their arms'' movements. They weren''t speaking as they were using wordless casting, but it didn''t matter; most adult wizards were doing that anyway. Even when I couldn''t recognize the spell they were about to use, I could tell if it was to aim at me, my immediate vicinity, or at my wand just by the partial movements of their wrists. From there, I only had to respond appropriately. Let the attacks against my body be deflected by my shield charm while I aimed a counter-attack at the ones going for my wand. Those that aimed at the floor or the wall? I didn''t care about it because, by the first ricochets, I had already determined that the castle was protected by some kind of ancient magic, so it shouldn''t have any effect.


    "They are not bad..." I murmured, exchanging the fourth round with the two, watching as the third was about to stand back up before I proceeded to change and begin attacking. Deflecting another disarming spell, I aimed at the clothes of the first guy, using accio on them, and reeled him towards me like a fish, crashing into the back of his classmate who was in the way, knocking him down. "At least protect your body, you idiot." I added with a smirk, as the biggest mistake one could make in a duel is to lower his concentration and defenses, letting the enemy use such a simple method to screw with him. "Oh!"


    The last standing guy capitalized on my opening because he also used a spell when I went on the attack, forgoing his defenses. He was trying to hit me with a paralyzing spell, only for me to dodge it physically, as if it was a dance, turning my body sideways, watching the jet of red light pass by me. What? Do you think I would remain standing still like a statue? What were they being taught in class? Is every battle static, unchanging, and honorable? Don''t make me laugh.


    By the time he recovered, I was already on the attack again, but he was better than the rest. With a shield raised, he deflected my first spell, and he managed to keep up with the speed of my casting, countering all my attacks. Still, the difference between us was visible because I was still calm and smiling, unlike him, who was panicking and sweating.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "STOP IT ALREADY!" came a loud shout, and by the voice and its strength, I was sure it wasn''t a teacher. It was still young-sounding. Their leader? Whoever it was, I saw his spell first, then the guy himself.


    With one fired off from my own wand, I canceled out his, making a small explosion in the corridor and throwing my previous opponent against the wall. Finally, I could see him, and I was right. It was another student. He looked more... prepared? Dangerous? The feeling I got from him was much more mature than the others.


    "You are coming with me!" He said, looking at me, his dark eyes drilling into mine. He held his wand ready for anything while slicking back his black hair with his free fingers.


    "No, I don''t think so."


    "Know your place!" He answered with an angry scoff, making my smile return.


    "I know it. It is right here."


    "Fighting within the castle is forbidden by the rules! You are going to be expelled; I will make sure of it!"


    Really... Rules? Are we bringing rules up now? Did I hear it right? If I did... Then, will those four also be expelled? Yeah, surely. Hmmm, this is fun.


    "Smile as much as you want; you are done for, kid!"


    "I don''t care about your rules," I answered, twitching my finger while watching his hand. I saw him immediately react in a way that he could have defended himself if I had attacked. He was fast, but not as fast as my Father or Grindelwald. I could take him on. I want to take him on; I need to improve.


    "Propesterous, the rules-" He began his monologue, but I cut in with a low chuckle.


    "Rules are for those who can''t afford to go against them. This means that the rules are for the weak... I don''t care about YOUR rules. I can respect them when I must, but when I feel they are in my way... I won''t care overstepping them."


    I didn''t give him another chance to speak and attacked, sending a blinding red light toward him in the form of an explosion spell that he managed to redirect, blasting the glass window on our left wide open. It was not over because I used another spell to grab the shards of glass, spinning in the air before hurling them toward him. He turned them into dust when they entered his protective field, reducing them to their primary element. Creative.


    There was no pause between us. I had already advanced forward, bombarding him with blue fire, sweeping through the corridor and engulfing him and his shield. Feeling a fluctuation, trusting my heightened instincts, I dodged by ducking towards the left, avoiding an invisible, arrow-like spell flying past me, shattering at the other end of the corridor. I watched as he shot it through my fire before using the explosion of his shield charm to extinguish it and try to attack with his own spell. He was quick, and I was just getting into the rhythm of our fight, erecting my own shield and blocking his explosive spell that pushed back multiple meters when a new voice arrived.


    "STOP! RIGHT NOW!"


    This time, it was a more mature voice. A teacher and I already managed to place a face to it. Andrei, the Dark Arts teacher. I was in the middle of using an expelliarmus spell against my current enemy when I felt a sharp pang hit me from behind. It was not actual pain, but my instincts warned me, my blood boiling, that I was in great danger. Not letting it take over me, I used it, this time managing to slow my time perception down as much as I wanted, rolling in the opposite direction, avoiding an icicle-like spell fly by me.


    "AAAARGH!"


    With a loud cry, my opponent fell to the side, grabbing his thighs, pierced by the attack, immobilizing him while I remained unharmed, standing up and now turning towards the culprit, Andrei. He was lanky and thin, his black hair was curly and rough, and his brown eyes were ablaze with anger as he looked at me. I don''t think he thought I would dodge. Well, I didn''t know that there was a hidden staircase leading up here at the other end to try and stab me in the back. So... we are even now.


    "You will be out of this school by tonight!" He sneered, looking at me, which would have been scary to hear. Two years ago. In Hogwarts.


    "I don''t think so."


    "You dare talk back to me?!" He shouted, raising his voice an octave higher, which was grading but also funny.


    "Yes."


    "...!" This time, I guess, he couldn''t raise his voice any higher, so he remained silent, but his face turned red as a baboon''s ass. "I want to see if you will keep the smirk on your face, you bastard, after I am done with you!"


    "What? Are you going to stab me like you did to that poor fella?" I asked with a laugh, pointing at the bleeding, moaning guy on the ground, now surrounded by the other four, bruised, beaten, and defeated.


    Maybe it was what made him raise his hand, and I already knew the spell that was about to come out from his wand. Cruciatus. Bring it! But before it would have a chance to appear, a simple spell, without any knockback or flash, flicked the wand out of between Andrei''s fingers, sending it flying through the air and landing in Grindelwald''s hand.


    "You dare!" Andrei pointed at him, but I could feel the fear in his voice because nobody, not even my basilisk senses, picked up on him arriving or casting a spell.


    "My hands slipped." He answered calmly, walking up to me, ignoring the mess in the corridor or the moans of others. "Here." He continued, presenting Andrei''s wand to him with a placid look, "Take it."


    "..." After a moment of hesitation, Andrei shook himself, jolting his mind out of its weird indecisiveness, and swiped at Grindelwald''s hand, looking nefariously at us.


    "A fight between youngsters is inevitable." Grindelwald continued calmly, wearing a knowing smile, "But it is the best way to find talents and diamonds, don''t you say? Let them weed the weak out by themselves so we can teach the cream of the crop. Or... did Durmstrang''s views change in the past century or so? I didn''t know the school had fallen so far..."


    Andrei could say nothing to that and simply walked past us, whispering so softly that only we could hear it.


    "This is not over... newcomers."

 Chapter 132 – Friends

    I was standing in the corridor, still holding my wand, watching the teacher leave, followed by the rest of the guys dragging away their injured partner.


    "How were they?" Grindelwald asked while I tilted my head, thinking back.


    "I never truly fought with Krum... but I did go against Fleur, and she was more dangerous than these guys. I think I could have killed them if I wanted." I wasn''t boasting; it was my honest thoughts after our little bout.


    "Killing is easy. It is the easiest way, but that won''t hone your skills. Taking the easy path every time will never prepare you for challenges... and then when you fail, you will fail hard and never stand back up."


    "What''s next?" I asked after a brief pause, asking about what to expect.


    "I will deal with the higher-ups'' pressure if they try to do something¡ªnot that it matters for us. I will keep it at bay until all three of my belongings are found, and I remember everything. Then we leave¡ªsimple. For the rest, do what you want."


    "Really?" I asked, smiling, but he didn''t answer. He simply left me alone, departing from the messed-up corridor.


    A short pause later, I walked back to Dimitris''s room, opened the door, and almost bonked his head with it when I pushed it in.


    "You weren''t subtle at all." Quincy giggled, kneeling on the floor and stirring her new, favorite cauldron and the green, bubbling sludge within it.


    "I was bored."


    "Did they die?" She asked nonchalantly, but the question scared Dimitris. Looking at me, he tried to say something, but his puffed-up head and stiff muscles prevented him from making any sound.


    "Nope. All of them are fine. Well, one of them was hurt by Professor Andrei and not by me. The guy tried to ambush me, but he was not that good of a duelist, indeed. How''s it at your end?"


    "I am almost done. The curse they hit Dimitris with is not a big deal; after prodding it with my wand, I got the gist of it."


    I knew Dimitris had so many questions bubbling in him, but he was unable to ask them. Well, only for a short time. After Quincy was done with the potion, she held up the cauldron, and right before our confused eyes, she poured it on the top of his head. I would have thought she was just torturing him if I didn''t know her this well... it was surprising, for sure. And it was nasty because those lumps and swellings began dripping down from Dimitris''s face like lard, landing on the floor with loud splatters, releasing a foul stench.


    "Merlin''s drunken breath, this is awful!" I gagged, rushing towards the window and throwing it open.


    "Hmmm, it is. It was a strong curse." She nodded, covering half of her face with her robe as we watched Dimitris''s regular face reappear after wiping it down. It was as if his face melted away, revealing a shiny, new look. Ugh... I felt sick.


    I think Dimitris also felt flabbergasted because he was speechless, rubbing his cheeks, and surprised by the quick effects. In the end, we cleaned up the mess, and after we could breathe freely again, it was time to listen to his questions.


    "Who are you? Why are you here? How are you not in trouble yet? You fought with others, and are you still alive? Andrei will-"


    "Woah, woah, slow down!" I laughed, stopping her before he bit off his tongue. "One at a time! First, we are Alexander and Alexandra. Remember?"


    "..." Looking at us silently, his head was going back and forth, the gears within his mind turning so quickly that I swear I saw his ears smoking. He finally took a deep breath after putting everything together, speaking calmly. "Got it."


    "That''s it?" Quincy exclaimed, surprised at how quickly he agreed to accept it.


    "That''s it... and... thanks." He added with sincerity, saying it to both of us. "But it was stupid; It would... it would have been fine in a day or two! Now you made a lot of enemies!"


    "It wouldn''t be the first time." We said in unison, "But I wouldn''t worry, not really. We are not that easily bullied or terrified, not even by someone like Andrei."


    "Andrei is influential... he has friends at good places and-"


    "So what?" I asked, interrupting him, "Others can have friends too, don''t they? Is being influential only for one person? I didn''t know that guy monopolized it for himself. How weird!"


    "Okaaay... I get it..." Dimitris grumbled, looking away with a half-smile. "You don''t need to mock me; you are clearly weird and unafraid. Even using fake names and polyjuice potions... whatever! I won''t ask!"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "..."


    This time, it was our turn to be greatly surprised, looking at him, and he kept averting our gazes, but I think we just confirmed it for him with our silence. I knew he was way too perceptive of a guy... but I couldn''t tell how he figured out the polyjuice part.


    "The names were easy as you used them," he explained, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "And while Quincy prepared the concoction, I noticed the ingredients in her alchemical box. Most of it was organized, and although it was well stocked, those who needed that potion were low, meaning you had been making the thing. Add the fake names, and here we are. I won''t ask why because you helped me, so you are clearly not bad guys, so... Well, that''s it."


    "You were right, he is weird." Quincy added with a giggle, elbowing me.


    "I now also understand why you are this close; you are not siblings but lovers, yes?" He pressed on, clearly driven by his curiousness, making my wife answer.


    "More than that. We are married."


    "Oh, that makes sense. Um... What I don''t get is why you came for me or why you helped me?"


    "Coincidence... and well, we are getting along, so we are not that far from helping you out. You helped me; I helped you. Simple." I answered, making him furrow his brows.


    "I helped you? When? Ah. The casket!" Damn it. This guy is good. How the hell did he put that together?! "You are here for Grindelwald''s stuff! I get it now! Is this a heist? I''ll help!"


    "R-r-really?" I asked, feeling flabbergasted, but... sure. Why not? I am not against a helper, even if his attitude surprised me.


    "You would help? Why?" Quincy asked, unsure about his motivation, but then again, Dimitris flashed a grin, showing a thumbs up toward us.


    "You helped me, I help you! You are my first friend here, so... Yeah! I''m in!"


    "That''s touching and sad," we told him, making him chuckle as he was already in a good mood and no longer worried. He was about to ask something again, but I cut into it before he could.


    "Speaking of origins... Who are you, Dimitris? This was not just a simple bullying. What is going on?"


    "I think they used the excuse of talking with you to ''warn'' me of my behavior... but it was more so because of my family''s bloodline. They simply find any reason to try and chase me away."


    "Why?" Quincy asked, feeling sorry for him, knowing how he must feel.


    "My family in Greece are descendants of an ancient, dark wizard, a very, very evil person who still has enemies to this day. Well, not enemies but other families who remember his name and hold grudges against us. I study here because it would have been impossible to do it back home. You see, even if my family is wealthy and has power, we must hide or risk being attacked in the open. Sadly, their reach is just as long, so they pay and bribe others here to make my life miserable."


    "Heh, fuck them!" I snorted, feeling angry about it, "Who was that wizard? Your ancestor? He had to be a menace if they are still this angry about it."


    "He was called Herpo the Foul."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You... know about him?" He asked, getting nervous, reading our amazed and shocked expressions.


    "You... you could say that!" Quincy stuttered, licking her lips and looking at me hurriedly while I was screaming within for Herpo to immediately wake up and explain this.


    "I get if you-" Dimitris began at once, dejected, thinking he just screwed things up by telling it.


    "It''s fine!" I exclaimed, patting his shoulders. "You are you and not your ancestor. Herpo lived in the ancient days, heh! Keeping a grudge for thousands of years? Are your enemies goblins?" I joked, but then again, he nodded, making my mouth twitch.


    "Those too. And some other magical beings besides some surviving wizarding families... But we are persona non grata in Gringotts because of our past."


    "His family could have been mine. Or related to me... but not from my main bloodline." Herpo stated, finally willing to speak to me within my head.


    "What do you mean?" I asked back, wanting to know more


    "My bloodline protection spell only manifests itself in the male line. Think of it as the trunk of a tree. That is where I live. Through the ages, the tree has grown to be a giant, so it has a wide trunk... with hundreds of branches coming off of it. Right now, the only ones connected to this trunk and thus connected to my consciousness are Tom and you, Conrad. All those tree branches? I know nothing about them. Not even if they sire a kid like him... they are too far away from the trunk, and even if they bear fruit, they would be cut off from my consciousness. The blood in them is too thin to awaken."


    "So... he may be of your descendant but like... a cousin of a cousin of a cousin?"


    "Something like that. Yes. Going by your paternal line, the further you are from me, the less blood of mine circulates within your veins. After a certain threshold, I will never know about you."


    "Which means if I ever have a child with Quincy, if he is a boy, you will be able to talk with him, and not, if she bears a girl?"


    "Exactly."


    "Weird."


    "A different era."


    "No, I mean, if your plan was to live on like this or something, I would have made it so all my descendants have it..."


    "..."


    Heh... I understand why he felt like stopping the explanation, and I was silent for long enough for Dimitris to begin noticing its weirdness.


    "Well, Dimitris the Foul!" I chuckled, making him flinch.


    "Please, don''t call me that."


    "Too late! Anyway, we came here because, as you said, we are here for what''s in the casket. We were about to go back tonight to check it out once again. You found it, so we thought it would be best if you knew about it, too. So you wouldn''t feel betrayed."


    "Thanks..." He whispered, looking down and I watched him shuffle, "I didn''t think you would have done it... I was wrong..."


    "Heh! You said it, we are your first friends, huh?" Quincy added with a laugh, patting his shoulders, "Let''s celebrate it then with stealing a treasure, hm? What do you say?"


    "That I''m in!"


    His answer was the first time when I didn''t feel weird looking at him. Instead, he was fired up... he reminded me of Neville. I wonder how he is...

 Chapter 133 – Invisibility Cloak

    I was expecting some trouble to come our way that day, but it remained strangely silent. I don''t know what Grindelwald did, but it was as if nothing had happened. Of course, we skipped the rest of the classes because, unlike the teachers, the students were constantly buzzing about it. So, we simply took off and spent the rest of the day above the vast fields, flying around and doing nothing but sightseeing. Dimitris had to do it many times because he was an excellent guide, taking us to old, fascinating ruins without vampires this time.


    But the real show started after sunset. We returned at dusk, hiding away within the castle, and after it was late enough, sneaking down to the cellar was effortless ¡ªmaybe even too easy, which I told them, too.


    "They shouldn''t know about it." Dimitris argued, but we had been burned too many times to take it easy, so Quincy and I left behind a few spells at the room''s entrance. It would trigger the moment anyone tried to cast any spells and hone in on its source with a powerful attack.


    Finally returning to the place, Quincy couldn''t help but smile when the spectral version of Grindelwald appeared before us. Gently waving her wand, she used a few detection spells, but nothing showed any reaction to it. It could have been for multiple reasons, so it was not like there were no other traps here, masked by Grindelwald''s old machinations.


    "Let me hear its riddle; maybe it changed." She exclaimed, walking up to the shade.


    "I thought we would just... investigate." I murmured with a shrug, but I wasn''t going to stop her. If we can take the casket away, so be it.


    "In twilight''s veil where shadows glide,


    A shroud of whispers, unseen guide.


    Through realms of mist, I softly tread,


    Embraced by secrets, all unsaid.


    In whispered hush, I''m but a wraith,


    A fleeting breath, a hidden faith.


    Beyond the grasp of mortal eye,


    In echoes soft, I pass on by.


    What am I, in twilight''s sheen?


    A whispered secret, yet unseen."


    Well, at least it did not change, but I also didn''t have any idea what it could mean. The only thing that came to mind was Death, but clearly, that was not the answer because it pushed me away when I said it out loud the last time. We couldn''t even guess because who knows if this spirit thinks those are all our answers and we use up our chances ahead of time? I am not keen on finding out what it feels like to be attacked by a spell of Grindelwald, designed to kill.


    "Is there a time limit?" Quincy whispered, looking back at us, but we had no idea. "I believe I know the answer, but... let me think it through. If I were Grindelwald, would I make that the answer? It''s... too easy."


    "Try it." I encouraged her, as she still had more choices, even if it was wrong.


    "This has to be related to one of the Hallows, and the riddle has to be connected to that, so my answer is... The Invisibility Cloak."


    With a pop, the spirit disappeared, leaving behind bluish specks of dust that then revealed the invisible magic surrounding the wine casket. As they fell onto its dusty surface, they transformed it into a green bottle with rolled-up parchment hiding inside.


    "Ooooh!" Dimitris''s exclamation jolted me out of my stunned expression. I watched excitedly as Quincy opened the bottle, took out the paper, and unfurled it, waiting for her, not wanting to trouble her thoughts with useless questions.


    "Iolanthe Peverell."


    "Huh?" We asked, and she turned towards us, showing the two words scribbled on it. The moment she did so, the paper turned into ash, and the bottle began glowing in a strange, orange light. "Damn it, we didn''t guess the riddle, only you! Seeing it must have activated another spell! Get out, quick!" I roared, grabbing Quincy''s hand and rushing towards the stairs.


    It turned out to be a good decision because the bottle exploded, and fiendish fire spread everywhere from it really fast. We pushed the trapdoor down, rolling the giant cauldron atop it, ensuring the chaos could not escape from below. To my surprise, that giant, useless cauldron held it at bay and even began warming up as if it was getting ready to be used again.


    "I think my robes got burnt..." Dimitris gasped, trying to catch his breath. True enough, all of our robes were smoking and missing parts at the bottom, dangerously close to leaving our butts visible.


    "Avada-"


    By the time I heard the voice, I was already in the motion of pushing Quincy out of the way of the spell. I was so focused on the whole fire thing that I completely let my attention fall... only my enhanced instincts warned me at the last moment, taking over my mind like a wailing siren. I heard the sounds of the world slowing down around me as I was fighting my body because it wanted to dodge, but I was not having it. Quincy was in danger, and I wouldn''t save myself if I could save her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    My fingers were wrapping around her arm, ready to give her a push, when another explosion happened. A blinding light came down from the ceiling, the workings of the trap we laid down when we arrived. It was enough to blast our assassin right atop his head, turning his incantation into a painful scream before he toppled forward, unconscious.


    "Ugh!" Groaned Quincy as she landed on the ground while I was atop of her, breathing down her neck. "Conrad!"


    "I''m fine... He couldn''t finish it." I whispered, quickly giving her a kiss and standing back up, looking at the assailant. "Are you okay, Dimitris?"


    "Y-y-y-ea... that... that... that was the killing... curse..."


    "Yeah. It would have been." I grunted, walking up to him, taking the wand out of the guy''s hand and pulling back the hood he was wearing. "If it isn''t the unlucky fucker, who got his thigh impaled by Andrei. Bastard."


    "That''s Mika, he is... He is the current Champion."


    "He is currently on the verge of dying." I answered, pointing my wand at his unconscious head, doing everything to not kill him. Killing is easy... I can use him for something more. Calm down, my blood... calm... down.


    "He was always at odds with Krum... I miss him." Dimitris murmured, and I wanted to turn towards him, but I wasn''t going to take my eyes off this bastard. Thankfully, Quincy asked the questions instead of me.


    "What do you mean? You knew Krum?"


    "No, not personally. I mean, he did help me a few times, but I was not the only one. He was well-liked by many but not by everybody. Still, as long as he was here, I had fewer problems with bullying. Mika was someone who always tried to take his position... Most vocations here have their best students named as their champions, and Krum held three of those titles. One was for flying, one for Quidditch, and one was for dueling. He stripped the latter from Mika, who was trying to get it back since then, and I think he still holds a deep grudge against Krum."


    "The wee fucker." I smiled, turning the guy to his back with my feet.


    "Wait, you know Krum, too?" Finally, Dimitris''s quick mind returned, putting things together, and I answered while keeping my wand pointed at the guy.


    "Yeah, we met. It''s a long story, but he helped us out big time once."


    "Krum was always like that... at first glance, he is a harsh, unfriendly guy, but... he has a big heart."


    "That we can''t argue with." Quincy agreed, looking at me, "What will you do with him? We can bring his body down, and nobody would be the wiser. If the fire is still raging, it can take care of the evidence."


    "..." This instantly made Dimitris close his mouth, and I could hear his breathing intensify.


    "This time... no," I said with a small smile. "I have a different idea. Impero!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It was the following day''s early morning. We both were back at our home, still awake, combing through the multiple codexes, looking for the meaning of the two words of Iolanthe and Peverell. We told Dimitris to stay put for now and not leave his room for a while. Not until we were sure what would happen next. As for that bastard Mika, I turned him into a spy. From now on, he should go to Dimitris every night, give him a detailed review of his day, and write down everything he knew and was part of. I was going to use him until he ran dry... then kill him.


    "Did you find anything?" Quincy asked with a tired groan, closing another book and throwing it back into her bag of holding.


    "Nope. I can''t find an incantation or the name of the spell or ingredient... anything. I''m lost in what it means. Still, how did you figure it out? A good guess?"


    "Nope! It was easy. We knew it was about the Hallows, so which one can you use to hear secrets and slink about while wearing it? Easy-peasy!"


    "So you found another one?" Asked Grindelwald, appearing like a spirit, making my heart jump. Damn it, this is the second time someone sneaks up on us today... at least he didn''t try and kill us.


    "Yes!" Quincy shouted, just as surprised, quickly retelling everything, and I saw our Master''s eyes flash with insight.


    "It isn''t a spell. It is a person. Iolanthe Peverell was the last descendant of the Peverell family. Their ancestor was the one in the old legend who asked for the Invisibility Cloak! It took me a lot of time to straighten out the bloodline of that family and track down the cloak. They kept it well hidden and a deep secret, even within the family. There were always two people who knew about it... one who held the cloak and the one who was about to inherit it. No more, no less."


    "Oh? So they have it still?" I asked, excited, waiting for him to continue.


    "The Peverells died out, but only in name. The last one, Iolanthe, has married to the Potter family."


    "Wait... The same Potters?" We both asked, looking at each other. Everyone knew their names. They were famous... and dead.


    "I''m afraid!" He sighed, "She married Henry ''Harry'' Potter, who was part of the Wizengamot from 1913 to 1921 and a big advocator of muggle rights and their supporter. So much so that through their Great War, he wanted to help the injured on the battlefield with magic. His antics were not something I liked, and with a bit of my interference in the shadows, I made it so he was stricken from the English, sacred wizarding families, and the Potters became somewhat of an outcast. I was preparing to steal the cloak from them, and this event made it more accessible. The fewer friends they had, the easier it would be to do it. Anyway, I never get that far... The real issue is that this also means that the one who now holds the cloak..."


    "Is Dumbledore."


    "Yes..." He shrugged, shaking his head, "No wonder Fate decided to set me free. He already has two and missing only the last one. Not what I expected."


    "How bad is it for us?"


    "Bad. But I will think of something..." He answered, scratching his chin, "Also, I came to warn you-"


    "Yesterday, we were ambushed." I answered, interrupting him and telling him everything, down to the last-minute details.


    "Good thinking. I have also placed half of the staff under my own imperius curse by now. I have chosen Andrei to be the catalyst for it all! He will be increasingly aggressive towards you, so get ready. Let it boil and fester... and when it explodes, Durmstrang will be out cold."

 Chapter 134 – Investigating (1)

    Did our situation suck? Probably. As how much... I couldn''t really tell. I never comprehended the gravitas of Dumbledore having two of the Hallows. He was still chased out of England, no? He still lost Hogwarts to Voldemort. He was still a fugitive in a different country for decades. Even Grindelwald lost while having the strongest wand in history. So... all of these considered, I couldn''t really think what was so great about them. I mean, about these Hallows.


    The most potent wand in existence... so what? What does that mean? Well, I can see that it would help someone at Dumbledore''s level, but to what extent? Maybe it would fire off spells more quickly, with more ''oomph'' behind them. But... I remember what Ollivander said about how the wand chooses its master. It is about magical symbiotism. Something that Grindelwald also believes in. Well, if my wand chose me, then that means we are a perfect match... why would I want to switch it to another who is so fickle? Nonsense.


    Then there is the cape¡ªor cloak¡ªwhatever. I could see that as valuable. I know that there are invisibility spells and cloaks, but those are not like what Grindelwald described to us, one that never fades and never loses its power. Something that could be useful for getting to places... where you have no business to be. Hehe... But then again, it hides the one under it, but that does not mean they are truly invisible. A simple search spell could reveal anyone who is under it. So... what''s so coveted about it?


    Lastly, the stone. It doesn''t bring back the dead... but summons them? I couldn''t really understand it. I would love to talk with my Father once again, but would it be really him? Or would it be something that the stone conjures, an imitation, read out from within my mind, mimicking my Father and telling me what I would want to hear? That was what I was fearing the most... I know ghosts exist, but they don''t even know what is on the other side. Haaah... I need to stop thinking about it because it is of no use to us.


    "It is not a bad thing to let your thoughts wander." Herpo interjected, speaking to me in my mind while I was lying on my bed, hugging my wife, watching the ceiling as the sun slowly began peeking above the horizon.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You are thinking about the three major theories that are the cornerstones of a mage''s life. The Hallows are the answers for the three main motivational sources of every witch or wizard."


    "Power? Death? Um... what the cloak is for?"


    "Hehe... smart. The cloak would be knowledge, I think. The wand is the solution to most magical wishes: to be powerful. It is the embodiment of raw power to do whatever you wish. I had that mindset once: more power, more authority. The stronger you are, the more you can achieve. Make the rules for others... while you obey none. That was my motto."


    "You earned your nickname through effort, huh?"


    "Yes. I did." He acknowledged it without any remorse or shame. Huh... I can''t really imagine what kind of wizard he was back then.


    "A bad one." Herpo added with a chuckle, "Then there was Death. I feared it. Even with all the power I had in me, simply aging and my enemies striking me down when I got weaker, that could still be deadly. Would I have acknowledged the latter part? Never. But in my mind, I knew it, so I was searching for an alternate, something to cheat Death with."


    "So you came up with the Horcruxes."


    "Yes. It seemed logical and fine, but it failed, so I tried something different... and here I am¡ªan undead spirit, existing in limbo, never to live, never to die."


    "..."


    "Don''t feel pity; I deserve it. So... the Resurrection Stone is supposed to answer that conundrum. Then, for last, the cloak. What is invisibility best for?"


    "Learning secrets."


    "Exactly. It symbolizes the truth hiding behind the veil of magic. Its secrets are hidden deep within, and every wizard or witch is keen on excavating them, learning them, and making them their own. So, as I said, these Hallows are answers to the main drives that burn within every great mage. If you ask me, I think they are not from Death but pinnacle artifacts, crafted by talents of their respective times."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "You didn''t have this legend in your era?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.


    "No. I would have known about it. This had to come about after my demise. I can see why it would rapture some young, ambitious minds, shackling them to their power forever, but if you want to hear my take on it, my young descendant, it is very simple. They are tools. The power comes not from them but from the one wielding them. So, never get deceived by some artifacts of old times because the real power comes from within you. You love Quincy, don''t you?"


    "Of course!" I answered, almost saying it out loud, sitting up, getting flustered as to why he was asking it all of a sudden.


    "It''s not the clothes you like on her, do you? You like her best when she is naked..."


    "Um... Grandpa, you are just making me feel weird now, especially if you start reminding me that you could be watching while we do it... it''s creepy enough to know, okay?!"


    "You think you are special? Please. Through the multiple millennia, I saw everything that there is to be seen."


    "It does not make me feel better..."


    "What I was trying to say," he continued, his tone getting a bit aggravated, "Is that magic acts the same. It''s not the tools you use that make it interesting, but its raw form."


    "O-okay. I''ll keep that in mind."


    "Good. And relax... I am not interested in two teens doing it like rabbits. You two still lack the techniques behind a pleasurable, long night. Both of you suck at it."


    "DAMN IT, YOU WERE WATCHING US!" I groaned loudly, finally waking Quincy up, who began trashing my arm, trying to decide whether what she heard was a fragment of her sleep or not.


    "What... where... hmmm...?"


    "Nothing," I answered, kissing her forehead, not wanting her to even think about it. If she realized, I would have to say goodbye to the best parts of our nights... The hell with you, Herpo! You are a foul, foul Grandpa!


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It was weird to be back in England. Hermione couldn''t tell why, but she felt a bit off from walking amongst people and understanding them without having to manually translate every day speeches in her mind. Is this how being homesick feels? She didn''t have an answer, but it sure felt nice.


    Of course, nobody knew she was back, and her first move was to try to contact other hiding wizards in England. She was well aware it wouldn''t be an easy thing to do, but since the war returned to the surface, more and more rebelling cells popped up throughout the country. It was much easier to get a clue than it would have been before.


    It took her a week, collecting papers and clues, to finally locate a local cell hiding within the city of Leeds. Getting there was easy, using the muggles'' public transport, which she was overly familiar with, helping her to blend in perfectly. Right now, she was staying in a place called The Wrens, a bar with rentable rooms above it, in the center of Leeds.


    "Let''s see..." Murmuring to herself, she was sitting on her bed in the one-person, small room, circling spots on an unfolded map before her. "Yesterday yielded no results; two more secret entrances remain..."


    What she was looking for was the local magical society''s hidden city within the muggle''s world. She had already learned about the previously public entrances and was going around trying to scout them out and, if possible, enter through them. But for now, those she observed were showing no signs of being used, and she wasn''t trying to force them open. Once inside, she just needed to find a name she discovered in an older newspaper: Andrew McCarthy.


    It was a name she came across when she was in London. After arriving and slipping into Diagon Alley, she walked around, listening to all kinds of rumors while window shopping, visiting a library, and looking up old Daily Prophet newspapers. There it was when he found an image of Angus Anguine, his department, and a list of names, including Andrew McCarthy, a supposedly Irish wizard who worked under Angus for a decade. He retired later on, but from what she could dig up, Andrew has stayed in Leeds ever since. What for? It became apparent last month when a rebel cell supposedly killed three Death Eaters within the city in an ambush, and his name was given as the prime suspect.


    "Death Eaters..." She murmured, thinking loudly, and she wasn''t as afraid as she had been a year before. Not just because of what had happened to her but because of the freshest news she read.


    Since Dumbledore''s open return, Voldemort''s forces have been drafting in every pureblood wizard, including the freshly graduated students of Hogwarts. No matter who they were, ordinary wizarding homes or part of their so-called ''Sacred Families,'' they were all forcefully made to fight. Meeting a Death Eater right now could also mean meeting with someone who was barely any older than her and who was compelled to be there. She was sure that if it came to that, she could persuade them; if not, she had enough knowledge to disarm them without hurting anybody.


    "War is ugly... It would be best if it ends soon."


    She didn''t know if it was a naive thought or not, but she was sure that war was the worst for both sides. It could transform kind and caring people into monsters, just like it did with Fleur... and maybe it could distort the truth about monsters who were not really as evil as everybody else was saying.


    Thinking about it, she couldn''t help but pull out the news article about Conrad Anguine and Quincy Black, the youngest pair in history to be wanted throughout the British Isles. Just presenting their dead bodies would earn enough gold for anyone to live happily for the rest of their lives, while capturing them alive would be on par with delivering someone''s head from the top of the Most Wanted list of the Order.


    "I will need to look into your pasts..." She whispered, standing up, getting ready for the day, watching the faces stare back at her. "Being wanted by both sides is an achievement that not even the Dark Lord could show off..."

 Chapter 135 – Investigating (2)

    It was late afternoon, and Hermione was about to give up and head home, ready to rethink her approach. She has been surveying the two supposed entrances, alternating between them every two hours, without results. There was simply nothing suggesting that wizards were using any of them. With a bit of disappointment, she had already stood up from the bench she had been sitting on the past half an hour or so when it happened.


    It was a man wearing something that made him stand out amongst the crowd. He was dressed in a blue, sapphire-colored robe that swept alongside the sidewalk as he looked around nervously. Evidently, he was unfamiliar with the place, holding a yellowed paper, searching franticly, and sticking out within the muggle world like a sore thumb.


    "Poor bastard... but thank you." Hermione whispered, looking around the street, hurrying to the other side, not wanting to lose the man from sight.


    The supposed entrance she was observing was an old barber shop. Going by the windows, it looked like something from a century ago, lost in time or preserved as an art project. What she learned about it was that the door leading into the shop would open if someone tapped it in the correct rhythm with their wand, but the code had changed frequently since the war had broken out. Learning it was the hard part, but this was her best chance.


    "Come on... show me..." she grumbled, observing the man like a puma stalking its prey in the jungle. The only difference was that she had to weave around men and women who were going about their lives and often blocked her view. "Tsk...!"


    With an aggressive impulse, something that she mustered from her frustration and a bit of headache, she managed to push through a group of students, ending up receiving their annoyed curses aimed at her back. No matter what they threw at her, she was tuning all of it out as the wizard was holding a crooked, old wand, tapping at the door.


    "Knob, knocker, upper right hinge, knob, knob, knocker, knob." She repeated to herself, without blinking or drawing breath, right until the man opened the door, walked through, and disappeared into the void behind it the next moment. "Bingo!"


    "Hey, bitch, we are talking to you!"


    "Sorry, I don''t speak English!" Was her answer, without looking back, hurrying along, stunning the group so much they failed to react in time.


    "But..." Confused, the head guy turned towards his friends, "She spoke perfectly... no?"


    Hermione didn''t even think about them, holding her wand, quickly repeating the sequence, and when turning the knob, the door opened, letting her slip in without hesitation.


    The inside was dark, damp, and filled with dust. It was hard to breathe, but she was already walking forward, heading to the door at the back. Its bronze handle was way too shiny and fresh, unlike the rest of the old barren shop. When she finally stepped out, breathing fresh air again, she was standing on a cobblestoned road, surrounded by previous-century homes, reminding her how Diagon Alley was in London. There were not many wizards walking about, but enough to not make her stand out. Even in her muggle clothes, she could blend in easily as not everyone is keeping up with wizarding tradition nowadays.


    "Now what..." she asked herself, feeling a bit lost. This was the extent she planned, and she needed to rethink it once again. Her most important stuff was in her backpack, so she wasn''t worried about not returning to her room that night. She couldn''t risk the code changing again, not when she finally got in, so it was out of the question to leave. "Hotel. There has to be one here somewhere..."


    With that in mind, her brain began making plans once again, lifting her spirits as she looked for a place to stay. It took her an hour to finally stumble on a two-story high building that, when she entered, turned out to be a multi-story inn, enchanted on the inside.


    "Can I help, missy?" Asked the old man staying in the lobby, greeting the arrivals, causing her to flinch.


    "Y-yes, sorry. I am looking for a place to stay for the night." She answered, walking up to the counter and making the red-haired, big-bellied man nod.


    "For a night with dinner, it''s one galleon and ten sickles. One galleon without dinner."


    "I''ll take it!"


    Her quick agreement clearly surprised the man, but he didn''t complain, taking the money and giving her the key to room 111 on the second floor. After spending the whole day looking around and searching, she finally realized how hungry she was, so instead of heading up, Hermione decided to find an empty table in the dining area, sat down, and ordered her dinner for the day.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Using house elves for this..." With a grumble in her mind, she was about to raise her hand to catch one of the elf''s eyes to hail one over when a stern-faced young man sat down at her table without asking, looking at her like a hawk.


    "Can... I help you?" Hermione asked, unsure, her heart rate immediately doubling.


    "Where you from, miss?" He asked with a somewhat broken English, betraying that he was not a local.


    "England?" She answered, half-sarcastically and with a bit of fighting spirit, not wanting to back down and show that he successfully scared her. "I could ask the same!"


    "Fair point. But I ask question, not you, Miss. Where you from?"


    "I didn''t know this place was for interrogating guests, hmph! Is this how this business operates?" She snorted, beginning to raise her voice, but the man shook his head, and it made Hermione realize nobody else was really bothered by it.


    "Hands. Show." He commanded, and it was certainly not a request.


    Glancing around again, she came to the realization that she was surrounded. All the guests were looking at them, and she could see multiple wands pointing toward their table, aiming at her. Slowly, she pulled back her sleeves, showing it to the man who, after a glance, put his own wand against her skin, performing a spell... but nothing happened, making his face soften a little.


    "She clear."


    "Of what?" Hermione asked, her fear showing through her mask of braveness.


    "Of Death Eater mark."


    "I am a mudblood." She blurted out, making multiple chuckles echo within the room, further softening the man''s expression.


    "Let me start new. My name is Krum. Victor Krum."


    "..." It took a moment for Hermione to find the name in her mind, but then realization hit her. This was like winning the jackpot all of a sudden, and the fear she was feeling was evaporating very quickly, replaced by excitement. "Hermione. Hermione Granger. You partook in the Triwizard Tournament!"


    "Yes?" Krum answered, not really getting why it was that important for her. Was she another fangirl? He had enough problems as is.


    "You then must know Conrad Anguine!"


    "...!" The name alone made Krum furrow his brows, making him blink multiple times before leaning closer. "Who are... you?"


    "I am from Beauxbatons Academy..." She answered, rummaging in her purse, pulling out her old library card, showing it to him, "And I met them once... I was there when Fleur Delacour attacked them and... when she died."


    "Fleur dead?" Krum asked, surprised, leaning back, crossing his hands, and thinking rapidly. "I know not... we need to talk."


    "Yes... I was about to say the exact same thing!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Getting to classes was vastly different now than before. Nobody has tried to talk to us or confess to Quincy, which I really appreciated. Most of them weren''t distant because they agreed with bullying Dimitris¡ªI bet many of them don''t even know him¡ªbut it was sheer fear that prompted them to keep their distance from us. The fact that we fought and there were no consequences was more scary than if we were expelled. I think everyone understood that a storm was brewing, and most of them wanted nothing to do with it.


    Well... Most of them.


    "Hoy, outsiders!" Shouted a boy after us as we were heading from one classroom to the next. When we turned and looked at him, he was maybe a year or two older than us. It was hard to tell because his looks were more mature than his voice.


    "Yes, baboon?" Quincy asked before I could open my mouth, making the corridor deathly silent, amplifying the sound of my chuckles.


    "If you think you can anger me with cheap insults, like some kind of deformed mudblood, then you are vastly mistaken. Don''t dare strut around in our school like you own it when you are nothing but extra baggage, accepted because once your ancestors did something worthy!"


    "Dear, this is not an ordinary baboon..." I leaned in, whispering into her ear but making sure everyone heard it, "He can form complex sentences! This one is a chimp!"


    "Um, um, you are right. But monkeys do look the same."


    "I only have one question," the guy continued, and I was impressed by how easily he ignored us. "Which side are you on?"


    "Hm?" exchanging a look with Quincy, I couldn''t help but be confused. "Well, if we look at it from there, we are on the left side, but if we look at it from here, we are on the right side. You see, your question doesn''t make any sense... Don''t you have any spatial awareness? Or monkeys don''t vibe with that?"


    "Maybe he is just stupid." Quincy added with a thoughtful look.


    "Hmph... it is best if you inbred twins watch yourself." He scoffed, looking at us with a smirk, "Your overconfidence is going to be your undoing."


    "Ah! One moment!" I shouted after him as he wasn''t stopping at all, already turning around and leaving, "Tell your owner of a teacher that if he wants, I am willing to face him in a duel! Don''t send his monkeys; I bet he can throw shit around by himself! If the big gorilla wants it, I can show him what teaching the true Dark Arts means!"


    That made him flinch once and broke the silence as many of the students began whispering amongst themselves. I wasn''t joking... I was willing to face off against Andrei. I would have preferred it... These nasty games he was going to play with us were already annoying, and they hadn''t even started yet.


    "This will happen more and more, huh?" Quincy asked, shrugging as we continued on our way, deciding to skip the next class and instead head to the library.


    "Probably." I answered with a shrug, "First come the threats, then the sabotages and covert curses before they realize none of it works and begin attacking us. A whole lot of clich¨¦ if you ask me."


    "Then don''t you want to go ahead and flip the table?" She whispered with a playful, mischievous giggle.


    "What do you have in mind? I''m game if you are!"


    "Well, we still remember those idiots who came to fight you in the corridor, no? Let''s go find them. They can''t do nothing if they are incapacitated, hm?"


    "You know what? You are right. I do have some bad blood in my veins, don''t I? A little bit of dark wizardry... Let''s be the villains then!"


    "I''ll be your henchman, fufu!"


    "Nah, you will be my evil queen!" I grinned, holding her waist and giving her a kiss. Who cares if anyone sees us... She is right. Let''s flip those tables, and while making a mess, we may find the last clue we were looking for.

 Chapter 136 – Imperio

    Who were we looking for first? It was an easy answer: The unlucky boys who fought against me in front of Dirmitis''s door. Because their leader was still under my mind-controlling curse, summoning him out of class wasn''t a hard thing to do. My new command was straightforward: arrange a secret meeting with them tonight at a nearby ruin. Of course, he would never arrive because we would be the ones waiting for them.


    "Do you want them dead?" Quincy asked as we left school after giving our little puppet new orders.


    "No. If we kill them, that could also scare Andrei. I want him to not even realize that he is being played! So we are going to place them under the same imperius curse."


    "Ohohoho~ Are you planning for a time when he challenges you?"


    "Something like that. Lucius was forced to fight me one-on-one; I don''t think something similar would happen here. So I thought about going back to the basics and pulling an Umbridge on him."


    "Too bad we don''t have a basilisk''s eye with us." She giggled, grabbing my hand and leaning against me as we approached the front gate, walking past Grindelwald''s mark on the wall.


    "Wait..."


    "Hm? What is it?"


    "Couldn''t this be the last clue?"


    "Shouldn''t his memories come back then?" she hummed, thinking about it while watching the symbol. "He did look at it, even using magic to wipe it off the wall."


    "Yes, but he just played along and didn''t really fix it. He may need to properly dispel it. Isn''t it worth a try? Even if not, he can remake it after. Nobody would know if he does it when it''s late at night."


    "Hmm... it is worth a shot. Should we tell him?"


    "Yeah, let''s capture the idiots first, and we can tell him about it afterward."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "I see..." Krum murmured, leaning back on his chair and crossing his hands.


    "Coming back was danger, Hermione Granger."


    "Hermione is fine." She murmured, feeling tired from the long explanation and the way that Krum always called her by her full name.


    "I see. You know I''m with Order, yes?"


    "I know. What happened does not mean I think everyone in the Order is bad..." She said cautiously, looking around, being sure that everyone here was also part of it, "I just fear that there are bad apples within who are distorting their original purpose."


    "Maybe." Krum answered, but deep down, he agreed with Hermione.


    That was also one of the reasons he was here right now. This place was of low priority but not so obscure that he could argue against being positioned here. No prominent wizarding families lived in the region, nor die-hard supporters of either side.


    The main targets for the Order were the Voldemort-supporting Sacred Families, those who made up the bulk of his closest Death Eaters. It was them whom they tried to ambush and assassinate, killing their leaders one by one while the Dark Lord was trying to locate the hundred different hiding places of the Order where Dumbledore may be hiding.


    The city here was known to openly rebel and deal with the Death Eaters stationed here, but no actual retaliation has come yet because the place was simply not valuable enough. This showed that the Dark Lord''s rule was not as strong as he or anyone else initially thought. His forces were being drawn thin, and the slightest sign of him possibly losing was enough for the oppressed to find hope and rise up. It was the sole reason why Krum was still with them, keeping his position within the Order and doing their bidding.


    "There is someone I was looking for. Maybe you know him," Hermione continued, leaning closer and speaking more softly than before. "Andrew McCarthy."


    "I know name, yes. But..."


    "But? Is he... not here?"


    "He is. But not friendly. Won''t see you, I guarantee... he is... not well." He continued, trying his best to explain, tapping the side of his skull.


    "Is he mad?"


    "Mmh... Hard to say. Could. I only met man once, he was... gloom. Pessimism is a lot in McCarthy."


    "Can you take me to him? I want to talk with him."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "It is about Conrad, yes?" Krum asked, and after she nodded, he told her everything he knew about the duo. All that happened in the tournament from his perspective, including how Conrad attacked the Beauxbatons'' carriage when Quincy disappeared.


    "They kidnapped his girlfriend?"


    "Yes... and no. Her parent, Regulus Black, and uncle, Sirius Black. They kidnapped Quincy, held back, wanting her join the Order. But she was not a willing girl, she wanted return to Conrad."


    "I could imagine... that was a terrible move; what were they thinking?"


    "Sometimes, people no think. It is my opinion, but Conrad and Quincy are good but also... harmful. Dangerous."


    "What do you mean?" She asked, a bit surprised, but somehow she couldn''t deny it. The way Fleur died and the way they warned her, the pair could be deadly.


    "They friendly, yes. Saved students, friends, but to enemies? People they do not agree? Mercy is never shown. That is what I feel. They are no afraid of unforgivable spells. So... they can be good people but they can be horrible people. Sorry... it is hard to put it into English words. I am still not okay with language."


    "No, no, it is fine; I understand you and what you are trying to say. That is why I am here. I want to learn both sides and make my own decision! I could just sit back and watch from home... but I can''t. I already got involved in it when I found them. My mind is restless, and I can''t ignore it!"


    "I understand. I say you rest today. I set up meeting with man, coming with you as guard and guarantee. People could be... suspective. Then what happens, happens, and then we will decide next step. Good?"


    "Good for me!" She smiled, nodding her head, feeling she was taking significant steps toward her goal of learning the truth. For a moment, she even forgot about her constant headache. "Maybe I should become a journalist after all this blows over?" she asked herself, giggling a little, thinking that the idea was not that bad the more she thought about it.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    It was already close to midnight when I stood hiding in the darkness within the old remains of a ruined tower. Even though it was hard to see anything, thanks to the clouds blocking the moonlight, I knew when our targets had finally arrived. It wasn''t my blood that informed me, but Quincy''s loud hooting while she was perched atop the highest point of the ruins in her owl form.


    "Is this the place?" Asked a voice that I recognized as part of the first guy who wanted to stop me.


    "It is... why do you think he wanted us to come out here?"


    "Who knows... it could be another test from Professor Andrei because we screwed up..."


    "You think? We were never punished... will this be our punishment?!"


    Shit. Did they really start thinking about it right now? I couldn''t help but curse within myself because I heard their steps stopping because of it. If I made a move now, I would betray my position, and there goes the genuine surprise...


    "I... I don''t think so." One of them argued, but his voice was not convincing. "We have been part of his circle; why would he start punishing us now? Wasn''t it the new teacher who should be punished?"


    "Yeah, but..."


    Their conversation was cut short when Quincy swooped down from her position, transforming in mid-air. By the time her feet landed, her wand was already glowing in a reddish light, stunning two of them while I burst forth from my hiding spot, making the rest of the group fall face-first to the ground.


    "That was... way too easy."


    "Hmmm, it was." I agreed, looking down at one of them and seeing the guy''s eye move left to right. They were all conscious, and their bodies were under a stunning spell, so it wasn''t hard for them to put two and two together. "Before you get angry, your friend did not betray you. He is under our control, just as you will be in a moment."


    "Oh... this one looks really angry now." Quincy giggled and nudged me, pointing the end of her wand at the man with whom I had dueled before.


    "Let''s unfreeze him," I suggested. "I want to hear what he has to say. In the best-case scenario, we will duel, and I will get to exercise before turning him into a puppet. In the worst-case scenario, he will die before I can do that."


    Of course, I was mostly trying to scare them. I was trying to follow the teachings of my two new masters instead of choosing the easiest path every time and just slaughtering them. If fear grabs their heart, thinking we would truly end them, their minds would be even easier to influence. At least, that was my goal. When Quincy unfroze the guy, he wanted to hurriedly jump up, but seeing me move my hand, he became frozen again, without the use of magic this time.


    "Slowly." I smiled amicably at him, "Stand up, and if you want to duel, I''m game. But please know that your leading pal tried to ambush us two with the killing curse. As you can see, we are fine, and he is under our control. Be mindful of the consequences of your subsequent actions, okay?"


    "W-what do you want from us?" he stuttered, trying to recollect himself, his fingers twitching, wanting to move for his wand.


    "Minions. For a short time. You see, we are not here to stay forever. We are just passersby and came for a simple, single reason. Soon enough, we will be gone, and when that happens, the school and the whole region will be scrambling to reorganize themselves."


    "What do you... mean?" He asked, gulping, but I think he was slowly getting it.


    "Your Andrei? He probably will die. Maybe not, but even if not, he will be out of the picture alongside everyone who is in cahoots with him, including the Headmaster."


    "You are here to assassinate the Headmaster!" He shouted, and sure enough, it did click in his mind, "You are from the Order of the Phoenix, aren''t you!"


    Well, well, well... I wasn''t about to correct his assumption because I was okay with such a rumor spreading after we were done here. After we take Durmstrang out of the picture, with this lingering in the minds of the new force that will replace Karkaroff, it will prevent them from allying themselves with the Order. The best case scenario would be that it makes them remain natural, completely withdraw from the war, and stop interfering with it.


    "So..." I asked, ignoring his gaze. "What will it be? A duel to the death, or accepting the fact that for a few days, you are going to be our puppet?"


    "Do you promise that it will be only for a few days?" He asked, looking into my eyes, making me smile.


    "I can only promise that you won''t die and regain your freedom once we are gone."


    "Okay... so be it!" He sighed, closing his eyes, and to my surprise, I saw his body relax. He became calm, and I felt him to be a bit stronger than before. Maybe under different circumstances, I could have liked the guy... oh well. It was time to reprogram them to be the ones bringing Andrei to his knees. "Imperio!"

 Chapter 137 – Puppet Show

    It was late at night, and Grindelwald, Quincy, and I were standing before the Hallows'' engraved emblem, which had stained the Durmstrang wall for decades.


    "I feel nothing." Grindelwald whispered, blinking his eyes after staring at it for at least ten minutes straight. "I drew this before I learned more about the Elder Wand."


    "Maybe you came back to modify it later?" Quincy asked, and he gave a slight nod as he pulled his wand out.


    "We will see soon enough."


    With a wave of his wand, he began re-tracing the lines that made up the symbol. As he was drawing in the air, I watched as the emblem slowly disappeared from view, bit by bit. It was like watching time flow in reverse, returning the wall into a state when it was still untouched. After finishing, we stood there, silent, but this time, it never reappeared, and I knew that Quincy was right... because Grindelwald was smiling.


    "I did return once in secret. You were right; I did modify it. However, what I know now about the Elder Wand is not more than I did before. But... I now have information about some artifacts and resources I hid elsewhere. We can go collect it after we are done here."


    "When are we going to leave?" Quincy asked, watching him recreate the emblem before someone had a heart attack after seeing it gone the following day.


    "Whenever you are ready. I already have enough teachers under my control to create a coup and get rid of Karkaroff. To sell it, I would make them fight, of course, killing some of them, but make those who are against Karkaroff come out on top."


    "We are also ready. Then, give us a few days! I want it to work out well... and I have an idea for it." I added with a smile, looking up at him. I expected him to ask what it was, but he just gently nodded, reminding me how my Father would do it. He was trusting me just the same...


    ...


    .....


    .......


    "I like watching sunsets like these!" I moaned while stretching, sitting on the steps of the castle, looking towards the horizon, accompanied by Quincy and Dimitris.


    It has been a few days since Dimitris returned to class, and everything seemed calm and peaceful. Maybe even idyllic.


    "It is nice. Although it is windier here than it was back home."


    "It is a colder climate, yes. It took me a lot of time to get used to it." Dimitris added, ready to explain how it was for him when we were interrupted.


    "Then you two should return to the same place where you came from."


    I didn''t need to turn around to know that the voice belonged to the same guy who wanted to kill us in the cellar, Mika. Of course, we were not the only ones present; it was after classes, and many students were loitering around or preparing to head back to the village for the day. Now they all had to stop, watching the scene unfold, knowing that there would be a show to watch. Just as I wanted...


    "Fuck off." I replied without turning around or standing up.


    "Someone thinks his mouth can open as wide as he likes, huh? Stand up, Alexander! I challenge you to a formal duel!"


    "Hm? Really? Right now?" I chuckled, finally standing up and patting down my trousers. Before hearing his answer, I had already used a stunning charm on him, flinging him away like an unwanted toy.


    Whatever hubbub was about to explode around us died down instantly because what I did was not just rude in their eyes but straight up apprehensible. Even Dimitris looked shocked and glanced at us, horrified. There was no time to explain as the rest of the gang appeared, roaring with anger, shouting profanities at us, which was answered by Quincy''s wand lighting up, knocking two of them out with a quick spell, followed by an intense exchange between our two parties.


    The result was like a shockwave, making multiple students retreat with screams as our spells bounced off each other, blowing dirt into the air and scarring the ground wherever they passed. But, this time, there was no drawn-out duel nor holding back as Quincy and I disarmed and beat down the group in under a minute.


    "You dare?! You bastards!"


    I couldn''t help but smile when I heard the angry and incensed shout aimed at us. It was straight from the source, Andrei, who was rushing out of the castle''s main gate, holding his wand, and sending an icy spell towards me.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, Quincy summoned a curtain of fire that melted it mid-air before my expelliarmus shot through it, aiming to disarm Andrei, but he managed to block it in time, deflecting the spell.


    "You will pay for this!" He continued, but I was not worried, not for a minute.


    "I just hate waiting, so I decided to skip to the main dish." I answered with a laugh as the duo of us began attacking Andrei. While I was focusing on dueling him, Quincy was interfering with Andre''s attacks, trying to disrupt them or transfigure the ground around him, throwing obstacles in his way. Our wordless teamwork was making my job even easier as Andrei and my spells clashed in mid-air, resulting in bright explosions.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Fighting him made my mind relax, and soon enough, I felt bored. He wasn''t as good as I believed, and I think he was also realizing the fact. When I attacked the dragons and Flamel, I felt as if I was up against someone who could read my movements from only a twitch of a muscle. Same with my Father or Grindelwald. I couldn''t be careless when training; I had to focus all my mind on the fight against Grindelwald, implement faints of faints, masking my thoughts of what I wanted to do next while also thinking about my defenses and reacting to his change in rhythm.


    They were in a different league; worse, I think fighting Fleur was more challenging than facing Andrei. How dissapointing... I was looking forward to it, and right now, I was hesitating if I should go through with my plan... But only for a split second. Of course, I should. No matter if my enemy right now turns out to be a weakling, he was nothing but a stepping stone to foil Voldemort''s ally. Thinking about it, I waited no more, giving out the signal through the controlling curse, still on the pathetic gang of his followers.


    Before Andrei could react, still in the middle of dispelling Quincy''s spell, which turned the earth muddy below him, his students surrounded him in a half-circle. I saw the smile creeping up on his face, and he may have thought they were finally back on their feet, here to help him. But instead, all of their wands turned towards Andrei, hitting him with a multitude of spells. There was no death scream as he collapsed, and he was gone before he would comprehend what happened. The sudden death of a teacher stunned the onlookers while I just stood there, smiling.


    "What... what did you do?" Came a question, interrupting my thoughts, and when looking at the voice, it was Dimitris who asked it.


    "Taking out the trash." I answered, raising my wand, and before everyone''s eyes, my ''puppets'' raised their own, pointing them at their throats.


    "They attacked us first; sadly, they were weak." Quincy smiled softly, like a true, evil Queen, "Falling under our control shows their lack of skill. We were waiting just for this moment~! Nobody can threaten us without consequences."


    "You are... going to kill them?!" Dimitris gasped, and while looking around, I could see the shock in many of the students'' eyes. No matter what, seeing death was not something that was common, not even here. Well, at least they will be able to see thestrals...


    "If you have a problem with it, be fast. I have little time and patience." I grunted, turning away from him.


    "I do have a problem with it." Answered not Dimitris but Headmaster Karkaroff.


    He appeared with a pop, followed by multiple teachers, including Grindelwald, whose face was as placid as if he was taking a stroll in the garden.


    "Tell them to stop now!" Karkaroff ordered, looking at Grindelwald, who answered in a calm, monotone voice.


    "No."


    "I command you!"


    "You don''t have the strength to command me. You lack power both in magical capabilities and in presence. I was watching you, and you are a shame to our faction. You are only good for shouting; taking action is not your forte. I am replacing you! It is time that a true wizard decides the fate of Durmstrang."


    "You snake! You think, crawling out from a hiding hole is enough to give YOU a presence?!" With a roar he already used a killing curse against him but Grindelwald, without blinking, evaded it with a simple side-step.


    Finally, Karkaroff realized that he may be a headmaster, but he did not earn that title because of his prowess. Even though I was watching, I didn''t see how Grindelwald moved his hands, I couldn''t read the killing curse ahead of time, and I only saw his wand glow green. If I was his opponent, it would have been too late for me as it was for Karkaroff. When I finally blinked, the Headmaster was lying on his back, eyes wide open, staring at the sky while Grindelwald looked around the rest of the teachers.


    "I am the Headmaster from now on."


    "Tyrant!" someone shouted, which was soon echoed by similar shouts and other supporting voices. It didn''t take long for the teachers to begin fighting amongst themselves, apparating around the castle, including our Master.


    "Well, back to business then!" I clapped with a laugh, turning towards the group of panicked guys. Even under the spell of the imperius curse, they knew well my words from previously meant nothing, and I was about to kill them off. "Bye-bye!"


    "Stop!"


    I felt a force grabbing me from behind as I was lifted from the ground, thrown in the opposite direction, and rolled down from the hillside until I caught the flat ground below.


    "You dare!" Bellowed Quincy, attacking Dimitris, who was the one to flung me away.


    After deflecting multiple of her charms, he hurriedly summoned his broom, being chased by an angry Quincy and by me after I got back to my feet as we left the castle behind.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Are you... really leaving?"


    "Yep!" I answered, standing amongst the abandoned ruins, watching as the polyjuice potion finally wore off and I was returned to my original appearance alongside Quincy.


    "So this is how you look, huh?" Dimitris asked again, shaking his head and smiling.


    "Yep! Well, my name is Conrad Anguine, and she is my wife, Quincy Anguine." I grinned, reaching out and shaking his hand.


    "Nice to meet you~!" Quincy added, shaking his hand just the same, "When they find you, tell them you managed to chase us off!"


    "Are you sure... that this is fine?"


    "Duh, it was the plan from the get-go. This should ease your following years here." I nodded, stretching a little, "Even with your background, what you did now showed that all that bullying and bullshit means nothing. If they keep pestering you, then you can always bring up the fact that you should have let me kill them then!"


    "Thanks, Conrad..." he whispered, getting sentimental, and I saw his eyes well up with tears.


    "Take it as a goodbye gift from us."


    "Yep!" Quincy agreed, gently punching his chest, "Make sure to become someone prominent, eh? Who knows, one day, you may be the one helping us!"


    "Um! But... are you sure your, um, Master will be alright?"


    "Yep. I wouldn''t worry; he is THE Grindelwald, after all."


    "WHAT?!"


    "Why do you think we came here? We are collecting some of his old stuff. That''s all... and we also decided to behead the snake of the Dark Lord while here."


    "Voldemort?! What?!" Dimitris asked, showing no fear of speaking the name, making me flinch because I knew it could quickly alert him. The question is, does he have any time and power to come here. Probably not.


    "Yeah..." We both answered at the same time, "Karkaroff was his man. It would be best for Durmstrang if they stayed out of this mess. Trust us."


    "I trust you," he nodded, looking at us. "I don''t know much about these things... but I will learn. As you said, one day, I may be the one who can help you out!"


    "I do look forward to that!"


    I don''t like saying goodbyes, so we didn''t stay long. When we parted ways, it was just an ordinary greeting, something that you would give your friend who you are going to meet tomorrow anyway, yet both of us knew that would not be the case. While Dimitris would wait there a little more before heading back to the castle, we were already racing towards the abandoned house where we first arrived. Was I worried about Grindelwald? Heh, no... not at all. All that was happening within the castle was nothing but a giant puppet show for the onlookers. They did not even know that their strings were being plucked on while it was happening.

 Chapter 138 – Interview

    Durmstrang was in shambles. Not because the castle suffered some superficial damage but because they lost eight staff members in under an hour, including the previous headmaster and his killer. For the following week, students were ordered to either stay home or within their rooms but not to interfere with the teachers. When the mood finally calmed down, and all the people, allies of the previous regime, were chased away or arrested, life seemed to finally have a chance to return to a kind of normalcy.


    The most significant change may have happened to Dimitris, who still had trouble adjusting to it. Those who previously bullied him turned eerily kind, so much so it creeped him out. Then, those who had never interacted with him before, but seeing how he stood up to the twins and saved his own bullies changed a lot of people''s perspectives.


    "If you need something else..."


    "No, no, Sebastian, it is all good, thanks!" Dimitris answered, sitting in the library, being served snacks by one of the guys who were under Conrad''s imperius curse.


    "No trouble. Are you still trying to figure out where they escaped? This time, we will go with you and make sure they get what they deserve!"


    "A-ah... yeah, yes." He answered, looking nervous, but it wasn''t strange considering all that happened. "But I don''t think I will find them, haaah... Are you guys okay? You don''t need to humiliate yourselves. I just did what was... right."


    "It is not about that. Look, we screwed up, okay? Our families were paid well to screw with you, and we didn''t even bother to learn why. It was our fault. After what happened, most of our eyes were finally opened! What I am doing now is not even enough to ask for forgiveness... so at least let me do this much."


    "I heard Mika has been sent to prison..." Dimitris whispered, wanting to change the topic because he felt himself blushing. He didn''t even feel a shred of sadness about Mika, as he was the worst of them all and a staunch supporter of Andrei and Karkaroff.


    "Well, yes. He may also be able to rethink his choices while locked away. Anyway, if you find anything, just call us, okay?"


    "Sure... and Sebastian?"


    "Yes?"


    "Thanks."


    "Don''t mention it." He smiled at him, patting his back before leaving, making Dimitris feel a bit conflicted.


    But also happy. Even more so when he learned that his family had an opportunity to move and resettle here as they were welcomed by those who lived near the influence of Durmstrang. After centuries of hiding, maybe life was changing not only for him but for his family as well.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "You ready?" Krum asked, standing in front of an old house that had its windows boarded up, and the painting was coming off all around its walls.


    "Ready as I could be!" Hermione answered, watching the delipated building at the end of a crooked street. "How can one live in a place like this?"


    "I told you, he not well in head. Try to... patience. Speak softly, not raise voice and it will be okay. Okay?"


    "Okay."


    After a brief knocking, the two of them waited for more than ten minutes before the door finally opened. The smell that wafted forth almost made Hermione fall backward and made her gag, as it was the worst mix of old people, alcohol, and sweat. Krum never warned her about this...


    "It''s you..." The old Irish guy looked like a walking mummy and also sounded like one. His skin was wrinkled, and splotches covered all of his face and hands. His hair was only growing in a few patches at the side of his head. No matter how one looked at him, he was more like a zombie than a human. "I said, two days..."


    "It two days after." Krum answered calmly, making him consider it, groan, and let them inside after a few curses.


    "Maldor disperso!" Whispered Hermione, unnoticeably waving her wand and making her nostrils ignore the smell they were walking into.


    "So..." The old man grunted again after arriving in a messy, dark kitchen where he swept off empty bottles from a chair, sitting down and lighting a cigarette. "You are the girl who has questions? Ask them, and then fuck off." He added between coughs, watching Hermione a bit longer than necessary.


    "..." She didn''t know what to say first. Andrew McCarthy lived in absolute filth; the walls were moldy, the air was barely breathable even under her spell, and he looked like he was about to die at any moment. Pigs waiting for slaughter lived in better conditions and didn''t have to walk through ankle-high garbage to get from one end of the house to the other. "I want to learn everything you can tell me about Angus Anguine." After recollecting her thoughts, she declared and decided to push through the interview as quickly as possible.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Angus... Angus Anguine..." He whispered, the cigarette stopping midway towards his charred lips. "That sociopath..." He chuckled, leaning back and making a ruckus, searching amongst the many bottles around him, finding one that had some alcohol left in it, swinging it hard.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "Angus Anguine," He laughed dryly, wiping his mouth, "was someone who cared about nothing. Did you know that he was almost executed? True story! I was already out of Hogwarts when it happened, you see. I was a beginning auror in the ministry when his court case happened. By then, the Dark Lord had already taken over many posts, controlling their leaders while he was working on finally chasing Dumbledore out of the country. Essentially, he was already in control of the country. I watched the trial happen; it was the first power move by the Dark Lord to showcase that Dumbledore and his Order had lost! It was what showed everyone they can''t interfere with his decisions and can''t save them from his rule."


    "Weren''t they still fighting?" Hermione asked, receiving a big puff of smoke being blown into her face as an answer.


    "Yeah, but they were failing. The twat was doing it to show that it means nothing. Dragged the Anguine family forward, accused them of the crime of breeding with a muggle, trying to dilute the purity of wizard bloodlines. So HE forced Angus to kill everyone from his family, including his lover, and then marry another woman. It was HIS finishing touch on an inhumane sentence."


    "And Dumbledore... the Order... did nothing?"


    "Not that they could, kid. As I said, they already were losing. Then came the night when they were wholly chased out of the country with multiple, strong supporters and rallying figures massacred. Heh..."


    "Horrible..."


    "It gets worse. I was working with him shortly after. I was delegated to find muggle-born wizards and ensure they didn''t learn magic. Obliviate or kill. That was our instruction. The funny thing is, at the start, he was like a machine... doing his job without saying much. I was made to be one of his subordinates, and he only spoke to us before and after missions. Then, I learned why... after a month, two of my colleagues were killed by him, reported as being attacked by remnants of the Order."


    "Why did he do that?" Hermione asked, but she already knew the reason deep within.


    "Because they were loyal Death Eaters. The rest of us weren''t; we just... pretended so to keep our lives. From then on, we began collecting muggle-born wizards and hiding them, shipping them off. The first reason was to build up allies so one day he could attack Voldemort and kill him. Then the Order contacted us, and from then on, we worked with them."


    "You said he was a psycho... why?"


    "Because he looked at those we saved as numbers¡ªcattle, sheep, potential meatshields for his revenge quest. He didn''t save them for the good of his heart but because he wanted to use them. It changed only when, somehow, his wife got pregnant. I thought he would be unable to hold back the madness within him and kill her, but no. Instead, I saw him grow a heart... it was weird."


    "He changed?"


    "A lot. He became even better at being a snake and rose in rank while also saving even more people. By then, the Order was also helping us, so it was somewhat better... But I couldn''t stomach it. When harsh decisions had to be made, he didn''t hesitate. I saw him abandon children to other groups to keep more talented prospects a secret and ensure the more capable young wizards escaped without notice. He could make those decisions, but I couldn''t."


    "..."


    "So I quit. That''s the story, girl. Nothing much more to it. He spoke very little about his plans because if those leaked, he would have died. I only knew he was aiming for the cuntface''s head, and I was happy for a moment when I heard he succeeded... but apparently not. Too bad."


    "About the change... Did you say it was because he had a son? Conrad Anguine, yes?"


    "Yeah. He spoke little of himself or the kid, but his eyes were more human-like after he was born. Not that we were close, mind you! He had no friends... None. Even if his eyes finally had light in them, I could notice feelings behind his icy mask. He learned how to hide his darkness when his son was born... No other choice, I guess, or he would have scared the kid to death the first day."


    "Is-"


    "That''s it." Answered the man, extinguishing his cigarette. "Out."


    "But-"


    "Out." He barked again, and his voice was way more aggressive this time.


    "Come." Said Krum, gently pulling on Hermione, knowing that Andrew was at his limit. He never knew him to speak so much, so it was a surprise in itself. There was no way to get him to continue.


    "Haaah... this was... something?" Hermione breathed loudly after the front door was slammed in their faces, dispelling the spell she had placed on herself.


    "Yes. Never heard him speak long. It was... surprise."


    "Then I was lucky, huh? Hmm... but I hoped to learn more... It seems Angus Anguine was more reserved than I expected. I wonder who knew him the best."


    "Probably Snape. I heard, at least." Krum answered her as the duo began walking.


    "There is no chance for asking him..."


    "No, there is none." He agreed, making themselves laugh, before Krum invited Hermione for ice cream. "There someone different. A guy¡ªhe knew them¡ªNeville Longbottom."


    "Oh? Never heard of him. Who is that?"


    "Mmm... Guy." He answered plainly, but Hermione couldn''t tell if it was because of the language barrier or if he wasn''t willing to say more.


    "Can you make it so that I meet him?"


    "Well... Maybe. No promise."


    "It''s okay. You''ve already helped me a lot. Don''t push it; I don''t want to cause you too much trouble. You can point me in a direction; that will be enough, and I will find him myself."


    "You are confident."


    "Of course!" She answered proudly while licking her vanilla ice cream.


    "I like it."


    "..." The sudden ''confession,'' even though she knew it was not that, made her blush and made her unable to answer.


    "Wait a few days, Hermione. Maybe I can help..."


    "Thanks... Victor."

 Chapter 139 – Goblins

    "Everything is ready?" Grindelwald asked, looking at us in his old family home.


    "Yes, we are ready to go!"


    He appeared shortly after we arrived, telling us that everything should be fine. After a brief rest, we were on the road again, this time heading to his secret stash, where we would recover the resources he finally remembered about. Our first stop would be in Germany, in a national park somewhere deep within the country. I had little to no knowledge of the language, and Quincy knew nothing about the place either. Not that it mattered; we would defer to any of Grindelwald''s decisions anyway.


    "Be mindful of your words when we arrive because wizards do not rule the area. This is going to be the territory of goblins, and their customs are a bit... different. To put it kindly."


    "So we would have to speak Gobbledegook?" We asked, looking at each other with Quincy, "None of us knows a word..."


    "I guessed so. Don''t worry, I do speak it. Also, magic won''t work translating it because they would take offense to the fact. So, I will be the one who speaks and translates. Follow me strictly and do what I say. Angering goblins in their own turf is not the same as angering them in a Gringotts!"


    "It isn''t?" Quincy asked, looking a bit lost. We did have a run-in with them when we fled, and... just after one refusal, our banker became pretty snarky, no longer keen on helping us.


    "You know not much about goblins, huh?" He answered with a shrug, signaling for us to sit down. "Okay, then I am going to give you a quick summary of what you need to be aware of goblins. Listen well because I won''t repeat myself!"


    "Yes!" We answered, even getting quills and a notebook out, ready to take notes as if we were back in school.


    "The place is an original goblin country, where wizarding laws mean nothing. What you must understand is that they are vastly different from us. First off, let me tell you about what they call a Profit Motive and Craftsmanship.


    Goblins are a shrewd and entrepreneurial species known for their insatiable appetite for profit and exceptional metalwork and craftsmanship skills. Why do you think they run the one and only banking system in the wizarding world? They believe that accumulating wealth is the highest priority in life and view commerce as a sacred pursuit. However, they are also renowned for their expertise in creating magical artifacts and enchanted items¡ªthe side that we, wizards, are most familiar with."


    "I do know that they look at artifacts differently, deeming that the maker of such an item is always the one who created it!" Quincy added, trying to show we were not a completely lost cause.


    "Yes." Grindelwald nodded, and before I could ask a question, he already had the answer, "They sell their artifacts because of this rule. They make a profit from it, and when the wizard dies, the artifact returns to them. Sadly, the last part is usually lost in translation, and multiple issues have arisen from it."


    "Like the goblin rebellions?" I asked, making him nod.


    "There were a few of those, yes. They have something they call the Rules of Acquisition and their own Magical Laws. They adhere to a set of ''Rules of Enchantment'' that dictate the principles of magical craftsmanship and the conduct of business dealings. These rules emphasize the importance of maximizing profit, protecting their property, and ensuring the quality and efficacy of magical artifacts. They guard their secrets of magical craftsmanship closely and are known to fiercely defend their rights. Even between their own goblin families, they rarely share secrets and blueprints. So, when we arrive, do not touch anything or buy anything. You could easily end up with a contract that binds you to a terrible fate!"


    "Ugh... o-okay." We answered, feeling a bit troubled now. What the hell?


    "Also, while we are there, do not try to look at them through the norms that you are used to. They have their own family structure, which is as strict as the rules of Azkaban. Familial relationships play a crucial role in both business and personal affairs. Family clans are organized hierarchically, with elder members holding significant influence and authority. Their society is patriarchal, and although both males and females are valued for their contributions to commerce and craftsmanship, male family members have the last say in important decisions. Female goblins are mostly respected for their expertise in magical arts and are often involved in creating enchanting magical items alongside their male counterparts but never included in important decisions."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Now that I think about it, we never saw female goblins." I spoke up, making Grindelwald lean back and rub his chin.


    "They are strong with magic. Goblins wielding magic always was a clashing point between wizards and their kind, so female goblins usually stayed away from us, back in their families. But you will see them now; they are not that different than normal goblins, only with more hair, wider hips, and larger bosom. Like us. Don''t stare at them too much, especially if they are priestesses!"


    "They have a religion?" Quincy asked, amazed.


    "Yes. They worship a deity known as the ''Great Forge Master,'' who embodies prosperity, craftsmanship, and the eternal pursuit of wealth. Their religious beliefs emphasize the importance of material wealth as a divine blessing and view the act of creating magical artifacts as a form of sacred craftsmanship. They hold elaborate ceremonies and rituals to honor the Great Forge Master and seek his favor in their business dealings, so never speak badly about anything they made while we are there. They have intricate rituals for forging magical contracts, enchanting artifacts, and conducting trade agreements... so once again. Do. Not. Touch. Anything!"


    "I heard some stories when wizards broke their agreement with goblins... it usually didn''t end well." Quincy whispered, shaking his head while I was taking notes, getting a bit too excited to see it for myself.


    "Yes, fooling a goblin is not a good idea." Grindelwald agreed, "They place great importance on maintaining their reputation and honor within their community, and they take pride in their ability to negotiate lucrative deals and secure profitable partnerships. Just as much as they value the artifacts they create! Breaking a contract is like desecrating one of their relics."


    "But isn''t this also mean they are trustworthy partners?" I asked, making him nod with a smile.


    "Yes, if you can navigate their contracts. Their deception and lies happen not in your face but when they present you with a written form. That is where the mental battle takes place. If you are not careful enough, you may sign away from your life and the lives of your future descendants. Dealing with goblin contracts is extremely dangerous if you are not versed in how they operate. But! Two can play that game, and you can also trap them in a binding contract, and they will obey it if they sign it. Just don''t leave them a loophole to get out of it! Why do you think Godrick''s sword was able to stay within Hogwarts for more than a millennium? They may have cried about it, but Godrick was smart enough to create and sign a contract that was beneficial to him."


    "Got it. Don''t touch anything, don''t accept anything they offer, and most importantly, don''t sign any papers!" I exclaimed after he was done, making him laugh.


    "Pretty much! Well, let''s get going then. Even if the goblin I made a pact with no longer lives, their family will be forced to adhere to it," he explained, pulling out an ancient contract from his inner pocket. "No matter if they like it or not."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Good morning, Hermione."


    "Mhm... ''morning, Victor. Ah? Is that...?"


    "For you, yes. Orange juice, egg, ham, bread." He nodded, welcoming Hermione to their inn''s common room.


    "Thank you..." She answered with a whisper, trying to hide her blush with her bushy hair.


    It has been four days since their meeting with the drunken Irish wizard. Hermione tried to go back one time, but he never opened the door, no matter how long she waited. Since then, she has mostly been stuck in the local library, reading any news she could find or hanging inside the inn, talking with Victor, and getting to know him.


    "Tomorrow." He said suddenly, making Hermione stop munching on her toast, thinking and finally realizing what he meant.


    "You managed it?!"


    "Sssh! Yes... I did. Can''t say more. Tomorrow, early morning, we leave. Okay?"


    "Yes! Of course!" She answered at once, beaming from excitement, looking forward to meeting the young wizard who may show her a side she didn''t know about, one that was not distorted by either group''s views.


    ...


    ....


    .......


    "Ouch..."


    In the countryside, in a tiny hamlet of wizards, Neville was looking at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror, pressing a bag of ice against his swollen left eye. Another day and another fight... He never could genuinely get along with Ron Weasely, but since the news of the death of his last relative, he has become even worse.


    Just the fact that he was friends with Conrad was enough to blow Ron''s fuse and attack him any time the topic resurfaced. He was what the muggles called a loose cannon, and Neville couldn''t help but agree with the definition. The only reason he put up with his nonsense and constant provocations was because he could understand where it was coming from. He had also lost his parents and could sympathize with Ron''s feelings, but... he was nearing a breaking point.


    "What the hell happened?" He asked, but nobody could give him an answer.


    Sirius was unhelpful just the same. Losing his brother made him stop breaking up their fights, letting it play out as if he was not there. Was he also blaming him? What nonsense. He knew the Anguines, and he knew Conrad. There had to be something else going on... the news that they killed Regulus and Charlie was a whole bag of nonsense. He did not doubt that they died, but to say it was Conrad and Quincy? That was way out of line! For example, Regulus was Quincy''s father! Who would be able to kill her own father? No. Something else had to happen, and now they were the ones who it was pinned on.


    "I may learn more tomorrow..." He whispered, going to his bed, lying down, looking at the ceiling, and pressing the ice to his eye.


    He received a letter from Victor Krum. They had only met a few times, but now he was asking whether they could meet again. He also mentioned a girl coming from Beauxbatons, one who had met Conrad and Quincy. Finally, he may get some new news and learn what is going on outside that nobody wants to tell him.

 Chapter 140 – Hammerstrike

    "This... is not exactly what I expected." I spoke up the moment we apparated at our current location and I had time to look around.


    "We are still a bit away and need to walk. Their territory is surrounded by goblin enchantments that prevent wizardkind to apparate in or out. Not even house elves could do it."


    "Then it sounds like we are walking into a tiger''s den..." Quincy added, making me nod, but Grindelwald was surprisingly calm. Well... he always was.


    "It will be fine. Come!"


    Looking around after following him, we were surrounded by lush trees, bushes, and the sound of different birds merrily chirping away. It was as if we were on a hike, going through the untouched wilderness where no humans set foot before. It was a nice change of pace, and I did not really mind it. After around an hour of walking and enjoying the scenery, I noticed smoke rising on the horizon right after coming out from between the trees and arriving at a clearing.


    "We are already within their borders; keep your wands at bay. Don''t brandish it until I do, got it?"


    "Yes, Sir." We answered in unison as we both had different methods of defending ourselves. Even if their barrier cuts off teleporting, I could still turn into a basilisk, and Quincy could fly away. We should be alright...


    Finally, reaching their settlement was still different from what I had expected. When speaking about goblins, I thought of being underground, tunneling deep, surrounded by steam engines and machinery. Maybe two or three blacksmith workshops. Or something like what is under every Gringotts. But no.


    What I saw was a typical village with stone and brick houses. No, the correct term would be estates. These homes were just as big as any human-sized ones, but their proportions differed. While it would be a two-story building for a human, for them, the same size meant it was a four-story villa. They were all luxurious-looking; the roads were smooth, and they even had parks and churches decorated with gold and silver. The only difference was that instead of a cross, a golden hammer was shining in the sunlight on the tallest, gothic-looking church.


    Before I could ask anything, I saw a vehicle approach us, which was like a shrunken-down version of a muggle''s car from the 1930s. On the smooth road, it was surprisingly fast and stopped right before us while I watched four goblins get out of it, wearing military-looking uniforms. The fabric itself was black and red, while golden, metallic plates reinforced their shoulders and chest. Would it have any magical properties? Probably. They were goblins, after all.


    "Thou glimdratch, wazzock blarn... wixard!"


    Gobbledegook. What an ugly language. Of course, I understood none of it, and I couldn''t tell if the goblin was angry or not. They did sound angry, but that was just their language. I tried reading their expressions but damn it, they also looked angry... but I never saw a goblin smile either. Can they even feel happiness? Or joy?


    "They can. I will translate it for you." Herpo spoke up in my mind, making me form a small smile. Finally, you are awake when I need you. "You do know, I can hear your thoughts."


    "Yes. But please, continue." I chuckled to myself, ignoring his sigh as he continued translating what Grindelwald and the goblins were talking about.


    "I have a pass." Grindelwald said, pulling out a round, silver disc the size of his palm and showing it to the goblins, who were grumbling something when they saw it.


    "Let me examine it!" Said the first one, who got out of the car''s driver''s seat.


    "Are you from House Hammerstrike?" Grindelwald asked, pulling his hand back the moment the goblin reached for it.


    "Hmph! I am from House Goldhand; don''t mistake me for a Hammerstrike welp!"


    "Did old Goldhand overtook Hammerstrike? I did not know about that. The last time I was here, Silver Hammerstrike was the leader of your city."


    "And he still is!" answered a cold voice as a second car approached, one that was only a two-seater, long, longer than a fishing boat. It had a shining, silvery body with white leather seats and without a top. It stopped right next to us while another ugly-looking goblin stepped out of it. His clothes were white as snow with black trims going along their edges... looking at him and his car; I knew he liked the color a lot. This one looked a bit older than the rest, which I could only tell because his long ears were filled with long, grey hair. It was like a cat''s whiskers but growing in the wrong place. Oh, and his brows... those could be substituted for a wirebrush. He needed a trim if you asked me...Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Old Silver." Grindelwald nodded, forming a small smile, while the first group of goblins groaned and cursed under their long noses.


    "I felt my emblem return. It was time," he answered, ignoring everyone else and reaching out his hand. Grindelwald gave it to him without hesitation this time, watching him rub his long fingers and black nails over it multiple times before pocketing it. "You made me hold onto your rubbish for long enough. I am not a Gringotts!"


    "You are the Head of Gringotts," he countered, making the old one widen his lips and show his sharp teeth. At that moment, I wished I had never seen a goblin smile again. It was horrifying.


    "That I am. You know where my home is, I assume. Meet me there. And lads!" He turned towards the four who were already climbing into their cars. "Tell old Goldie that he may have made friends, but don''t try and step over his boundaries, or he will learn why we''re called Hammerstrike!"


    When both groups left, I finally let out a long sigh, echoed by Quincy, who had been utterly oblivious to their conversation until now.


    "What was that about?" She asked, feeling frustrated, stomping her right foot on the hard road.


    "The usual goblin feud." He answered, unbothered, "Let''s get walking. We still have a long way to go, and I will explain it to you while we do so."


    "If it is far away, he could have given us a lift..." She continued to grumble, making him smile.


    "We wouldn''t have fit into his car, and even if we did, he wouldn''t have done it. Don''t be mistaken. He may honor his deal with me, but he is not a friend."


    "Does he even have a friend?" I asked jokingly, "I don''t think someone who is the head of Gringotts would have many of those."


    I knew I was betraying the fact that I could understand them talking, but I wanted to see Grindelwald''s reaction. I did trust him, but I did not trust him as much as Quincy or my Father... I wanted to, but I was unable to. Yet.


    "True enough." He nodded, looked at me once, and, unlike Quincy, skipped any questions about how I could comprehend Gobbledegook.


    "You understood them?" She grabbed my hands, and when I nodded, a light flashed through her eyes, making me nod again. She already guessed it was because of Herpo.


    "You could have kept it a secret." Herpo argued, "It is good to keep secrets."


    "I keep you a secret, just like my basilisk form. I am willing to share this, on the other hand, so Grindelwald can plan accordingly. I want to trust him..."


    "Your call, Conrad."


    "Where are the goblins?" Quincy asked a question that eluded me so far. Sure enough, walking on the sidewalks, I saw nobody. It was a lovely city, beautiful even, but I saw nobody around. Cars passed by us occasionally, but other than that, I saw no goblins. Were they watching from their windows? Too afraid to come and see wizards? Where is everybody?


    "Underground." Grindelwald answered her, holding his hand behind his back as we walked, "The city is a show of wealth to each other. The houses are like trophies; the fancier, the more luxurious, the wealthier the goblin family that owns it. The real deal is hidden underground. Think of these houses as a gateway to a different world. All of them lead downwards, but they rarely intersect. It is... hm, like a weird ant hill."


    "Are we going down?" I questioned, looking towards the different decorated doors and gardens.


    "Most likely. The old man will try to swindle me while I get my stuff back, so I will have to be on my toes to avoid falling for any of his traps."


    "Brilliant... didn''t you say they honor their end of the bargain?" I grunted, rubbing my forehead.


    "They do. He will give them back; that is not the issue here. What I need to be careful about is how I accept them. Because if I show any gratitude or inkling of it, taking it as a favor and not as a business being conducted and finalized, he can then attack from that position."


    "Attack?" We asked, looking at each other first.


    "Owing a favor to a goblin is never ideal. So don''t fall into its trap. They will keep reminding you of owing them, which is highly annoying."


    "True." Herpo added, "They are needy and greedy little bastards. I hated working with them, especially because of their belief that all they ever made was rightfully theirs. Even if I paid for it... So, I opted to enslave their minds and bind them to my will. Then I didn''t have to deal with their nonsense."


    "I always forget that your title was The Foul." I murmured within my mind.


    "There." Grindelwald exclaimed softly. Looking towards where he was pointing, we saw a beautiful white villa before us. No, that was a whole palace, walled off from the other parts of the city. It was not goblin-sized; it was human-sized, so I genuinely mean it when I say it was huge. "That''s old Hammerstrike''s home."


    "Why is it this big? I can see doors and windows that could fit a troll through it, not to mention us."


    "As I said, wealth. Gringott Hammerstrike was the one who established the banking system we all use, and although both wizards and goblins jointly operate the bank, you can guess who holds the true reigns in their hands."


    "Bet." I chuckled, "Not to mention goblins; I wouldn''t want to let something so important out of my hands."


    "Yes... Money does make the world go around. Even I or your Dark Lord are troubled to go up against it. Or at least troubled for now. I wonder if Gringotts would finally feel troubled if the Order loses..."


    "My guess is that they are playing both sides." Quincy interjected, looking at the marvelous design of the moving, ''living'' hedges that decorated the vast garden as we approached the main gate. There were dragons, griffins, sphinxes, and even graphorns amongst them. "Profiting from a constant war is an easy way to get richer." She finished her thoughts, prying her eyes from the green ''beasts.''


    "You..." Grindelwald said, smiling back at her, "are already thinking like a goblin. Good. Now I am more relaxed that you won''t get into trouble here~!"

 Chapter 141 – Silver

    When I entered the courtyard of the head of the goblins, I couldn''t help but think how wealthy and powerful he may be. They controlled Gringotts, and through it, they could control the lives of countless wizards. Would they, though? It had to be a delicate situation, and they had to balance around the factions, walking a tightrope. If they ever fell in with one wizarding group, that could easily mean that all the other wizards joined up against them in an attempt to bring them down.


    Quincy was right; I bet that war between wizards profits them more than taking either of their sides. If they remain impartial, they can play both sides and remain in a position where neither group could slight or attack them, in fear of pushing them into the arms of the other. Crafty. And... I had an inkling that any other goblin family, especially those Gold... Gold, whoever would jump on the opportunity to take over.


    My thoughts were interrupted by arriving at the villa and walking in, greeted by a giant hall made of marble and statues, furniture crafted from precious metals. To my surprise, a human butler greeted us. Wait, no, it was a wizard; I noticed the wand hanging on his side.


    "Please, come this way. The Master will be with you shortly," he said courteously, but he only looked at Grindelwald and ignored the rest of us. Following the butler, he led us to a conference room and served us drinks and snacks before leaving through another thick, golden door.


    "You can eat and drink; it won''t be poisoned." Grindelwald said with a chuckle, watching Quincy tap the food with the tip of her wand. To demonstrate it, he picked up one muffin and bit into it while looking around calmly.


    "Would it be below their standard?" She asked, following suit while I tasted the tea, which was superb.


    "No. They would do it anywhere else. Here? Too many eyes. We walked all the way here so everyone in this city knows our arrival and our connection to old Hammerstrike. If anything happened, it would come to light very quickly. He won''t do anything that makes him open to attacks from rival families."


    "Like from the Goldhands?" Quincy asked, following up with another question: "Was that really a wizard before? Do wizards serve goblins? I never heard about it!"


    "Yes, and yes." He nodded, washing the muffin down with a cup of tea, "It isn''t rare, but of course, any wizard in service of a goblin family would be shunned back home. So, they are usually exiles or runaways. Escapeeds, if you will."


    "Dark wizards?" I chortled, looking at him, and sure enough, he nodded his head.


    "I was also given an option to become a servant. Of course, don''t be mistaken! They come with special contracts that are as binding as any wizarding, magical oath. But, for some who are talented enough, becoming a goblin''s servant is much better than being thrown into Azkaban."


    "Yeah, but some families would die first than accept an offer like that." Quincy added quickly, "I know that some of my ancestors would be so offended by the notion of such an offer that they would send back the head of the messenger as an answer."


    "True enough," Grindelwald agreed, "I also felt the same way. Some goblins even use it as a tactic to get rid of someone. Sending a poor guy to a wizarding family who they know would kill the messenger. Anyway, it is what it is, so don''t be too surprised."


    "What''s up with the Gold... Goldhands!" I remembered, finally, "Do you know them?"


    "A bit. Not a lot, as I wasn''t interested in goblin-kind that much. I knew enough to work with them and to use them, but my focus was on a wholly different purpose. They are just as ancient as Hammerstrike; in fact, they are related."


    "I''m not that surprised. Big families, with centuries of power usually all related." Quincy interjected with a shrug, "I am probably also related to almost half of the remaining sacred wizarding families. I do know, that there was some relation between me and Draco."


    "Ugh, when you say it like that..." I shivered, making her laugh and hug me.


    "But it is true." Grindelwald continued, "Both families trace their bloodline back to Ragnuk the First. He was one of the most brilliant rulers of goblins because he was one of the best smiths who ever lived. Believe me, goblins rarely say something like that, but in his case, it is true."


    "Oh, I remember him!" I snapped my finger, "We learned about him when we were taught about the four founders of Hogwarts. It is the same goblin Gryffindor was tasked with making his sword."


    "Yes. Since its creation, that sword had been the source of trouble for both sides." Quincy added while shrugging.


    "Not wrong." Grindelwald agreed with a smile. "Ragnuk fell in love with the sword, but, as I said, Gryffindor was crafty. He probably asked his good friend, Slytherin, to help him design the contract so he could fool Ragnuk and force his hands to hand it over. Later, the goblin tried to steal it back, but he never succeeded. There were even rebellions fought for the sword later on... many, bloody events but none succeeded."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "And because of their customs," Quincy finished for him, "They still think the sword is theirs, and it was stolen from them. They never gave up on getting their hands on it, huh?"


    "No, we did not."


    The answer came from Silver Hammerstrike, the old goblin himself, who entered the room, followed by multiple human servants. I wanted to laugh, watching him climb up to a unique chair to reach the same height as us, but I made sure my face didn''t even flinch. I let Grindelwald do the talking as we sat next to him, listening in quietly. Luckily, Quincy could also follow this time as they were not using the goblins'' tongue to speak.


    "That sword is rightfully ours." Hammerstrike repeated, but our Master was not about to argue about it.


    "It is a millennia-long debate, and I have no interest in reigniting it, Old Silver. I am more interested in our agreement."


    "Of course. But you need to realize that your sudden appearance here caught me unprepared. It will take time to transfer your belongings to my home."


    "You should have known I left Nurmengard, as you helped me build it. You would have been the first being in this world to know when I die so you could keep my belongings for yourself."


    "Knowing that you perished is different from knowing you escaped; you have to understand." The old goblin answered him in a natural yet kind voice, but I knew he was simply avoiding the points Grindelwald was raising and countering him with.


    "How long will it take?"


    "A day at most."


    "We will wait it out here, in this room." Grindelwald stated clearly, and although I saw the goblin''s eyes flash, thinking of offering to host us, he finally decided to gulp back his words.


    "Fine. With our transaction coming to a close, a very long cooperation is about to end. Maybe it is time to look into the future."


    "I don''t plan to do much after this." He countered the goblin again, and it was the first time I had seen the surprise on its wrinkled face. "I no longer have grandeur ideas and plans, Old Silver. I will take my things, and that is it."


    "It is hard to believe it is coming from your mouth, Gellert Grindelwald. Your ambitions were the main driving point behind every action of yours. You were almost goblin-like."


    "I changed."


    "But the world did not. Another one like you emerged amongst your kind, and no matter where you are, he won''t stand still if he finds out about your return."


    "Probably. Should I fear him? Is that what you are getting at?"


    "Yes." The way he said it surprised me this time. I couldn''t help but exchange a look with Quincy, curious about where this was going. "That particular wizard is troublesome. Gringotts had been finding it increasingly hard to operate in one of our most profitable regions. There is always a new rule, a new edict from the Ministry that we need to work out and adapt to... it has been... frustrating."


    "Are you thinking about joining the feud, Old Silver?" Grindelwald asked, smiling softly.


    "You know it is not what I mean. We host both sides, and our safes are open to everybody who can pay for them. I am simply talking about potential future problems if the current events escalate even further."


    "You just want a third party to enter the fray because you are afraid that no matter which side wins, they will try coming for you?"


    "I''m just looking for more security. Decades of warfare are less profitable in the long run than peace."


    "I have to refuse." Grindelwald said after a moment of thinking.


    "Conrad, follow my lead." Herpo declared, suddenly speaking to me, almost making me jump in my chair.


    "What are you thinking of?"


    "Just say what I tell you. Trust me."


    "I do have a proposition, though." When I opened my mouth, everyone was surprised, including Quincy, Grindelwald, the butler standing at the door, and lastly, Old Silver.


    "What is your name, young wizard?"


    "Conrad Anguine."


    "Mhm. I am listening, young Anguine." He fully turned towards me, and I could see the curiosity in his eyes, especially because Grindelwald quickly regained his calmness, not interfering with my interruption.


    "Silver of Ugnok."


    "...!" The moment I spoke those words, coming from Herpo, I watched the goblin shudder and sit up straight in his chair. Even Grindelwald looked at me deeply, trying to read my thoughts. Yet, I think only Quincy realized what was happening, and she leaned back, enjoying the show like we had watched muggle TV for days. "Boy... how do you..."


    "I only have a clue for it, Silver Hammerstrike. It''s a riddle that I came across, to be precise.


    From Knossos'' glory to rugged peaks,


    My beauty and wonder forever speaks.


    I am not telling you that what you are looking for lies at the end of it. I just know that it can lead to more clues to finding it."


    "You are not lying..." He whispered, only breaking eye contact and blinking after he made sure of it. Was he using some kind of goblin magic? Maybe... I don''t know.


    "What do you wish for in return for this information, young Anguine?" He asked, taking a deep breath, betraying his frustration that he felt I played him here.


    "Nothing."


    "That won''t do." He countered, unwilling to go into debt.


    "Then..." I leaned forward, "Let''s say I would be happy to read what is stored within a certain Dark Lord''s vault. I don''t need to see it, nor do I need to enter the vault. Just a simple list of what is inside right now. That''s it."


    "..."


    I wasn''t hurrying anywhere. I patiently waited for the goblin''s answer, looking into his eyes, unafraid of his gaze. Luckily, after more than five minutes, he nodded his head. He didn''t say a word; he climbed down from his chair, waddled out of the room, and left us there. I expected Grindelwald to say something, but instead, it was Quincy who couldn''t hold it back.


    "What is that Silver of Ugnok?"


    "That... I would like to know too..." I replied, trying to force Herpo to spill the beans already.

 Chapter 142 – Gold

    Sitting at the same table, both Quincy and Grindelwald were looking at me. While the former was curious about the same thing I was, the Silver of Ugnok, the latter''s eyes were filled with a different kind of curiosity.


    "You know about it?" I asked, looking up at Grindelwald.


    "Somewhat, yes. I do know that it is supposedly a treasure of the very first goblin king. Ugnok the Unalloyed. According to ancient legends and goblin beliefs, he united their race as their very first king, but only for a short time. He was later killed, or they say."


    "By a wizard?" I asked, already expecting the answer.


    "If you want to listen to the goblins, yes, by a wizard. But we don''t really know if Ugnok truly existed, as there is no legitimate claim to his bloodline. Many later kings proclaimed they were descendants of Ugnok, but none had any proof to back it up."


    "And this silver would be that?" Quincy asked, leaning forward to look at him.


    "If it exists. We don''t even know what it is. Many goblins died searching for it all their lives, only to find nothing and die poor and broken."


    "Why would Old Silver help us out then?" I whispered, thinking to myself.


    "For two reasons. Like many other goblins, he would not miss an opportunity like this. Plus, if your clue results in absolutely nothing, he will hold the list he is bringing to you as a favor and remind you of it forever."


    "Herpo!" I shouted in my mind, and to my surprise, he answered immediately.


    "Relax. He will find something. Not Ugnok or his treasure, but evidence that he was real."


    "Are you sure?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous.


    "Yes, because I killed Ugnok. The bastard was stealing from me and reneging on our agreements at every turn he could. So when I had enough, I turned him into a liquid and forged a statue out of him that I kept in my palace. The Silver of Ugnok refers to that statue. Anyway, that thing is long gone; it was destroyed when I was defeated the first time. So, they will never find it, as I said... but! They will find clues about his silver and its true origin, sending them on a wild chase for another millennium. Good on them, greedy little bastards."


    "You really hate goblins..."


    "Yes, I do. Ugnok''s mind was so greedy that I could not control him. He broke free every time to enrich himself and steal anything moderately valuable. Worse, his greed was so powerful that he could break my control over others of his kin, turning them into his followers. I won''t lie, I was impressed..."


    Well, this is another reminder of who''s descendant I was. Geez. After that, we just sat there, waiting for an hour, when the door opened again, and Old Silver returned. He walked in unhurriedly and climbed back to his chair before pressing a lone parchment toward me. He said nothing, simply waiting for me to take it and read it through. I did not want him to think I was unsure, so I took it without hesitation and read it through.


    "That''s... a big list..." Quincy murmured, leaning close to me, reading it with me.


    I had to agree. It was... Plus, the vault number and its location were left off it. I wasn''t surprised, so I ignored the fact and kept reading, memorizing everything, holding back my smile. I already had found what I thought I would. There was a ring hidden within, described perfectly on the list, with a little stone embedded into it. This description alone made me 80% sure it was the resurrection stone. The shape and form matched Grindelwald''s teachings.


    "I think we are done with our transaction." I answered, giving back the list, making the goblin nod, looking at me. Maintaining my gaze, I saw his long ears sometimes twitch and his fingers spasm, almost tearing into the paper. Was... was he receiving news? How? Through what? I didn''t feel any magic pass through here... Are they copying some kind of muggle technology, like their TV? To talk over a long distance?


    "Mhm. We did."


    He had just finished his sentence when the door opened again, and a human walked in, carrying a brown, unassuming suitcase.


    "You did have it." Grindelwald whispered, knowing well the old goblin was lying when he said he needed time. He also realized my little clue had to be useful because he was ushering us out as fast as possible without saying it out loudly. Grindelwald was not about to argue, so he stood up, grabbed his suitcase without checking it, and nodded toward us to follow him.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I wasn''t pleading against it either; I did not like it here. Goblins are kind of weirding me out with all their little schemes and mind games. With the multiple traps I was warned about, I wanted to go anywhere else but be here. I would deal with Death Eaters and the Order at once, then live amongst them for even a day! But, our walk out of the city, heading towards their border to apparate away, would not be as smooth as coming in.


    "It seems that your information was not a lie, Conrad." Grindelwald exclaimed, and I could see why.


    "It seems so..."


    While walking to Old Silver, I noticed that the city was kind of empty. But now? We passed multiple goblins who were hurrying somewhere, and we even saw different little cars coming out of the estates and heading away. It was like a beehive had been kicked, and as the preparator, I was afraid one of them would try to sting me.


    "Stop for a moment." A raspy voice echoed, aiming at us right when we were just a few meters away from the border of their territory. Before us, the road was blocked by two trucks and around thirty goblins standing there, with a similarly old one in the middle, looking just like Old Silver.


    "Old Gold." Grindelwald shrugged, remaining calm. "What is it?"


    "A lot," he answered, walking closer and looking up at us while leaning onto a black and gold walking stick. "You come and visit my cousin, and now half of the city, the half that is under him, begins buzzing. I don''t like it."


    "And it is our problem... because?" He asked, tilting his head, unafraid.


    "Because I said so."


    "We can strike up a deal." I interjected, turning all the goblins'' gazes at me, and this time, I was acting out of my own initiative.


    "And who would you be, child?" Clearly, he was not keen on conversing with me and was happy about my interruption. Still, before Quincy could snort loudly, expressing her displeasure, Grindelwald''s laugh made Old Gold take me seriously.


    "The boy responsible for why Old Silver is so in a hurry."


    "What did you do, boy?" Old Gold grunted, now solely looking at me.


    "As I said, I would be open to a transaction between us."


    "Speak."


    "You are at least more forthright than Old Silver..." I murmured, making the old goblin flash his sharp teeth at me. "Can you get us into the vault of the current Dark Wizard or not?"


    "..." Well, at least I wiped his smug smirk off his face. But then again, he remained still for a long time, thinking. "It wouldn''t be cheap."


    "The Silver of Ugnok." I repeated the exact words, and his reaction was almost identical.


    "Impossible!" he exclaimed, gripping his cane even stronger. But then again, seeing how half of the city buzzed, he couldn''t help but look at me again, trying to see into my soul.


    "Decide for yourself." I shrugged, crossed my arms, and waited as long as needed for him to come to terms with himself.


    "Tell me, boy."


    "First, I want to see a contract." I countered, already waiting for it. This time, it won''t be a simple ''transaction.'' I wanted guarantees. I watched him grumble and mumble, but in the end, he produced two parchments, penning up the contract on the side of their trucks before giving it to me.


    I wasn''t as sure I could understand it, so I handed it to Grindelwald, who took more than ten minutes to read it. After finishing reading it, he suggested three additions, angering Old Gold, but nonetheless, he acquiesced and made the changes. When I stamped it with my finger, leaving a bloody mark on it, and he did the same, I told him the same riddle. Although I knew he was skeptical, the reaction from Old Silver was big enough to convince him that I wasn''t lying, nor an idiot or a fluke.


    "What else do you know?" He asked right when we were ready to leave.


    "Nothing else. I only discovered this information by accident while studying the history of Herpo the Foul. I didn''t know its importance until a few days ago. That is the truth."


    I expected them to hold us up, but because Old Silver was ahead of them in action, they chose to leave instead, racing with time and their cousins. On the other hand, Grindelwald simply smiled, holding onto our shoulders, and we apparated out of there.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Something happened with the Goblins, Albus!" McGonagall explained that the head of the Order was having a meeting on a moonless night. They were hiding away from prying eyes and any type of magic in their current headquarters, a lonely castle somewhere on the British Isles.


    "And not just here." Moody added, "Almost all over the continent."


    "Many of our contacts suddenly disappeared or withdrew, and we received multiple reports that many transactions within their banks have been... sluggish," Lupin said, finishing the reports, unsure what this could mean.


    "Are they allying themselves with...?" Flitwick, the smallest of the group, asked, but he couldn''t believe that would be the reason. "It can''t be..."


    "No, they did not." Dumbledore answered, letting out a long breath, only telling part of what he was thinking of. "Severus has contacted me; the Dark Lord had run into the same issue. This has to do something with the goblins and not with us. Something happened that caused a ruckus within them. For now, try to discover what its source is, but don''t push too hard!"


    Looking at the old wizard, McGonagall, and Moody already had an inkling of what could be the reason... they saw Grindelwald''s return, and if anyone could create such a disturbance, it had to be the old friend and enemy of Dumbledore. The only good news was that they were not the sole target of whatever he was planning...

 Chapter 143 – Behind the Myth

    We were in the center of a muggle metropolis, as for which one I did not ask Grindelwald yet. From what I gathered, we were most likely back in Germany, inferring it from listening to the language around us. We didn''t linger on the streets for long after apparating and instead headed to a hotel where we rented out the penthouse, using the funds that my Father left for us. Once we were up in our multi-bedroom suite, Quincy finally asked the question that was making me itch.


    "What''s in the suitcase?"


    "Are you familiar with the term grimoire?" He asked, sitting down on the leather couch and placing the suitcase on the mahogany coffee table in front of it.


    "You mean our textbooks at Hogwarts?" Quincy asked, tilting her head and making Grindelwald smile.


    "Yes and no. You see, grimoires are more complex than simple magic books teaching you spells. A true grimoire contains the full knowledge and essence of a wizard. Most ancient wizards and witches wrote their grimoires at the end of their lives, pouring their magic into it when creating one. A true grimoire has all of the knowledge and personality of its creator. It is the ultimate legacy of any wizard."


    "Are you familiar with the talking paintings?"


    "Of course." We answered, making him smile.


    "It is the same concept. The difference is that the grimoire is more complex and will be able to answer much deeper and more profound questions than a painting."


    "So... there is a grimoire in there?" I asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is it yours?"


    "No, not mine." He nodded, opening it, making both of us stretch our necks, trying to see. Inside were multiple knick-knacks, amulets, rings, pairs of gloves, wizarding robes, and cloaks, but the most exciting part was the leather-bound, black book resting in the middle. It was not as thick as some of our school books and was more akin to a diary than anything. It was... unassuming. But I already learned that means nothing. We have tents that look small but have a whole house inside, so this had to hide something important...


    "Who wrote it?" Quincy asked softly, looking at Grindelwald again.


    "Ignotus Peverell."


    "The Ignotus Peverell?" We exclaimed simultaneously. By now, we know that name well. He was the man in the legend written down by Beedle the Bard. He was one of the three brothers, the one who got the cloak from Death and used it to evade him all his life.


    "Yes. The items you see here also belonged to him." He continued, picking out a cloak that, after unfolding and putting on, he became transparent. It wasn''t proper invisibility; we could see distortions, especially when he moved. Still, it was pretty awesome! "I collected everything I could and was related to him, finally coming across his grimoire that taught me how to find the other two Hallows."


    "Woah... that''s something!" I whistled, tilting my head, watching him put the cloak down and pick up the grimoire. "So the whole legend is true, yes?"


    "Not... exactly. Beedle wrote down the Deathly Hallows tale, but it has been spreading through word of mouth before him. By then, it was embellished... but every legend has its origin, and I learned its true nature through this book. It was what led me to find the wand. Here!"


    "..." I was shocked that he was presenting me with the book, but after a minor hesitation, I took it, sat down, and opened it.


    "It''s empty." Quincy exclaimed, looking at me and then at Grindelwald, "Is it magically sealed?"


    "No. Point your wand at it and ask a question."


    "Hmm..." I pulled it out and pressed its tip against the empty page, muttering quietly. "Who are you?"


    "I am Ignotus Peverell, maker of Death''s Cape."


    "What''s that?" I asked out loud, making Grindelwald chuckle before answering me.


    "It is the Invisibility Cloak, originally called the Death''s Cape. Ignotus wanted to create a cape that would give the wearer real invisibility¡ªone that never fades, never fails, and always works. He named it after the idea that Death is the only being nobody can see, yet he is always there, looming around every soul, waiting to take you away."


    "Oooh!" Quincy exclaimed, snapping her fingers, "This is where the legend comes from?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Yes. Every myth has some truth hidden deep within, but time and multiple retellings through the centuries distort it. There was no Death who gave the brothers their gifts; it was their own work. Go ahead, ask him anything you want; he will answer."


    "What about your brothers?" I asked again, pointing my wand at the book, waiting for the words to finally appear on the pages.


    "My eldest brother was Antioch, who created Death''s Finger, and my second brother was Cadmus, who made Undeath."


    "So, Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone..." I whispered, already asking my next question. "Why did you make them?"


    "Competition. Only one of us was worthy of inheriting our father''s throne, and none of us was keen on losing. In our family, the most capable was meant to be the head of the Peverells, and we fought to kill each other multiple times as neither of us was willing to back down. Our family''s wealth was more than you could imagine, and we poured our efforts into defeating each other for good. Let one live, and we will never secure the throne for ourselves."


    "Geez... not what I expected!" I grunted, looking at Quincy, who simply shrugged and pointed her wand at the book.


    "How did you win?"


    "Antioch focused on creating a wand that amplifies the caster''s innate talents; it only works if the one wielding it is strong enough. Give it to a weakling, and he will still lose."


    "But it is said the wand is the strongest wand in existence, and it has almost its own mind, abandoning others for a stronger one!" I exclaimed while using my wand, and he answered me immediately.


    "So I heard. Antioch was a gifted wandmaker... His teacher, Oliver Ollivander, always told him that a wand chooses his master. It is highly possible that the wand, through the ages, evolved its personality. It IS a strong wand, so its personality is just as headstrong. Maybe this is why wands are rarely passed down within families, and every wizard gets their own new wands when starting their journey. It could very well be stronger than it was in my time."


    "What about the third brother?" Quincy asked, feeling excited.


    "Cadmus was the weakest of us, constantly worrying and afraid of dying. He sought immortality, a futile endeavor. It led him to surround himself with dark magic and necromancy, raising the dead, searching for a way to be able to come back or become unkillable. Both attempts were failures. The path to victory lay not in overwhelming strength or cheating death. You only need a good tool and a smart head; no wand will save you if you don''t see the one casting you down. How are you coming back from the dead when you don''t even realize you died? My brothers failed... I did not."


    "Grim, ain''t it?" Grindelwald laughed softly. "The Death in the story was Ignotus all along. He killed his brothers and took over the family, passing down the tale and the artifacts within. As time passed, some of those artifacts were lost, and the family''s power dwindled through the centuries, but the main line kept the cloak inherited from father to son. Or daughter. There were only two in the family who knew about it, the owner of the cloak and the one he or she later passed it down to. That''s all there is to it."


    "Damn..." We said in unison, looking at the little black book, thinking about what to ask him.


    "You can keep it; the same goes for the items in this suitcase. All of them are magical and could be helpful. Keep talking with him to understand the Hallows even more. This is one thing that not even Albus has or knows about. I kept this secret from everybody... While you familiarize yourself with the Hallows from the source, I will look around the city and hit up some old acquaintances. If they are still around... Those who survived probably merged into the life of muggles."


    "I can help you with that." I exclaimed, standing up, "It is time to utilize what my Father has left for me to use!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Are you sure it is this way?" Hermione asked, following Krum on a dirt road.


    "Yes. It is secuded... seclued... sec... hidden. It defends with charms, anti-muggle magic, and confusion spells."


    "I see. It''s no wonder we had to walk from the bus stop for an hour now. What are they doing so far away from everything?"


    "Training. Getting ready and ambushing. For where we head is where Neville knows about but no others."


    "Wouldn''t that bring trouble to us, Victor? I am an outsider, after all."


    "You are with Beauxbatons. Ally. No? It is okay. I cast marking on us; they won''t notice; I know the spell."


    "I just don''t want to get you into trouble."


    "No worry. I also curious."


    After another twenty minutes of walking, Hermione finally noticed a windmill appearing in the distance. As they got closer, it became evident that the slowly rotating antique sails were attached to an old, abandoned building. As for when it was left behind, who knows? It could have been decades or even centuries ago.


    "Yo!" Shouted Neville, who was already there, waving towards Krum, looking at Hermione with curiosity.


    "Hey." Victor greeted him, shaking hands before introducing Hermione.


    "Nice to meet you, I am Neville Longbottom."


    "Hermione Granger."


    "Oh, you did not lie." He chuckled, making her blink her surprised eyes.


    "He learns mind reading," Victor said jokingly, maybe enjoying Hermione''s sudden panic, while Neville shrugged.


    "It''s just legilimency, and I am still a novice. But I can tell if someone is lying if they have no defenses up. I can''t truly read minds. Yet."


    "Do you also learn occlumency?" Hermione asked, no longer troubled. Instead, she felt curious and excited while looking at the young man, who was surprisingly friendly and leisurely.


    "That I do. But... I have a feeling you have a lot of questions for me, yes?"


    "Um." She nodded, looking embarrassed for a moment.


    "Thought so. Let''s go in before anyone sees us. I brought some food and drinks... let''s have a picnic, and then we can chat."

 Chapter 144 – Thoughts

    Listening to Hermione''s retelling of her experience and meeting with Quincy and Conrad, Neville couldn''t help but display a wide range of emotions on his face at once.


    "If she killed poor Squeaky, I can understand why Conrad did what he did. He lost his parents, everything that was his... And then Squeaky? I always told the others that he had to be convinced and not pushed away, but they were suspicious of his father right up to the end."


    "What do you mean?" Hermione asked, making Neville sigh, recollecting his thoughts and telling them everything he knew.


    "We were hiding in plain sight, under the Ministry''s nose, the best hiding place, so to speak. Angus Anguine kept us well informed and ensured the other branches within the Ministry were fed the false information we provided. That way, we could help him build up his reputation while also keeping us hidden and informed. I learned this early because I was constantly being trained in magic and told about what was happening. What many call a normal childhood, I had never known it. I always had to think about my mission... Train, train, and train..."


    "Which is?" They asked, looking at him while Neville took a deep breath, closing his eyes, tasting the words in his mouth before letting them escape through his lips.


    "Killing the Dark Lord."


    "..."


    "I had very few contacts with kids from my age," He continued, ignoring their surprised faces, "but then I met Conrad. Although we could not meet every day or every week, he made sure to come and visit me often. We were... and I hope that we are still... friends."


    "How was he?" Hermione pressed, wanting to know more, "And how was his dad?"


    "I know less of his dad, but he was very caring towards Conrad, not so much towards the rest of the family. I know that his wife cheated on him multiple times, but he didn''t care, not even when Conrad complained about it. I heard his mom was taken into Azkaban after what happened, but I don''t think either of the two would care about it..."


    "That''s... harsh..." Hermione murmured, furrowing her brows.


    "Yes, as a sentence, it was too much, I agree, but that woman was vile. Conrad was always headstrong. He befriended me quickly and treated me fairly every time. I don''t know if he realized I was lying to him often or just thought I was a weird kid... Maybe both... But he never pressed on the matter when I couldn''t answer his questions. I knew he would have my back in anything, but he is also someone who holds grudges until the end. If he dislikes you, he makes sure you know it. I don''t know that much about Quincy, but I do know they are a good pair, and I like her. She was friendly, and I know that her background was harsh. Still, I don''t believe she would be capable of..."


    "Of what?" Krum asked, and it was Neville''s time to tell his news, surprising them.


    "If not for me being under strict watch, I would have already headed out to try to find them. I want to ask them directly what happened."


    "What if they did it?"


    "Then..." He said, looking at Hermione, "I want to help them. They are my friends. There has to be a solution to it all! I don''t know why the others did not trust Angus... I always tried to tell them that Conrad should be on our side, but they always forbade me from telling him anything or involving him in our business. I know he would have understood it and helped us! Whatever is going on does not make sense, and I think I have been being told less and less, which frustrates me."


    "I agree." Victor and Hermione said simultaneously, the oldest of the three nodding towards Hermione to continue, "I have an increasing feeling that the Order is turning into something it is fighting against. I don''t want to stop them, but I want people to see the signs, the danger. I want people to know that something is not right! Because, even if we win, wouldn''t we replace one tyrant with another? Aren''t we fighting for peace and freedom? What type of freedom is where you are being forced into helping... and branded as an enemy if you question their methods..."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "You should look for the friends Conrad made in school. Maybe they know more. Here!"


    "What''s this?" She asked, looking at a book he was giving her.


    "We got this from one of them. It was Moody; you don''t need to know who that is; just know that he is an ex-auror¡ªa strong one. He decoded it. It is a diary shared by Conrad, Quincy, and their friends, the same group you saved." Neville explained, glancing at Victor, "I have been tasked with monitoring it and trying to convince the others to come forward through it or become our moles. If not for them deeming it somewhat worthless, I think they would have rounded them up all already. They look at it like some kind of training tool for me... Anyway, please take it! It may help you. I just ask, if you find them, notify me."


    "Are you... sure?" Hermione asked, taking it and opening it for a peek.


    "Yeah. I don''t want Ron to find out about it... It is getting harder and harder to deal with it, and he has been suspicious of what I have been reading in my free time. Haaahh..."


    "Who?"


    "A long story..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Arriving back at his temporary home in the tiny hamlet, Neville heard a voice calling out for him, one that he did not want to hear.


    "Where were you today?"


    "Why do you care, Ron?" He asked, turning towards him, watching the lanky boy leaning against the side of his house on the opposite end of the road.


    "Because I do not trust you."


    "You are alone with that sentiment."


    "You can fool others; you can''t fool me! You were friendly with that murderer and his girlfriend... I will find them and bring them to justice for what they did to my brother!"


    "Just don''t let it consume you as it consumed your brother..." Neville whispered, making Ron even angrier. He took big strides towards him, crossing the street in a flash, ready to throw hands.


    "What did you say?"


    "I am saying that you are constantly picking fights with me, yet we are on the same side. I''m starting to think you are not right in the head..." He retorted, reaching the end of his patience, "And I had enough of it!"


    Before Ron had a chance to raise an arm, curl his fingers into a fist, and aim his punch, Neville already used a spell, tying his ankles together and hoisting him into the air.


    "I understand your pain and frustration, but I am not your punching bag, Ron Weasley! I refuse to be! You better remember that before you try to pick a fight with me again. You may be stronger, but I am no muggle. Start learning spells if you want to challenge me because I won''t hold back any longer! Start with Wingardium Leviosa. Even a neanderthal like you can handle that... probably."


    With another wave of his hand, he sent him flying backward, making him land on his back, right in front of his house, but without any physical injury. Of course, this further angered Ron, but before he could stand back up, Sirius appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling Ron back into the house. He said nothing, but as Neville looked at him, he barely resembled himself from a year ago. He was, once again, half-drunk, looking like someone who had just escaped from Azkaban... Messy hair, dirty, stinky clothes, and bloodshot eyes. The perfect image of a wreck.


    "..." Neville opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he decided against it, walking into his home and lying down on his bed, thinking.


    The world had flipped to his head way too quickly. It was hard to adapt, and he started feeling kind of stuffed in his chest whenever he thought about what the future may hold for him. He had been hearing how the Dark Lord''s forces were being harassed and pushed back and how they were on a winning streak. But was it true? He couldn''t tell. Nothing has been making sense lately; he has been uprooted without notice, being brought away multiple times before finally settling down in this land of nothing in the middle of nowhere.


    At one point, he was sure he was taken to a different country just to spend a day there before being secretly smuggled back, but he never asked about it. Nobody would explain it to him anyway. It made him think about what the girl he met today was doing and how Hermione was looking for her own answers in her own way. Maybe he should follow her example, but...


    "I can''t..." He shrugged, turning towards the wall, knowing full well that multiple spells from Dumbledore himself were placed on his body. It was for his safety because if anything happened, the leading figures of the Order could sense it and directly apparate next to him if must. The moment he takes a step out of the borders of his new ''home,'' one of them would appear and escort him back. "This sucks..."

 Chapter 145 – Recruiting (1)

    Our life in Germany was surprisingly easy. With the correct spells, the language was no longer a barrier, and taking inventory of the different corporations left to me by my Father, we had all the muggle resources we needed to blend in. And by that, I don''t strictly mean material goods, but connections within the muggle world, be it influential people or straight-up muggle politicians.


    With Grindelwald guiding us, we were introduced to politics and the subtle powerplays governing the muggle world, which closely mirrored our own. Because no magic was involved in their lives, we could easily bend the rules to our favor when needed, while we also learned the meaning of restraint under his guidance.


    With him coaching us, we were learning how to use the muggles and their leaders to our advantage. There was always some connection between the magical world and the muggles'' side, a linchpin that was there to inform them if something magical happened and instruct them to cover up possible accidents and instances where magic was involved.


    We used this to get ahold of those tasked with maintaining this connection of the two worlds, using memory charms and different potions to create what the muggles would call ''sleeper cells'' and have informants who didn''t even know they were spies. They never genuinely reported to us but to their muggle counterparts, who then forwarded it to us in one way or another.


    Combined with my inheritance, it was such a strong foundation that we began forming something that Grindelwald named a ''Shadow Empire.'' Honestly... I found the name funny and cringe at the same time. But it did scratch a strange itch within both of me and Quincy. It was... well, cool. Even if he was simply playing around, teasing us a little when coming up with it, I did not mind and took on the name for fun.


    Then, there were the artifacts we recovered from the goblins, and I had to acknowledge that all those troubles we went through were worth it. On the one hand, Quincy was in love with her alchemy set, constantly improving her potion-making skills and coming up with brand-new variants of already-established brews with different or enhanced effects or creating entirely new ones. On the other hand, I was learning and testing the inheritance of the Peverells and having multiple conversations with his grimoire. I was learning about ancient lore and their methods, gaining a glimpse into how they thought and how they created their enchanted belongings.


    This was a point where I had an advantage over Grindelwald. Although he had the exact same source of knowledge when young, he used it to understand the three Hallows to only a certain level. He was more about learning their history and tracking them down. Me? I used it to know how they were made. With my ancient grandpa in my mind, understanding what the grimoire spewed out at certain times became much more easier.


    Many times, when Grindelwald silently observed me, having a discussion with the book, I felt a bit ashamed of myself. I knew he looked at me proudly, reminding me of my Father... but in reality, it was not me who was asking specific questions from old Peverell; it was Herpo. The two were like retired scientists, having a mental debate with each other through me. Well... I couldn''t complain; I was learning a lot from it, and I found myself getting more and more interested in their ideas. Maybe I also found my calling? Who knows... but I finally felt like I understood what Quincy felt when making a potion or finding a new recipe.


    What we didn''t have luck with was his old connections. We managed to track down three of them... buried deep in a muggle cemetery. A bummer... but somewhat expected. He did mention that there was a possibility that they were all tracked and hunted down after his imprisonment. Of course, we didn''t have any proof, but that could be easily the case. Quincy also suggested that they may have fled to different parts of the world, and if that was the case, venturing out to find them would be a waste of time when we had the option to recruit fresh blood right here.


    Yes. Recruiting... And not unknown mages, but old, known faces. In the past year, while we infiltrated the wizarding world from the muggles'' side, we learned more and more about what was happening. Although we lacked informants within either the Order or the Death Eaters, we had enough ears and eyes everywhere to know the general state of their war.


    The Order''s initial success didn''t let them push Voldemort into fleeing as he did to Dumbledore all those years ago. Instead, it became a battle of attrition and guerilla warfare¡ªa tug-of-war of territories within the wizarding world of Britain. What surprised me was that Beauxbatons and their immediate allies didn''t join the war after Durmstrang imploded. After the announcement that they refused to bother with a foreign conflict anymore and were distancing themselves from both parties, the Headmaster of the Beauxbatons did something I did not expect. They did nothing.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    It did not mean they were not supporting the Order, but not by actively sending wizards over. It was through money and resources. When I asked Grindelwald what he thought about it, he pointed towards Flamel. He was old but not senile. He helped Dumbledore because he was interested in opposing Voldemort''s rule, and because of Durmstrang''s rising dangers, he was a good ally. Being friends with Dumbledore was just a nice bonus. Doing what we did, it seemed we not only screwed over Voldemort''s side but also Dumbledore''s... A welcomed surprise!


    If Grindelwald is right, and I have no reason to doubt him, Flamel now is playing his cards closer to his chest, working to prepare to become the continent''s leading magical force after the dust settles. He would support Dumbledore until he wins and then even help him rebuild, probably further strengthening the standing of Beauxbaton through it. The only thing Flamel was missing from his calculations was Dumbledore and his plan of gathering the Hallows. If he manages to do it, who knows what he may be capable of. It did give the last brother of the Peverells enough power to reign for a long time without being challenged.


    So... we have been planning a heist for the past year to ensure it does not happen... to steal the ring from Voldemort''s vault before it gets moved or Dumbledore gets it. With the goblins being occupied with their own turmoil, discovering Herpo''s old clues, and getting proof that all those legends are real, they were wholly focused on finding it. Every goblin, no matter where they were now, annoyed every wizard alive with how slow and cumbersome it became to access the banks everywhere in the world. Yet they could do nothing about it as, at the moment, the goblins were strangely unified in resisting outside influence to be able to focus on their ''quest.''


    This is where our recruitment came into the picture, as we needed people to help us build connections and be our moles within their system. As I mentioned, we were not hiring random wizards... they were familiar faces from Hogwarts.


    Quincy and I noticed the activity happening in our old notebook. Writings appeared there constantly, proving to us that not everybody destroyed theirs¡ªmaybe even none of them, which could be dangerous. We kept an eye on it, reading their messages, and finally began dropping some hidden but still fake information. The reasoning was simple: We wanted to see who would pick up on it and try to find us. It also served as a test of their abilities, who would notice and solve it. After four months of doing it, finally, someone did catch on, putting the clues in our writings together, leaving a similar message, coded in the same way, telling us that he or she cracked it and understood the message.


    "Is the place set?" Quincy asked, walking into my workshop.


    "Yep!" I answered, leaning over a massive table while trying to create my first artifact.


    It wasn''t anything fancy, just a wooden disc that would work as a one-time-use magical shield, deflecting an attack before breaking. But it was still a bit away from being finished. By now, we no longer lived in a hotel but owned an old muggle estate in the countryside where we could practice magic without prying eyes and muggle curiosity bothering us.


    "Will Grindelwald come with us?"


    "No, he said he won''t interfere with it."


    "Haaah... he really likes being hand-off, doesn''t he?" Quincy asked with a slight chuckle, leaning against the table. Looking at her, I was very quickly enchanted by her figure. She wearing only shorts and a simple sleeveless top... It distracted me from my work, causing me to make an error and break the disc, which in turn made her proudly grin at me. "Pervert."


    "Sorry... but you are too beautiful!" I answered without hesitation, making her laugh and kiss my cheek.


    "Good answer~! Well, I did grow, fufufufu~ Anyway! Only we will go, huh? It will be the farthest we have ever apparated yet."


    "I don''t think that is a problem." I countered, "With our current training, jumping to Sicily from here should not be an issue. I assume you finished your preparations?"


    "Yeah! All the potions are done and packed; we can go any time. Hey, if it does not work out, we can stay the day and swim a little; what do you say? I want to get a little color on me~!"


    "I''m in. A bit of fun always helps with relaxing! But you are already giving up on whoever it may be, huh?"


    "I am suspicious, that''s all!" She shrugged, looking into my eyes. "There are simply some writers within the group who ask too many questions or write in an unfamiliar way. I can''t pinpoint if it is the same person or different individuals, but I suspect one or more notebooks have been compromised."


    "Could be, but it is worth a try. If our first target is unrecruitable, we can abandon the plan and try a different approach. But... those guys and girls helped us a lot in school, so I do hope we can work together once again."


    "Um. That would be nice... We will see it tomorrow!"


    "Yeah." I nodded, gently tucking her long hair behind her ear. "And if not, we can have fun on the beach... I call it a win-win situation!"

 Chapter 146 – Recruiting (2)

    Grindelwald didn''t ask what we were planning when we left, only ensuring that we were prepared for all possibilities. When confirming that we had backup plans, he simply nodded, returning to doing his own thing and no longer questioning us.


    Apparating that far was a weird feeling, like passing through a dark tunnel and being pulled forward by an invisible force. Before we could feel like that, we were accelerating to an unbearable level; suddenly, everything stopped, and we appeared on the exact beach we were focusing our minds on.


    "Muggle technology is a great asset!" Quincy chuckled, making me grin the same way.


    She was right. They say apparitions only work when we can imagine the place we are going to and see it before us. Well, muggles have this thing called the Internet, and we just have to look up images of this part of Sicily. Focus on the picture, and bam, it works. Easy-peasy.


    "We still have time, let us get ready!" I nodded, and because this could be a trap, I wasn''t going to take it lightly.


    For starters, Quincy would turn into her owl form, and we would also use double measures to conceal ourselves. I would drink a polyjuice potion, transform myself into a woman, and then use the cloak left behind by Peverell to hide while Quincy did the same, taking up a man''s appearance.


    The meeting point was designated to be on the northern coast of the island, between two popular tourist spots. Behind us ran a railway and a highway while a thick patch of shrubs and trees separated them from the sea and the shallow shoreline. Quincy could easily hide between the branches of the trees while I did the same on the ground level, using the cloak to turn myself invisible. While remaining stationary, I wouldn''t be noticed under this less effective prototype, yet I could see what was happening with my wand at the ready.


    While we waited, the seconds turned into minutes and then hours. I thought nothing would happen when we finally heard it¡ªa pop, then a crash, and curses. Someone appeared very close to us. Waiting, gripping the end of my wand, I heard a man groaning, climbing out of the tree line, stumbling forward, and falling again. He looked battered, slim, and had a long, disheveled blonde beard and hair, but I recognized him immediately.


    "No. Fucking. Way." I inhaled, almost exclaiming out loud because it was Professor Lockhart!


    I heard the flutter of wings as Quincy flew up, starting to circle high above, keeping an eye on the situation and why I used the thick treeline and my cloak to get closer without being noticed.


    There was no denying it; that was Lockhart. He looked like a hobo; his clothes were dirty and patched up, and no matter how I looked, I didn''t see him having a wand. What happened to him? When he finally stood up and looked around, I saw him wipe his eyes, his desperate expression betraying all of his fears. He was on the verge of crying while taking out our tattered notebook from his embrace and flipping it open, looking up at our previous messages.


    "This... this should be the coordinates... I know I''m right... This should be it..."


    Then I stopped, hearing another couple of pops.


    "No!" Lockhart shouted, wanting to apparate once again, but the newly arriving four figures had used magic to block the area.


    "Finally found you, you bastard! No matter where you run, we will hunt you down! How many people have died under your hand? It is time to bring you to justice!"


    "I didn''t kill anyone!" He shouted, trying to plead, holding the notebook to his chest, and the fact he didn''t brandish a wand told me he indeed didn''t have one anymore.


    What was this...? A ploy? A trick? Did they do this just so we would be captured? Or do they not even know we are here, and they simply follow the Professor''s scent?


    "You are coming with us, Lockhart!" One of the four men pointed his wand at him, saying, "You will tell us everything, and then, we may grant you the mercy of getting your mind wiped and sent away as a muggle to die alone in their world!"


    "I don''t think that would happen." Another exclaimed, smiling, "He has too much blood on his hands. He will probably be sentenced to death!"


    "Enough!" The oldest, bearded man harrumphed, probably the leader of this hit squad from the Order. "You are coming with us, Lockhart! It took us months to track you down following Sirius''s discoveries. You are lucky he is not here, or you would have been dead already. We may keep your capture on the low side, or he may do something irrational... So tell us... Why have you come here? Are you here to meet with someone?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "..."


    "Spill the beans!" Shouted another, and to be honest, I was also curious as to what his answer would be.


    "No..." He mumbled, finally loosening on the notebook. "I came here to run away from it all... but it seems my legs are already too tired."


    "Then it is better if you take a rest." Said the first to speak, raising his wand to cast a spell, but instead of an incantation, a sharp yell left his throat while blood spurted from his wrist.


    Quincy didn''t wait any longer and dived down from the sky, ripping his flesh apart with her sharp claws, maiming his hand, making him drop his wand. By then, I was also out of the trees, throwing the cape off, casting a killing curse, ending the life of the closest wizard to me. While still in the air, Quincy transformed, appearing now as a middle-aged man. While landing, perfectly balancing herself, she also used the same spell as I, offing the third mage, sending a jet of green light whizzing past Lockhart.


    "What?!" Roared the old mand, already clashing with my spell as we attacked at the same time.


    "Stay." Quincy ordered, commanding the injured, bleeding man who suddenly found it impossible to resist, already under the influence of Quincy''s imperius curse.


    "Q-Qui..." Lockhart stuttered, cutting off his words as he only recognized her because of her owl form.


    "Who are you?!" Shouted the last wizard standing, finding it hard to deflect my attacks yet shocked I had time to keep my attention on Lockhart and Quincy. Of course, I wasn''t going to answer him. Increasing the speed of my casting, I managed to finally overcome his defenses, flinging his wand out of his hand.


    "Avada Kedavra."


    By the time his body fell over, I was already facing Lockhart, smiling at him.


    "You... have grown... both of you!" He sniffled, fighting back his tears, already knowing who we were no matter our completely different looks. I knew he didn''t mean it literally, and I won''t lie... I felt a bit happy and proud... even a bit fuzzy, but I would not admit it.


    "Long time no see, Professor." I chuckled, stepping over the dead bodies, patting his shoulder, and realizing how thin he had become.


    "I..." He stuttered, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.


    "I think we need to skip our beach time, my dear." I chortled, keeping a hold on Lockhart''s shoulder.


    "No worries. The moment these guys appeared, I knew it wouldn''t be my day anymore!" She chuckled, picking out two vials and tossing me one. While I poured it over Lockhart''s head, she did the same to the cursed, obedient man before her.


    "What is it?" Lockhart asked but didn''t resist the strange, cinnamon-smelling potion soaking him.


    "It covers our tracks and dispels tracking magic." I explained, putting the empty vial away, "Let''s talk after we are back home!"


    "Home...?" he asked, but I didn''t answer. I simply teleported away, holding him firmly, followed by Quincy, who was bringing along our newest prisoner.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    The sun was nearly disappearing below the horizon while we sat in the dining room, waiting patiently until Lockhart finished his dinner. He had already changed clothes and looked much more like his old self, with his chaotic beard shaven off and his hair smoothened out. Still, his usual pompous and cheerful appearance was gone, replaced by what I could only call the real him.


    Our other guest was locked up and pacified in the cellar, thanks to the curse still being active on him. Grindelwald wasn''t bothered by our visitors, remaining in his study, reading, meditating, and sometimes performing strange spells resulting from his inner research.


    "When did you get the notebook?" Quincy asked, finally breaking the silence.


    "Not long after, we had split up," he explained, wiping his mouth and putting down his spoon. "One of the Ravenclaw boys had it, and after what happened, he also decided not to return to Hogwarts. I met with him in Germany, and he gave it to me before disappearing for good. I have been reading it here and there... It''s... comforting... Even with how it was, I miss the school and my old life."


    "Sadly, we can''t go back to how it was." I added with a shrug, making him nod, "What happened after? Why were you chased, Professor?"


    "At first, it was fine; I managed to disappear and take up a muggle persona. I even found a job and began publishing short stories. Muggles love stories about magic!"


    "No way..." we both moaned, looking at each other, making him lower his head, turning embarrassed.


    "I may have written some stories that... were too vivid. Told too much and was found out by the Order. I never knew they would monitor the muggles this much! Why would they?! The Death Eaters don''t do it; why would the Order?!" He cried out, pleading, knowing he screwed up, "I was lonely, okay? I missed my old life! I missed school... I miss everything..." He whimpered, holding his head, "When they found me, I managed to escape, but my wand was destroyed. I have been on the run since then... I had been reading the notebook when I noticed the clues and thought I would try it! I hoped your handwriting wasn''t faked within it, and it turns out I was right!"


    "You were lucky, Professor!" I chuckled, making him nod before wiping his eyes. "And... what now?"


    "I don''t know... I just hate being on the run." He answered honestly, making me smile, glancing at Quincy, who nodded back at me.


    "Well, Professor, why not join us if you feel up for it?"


    "It wouldn''t be like going into the forest, promise!" He said at once, making me twitch my eyes after remembering it. "Only, without a wand, I am not much of a help."


    "Don''t worry about that." I smiled, standing up and looking at him. "We can solve the wand problem easily, and knowing the Professor''s talent in memory alteration and extraction, I would be happy if we could team up once again~!"

 Chapter 147 – Red Light

    In our basement, Quincy was feeding our prisoner a freshly made concoction of a veritaserum. It was better than magically forcing him to spill the beans with some kind of spell. Learning from how some of the Order''s agents burst into flames from our school years, it was most reasonable to use potions instead of interrogating him with magic. Not that we learned anything... He was too low in the pecking order, knowing only details we could have gathered easily in different ways anyway. It was worthless, so we simply disposed of him.


    "Here," I said calmly, giving Lockhart a wand. "The previous owner no longer needs it. I don''t know much about wands, but it should do for now! When we can, we will look for a proper wandmaker and get you one that fits."


    "Thank you, Conrad. It will do fine." He smiled, taking the wand and slipping it into his pocket. "I have experience using others'' wands."


    "It is best to train a little, though. We will still need at least one more person for our heist."


    "Are you going to tell me about it now?" Lockhart asked, making me smile, while I nodded at Quincy, who continued as we all sat before the fireplace in the living room.


    "We are going to break into Gringotts. In London. Yes... that one!"


    "You are..." He whispered, inhaling a cold breath.


    "Insane?" I asked with a half-smile.


    "Probably... Um, and how would you do it? What would be my role?"


    "Oh? Not asking us to not do it?" Quincy joked, making our old Professor smile back at us.


    "It is too late for that... And I already told you, I am tired of hiding and running away."


    "Well," I clapped happily, "That is why we need more people. You see, we have the target; we know the safe we are about to hit and what we are looking for. But we still need someone... authentic."


    "Authentic?"


    "Long story short," Quincy said, laying it out in the open, "We are planning on infiltrating the vault of the Dark Lord."


    "Yeah. You are insane." He stated so clearly and firmly that it was our turn to laugh.


    "As I said," I repeated, "We have the vault, and we can get into it. We have goblins inside who owe us. But first, we need to get to them, meaning we must only use our favors after we are right before the vault. Goblins would clap and dust their hands if we ask them to get us in, further than the front door, the crafty bastards!"


    "For that," Quincy took over while I chuckled, pouring tea for us, "we need to either rope in someone who can get us deep into the vaults or simply capture someone and manipulate them. That is why we are happy to have you with us, Professor. You are one of the best wizards who can alter memories and help us pass through without issues!"


    "Not to mention," I added, "After we got what we wanted, we will also need to alter the memories of the goblins with us. I am not risking leaving witnesses behind, but killing them would be... unwise."


    "I never modified a goblin''s memory, but... It should be doable if they don''t have any defensive artifacts against it."


    "I will deal with that." Grindelwald answered, walking into the room, holding a cup of wine, looking relaxed, clearly just out of the bathroom. As always, he was enjoying life like some kind of young noble son, and I can''t blame him. After spending fifty years in a cell, I would do the same.


    "Ah... Hello?" Lockhart stuttered, not recognizing him but finding his face somewhat familiar.


    "Professor, let us introduce you to our Master." I explained, standing up and making formal introductions between the two. "Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, he is Gellert Grindelwald."


    "The pleasure is... is... is... Excuse me?" He stopped, his hand halfway stretched out, looking at me, wanting to see if I was joking or not.


    "Don''t mention it." Grindelwald answered, shaking his hand, sitting down in an empty armchair, closing his eyes, and continuing to enjoy his wine. "Continue as you were before; I''m just here to relax."


    "Merlin''s beard... that can''t be..."


    "It can." We said in unison, finding his stunned countenance hilarious, "Well, back to topic! Master will deactivate the goblins'' defenses, ensuring we are not discovered for using magic while we are down there. But for that, he will have to focus on that one job. Professor, you and I will be responsible for altering the goblins'' memories, keeping them in a kind of illusion so they don''t know what we take away. Even if they later betray us, they won''t know they are giving away false information. Quincy would be the one who opens the vault and swipes what we are looking for, replacing the original with the fake I have been working on for the past year. If we succeed, the Dark Lord will lose something truly important to him, and he won''t be the wiser about it!"You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "And you need people for...?" He asked, licking his lips, feeling them drying up.


    "As I said, we need someone who gets us in. Someone who has a vault down deep, close to where we want to go. I am hesitant to call them a fall guy, but they would be people who would be suspected the moment our little heist is discovered."


    "That won''t be easy..." He whispered, and I didn''t have anything to refute him concerning the issue. He was right and- "But I may know someone."


    "Oh?" I exclaimed, sitting up straight, and I saw from the corner of my eye that Grindelwald had also opened his eyes ever so slightly.


    "It is... just a half-rumor. But I heard while running from my pursuers, hiding in a shady part of Antwerp, that there was a pair of noble pair who were cursing the goblins for making them wait to enter Gringotts. They were also openly berating the current Dark Lord and his regime, without fear, for still not giving them the visa for entering the country..."


    "Oh," we all said, looking at each other. "I think it is time we visit Antwerp tomorrow. Can you take us there, Professor?"


    "Y-yes. I can." He nodded, truly standing straight this time as I no longer felt he would abandon me halfway there.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When we arrived at the city, Grindelwald was also accompanying us. I didn''t think it was because of the Professor or because he didn''t trust him. It was more so because of the news and how it piqued his interest. Of course, I wasn''t going to mention it to Lockhart, but I found it somewhat funny how nervous he was around him. Serving under one Dark Lord just to escape and now fall under another one... ehehe. Fate is fascinating; how it likes pulling pranks like this.


    Our target was a local pub and guest house, and as we entered the street of its location, I was greeted by surprising scenery. I could even call this a culture shock, something that not even the goblins managed to pull off.


    "What''s the meaning of this, Professor?" Quincy asked, her voice surprisingly calm and cold, while she grabbed my wrist with one hand.


    "Ah. I forgot... It is the cheapest place, okay?!" He answered, getting flustered. He walked onwards before he needed to explain why there were conjured, naked images of girls dancing in the windows of some buildings, illuminated by a soft, red light, giving them an even more enchanting look.


    "It''s not that shocking." Grindelwald added, walking beside us, "We are still humans."


    "Yes, yes!" Lockhart agreed, feeling happy to find our Master backing him.


    I knew enough to remain silent and stop speaking. I could feel Quincy''s anger mixing with a sudden flare of heated jealousy, so I kept my mouth shut and my eyes looking forward. It didn''t help that we had to enter a building with the image of a girl swirling around a pole, throwing kisses toward us while we walked in... Not that I would do anything unfaithful. Instead, I was imagining watching Quincy do it for me, which was a much more entertaining thought! However, I think she misunderstood the change in my expression because I felt her nails dig into my hand... owie.


    The inside was just like any ordinary pub, with the only difference being that the staff, being all girls, delivered the orders wearing... well, nothing besides thigh-high socks and gloves.


    "My love..." I moaned, "I love it when you claw at me while we do it, but now is not the- owie...!"


    Well, it seemed she was not up for my jokes because she just squeezed even harder. Okay, wisecracks won''t help me out here. I''ll go back to silence then! It wasn''t just me who decided not to look at Quincy right now, expecting her gaze to kill like a basilisk. The other one who avoided turning towards her at all costs was Lockhart, looking around and searching for someone or somebody.


    "Ah, Marit!" he finally exclaimed, and one of the girls with curly, ash-blonde, short hair came up to us at once. While doing so, she let her chest jiggle so that everyone could see. This caused sharp pain in my feet because Quincy immediately stomped on my poor toes, noticing where my eyes were darting toward.


    "Where should I look?!" I moaned in hushed tones, making my wife hiss like a snake.


    "Nowhere!"


    "Ah, you are back? How nice! Will it be the usual?" Marit asked, her voice clearly enchanted because it was way too pleasant. I felt my neck being caressed by her tongue as she spoke.


    "Let me help you before Quincy kills you." Grindelwald looked at us, and he tapped our heads with his wand.


    The moment he did so, my blood ran cold, like I was doused in a bucket of icy water. I felt the atmosphere change at once, and if, before his intervention, the place felt as if it was filled with sweetness and desires, now it was just an average pub again. As I looked, the girls were no longer naked; hell, they were not even that well adorned in the chest region.


    "I will need to train you two on how illusions work." he added, smiling a little, making both of us go so red in the face that we felt we were burning away there and then.


    Fuck. I wanted to curse openly... I didn''t even notice it, nor did I think about it. All of this was just an illusion? Tsk... No wonder 9 out of 10 boys will fall for it! Me included! Heh... and looking at Quincy, even jealous girls are susceptible to it. If I have ever seen one, this is a genius application of illusion magic! It was at the end of my thoughts when I finally registered Lockhart''s final words, speaking with the now commonly dressed girl who, at second glance, looked not even that young.


    "Thank you, Marit." He smiled, giving her a coin, before turning to us. "Let''s sit down! The people I mentioned are out, but they should be back. Let''s wait here; I will recognize them at once." He explained, playing with his fingers, not even noticing the sudden change that happened to us.

 Chapter 148 – Meeting Again

    Sitting in the pub was kind of weird. It felt like I could understand the words around me, but in reality, I did not. I could have used magic to autotranslate their words, but who says if they don''t get angered by it? For now, we weren''t here to cause trouble.


    "So..." I scratched my throat, turning towards Quincy, who was still red in the face, troubled by what had happened, failing to realize it was all an illusion.


    "Don''t even bring it up." She grumbled, pushing the words through gritted teeth.


    "Okay, okay, my lips are sealed!"


    "What?" Lockhart mumbled, looking at us, finally realizing the ''issue'' we were having. "Oh, yes, most of these places are enchanted by magic. Touching also dispels it for real, so that''s why it is forbidden in here."


    "..."


    "I think," I whispered, knowing Quincy was hearing it just fine, "it is best if we skip the topic, Professor."


    "Oh... Yes. So... we wait, huh?"


    "Yep." I leaned back, quickly getting bored, glancing at Grindelwald, who was looking ahead, his gaze unfocused, probably immersed in some kind of thoughts that only he could understand. Haah...


    We were like a group of angry couples. A gathering of misery-filled companions who had a big fight just before coming in, and now everyone was angry at the other, not wanting to start the argument again, so we just sat there... in silence. Merlin, please help me! Well, he maybe heard what I was thinking about because when the door to the pub opened, I did not want to believe my eyes.


    "No way..." I whispered, making Quincy turn her head, repeating my words, followed by Lockhart''s hushed voice.


    "Those are the ones!"


    "..."


    I couldn''t help but exchange glances with Quincy while Grindelwald remained to stare forward, unbothered by the events, even when the two newcomers noticed us.


    "As they say, the world IS small!" The woman of the pair chuckled, walking towards us at once, followed by her unhappy, grimacing husband. "How have you been, little ones?"


    "Good evening, Lady Eleonora." We both said, standing up, before bowing towards the Count, "Lord Volgonid."


    "Mhm. Verily, it doth vex me sore to encounter younglings within such a base tavern as this. The world hath sunk deep into debauchery more than mine own comfort can abide." The Count explained as the two sat down with us, ignoring the surprised face of Lockhart, who knew better than to ask questions right now. The air of the two was commanding enough to signal that they were only interested in speaking to us alone. They even ignored Grindelwald, which further shocked the Professor.


    "Ah, dear, don''t be a joykiller! It is fun! A little bit of dirt sometimes makes it exciting, don''t you think? We clean the sheets so they can be dirtied again!" Eleonora giggled, licking her teeth and flashing a sharp canine between her parting, red lips. It was what made the lightbulb come to life above the Professor''s head, making him yelp like a cat whose tail got stepped on.


    "That is the very cause I find little favour in this place." Count Volgonid continued, sweeping a glance at the girls in the bar. "It doth whet mine appetite, my dear."


    "We will snack later." She giggled, patting his hand, drawing her husband''s attention back to us. "What are you two doing here?"


    "It seems," I started, being forthright, knowing full well that lying or going in circles is not what they would be entertained by, "we were waiting for you two."


    "Oh?" They said in the same tone, tilting their head to the left in complete sync.


    "We have... something we must do." I leaned forward, talking slowly and trying to lower my voice, "We need helpers for it to work."


    "Scapegoats." Quincy added, being even more forthright than me, making my eyes twitch while the Professor wanted to cry, beginning to whine like a puppy.


    "Ahaha, how fun!" Eleonora giggled loudly while the Count raised his eyebrows, looking at Quincy.


    "Thou hast a straight spine, young maiden, and a tongue that speaketh truths unbidden. I shall honour that for the nonce, for thou also dost respect mine own wit by speaking plain. Pray, proceed, children."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "It would be best if no unwelcome ears were listening to us." I added, and the Count nodded, standing up and releasing an aura I had never felt before and probably would never do for the rest of my life.


    "Hold thy thoughts, servants!"


    His words were simple, but they carried such a force; it reminded me of the imperius curse. Everyone within the building suddenly stopped, no matter what they were doing, standing, sitting, or just carrying something; it was as if time had stopped for them, freezing them into the spot they had been occupying previously.


    "Now ''tis secure, young child. Speak freely or hold thy peace."


    "Thank you, Count. Well... here goes nothing!" I exhaled, taking a long breath, and began from the moment we visited the goblin''s city a year ago.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    It took me a lot of time to explain everything as honestly as possible. They listened carefully, sometimes asking multiple questions that were designed to catch me in a lie. Luckily, I knew better, so every time we arrived back at the starting point of their questions, they knew I wasn''t bullshitting them. Of course, it was more than just them who listened without blinking; Professor Lockhart also focused on me and wanted to get all the details he may have missed.


    "We are in!" Eleonora giggled, but before I could be happy and exclaim in triumph, Volgonid raised his hand, speaking in a firm voice.


    "Why should we render our aid?"


    "..." I had no honest answer to that question, not even after I exchanged glances with Quincy. I even tried looking at Grindelwald, but he just sat there, arms crossed, eyes closed, as if he was sleeping. Thanks, Master... Really helpful.


    "Ah, come on~!" Eleonora moaned, hugging him, "We have been traveling the world for fun, and wouldn''t this be something really exciting? You have been fuming in the past few days because those pesky Englishmen are refusing your entry on bogus claims! It is not like we are regular vampires who would come to cause a plague or something!"


    "That is that, my love, this is this. We may not intermingle the twain."


    "You can take whatever is in the vault after we are finished with our business!" Quincy said, surprising me. From my peripheral vision, I noticed that even Grindelwald opened one of his eyes, watching not us but the two vampires. Was he ready to fight? Shit...


    "Oh?" Eleonora hummed, leaning back while Volgonid''s eyes narrowed, focusing on Quincy.


    "Verily, ''t would cast us as the foremost suspects, would it not? We would find ourselves thrust into the... How doth one phrase it now... the limelight. We would become the quarry of this... Voldemort. Would we not?"


    "Well," Quincy gulped, but she shook her body, continuing with the same, brave voice, "If you are really angry about how you are being treated yet being such a powerful being... It is the best way to get back at them. Not just at the Ministry of England but at the goblins, too. The Dark Lord would not believe you did it alone and without help from the goblins!"


    "She is right, my dear." Eleonora interjected, nodding, "Stealing from Gringotts can''t be done, not without inside help. They are already warring amongst themselves; they wouldn''t have time to look for us."


    "No." Volgonid said resolutely, without leaving an opening to object to his decision, and I saw Eleonora sigh, knowing there was no way to change his mind. "We shan''t pilfer aught from the vault. We are not petty pilferers, my love."


    "Haaah... I see." I shrugged, squeezing Quincy''s thighs under the table, reassuring her as she looked just as crestfallen.


    "We shall take everything."


    "Huh?" Everyone at the table asked at once, including Eleonora. Even Grindelwald sat up straight, looking surprised for the first time.


    "I have had my fill of their insolence. Young Conrad, thou didst mention that the goblins would succumb to thy sorcery, erasing their memories and implanting false ones, didst thou not? I shall lend my aid to this endeavor as well. We shall ensure that the vault remains unscathed and none are the wiser to our presence. Thou mayst take what thou requirest, and thereafter, we shall claim the remainder. ''Tis a fitting recompense for our assistance in this trifling affair!"


    "Y-yeah, sure!" I said, feeling a bit giddy hearing his response when I was already expecting a complete refusal.


    "Ahahaha, I am just sad that we won''t be there when they discover it has been completely emptied out and robbed! What a farce!" Eleonora giggled, making me lean forward, saying something that made even Volgonid smile before nodding.


    "Originally, we were planning to swap something within, but if you empty it out... can you leave our fake behind? Be the only thing left within? That would be an even better punch to the gut when they open it up."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When we returned home, I couldn''t help but plop down on the couch, feeling tired.


    "That made me nervous at the end!" Quincy moaned the same way, falling on top of me.


    "I never met vampires of their level... I need a drink!" Lockhart added, walking past us, heading straight for the cupboard, looking for glasses and something strong.


    "Volgonid always liked witty youngsters."


    "Huh?" We asked, looking at Grindelwald while hugging each other.


    "Why do you think I could make him owe me? He values capable and smart young wizards. Or humans. It does not really matter to him. He may be long for a time when he was one. Or sees himself in those types of children. I don''t really know."


    "Really...?" I murmured, thinking about it. "How are vampires born anyway? Besides turning others?"


    "I don''t know." He answered plainly, making our eyes grow wild, and even Lockhart''s hand shook, spilling some of his scotch. Grindelwald didn''t stay to explain it further. Instead, he just left through one of the double doors, heading to his own wing.


    "Don''t ask. I don''t know either." Herpo commented in my mind at once, "They are even older beings than me."


    "Oh well..." I murmured, kissing my wife, "It was a long day... Let''s relax!"


    "I will... go." Lockhart mumbled, holding the bottle in his hand, also leaving us alone as we continued lying on the couch, kissing and slowly undressing each other.

 Chapter 149 – The Heist (1)

    The plan was surprisingly easy. After the pair of vampires arrived at our home a day later, we discussed how we would do it with them on board now. After revealing the vault that Voldemort had and was the target of our little heist, we also learned that Volgonid''s one was only a dozen or so below it, at least going by its number.


    "They are related." Eleonora explained, "The numbers are connected to the level they are at. The first two numbers give their position on the Y axis and the second two on the X axis, compared to the Gringotts on the surface. The main building."


    "How do you know that?" I asked, surprised, while Lockhart was sitting in his armchair next to us, still too nervous about speaking, feeling that he was in a cage with snakes and he was the little mouse waiting to be devoured.


    "I was there when it was being built. I had a vault once there, too, and I was explained of it before. You see, I was always someone who asked a lot of questions, ahaha! Of course, that was in the past, but we can stop at HIS vault while going towards ours, and nobody would realize it."


    "With you helping us, it should be fine." I nodded, showing them the contract we made with Old Gold. "With this, we will be taken to the vault discretely, and nobody would be the wiser if we stopped there as our route falls in line with your current one."


    "Colour me astonished, young Conrad. ''Tis been eons since mine eyes beheld a contract penned by goblins that bore not the mark of deception."


    "Thank you, Count." I chuckled, feeling proud that he thought so. It is not every day that you get acknowledged by an ancient being.


    "Hey..." Herpo grunted out of nowhere, almost making me laugh.


    "Still, I do not trust goblins!" Without batting an eye, I continued, "And even if they stop the cart there and open the vault, I don''t want them to know what we are doing. They could immediately go and snitch on us, not directly, but to one of Old Silver''s goblins, who then relays the information to others."


    "Astute observation. Thou thinkest as a goblin would. Wherefore didst thou not include such clauses within this contract?" Volgonid asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly while returning the contract to me.


    "It was hastily written, and if I start specifying it that much, it would raise a bigger concern than I would have liked it. It was an in-the-moment situation, which is a double-edged sword, but it was the best guarantee that the old goblin agreed and also had no time to sit down and think it through! This is enough; I got what I wanted and can deal with the rest." The old vampire said nothing this time and simply leaned back, watching us with a half-smile until finally, Professor Lockhart gathered enough strength to interject.


    "Are we going to... masquerade ourselves? I don''t think we can walk into England just like that. If the esteemed Lord and Lady aren''t, we are wanted people! The moment we arrive, the Death Eaters and the Order will want to try and kill us!"


    "Naturally!" Quincy nodded, making Eleonora laugh, but then Volgonid quickly broke down her good mood.


    "Forget not that shape-shifting spells and potions hold no sway over us. Furthermore, we shall be the scapegoats, hence altering our visages is an option not afforded to us."


    "Oh... too bad. It sounded so much fun; I wanted to try it!" She moaned but very quickly got over it. Looking at us, she continued with a slowly widening, a bit creepy smile, "So... you would change into what? Servants?"


    "Yes." Quincy answered her, continuing the explanation. "It wouldn''t be weird that someone at your status would have servants accompanying them. And I don''t think the goblins are the ones who would start asking questions now, would they?"


    "You do know that servants of vampires are usually walking foodbanks, yes?" Eleonora asked, smiling and flashing her sharp teeth. Suddenly, her aura changed from overly friendly to frightening. "Well... you already invited us into your abode..."


    It was at that moment that I suddenly realized that we were still talking to two bonafide vampires. The way she was looking at Quincy made her freeze, her chest beginning to heave, while Professor Lockhart also froze up. In his case... he was forgetting to breathe. At that moment, my blood flared up, helping me throw off their aura, but I could only do it to myself, unable to dispel Eleonora''s dark pressure weighing down on Quincy''s body. It was only I who became free from the dread we all felt at that moment.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Enough." I answered, standing up and brandishing my wand at her without hesitation.


    "Dismiss thy thoughts." Volgonid spoke, and I could feel his words wriggling their way into my mind, trying to override my instincts. It was probably how the imperius curse feels for others, but I wasn''t having any of it. Fuck. Off.


    "We are not prey; you better remember that, bloodsucker!" I answered, sneering at him. I could feel my eyes burning up as my skin began slightly transforming. Dark, snake-like scales started appearing all over my neck and the side of my face, glinting in a purplish hue as the light fell on them from the chandelier above us.


    I wasn''t simply training my spellcasting with Grindelwald in the time that passed by but also my control over the basilisk within me, thanks to the lessons of Herpo. Although it was still not perfect, I could partially draw on it when needed, but if I loosened my concentration, I would transform for real. But... at least it has become somewhat more obedient in the past year.


    "Thus, this odor hath been the source of mine irritation from the outset..." Volgonid murmured, as now both vampires were looking at me. Both of them were keeping their mouths slightly open, their teeth showing as if they were trying to identify the taste in the air originating from my half-changed body.


    Grindelwald''s eyes were the same when he first saw it. But, as he always did, he simply nodded, not asking any questions or wanting an explanation from me. I couldn''t tell what he was thinking, so I told him everything voluntarily before he misunderstood it. At least, I wanted to, and I was only planning on leaving Herpo out of it... But he stopped me, saying that he was happy with the gesture but that I should keep my secrets close to my chest. Those are the things that could save one''s life in the most dire situations.


    The moment Eleonora''s attention was diverted from Quincy to me, Lockhart also felt himself freed up from her influence. This time, instead of running, he used a spell, helping Quincy calm her mind while he stood behind her chair at once, protecting her. I only saw it from my peripheral vision because I couldn''t look toward them right now, having to focus my mind on the two vampires. I was facing two apex predators... I was ready to change form and let them look into a basilisk''s eye the moment they made a move. Although... would that kill them? They are undead, no? I didn''t have any answers.


    "Are you finished?" Grindelwald''s voice echoed in the room after pushing the door open, walking in, yawning loudly, "I got woken up by your blood-smelling aura; it feels horrible. If you want to test the kids, do it in another way because they are spicy! They wouldn''t be afraid of going toe-to-toe with you two, and then I would have a chance backstabbing you two old bats!"


    "Test?" I asked and watched as the duo smiled, retreating their suppressive presence, dispelling it with a simple blink of their eyes as they lost their crimson brilliance.


    "Any plan can fail at any moment," Eleonora said with a happy smile, winking at Quincy. "When danger arises, there are two types of reactions: people without a spine who escape and run away and those who stay and fight with you. Now we at least know what kind of group we have."


    "That still scared the hell out of me..." I grunted, voicing my frustration while lowering my wand, glancing at Quincy and Lockhart, nodding toward them, and ensuring everything was okay.


    "Bravery is not the absence of fear. That is called foolishness." She continued while her husband nodded his head in agreement. "When you are afraid, terrified to the bone, yet you still do what you must... that is bravery. When you acknowledge that the thing you are facing terrifies you... Yet it does not break your determination, and you still face it. That is what bravery is."


    I didn''t know how to answer that because I felt both surprised, embarrassed, and a bit angry about what they pulled on us just now... tsk... Old bastards. Both of them!


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Shouldn''t have we apparated?" Lockhart asked the same question I was thinking of while we were sitting on a muggle airplane flying toward London.


    "But isn''t it fun?" Eleonora giggled, sitting beside the window, looking out, "They made such a thing... how wonderful the ingenuity of normal people! Yeah, you could hop on a broom, and off you go, but they? Never had the chance... But look at them! Which broom can bring along more than 300 others?!"


    "I can''t and won''t argue with that." I answered, raising my hand because it was true. I only disliked the fact that I had to go through customs and whatnot because she wanted to experience it all. I would be fine if I were in my usual appearance, but now I was looking like a different boy with too pale skin, and it was like wearing a rubber suit. Uncomfortable in the long run. The same was true for Quincy and Lockhart... And Grindelwald, as all of us were playing the role of a half-ghoulified servant.


    "Can you even...?" After thinking about it, Quincy asked, and the two vampires shook their heads.


    "No, we have a different method." Eleonora answered her, but seemingly, she wasn''t about to explain it any further.


    "Oh well..." I mumbled, turning away from them, "Let the rest of the road be similar, and we will be done before the sun sets..."

 Chapter 150 – The Heist (2)

    Getting into London was easier than I expected because of how the muggles traveled, skipping by any magical measures without being noticed. Maybe we are just too spoiled by teleporting to anywhere in the world to not even think about it, ignoring their world whenever possible. Oh well, I didn''t really have any time to think further because when we arrived at Diagon Alley, we were stopped by two men, shrouded in black, wearing death masks. They were just as gloomy looking as the cloudy sky above us. Haah... Autumn in England does suck.


    "Death Eaters... Out in the open like this? Huh." I thought, standing a step behind Volgonid and Eleonora, acting as a servant should, with my head slightly bowed.


    "Stop! Identify yourselves!"


    "Wherefore should I?" Volgonid asked, his air of authority already pressing down on the two idiots so firmly that I saw their legs trembling, wanting to buckle under its weight. "I waited with patience to tread upon thy land, yet after repeated denials, I am wearied. Step aside, or face death. The choice is thine!"


    "Do you know... who we are?" One of the masked figures asked, making Volgonid chuckle, asking back in a cold tone, flashing his sharp teeth.


    "Dost thou know who I am?"


    "They don''t." Echoed a new voice as a third Death Eater appeared, removing his mask and revealing a middle-aged face with black hair and a shadow of a growing beard, a look that I did not recognize. Not that I expected to, but he was clearly a higher-ranking member of Voldemort''s group. "Our apologies, Count Volgonid, but it is rare to have a vampire visit us, especially when the sun is out."


    "Your country is mostly cloudy anyway. Coming here, day or night, it does not really matter, does it?" Eleonora giggled while answering, making the man crack a smile and signaling the two to leave.


    "That is also true. Let me introduce myself. My name is Antonin Dolohov. Are you here to visit Gringotts, Count Volgonid?" He asked politely, showing that he did know who they were.


    "Wherefore doth it matter?" The Count asked back, although his aura was much more mellow and less confrontational than before.


    "So that I can make my report, and we all can go on our way. You must know that our country is in a bloody civil war, and times like these are... dangerous. We are on the lookout for any suspicious, foreign, or unusual figures."


    "A civilized way to call us freaks." Eleanora chortled, making Dolohov''s face wince, but he kept up the cordial tone and look.


    "I''m just doing my job and explaining the reasons behind my questions to you." He sighed softly, "We have to know why you are here and how long you plan to stay."


    "None of your-"


    "Enough said, my dear." Volgonid interrupted his wife before she could continue, "We are present to recover an item left within Gringotts. That, and naught else, is our intent. The vexations of thy kind are of little import to us. With my consort, I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine. That is the extent of our mission."


    "What about them?" He asked, pointing towards us.


    "Would thy sovereign depart without attendants? Or must we indulge in the feasting upon thy people, providing thee with sufficient cause to trouble us?"


    "I''m just asking." Dolohov answered promptly, finally stepping to the side after taking a good look at us. "This way. Let me guide you towards the bank. However, you may need to wait inside more than you think. The goblins nowadays are a pain to deal with."


    "We are well aware." Eleonora nodded, walking past him, not letting their ''escort'' do as he wished, even if he did follow us, keeping an eye on our group. I wanted to laugh as I could feel and see the fear within him, having to face two beings like these two. Heh... Good riddance!


    Entering Gringotts, it was surprisingly empty. The raised stands and platforms where goblins would sit and... well, do banking things... I don''t really know... Anyway, those spots were mostly empty. Only maybe half of them were filled, and if a wizard walked in, they were forced to pull a number. Yeah, just looking at the one sticking out of it, and the one on the display was multiple hundreds apart from each other. No thanks.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Once again, I almost laughed because we walked past the machine without stopping, heading straight in. It surprised not just Dolohov, who was still following along, but the few goblin guards standing there, joining our entourage, expecting trouble.


    "That is sufficient. I have exercised patience in enduring thy pursuit, but shouldst thou presume to meddle in our private affairs, thou art sorely mistaken. Convey to thy king... convey to Voldemort that I, Volgonid, do not cower in fear of him. He is not the premier sorcerer with whom I have crossed paths, nor shall he be the last."


    "As... you wish." Dolohov finally nodded, backing off, but he kept watching us from the entrance.


    After that, dealing with the goblins was much easier, as the Count pulled out the contract I signed with Old Gold. It was like a master key, making them back off and granting us immediate access to everything. One of the goblins waddled off from his post, taking one look at us before reading it, rolling it up, and waving us in. He led our group deep into the underground caverns without asking further questions.


    Riding that little train down the rails, like being in an amusement park, was surprisingly fun, even if we were accompanied by four goblins in weird, silvery armor. I knew they were guards, but looking at their clothes, they had to be something special.


    "Harken closely, Young Conrad, and be not troubled." It was Volgonid''s voice, appearing straight inside my mind... Damn. A neat trick. Can he also read thoughts? I hope not. "The armours donned by our attendants are fashioned to thwart a vampire''s abilities, notably our mind-manipulating powers. Initially, thou must compel them to divest of such protections. And take heed! They are also fortified against magic to a considerable degree."


    "Cool... How am I supposed to do that?" I asked, but he did not answer. "Thanks... Old bastard." Again, no answers. Well, at least I know he can''t read minds.


    I was racking my brain all the way down, but no matter what I thought up, it would require spells to work. If their metal shell also gives protection against spells... How the hell will we...? Wait.


    "Yes." Herpo said as he emerged from sleep or something because he had been really introverted until now. "I wanted to suggest exactly that thought you just had."


    "Why are you silent in the past day or so?"


    "I am protecting your thoughts from the vampires if you haven''t noticed yet."


    "So they CAN read minds!"


    "They are just really good with legilimency. It is a natural gift of theirs. Our version came from them after studying how vampires use their ability, but I am not sure about it." He mumbled, making me shrug.


    "It doesn''t matter. So... It will be that strategy then."


    "Yes. Just don''t forget to tell them to close their eyes."


    "Roger. And to not kill them goblins, yes?" I asked with a smile, to which he replied with a shrug.


    "Would be preferable."


    Well, now, with a plan behind me, I was less stressed, getting off the train cart and watching the goblins dismount. They were probably trained for something, staying in formation, or I don''t know, because they remained as a group, looking at us. Good. Makes it easier for me!


    "Close your eyes!" I declared firmly and didn''t wait for them to question anything. I knew that my side was aware of why, at least most of them... Still, Professor Lockhart wasn''t stupid; he did as I asked, even turning his head away. By that time, I was already transforming, whipping my snake tail at the goblins, flinging them towards the cave wall, their surprised faces crashing against it, resulting in an instant knockout. "Huh. That was quick!" I hissed, and at that moment, only Quincy could understand me, making her giggle. "Okay, I''m done!"


    "R-really?" Lockhart asked, his voice sounding worried, squinting, "What... happened...?" He gawked, looking at the unconscious goblins.


    "I knocked them out." I answered, looking at the two vampires who were watching me. I couldn''t tell what expressions they really had, but it wasn''t something I would call calm. I think even they were surprised. For real, this time... Haaah... oh well. This was the quickest and surest method. "Let''s hurry and get the armor off them; it blocks the Count''s powers and would resist our spells, too. Then, we can force them to open the vault while making them witness what we want them to remember! That way, even if they are being examined, their memories won''t show the tampering."


    "At least, not until a specialist looks into it." Lockhart mumbled, helping me strip the goblins.


    "A goblin would die before he let a wizard examine him." Grindelwald said plainly, already using magic on his goblin to wake him and make him experience something completely different from reality. "Oh?"


    "Permit me to handle this." Volgonid interjected, his eyes glowing in a strange light, piercing the goblin''s gaze, which looked like he was about to break free of Grindelwald''s control.


    "They seem to be fed something... They have an innate resistance to mind-controlling magic." Eleonora hummed. She was once a witch, realizing the slight problem we were having surprisingly quickly. "By the change in their heartbeat, if we keep them under control for too long, they will die."


    "Not good!" Lockhart grunted, managing to control his goblin just right, showing that he was indeed a master when it came to memory-influencing magic, even better than Grindelwald.


    "Young Conrad." Volgonid told me as we all took over the remaining goblins, Eleonora bewitching my target and helping me out. "Go forth, compel them to unlock the vault. Let us expedite this heist and depart with all haste. The longer we linger, the more suspicions Dolohov shall harbor."


    "Right!" I nodded, ordering my goblin and heading towards the door where Quincy was already waiting, the fake ring in her hands. "Let''s do this!"

 Chapter 151 – The Heist (3)

    The door to the vault opened relatively quickly, forcing the goblin under my control to deactivate all of the magical seals on it. When it finally pulled open, behind it, we could see multiple chests filled with gold overflowing onto the ground. Besides them, ancient artifacts were piling up on each other, and the rocky walls were filled with hanging robes, masks, and cloaks, giving us a look at a chaotic, hoarder-like cave. It was more like a niffler''s hidey-hole than a vault in Gringots.


    "Don''t touch anything!" I said, stopping Lockhart from coming close, mesmerized by the vast array of seemingly priceless artifacts. "They are for sure cursed or worse. First, we will need to do something about that first. Quincy?"


    "On it." She nodded, pulling out two flasks and splashing their bright green contents onto the chests, making a sharp, pinging noise echo within the room.


    "What is that?" Eleonora asked, curious about her invention, smelling the air, trying to discern it.


    "It''s her own concoction." I explained quickly, "It reacts to curses. The noise you heard was the signal that I was right; all of these were placed under a spell. Touch it, and who knows what happens."


    "So, what now, then?" She asked again while Quincy picked out another vial, poured it into the chamber, and let a dark purple puddle gather on the stone floor.


    "Thinking that potions are for only drinking is a narrow viewpoint." She explained while drawing out her wand, aiming at the thick liquid on the ground, ''stirring it'' with her hand''s movements. "The Philosopher''s Stone is a potion, did you know that? It is a self-brewing potion, replicating itself via the elixir of life. The process is slow, so you would need hundreds upon hundreds of years to let its dew collect to have a second stone... Or you could drink it and extend your life. Anyway, what I learned is that a true alchemist makes potions that are more than simple drinks."


    While talking, she was keeping her hand moving slowly in a clockwise direction, affecting her concoctions. The purple spot very quickly turned into a cloud that she only had to blow at once, letting it spread around the room as we watched everything begin to simmer within as if a handful of glitter had been thrown upon it.


    "How pretty..." Eleonora mumbled, but her amazement was turned into wonder when Quincy snapped her fingers, and we could see and feel the same thing when we watched the muggles'' big, blocky televisions. It was the same feeling of buzzing, static electricity wrapping around everything within the vault, followed by a very similar buzzing and crackling before it all disappeared in a snap. "What happened?"


    "All the curses have been forced to expire." Quincy giggled, and I knew she was incredibly proud at that moment. She should be! I wonder how old Professor Slughorn would react if he saw what she managed to do. "No matter how good the defenses are, if an inanimate thing forces them to activate, no? But would they work on nothing but air? Well, as you can see, they won''t. Whatever they put on them was against thieves, against flesh and bones touching them, not to deal with something that only mimics it."


    "Then? Can we...?" Lockhart asked, but I shook my head, directing one of the goblins to walk in and touch the closest chest.


    "First, let them try it out. We need to be sure!" I chuckled, watching as he began rummaging through the goods within Voldemort''s chamber.


    It became apparent that Quincy''s spell had worked its wonders, and there were no more obstacles before us. When we were doubly sure of that, it didn''t take long to finally find the ring. I pocketed it hurriedly, exchanging a happy smile with my wife, feeling giddy that we had succeeded so easily.


    "Okay!" I said, turning towards the vampires, "All yours!"


    "At last." Volgonid shrugged, waving a hand, and I watched as everything in place got vacuumed up into his robe''s sleeves, disappearing into it like he had a niffler''s little pocket hidden there. Damn. "Pray, let us hie hence from this locale posthaste!"


    "Geez, someone is excited." I joked, watching him indeed be happy, smiling, which I thought to be highly disturbing. "Oh well, let me leave our little mockery behind!" With that, I placed the fake ring in the middle of the room, closed the door, and headed toward the goblin''s train as we slowly lifted the control over them. We were doing it seamlessly so their fake memories coincided with reality, making us travel down to Volgonid''s own vault and empty it out under their watch.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Yes, My Lord, I kept my eyes on them. They were legit. I even asked the goblins, and after bribing one of them, they told me that they had indeed emptied their own vault. I have the list of the items they retrieved."


    "Good work, Dolohov." Voldemort answered, taking the letter from him and simply placing it out of sight. "You can leave. Continue serving me like this, and your future will be bright indeed."


    "Thank you, My Lord!" He bowed, slowly backing out of the Prime Minister''s office within the depths of the Ministry.


    "Vampires and their accursed blood." He grunted, sneering and opening a wine bottle, pouring it directly into his mouth instead of a cup.


    For some reason, he has been feeling extremely vexed in the past few days, and not because of the constant battles, cat-and-mouse chases and hide and seek nonsense he has been having with the members of the accursed Order. Something else was bothering him, but he couldn''t say what.


    Maybe it was because of the fact he died once. Coming back from a Horcrux state was worse than he expected. His body and soul felt weak, even after returning to his supposed original strength. He could use all the spells he previously did; when casting magic, he was still the same... yet not at the same time. Something changed, and he felt as if he was no longer whole. It began affecting his look as his face looked more sunken, his hair lost its luster, and his mood was always way more irritated than before.


    "Those Pheoniex bastards... I will make sure their death will be as painful as possible...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "So... this is goodbye again, huh?" I asked, right before apparating away, standing at an abandoned field somewhere in England.


    "Probably forever this time." Eleonora answered, smiling, "We will disappear, likely travel to the new world as we never saw it before. Explore this America thing."


    "Verily, thou speakest true! ''Tis a matter of intrigue, I cannot deny." Volgonid nodded, being in a great mood since we left Gringotts and emptied out the Dark Lord''s vault.


    "Plus," His wife continued, "We don''t want to be here and steal your thunder."


    "My thunder?" I giggled, shaking my head, "I am nowhere near loud enough for that."


    "Yet." Grindelwald interjected, nodding his head towards the vampires. "Have safe travels."


    "Same to you." Eleonora chuckled, nodding back towards us before we, one by one, disappeared, all of us heading back home without the ancient vampires.


    Back in our manor, our mood slowly became serious once again as we gathered in the conference room. We looked silently at the ring placed in the middle of the table, surrounded by a suppressing spell, the work of Grindelwald.


    "So... this is a Horcrux?" Lockhart asked, gulping, feeling nervous by just looking at it. "Having the spirit of the Dark Lord right here, with us... is this a good idea?"


    "A chunk of it, not the whole thing." Grindelwald explained, crossing his arms and looking at it with a seriousness I had not seen before. "It is my first time witnessing how it feels, and it is a spell I am glad I have never gone through with. This type of self-mutilation is horrendous, and even if it gives you a second chance at life, you will never be complete again."


    "Let''s add that it is also weakening you the more shards you make." Herpo added in my head, "And I mean it in the sense of mental faculties. It makes you less composed and more prone to mistakes. It doesn''t take away your skill with a wand but affects your comprehension. I discovered it after using it the first time, and there was no going back by then. Simply put, it makes you know you are no longer whole after returning from death, and it stays with you. Forever."


    "So... what should we do?" Lockhart asked again, looking at us. "If we destroy it, wouldn''t he know?"


    "No." Quincy and I answered at the same time, letting her continue, "The Order already destroyed multiple of these things. When Hogwarts was attacked, they came to annihilate another one."


    "His connection to them is weak." I explained, repeating Herpo''s words echoing within my mind, "He has severed his soul so many times that he is already numb to what happens with the others. Coming back from the dead consumes the Horcrux, as the soul within it essentially becomes the main one, gaining a physical form at the end. In theory, if all of their Horcruxes decided to come back, they could do it, but then again, it would create a split personality and negatively affect coordinating his thoughts. Long story short... he is fucked."


    "It certainly doesn''t feel like it..." Lockhart chuckled grimly, making Grindelwald smile.


    "He is, or at least, was talented from all that I read and studied about him. But, this is also our advantage. For now, we will seal this ring while I look up methods to destroy it and free the rock from within safely."


    "The rock?" The Professor asked, looking back and forth between us while Grindelwald left, leaving it to me to explain.


    "Well..." I shrugged, looking at Quincy, who nodded back at me. "It is a long story. How good are you with legends, Professor?"

 Chapter 152 – Venom

    Now that we had Voldemort''s soul in our possession, we advanced to the next part of our plan. Destroying it. Once again, I was calling for Herpo''s attention, wanting him to help us, but since going to sleep and waking up, he was gone again. Haaah... My guess is he was tired of keeping my thoughts sealed before the vampires, but still! At least he could tell me he is going to take a nap or something.


    "Can we even destroy it?" Quincy asked as we sat inside our little personal common room, watching the fireplace, lighting up our faces in the midnight darkness. "We need the stone. Didn''t he accidentally make himself wholly undead by using it as a Horcrux?"


    "No." Grindelwald answered, while Lockhart just sat there, silently listening, slurping on a hot chocolate like he was a student instead of a grown adult. "What his soul is stuck to is not the stone; it is the ring. If we want to destroy it, we must attack the ring and leave the stone unharmed."


    "Is it safe to... talk about it?" Lockhart asked after we had fallen silent, looking towards a painting on the opposite wall that hid a safe which, in turn, had the ring inside, sealed behind a handful of spells.


    "It is." Our Master nodded, closing his eyes, thinking. "Separating the ring and the stone will be difficult for multiple reasons."


    "It is something made by Salazar Slytherin." I continued before he could, already having enough experience in artifacts and their creations to notice a masterwork if I came across one. "I am not entirely sure he was unaware of the stone''s origin. They are masterfully conjoined and create a complete artifact that fits any finger it is being put on. Taking them apart can only be done by destroying the ring."


    "Can''t young Quincy whip up another genius potion that melts it away or something?"


    "Thank you for the trust, Professor," she giggled, "But I am not at that level yet."


    "We could blast it with the killing curse." I suggested, "It is a soul, no? It should kill it."


    "Or rebound because of the stone. It is the Resurrection Stone; who knows what kind of reaction it would have towards that spell!" She nudged me while sitting on my lap.


    "What do you think?" I asked, looking at Grindelwald, who opened his eyes and glanced towards us.


    "What? I wasn''t listening; I was meditating."


    "..." At first, I wanted to say something rude, but I think I was getting used to it. I wasn''t even angry. "Any... ideas?"


    "Work it out. You have everything you need." he answered, yawning and standing up. "I will help once you reach a conclusion! For now, I am going to sleep."


    "Already?" Quincy moaned, pursing her lips, trying to make him help us by going after his pride, "Aren''t you excited a little? You have a Hallow in your possession again!"


    "That is why I am not thinking about it." He answered, stopping at the door leading to his private wing. "I left it behind me, but that does not mean I don''t feel the temptation of being this close to one. I am still a human..." He sighed, making me feel as if he was disappointed in himself, "For now, I am well and have no interest in it. But I know I was obsessed with the toy inside that safe." He finished, looking back at us with a soft smile. "It is best if temptations can be avoided. The devil is the finest seducer. I don''t want my mind to be entrapped within the web of fake desires once again."


    "Sometimes..." Lockhart mumbled after we were left alone, "I can''t help but be in awe of him. Thanks to all those books and testimonies of him being the worst human possible, I thought differently before. Huh... Truly, the muggle saying is right! Winners write history."


    "He does like to speak true words." I mumbled, lifting Quincy from my lap, going for the bookshelf, and retrieving my grimoire. "We do have what we need. Let me ask old Peverell what he knows and see if we can separate the two."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "I''m back." Echoed Herpo''s voice in my head all of a sudden.


    "Finally!" I replied, sitting above the grimoire, still having a discourse with Peverell and learning about the properties of the Resurrection Stone in the past three days. "What can kill a Horcrux most effectively?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I knew you would have questions about it." he chuckled, returning with a prepared answer. "Just destroy the host; it is that easy. The soul needs an anchor that tethers it to the realm of the living. This is why, usually, when you choose an item to be your Horcrux, you pick something unique that already has excellent defense. Then you boost it and hide it well. The process of creating a Horcrux endows even the most mundane object with great power, but that does not mean it is indestructible."


    "I see. Well, HE had chosen well because the ring itself is a masterwork in itself. Plus, with the stone embedded in it, any curse could easily rebound onto the caster, not to mention whatever else HE may hidden within. Haaah."


    "The stone should withstand more than the ring. If these Hallows truly that strong, that is."


    "They are. I have been interrogating Peverell, and from what I learned, the stone can only be destroyed by melting it. So, fiendfyre is out of the question. We thought about using it, but if it melts... we made all this ruckus for nothing."


    "Forgo the killing curse too." He added, reading my mind. "At least not while the stone is attached to the ring. It is a variable I am unfamiliar with, so it is best to be careful."


    "Roger... Haaah... I am running out of ideas."


    "Use your venom."


    "Huh? Excuse me?"


    "Basilisk venom. Use that; it is one of the world''s worst types of venom, easily killing any magical creatures. It not only erodes the living, but it melts through many protections like acid. Those snakes prey on anything, so no hide of any beast is able to defend against their bite."


    "What...? Should I... Munch on it? Or what?" I asked, feeling flabbergasted.


    "If you want to risk dying. Just don''t swallow it. Still, I advise transforming, producing venom, and then using it to coat the ring with it and let it do its thing. When the soul dies within, the Horcrux is going to be destroyed, and the ring will break, but the stone should remain intact. If what Peverell said is true, that is."


    "Huh... So far, this is the best option... Okay! We will try that!" I exclaimed, really happy, ready to find Quincy and tell her about it immediately.


    "But remember. Do not put the ring on under any circumstances. I was a Dark Wizard once... I would have cursed it for sure."


    "No worries. I have no interest in wearing a ring. Well... I would, but that must be put on by a certain someone."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Are you sure you weren''t followed?" Asked a soft whisper in a dark, dingy room somewhere in a muggle motel on the outskirts of London.


    "We are sure." Replied two voices belonging to no other than Hermione and Krum.


    They watched impatiently as the door opened, letting them in. They were soaked in the autumn, cold rain, feeling the midnight''s chilly wind slashing against their faces even inside the room where Neville''s paranoid face welcomed them, looking out into the dark, expecting others to show up at any moment.


    "We have to stop meeting like this." Hermione grumbled, using a spell to dry her hair back to its bushy form, blowing it into the face of Krum, who stood behind her. "Ah... S-sorry!"


    "It fine. Good smell." He replied simply, making her blush even harder.


    "Sorry," Neville continued, "I just need to be sure. Although I have permission to leave independently and do things, it is hard to shake off Sirius or that idiot Weasley..."


    "I am surprised they let you roam around."


    "It wasn''t easy," he chuckled, looking at Hermione. "But I told them that my training had reached a bottleneck. And... Dumbledore and the other leading figures placed enough charms on me that they could tell where I was at any given time. They could most likely appear next to me or make me forcefully vanish if something terrible happened.


    "Then why secrecy?" Krum asked, making Neville shrug again.


    "As I said, it is shaking off the others. As time passes, I notice more and more that they are not right in the head and are way too extreme. Worse, nobody is doing anything about it. Anyway, I did not send word for you to talk about them!"


    "Yeah, you were very cryptic. You only said we should visit a certain place."


    "Yeah." He nodded, looking at the two. "I acquired the location and password for the Black family''s residence. Sirius got wasted, and I managed to extract his memories without him noticing them. If we want to learn more about Quincy and maybe Conrad, it is best to start there, don''t you think?"


    "Good thinking!" Hermione exclaimed, getting excited, already forgetting her bad mood for traveling in the horrible November weather. "When should we leave?"


    "Whenever you want!" Neville answered, just as excited as them.


    "Now. Waiting is enemy." Krum agreed, one hand already on the handle of the door as the trio headed out to Grimmauld Place, looking for number 12.

 Chapter 153 – 12 Grimmauld Place

    "How are you going to produce venom?" Quincy asked while we were sitting in our bathtub. She was lying against my chest, enjoying the warm water and relaxing after a long day.


    "Good question. Maybe I jerk it out."


    "Idiot!" She giggled, bopping my forehead, "Maybe we need a big bucket and turn you into a cow. Double transfiguration? What do you think?"


    "And you call me an idiot?" I grinned, tickling her sides, "Wouldn''t I be a bull then?"


    "You? A bull? Sorry, you are not like one."


    "Heeeeey, are you sure?"


    "Yep!" She answered proudly, beginning to wiggle her bottom. "Am I wrong? Can you prove it otherwise?"


    "Heh... You little!" I moaned, beginning to move, making her laugh with such a charm I felt myself being put under her spell. Not that I would fight back against her...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "This is the place?" Hermione asked as the duo stood in a dubious neighborhood right in front of 12 Grimmauld Place. Some of the muggle windows in 11 and 13 were on, giving off a faint, orange hue but not enough to reach the street level. Half of the street lamps were broken or just flickering there, giving it a very eerie feeling, barely illuminating the surroundings of the wet concrete walkways.


    "We should be fine." Neville explained, looking at the door of number 12. "Some really wild charms are placed on it so muggles would not notice us even by us standing here. So don''t worry about their gangs."


    "Worried?" Krum smiled, his arms crossed. Just as he said it, lightning flashed above them high, illuminating the surrounding abandoned streets and giving them an even more gloomy and ominous feeling. "We are fine. Trust me."


    "Let''s go, big guy." Hermione chuckled, leading the trio forward and heading towards the door. "Won''t Dumbledore be notified if we enter, though?"


    "He already knows I am here." Neville shrugged, "Do you think he would let me come here if it was that dangerous? This place should be abandoned. After the Dark Lord punished Walburga, the place was stripped of all of its valuables and family heirlooms. They even set it on fire, so I think they think it was destroyed in it."


    "It not?" Krum asked, making Neville smile.


    "The Order arrived the moment that HE and HIS cronies had left. Sirius still had access to the place, and the house was home to one of the most prominent wizarding families for multiple centuries. The fire did nothing to it..." He whispered, opening the door before them and revealing the dark, musty greeting hall. "We wouldn''t miss a chance to have a hidey-hole in the middle of London."


    "He is becoming sloppy, huh?" Hermione asked, holding a handkerchief before her nose as the stale air assaulted her senses the moment Neville pushed open the front door.


    "He killed the old woman and left; the rest was left to his minions. What do you think?" Neville sneered, deep-seated hatred oozing from every word of his when it was time to talk about Death Eaters and Voldemort.


    "Overconfidence. Big problem. For HIM." Krum agreed, following them and closing the door behind them while Neville reached out, flipping the light switch next to them on the wall.


    "It is why we took this place. Although it is not used as a daily hideout. We are not as careless as HE is. However, when Order members are undertaking missions, it comes in handy as a pass-through point. The fireplace in the main living room has been connected to the partisan network we built and can take us to many places if you know the passwords and coordinates. With a little bit of help from the inside, we can move right under the nose of the Dark Lord without him realizing it."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    When the dim lights turned on, they revealed a few visible scorch marks and some ancient carpets curling upwards thanks to the fire that was quickly put out. The atmosphere inside the ancient homestead was tangible, and not in a good way. Hermione could not help but try to cast a spell designed to clear the air, but it was like a drop of water into the ocean¡ªtotally useless.


    Watching the once-living pictures and their damaged frames on the narrow corridor. What she saw was their empty and ruined canvases, their previous residents gone forever, never to return. This sent a shiver down her spine, knowing they were most likely eradicated just like the old woman living here. Realizing the severity of what happened between these walls, the air was no longer just musky but became heavy instead. The history of this place, laden with secrets whispered through the generations, weighed down on her like two heavy hands grabbing her shoulders.


    "What that?" Krum asked, holding his wand, its tip pointing toward the staircase. "There was shade."


    "There wasn''t." Hermione mumbled, gulping, hoping he was mistaken, but now that he mentioned it, the shadows were indeed dancing ominously along the walls, casting eerie shapes that seemed to shift and morph with each flicker of weak lightbulbs.


    "It should be empty, but let''s check all the rooms first." Neville whispered. "Don''t wander off; stay together and be ready."


    Krum took up the point, heading out first. Hermione became stuck in the middle while Neville took up the rear. They walked forward cautiously, checking every dusty and abandoned room from top to bottom. The atmosphere was suffused with ancient magic, tinged with both darkness and a lingering sense of noble purpose that got twisted and morphed into something vile throughout the centuries. Maybe what happened to this bloodline was inevitable, a kind of karmic retribution that had been brewing for centuries.


    The walls were adorned with burnt portraits of the family''s ancestors at every level, leaving only their frames behind. When Voldemort finished off the Blacks'' bloodline, he made sure that those who already passed away had no chance to keep their memories. No portrait was spared, no matter where, stopping the Blacks'' history from being retold by anyone.


    Looking into room after room, all of the furniture was worn and faded, bearing the marks of countless years of use and then the inevitable neglect. Dust motes dance in the air, catching the faint light that filtered through the grimy windows and dirty lampshades, often scaring Hermione, who swore it was like ghosts. It didn''t help that the occasional lightning strikes outside kept flashing them like an invisible detective documenting a crime scene. Even though she knew ghosts existed, this place still gave her the creeps... She didn''t want to meet any. And someone... namely Quincy, lived here? What kind of life was that, in a place where the air was thick with the scent of age and decay, mingling with the faint aroma of the long-forgotten glory of a fallen bloodline? How did she survive in a place like this?


    "She had to be strong..." She murmured, making Krum look back over his shoulders as they ascended to the last floor. "I would have gone insane if I had to live in a place like this."


    "It be different then." he answered, trying to show that she had nothing to fear and that he would protect her.


    "Not by much." Neville added, his voice somewhat sarcastic. "Seeing Sirius''s memories, this place was like this when he was a kid. If you ask me, it was even worse because the portraits were alive, just like his mother. Although I had never been here before, I knew Quincy had it bad. Now I understand why she was adamant to live with Conrad... She must have hated being stuck in here..."


    "Hey. Look!" Krum interrupted them, pointing his wand towards a door with Quincy''s name on it, making Hermione steel her body, stepping forward and feeling much braver than before while holding onto the doorknob.


    CLICK.


    "Ah." She blushed, pointing her wand at it, "Khm! Alohomora!"


    Entering the dwelling that Quincy called home was a bit of a letdown. Hermione didn''t know what she was hoping for, but not for something like this. It had nothing more than a simple bed, a fallen cupboard with clothes spilled out everywhere, and a dusty writing table placed before the small dirty window on their left. There was nothing that would make this a child''s bedroom or make it... girly. There was no color besides the ancient tapestry on the wall, depicting the Black family''s different branches from ancient times, but even its colors were drained and faded. Where were the posters? Flowers? Something? Anything? Toys? Nothing. Was this a room or a cell?


    "Well..." Neville murmured, just as disappointed, "This is worse than I expected."


    "Sad." Krum shrugged, feeling sympathy for the girl but also happy that she definitely had a better life by now, even with being pursued. "Let''s clean," he added, waving his hand and lifting the cupboard up. While ordering the clothes to fly back into it, a little book fell out onto the rough carpet from one of the bundles of sweaters.


    "Oh? What''s this?" Hermione asked, already holding it in her hand, and she didn''t need to open it to find out.


    "A diary. Um..." Neville said, hesitating and feeling a bit guilty about finding it, but they did come here to learn more, and he was just as curious about it as Hermione.


    "Well... I will ask for forgiveness after we meet again." She mumbled, looking at the boys.


    "Let go down." Krum spoke up, "Kitchen? Let eat something while reading. I''ll cook."


    "Always the eating..." She smiled, joking a little, making Krum crack a slight chuckle, "At least it shows you are calm... Okay! Let''s go down then! We can read in peace at a proper table."

 Chapter 154 – Diary

    Sitting inside Grimmauld Place''s kitchen, Hermione was eyeing the still-closed diary on the old wooden table while Neville was finding and washing the dust off some plates and cups at the sink.


    "One egg enough?" Krum asked, boiling eggs, looking at Hermione, who gently nodded before pulling off the whistling kettle from the stove.


    "I am surprised how quickly you are at home in this place." Neville chuckled, and Krum''s initial answer was interrupted by a flash of lightning and the downpour that followed, smashing against the windows.


    "It is, is." He said, making Neville raise an eyebrow and questioningly look at Hermione.


    "He means, it is what it is. You would be surprised how collected he is most of the time. I rarely saw him get thrown off balance."


    "I''m seeker." Krum chuckled, serving some boiled eggs and toast with melted chees atop it to the group before sitting down. "Balance and straight head important for work."


    "I bet you miss playing Quidditch." Neville stated while making the tea for them.


    "Yes. Good sport. One day, I will hope return to home and play. But... not now."


    "So... are we waiting for...?" Neville asked, making Hermione''s eyes return to the book, finally reaching out, opening the first page, and reading it aloud.


    It was clear that she began writing it not long after her tenth birthday. Her very first paragraph detailed that now that she had become a ''woman'' thanks to her biological clock starting to tick, Walburga had begun looking for suitable husbands. In her own words, it would be preferable to secure a position as fast as possible before attending Hogwarts.


    "She says I must be engaged to another pure family as soon as possible. By the end of school, I must be married and begin producing offspring for the bloodline to avoid the worst possible outcome. I knew this day would come because the bloodline is the only thing she has been speaking about since I can remember... I just hoped that my blood wouldn''t start flowing so soon."


    "What bitch." Krum snorted, making Hermione raise her head.


    "Language. But yes... She was a massive bitch." She murmured, returning to read the diary, flipping a few pages.


    "In the past year, she has been meeting with house after house, and I always had to dress up as a doll, showcased to them like some kind of magical beast. To my luck, our name is tarnished, thanks to my... Thanks to Regulus and Sirius. I wonder if they laugh about it. I wonder if the former even thinks about me. Probably not... well, it is mutual because I also don''t think about him except when I have to sit and let grandmother prepare me for another important dinner party. I do hope he suffocates from hiccups. Heh... Grandmother doesn''t accept the fact either... It is useless. As if anybody important would let us visit them! I know that most prominent families refuse to meet with her. She tried to contact the Malfoys, trying to appeal to them after the Lestranges, but neither of them wanted to hear about us. Not that it matters... I have no say in it."


    "I wonder how desperate the old witch was..." Neville shrugged, shaking his head when hearing Quincy''s thoughts, which lacked real emotions. She wrote in a calm and collected manner as if she were an outsider and not the subject of this atrocity or only letting her sarcasm shine through her writings.


    "My letter has arrived; I have been accepted into Hogwarts. My grandmother is irritated more than before, cursing that nobody had taken me yet, saying it would be harder to sell me now that their sons would have a broader pool to choose from. I''m personally not worried... I am more focused on preparing for my school life. If I learned something, it would be that my school life wouldn''t be easy. With the amount of scorn my grandmother receives on a daily basis, I know that I will have to face multiple similar events within the school walls. I will have to make sure to endure the bullying for the first few years before I can start retaliating. If all goes well, I can become independent if I show enough talent, and if not, I can still kill whoever dares to touch me."


    "Oh..." Hermione exclaimed, blinking her eyes and looking up from the pages while the other two exchanged a glance. "She was... not well."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Not really." Neville agreed, refilling his cup with tea.


    "I met with a weird boy on the train to the school. I mean weird... in a good way. He was spacing out multiple times, but he never looked at me as if I were a filthy spot on an expensive robe. At first, I thought he didn''t realize which family I come from, but he is terrible at masking his thoughts. Everything is so visible on his face while he tries to play it off coolly. It is funny, I can''t lie. He has some quirky ideas and always talks about his father... It irritates me, but... only because I feel envious. It was the first time I had someone to talk with normally... I hope we can keep it up after arriving at school.


    The sorting ceremony was nerve-wracking; luckily, I managed to land in Slytherin, so I can take a breather for now. Also, I''m glad Conrad, the boy I met on the train, is also in the same house. At least I can talk to somebody... Haaah. The first night was rough; my mind couldn''t rest because my roommates made it very clear that I should not show myself while they were there. I will need to learn some self-defensive spells to deal with them."


    "Is this how Hogwarts is?" Hermione whispered, not expecting answers.


    "Durmstrang similiar." Krum nodded, "Power makes right. When Dark Arts rule, the strong bully the weak. It is wrong... That is why I''m in Order."


    "I heard a lot about how it was before." Neville sighed loudly, "I think we all would have loved to be part of the school in those times. Maybe our children will enjoy it, so that is why we must win."


    "..."


    Hermione did not have much to say to him about it besides blushing for a moment. To mask her sudden embarrassment, she continued reading, flipping through the pages, learning about how the duo slowly began getting closer and how Quincy felt distraught when Conrad was tortured by their Professor, Umbridge. How she wanted to intervene, but she was cursing herself for not knowing any good fighting spells.


    "Conrad decided that we would kill the Professor. Good... I agree wholeheartedly. She is horrible, and the world will be a better place if she is gone for good. She totally reminds me of my grandmother, which makes my stomach turn. I also realized something important.


    He trusted me this much to tell me all about it, including me in his plans, and he also stood up for me. I wish I met him earlier. I have never had a friend before, and it feels surreal. I don''t want to give up this feeling ever again. When you don''t know something you are missing, it is easy to ignore it. Now? I don''t think I can go back to normal ever again."


    "Girl, that was anything but normal!" Hermione scoffed before shaking her head, "Wait, what?! They were trying to kill their Professor?! How? She didn''t write down the plans at all..."


    "Because she is not stupid, ahaha! And yes, they not just tried, they did it." Neville nodded. "I know a little about it because it was big news within the Order, and they had to do a significant amount of cleaning after them to cover their tracks, utilizing our agents within the school. But they got away with it and even managed to shift the blame onto the Malfoys, which later turned into a boon for the family. Well... not really, but you get the gist of it."


    What was shocking for Hermione was how the two came to that type of conclusion, deciding to kill one of their professors. She just couldn''t fathom it nor imagine a situation where she would make such a decision, even in her own circumstances. Then, planning it all out and going through with it... At that age, she was still a scared child, getting smuggled into France and starting a new life in a completely foreign place.


    "Wait... that''s it?" She asked again, suddenly noticing that many pages were left empty and only a few remained for them to read.


    "Is it over?" Neville asked, just as surprised, while Hermione kept reading.


    "Winter was great... but the summer has been hell so far. I didn''t know I would miss him this much... Even though we... we are not like that. Although, I wouldn''t mind. I mean, I... I don''t know. Is this normal? What if grandmother finds someone else for me? That shouldn''t be the case, should it? Not after... Argh... I don''t even know what I want or think! But I decided. I will stop writing this stupid journal because it just makes me think of weird things. I will let whatever happens happen and make sure we stay friends. Or... maybe something more. Maybe one day, I can also be lucky... I just need to spend a few weeks with my grandmother before we visit Conrad and his family. I hope this works... If it remains nothing but playing pretends, at least for a little while, I can be happy. If he makes a move... I think I will let him. It is better to be lost in a pleasant dream than suffer this nightmare. If it ever ends and I do wake up, I can always end it anyway. I''m tired of it... I just want to be happy."


    "I think I understand what you meant..." Hermione whispered, looking at Neville and then Krum, hearing their recollections of Conrad and Quincy.


    "He was angry when Quincy kidnaped." Krum hummed, crossing his arms, glancing at Hermione, "I would, too. He was right. I approve."


    "At least he didn''t play around with her heart!" Hermione sighed, closing the book, not sure how to feel. On one hand, she was happy for Quincy even if she didn''t know her personally. On the other hand, she was appalled by what they had done... and there was a pinch of jealousy, too.


    Neville wanted to say something when all three of them heard the same thing: the opening of the front door to 12 Gimmauld Place.

 Chapter 155 – Brawl (End of Book IV)

    The moment the door opened to the old Black residence, the trio in the kitchen shot to their feet, holding their wands and aiming toward the kitchen''s entrance. Krum made the first move, placing a finger before his lips, signaling to them to stay quiet while he took a step forward, heading toward the door.


    Before he could reach for the doorknob, they saw it already turning and opening, making the ex-Durmstrang student cast expelliarmus, sending the flash of red lightning through the thinnest of opening, causing a yell echo from the other side. It was followed by the door being almost kicked in and another spell flying toward the group, but Hermione had already erected a bubble-shaped shield charm around them, deflecting it; at the same time, Neville was using the knockback jinx to counter their enemy, sending it flying forward, blasting the door into dozens of pieces.


    "Stop, you bastards!" shouted a voice that Neville recognized, making him raise a hand to halt Krum, who was about to levitate their enemies to immobilize them.


    "Sirius?" He asked, and soon enough, the scruffy-looking, alcohol-smelling figure of Sirius Black appeared in the kitchen door, picking up his wand from the ground.


    "Who else? Damn!" He groaned, holding himself back from spitting. "You good, kid?"


    "Yeah..." Answered the second voice, which belonged to Ron Weasley, the one who managed to dodge the dozens of splinters flying towards him by jumping away at the last moment. "I''m fine."


    "What are you doing here?" Neville questioned, still holding his wand. Although he wasn''t pointing it at them, he wasn''t going to lower his guard just because it was Sirius and Ron. Especially because it was them...


    "That is our question! Who are these?" Ron sneered, looking at Hermione and Krum, especially at the latter.


    "Why should I answer?" Neville countered, making the red-haired boy''s face turn into the same shade as the top of his head, but Sirius held him back with a wave of a hand.


    "Because I am your appointed guardian."


    "Were. Right now, I am already counted as a fully-fledged member of the Order. I am on my own mission, authorized by the leadership. Go ask them if you are doubting my word."


    "And do they know you are meeting with two outsiders?" Sirius asked, scoffing, looking at Hermione and Krum.


    "Outsiders?" Krum questioned, raising an eyebrow. Although Hermione wanted to say something, she was smart enough to let Neville handle it and not throw oil into the fire.


    "Yeah, big guy, none of you is part of the Order!" Ron answered, wanting to square up with Krum, who was bigger and taller than him. Yet at the moment, the young Weasley looked like the patronus of Hufflepuff¡ªjust as fearless and reckless.


    "I didn''t know we no longer had allies." Neville answered, letting his apparent anger show through his tone of voice. "Isn''t Beauxbatons our close ally? Isn''t Krum our best spy who made it possible for us to prepare for the tournament and give us intel on Karkaroff and Durmstrang?"


    "Weren''t you friends with those two bastards?" Ron asked, his aggressiveness on the same level that described his older brother very well while he lived, "Do I need to spell it out? We don''t trust you!"


    "That''s why you followed me?" He asked with a smile, looking back and forth between them. "How petty. Are we being degraded this much? Resorting to and instigating infighting? The leadership won''t be happy about it."


    "Enough!" Sirius shouted, stopping the back and forth between them. "I know you found something. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have come here and especially wouldn''t have brought two outsiders to this place. I don''t know what you are planning, but you will explain it to me right now, right here."


    "I don''t think I will."


    "Neville!" Sirius replied, raising his voice once again, and his breath smelled like cheap beer, making Hermione wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Dumbledore may have trusted you, but if they know you met up with outsiders secretly and brought them into my home without permission, they also won''t be happy about it!"


    "Your house?" Neville laughed sarcastically, "Weren''t you thrown out from here? And... Isn''t it Quincy''s home?"


    "Don''t. Bring. Her. Name. Up. That father-killer is anything but the owner of this house!"Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "..."


    "What? Didn''t know?" Sirius laughed, looking mad in the face, "Yeah, she killed my brother. She did it. Do you really think they were your friends, Neville?! Wake up already! Tell us if you managed to find them so we can bring justice to them!"


    "Or are you a traitor?" Ron added, his chest heaving, riled up from the fact that they may have found their location and he could avenge the death of his brother.


    "By justice, do you mean killing them?" Hermione asked, her voice barely able to remain calm, betraying her frustration and anger.


    "Who are you?" Sirius asked, finally looking at her for more than a fleeting glance, "And what do you even know, girl?"


    "More than you think." She answered bravely, making Ron scoff.


    "Yeah, bet."


    "I heard the same speech before." Hermione continued, ignoring the red-haired boy''s attempt at riling her up, "Fleur Delacour said the same thing about bringing justice to the two. I was there when it happened and saw what kind of justice she meant, one that ignores the meaning of the word just as it ignores the consequences... and its allies."


    "Like you know anything, girl!" Sirius sneered, but she wasn''t backing down.


    "I do know what it is like to have a backbone that you clearly discarded!"


    "You-!"


    "Yes, me!" she added, raising her head proudly. "Unlike you, I can distinguish between revenge and justice! I don''t need to lie to myself to feel better about it, but you lost your spine and tried dressing up a dog as a man!"


    What Hermione didn''t realize was that her words meant a bit more than she intended. The moment they left her throat, Ron angrily raised his wand to punish her for her remarks. Of course, Krum was way faster than he, watching the two like a basilisk, without blinking once. He managed to quickly disarm Ron, who then tried jumping on him just to get physical and stop him from a follow-up spell. Neville didn''t have much time to react as he was squaring off against Sirius, who was trying to disarm him. Their spells hit each other and bounced off, smashing the kitchen window and letting the wind and rain in, howling the same way as Ron was.


    "Stop! Stop!" Hermione shouted, trying to halt them, making a great effort to pull off Krum from Ron, who had no chance against him, no matter how ferocious he was.


    "Dumbledore will hear of this." Neville huffed, looking at Sirius, who said nothing but slowly lowered his wand, signaling he was no longer in a combative mood. "Stand aside. We are leaving, and you won''t stop us."


    For a brief moment, there was a tense silence in the room, only broken by Ron''s painful moan on the ground. It seemed that it made Sirius finally decide on what to do. With a long breath, he stepped away from the kitchen''s door, letting the trio leave, looking after them until they closed the front doors and disappeared into the night, teleporting away.


    "Did you manage to do it?" He asked, opening his mouth finally and pulling Ron up from the ground.


    "Yeah... Ugh... that big bastard can hit hard." He moaned, rubbing his jaw. "Are we sure it will work?"


    "Your father was into those things." Sirius whispered, making Ron quickly close his mouth and listen as he always did when hearing about his parents. "He was the best when it came to muggle technologies and practices, giving us an edge over the Death Eaters by applying their inventions and transforming them for our use. It will work because it worked in the past."


    "Won''t it disappear?"


    "Where did you stick it?" Sirius asked, watching Ron tap the side of his neck.


    "I think he thought it was me scratching him when I pricked him." He answered, showing a little needle between his fingers, its tip glowing in a soft, blue light.


    "Even if he bathes, it will stay; that little varmint lives under the skin and can''t be seen by human eyes. It would need to be forced out, and if you don''t know what you are looking for, you won''t discover it." Sirius explained, shaking his head. "We tracked Death Eaters with it; three kids won''t be a problem. Let''s head back; we will keep an eye on where they are going and let them lead us to the two bastards..."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Are you okay?" Hermione asked after the trio returned to their motel room, watching Krum scratch his neck.


    "Yeah, good. Its scratch, itches. That all."


    "Let me check!" She hopped closer, making him lean forward and letting Hermione look at it. I''ll get you disinfected and put a bandage on it. It is a bit red¡ªhe did scratch you¡ªbut it should be fine!"


    "Thanks."


    "Don''t mention it!" She chuckled with a tinge of blush appearing on her face.


    "You were good." Krum continued, sitting at the edge of his bed, letting Hermione play the nurse while Neville leaned against the wall, looking out into the night, watching the rain smash against their window.


    "Hm? Ah... thanks. You too..."


    "Trouble?" He asked, making Neville nod.


    "Everything is going to shit." He murmured, speaking in a tone that was reminiscent of Conrad''s way of speaking, but the two couldn''t pick up on it, "I thought it was easy to know who are the good guys and bad guys, but everything became muddy. I don''t know... I only see grey."


    "Isn''t this normal?" Hermione interjected, putting on the bandage and leaning against Krum''s back. "The world is not black and white; it never was. You just need to make sure you remain light grey instead of becoming black as the night."


    "Maybe... Maybe..." Neville nodded, feeling a bit lost, sighing again, wanting to escape, if even for just a little, back to a summer day when his most pressing issue was to win against Quincy and Conrad in a broom race.

 Chapter 156 – The Resurrection Stone

    I was lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling, still feeling a little bit dizzy.


    "Was it really that bad?" Lockhart asked, walking into the living room and making me groan as I sat up.


    "It was weird. I still feel my teeth stinging from it."


    "I am not an animagus, so I can''t tell, but I always thought it was natural for them. I mean, after transforming, anything that an animal can do just happens. So, not everything is like that, huh? I will note that down when I write again!"


    "Will you overexaggerate it?" I asked jokingly, making him shrug.


    "Not this time. It has already been a wild experience, so there is no need to further decorate it."


    "True enough." Quincy agreed as he entered the room, holding a flask with basilisk venom sloshing within it. "I tested it... and I have to say, it is brutal. It needs to be handled with care; otherwise, it could kill you just as fast as the snake''s glare."


    "Then, shouldn''t you stop waving it around?" Lockhart gulped, taking a step back, keeping his eye on the flask.


    "I reinforced the glass with magic; it won''t break, even if you drop it. Here!" She chuckled, tossing it to me without worrying.


    "Could you use it in potions?" I hummed, catching it mid-air.


    "No, it can''t be. This thing is too potent, and it eliminates all the other ingredients. It is only good for one thing: destroy whatever it comes in contact with."


    "Then, let''s see how it deals with a Horcrux!" I smiled, stood up, and went to retrieve the stone embedded into Slytherin''s ring.


    By the time I prepared everything, Grindelwald also appeared, watching calmly, wand in hand, ready for anything. Maybe it was our clear intention or the smell of basilisk venom after I pulled the cork out that made the ring react.


    "Is... is it alive?" Lockhart gulped, watching as the heirloom was moving on the table''s surface, tossing and turning.


    "You don''t know... what you are doing..." Echoed a hissing voice from within, angry and high-pitched. Well, well, well... Mr. Dark Lord finally decides he needs to beg, huh?


    "Don''t worry. It is just a fragment of his soul; it can''t really affect us, and I am shielding your mind against him." Answered Herpo within my head, calming me down because I was indeed surprised to hear HIS voice.


    "I think we do know what we are doing." Quincy answered, "Killing you."


    "Like you kids would be able to!" Voldemort, or part of him, sneered at us.


    "We can." I added, laughing as I started feeling surprisingly excited. The bastard who my Father once killed... Now, I will have a chance to join in on the fun and take part of his life away. Yeah, this feeling was incredible! "I''ve got the feeling you don''t remember me, Mr. Voldy."


    "I don''t need to know about any of you."


    "Don''t forget, his is just a separated part of a soul." Grindelwald explained, keeping his eye on the talking ring, "Only his important memories are being shared between the pieces, the ones that are strong enough to leave a mark on them simultaneously."


    "He is right." Herpo added to his words, "The returning phase from a Horcrux takes time because you are regaining all your faculties and memories."


    "So I was not even an important mark on your map, huh?" I chuckled, using my wand and pointing it at the venom, which I still felt a deep connection towards. "Weeeeell, sucks to be you Voldy-Boldy. Because I''m going to torturously dissolve your soul into nothing, and I am going to enjoy it to its fullest."


    "Big words... You don''t even understand what you are dealing with, and you think-"


    "You asked the wrong questions of your ancestor, Voldy." I said, interrupting him. Before he could say anything or think about what it meant, I pulled the venom out of the bottle and carefully, gently began to coat the ring with it, making sure it didn''t touch the Resurrection Stone.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Following it, he was no longer in an arguing mood, nor would he think of belittling us, as what remained was his painful screams that, I can''t lie, felt gratifying to hear. I don''t know what it would feel like for a fragment of a soul to melt away, but I hope it hurt just as much as his screams indicated. As the venom did its job, I watched as the masterfully crafted ring began transforming, melting away as if it were thrown into acid. A bubbling, black sludge on the desk was what remained of Voldemort after a few minutes had passed, releasing foul-smelling, grey smoke.


    "Wingardium Leviosa." I whispered, lifting the stone out of its nasty sludge bath and dropping it into a cup of water Quincy brought along. I rinsed it clean before picking it up and examining it from up close.


    "So... this is a Hallow?" she whispered, and I saw Grindelwald gently nod his head, blink slowly, and turn his eyes away from it. "How does it work?"


    "Um, sorry to interrupt..." Lockhart mumbled, pointing at the sludge, "Shouldn''t we do something about it? Is it safe? Is it destroyed? Is he... dead?"


    "It is." Grindelwald spoke, waving his wand and making it disappear. "Good job. We now have one Hallow and made sure Dumbledore can''t complete the set. Our next move should be to decide what to do with the war going on. How can we interfere, if at all? Our priority should be separating Dumbledore from another Hallow."


    "Not from all?" I asked, looking at him while holding the stone.


    "I think fate won''t care if someone only has one Hallow in their possession." He answered me calmly before leaving, making me look puzzled, glancing at Quincy, but she had no answer either.


    "Well... he is... right?" Lockhart mumbled, watching the little grey rock, "What are your next steps in defeating the world''s two greatest wizards?"


    "We will interfere in their fights." After a moment of silence, I declared, closing my fist around the rock. "Both parties are doing nothing but causing chaos. First things first, we will start airing out everything, aiming to recruit the regular people."


    "What do you mean by that?" Quincy asked, curious, hugging my arm while I explained.


    "First, we will spread the information about us, my family, what my Father did and why. Tell the world everything."


    "I don''t think they would buy it." Lockhart warned me, and I knew he was doing it for my sake, and he was right.


    "Yeah, I know, but it can plant the seed of doubt. Plus, aren''t we in the presence of a talented writer? You will be in charge of our... how the muggles call it? Propaganda!"


    "M-me?" He blinked, pointing at himself, but I could see the sudden happiness in his blue eyes.


    "Yes. It will be up to you to write hit pieces and make the readers teary-eyed! We will spread it forcefully and probably use some old contacts we have." I smiled, looking towards the diary we used in the school. "We will also show your side of the story, Professor. Tell them what you were forced to do and why. Let the world know that instead of helping you or helping us, the Order was glad to discard both of us!"


    "Will you...?" Quincy whispered, and I knew she was asking if I was aiming to announce that Snape was a double agent.


    "No. I want chaos, but I don''t want to give a definitive advantage to one side. I want them to keep fighting so Snape''s identity will remain a secret."


    "Snape?" Lockhart asked, his mouth opening wide.


    "Long story." I grinned, looking at the stone within my palm. "We will also tell them about the Hallows."


    "What?!" They yelled, looking at me, shocked.


    "Not everything. I just want Voldy to know that his big enemy, Dumbly, has the Elder Wand in his possession, and that is why he has been a thorn in his side. That is the sole reason why he can fight his awesomeness and resist his rule for decades. Play it up a little, Professor Lockhart! Make it sound epic."


    "I... I will try my best, Young Friend!" He nodded, starting to rub his hands together, "Let me see what I can do!"


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Maybe it was because of what we were going to do, but I slept horribly that day. I had weird, vivid dreams of school, Voldemort, and my Father, and no matter how many times I woke up or tried going back to sleep, it never worked. In the end, I sat up, gently rubbing the head of my wife sleeping next to me before deciding to go out and get something to drink. My feet just touched the cold, stone floor when I froze up because there was a spirit before me, looking down at us with a kind, warm smile.


    "Dad..." I said, my voice shaking and squeezy. I was unable to say anything more, just looking at him with my thoughts buzzing within my head, wanting to force out so many sentences at once that I totally shut down.


    "I am glad to see you two again, Son. I am so proud of you..."


    "You... are... you... here... are..."


    I wanted to reach out to hug him, but my hands passed through him. He was there... yet he wasn''t. Was this the work of the... stone?"


    "It is." He answered as if reading my thoughts. "But you can''t rely on it, son, don''t fall into its trap. I am dead, and I can''t come back to you. And... I won''t."


    "But..."


    "I am with your grandparents and with... Your should-be-mother." He said gently, keeping his smile, watching me with a kind, caring gaze. "We are all proud of you. I came to tell you because I had no chance to say goodbye to you personally. I am sorry about what I did, son... I just hope that-"


    "I understand." I nodded at him before turning to look at Quincy. "I understand it well, Father. I do not blame you. I think I would have done the same..."


    "I am glad... I am glad to be your father."


    "Me too." I smiled, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. "You were the best father I could have asked for."


    We didn''t say anything after that, and I watched as he slowly disappeared, continuing to smile. For the first time in a long time, I felt peace when I thought about my Father.

 Chapter 157 – The True Prophet

    Voldemort was sitting in the Headmaster''s office in Hogwarts, looking at the multiple-page newspaper lying on his desk for the past three or four hours. All the paintings within the office were empty, and the army of previous headmasters was gone from their frames, leaving the Dark Lord alone with his brooding. The only telling sign that he was still alive was his occasional cold breath escaping through his nose, lingering before his face. At the same time, the snowfall, covering the land in pure white for the past three days, started to pick up in intensity, further lowering the room''s temperature.


    "The Elder Wand..." He whispered, hissing like a wounded snake, his eyes becoming more bloodshot than usual.


    It was finally making sense. Of course, Dumbledore could stand up to him. Defying the greatest wizard to ever live! He had something that made him his equal... a legendary weapon! As for what it really was? To make sure the propaganda didn''t lie, he had to look it up personally and finally find an old legend telling about it and how it appeared from time to time. After uncovering the ancient children''s tale, while the other items were never mentioned neither in the ''news'' nor in other codexes, the wand within it had to exist, and the information had to be authentic. It was the one missing piece he needed to finally understand everything about Dumbledore and his success! With his research within the school''s library, he managed to verify everything, including the fact that the wand was used by Gellert Grindelwald before. All the evidence that after his defeat, his wand had fallen into the hands of Albus Dumbledore.


    "I must make sure that the wand will be mine. To gain control over it, I will have to kill Dumbledore... I have to do it and nobody else! Yes... I will murder that old bastard, take the wand for myself, and become even more powerful! After that, I will no longer need to hold back and conquer the magical world!"


    With a maniacal laugh, he couldn''t help but pick up the paper from his desk, read it once again, and run his crooked fingers over the title. The True Prophet... A guerilla paper that has been popping up all over England in the past weeks. It was being delivered to every possible household and was seen to be airdropped from enchanted toy airships flying over Diagon Alley. It was provided to him by Wormtail, the sneaky bastard who managed to survive the Order''s assault on Hogwarts. He even blew up multiple students around him, leaving behind a gory crater and a severed finger to sell his death to Sirius. Even many Death Eaters considered him dead until he returned as a rat, a secret that Voldemort kept as a unique weapon within his arsenal.


    "At least he is more useful as a vermin. He is much better at spying than he was as a teacher. Heh! And I never thought you would survive and go this far... Young Anguine." Voldemort whispered, licking his lips and turning the paper over. "I should have killed you, but then again, I would not have learned about this vital information. As a thanks, when we meet again, I will make your death painless and quick."


    At the end of the paper, after multiple stories, crying out against both the Death Eaters and the antics of the Order, Conrad and Quincy Anguine laid the signature for everyone to see. Since its appearance, there have been multiple different reactions to it, coming from all segments of life. Some were laughing at it, throwing it into the fire; others silently observed while another group whispered secrets, voicing their agreement with many points of details within it.


    "It doesn''t matter... They will be all singing my tune when all this ends!" Voldemort giggled like a child, for the first time since his ''death'' feeling alive once again.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "Albus, is this true?" Moody asked, as the Order was having an emergency meeting in their Headquarters, where all of the most important leaders, mostly ex-professors of Hogwarts, were present.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "About the wand? Yes, Alastor. It is true." He nodded calmly, presenting his wand before everybody. "I took it from Grindelwald himself."


    "You kept it secret for all these years..." McGonagall gasped, looking stunned at the fact that it was two kids who had revealed the truth to the world.


    "It was the best way. It is a powerful weapon, especially in the wrong hands. If I announced it, it would have only brought more and more trouble onto my head, onto the school, and onto everybody here. It was the logical step to keep it secret."


    "And now HE knows..." A thin, squeaky voice added, belonging to Professor Flitwick.


    "Which was unavoidable. I am only surprised it took this long for it to be revealed. You all must understand that I kept this secret to myself to make sure he doesn''t know about it and gets desperate. A weapon is best used when the enemy is unaware of it. Also, you must understand something!"


    "..." Everyone looked at Dumbledore, without exception, waiting for him to continue after scanning the room with his blue eyes.


    "The wand is still just a tool. It may be a unique instrument, but nonetheless, it is a magical device. It is the wizard that makes it work and not vice versa. We must work together better than ever to win this war! After evil has vanquished and peace returns... Everything will be much clearer."


    "What about the other rumors, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking at the collected papers lying on the edge of the old ex-headmaster''s desk.


    "We can only do our best to disprove the lies of our Order mentioned within them. Don''t try to argue it with words; show it with your actions, that it is untrue."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What do you think?" Hermione asked, reading the same paper as Neville and Krum, staying in a muggle motel within the heart of Manchester.


    "I never heard of this blue fire..." Neville whispered, reading about the part where Conrad was explaining how the Order was implanting it into his agents, making them burst into flames and killing them when they were captured. He was explicitly stating that the Order was just the same as the Death Eaters, a group of ruthless wizards who were angry about being usurped by another tyrannical force.


    "Me too not." Krum nodded, biting his lower lip. "But I had seen... clues. Same clues here. Rerports death, by blue fire."


    "We need to take this with a grain of salt!" Hermione concluded, closing the paper and crossing her arms, thinking, "I am not saying they are lying, but it can easily be a ruse tactic. They aim to gather allies from those wizarding families and people who are fed up with decades of wars and want peace."


    "We will know more tomorrow." Neville smiled, looking at the diary that was lying on the table where they were sitting.


    "We must careful!" Krum grunted, making the other two smile as it was the hundredth time they went over it.


    In the past weeks, the activity within that shared diary tripled, including Quincy and Conrad continuously writing into it, instructing their old allies from school to act if they can, leaving the ''new Prophet'' in dead drops, letting others collect it and help them distribute it amongst wizarding kind.


    There would be another drop to be collected tomorrow, and this time, they were going to get there to meet up with one who volunteered to get it. It would be Hermione who steps forward as a girl, which would be less frightening than if Krum or Neville appeared all of a sudden. Of course, the others would still be present, disguised and ready if it was a fight, preparing multiple escape scenarios and scouting the location for two days straight.


    "Be careful." Krum exhaled, looking directly at Hermione.


    "Don''t worry, I will be. Amongst us three, I think I am the most prepared." She joked, grinning at them.


    "You are making a good pair." Neville blurted it out, making Hermione blush, while Krum simply nodded back at him, thanking him with a simple gaze. "Heh, your chemistry reminds me of Conrad and Quincy... I do hope we will meet them again and we can talk. I just... I know there are rotten eggs amongst the Order''s rank recruited because we were constantly pressured... but I still can''t believe everything they wrote in the papers."


    "We will." Hermione chuckled, leaning back on her chair, maintaining a little smirk on her face.


    "What?" Krum asked, making her wink at him.


    "I sent multiple copies back to Beauxbatons. I am interested in how people will react there..."

 Chapter 158 – Dead Drop (1)

    "Are you still trying to make one?" Quincy asked, walking into my workshop and bringing a big cup of hot tea with her.


    "Yeah, it is fun, just as your potion-making exercises!" I answered, leaning over my table, where I was trying to create a simple pair of rings with a magical enchantment embedded within them.


    Since discovering Peverell''s grimoire in the past months, I have been asking him questions and trying to learn artifact-making through him, just as Quincy worked hard to become a master alchemist via Flamel''s books and equipment. The difference between our two chosen fields was not as big as someone would have guessed, looking in from the outside. It was almost identical; only the tools and materials differed slightly.


    Quincy had the option to find alternatives, to change out certain components of a potion to a different one to alter, weaken, or strengthen the potion''s desired effects. She could alter the method of the laid-out concoction to do the same thing or to create something completely different. My situation was pretty much the same. I had a long list of materials I could work with, mix, and match to create different results, and while working with them, I could even substitute them with different ones.


    Right now, I was in the middle of creating a pair of jewelry that would be magic-reactive. I don''t know how, but Grindelwald managed to procure some chimera scales when I mentioned my idea, so I diligently worked on not wasting any of them. Their effect was precisely what I needed because, as I mentioned, mixing and matching components is just as much part of my field as Quincy''s.


    My main component was Lussa Bark, the outer layer of a tree growing in the Nepali regions, blooming only once every hundred years under a full moon. We traded it while visiting Diagon Alley in disguise, dispersing our little propaganda pieces. We dictated them down, and our words were polished by Professor Lockhart in editing, turning them into something personal and direct. It reads now as if the reader had a one-to-one conversation with us. I had to admit, he did an outstanding job, making Grindelwald also nod in appreciation after checking it.


    Anyway, Lussa Bark. It had an ashen color, almost like an already burnt log, yet it was surprisingly stiff and rigid. Working with it was difficult as I had to be careful not to break it. When it is shrunk to the size I was working with, it could be brittle if I went at it like a chimpanzee with a saw. On paper, I would have needed to reinforce it with Ollio Scales, a type of dog-sized lizard from Nicaragua with a magic-reflective skin. Sadly, we couldn''t get any... and naturally, we don''t have time to find them ourselves. According to Grindelwald''s knowledge, they were rare creatures even in his time, hunted for their scales so much that they almost went extinct.


    That is where the chimeras came into play. I was reading about alternates when I came across their origin and descriptions. They are unnatural beings, resulting from an ancient experiment that went wrong somewhere in the Middle Ages. Although they count as rare, they can reproduce and periodically cause trouble when they appear, so killing and harvesting them is always readily taken on by adventurous wizards. What makes them risky to hunt is that their tail, the snake part, also has the same effect as Ollio Scales. If a wizard is not careful enough, he could easily find his spells either deflected or reflected back onto himself.


    By replacing the original requirement, I was on the road to creating my very first and genuine artifacts. I was simply taking it slowly, only committing to fusing the materials when I was confident in succeeding. I wouldn''t want to waste any material, not when getting them is already a chore. Slowly but surely, I reached the point where the last remaining two steps were finishing fusing the rings into a whole and then using magic to infuse the two with enough power to become magical.


    It didn''t require special incantations, nor did it have to be accompanied by some magical formation or anything unique. It needed simple concentration, focus, and the creator''s will to let loose his magic, funneling it through his wand into the artifact. It had to be controlled perfectly, ensuring enough goes in to have an effect but not too much to break it. When I told Quincy, she said it was similar to how she had to precisely stir her potions in the right direction, at the correct speed, and just as many times as needed. Making a mistake there could also mean the potion turns out to be a dud, only good to be flushed down in the toilet.


    "It looks much more complete than a few days ago." She hummed, sipping on her tea, watching the two rings floating above the desk, placed in a magical field that I was using to ''bake'' the materials together.


    "They need eight more hours, thirteen minutes, and eleven seconds to merge completely. Then, I can move on to the last session, which will make me disappear for a day because I will need to concentrate."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "While you do it, I will also continue cooking my new potion, fufufu!"


    "You are not going with the Professor?" I asked, looking at her, leaning in, and taking a sip from her mug.


    "Lockhart can handle the drop-off. He may be a bit whiny, but he is not as incompetent as we were still in school. Maybe he matured?"


    "Heh. Maybe." We chuckled at the same time before she continued asking me.


    "How powerful will it be by your estimations?"


    "It is not easy to tell until it is finished, but my goal is to make it automatically deflect or cancel out three to five spells a day."


    "Woah, that much?!"


    "The minimum I want is three... but I try my best to make it five. And I don''t think it would deflect high-level spells; it has limits... I am still a novice."


    "Yeah, a novice who can make something like that!" She giggled, kissing my face. "I''d say intermediate! I do count myself as one when it comes to potion making, hmph!"


    "Hehe, sassy!" I grinned, patting her bottom, "The thing is, even when done, it will not be able to reflect strong and most likely deadly spells. It is for an extra layer of defense when being ambushed, to prevent us from being flung away, disarmed, and the like. Even when I put it on your finger, you must remember not to trust it blindly!"


    "Wait..." She gawked, her eyes locking onto mine, sparkling. "You mean..."


    "Duh. We are already married in name, so I want others to be aware of it by simply looking at your finger!"


    "...!" Putting her mug down, she jumped on me, hugging my neck and passionately kissing my lips.


    "Let''s get to the bedroom..." I mumbled, but we only got as far as the workshop''s couch, where she pushed me down, already half-stripped from her and my clothes.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    In the heart of Manchester, the trio of Hermione, Neville, and Krum were waiting atop an old, four-story building''s rooftop, surrounded by a spell that made their presence masked before muggles and most detection spells. They had been enduring the stormy, windy weather an hour before the sun even began rising above the horizon, and by eight, they could barely feel their fingers.


    "Are we sure we are at the right location?" Neville asked, making Krum nod.


    "We are." Hermione agreed, watching the little park they had in their sights. The crowd was beginning to thin out as schools were starting, making the kids disappear, leaving behind those who were skipping class or were late and those who were heading to work. As the minutes ticked on, they were also getting less in numbers, and the park became empty once again. "Just keep watching the tree mentioned. They will make the drop there."


    "Oh... It appeared." Krum flinched, and the others knew at once what he meant. The moment they knew the destination, the group placed down multiple enchantments, all for the purpose of alerting them if something happened, be it normal or magical.


    "There!" Hermione pointed with her wand towards the left end of the park, using it to find the source of magic, where they could see a man dressed in casual, muggle clothes, slipping something back into his sleeve before hurriedly leaving.


    "Pursue?" Krum asked, ready to go after the supposed wizard who just made something appear within the tree itself, disturbing their detection spells.


    "No." Neville whispered, trying to figure out why the old-looking, balding man''s walking was familiar.


    "Don''t try too hard; he has to be using polyjuice and who knows what else."


    "He was walking differently than Quincy or Conrad, so it shouldn''t be them. But I think I saw the same posture somewhere, sneaking around the Anguine''s villa the same way... Hm..."


    "Doesn''t matter." Krum added, making Hermione nod her head.


    "I''d like to go directly to them, but that would not be the right choice. It would make them defensive and question why we are looking for them. We have to make them want to meet us if we want them to be forthright. Let''s wait and see who comes to get it... we will introduce ourselves to that person and see if we can gain the trust of their helpers."


    They didn''t need to wait for long as a young man appeared, looking around nervously, brandishing his wand way too openly. He was looking around, stopping, waiting, maybe trying to see if anyone else would appear, but he was too obvious about it.


    "Not good spy..." Krum chuckled, noticing that Hermione was furrowing her brows. "What?"


    "Is that a rat on his shoulder?"


    "Huh?" Neville exclaimed, perking up and taking a closer look. "And he is talking to it... His body language is not normal... Something is not right!"


    "Animagus?" Krum asked, and the others couldn''t help but think the same thing.


    "Let''s keep looking. Don''t interfere yet. Let them collect the package, and we will follow up with them! Who knows, if we can help out Conrad... we will have an even better position when meeting with them!"

 Chapter 159 – Dead Drop (2)

    Watching from the rooftop, their target remained in the park for over an hour before finally taking action. After walking around a few times, checking every bench and bush, he was finally brave enough to get to the tree. Gently but rhythmically tapping it with his wand, the bark slid open like a little door, revealing a package within. He was clearly hesitating to take it away, but then the rat on his shoulders moved, standing on its hind legs as if whispering into his ears.


    "That is not a normal rat." Neville concluded at once, making the others nod in agreement.


    After the boy collected the dead drop, he left in a hurry, taking long strides, making the group act and apparate from one rooftop to another, keeping a bird-eye view, watching the young man hurry through the streets.


    "Quick! Down!" Hermione yelled as they teleported down into an alley thirty meters away, almost ending up in a trash bin because of their hurry.


    Luckily, they managed to get out onto the main street in time to see the boy head down the stairs leading into the subways. Hermione took the lead, guiding them through catching up to the boy at the station, waiting amongst many other muggles for the train to arrive.


    "It is rare to see a wizard so used to muggle technology and navigating their world..." Neville whispered, leaning close to Hermione.


    "Spy?" Krum questioned, but even if he was, nobody knew which side he was on.


    "Stay natural." Hermione answered, keeping her eyes on the clearly nervous man. "We don''t want to tell him that we are following him; he is nervous enough."


    "Maybe first mission."


    "Or we are looking at a hostage situation." Hermione countered, making Krum nod while Neville raised an eyebrow.


    "Death Eaters? You can''t think..." He mumbled, watching Hermione''s serious look, but she intentionally didn''t answer him. But... she wasn''t so sure the Order wouldn''t stoop to the same lows that a Dark Wizard would utilize. They can simply cover their tracks, saying it is because of the hard times, desperation, a rouge agent, or what they have already heard a few times, and she felt disgusted by it all the time: For the so-called greater good.


    After the train arrived, with Krum accompanying them, it was easy to be a bit more aggressive, pushing forth and boarding the same train as their target, able to follow him all the way to the last station. The only problem was that people were getting fewer and fewer as the stations went on, making them stick out more until only half a dozen others remained in the same cabin.


    "He noticed us!" Neville groaned because the moment they exited the train, trying to look for the guy, he stepped back into the cab at the last moment, watching them with a panicked look as the doors closed before him.


    "Victor!" Hermione shouted, but he had already acted.


    Without waiting for the train to speed up, he apparated, unafraid, and his eyes locked onto the young boy''s body from the start. Appearing inside the cabin once again, right behind him, was not something the boy was even considering as a possibility.


    "Sorry!" Krum exclaimed while using something he had learned from the fight against the red-haired nuisance.


    "Huh-?!"


    It was too late for him to do anything as Krum''s fist connected with his jaw, knocking him out in one punch. The moment the boy flopped and collapsed like he was nothing but a ragdoll, the rat on his shoulder squeaked and was about to jump towards the nearest bench and try to scurry away. Of course, Krum was ready and wouldn''t let it just go, shooting a spell that quickly threw sparks everywhere, scaring him enough to stop briefly. It was enough for him to use another spell and bind the rat with an invisible shackle, lifting it into the air.


    "After them!" Neville shouted, wanting to jump onto the tracks, but was yanked back by Hermione, who ran to the stairs leading towards the opposing lane.


    "Don''t be stupid! This is the last station. The train is going on a loop and will come out on the other side. Hurry!" She shouted while those muggles who were still around looked on, shocked at what was happening. Some even tried searching for cameras, thinking they were in some kind of prank show or a movie shoot, unable to believe what they were seeing.


    There was no time to think about the consequences, so Neville simply followed along, running, arriving at the same time as the same metro car reappeared from the curved tunnel to the shock of the onlookers. They couldn''t be blamed because inside, there was a floating, screaming rat, a knocked-out guy, while another man held both of them with a murderous gaze.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "We go. Now. Help!" Krum stated simply, and Neville didn''t waver, grabbing onto the unconscious boy and apparating to their predetermined destination.


    "That was... cool..." Hermione murmured, making Krum smile before they also disappeared, bringing along the captured animagi, still under Krum''s binding spell, preventing it from changing back.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Far away, at an old stable near an unused farmhouse, the trio were getting ready to examine the still unconscious, captured boy while the rat was still held in the air by Krum''s spell, preventing it from squeaking or wiggling around.


    "How hard did you hit him?" Neville chuckled, feeling that not even the stunning spell would be this potent and knock someone out for this long.


    "Just one hit. Medium?" He answered, thinking about it, making Hermione shrug, summoning a ball of water, letting it drop on his head, and immediately waking their ''hostage'' up.


    "Please, don''t!" He shouted at once, looking terrified.


    "We are not here to hurt you!" Hermione spoke, trying to sound soft and non-threatening. "We only wanted to talk with you because we are looking for Conrad!"


    The moment she said the name, the young man snapped his head towards the rat, then back to them, trying to figure out what they were trying to say. He watched as Neville picked out a familiar notebook, enlarging his eyes and making him slowly stand back up.


    "Sorry for punch." Krum exclaimed.


    "You saved me before..." He mumbled in answer, rubbing his jaw, "So... whatever."


    "Oh." Krum hummed, squinting, but he couldn''t remember his face.


    "I was part of the group that you helped escape on the ship of your school."


    "I see. Why run then?"


    "You are with the Order." He answered, getting nervous once again, "If I make contact with you, my sister will die!"


    "What are you on about?" Neville asked, now looking confused and hoping it wasn''t what he was thinking about.


    "My name is Kirk Robertson." He answered, scratching his throat, "I was a Hufflepuff, 7th year. After everything went down, because of me being not from a pure family, with multiple half-bloods in the lineage, I was not in a position to not go back! I slipped back while the confusion was still high and avoiding detection..."


    "But?" Hermione asked, seeing him fall silent.


    "This one is a Death Eater." Kirk continued, visibly angry, pointing at the rat, "Worse, he is an ex-Professor, the fatty pervert, Wormtail!"


    "Isn''t he dead?" Neville gasped, sounding shocked as they thought he was killed by Sirius in the battle at Hogwarts.


    "Apparently not. My sister is attending Hogwarts; she is still only a 3rd-year student! This bastard found out about my escape and that I am in connection with... Conrad. He wanted to learn more, or otherwise, he would make sure my sister suffered an... accident!"


    Neville was about to answer when the door was almost blown open, scaring everybody, watching as Sirius Black walked in, followed by Ron Weasley.


    "PETER!" He roared, his wand already halfway down, ready to use the killing curse to end the rat''s miserable life, blinded by the rage he felt after hearing everything.


    Yet, before he could do it, a loud pop resounded, and his wand was flung away. Nobody could tell how or when, but Dumbledore himself appeared between the group, holding the Elder Wand, soon followed by two separate pops as Moody and McGonagall also apparated into the barn.


    "We will take it from here." Dumbledore exclaimed calmly while McGonagall moved to stand between Sirius, Ron, and the group.


    "We will deal with this one, kids." Moody grunted, taking over the captured Wormtail and the confused Kirk.


    "About what happened in Manchester..." Dumbledore spoke again, his voice calm and unbothered, "We will deal with it; you don''t need to worry about it. Good job, Neville, Mr. Krum, Miss Granger."


    "You were following us?" Hermione asked, glancing at Neville, who slightly shook his head, telling her it wasn''t him who called them. They knew Neville had to be under their surveillance, so they were not that surprised. Still... their appearance was abrupt.


    "No, Miss Granger." Standing with her back to them, McGonagall expressed, looking at Sirius and Ron, "We were following them because they were acting weirdly and not responding to our calls and orders."


    The moment they heard it, Hermione''s eyes snapped to the scratch on Krum''s neck, no matter how weird the idea sounded in her head.


    "The book, Neville." Dumbledore exclaimed, reaching out with one hand, shocking everyone once again.


    "But... you gave it to me to-"


    "You already completed the mission for what I gave it to you. Now, return it, please. It is an important asset to the Order to capture two dangerous fugitives."


    "...!" Hermione was about to say something but was stopped by Krum, who placed a hand on her shoulders, making her flinch and gulp back her words at the last moment, listening to him.


    "Neville." Moody added, looking at him while his magical eyes remained locked on the rat and the terrified ex-Hufflepuff student.


    In the end, Neville couldn''t help but let out a long, frustrated sigh, giving the diary back to him.


    "Thank you." Dumbledore smiled amicably at him before looking at Sirius and Ron, "We will discuss this in private."


    Without waiting for any answers, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Moody took everybody away forcefully, only leaving Neville, Hermione, and Krum in the abandoned stables as if nothing had really happened.


    "I-"


    "We know." Hermione exclaimed, stopping Neville from starting to try and convince them he had nothing to do with it. "My question is, how did those two knuckleheads follow us...?"


    "What?" Krum asked, looking at her.


    "Let''s get that scratch of yours examined..."

 Chapter 160 – Conrad’s Message

    In a magically reinforced chamber, somewhere under the earth in the English countryside, Moody was breathing heavily, slumped against the wall, his magical eye rolling around like a compass''s needle in a magnetic storm. From the top of his head, blood was flowing down his face, thanks to the fresh crack he received after being flung against the hard stone wall.


    "Bastards..." He groaned while he was reaching into his breast pocket with a shaking hand, looking for his flask of scotch.


    His disheveled look and rare panic in his natural eye were not because without reason. It originated from the fact that he failed to open the package their newest ''guest'' had with him. He was well aware that powerful magic was shielding it; he could see its presence with his magical eye, but he could not discern it. Still, as an experienced Auror, he was confident in his abilities and began preparing to force it open. He utilized all of the spells and hexes he always used when dealing with traps set by the Dark Lord himself... yet they were cut through as if they were used by some first-year student.


    "No..." he murmured after swinging his flask, thinking back to what happened and watching the smoking, smoldering heap of ash in the middle of the room. "That was something different."


    He got back up, leaning on his walking stick, and confirmed that he could feel most of his defensive spells around himself. They were still working, and they remained untriggered. Whatever it was that attacked him, sending him flying through the room and then bursting into flames, was not entirely a spell. It was something that he didn''t consider...


    "Alastor." Dumbledore said, entering the room, wand drawn, followed by Flitwick and McGonagall in a highly alerted state.


    "I''m fine, Albus." He groaned, shaking his head in dejection. "Whatever magic protected it was self-destructive."


    "You are bleeding!" McGonagall exclaimed, stepping forward and handing a handkerchief over to him.


    "It is superficial." He mumbled but still took it, wiping his face clean.


    "It wasn''t magic..." Dumbledore stated calmly, using his wand to pick up the ashes, sorting through them in the air until one tiny ring had fallen out from it. It was broken into four pieces, destroyed, and no longer useful, but it still carried the feeling of magic within its ruined pieces.


    "Oh?" Flitwick hummed, getting closer and using his own spells to examine it. "It seems like an artifact? A broken one?"


    "A failed one." Dumbledore clarified, putting his wand away and stroking his beard. On the one hand, he was visibly moved and excited. On the other, he was a bit worried. "I didn''t feel any spells that would suggest them originating from Grindelwald on the package when I initially examined it. If I did, I would have tried to open it myself. It seems it was a mistake..."


    "Are you saying there is someone with them dabbling in artifact creation?" McGonagall asked, her tone serious as it was a field that very few called their own nowadays. It was much easier to enchant something or transfigure an item or being than to create something inherently magical. It was not a field that could be learned willy-nilly nor something that would be cheap to master. It could quickly suck dry any wizarding families of their funds. For all intents and purposes, it was a gradually dying art a century ago, not to mention the modern day. The only field where it was most preserved was among the famous wand makers and nobody else.


    "I am." Dumbledore nodded and continued stroking his beard. "I assume it is one of the Anguine kids, probably Conrad, as Quincy is more attuned with potions by our latest intel."


    "Did a kid make an artifact?" Moody asked, wiping his mouth after another sip from his flask. "It is hard to believe!"


    "No, he didn''t." McGonagall answered him, making Dumbledore nod and continue his explanation.


    "As I said, it is a failed artifact. He did not create one... he failed. Then, he turned the failed artifact into something else. The moment you began trying to prod it open without the correct method... it activated. A less astute wizard would have been killed."


    "Heh." Moody snorted, clicking his tongue, "What a devious little kid... He needs to be put into Azakban the moment we are back in business. I will put him there myself!"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Kids..." Flitwick muttered, "I don''t think we can look at them as kids, Alastor."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Oh...?"


    "What is it?" Quincy asked, sitting up next to me on our bed as I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night.


    "My enchantment broke."


    "What enchantment?" She whispered, rubbing her eyes, yawning, watching me scramble out and looking for the diary on our nightstand.


    "I placed a tracking number on the package that Lockhart sent out. As you said multiple times, I still don''t trust that our little book didn''t fall into the wrong hands. It seems you were right from the get-go because someone tried to open it¡ªone who was not part of the group who originally had these!" I said quickly, finding it.


    "Oh! I see!"


    We wouldn''t let our efforts go up in smokes, so when looking for helpers, we also made sure to cover our tracks. Creating artifacts is not easy, especially when you are still learning the craft, so I had some failed products that could be readily used as traps and weapons. Every pack we sent out had one of them hidden inside, enchanted in a way that if someone who was not part of our original group tried to open it, it went up in flames. Finally, it happened! And... it was later than I expected, but I knew it did as all the artifacts were connected to me. Knowing that Voldemort was so sure of himself that he didn''t even protect his valuables and couldn''t tell if one of his Horcruxes was destroyed, I would not commit the same mistake as him. Anything I make will be connected to me, and I will know if it gets destroyed or not!


    "What will you do? Leave a message?"


    "Yep!" I grinned, sitting back next to her, opening the notebook, and licking the end of my quill.


    "Don''t hold back~!"


    "Dear Curious Bastard." I began, knowing full well that whoever was on the other side would feel aggravated reading it. "It''s me, Conrad Anguine, son of Angus Anguine. If you are the Dark Lord, then let me say that you should have remained dead. My Dad killed you, and I intend to follow in his footsteps, finishing what he started. Enjoy your remaining years because you won''t live long enough to see the new millennia."


    "I like it when you are this firm~!" Quincy giggled, hugging me from behind, holding my chest while reading my writing.


    "If you are from the Order," I continued with a happy smile, "then I can only tell you, don''t worry, you will get what you deserve. You discarded my Father like a worthless, broken tool and pushed us to the edge. Instead of thanking my Father''s sacrifice, you began spreading all kinds of rumors of us. You are no better than the other side... You will get the same treatment from us. Order of the Phoenix? Death Eaters? None of you will remain, and the Wizarding World will be cleansed from your factions, letting it breathe fresh air again. All will return to their origin and begin anew... without you."


    What I didn''t know at that moment was that on the other end, Dumbledore was reading my words, tapping on his table, thinking about old times, from an era when he was just a fresh graduate from Hogwarts, meeting with someone who later became his life''s one and only true friend. Someone who said something similar to him once...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Blue fire...?" Flamel murmured, sitting in the Headmaster''s office within the Beauxbatons''s chateau.


    He had been reading the news that Hermione had mailed back to her old friends, who had delivered it directly to him. The information within, especially that the Order was using a type of blue fire on his members, making sure that if they were captured or would be interrogated, so they wouldn''t spill what they knew... by killing them.


    Was there any proof he could look at? Nothing concrete. But... that didn''t mean he wasn''t seeing the connections. There were too many coincidences, questions, and too many indirect clues pointing to the same conclusion. All those circumstantial incidents became increasingly frequent when their mission began at the start of the TriWizard Cup. As the operation passed the no-return point, committing to do it, Dumbledore stopped relying on him less and less, saying that from that moment onward, he didn''t want to drag him into their battles.


    On paper, yes, it was a commendable stance, something that would put his old friend in a favorable light. Yet, somehow, things kept happening, one after another, events that had the possibility to push him and Beauxbatons into the frontline. Not that he was unaware of it; he had already made the calculations and knew the risks; he was willing to take either Durmstrang or Voldemort head-on.


    In the end, against all odds, that didn''t happen. More than that, right now, they were ¨Cif not in an amicable relationship¨C at least they were in a less aggressive stance with Durmstrang than ever before. The two schools were not friends, but they ultimately avoided becoming enemies. Behind the scenes, arrangements were made to let their soon-to-be-chosen new Headmaster visit Flamel and start talking about smoothening their relations as they looked into the future of the two schools. The only voices speaking up against these developments were those who were supporting the Order...


    "Albus... Albus..." Flamel murmured, playing with a tiny vial between his fingers containing the essence of his Philosopher''s Stone. "I lived long enough, wanting nothing but to head into my deserved rest. Yet... you are still not letting me go." With that, he drank it, regaining his energy and letting the creases smoothen out on his face, his eyes glowing with newfound energy. "It seems I am bound to this world a little longer to see how it all plays out. I helped you defeat Grindelwald, and I will help you defeat Voldemort. Don''t make me help someone else defeat you."

 Chapter 161 – Networking

    "I can''t believe they did something like this..." Neville whispered, sitting around a table with Hermione and Krum as they had their lunch inside a muggle fast food restaurant, mingling amongst the masses, hiding in plain sight.


    "I am not surprised." Hermione answered, glancing at Krum, who had a bandage going around his neck. Getting the bug out of under his skin was painful and messy, requiring magic, potions, and a scalpel to finally get rid of it. The moment the creature felt it would be about to be discovered and picked out of its new home, it began drinking blood, growing, turning from an insect into a cancerous infection. If they didn''t hurry, it could easily turn out to be deadly. Luckily, Hermione didn''t panic and was prepared for the ''operation,'' managing to yank the bug out of Krum''s neck at the last moment. "It would have been problem-free if we didn''t discover it..." She murmured, feeling conscious about it because she ended up giving him a permanent scar that will never fade.


    "It fine." He smiled at her, noticing her gaze, "I''m good. No pain anymore."


    "What should we do next?" She asked after smiling back, sighing, wanting to hear their opinions.


    "We will go after them personally. Find everybody that was on the ship when you escaped from Hogwarts." Neville expressed, looking directly at Krum, who raised his eyebrows and found it hard to believe.


    "I don''t remember all faces. Not possible."


    "That is a minor issue." Neville waved his hand, continuing to explain, "The subconscious stores a lot of information that is inaccessible because they would otherwise overwhelm our minds. I am confident in my abilities that I can use a spell to help you remember, and it will be pain-free. I will go and collect images of the students, and you go through them and point them all out while under my spell! We will then scour every record and find them, tell them personally who we are... and try to establish contact with Conrad through them. I have no other ideas!"


    "That... is possible..." Hermione mumbled, thinking about it, and before she could raise some concerns, Krum had already agreed to it.


    "Good. Hate wait. Do it!"


    "I need to prepare for it first!" Neville exclaimed with a sigh, standing up. "Let us meet at our hideout two days from now on."


    "Where are you going?" Hermione questioned, surprised that he would leave just like that.


    "Don''t forget that they all monitor me. If we do this, they will learn about it and could appear just like before. I need to return to the Order, make a report, and ensure we won''t be as closely monitored."


    "Will they let you come back?" Hermione asked, posing a valid question and expressing her concern about whether Neville could really return if he decided to leave now.


    "I will act it out as if I am trying to lead them to Conrad."


    "Won''t they know lies?" Krum interjected, tapping on the table and making Neville smile confidently.


    "I have been trained to shield my mind against the Dark Lord himself... and I am no slouch. If I want them to see me telling the truth, they will see just that. Trust me on this. Two days! I will be back, promise."


    After he finally left, Hermione couldn''t help but sigh again and look back at Krum, reaching out and holding his hand for comfort.


    "Let''s go, if we have time, we should enjoy it. I know you are unfamiliar with muggle practices, so what do you say, should we visit an amusement park?"


    "What is that?"


    "You''ll see!" She chuckled, standing up, making Krum nod his head.


    "I pay."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "With what? Gold?" She smiled at him and kept holding his hand. "Thought som big guy. Come, it will be fun! We need that..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What are you planning to do next? Are we still going to spread news and propaganda?" Lockhart asked as we were gathering at our villa''s main conference room. "I can write much more; I feel like I am back in my element! This is so much fun to be back behind the quill again!"


    "No." I shook my head, playing with the ring on my finger, "We are going to hit an important place. Well... multiple, to be precise."


    "Which ones?" Grindelwald asked, looking at me curiously because it wasn''t him who suggested our next step. He only continued teaching us dueling every day and telling us all he knew of magic whenever we had a question for him. Whenever he explained something, I could easily understand it, feeling it was so much clearer whenever he articulated it than sitting over an old book or listening to a professor who didn''t even care about what he was teaching.


    "After our previous talk, discussing the dementors and their effects while learning about the patronus spell, I got a sudden idea."


    "Prison break!" Quincy grinned, barely able to contain her excitement.


    "But... Azkaban has already been breached by the Order." Lockhart answered at once, making me smile.


    "That is only one prison." Quincy countered his words, leaning forward at the table. "Both parties have multiple of them in secrecy. Just think about Hogwarts for an example! We have already established contact with a handful of old friends, ensuring they are clean, and have begun communicating securely with them. To further raise our defenses, Quincy and I made sure that they didn''t know of each other. They are acting as independent cells with no knowledge of the overall picture at any given time. Everything is strictly need-to-know-basis! By now, we have agents in multiple regions acting as our ears and eyes, part of both sides."


    "Not to mention, our fliers and newspapers were effective. Not everyone is convinced of either group!" Quincy bobbed her head, "There are families who got bullied by both sides because they wanted nothing but to live peacefully, trying not to take a side. They are good sources of intel."


    "You learned something?" Grindelwald asked, looking at us, making our head nod.


    "We learned about three camps." Quincy waved her wand as a map appeared on the table, highlighting three spots over the island. "Two in England, one in Scotland. The Order maintains the former while the latter is of the Death Eaters."


    "You want to go in, wands out?"


    "No, Professor." I chuckled, "We are not suicidal! But... what happens if the other party somehow learns of them? What if they just happen to get some juicy intel? Maybe with a bit more fanfare than reality suggests. Tell them it is not only a prison but... something more. Hm? We will stoke the fire, let them fight, and swoop in while chaos ensures and we do our own thing."


    "You want to release captured Death Eaters? I don''t get it..."


    "That is not important." Quincy shrugged and continued the explanation. "What matters is chaos for both sides. Also, don''t forget that many of the current Death Eaters are people conscripted by the Dark Lord! They are students who have two choices: join or die. Who do you think they would help? The Order who captured them and acted the same way as the Death Eaters towards them? Not even listening to their plights? Or the Death Eaters, who readily abandoned them? Maybe even kill them for failure?"


    "But..."


    "Yes, Professor!" I shrugged, "There will be Death Eaters freed who were captured and are genuine soldiers, devotees of the Dark Lord. So what? We have you for that, no?"


    "M-me?"


    "I want to get more ears and eyes on the ground. So, I do intend to grab some genuine prisoners from both sides¡ªwizards and witches who are blinded by their cause and are loyal to their side. Then, we can manipulate their minds enough that it is not possible and let them back in. With an extra diary within their pockets and the new habit of keeping records of their... thoughts."


    "They wouldn''t even know they are spying for you." Grindelwald smiled, knowing full well that I got the idea from him. He also did something similar in his war, gathering followers and informants with the difference that he was genuinely brainwashing them. Our version would be so that they don''t know they are spying... we just plant some new habits into their minds and give them the tools that will keep us informed.


    "We think it is the safest method, and if we manage to do it to one or two people," Quincy smiled proudly, "then we will be in an excellent position! Not to mention, all those who are disillusioned enough are coming forth willingly every day. The worst-case scenario is that whoever gets freed goes back into the fray and fights. Then, so what? Let them fight more! We literally can''t lose here!"


    "So I will be prodding minds of captured wizards once again..."


    "And this time, you won''t be threatened or punished for it." I smiled at him, "Professor, I would be happy if you would lend your expertise to us once again."


    "No, no, no need to say it like that, kiddo! Well, you are no longer a kid, so... Conrad. I am happy to help, really. I am in your debts, forever will be."


    The way he said it drew an honest, warm smile onto my face, and this time, I wasn''t distraught that I felt I liked the bastard. Hehe... I do like him; despite everything, he turned out to be the only Professor who we could count on... and I will never forget that.

 Chapter 162 – Arriving Letters

    "Here is everything we learned from Wormtail." Moody explained, taking a swing from his flask after putting a stack of documents on Dumbledore''s desk. "He is true to his name; that boy has no spine at all."


    "How''s he mentally?" The old wizard asked, opening the first folder and skimming through it.


    "Broken. As always, the Dark Lord had some protection spells on it. Getting through those was not easy, and it had adverse effects on his psyche; I don''t think he will recover."


    "What does that mean, Alastor? No need to be soft with me; I ordered you to do everything possible to get the information out of him."


    "He mentally reverted to a state of how he was at the start of his life in Hogwarts. He doesn''t remember anything else anymore, even forgetting the ability to turn into a rat. We made sure it wasn''t just an act, giving ample opportunities for him to try and escape, but he didn''t take it. As we speak, he usually is hunkered down in his temporary cell, crying and calling for his mom."


    "I see... In the end, little Peter is the one who comes out on top of it all. He forgot his sins and all the evil he did, returned to a blissful existence, and started fresh, as so many before him could never do. Ironic."


    "Yes. Life... is unfair." Alastor nodded, taking another swing, "What should we do with him?"


    "We will transfer him to one of our prisons. Tell the guards there to be on high alert for two reasons."


    "Two?" He asked back, surprised.


    "We can''t be sure about Tom''s next move. He may try to recover him, but that is unlikely in my eyes. I am more worried about Sirius and the last Weasley."


    "Both are uncontrollable." Moody agreed, leaning on his walking stick and putting his flask away. "The former is totally lost in his revenge; no matter what he says, he thinks the opposite of it."


    "Yes, and his influence infected the young Weasley too. He is a horrible wizard, unable to cast basic spells, and fights like a muggle using his fists instead of a wand. We need to make him hit a wall, Alastor; maybe that can help redirect him to the correct path."


    "Do you have something in mind?"


    "I do, in fact." Dumbledore smiled, stroking his beard while reading the last piece of paper about Wormtail''s interrogation. "Make sure Sirius learns about which place we keep Peter at. Let him go and try ending his old friend''s life, and we will use it to put an end to Sirius''s madness."


    "Are you going to kill him?" Moody asked, his magical eyes locking onto Dumbledore while his regular one slowly closed, waiting for his answer.


    "No. But we are to grant him peace and make sure he also forgets all the horrible things that happened to him. Let him and Peter start a new life and maybe become friends again."


    "What about the kid, Ron?"


    "Punish him as you see fit so he learns from it and changes before it is too late."


    "Mhm..."


    As the two were falling into silence, thinking about different ideas, the door to Dumbledore''s office opened, and McGonagall entered with a letter in her hands.


    "Albus, this just arrived!"


    "Hm?" Taking it from her, he soon stood up, reading it over multiple times, making Moody''s magical eye stop spinning once again, only looking at Dumbledore. "Scratch that, Alastor. Delegate your task to others you trust! You will come with me and Minerva!"


    "What is it?" He questioned while Dumbledore gave him the letter. "Did you verify it, Minerva?"


    "I did." She nodded, confidently continuing, "I even tracked down Snape, who looked into it and sent word that sure enough... it exists."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "So he didn''t know about it?" Moody asked, feeling suspicious.


    "He did not. By his words, right now, his work consists of only the most important missions and tasks, and this is... below him."


    "Or Tom still doesn''t trust him." Dumbledore added, standing up and going before his window, stroking his bread with his right hand, watching the snowfall hitting the ground in the midnight''s darkness.


    "Both are a possibility." McGonagall agreed, "But from what we gathered, this hidden prison is real... and anything hidden is a target we need to take seriously!"


    "We will go; I already decided on it." The old ''Headmaster'' said, one hand behind his back, his fingers twitching as if he was counting something.


    "Don''t be so hasty!" Moody interjected, reading the letter a second time, "This can also be a trap..."


    "It can be, yes, but if it is, we can face Tom."


    "Headmaster..." The two murmured, looking at his back, feeling as if he was preparing for his death, which scared them.


    "I''m confident that I can stop him, maybe even injure him. I was ready for a duel since returning to our home! Don''t worry; I know my limits, and we won''t be alone. The worst case could be that we fail to free new allies and have to retreat empty-handed."


    "What about Neville?" Moody asked after thinking through his words.


    "What about him?" McGonagall snorted, "You can''t be thinking of wanting to bring him along!"


    "I do, in fact."


    "No." Dumbledore answered before McGonagall could protest against the idea. "He finally began blooming and is on his own quest. He is pursuing the Anguine kids.


    "Shouldn''t his focus be the Dark Lord?" Moody doubted, feeling it was a waste of time.


    "I have a strong feeling, Alastor, that our paths will cross at one point. Be it Tom, the Anguine family, or us, we will arrive at the same spot, where everything will be decided at once."


    "How can you be so sure about it?" McGonagall asked, feeling the same as Moody, finding it hard to believe it so strongly. It was something they could never do, yet they tried. They tried many times, but only Dumbledore succeeded with it. It was why he was the only possible leader of the Order, never losing hope and keeping the group on track towards victory.


    "The will of Magic itself... The source of all divinations." He murmured, not willing to explain it, but he meant it. After meeting his old friend and seeing him walking freely once again, he suddenly remembered something they discussed as young men. It was a wild idea, but it explained so much about the Origin of Magic... He just stopped thinking about it in the end.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "You called for me, My Lord?" Snape asked, entering the private quarters of Lord Voldemort in Hogwarts.


    "Yes, Severus, come in." He hissed in a tired voice, and as soon as he closed the door behind him, he felt cold. It was not because of the harsh winter they were having. The fire burned within Voldemort''s fireplace, painting the room orange and warming it up, yet no matter how bright it burned, it was useless. It was... HIS killing intent which made the air chilly.


    "Did something happen?"


    "Yes." The Dark Lord answered with a smile hanging on his face, standing above a coffee table, looking down at it, watching a map with skull-shaped pins stuck to it. "Look at this and tell me what you see."


    Looking at the map, Snape was using all of his experience to remain stoic and not betray any feeling trying to burst forth from within him. He knew it very well, as they were places where the Order kept prisoners they captured. They didn''t hold onto them because of goodwill. He knew the real reason behind it well. There were things that were only between him and Dumbledore, dealings that were needed to keep them in the fight for this long. Sometimes, captured Death Eaters were ''freed'' when being transported, rescued by Snape himself, bringing them back into the fold... as brainwashed spies that he used as necessary. Sometimes, they managed to ''escape'' themselves. Whatever the reason was, they returned and kept their eyes on things Snape couldn''t wholly focus on. Or... to take the fall for mistakes resulting from his machinations, putting the blame on the unfortunate fellows.


    "I assume they are targets we ought to hit?"


    "Of course!" Voldemort laughed, smiling from ear to ear. "Bellatrix has verified the information; it is accurate. These are two prison camps..."


    "Are we going to... rescue failures?"


    "No." He answered coldly. "We are going to flush high-ranking Order members out."


    "I am not following, My Lord." Snape said honestly, looking at him and waiting for an explanation.


    "We will go in and murder everybody. Guards, prisoners, dogs. Everything that has a life will be reaped. We won''t leave plants behind because we will burn both places down."


    "..."


    "Such thing is what these righteous clowns can''t allow, or their pride will take a hit!" He continued, his eyes red as blood, glowing like a monster''s hungry gaze, "If they do, then our side will have a boost in efficiency because if they let themselves be captured... it will just mean they will die the same."


    "Are we... sure that they... will come?" Snape asked after recollecting his thoughts, feeling his mouth to be as dry as the Sahara.


    "They will come. Any who arrives, kill them too. There is nothing to do at these two places; just kill, kill, and kill. Easy, got it?"


    "Yes."


    "Very good! I will lead one group; you will lead the others. I will send you the names of the soldiers you will take with you¡ªonly retreat after every prisoner has died."


    "What if-" Snape wanted to ask, but Voldemort raised a hand, stopping him from continuing.


    "I said, only leave after every prisoner died and their corpses are burning."


    "Yes... My Lord."


    "Go now... start preparing... We will act soon. Very soon..."

 Chapter 163 – Prison Break

    For the past few days, we have been lying low in the vicinity of the three prisons. We separated our group into three parts to make sure we were not missing out on anything. Professor Lockhart was sent away in disguise, equipped with one of the weaker invisibility cloaks, lying low next to the prison of the Death Eaters. I knew that he was extremely nervous, but compared to everything, he was one of the safest places out of the three. For one, he knew how they operated, being part of a similar process once before. Then, there was the fact that if anyone attacked it, they would be the Order members, so my guess would be that they wouldn''t open with the killing curse. Lastly... Any other Death Eater, especially Voldemort, would probably be focused on attacking the Order''s camps.


    His main mission was to observe the location, and when or if something happened, he had to choose some targets and escape with them, bringing them home while chaos reigned supreme. As for the Order''s camps, one was surveyed by Quincy and I, while the second was left for Grindelwald. We were in touch constantly, and if any of the prisons were hit before the others, we would apparate and work as a team.


    What I didn''t expect was the fact that all three were attacked at the same time... it was like some kind of sick joke. The first to signal that something was happening was Professor Lockhart. Only two days after we sent out the letters via our agents, the Order already made their move. We were about to teleport over when Grindelwald''s message arrived that Voldemort himself appeared with a bunch of others, beginning to kill everyone within it indiscriminately.


    "What... the actual... fuck?" I murmured, looking at Quincy after hearing it, sending word for Grindelwald to just stay back and out of sight. This was not something I was expecting, not at all.


    "Look!" She held my hand, and sure enough, I watched as the black night sky was lit up by a green spell, creating a skull above the land, a snake coming from its mouth, showering the land in an eerie, ghostly light.


    There they were, masked Death Eaters appearing, beginning to kill everybody who was not theirs. A complete massacre... The prison we were at was located in the countryside, under a protective spell, mostly against muggles, hiding their operation from prying eyes. The place itself was some kind of old slaughterhouse that was now living up to its purpose thanks to the crazed Death Eaters. Only, it was humans who were being butchered instead of cattle...


    "What should we do?" Quincy asked because this was not in the plans. None of us expected such a drastic measure coming from Voldemort.


    "It is our time to get some name for ourselves. Let''s join the fun and save some bastards. I don''t see any Order members appearing to reinforce the guards here anyway!"


    "Be careful!" She nodded, kissing my lips,


    "You too. We go in, save a few souls until they can disappear, and then we leave! Five minutes tops or until one of us sends a flare-up!"


    "Um!" With that, there was no more hesitation between us as we jumped into the fray, quite literally.


    I landed straight within its main slaughterhouse, between a masked Death Eater and a man who had magic-preventing cuffs strapped to his wrists. The huge, open place where once animals were killed and slaughtered was now transformed into some kind of interrogation chamber... well, not that I had time to look around as a spell was flying toward me the moment I appeared.


    "Woah, shit!" I cursed, deflecting a blasting curse, surprising both of them with my appearance and counterspell. Capitalizing on it, I was using the killing curse at once, finishing the Death Eater before it could think about what to do next.


    "Who... are you?" The man asked, already crying, wanting to beg me too, but I just pointed at his cuffs, letting him go, "Conrad Anguine. Now go!" I nudged him, and at least he didn''t ask more questions but apparated away at once. "Good... let''s save some more bastards!"


    I don''t know why, but I felt fired up. Was it the noise of battle? The spells flying around me? The noise of explosions? I couldn''t tell, but my blood was boiling, and I honestly felt I was having fun.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Keep focused." Herpo echoed within my mind. "It''s the blood within you. Emotions within a life or death battle could lead you to unnecessary danger."


    "Thought as much." I answered while I was already dancing with two other wizards, one from the Death Eaters and one from the Order.


    Both of them thought I was with the other when they noticed my presence and attacked me at once. Then, they were confused by the other''s reaction. It gave me enough time to deflect their spells, but the Death Eater reacted earlier, using a killing curse to finish off the guard he had fought with previously, preventing me from making any kind of quick alliances. I think their orders may have been total annihilation because he attacked me at once right after... or maybe it was because he was a Death Eater.


    "This one is more experienced..."


    But he was not as fast or adaptive as Grindelwald. Still, I needed to focus and use twice as much time to find an opening and take over the flow of the battle. The moment I managed to become the aggressor, my spells were flying off much more quickly, pushing him onto the backfoot, forcing him to only defend and look for an exit from our fight.


    "Slow..."


    With a smile, I already saw the end of our duel. I was distracting him by trying to freeze his legs into place, always mouthing the spells, making him focus on my lips to read what would come next. Right until I mouthed a different spell than what I indeed used. Before realizing it, I was already flicking his wand out between his fingers and hitting his chest with the killing curse, ending it once and for all.


    "Shit!"


    My cursing was warranted because I barely managed to dodge not a spell but a physical attack. Rolling in the mud, sending a fire spell behind me, lighting up the dark night with blue flames, I managed to stop the ambusher from jumping after my back. Standing up, I was facing not a human, well, not entirely one, because the thing before me was a werewolf, wearing rags.


    "Sorry-looking bastard." I sent another spell towards it, but this one was quick.


    Its reflexes overshadowed any human, dodging the curse easily, howling as it rushed at me, wanting to bite me and make me one of its own. Werewolves... It was the first time I met one, and at that moment, I let my blood come forth, keeping a tight leash around its ''neck.'' There are times when fire needs to be fought with fire.


    Turning into a basilisk was not something the werewolf could have ever expected, but its reflexes were still sharp enough to realize the main problem. Avoiding my gaze, it wanted to run, but I was not about to let him go. Whipping my tail forward, I hit the creature so hard I felt and heard its body breaking as its mangled corpse shot through the side of the building.


    Following it, breaking through the hole, keeping in my giant snake form, I was met with a group of people looking on, confused as to what happened... then they died.


    "Fuck." I grunted, transforming back, watching the five stone statues, two of them being cuffed prisoners.


    "Told you." Herpo added, and I could swear he was laughing. "The power of a basilisk is no joke. But overusing it is the sure way to land yourself in trouble when it fails you."


    "Got it. Now... where is Quincy?" I shook myself as I looked around, seeing green and red flashes streak toward the sky nearby, prompting me to head there.


    I was about to take my fourth step when I felt the ring squeeze my finger and deflect a stunning spell I had never felt or had seen coming my way. With my wand raised, my heart racing in my throat, I used protego, turning towards the source, seeing another Death Eater standing there... Out in the open, but he didn''t attack me a second time. Was he just as surprised as me? Or...


    "Good one!"


    A second shout echoed as a killing curse was being aimed at me from my left. I was already disturbed and caught off guard, which is precisely what Herpo was warning me about. Still... I wasn''t training just for show. Using all that Grindelwald had taught me, or more so, beat into me, I remained collected. Using all my knowledge and my artifact to save my sorry ass, I managed to divert the incoming spell. Using my own curse, I managed to hit the incoming green jet, canceling it out while I was relying on my ring to protect me from a second attack coming from the first Death Eater, the one who initially surprised me.


    "Here it comes..." I thought as I felt a hex flying towards me. To my bad luck, I knew it was green, and it was... going to miss me?


    That surprised me because I was about to transform once again, deciding that if I was going to be hit, I wanted to risk it in my snake form. Everything happened in only a few seconds, but by the time my senses returned to normalcy, the second Death Eater was lying on the ground, finished.


    "Go." Said a voice I recognized after hearing it... and I knew it belonged to someone I didn''t expect to meet again. "I promised your Father."


    "..." I couldn''t help but keep looking at the skull-masked man, knowing that under it, Severus Snape was looking back at me. In the end, I simply nodded, took a deep breath, and used my nose to locate Quincy, shooting a red, flare-like spell into the air before apparating away, meeting up with my wife at our determined hideout before heading back home...

 Chapter 164 – Slughorn

    Returning home, we exchanged a quick look, hurriedly determining that none of us were injured, and let out a long sigh of relief after confirming it.


    "How many did you find or fight?" I asked, making Quincy think for a moment.


    "It was utter chaos. I think I managed to break off the cuffs from four or five prisoners while spells were flying everywhere. I blew up two Death Eaters, though, before I saw your flare and escaped. What happened?"


    "I ran into the Headmaster."


    "Snape?!" She flinched while I decided to leave out the more dangerous details.


    "Yeah, and he killed one of his own and told me to leave. It was... weird."


    "..." She said nothing, just stepped closer, holding my hand, smiling at me.


    "Let''s head in! Whatever happened now was anything but normal... Let''s hope the Professor''s trip was much more fruitful."


    "You tell me! Ugh... The Dark Lord went completely nuts; this was too much even for him! Isn''t he afraid of turning his own people against himself?"


    "Breaking up his soul so many times caused his rationality to suffer from it." Herpo explained, which I then repeated for Quincy to hear.


    We had just entered our home when Grindelwald appeared, apparating straight into the living room.


    "How was it?" I asked, looking at him. There were no visible injuries or exhaustion on him, which made me sigh with relief.


    "They massacred the whole camp. In the end, the members of the Order left, leaving the prisoners behind... but the Death Eaters continued killing right until nobody remained. Then they burned it down¡­ I stayed for so long because something happened, and I am pretty sure I felt right that he created another Horcrux secretly."


    "Shit... did you see what it was?"


    "If I''m not mistaken..." He explained, thinking back to what he saw and felt. How Voldemort appeared on a giant snake, keeping it close to him all the time, letting it feed on prisoners while he killed anybody coming close to him. He was visibly enjoying the wanton destruction. It was his way to release all the frustration and go wild in the most brutal way imaginable. "The snake."


    "What snake?" We asked, listening to him describe it in great detail. "I am pretty sure because after he was done, he looked worse for wear and also kept reinforcing the snake with magic. He placed multiple protections on it, things that I would need a lot of time to break through. If we want to end that snake at once, it must be done with an artifact and a powerful one at that."


    "At least we know..." I whispered, crossing my arms and thinking about it. "I wonder... would my Basilisk form be able to control it? Command it? It is the king of snakes, or so they say."


    "Maybe." Quincy hummed, hugging my arm, "Just don''t get your head twisted away!"


    "By a snake? Please!" I laughed, knowing she was just joking around.


    It was then that Professor Lockhart appeared, not alone but accompanied by three people, each of whom had a face that we recognized. Two of them were students, and one of them was a teacher at Hogwarts.


    "Young... Conrad? Quincy?" He stuttered, looking at us, wearing rags and looking way more thinner than I originally remembered.


    "Professor Slughorn." We answered at the same time, nodding our heads. "It is a welcomed surprise to see you again." I smiled, glancing at Lockhart, who spread his arms, sighing, telling me he had no choice but to bring them over when it was time to escape.


    ...


    ....


    ¡­..


    Ensuring our guests were not thinking about escaping, Grindelwald placed down many more security spells, preventing anyone from apparating out without our permission. Although the kids wouldn''t recognize him, there was a chance Professor Slughorn would, so he didn''t stay long or introduce himself to anyone. For now, it didn''t seem that the old Professor realized it, as he was way too overwhelmed to make conscious connections between the history books and the man standing in front of him.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The students were two boys, one from Gryffindor and the other from Ravenclaw. When talking with them, it was clear that they were captured by the Death Eaters on suspicion of working with us. The moment we asked, they tried to tell us straight that they said nothing about Quincy and me. Not that I would be angry if they did. Their memories were about being appropriately treated while being imprisoned, questioned multiple times, trying to recruit them as double agents, and tasked to go after us, but they kept refusing it. Which¡­ for a Death Eater prison, it was weird.


    It didn''t take long to convince them to let Professor Lockhart do a quick examination that quickly revealed to us that their memories were tampered with. It took both of us working in tandem to gently revert it to its original version, learning that they were interrogated by Snape himself. He successfully extracted all the needed memories and found one of their notebooks, delivering it to Dumbledore. It had to be the one the Order still had in their possessions. Then, he made sure to cover his tracks, but at least he didn''t plant false feelings within them, brainwashing the two to spy on us. Maybe he knew that we would notice it if they were under the influence of a mind-altering spell. Well¡­ it just happened right now, so yeah. The Headmaster knew us well.


    For now, we welcomed them to rest, recuperate, and think about what they wanted to do next. Sending them back to England would be dangerous, so I did offer them the option to go to Durmstrang. I was sure that with our connections there, they could find a place there, away from any troubles. It was the least we could offer¡­ One glance into their psyche was enough to see that they wanted nothing but to disappear, yearning for a simple life, and I could understand that. I did not want to force them into servitude either.


    As for Professor Slughorn? That was a bit different. Examining him showed that the Professor was a different breed with a much deeper extent of mind alterations. The worst part was that he was well aware of it yet could do nothing about it. He also knew he had no options but to subject himself to our examinations, letting us prod inside his mind, running into walls and barriers at every turn.


    "This is not just a mess; it is a labyrinth built into his mind." Lockhart groaned, leaning against our bookshelf, holding a glass of whiskey, trying to ease his headache.


    "Is it really that bad?" Quincy asked, munching on a muffin and looking at me while I sat in my comfortable armchair beside the fireplace.


    "It is; the Professor doesn''t say it just to be dramatic. It is multi-level protection on his psyche with added defensive hexes and confusion spells."


    "What does that mean?" She mumbled through munching on her snack.


    "His brain is like a library where every book is behind a lock and then placed on a shelf under an obfuscation spell." Lockhart continued, "THEN! Yes, then, that shelf is transfigured into something else, scattered around randomly. Now, we need to find these objects and decide if they are indeed real memories we are looking for or fakes. Transform them back to their original form, letting Professor Slughorn''s mind acclimate to it, and then place them back to their rightful spot. So yes¡­ it is extreme work."


    "O-okay." Quincy mumbled, looking at me and smiling because it was her first time seeing the Professor this frustrated and motivated at the same time. He was really in his element.


    "Can you do it?" I asked, making him think, rubbing his forehead before pinching the ridge of his nose.


    "Yes, yes, I can, and the Professor is also cooperative, which helps a lot. It would have been much harder to locate his memories within his mind if he hadn''t been. Whatever had been hidden in there is important."


    "Do we have an idea who did it? The Order or HE?" I asked, finding it fascinating. "We know that Severus Snape is a double agent, so most of it has to be him, but¡­"


    "Both, I think." Lockhart answered me before I could continue. "There are two methods running parallel within him. I think both parties were confiding with him and also removing memories from inside his head. One for sure belongs to the Dark Lord, and the other is the work of Headmaster Snape."


    "I wonder why the big man didn''t just kill him back there. Isn''t he important to the smartest and greatest wizard alive? He could have smashed through all the defenses within his mind, no?" I asked with deep sarcasm in my voice, making Lockhart think, tilting his head before answering me.


    "A good question, but I think it was because of Headmaster Severus."


    "Huh?" I hummed, sitting up straight.


    "The Dark Lord ordered Severus to work on him. Sometimes, HE also came to take a personal look from what I gathered, but at least HE still had enough control within himself not to kill Professor Slughorn. From the very little I could decode, HE believes that the Professor is key to learning about Dumbledore and his wand. HE also knows that Dumbledore had to be in contact with Slughorn in some weird way, and HE wants to know why or how. That is why the Professor''s life was spared, and Snape was tasked with uncovering the truth!"


    "So not all cognitive capabilities are gone from the master of Horcruxes." I mumbled, smiling, "But he did choose the worst guy for the task. No wonder it was going so slowly! I bet Snape is relieved Slughorn is gone¡­ I wonder how the two camps are at the moment, after everything!"


    "Angry." Quincy giggled, sticking her tongue out after licking her fingers clean, "I can be sure of it!"

 Chapter 165 – Getting Close

    ¡°How many people have we lost?¡± Dumbledore asked, his voice sour but still maintaining his always calm attitude. He was scanning the room with his blue eyes, looking over his half-moon glasses while sitting at the head of an oval table, surrounded by all the high-ranking members of the Order.


    ¡°A dozen, not counting all the prisoners we had.¡± Moody answered coldly, tapping the bottom of his flask on the table before taking a big swing from it.


    ¡°Did Snape betray us?¡± McGonagall asked what everyone was thinking about. They were unaware that something like this was being planned by the Death Eaters and that anything as significant and dangerous as this was being planned should have been told to them in advance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so.¡± Dumbledore answered her after a moment of silence, thinking through everything that played out in the past twenty-four hours. Even if their ambush was a success, rescuing people from the grasp of Tom Riddle, it was a hollow victory now. ¡°I think this was directly from Tom and was decided on a whim. Also¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dumbledore?¡± Kingsley Shacklebolt asked after a long minute, seeing him fall into silence, his lips moving behind his white beard but no voice leaving his throat.


    ¡°Sorry, I was thinking, and I am sure the Anguine kids have something to do with this. Start tracking the information back from where we got the tip for the prison. Capture the informants and probe their minds. I do suspect that we would find something interesting within them if we look deep enough.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Albus?¡± McGonagall asked, making the old wizard nod his head resolutely while she was feeling a bit nervous because it was her who confirmed the source at first.


    ¡°I agree.¡± Moody spoke up, his magical eye swirling in his socket like a compass in a magnetic storm. ¡°There were three cells there that, although being empty, showed signs of being occupied right until the moment we arrived. Someone smuggled prisoners out right under our noses.¡±


    ¡°Could it be Severus?¡± Flitwick questioned, but Dumbledore once again shook his head.


    ¡°Not after what happened to our prisons. The way the Death Eaters acted shows that keeping prisoners is no longer in the playbook. What happened this time is terrible, and the fact that we were out on a mission and unable to help ours will also blemish our position. Even if we start making excuses, that will only make things worse¡­ We have to take a loss and do our best to turn it around into an advantage. What anybody will remember is that we abandoned the prisoners. The number of people who give up without fighting will fall drastically¡­¡±


    ¡°But this also means that their own moral will take a nosedive.¡± McGonagall added, looking at Dumbledore first and receiving a nod from him to continue. ¡°The stronger he squeezes his fist, the more he will spill from it. Instead of finding excuses for our current blunder, we must use this to sow dissidence between their ranks! Turn more people to our cause and over to our side.¡±


    ¡°You want to accept Death Eaters into our ranks?¡± Shacklebolt asked, unsure about it, and his tone had already told them he was against the idea.


    ¡°Redemption must be an option for them.¡± McGonagall pushed on, and by just looking, Dumbledore could see that only half of the others present agreed with her notion.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to make them into properly inducted members.¡± Flitwick exclaimed, taking McGonagall¡¯s side. ¡°They can become associates who can work for us and do certain tasks delegated to them until they prove themselves. Without giving them a chance, are we even better than them?¡±


    One after another, multiple members chimed in, trying to advocate their own side, either against accepting Death Eaters or standing on McGonagall¡¯s side. Seeing how Dumbledore said nothing, they soon delved into openly arguing, finally breaking the old wizard¡¯s thought process and bringing him back to reality.


    ¡°Stop.¡± He croaked, his throat dry and his voice tired, which quickly silenced everybody. ¡°We are still way too heated up¡­ let¡¯s take a step back and rest our thoughts. We will have another meeting two days later after the dust settles and we can see clearly. For now, everyone, tell our agents to change locations, abandon old safehouses, and change places. We have moles inside our ranks, and we need to start sweeping house!¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Agreeing with his final decision, the meeting soon was adjourned, everyone leaving except one figure who sat there, silent all this time.


    ¡°Remus¡­?¡± Dumbledore asked when only they remained behind.


    ¡°They died¡­?¡± He asked, his voice melancholic and filled with pain, so deep that it made him seem like Dumbledore was talking to a specter, not a human anymore.


    ¡°Yes¡­ They did.¡±


    ¡°I am the last one¡­¡± He whispered, burrowing his face in his palms, silently crying, and this time, Dumbledore had nothing to say to him. There was nothing that would help him out or ease his feelings. The old wizard did open his mouth once, but he knew that whatever he would say now would be useless. Thinking about it, knowing all the outcomes of anything he would say, he simply left Remus Lupin behind, his mind returning to thinking about Conrad and Quincy, already forgetting about the crying werewolf.


    What broke Lupin was the fact that Sirius Black was at the prison camp, there to visit ¨Cunder surveillance¨C Peter Pettigrew and finally help his confused mind to settle. Or forced to settle, but Lupin didn¡¯t know that. He wasn¡¯t alone when he came, bringing the last Weasly with him, unaware that he had just sealed another bloodline¡¯s fate along his own. Nobody survived the Death Eaters¡¯ ambush, led by Voldemort himself. That night left Remus Lupin as the last man alive from his childhood friend group, the only soul remembering those more simple days. The years never stopped passing, and losing his friends one after another was something he never found a way to deal with, and after today¡­ he felt empty. He wanted to blame someone, but nobody was there to blame, only the Grim Reaper, who was the greatest winner in these long decades filled with war.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Unlike Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort had a harder time coping with his hidden prison being ambushed. All the joy and elevation he felt from their work, all of the pleasure was gone. He was sure that someone had betrayed him once again, almost losing it and killing his closest associates on a whim, before his rage was finally reined in by a sliver of rationality showing through his shattered psyche and soul.


    As for Snape, it made it so much easier to mask his honest thoughts against him, and he even began influencing the Dark Lord¡¯s mind, subtly broadcasting feelings of suspicion towards other Death Eaters. Voldemort picked up Snape¡¯s subtle, subconscious-level suggestions, mixing them within his mind and becoming his own thoughts. In the end, the Dark Lord forced everyone to show what was their last used spell, and not everyone¡¯s wand lit up with the killing curse. With Snape being tested first, displaying his ¡®loyalty,¡¯ it only took a few further mental nudges before Snape got to meet with Voldemort privately.


    His new mission was simple: to spy and investigate all the high-ranking Death Eaters, given the freedom to execute anybody he found suspicious. No questions asked, no reports needed. Of course, he fought hard not to show his glee, feeling that he was finally close to his goal, bringing the Dark Lord down, if he must, then with himself. Whatever the cost¡­ After decades of playing both sides¡­ He was only an arm¡¯s reach away from his revenge from bearing fruit, and he could taste its sweetness on the tip of his tongue.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Is this really true?¡± Hermione asked, sitting on a bench facing the ocean, another ¡®True Prophet¡¯ in her hands.


    ¡°It is.¡± Neville nodded, standing next to the bench, arms crossed, watching the grey sky, waiting for snowfall to arrive.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Krum nodded, ¡°Confirmed. It happened, no lie.¡±


    ¡°This is pure madness.¡± She mumbled once again before a loud pop interrupted them, and a young wizard appeared close by, a bit disoriented.


    ¡°You are not-!¡± He panicked, pulling his wand out, but Krum was faster, knocking it out of his hand before raising his arm.


    ¡°We not trouble!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t!¡± Neville repeated, trying to not look so dangerous, but the news they just read, the massacre, the survivors speaking out how both sides want everyone dead, the world seemed so alien to him that his face was being twisted by his conflicting emotions. By now, he was unsure who was a friend and who was an enemy in this madness.


    ¡°We are friends of Conrad! Promise!¡± Hermione added hurriedly, ¡°I am sorry we lured you here, but we must contact him; it is of utmost importance!¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± The young man asked, still wearing his old robes; the Slytherin¡¯s symbol on its chest had already faded, looking wholly grey instead, losing all its emerald and silver luster.


    ¡°Honest.¡± Krum began when the boy looked at him and finally recognized his face.


    ¡°Wait, you are Victor Krum!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded and flinched when Hermione elbowed him. ¡°I helped you.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, you did. I¡­ Thank you!¡± He bowed, feeling much more relaxed, missing that, once again, Krum didn¡¯t recognize him from the time he led them all out of danger on the Durmstrang ship.


    ¡°Sorry, my name is Nate!¡± He said, raising his head, much more relaxed after recognizing Krum, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can get you in contact with them; they are obviously very selective about who they work with. I was told the notebook is compromised, but¡­ Eh, it was stupid to trust it, huh? Can you keep that a secret from them if you do meet them? They would tell me off if they learned I still used it¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Neville nodded while Hermione smiled at him thankfully.


    ¡°No problem, Nate. My name is Hermione, and these are my friends Neville and Victor.¡±


    ¡°Good to meet you! Listen¡­ we are out in the open¡­ Let¡¯s get back to my place. What do you think? Then, I can establish contact with my contact, who can contact¡­ Too much contact, huh?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡± Hermione giggled, ¡°But as long as we manage to take one step at a time, we are good.¡±

 Chapter 166 – Money, Money & Money

    I was sitting in our library, leaning back in a soft, oversized leather armchair, eyes closed, letting my thoughts drift aimlessly while subconsciously organizing everything I had read in the past three hours. It was my way of letting everything settle down and helping me get a clear image without overexerting myself. It was broken when Quincy walked in, stopping after a few steps and seeing me open my eyes.


    ¡°Wrong time? Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. What happened?¡±


    ¡°A weird thing.¡± Sitting on the armrest, she continued, ¡°Professor Lockhart got a message telling us that ¡®old friends¡¯ had come to see us. Us, personally. We got a coded coordinate that points toward the coast of the Irish Sea, at the western edge of Wales.¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°I already sent out word and ordered our informants to check it out. So far, it doesn¡¯t seem so. Also¡­ there was a message.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear it!¡±


    ¡°I got better in broom racing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± I whispered, already thinking about Neville.


    ¡°Do you believe it is him?¡±


    ¡°Mostly, yes. I don¡¯t think the Order would be using him intentionally. But I am also not stupid enough to not realize they for sure would watch him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Send someone else?¡±


    ¡°Get me a volunteer.¡± I nodded, sitting up, ¡°They will carry something that lets us speak with them yet remain hidden.¡±


    ¡°There is another message.¡± Said a new voice, and it made me look towards the door; it was Grindelwald coming in. ¡°It is from your old Headmaster, coming through Horace Slughorn¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked with surprise.


    ¡°There was a hidden sliver of magic within his consciousness, taking control over his mouth, delivering a direct message. He wants to meet with you two in two days.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± I laughed, shaking my head, finding it hilarious, ¡°Suddenly, we got to be the most wanted parties in the world? Every side is looking for us? I will blush!¡±


    ¡°Seems like it because another faction wanted to meet with us right after Lockhart unearthed the message.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Okay, this was getting out of hand. What was happening? Is this what it means to be famous?


    ¡°Who?¡± Quincy asked, regaining her mind a step ahead of me.


    ¡°The goblins¡­ Old Silver, to be exact.¡±


    ¡°And with us or with you?¡± I hummed, forming a slight smile that was mirrored straight on his face.


    ¡°With you. They are straightforward when it comes to business and when they are the ones who need to ask for something. When that happens, they drop all pretense and try to do it as quickly as possible, with as little fuss as required.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ They may have found something?¡± I asked, but of course, nobody was there to answer me. Well¡­ there was, and to my surprise, he was awake.


    ¡°Clues at best.¡± Herpo said, feeling like he was yawning in my ears, being woken up from his ancient slumber, ¡°If they follow the clues, they find more, confirming the validity of their ancient king, that he is not only a myth. But that¡¯s all. Still, I guess it is a pretty big deal for modern-day goblins and something that would strengthen one force over the other.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You are trying to tell me,¡± I smirked, ¡°That we have all the good cards in hand and can play them as we like?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go overboard.¡± He warned me, ¡°That would backfire. You know how goblins are. Strike a balance and ask for things that hurt them, but only like pulling out teeth. They will grit and endure for the long-term profit.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ okay!¡± Standing up from my chair, I clapped, ¡°We will meet with the goblins first, then our old friend, and with Headmaster Snape last.¡±


    ¡°I will accompany you on all of these meetings.¡± Grindelwald spoke, his voice firm. ¡°With how you are now, you would still lose against Dumbledore or Thomas.¡±


    ¡°Thomas?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Tom Marvolo Riddle. Isn¡¯t Tom the shortened version of Thomas?¡± Surprised, he looked back at me, tilting his head, ¡°Weird.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you say so, I do believe you.¡± I nodded with a shrug; Tom or Thomas¡­ Who cares what Voldemort¡¯s real name is. ¡°How long will it take for me to be able to stand up to any of them?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need long.¡± He answered, and it surprised me. I was expecting something like a decade or a hundred years¡­ or something similar. ¡°Your most lacking feature is true death and life experience, not magical knowledge. It is not something that could be picked up by training or battling with me. You either earn it, or you die in the process.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Quincy snorted after hearing him speak while I began scratching my chin.


    ¡°That is¡­ better than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Conrad!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, leaning in and kissing her cheeks, ¡°He is right¡­ The true test of a pudding is eating it. Or something like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my pudding to be wasted¡­¡± She mumbled, hugging me back, lifting my mood into the high heavens; I already had a feeling that our three meetings would be fruitful!


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Our meeting with the goblins was not in their village, a Gringott Bank, or a place they specified for us. No. It was going to happen straight in our home.


    ¡°This is highly unusual¡­¡± Professor Slughorn mumbled after learning about it, curious and surprised that I agreed that he could be present when it happened.


    ¡°Why?¡± Quincy asked while we were sitting at the dinner table. She was always closer to the Professor than I was. Not that I minded it; I still didn¡¯t forget his passiveness, yes, but I wasn¡¯t harboring any ill will towards the old wizard. Still, I wouldn¡¯t trust him with anything truly important.


    ¡°Goblinkind does not like to bend the knee, so to speak.¡± Slughorn explained, ¡°The fact that they insisted on meeting here, where you, as a wizard and witch, would have an advantage, already speaks of their willingness to compromise! It is rare. Very rare.¡±


    ¡°He is right.¡± Grindelwald agreed, nodding his head with a half-smile, and I could feel he was proud of it, which, in turn, also made me proud. Deep down, I was feeling very close to how I always felt when I caught my dad¡¯s delighted expression. ¡°Whatever you did, it benefited Old Silver greatly¡­ Or.¡±


    ¡°Old Gold.¡± I hummed, ¡°Maybe he found something extra that put Old Silver behind? And he is now coming to me for a second clue?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Grindelwald nodded and continued smiling, making Slughorn look back and forth between us.


    ¡°May¡­ I¡­ Ask a question?¡± He said slowly, wiping his mouth of grease with a handkerchief, already beginning to regain his waistline with how much he was eating, enjoying being our guest.


    ¡°Go ahead, Professor.¡± I nodded, watching him stare at Grindelwald.


    ¡°Do¡­ Do I know you?¡±


    ¡°Gellert Grindelwald.¡± He nodded back at him, and I could barely hold back my laugh as the Professor dropped his fork, forgetting to close his mouth. ¡°We never met, but I do know of you and would have tried recruiting you, albeit our paths never crossed. I did hear that you ended up befriending Albus.¡±


    ¡°Albus was everyone¡¯s friend¡­¡± He mumbled, playing with his fingers, becoming a bit more nervous.


    ¡°He had a knack for that.¡± Grindelwald nodded, finishing his meal and reaching for his cup of wine. ¡°I also heard that you like making friends with influential people, including Dark Lords. Well, congratulations on that part.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be praised for that.¡± he gulped again, smiling weakly while looking at me, asking for help, but I promptly ignored his gaze. Serves you right.


    ¡°I was named to be a Dark Lord by others; I never considered myself evil.¡± Grindelwald continued, speaking honestly, ¡°I was doing what I was doing because I believed in it. I am not saying there were no selfish motivations within it, but they aligned with what I truly believed would be the betterment of our kind. As far as I can tell, the current one revels in his title.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is true.¡± Lockhart agreed, sighing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor Slughorn, Young Conrad here knows how to collect trustworthy partners!¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡± The old head of my house mumbled a short answer, looking at Lockhart with a doubtful expression that made me giggle, mainly because the latter also realized it but kept ignoring the underlying message.


    ¡°So,¡± Quincy spoke up, redirecting our discourse, ¡°The goblins are coming over. What then? Should we host a big party? Or what?¡±


    ¡°Most certainly not.¡± Grindelwald interjected, ¡°What we need is a clear strategy on what we want from them in exchange for whatever they need. Do we even know what they need?¡± He asked, turning towards me.


    ¡°I do. That clue? About their legendary king, Ugnok? They had to find something, and now they want to know more.¡±


    ¡°So you weren¡¯t bluffing.¡± He chuckled, nodding his head happily and asking no more, trusting me completely. ¡°Can you do it again? If so, don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°Ugnok?¡± Slughorn asked, furrowing his brows, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a legend?¡±


    ¡°You know about it?¡± Quincy smiled, turning back at the Professor with a surprised smile.


    ¡°Not much, I just heard it while searching for unique, extinct ingredients. Should be nothing but a goblin children¡¯s tale, should it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± I said plainly, not wanting to tell more than I must, ¡°It most certainly was real, and it just happens that I know of some clues that lead to proving his existence.¡±


    ¡°It was you!¡± The Professor suddenly clapped, understanding everything, ¡°I heard that the goblins began acting erratically, and it has been causing great headaches for wizardkind everywhere!¡±


    ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± I laughed, pouring some wine for myself. ¡°It is as you guessed.¡±


    ¡°Incredible¡­ you two grew up so quickly¡­.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have much choice, did we?¡± I mumbled, making Quincy reach over and placing her hand on the top of mine, intertwining our fingers. ¡°But now that we are here¡­ I think I will go all in with our goblin friend.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Young Conrad?¡±


    ¡°Easy, Professor.¡± I smiled at Lockhart. ¡°I want money. I want a lot of money¡­¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Slughorn asked, trying to guess, but he didn¡¯t need to, so I answered as simply as possible.


    ¡°To build an army. If I learned one thing from looking at muggle history, it is that war needs three things. Money, money, and more money. I will pay people to fuck off. I will pay people to switch sides¡­ and I will pay people to simply look the other way while we do our own thing. Let¡¯s see which will win. Loyalty, ideals, fear, or a chest full of shining gold.¡±

 Chapter 167 – Old Silver & Gold

    It was a lovely morning when the delegation of the goblins arrived. The sun was out, and we were greeting them under the clear winter sky, letting its rays land on the fresh snow and dazzle all of us because of it. We bowed towards them according to their tradition, followed their protocol, and used their own language to say ''welcome'' and invite them inside. Did I nailed it? Probably not, but Old Silver''s expression was at least a bit more surprised than he would be comfortable admitting.


    Of course, he didn''t come alone but was accompanied by a dozen goblins, half of them family members if I had to guess, while the other half were guards, wearing goblin-made armor under their clothes. It was easy to tell because their movements were stiff, even for a goblin. Watching them get out from the multiple miniature versions of old muggle cars was undoubtedly a funny sight to behold... But¡­ I couldn''t allow myself to laugh. Not even to smile at them so as not to offend them before we struck a deal.


    "Please, follow us in, Lord Silver Hammerstrike." I exclaimed in Gobbledegook, leading him into our home while Quincy was holding onto my arm, walking alongside us. We were both dressed in an elegant, obsidian wizarding robe with a deep, purple accent at its seams and a basilisk''s head sowed onto its back, something that was the next iteration of my family''s old crest. I decided that I am upgrading it from a viper to the king of the snakes, something that may one day find its way into the history books. Who knows¡­ Without a firm conviction and believing in our goal, why even try?


    "It seems," Old Silver grunted, coming with us, looking at the Professors and Grindelwald, who remained silent, letting me do the talking from the get-go, "That I underestimated you the last time, Conrad Anguine."


    "My age is the cause, and I have yet to make a name for myself. That little fact is maybe my biggest hurdle to beat..."


    "I don''t know about the latter!" He chortled, showing his sharp, yellow teeth while we entered the conference room, sitting down and watching as Professor Lockhart played the role of a butler, bringing refreshments for us. Grindelwald emphasized to us that we are not to use magic while the goblins are here and that we do everything manually. They could be... fidgety, and we want to make this work. They would feel threatened if one of us took our wand out and began waving it around, which I could understand.


    "I hope it is not only bad that you heard about us!" I joked, making him shake his head.


    "I looked into your history. It is interesting for a wizard, and with what you did for us, I am now paying attention to you, which is rare."


    "There are stronger beings than me, running amok the wizarding lands, no? Are you not worried about them?"


    "Worried? No. Do we keep tabs on them? Yes, but their conflict is something for the wizards to solve; it barely affects us. We could even say that it is good for business. There is always a greater need for resources, security, and information in times of war, and when both sides come to you for it¡­ You can guess the rest, Young Conrad. Our only issue is that a prolonged conflict like this sooner or later reaches a plateau and then begins turning from profitable to net-neutral. And I hate to think of letting it go into the negatives..."


    "What about the banks?" Quincy asked, curious, reaching for her cup and sipping on the wine we served for the goblins.


    "Do you think we would let them own it?" He laughed sincerely, copying her and smacking his lips after taking a big gulp from his glass. "Good wine." He mumbled, glancing at Grindelwald, already knowing it was his choice because he was the only one who would know he liked this blend. Indeed, he chose it, something that was made only in the 17th century, at the base of the Carpathian mountains. "Even if they take over Gringotts physically in their country, we are a global organization, Ms. Anguine. We can move our most important assets from one bank to another before any of your kind could put their grubby hands on our vaults. Not to mention our defenses! They were built by sorcerers who were also troubled by the thought that another of their brethren would swindle away their wealth."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "That is a relief. As a customer of Gringotts, it fills me with safety that my belongings would be secure in your vaults!" She sighed, smiling from ear to ear.


    "Breaking into it is only possible if you have help from the goblins working there. And no matter what others say... Goblins and Wizard can rarely achieve it." He nodded, almost making me laugh, but I held it back at the last moment.


    "I received your letter," I began, wanting to move our discourse to its main purpose, knowing that they were here to deal with business and not to chit-chat with humans. "But I am still not sure about why you are here." I could see the appreciation in his eyes while he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of rock. No, that was not a rock.


    "Hm...?" I leaned forward, watching it, and after he nodded, I reached out and picked it up to examine it in detail.


    It was a piece of lustrous metal, and while I was holding it, I was surprised to find it light, almost as if I had nothing in my hands. It had a silvery-blue sheen that seemed to shimmer with an inner light as if reflecting the clear sky even within the room we were in.


    "That''s Aetherium." Herpo spoke in my mind, "It is the Silver of Ugnok."


    "Wait... This is silver? Didn''t you turn him into a statue and break him?"


    "Yeah. Aetherium is when you intentionally transfigure a living being into a precious metal. It is an unholy act because you turn a living being into its complete opposite, into something lifeless."


    "We turn rats into cups at school. I saw multiple furry mugs and keychains that bite your finger."


    "Don''t be stupid. That is reversible transfiguration. Why do you think sometimes the cups have tails and the plates grow legs to run away with your food? When you are serious about it, then the transfiguration is irreversible, even for your Dumbledores and Voldemorts. It is worse than dying because the Wizard has the intention to transfigure the very soul of the living thing that gets transmuted; that is, the shining you see inside of it. You not only change its body, you take its soul and transfigure it, melding body and spirit while changing something that lives into an inanimate thing. It is not as simple as killing someone; it is much more deliberate and insidious."


    "You were really dark..."


    "Yes, I know. We called it Aetherium in my days, and it is an unnatural metal. Because of its process of creation, it is durable and impervious to all but the most powerful magical enchantments. Yet, despite its toughness, it is as malleable as soft gold when forged by a skilled blacksmith, like a goblin. It allows for the creation of intricate designs that are naturally resistant to all types of magic, except really strong ones. Now you see why the goblins carve it so much! Against us, it is their best bet to use for protection. Of course, they don''t know how to make it, and I am curious if there is lore amongst wizards about how to do it, surviving until today."


    "I bet there were some who accidentally made it." I mumbled within my mind, "Not knowing its value, throwing it out as a failed transfiguration."


    "Could be... But it to be true, authentic Aetherium, you intentionally need to transfigure the soul. Otherwise, it will be worthless. I told you, this is dark magic because it denies true death from someone, damning their soul to be destroyed. You won''t bring them back to chat, not even with your fancy stone."


    "You are a sick fuck..."


    "Thank you."


    "It wasn''t a compliment." Closing my eyes for a moment, I put the ''rock'' back onto the table, looking at Old Silver with a slight smile. "I am glad you found a piece of the silver."


    "So am I." He nodded, taking it back and pocketing it. "But so did my rivals. We are at an impasse once again. They are sure that they will find clues from their pieces and all the other ruined fragments of that temple that we dug up and brought back... We are doing the same, and I can see why he believes that."


    "I don''t want to be rude," I said, fixing my sitting position, "But why are you here then?"


    "Because I am willing to trade for an advantage. Give us all the information you have, and we can strike up a deal over it."


    "Would you really believe me? A wizard?" I pressed, leaning forward, looking intensely into his eyes.


    "After this? Yes. Of course, you can swindle me, but both of us know the consequence of such an action."


    "Yeah, we do. Hmmm... I have only a little more information for you, and I can''t guarantee their validity! We are talking about ancient rumors here, things that predate us by thousands of years."


    "So you know more!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight and maintaining eye contact. with me. "What do you want? Goblin Silver...?"


    "No." I cut in, surprising him, "I want something that you should have ample of; hell, I don''t mind if you steal it from my enemies; you do own their vaults."


    "..."


    "I want gold."


    "How much?" He asked, only thinking about it for a brief moment.


    "All of it." I answered with a smirk, making him flash his teeth back at me.


    "Let''s talk numbers then... I am sure we can come to an agreement."

 Chapter 168 – Meetings

    "I can''t believe the goblins agreed to it!" Professor Slughorn mumbled, holding a mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate and whipped cream. He stood before the fireplace, sipping on his midnight snack, working hard to regain his original weight, getting very close to it already.


    "Me neither." Lockhart agreed, sitting on the couch, writing the new issue of the True Prophet they would spread around Britain. "But leave it to Young Conrad; he can do it if he puts his mind to it."


    "You noticed it first while the others did not."


    "I¡­ Yes, yes, I did." He smiled, quickly tilting his head left and right, smiling, and even though both of them knew he was being a bit untruthful about it, it was still correct in a certain way. Even if he wasn''t close to him at the start, he ended up being the one who did help him, even if out of necessity. "Maybe he helped me grow up, too."


    "You did change a lot." Slughorn nodded, "I wouldn''t have trusted you with anything previously."


    "I know¡­" He shrugged, well aware of his own shortcomings, and with everything that happened, it was no longer making him nervous or desperate. He accepted it as part of his past, ready to be better. Or at least trying to be better.


    "I wonder how their meeting will go."


    "With the Headmaster? Me too. I never guessed he was a double agent."


    "He is the only one who could pull it off. I remember teaching him; he had a great affinity towards potions and was a master before any of his friends or peers. He may have been a perfect replacement for my position if we lived in a different time. I was looking to retire anyway..."


    "He had friends?"


    "You know how I meant it¡­ schoolmates. What matters is that I knew he would be somebody with his talent; I just did not expect it to turn out like this."


    "What about me, Professor?" Lockheart asked, curious as he was also guided by him when he was still a student.


    "I taught¡­ you?" Slughorn asked, looking at him, surprised, thinking back but couldn''t recall him at all. "I don''t remember. Maybe because my memories are jumbled."


    ¡°Yeah¡­ could be¡­¡± Lockhart answered, knowing well that it wasn''t the case; he just never really paid attention to him at all because of his inaptitude towards potions or simply because he saw through his charade.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Away from our homes, on a small island, if it can be called that, between France and the British Isles, we were waiting in the cold wind. The sea was raging, and the night sky was dark and filled with clouds as we stood there, wands ready, waiting for Snape to appear. Was it a trap? I doubt it, but Grindelwald wasn''t letting us come alone this time.


    "He should hurry," Quincy mumbled, grumbling a little as the tiny island provided no cover against the biting winds. "It is soon Christmas; we should be back home and cook something nice, relax, and enjoy ourselves."


    "We came early, that''s it." I answered, kissing her cheeks just so that I could feel a slight change and glance ahead, seeing Severus Snape appear out of nowhere, apparating right before us. "Headmaster." I expressed simply, watching his calm, somewhat sunken-in-face. There were plenty of not-so-good days behind you, huh? Not that I would ask it like that, but thinking about it should be fine.


    "Conrad. Quincy." He spoke in a low voice before looking at Grindelwald, thinking for a very brief moment. He did not recognize him, but he felt his face was familiar. However, at that moment, he couldn''t really put a name to it.


    "Just a protector." Our master said calmly, but his eyes were glued to Snape''s arms and fingers, giving him the feeling that whoever this man was, he wasn''t an easy target.


    "It seems you got yourself some powerful allies."


    "Yes, Headmaster. More than you would think." I smiled at him, watching as he tried reading my thoughts, trying to determine if I was lying or not, but he got nothing back in reply. We were learning much from Grindelwald. Of course, we knew how to mask our thoughts! It is such a must-have skill in a wizarding duel; I don''t get why more people won''t realize it.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Mhm. Here."


    "What is it?" I asked, watching Grindelwald take away the little bundle he brought with him, examining it first before opening it and letting us touch the small crystal ball inside.


    "It is a device that lets us communicate without the Dark Lord noticing. Every midnight, it connects to my consciousness for five minutes. I will leave my message in it so you can listen to it without anyone tracing it back to me. It only keeps them for an hour, so be alert."


    "Hmm¡­ why?" Quincy asked suspiciously, but he didn''t mind answering us promptly.


    "Because the Dark Lord is losing it. He became vulnerable, and there are chances of opening up to deal with him. I know that the Order is working to find its latest Horcruxes. I can''t tell you more, but know that the chance to kill HIM is getting close."


    "I see." I hummed, crossing my arms and scratching my chin, "I still struggle with accepting why you are like this. Why help us now?"


    "As chaos grew, I got more freedom. If you want to know something, know this: My reasons are the same as your Father''s."


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With us becoming silent and just looking at each other, he finally nodded his head, ready to leave, but then I opened my mouth, stopping him from disappearing.


    "He made a new one. Did you know?"


    "No." Snape answered after a brief silence, turning back towards me, looking at my eyes, and this time, I let him read it out that I wasn''t lying.


    "There is a snake he has, and it has been made into one."


    "Are you sure?" He asked only once, and when I nodded my head, he fell silent once again, crossing his arms and thinking. "I will look into it."


    "You do you, Headmaster. We will listen to your pieces of information and act accordingly. If we can. No guarantees."


    "I don''t need guarantees; I need only one thing. HE must die a true death."


    "That, we can agree on." Quincy and I answered at the same time and watched as Snape hurriedly apparated away.


    "Can we trust this thing?" She looked at me while holding Snape''s enchanted doodad.


    "My Father trusted him." I mumbled in answer, "On the count of that alone, I will risk it. Let''s go home. We still need to attend the final meeting¡­"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Will they come?" Hermione asked, sighing as the clock''s hands were already nearing three in the morning, yet nobody showed up at all.


    The trio were staying at an abandoned fishing marina, sitting in a small cabin, waiting for Conrad and Quincy to show up, but nobody had appeared so far, not even an owl.


    "He fooled us?" Krum asked, looking at Neville.


    "No, our helper was sincere, and when he told us that the meeting was green-lit, he did not lie."


    "He still could have been lied to, exactly because of this reason, knowing you could read his mind."


    Neville was about to answer Hermione when they noticed their warning charms were broken, signaling that someone had just apparated onto the marina. Thanks to the strong winter wind and the splashing of the sea, it was hard to hear, but it was easy to see as the lone figure held up a lamp the moment she appeared.


    Looking like an orange spirit in the abyss, she headed directly towards their cabin without hesitation and stopped only when she was at the door, knocking on it three times. Of course, Neville, Hermione, and Krum held their wands, ready to fight if necessary, a bit lost at what to do.


    "Can I come in? It is cold¡­"


    It was a woman''s voice, one that neither of them was familiar with. In the end, Krum opened the door, letting her in while Hermione examined the young woman, who had to be the same age as she was, looking at them from under her weird, lionhead-shaped hood.


    "You do look like how they described you would." She nodded, pulling it back from her head, revealing her waist-length, dirty-blonde hair, and dreamy eyes, and looking at the group with a slight smile. "I am Luna. It''s nice to meet you."


    "I''m-"


    "I know." She interrupted them. "Hermione, Neville, and you must be Krum."


    "Y-yes." He nodded back, looking at Hermione and Neville with questioning eyes.


    "I volunteered to come, so there is no need to ask."


    "Volunteered?" Neville asked, feeling a bit lost.


    "Yes, and I am glad the information was true. I was worried I would be captured. Here. Throw this into fire." She said simply, ignoring them and placing a little bag with ash within it on the lone table inside the cabin. "Good luck." And before they could ask a new question she already disapparated.


    "What¡­?"


    Even Krum was so surprised at what was going on, so confused by the girl and her nonchalant mood that he failed to make sure they kept her there, slipping out straight under their noses.


    "Who was that weirdo¡­?" Hermione mumbled, turning towards Neville, who also had no idea.


    "Probably a new friend of Conrad? They do have a lot of helpers by now¡­ She said she volunteered¡­" He whispered, trying to figure it out while reaching for the pouch, trusting Conrad and his messenger. Without waiting, he ignited the fire in their small fireplace, throwing the pouch''s contents into it without hesitation.


    ¡ªPOP¡ª


    Just then, the girl unexpectedly reappeared, scaring them to death and forcing all three to point their wands at her face.


    "Hm. Sorry... I forgot to tell you the password because I was nervous. Bobbletapo."


    "What?" Krum almost yelled, forcing his hand to lower his wand, twitching his eyes, feeling he was being made a fool of.


    "Bobbletapo?" Neville questioned her, too, missing that the moment he said it out loud, the fire behind him suddenly turned blue.


    "Yes." Luna nodded her head, watching the fire with curiosity, "It is little scarabs that live in socks. They bite your toes when you step on them."


    This time, Hermione was sure, the girl was missing a few screws up in her head, but before she could say anything, a familiar voice echoed from within the fire behind them.


    "Long time no see, Neville."


    "Conrad¡­ Quincy." He muttered, turning towards the voice as their heads appeared from it, floating within the flames, looking straight at the group.

 Chapter 169 – Riches

    "I''m sorry it''s like this, but you must understand." I began, looking at the group and nodding towards Krum before my eyes scanned over the girl I also recognized. I didn''t need to think for long to recall that she was named Hermione before I let my gaze finally settle back to Neville.


    "I do." He smiled, looking back and forth between us, "Say, the news... Are they real?"


    "They are." We answered in tandem, "I am not playing around this time, Neville. I know you are with the Order, but I consider them an enemy."


    "I understand... But not everyone is one."


    "I understand that too, but it won''t make me rethink it..."


    "What are your goals?" Hermione asked, stepping forward, looking directly at us, and surprising me with her intensive gaze.


    "To defeat both sides and make it so that the wizarding world can start anew." I answered without waiting, and it was Quincy who continued explaining it.


    "Right now, there is a battle for control, for power, and both sides have already lost their ways. I don''t care what they say; we see them as equally guilty of the same thing. One is fighting to be an immortal wizard, while the other is on a quest to collect three magical instruments to become basically the same. Their methods may differ, but their effects on people and their lives are the same."


    "I don''t think he would do that..." Neville whispered, but his voice betrayed his already shaken belief. "And I don''t think they are the same!"


    "We know he would... and we saw how they operate, killing off their own. Tell me if that is in any way, shape, or form different than how HE does it."


    "How you know?" Krum asked, wanting to know more, but I wasn''t going to reveal that. If they want to learn it, it is up to them to figure it out.


    "You already know that I can''t answer that. I will also not try to convince you to believe me nor to fight for me."


    "What will you do to those who are stuck on one side or the other?" Hermione questioned us, looking intently at our faces, barely blinking her eyes, "Those who don''t want to be part of it all yet have no choice?"


    "We will give them a chance to quit." I answered, and I couldn''t help but watch their surprised looks.


    "You will understand soon enough." Quincy added with a giggle, "Those who are the victims of circumstances will have their chance to step away. They only need a little help, and it will arrive soon enough. If they refuse it... Stay, and we will consider you part of your respected camp."


    "And you will show no mercy to them." She added quickly because she vividly remembered what happened to Fleur that day she got involved in it all.


    "We won''t." We answered in unison, and I hoped that our answer had enough strength behind it so they would know we weren''t joking around.


    "I believe you." Hermione whispered, finally closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and stepping back, her mind already set. "I can get you allies if I return to Beauxbatons."


    "Really?" We asked, surprised because neither of us expected a helping hand from there of all places.


    "Yes." She nodded resolutely, "There are many there who were helped by your father, and if I explain it well... I know that there would be a handful who would return with me."


    "Well... I won''t say no to new helping hands, but make sure you tell them it is not going to be easy."


    "Nor safe." Quincy warned her, "This is not a game."


    "I am aware of it."


    "I can go back to Durmstrang." Krum said, seemingly feeling the same way as Hermione.


    "Durmstrang is settled." I interjected, "They are out of the battle, and we do not want to drag any of the major schools into this. Our goal is to snuff this out here, fix Hogwarts, and establish a balance once again. Decades-long degeneracy has transformed everything into something that is responsible for our current lives. We are not the only ones who were chased off like this, but we are the lucky ones, people who had the option to fight back. I will end it and ensure that the new generation has a say in rebuilding it instead of some ancient bastard declaring what will happen. Both sides are old, so it is time to forcefully retire them and give a chance to the young."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I believe in what the Order stands for." After thinking a little, Neville expressed his honest beliefs; I wasn''t angry hearing it. I understood where he was coming from and was sure he was also correct. But I didn''t care anymore. They had to be gone, just like the Death Eaters. They were the same type of cancer. If they give up peacefully, so be it, but they must be disbanded one way or another. "What if... What if The Order has a change in management?"


    "..."


    "What you think?" Krum asked, furrowing his brows.


    "I realize that the Order has changed a lot, but you can''t blame them for it. Their intention was good, but their views got... skewed. I can change it. It isn''t late!" He said, looking at me confidently, "I know people who would agree, and there are some of them who are high up enough to make a change. I know them to be rational enough to see it if I confront them with it. They should be willing to sit down and listen to me."


    "I understand." I sighed but continued before he could say anything, "I still won''t change my stance. The Order must be gone like the Death Eaters."


    "..."


    "If you convince others and leave, I am not going to pursue it." I added, looking at my old friend, "Good luck with that, Neville."


    "Mhm. I''ll do it, you just watch." He smiled, feeling fired up.


    "How can we contact you?" Hermione asked before we disappeared.


    "Look for Luna." Quincy answered as both of our faces began to distort as the spell was wearing off. "She is an excellent witch. She will stay in contact with you."


    "Okie-dokie." Luna nodded, standing at the side, observing the whole conversation with great curiosity, sipping on a chocolate milkshake that she had pulled out from who knows where.


    "See you guys later." I chuckled before the fire was gone, and they were left alone while we found ourselves back in our home, pulling out our heads from the fireplace.


    "It should be fine." Grindelwald nodded, canceling his spell and countering anybody who would try to spy on our conversation or follow the possible little magical crumbs back to us.


    "Yeah, it should be." I mumbled, scratching my chin, "Things... just got really interesting."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "You are coming with me?" Hermione asked, a day after their meeting with Conrad and Quincy. She was trying to mask her happiness, yet she couldn''t help but smile honestly while she looked at Krum with warmly glinting eyes.


    "Yeah. It is logical."


    "Hehe... it is..."


    "I guess we won''t meet for a time, huh?" Neville chuckled, glancing at the two before they all turned towards him, shaking his hands, and Krum patted him on the shoulders with such force he felt it would hurt even tomorrow.


    "Good luck. You need it."


    "I feel it is the right way. Conrad is correct in what he said, but some of his... ideas may be too drastic after what happened to him and his father. I will try to save my friends, be it in the Order or him."


    "You can do it." Hermione nodded at Neville, "I believe in you."


    "Thanks. Well, saying goodbyes is not my forte. Later?"


    "Later." They repeated and watched as Neville disappeared.


    "We will go by boat." Hermione chuckled, reaching out and holding Krum''s hand in hers. "It won''t take long!"


    "I don''t mind." He smiled at her, interlocking his fingers with hers as they also left, intending to return to Beauxbatons and have a talk with its headmaster.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Two days after we met with the goblins, we woke up to surprising news from a visiting goblin servant. He was an Italian wizard who, for some reason, was speaking candidly with Grindelwald when we walked into the conference room, holding onto our morning coffee.


    "Let me introduce you to Luca. His father served under me, and after my failure, they found refuge in the service of Old Silver."


    "And he doesn''t look annoyed?" I asked, unable to hold back my sarcasm.


    "It is fine." Luca chuckled, speaking perfect English, switching quickly, running his fingers through his black, wavy hair. I couldn''t tell how old he was because he looked twenty and forty at once. How weird... "Serving the family is not that bad because I could enjoy luxuries that I wouldn''t have otherwise. I may not be ''free'' per se, but they reward good work. I think I have more wealth than some accomplished wizarding families."


    "Mmmh. I see. Well, Mister Luca, what brings you here then?"


    "I came to give you two the very first payment and bring back something to my Lord."


    With a snap of his fingers, fourteen massive chests appeared in the room, and they opened one after another, revealing so much gold that I could see nothing but yellow for a while.


    "Damn. That was fast." I whistled, summoning a sealed parchment. "The password is Open Sesame." I said, giving it over to him, unable to tear my eyes off the chests as if I had been turned into a dragon or something. "Who did you steal this from?"


    "Both sides." He answered candidly, giggling as if it was the funniest story he had ever heard. "Half of it comes from Death Eaters'' vaults, and the other half comes from members of the Order. Both sides have been pushing to get control over Gringotts... so, my Lord had decided it is time to fight back."


    "I think I get your stance now, Mister Luca..." I mumbled, running my finger over the first box of shining coins, "I think I also like goblins."

 Chapter 170 – Changing Currents

    In the chateau of the Beauxbatons, their Headmaster, Nicolas Flamel, was standing in his study, looking out the double-sided windows, watching the snowfall and his old school facility where he also once became a fully-fledged wizard. Just a day ago, a delegation from Durmstrang arrived, currently enjoying his hospitality as the two schools were discussing their future and debating over their subsequent actions, considering the happenings within Britain and how they should react to it.


    Even though he knew about the change within Durmstrang''s leadership, seeing it first-hand was not something that could be taken in so easily and readily. Yet, it was a welcomed change, something that also made Flamel think of his next steps. He was well aware of his old friend and his obsession that had reared its head in the past decade or so. Yet, despite it all, he decided to help him.


    It was not the first time that Flamel saw dark wizards rise and grab for power, and it wasn''t even Grindelwald who he would consider the worst. He was only the first to take it to a never-before-seen level, taking advantage of the fact the world became so connected through the centuries. Yet dark times like this were always present, and they weren''t something that could be eradicated. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. It was a cycle he had seen many times being repeated, and right now, he knew that they had already stepped into the last phase of the current era.


    "It is time to take a step back and let it play out by itself." He mumbled, deciding to agree with Durmstrang and their delegation, stopping his support of the Order, letting them and the Death Eaters determine who comes out on top. After that, he will have time to decide what to do next and prevent it from becoming another global issue.


    Amidst his thoughts, a knock interrupted him as Professor Michelle, an experienced old witch, strode in, wearing an emerald robe.


    "Sorry for the interruption, Headmaster, but we have a returning student. You did tell us to warn you if she reappears."


    "Ah, yes. Young Hermione, yes?" He asked, turning back toward Michelle.


    "Yes. She also wishes to meet with you. For now, she has been let back into her old dormitory¡­ but¡­"


    "She has been coercing students to a new cause?"


    "Affirmative, Headmaster. Mainly refugees from Britain."


    "Let her be. It is their right to decide what to do, and if they go, let them leave."


    "Many of the staff will be delighted to hear." She smiled, making Flamel shake his head. He knew that many of the teachers were annoyed by the fact that a handful of students were enjoying special treatment and weren''t even forced to learn French.


    "I know. I will meet with Young Hermione tomorrow. I will signal when I''m ready, bring her to me, and then we will speak privately.


    "What about the man who came with her?"


    "Man? What''s his name?"


    ¡°It is Krum. Victor Krum, from Durmstrang.¡±


    "I see. Well, his old friends are also here, so let them meet. I am curious what it would lead to."


    "Understood, Headmaster." Michelle bowed, closing the door as she left, making Flamel think again, deciding to let his thoughts marinate for a little while before meeting with Hermione, wanting to organize every possibility within his mind for his next step.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Krum? It is you!"


    "Hm? Dimitris?" Krum turned around after hearing the shout while walking with Hermione, heading towards the library. They wanted to pass the time there until the time arrived to go to bed and meet the Headmaster the following day.


    "You know him?" Hermione asked, curious.


    "Um. He was a student. Bright but¡­ unique. Bullied."


    "Hmmm¡­ I see."


    "It is good to see you!" He smiled, laughing, finally catching up and shaking his hands, "I heard from Conrad you were fine!"


    "What?" The two asked, making Dimitris realize what he had blurted out without thinking. He looked around hurriedly and giggled with a sheepish look.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Oops¡­ Um¡­ Can we get to somewhere private?"


    Of course, after hearing something like that, there was no chance they would say no to his request. Ultimately, they entered the hedge maze in the middle of the central garden, finding its middle and sitting down in the gazebo there. When Dimitris made sure there was nobody else listening in, he quickly told them everything that happened; being so fired up to finally be able to share it, he failed to notice the sudden changes within Krum''s face.


    Unlike Dimitris, Hermione caught on quickly but didn''t ask because Krum very promptly hid it, making her decide to only question him when they were alone. Focusing on Dimitris''s tale was surprising, but it also gave more insight into Conrad and Quincy''s lives and motives, further strengthening Hermione''s idea of working with them.


    "So," Dimitris finished, scratching his throat, inhaling too much cold air throughout his tale, "We are here to negotiate a long peace between our schools and to start up friendly relations that would last for a long time. I''m mostly here with other students to mingle, establish connections, and things like that. Later on, we also want to have exchange students!"


    "That is a good idea! If Britain also settles down and things can change for the better, we could do that! Learning about each other is better than listening to propaganda and speculations."


    "Exactly!" Dimitris chuckled, "What about you?"


    "We are¡­" Hermione began, but instead of the truth, glancing once at Krum, she decided to not reveal everything. "Just visiting. I have friends here, and I came back to see how they are and meet with the Headmaster. I was a student here but had an incident and was on a long leave. Krum is helping me recover."


    "Oh, I see! If we can help¡­"


    "No." Hermione smiled, shaking her head, "I''m afraid it is permanent. But thanks!"


    "Oh¡­ okay. I''m¡­ sorry." He said with an honest smile on his face and eyes, quickly changing the topic and talking with them for a long time.


    After more than two hours of talking, they finally separated, and Hermione led Krum back to their room instead of the library, asking a question stuck in her throat the moment she closed the door behind him.


    "What is it, Victor?"


    "Grindelwald." He answered simply, beginning to pace in their room, and it was her first time to see him like that.


    "I thought so. An old Dark Wizard¡­ that never brings good news, no matter how your friend describes him. He may have repented and changed his ways, but¡­ Who knows¡­"


    "The Grindelwald I understand is evil. Killed my grandfather."


    "¡­" Hearing him speak the way he did, she quickly stood up, holding his hands, stopping him from pacing and looking into his eyes.


    "If it''s true¡­ I won''t work. Not with Grindelwald.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a long time, Hermione was only watching his eyes, reading his emotions, feeling them through his fingers before gathering her courage, tiptoeing, and kissing his lips. It surprised Krum, but he didn''t pull away. He just returned the kiss and held her hands in the meantime.


    "We will deal with this together. What do you say about that?"


    "Um. I do that." He answered after a moment of silence, flashing a soft smile at her before leaning in for a second kiss, being the proactive party this time around.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Bad dreams?" Quincy asked, catching me sitting on the windowsill, looking out into the night, watching the heavy snowfall and the darkness.


    "Something like that¡­" I answered honestly, letting her climb up straight into my lap, snuggling up against my body, leaning against my chest, and listening to my heartbeat while I began rubbing her head. "I didn''t want to wake you up."


    "You should have. You know I would notice it anyway if you disappeared from next to me."


    "Perceptive little witch~!" I chuckled, playing with her hair.


    "I know! What was it¡­ Was it Father?" She asked softly, knowing me too well.


    "Um. It is Christmas¡­ I just¡­ I just remembered him and Squeaky. How it was growing up¡­ So I got swept up in nostalgia."


    "It is not that bad once in a while."


    "Yeah, but I have you, so I shouldn''t cling to the past."


    "You also don''t need to throw it out!" She argued, pecking my lips, "Come, let''s go down, I''ll make you a fancy hot chocolate; what do you say about that?"


    "It sounds awesome, so what are we waiting for!" I laughed, lifting her and carrying her in my arms, only putting her down once we were in the kitchen.


    We didn''t use any magic, preparing it by ourselves, feeling relaxed and liberated, and ending our little midnight outing by being entangled on the kitchen counter, enjoying each other''s warmth.


    "Good morning! Merry Christmas!" Shouted Professor Lockhart, coming into the kitchen in the early morning. Luckily, both of us were already dressed and making breakfast for everyone.


    "To you too, Professor!" We answered, giggling like fools, feeling like we were really bad and naughty¡­


    "You two look visibly refreshed! Good, good! That is how it should be, ahaha!"


    "You too, Professor. Did something happen?"


    "I can sleep well when I see the pile of gold glinting in our vault, and when I peek at it after my morning stroll¡­ it fills me with wonder!"


    "Ah. I see." I shrugged, rolling my eyes but keeping my smile, "It will be depleted soon enough."


    "And refilled! I wrote all the advertisements you asked me for. We can distribute them any time you want. Do you really think it would work?"


    "We will see." Quincy answered, putting scrambled eggs on the plates and serving breakfast for everyone in the household, even if they were yet to wake up. "It is outlandish, but that is the point. Let us see the brave ones who bite an obvious bait."


    "Want to disappear? We will pay you 500 Galleons! Get out of Britain and be spared the worst fate: death!" He exclaimed, striking a pose, "I will be honest, my young friends; they won''t bite."


    "It is enough if a few do." I replied, "It is just the first phase. Those who appear will be the desperate ones, those who would take the money and do what is advertised: disappear. The rumors will spread when it happens, and then they will realize we aren''t joking. Then, we can start step two and start bribing them left and right, and they will know we aren''t for show¡­ I will use their own money and dissolve their pathetic forces until only the truly loyal remain at their sides¡­"


    "And for those," Quincy smiled, sticking her fork into her food, "nobody will shed a tear."

 Chapter 171 – Dumbledore’s Plan

    Inside the Order''s headquarters, Dumbledore stood before his office''s window, watching the sunset, facing towards the west as the sun''s last rays painted the sky orange and purple. Nature''s beauty and constantly changing colors were reflected on the snow-covered landscape, turning the scenery pure and free of the destruction these lands had experienced in the past decade. Although his face remained calm, his eyes were distant, hiding the anger he was experiencing deep within, only peeking through a little, like the sun did at that moment.


    He couldn''t help it; since the new year had started, worse and worse news was being put on his table. It started with the new flier that appeared, then the fact that by New Year''s Eve, it was confirmed that three of their, albeit only middle-ranking, informants had disappeared. The only positive side was that Snape also contacted him, informing Dumbledore that the same happened to the Death Eaters. They were even worse off because they had multiple conscripted, young wizards who jumped onto the sudden opportunity, disappearing, some reappearing in America, a place where none of their factions had any influence. Not yet, that is.


    "Where do you get the money from, old friend?" He asked himself, raising one, slightly shaking hand and stroking his long beard. This shouldn''t be possible to keep up for long, yet there were already enough galleons spent that even he felt a bit apprehensive. Who knows what those people revealed to them. "Anguine¡­ you raised a dangerous son."


    Turning around, his eyes landed on the silvery sword displayed on the wall above his fireplace. He was just about to use a spell to ignite the fire when his hand stopped mid-casting, eyes transfixed on Gryffindor''s famed weapon.


    "The goblins¡­ Gringotts!"


    With a hasty step, he hurried to his drawer, pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, put it on, and with one look into a mirror, seeing his reflection disappear, he apparated straight onto the steps of Gringotts within Diagon Alley.


    The bank was already closed, the streets empty, and many of the shops boarded up, having gone out of business years ago. For a brief moment, he couldn''t help but stop, observe how much it all had changed, and know that many were at their breaking points. Everyone was looking for a way out, and if the Anguine kids started providing one, people would take it.


    "We can''t lose our support, the people, or we lose the war¡­" he thought, turning away and heading directly into the bank. The protections put on the front door proved no difficulty for him to bypass, slipping through solid matter like a specter.


    Using another spell hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, he ensured that none of his steps had any echo while he was hurriedly walking through the main chamber, watching the empty booths and teller stands.


    "Where are the goblins?"


    Even if the bank was closed, it shouldn''t be empty. He understood that many of these banks were having troubles in the past years, unable to let their customers access their own vaults. Something was going on, and nobody could uncover what, but Dumbledore never believed it to be connected to the Anguines. Or to Grindelwald. Nobody should have that type of sway over them, and he knew his old friend also lacked any real bargaining chips. Did that change? He did believe it now.


    Entering deeper, the eerie silence and absence of the goblins were further increasing his worry that his sudden idea was not only a panic-induced folly, but reality. The goblins were working with them. Boarding one of the empty train cars, he used it to descend deeper into the vaults, passing through multiple enchantment removers, yet the Invisibility Cloak never once failed him.


    "They are not all gone¡­" He thought to himself when his cart stopped because another was taking up the spot at one of the platforms he arrived at.


    "What was that noise?" A crass shout asked as two goblins appeared, watching the empty cart while Dumbledore was already walking past them.


    "Someone came through?" Asked the other, sniffing the air, wanting to see if he could notice anything, but all of his senses returned nothing.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "We are too understaffed!" his partner grunted. "More and more machines break, and we can''t keep maintaining them with only a dozen of us working."


    "Let''s go!" The first goblin grunted back at him, "We need to empty the vaults on this floor before sunrise. The second cart will come in handy; we were about to call one down anyway."


    "They are stealing everything¡­ but why? Or¡­ better yet, how?" There was no chance anyone would answer Dumbledore''s question, but now he was sure that Grindelwald made a deal with the goblins. Or¡­ No. That had to be the case; there was no other explanation for why. "Every misfortune can turn into a fortune; it rests on the wizard to exploit it."


    It was the only thought he needed; instead of despair and anger, a new idea emerged within Dumbledore''s mind, heading straight for the vault of the Dark Lord. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity¡­ and he was going to make it count.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "I hate this."


    "Is it your head again?" Quincy asked, standing behind me, beginning to massage the back of my head.


    "Nah, I got used to Snape''s spell and his device; I just hate the feeling that it leaves within my mind. The way his message intrudes upon my thoughts is alien feeling. It is hard to describe, but it doesn''t disguise itself as your own thoughts; you feel it to be foreign, wiggling itself inside your brain. Brr. Anyway, Dumbledore discovered our little secret."


    "Which one?" She asked, surprised; moving from my head to my shoulders, she continued massaging me.


    "Multiple, in fact." I shrugged, "He knows the goblins are working for us. That they are stealing gold from them to finance our side. I don''t know if he goes public with it; we will see."


    "It could jeopardize our partnership with the goblins, no?"


    "I don''t think so. Old Silver has made preparations; at least, I have that feeling of how confident he was when we signed our contract. If that happens and Dumbledore tells the world, our goblin partner will shift the blame onto the Dark Lord, who is already trying to take over Gringotts. That is my guess, at least. I know that bastard is fed up with the constant delays and wants to know that his Horcux is safe in his vault."


    "Hehe¡­ If he learns the truth¡­ I wonder what kind of expression he would have."


    "An ugly one. But here is the other thing Dumbledore has learned. Snape told me that after discovering how empty Gringotts were, he managed to locate and open HIS vault. He thought it was a gift, his destiny being fulfilled all of a sudden¡­ Finding gold at the end of the tunnel."


    "Instead, he found nothing." She chuckled, sitting down on my lap.


    "Yeah. No Horcrux, and worse, no Resurrection Stone. On the other hand, I think he is fairly certain that we have it, and he is not wrong. So, now we are also targets. I don''t think he will come after us, at least as long as the Dark Lord lives."


    "Which side will we focus on?"


    "For now, we wait. We continue paying off people and continuing to weaken them. Whichever one buckles first is the one we will attack."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­..


    "I called this meeting because we must act." Dumbledore said firmly, standing at the head of the table, looking at the core members of the Order. "Here."


    "Is that¡­?" Moody asked, watching as Dumbledore threw a ring in the middle of the table. They knew what it was; they all memorized its shape as it was one of their targets.


    "It is a fake. The original has already been stolen and destroyed by the Anguines. I am sure of it."


    "Then we are one step closer¡­ once again!" Moody chuckled, feeling happy, just like many others at the table. Looking at them, the old Headmaster noticed that only McGonagall remained calm, watching the fake ring, without beginning to celebrate.


    "How did you get this, Albus?" She asked, silencing the room as everyone suddenly began thinking about the obvious question.


    "It was a sudden opportunity, Minerva. One that only comes along once every hundred years. I also learned more than any of us guessed. The goblins are emptying out the vaults of Gringotts."


    He quickly explained what he saw, what he experienced, and what his talk with Snape was. They all realized what it meant, and Dumbledore''s plan was to make it known, make everyone understand what was happening, and, more importantly, scare Voldemort.


    "When he learns of it, that nowhere is safe, he will go and collect the last of his Horcxues. Severus is keeping a close eye on him, and when he moves, we move. We will ambush him when he has all of the remaining Horcruxes in his possession, and we will end it. End it before the Anguine kids do more damage, before the goblins truly get involved, and everything collapses! We are so close¡­ SO CLOSE!" He said with so much vigor that it surprised many of them.


    "This is it¡­" Moody nodded wholeheartedly behind the idea. "We will catch him with his pants down and end it. What about the boy, Neville? He came back, didn''t he?"


    "Yes." McGonagall nodded, "I talked with him."


    "He will accompany us." Dumbledore spoke firmly.


    "Albus!"


    "It is a must, Minerva. He is the chosen one; this is his destiny. With him amongst us, it will be the moment Tom falls."


    "Is it¡­? Really?" She asked quietly but received no answer.


    "Everyone should be ready. We will orchestrate this well, and when Severus gives us the signal¡­ we end it. Once and for all!"

 Chapter 172 – Voldemort vs Everybody (1)

    "There is a great movement within both sides." I explained while taking sips from my morning coffee, sitting in our conference room. "People from both sides have been telling us the same thing: there is something going on, and they are preparing to clash."


    "What about the Hermione girl and Krum?" Professor Lockhart asked, making Quincy and I exchange glances.


    "No reports so far. The last time they contacted us was when they told Luna they were leaving for France. I am giving them a bit more time; if they never reconnect with us, it is what it is." I replied, remaining calm.


    "Conrad is right." Quincy nodded, "We are doing fine without them, and we will do only a bit better with them. There is no change in our plans. We must focus on the fact that both sides know things are getting hot, especially on the Death Eater''s side¡­ There are dozens of young witches and wizards taking our bribes and deals. They are unlucky people who just graduated and were conscripted into the Death Eaters without question. They are eager to escape, fleeing like rats scurrying off from a sinking ship."


    "The big families only enjoyed HIS rule while it wasn''t affecting them negatively," Professor Slughorn sighed while explaining, "Until it was about their benefits. Now that their children and wealth are being pooled together and used wantonly, they are no longer so gung-ho about purity and all that, hm? It is sad to see¡­"


    "It is, but I think it will change after this." Grindelwald interjected, slowly opening his eyes, "I don''t think the Wizarding World will be the same after this and will no longer separate based on bloodlines."


    "I do hope so." I agreed, nodding my head, "I would much rather see people being judged by their talents and actions than their origin."


    I was about to continue when suddenly an owl flew against our window, knocking on it with its beak. It was surprising to see it because we rarely got them, but there were cells within our informants who had a few. They were trained to find this place and only used it when it was imperative to let us know as soon as possible. Letting him in and taking the letter from his claws, I unfurled it with haste, raising my eyebrows because it was a copy of our own newspaper.


    "Look at this¡­ fake." I mumbled, throwing it onto the table and letting them examine and check it while I began reading the second letter that was attached to it.


    "They have the gall!" Lockhart snorted, feeling violated because it was his baby. He made the ''True Prophet,'' and this issue was clearly not his work. "They must realize the sub-par writing! Bah, who uses words like this?! There is no spaz and finesse behind this¡­ this... article, if I can even call it that!"


    "The look is still matching." Slughorn added, making Quincy nod, looking away, glancing at me. "They copied the style very well."


    "It is from Luna." After finishing the letter and giving it to Quincy, I began telling them, "She also realized it and sent a copy back. She is asking what to do¡­"


    "This is an interesting move." Grindelwald smiled after looking at the paper once, "This is Albus''s work."


    "I thought so."


    I couldn''t help but agree because the fake True Prophet was describing how the Death Eaters were taking over Gringotts, more precisely, how the inner circle of Voldemort does it. Stealing from every family, loyal or not, chasing the goblins away while pocketing everybody''s heirlooms and financing their war. It even had an image showcasing a handful of ''loot,'' including the fake ring we left behind. I knew why; Dumbledore wanted Voldemort to know; they had his ''Horcrux'' and even destroyed it. I thought he would blame us or the goblins when they found out, but this was an interesting move on his part. Was he aiming to cause chaos? Could be. Also... how did he do it? My first thought was the Invisibility Cloak; the more I thought about it, the more sure I became of my hunch.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "He is forcing the Dark Lord to collect his Horcruxes into one place." Grindelwald exclaimed after seeing my eyes moving and thinking. "I know this strategy; I once talked with him about something similar. We even used it against each other in the war. When your enemy hides something you want, you flush it out. Force them to act. This is his goal; I am sure about it."


    "If HE gets paranoid, he may just do that¡­" Quincy hummed, making Herpo speak up within my mind.


    "Voldemort''s soul has been splintered into many fragments already. His thoughts must be disoriented, and he must have harsh, disoriented ideas. He will act on them without properly being able to think them through. Dumbledore is right about this. They can catch him and end him for good."


    "No wonder there are significant movements on both sides!" Lockhart sighed, leaning back. "I am sure that the Death Eaters are preparing to strike heavily against Gringotts. I wrote something similar once... It could be them, masking the Dark Lord''s actions to collect his extra lives while the Order is doing everything to track him and catch him with his pants down!"


    ¡°¡­¡±


    "What?" He asked because we all looked at him, never expecting such profound thoughts to come from him. "I''m not stupid¡­ Just vain..."


    "No, you are not an idiot, Professor." I giggled, nodding at him, "We will roll with it! We are in contact with Snape; he will inform us of what is going on, and we will jump in when we can."


    "We will?" Quincy asked, sitting up straight.


    "Yes." I nodded my head. "It is an opportunity that we can''t miss¡­ If the Order strikes, we will do too. We can''t let HIM survive it. HE. Must. Die."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Were you told everything?" McGonagall asked, meeting with Neville in private and visiting his room at the headquarters of the Order.


    "Yes, Professor. Professor Dumbledore and Moody have told me everything, and I also feel prepared for it. I have been studying for this since knowing how to walk, no?" He asked back, smiling at her, making the old witch look at him with warmth and motherly light twinkling in her eyes. "I am glad that I was included in it, but¡­ Professor, did you think about what I said?"


    "It is not the time to talk about it, Neville. What we are going to do is much more important. Focus on that, and don''t let your thoughts distract you! Not now."


    "I understand, but I need to know, Professor! I need to know so I can focus on what is expected of me."


    "¡­" For a moment, she couldn''t help but look deeply into his eyes, scanning his thoughts, albeit not to read them, but because she felt, no, she knew he was telling the truth. He was worried¡­ not because of Lord Voldemort or to have his revenge for his parent''s death; it was because he was concerned for all of them. For the Order. For everyone who was his friend and family since he was young. "I thought about it, yes, and I also talked with others. For now, know this: Professor Flitwick and I do agree with what you told us. There are more who think and feel the same way but have not yet decided to act upon it."


    "Then¨C!"


    "We will talk about this after the Dark Lord is defeated!" She repeated, putting her hand on his shoulder while gently squeezing it. "Neville, focus on the now. It is the most important¡­ We will see if your fears are true when all is done and peace returns. You will have allies in us who will steer the Order onto the right path. I have known Albus for a long time, and I still trust him. I agree that our road has been rocky for a long time, throwing us off-course, but I also believe that he would correct it when he is faced with the facts. When he is reminded of it. Don''t forget, he already defeated one Dark Lord."


    "And kept his prized possession. He had the Elder Wand, which was Gellert Grindelwald''s. Didn''t he also keep everything that originally belonged to the Potters? Also¡­ Now that I think about it¡­"


    "Neville¡­"


    "I understand." He stopped, sighing, shaking his head, "Okay. I will not say more, nor will I bring it up again, Professor. I trust you. I will do as you suggest, and I promise, my mind will focus on one thing: Defeating Tom Riddle!"


    "Don''t worry, we will protect you!"


    "I don''t want to be rude, Professor¡­" He smiled, but his confidence was oozing from his eyes, "In battle, there is no protection. I have faith in my abilities. The Dark Lord will fall."

 Chapter 173 – Voldemort vs Everybody (2)

    "You are coming with me."


    "Yes, My Lord." Severus answered calmly after being called into the Headmaster''s office within Hogwarts, waiting for this day for a long time.


    "This is why I like you¡­ No stupid questions, remaining focused on the task. We will use this." Voldemort continued, pointing at a human skull sitting on the desk, polished so much so that it looked like a glass mirror. "Touch it."


    For a millisecond, Snape hesitated, but then, knowing it was now or never, he reached out, pressing his fingers against the skull. He already guessed it was a portkey before it sucked his body in, transporting him through space, spitting his whole being out above a delipidated estate, left to ruins. Without thinking, the moment his feet touched the ground, he hurriedly cast a spell, one that would resonate far away within two places. One of them was within Dumbledore''s mind, signaling to him that it had begun. The other¡­ would arrive at Conrad''s place, hopefully just in time.


    He barely finished, dispelling any traces by using a different spell, searching for magic and hidden enemy presence, just as Voldemort appeared, shooting down from the night sky like he was Death itself.


    "Ever so vigilant." He added, watching Snape perform the searching spells. "This place is not something they are aware of."


    "We can''t be certain, My Lord. Their spies are numerous, and Dumbledore even managed to break into Gringotts."


    Hearing it, there was only a slight twitch on Voldemort''s face; ignoring the rest and walking towards the estate, only speaking when they stood before the boarded-up front door with the dusty plaque above it, spelling Riddle-estate.


    "Stay outside, keep watch. I need to focus."


    "Yes." Snape bowed, using a spell that would cover the area, scanning for any presence near them, be it a muggle, wizard, or animal. Yet, in reality, he was further transmitting his thoughts to the necessary people¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "We will apparate when he collected the last Horcrux." Dumbledore declared while the bulk of the Order was standing in an emptied-out room, waiting for their chance. "We must not rush it. Let him collect them all before we appear! When we arrive, concentrate on HIM and HIM alone. We will attack in rotation; don''t let him rest, and don''t let him escape."


    "Also," Moody warned, looking at everybody before his magical eye settled on Neville. "Don''t kill him before we destroy the Horcruxes. Albus and I will stall him. Keep to the plan, cut off HIS retreat, and focus on the Horcuxes. When they are all gone, we¨C What is it?" Moody stopped, noticing the change in Dumbledore''s expression.


    "The snake. His newest is nowhere to be seen. He collected his diary from his school days and Helga''s cup. But the snake is not with him..."


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone was waiting for Dumbledore''s decision, knowing that their opportunity was slipping away. Everyone expected Voldemort to gather his Horcruxes into Hogwarts the moment he took up being a Headmaster there. Yet it never happened, no matter how long they waited. Even Snape couldn''t tell why. Was it because he was afraid? That his hidden room got exposed? Failing him once already? He didn''t trust the teachers? Maybe both. It was a blessing for the Order, making their quest to find them less complicated and also culminating in the current moment when he finally decided to do so. If they missed this chance, they wouldn''t be so lucky ever again to plan another assault on him or on Hogwarts.


    "We go!" He exhaled, deciding to strike now and search for a reborn Dark Lord, who would be severely weakened rather than let him escape. "Follow my lead!" He waved his wand, connecting everybody as the group apparated as one being.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "We are done here; you can lower the defenses." Voldemort said plainly, floating up from below and coming out from a cave somewhere on England''s shores. The air was cold, with the winds of winter howling, accompanied by the roaring of waves as the freezing ocean constantly assaulted the rocky sides of the British Isles. "You¨C?!"


    But it was too late. The Dark Lord was so preoccupied with focusing on his Horcruxes that he never once noticed that what Snape was using was not a spell to hide their presence, to look for enemies, but a bright beacon, acting as a lighthouse for Dumbledore.


    Before Voldemort would have a chance to disappear, he could feel the region being locked down. With his bloodshot eyes, turning to his right, he could see four wizards using a spell in tandem, blocking any way to escape or reinforcements to jump in and aid their dark master.


    He wanted to murder the traitorous Snape, especially because he was fooled by him, something he couldn''t admit to himself. Instead, his killing spell was interrupted by Dumbledor''s own, resulting in a flashy explosion, saving Snape''s life while the rest of the Order jumped in, everyone firing their spells toward the lone figure.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Many saw his true powers the first time as he managed to not only raise a magical shield, blocking all their attacks, but he could even counterattack, disarming Flitwick before his second, exploding spell aiming to kill the tiny wizard was nullified by Moody''s hex.


    "Bastards!" Voldemort roared, making a decision that he knew he would curse for the rest of his life, but he understood it had to be done. He couldn''t keep it up for long, not when Dumbledore was constantly barraging him with different spells powered by that accursed wand in his hands.


    With a swift motion, he threw out the last of his Horcruxes, knowing that it would also halve the number of spells he needed to concentrate on deflecting. He wasn''t wrong¡­ The moment those flew out of his arms, McGonagall, with the rest of their wizards, was on them, aiming to collect and destroy the magical abominations on the spot. This gave Voldemort enough time to focus only on Dumbledore, Moody, and Snape.


    The rest? He wasn''t worried about them, no. He used their presence, aiming at them to make his primary enemies try and defend them instead of attacking him. His wand moved like it had its own mind, leaving afterimages behind as it seemed as if two spells came out of it at once. One was the killing curse, hitting one of the Order members square in the chest, making his body buckle, while the second spell exploded the witch right behind Dumbledore, leaving only smoking clothes behind.


    By the time the two were dead, Voldemort was already back in a defensive position, deflecting a spell from Snape, who didn''t try to save the others, redirecting it in a way to get in the way of Dumbledore''s summoned firey snake. The following explosion simply sucked away all the oxygen, snuffing out the ''creature,'' creating a thick smokescreen for Voldemort to hide for a brief second. He had to admit that his enemy came prepared to die this time because neither of the three tried to help the others.


    "Watch out!" Snape shouted, knowing what Voldemort was trying to do, aiming to disrupt the spell that was blocking his escape. He was already like a black mist, flying towards one of the four wizards locking down the region, intending to kill him, weakening their spell enough that he could break through.


    Yet, before the Dark Lord''s spell could land, a magical shield sprung up from nowhere, displacing Voldemort''s destructive spell. It aimed to cause pure pain to disrupt their magic and use their connection to spread it around all four of them.


    "Expecto Patronum!"


    With another cry, Neville, who finally saw an opening, summoned his patron, taking the form of a massive lion and jumping right onto Voldemort, still in his black, smoke-like form. His perfectly timed move was not only defending his fellow wizards but also attacking the Dark Lord, and with it, he managed to achieve something that Voldemort didn''t expect. The sudden crash of pure will and powerful energy tore him out of the shade-like form, throwing him to the ground, spraying dirt everywhere, and forcing the Dark Lord to moan in pain and anguish.


    "Avada Kedavra!"


    "Stupefy!"


    Voldemort and Neville''s spell hit each other before they struck again with a second, third, and fourth attack, all meeting in the middle, canceling each other out, something that had never happened before, and even Voldemort looked on with disbelief. Especially at the last moment, when their wands felt as if they connected to each other, summoning a golden bubble around them both. Neither wizard was able to tell what was happening or why, and it scared them and all the other onlookers. In the end, with a violent explosion, they were thrown apart with such force that Voldemort could feel the suppressing spell of the Order flickering on and off. Ignoring all the pain, he took his chance, feeling. He felt as if he was being torn apart, be it from the battle or because his Horcruxes were being destroyed. He was about to get through the barrier and able to apparate once more when a familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in his ears.


    "Long time no see¡­ and goodbye."


    ¡°¡­?!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    We had been watching their fight since it had begun, waiting at the outskirts of their spell, letting the two duke it out as they wanted. I was happy to see them fight, kill each other, whatever, just don''t let him escape. I was surprised by how strong Neville was while we watched, but it also made sense, knowing what I know now. When, in the end, Voldemort managed to break through, it was then that we made our move.


    Quincy and I attacked at once, blasting the bastard with fire-based spells, wanting to kill him in a way that was painful. He didn''t deserve the luxury of going out by a spell that granted a painless death. It was accompanied by a bang when he landed like a meteor, burning and shouting in pain, but I had to give him props; he wasn''t dead. He even managed to attack us while set aflame, burning under the mix of blue and orange flames.


    As we defended ourselves, I felt that my attention could not deviate, not a little bit. I had to be wholly focused on Voldemort and nobody else. Luckily, I knew Grindelwald was here, protecting us from any interference, and could let my consciousness tunnel in only the Dark Lord. I was waiting for a chance; he had to succumb to his pain and injuries soon; I just had to¡ª "There!"


    We acted in perfect unison with Quincy. While she distracted him with a curse, I attacked his wand, seeing perfectly how he was countering my wife''s magic. At that moment, my bombarda spell hit his mark, blowing off his arm, along with his wand, shattering it. He was not dead yet. I knew he wanted to run; he was halfway away, already apparating, when another spell hit him, impaling his heart with a frozen spike, making the Dark Lord fall over, dead.


    "I knew you would come." Neville exhaled, gasping for air, the tip of his wand still shimmering in a cold light.


    "Of course." I nodded, glancing at the dead body between us. "You do know this is not over yet."


    "The snake." He whispered, making me smile.


    "We have to leave... So... Good luck. And don''t forget!" I whispered as a red beam flew past my head, coming from Grindelwald''s wand, clashing with Dumbledore''s spell, whose wand was aiming directly at me. "He knows Parseltounge!"


    There was no time to say more, and before we would be trapped, we all disappeared. At the very last moment, I managed to exchange a look with the famous ex-headmaster of Hogwarts¡­ but I knew. He wasn''t looking at me. He was glaring at Grindelwald, wand raised, his blue eyes cold as ice. You can be the last... Albus Dumbledore. For now, finding the snake is a priority... for both of us.

 Chapter 174 – Voldemort vs Everybody (3)

    We weren''t relaxing right away when we were back in our homes. Instead, we strengthened our protective spells and charms, wary of Dumbledore following us¡­ But he did not. After we made sure we were not followed in any way, shape, or form, we immediately held an emergency meeting.


    "The Dark Lord is down to his last life." I stated clearly, looking at the two who remained at home, "Lockhart, are the papers ready?"


    "Yes. I already wrote all three variants. Is it as you guessed? The snake?"


    "Yes." I nodded my head at him, "He didn''t bring the snake with him; he wasn''t completely idiotic. I want the new issue to be brought away and distributed everywhere; let chaos gobble up the Death Eaters. They are going to fall, and nothing can stop that."


    "What will you do about¡­ HIM?" Slughorn asked, but I just looked at him with a smile.


    "We are going to find him."


    "And¡­" Quincy smiled confidently, "We have an excellent idea where he might be. So, include the pre-written piece in our latest issue about his death, Revealing the Horcruxes and their fate."


    "You¡­ think that he will die today?" They looked at us, making Grindelwald also curiously wait for our answer as he hadn''t been told about it either.


    "Yeah. So, while Professor Lockhart deals with the news and propaganda, fanning the flames, Quincy and I will sneak back into Hogwarts."


    "To the school?"


    "Yes, Professor Slughorn." I smiled at him, "Exactly there¡­"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Sneaking into Hogwarts was easier than I thought it would be. With Voldemort''s sudden death, total chaos erupted amongst the remaining loyal Death Eaters. They could feel his demise and knew what that meant. Yet, the staunch ones, those who unquestioningly believed in him, also believed in what happened before. Their leader returned from the grave once, and they were waiting for it to happen a second time. They may witness it, but not if it rests on my shoulders.


    I wanted to know how it was amongst their ranks and how big the chaos was, but we had no time to stop and listen in on those teachers who were upholding his rule in his absence. We had to act before those Voldemort sent to conquer Gringotts returned to Hogwarts and hardened our mission.


    Slipping in underwater, using the same tunnel we utilized to escape, literally blasting our way through obstructions, we were in before the sun had even risen above the horizon. Our goal was straightforward and simple: the Chamber of Secrets. Entering the bathroom, from where its secret entrance opened, two people were already waiting for us there.


    "I knew you would get it." I chuckled because Neville was there¡­ with Snape. "Headmaster."


    "We have no time." Snape spoke, anxious, "The Dark Lord has yet to announce anything about himself, so they know not that I betrayed him. But it is only a question of time! We could get in easily, but if it gets into the public... I won''t be able to continue the masquerade."


    "Agreed." I nodded, happy that Neville managed to understand what I meant previously. "Open."


    "Full of secrets¡­" Snape whispered, hearing me speak in the language of snakes and unlocking the entrance, "Last time, I found it left open, and it was what made you lucky."


    "We know." Quincy nodded as we headed down, wands at the ready, "How come Dumbledore is not here? Or the others?"


    "They are looking for the snake." Neville explained, "We split up, trying to visit some clues we had of his hideouts. I was grouped with Professor Snape, but we should be elsewhere."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "You didn''t tell him about this?" I asked with surprise.


    "No. It would have put you in danger."


    I had no answers; instead, I gently put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it, and nodded at him while Quincy hugged him briefly before hurrying down into the chamber.


    "Whatever happens next, Dumbledore''s victory is assured. What will you do then?" He asked me.


    "Continue." We answered. "For us, it isn''t over. Even if Voldemort dies."


    "I still have a word or two to say about that!" Grunted an angry voice filled with hissing sounds, and I knew for sure that only Quincy and I understood him.


    In the chamber where a basilisk lived before, there was another massive snake, but it was not as big as the ancient beast. Looking at it, it was somewhat deformed as the snake''s head was disfigured, and Voldemort''s visage was growing from its skull like some tumor.


    "What an abomination¡­" I snarled, throwing a firey spell at him, but an invisible barrier deflected it without any effort.


    "You will die here¡­ You saved me the time to hunt you down and delivered yourself on a silver platter. I will feed on you and regain my strength¡­. I can''t be killed! I am Voldemort!"


    "He lost it." Quincy snorted, trying a spell herself, but it was, once again, instantly deflected.


    "Translation?" Neville asked, keeping his eye on the snake, but he couldn''t understand a word it was hissing at us.


    "STOP!"


    The shout belonged to Voldemort, and for the first time, I felt that his words uttered in parseltongue had a commanding presence behind them. It wasn''t just me, but Quincy, too. Was it because of the ritual we took? Whatever it was, both of our bodies froze up for a moment, and I could clearly feel my mind blank out for a brief moment.


    "Something''s not right!" Snape realized it immediately, attacking the snake and man hybrid, trying to break through its protection.


    "YOU ALL WILL DIE!"


    Again, his roaring order was having an effect on us, making the idea of suicide really enticing all of a sudden. Shit¡­ his tongue¡­ his inheritance, is it affecting us because we have both gone through Herpo''s ritual? I saw that Quincy was affected much more than I, already slowly raising her wand and turning towards herself before using a firey spell. Luckily, she wore our wedding ring, which activated and deflected it, yet its power still flung her backward.


    This time¡­ I let my blood guide me. Every little whisper that I had suppressed until now, I let it explode as my body changed shape, turning into my basilisk form, overshadowing the Dark Lord that was now an abomination, fused with a snake, maybe even transforming into one¡­ Who knew? If he wanted to play Snake Says, then I''m game. Let''s see which of us is better at it!


    "KNEEL!" I roared, or hissed, to be correct.


    Of course, snakes don''t have legs, but the moment I ordered him to do so, my blood and form quickly showed why a basilisk is called the king of snakes. No matter who Voldemort thought he was, he had no chance to resist, forced to lie down before us. His eyes remained tightly closed, knowing he couldn''t look at me, squirming, trying to escape my influence, trashing like a fish out of water.


    "Quincy?" I asked, worried, but I kept my eyes locked on Voldemort, which also made Neville and Snape''s minds somewhat more relaxed. If I can say it like that... but at least they weren''t panicking.


    "I''m fine... I''m good. Just a bit dizzy, that''s all!"


    I couldn''t help but let out a long sigh of relief, turning my worry into more anger and pressuring Voldemort with my presence, stopping his trashing.


    "You went and fucked up a lot of lives, Voldemort. This is the end. Did you want to play the snake? Didn''t you think others would do the same? Well, it seems I won in the end. I will enjoy watching you die..."


    "Who... are you?"


    "Son of Angus Anguine, Conrad Anguine. Remember that if there is an afterlife. Even if that afterlife is kind enough to take you in!"


    "No Anguine is... like that... liar!" He hissed, clearly in pain, while Neville and Snape were doing everything to dispel his defenses.


    "You chose wrongly..." I continued, enjoying his panic and helplessness. "You have gone and asked Herpo for the recipe for his failure... A big mistake."


    "...!"


    "Drop your defenses!" I commanded him, and as a snake, his mind finally collapsed, acknowledging my order and disabling all of his enchantments.


    There was no glorious second wind. No hidden artifact or savior, any unknown ability. Nothing that could save him. The next moment, Neville''s spell exploded his body, blowing it into pieces, splattering guts and blood everywhere, while a two-faced, grotesque snakehead rolled before us, showing the painful and hate-filled expression of both of his snake and the late Tom Marvolo Riddle.


    "It''s done..." Quincy mumbled, standing next to me, her hand stroking my scales.


    "It is." I nodded, watching the aftermath, feeling great satisfaction and relief, enjoying the moment.


    "Can you... turn back?" After a long, silent minute, Neville finally asked, wary of looking anywhere else, afraid to gaze into my eyes.


    "Ah. Sure!" I chuckled, finally returning to my human form and taking another deep breath. "That... felt good!"


    "It did..." Snape murmured, still looking at the skull, walking over and stomping on it for good measure. Something I totally agreed with in that moment.


    "We need to leave." Neville interrupted us all, finally looking into my eyes, "This news must be shared with everyone!"


    "Mhm." I agreed, looking at the others and smiling. "But I think we are ahead of you in that regard."

 Chapter 175 – Going Legit

    The Dark Lord was no more. The news of his demise spread like wildfire, and even if many didn''t believe it at first, after a week, the fact that Voldemort never appeared again was enough proof to push the remaining Death Eaters into chaos. The loss of connection within their marks was the final nail in the coffin; the remaining highest-ranking Death Eaters, the likes of Bellatrix, disappeared without leaving a trace. Well, the smarter ones, that is, because a few of them decided to contact those they heard about, people who paid good gold to make them disappear. Only to be met with Grindelwald, Conrad, and Quincy''s spell, which extinguished their life on the spot.


    Many from the Order came out to the open, searching for clues and remnants of Voldemort''s followers, returning to the light in splendid glory as their forces began dismantling any dark wizard''s stronghold they could locate. The first bastion to fall was Hogwarts itself, retaken by Dumbledore himself. With the Order of the Phoenix at the helm, they established a new Wizarding Order, aiming to act as peacekeepers until a new ministry was established and Britain was cleansed of the influence of twenty years of filth.


    Everyone knew it wouldn''t be an easy transition as thousands wore the tattooed mark of Voldemort, and nobody could deny the fact that countless families were forced into servitude against their wishes. The most significant proof was those who took the bribes from the emerging third faction, escaping the clutches of Death Eaters, slowly beginning to return.


    "We need to keep our eyes peeled." Dumbledore exclaimed, sitting within the Headmaster''s office in Hogwarts, meeting with the core of the Order, many of them being old Professors who finally had a chance to return to their old Alumni. "Even with Tom dead, we can''t relax."


    "But the prophecy¡­" Moody spoke, making Dumbledore shake his head.


    "I am not talking about that. I believe Neville and Severus! It was the prophecy that guided young Neville''s hand in defeating Tom and not letting his last fragment escape and hide in the vast world. I am talking about the two Anguines. They won''t stop just because Tom died¡­ Not with their current Master standing with a rejuvenated body behind them."


    "It is an opportunity then." Moody chuckled, "We bested the worst Dark Wizard; we can best the second worst, too. Get rid of him for good! Not to mention, this one should have only one life, yes?"


    "Yes. Only one." Dumbledore nodded, his voice going softer and calmer, "Finding him will be more challenging, and this is why I told you to keep alert at all times. Their methods will be not like Voldemort''s. Grindelwald was never one who ruled by fear; he never collected followers with force but by charisma. We don''t know the extent of the wealth they have amassed by emptying out Gringotts¡­ but they could most likely continue their plans and bribe everyone for years to come. Think of how many families are there now, in desperate need of a helping hand, of money to start anew."


    "Are you trying to say¡­ we can''t trust nobody?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked as many of them watched the old wizard play with his beard, slowly nodding his head in the end.


    "Yes. For now, we must be strong and vigilant, my friends. We must oversee the rebuilding of the wizarding families, of the Ministry of Magic, and most importantly, of Hogwarts. We will make the critical decisions until everything is settled and we are reorganized as a nation. Everyone who will be tasked to lead our people will need to be heavily scrutinized and examined by us! For now, we will delegate the lower-ranking members to keep searching for Death Eaters and dissidents, people who are a danger to our peace. Alastor."


    "Yes?" He asked, leaning on his staff.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "I will have you to go and travel to Azkaban. We need to re-establish it as we will need a prison to hold the captured Death Eaters until their trial. In the meantime, I will need you to keep an eye out for people who would be great Aurors when we re-establish the system."


    "Most certainly."


    "Thank you. We will have a lot of work ahead of ourselves!" Dumbledore smiled, turning towards the people in his office, "It will take years to get back everything to how it was¡­ We can''t rest, not for now. Where is Hagrid?"


    "Should be in the forest surrounding the school." Professor Flitwick answered him, making Dumbledore nod his head.


    "I will need him to travel around the country, contact the magical creatures, and broker our new agreements now that Voldemort has fallen. We need to bring them in line and remind them how it was before!"


    What he didn''t notice while delegating everyone''s new orders was the slight twitch of McGonagall''s eyebrows as she let her gaze scan the other wizards and witches in the room, her thoughts returning to the talk she had with Neville not that long ago. Maybe¡­ Maybe he was right, seeing much more than anyone gave him credit for.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "I am a bit worried, Conrad."


    "What about?" I asked, looking up from my book, glancing at Quincy as she was sitting opposite to me, holding a long parchment that was a recipe she and Professor Slughorn were working on. If I recall right, it was a new potion in the making, with the effects revealing and reversing curses hidden in the body.


    "That Hermione and Krum haven''t contacted us yet. I don''t know if we can trust them¡­ it has been a month already."


    "Well, the Dark Lord died, and it is possible that they think they no longer need to support us. I wouldn''t fault their thinking if that is the reason."


    "Maybe¡­" She whispered, unsure of it. "But I thought that Hermione understood that one side''s defeat is not the end. That it isn''t enough."


    "Going against Dumbledore may be more difficult because he is seen as the savior right now. Our latest propaganda pieces also result in fewer volunteers as the news spread that Voldemort is truly gone."


    "There are still multiple volunteers." She added, but she knew I was right. Since the fall of the Death Eaters, fewer wizards and witches have been willing to become spies for us. I wasn''t afraid of it; I knew it would happen. They needed time to realize we were right, and when they did, it would pick up once again. "For now," I continued, "I asked Professor Lockhart to write different pieces of news. We are also going to try to establish a proper news magazine via Luna''s father."


    "The Quibbler? With that weird name? I like the True Prophet moniker more¡­"


    "It will become a section within it. Let''s see if Dumbledore allows it or would take preventive measures against a different voice in his saved free world. We already published a flier stating that we are going to try and become legit, not an underground propaganda piece. People will look on suspiciously if we get silenced. I can''t lie; I do hope he would try it. It would be such an easy way to stab back."


    "I like it when you are sneaky¡­" She giggled, making me smile back at her.


    "With the riches we earned thanks to the goblins, we have ample resources, not to mention our inheritance. Through the muggles, we already wormed ourselves into their highest levels. If the Order acts as Master predicts, when they had re-established the connections between muggle leaders through the new Ministry, we would have already been a step ahead of them."


    "And they won''t be the wiser of it! Unlike Voldemort, we are not blind to the muggles'' usefulness and that we need to coexist. Not to mention, recruiting young wizards from pure muggle families is our greatest advantage!"


    "Exactly. Plus, I am going to go more and more legitimate. I will establish businesses and go wholly public about it. I will confront Dumbledore in the open and compete with him there. I will frustrate him well enough that he drops all pretenses and shows us what he really wants." I added with a smile, looking towards the little box that had the Resurrection Stone within it. "While we crushed Voldemort behind the curtains, in secret, we will do the opposite to him."


    "What will be your first step? I know you talked with Master while I was working with Horace."


    "Would you want to return to school?" I asked, making her look at me with surprise.


    "To Hogwarts?"


    "Yes." I nodded, "If they are really what they say¡­ would they refuse two students who want to return and two of the old teachers who worked really hard to bring Voldemort down?"


    "I wonder¡­ I don''t think he would agree to it."


    "Severus." I clapped, making her realize it, too, "If the right-hand man of Voldemort is revealed to be a hero¡­ aren''t we also deserving of a pardon?"

 Chapter 176 – Demands

    It happened at the beginning of spring when Hermione contacted us once again. Well¡­ This time, it was evident from the start that she was missing the enthusiasm with what they had when they left for France. As for why they wanted to meet in person, although Quincy felt suspicious ¡ªand so did I¡ª I still considered Krum as a friend and someone who I could trust. So we agreed; there was no reason not to. The meeting happened in the Scottish highlands, in the middle of nowhere, a coordinate that we had decided on. We were the first to arrive, just the two of us, right at the start of the day, witnessing the sunrise before we saw Krum and Hermione arrive via apparition.


    "Victor. Hermione." I nodded at them as we stayed about five yards apart, and I could tell they weren''t here to tell me they still wanted to help out. One look was enough to know that was no longer the case.


    "I want ask question." Krum began, and I now knew it was him who was having doubts, and Hermione was with him, supporting his decision. I wasn''t angry¡­ I can respect that.


    "Feel free."


    "Your Master. Grindelwald? Is he?"


    "Where did you learn that?" Quincy asked, making them look at each other before he answered in a disheartened voice.


    "We met Dimitris."


    "I see." I nodded with a soft smile, "I guess you don''t like it? Is there a reason why? Besides him being a dark wizard in the past."


    "Yes. Grindelwald killed my¡­ Grandfather. I never work with monster, you should not, Conrad. He evil¡­ Don''t do it."


    "Haaaah¡­" I couldn''t help but sigh, understanding it without him needing to explain more. I could tell how he felt about it, and putting myself in his shoes, I wouldn''t want to work with someone like that either. Losing family to somebody can create a grudge that lasts through many generations; Dimitris was the best example of it. "People can change, and he served his time for his sins."


    "Did he¡­? I not believe so."


    "What will we do then?" I asked firmly, looking at the two, "I already accepted him as my Master, and I trust him. I won''t go back on my word, and he won''t do it either. My friend, this is an unbreakable conundrum as neither of us is willing to back down."


    "It is¡­" He nodded, one of his hands tightening, his fingers balling up, making Hermione quickly hold onto him. The moment she did, Quincy also moved, ready to duel if it came down to that.


    "Will you work against us?" I asked, looking at the two, feeling I already knew their answers, "I understand if you do¡­ but if you do that, the next time we meet, it will be as enemies." I told them as clearly as possible. Although I hate the fact that I would need to turn him into an opponent, I can''t stop now, not after coming this far. I trusted Grindelwald, and I won''t turn against him.


    "I know." Krum nodded again, looking into my eyes, "We will fight if you danger. But¡­¡±


    "We will do it our own way." Hermione continued, and it seemed they came to some kind of conclusion in the end, probably before they contacted us. "We will start our own party, and I aim to get into the Ministry of Magic. After what everyone went through, muggle-born wizards and other oppressed magical people also need their voices to be heard! If you are true to what you said, you won''t oppose us, and we won''t need to fight. I had believed your words, Conrad and Quincy Anguine. I hope that I wasn''t mistaken."


    "I see¡­" Well, that was a twist. They are doing the same thing that I wanted to do but with fewer resources. Huh. How interesting. I didn''t foresee it happening.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "We wanted to tell you this in person so you can see and feel our sincerity." She finished, squeezing Krum''s hand even tighter, watching us and trying to see our reaction.


    "Deja vu." I mumbled, making Quincy chuckle, and I knew she agreed. It was like we were looking into a mirror right now. Fate likes to play tricks; I can''t forget that. "I don''t see a problem. As long as you don''t help Dumbledore and don''t try to reinstate the old ways, giving power to the same people who caused all this mess decades ago, we are aiming for the same thing."


    "You too." Krum answered, and I didn''t need to ask what he meant.


    In the end, we exchanged a last friendly nod before we all disappeared, going our separate ways, and I knew then and there. If we ever met again, it could very well be as enemies. Well¡­ as much of an enemy as we were in the TriWizad competition. I just really hoped that it wouldn''t come down to us trying to kill each other. That would be¡­ not something I wanted to do.


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Is he really letting it happen?" Neville asked, meeting with McGonagall in her office within Hogwarts. Thanks to its previous rat-like owner, it was still under renovation, and the decades of ''filth'' lingered in the air. Of course, it wasn''t just her classroom, but every nook and cranny in the castle systematically being explored, cleaned, and enchanted to make sure no Death Eaters sneak in or try to hide there. Everyone was working hard to prepare the school for its reopening in the autumn.


    "He is." She nodded, placing a cup of freshly brewed tea before him, "The Quibbler will sell its first official volume tomorrow. I also signed up for it, so a copy will arrive as soon as it''s released."


    "That''s good. I am somewhat relieved as to how things are¡­ Maybe Conrad is wrong, and he is overreacting. It will be good if he can also see it as everything gets back to normal!"


    "I don''t know¡­"


    "Professor?" He asked, his hand stopping mid-air as he was about to raise his cup and take a sip.


    "The reconstruction of the Ministry of Magic¡­ He is making decisions without calling the Order to a meeting. There are already multiple candidates nominated without us being informed beforehand."


    "We should ask Professor Dumbledore then." He answered after a short pause, looking at one of his favorite mentors, a woman who was always hard on him when it came to his studies but always kind when they were talking in private. She was someone who Neville happily could call family.


    "We did. Everything was¡­ justified. Explained in a way that all of us who thought about complaining could not find a point to question. Not if we didn''t want to sound as if we wanted power for ourselves."


    ¡°¡­¡±


    "There is more. Students and wizards of muggle origins are returning from France. They not only want to become part of the rebuilding, but they also want a place in the ministry."


    "Isn''t that good?"


    "It is¡­ but they are also backed by the Beauxbatons. There are already voices who want to speak up against them because they feel as if they want to interfere with our land. What makes me nervous is that Albus doesn''t interfere with either side, letting both do what they want, and it is getting¡­ heated.


    "Divide and conquer."


    "That muggle saying?" McGonagall asked, making Neville nod his head.


    "That is what it reminded me of¡­ What about Conrad''s request?"


    "That¡­ is still going to be discussed." She explained, looking towards the opened letter lying on her desk.


    It arrived two days ago and was signed by Conrad and Quincy Anguine. Their newly established family crest, depicting the king of snakes, was stamped at the bottom corner, filled with the feeling of magic, displaying their strength in the arcane. They were officially requesting not only a full pardon but also compensation and accolades for their effort in bringing down Voldemort. On top of that, they demanded the old Anguin''s property to be returned to them in full. Lastly, the same request was made for Professor Lockhart and Professor Slughorn, who should return to Hogwarts as teachers¡­ If they wanted the job, that is.


    "That''s a lot¡­" Neville mumbled as it was the first time he was allowed to read the letter and only heard about it arriving.


    "It is. My guess is that when tomorrow''s paper is published, these demands will be in it... And if it is Gilderoy who wrote it, it will capture the attention of many readers. I don''t know how it will play out, but unlike many other questions, Albus can not ignore theirs if that happens. I just¡­"


    "The one behind them?"


    "Yes, Neville. It is THE Grindelwald we are talking about. Even if people can change, after getting rid of one Dark Lord, we must not entertain a second one. You have to understand that."


    "I do understand that¡­" He shrugged, feeling that fighting against Voldemort was so much easier. This? This was making him dizzy.


    "Anyway, you should focus on your task, young man!"


    "My task?"


    "Oh? You weren''t told yet?"


    "Of what?" He asked, gulping, feeling nervous, seeing McGonagall''s smile.


    "The reestablished Daily Prophet will want an interview with the boy who ended the reign of the Dark Lord!"

 Chapter 177 – Homecoming

    I somewhat expected that Dumbledore wouldn''t answer our letter, not before it became public. Maybe he wanted to see the people''s reactions first. I would have loved to see his face when he learned that our newspaper sold out completely when the first publication was distributed, not to mention the multiple pre-orders we had before it. I heard from Luna that his father was already printing the second and third batches and was ready to send them out before the end of the day.


    Of course, there were multiple reasons for this. Our personal experience, the story of my Father, and our claim to my old home were one thing. What made it probably even more interesting was that we endorsed the newly appearing party, the Society for the Promotion of Everyone''s Welfare, or S.P.E.W. for short. It was the one that Hermione and Krum established just a few days ago. I don''t know if it was the time spent in France that made her unaware of the acronym ahead of time or if it was intentional¡­ oh well, it is their problem. We just included a paragraph in which we were happy to see them and agreed with many of their ideas and visions for the future.


    I didn''t mind that they were getting into the forefront. Heck, it gave us more time to focus on looking at the board from a step away from the table and not be caught up in the more minor details. They can handle that. So, we began searching for people who would join their ranks, work with them¡­ and also inform us of happenings within S.P.E.W.


    Sadly, not everything was going smoothly. There were many former Death Eaters who were forced into servitude, conscripted straight from Hogwarts, people who took our offer of a way out. When they finally returned, they were arrested and thrown into the reopened Azkaban. Our next issue in the Quibbler will tackle precisely that, as I won''t let people, old friends, and former Housemates rot in there, especially not when they were forced to join Voldemort.


    We could break them out, but that would harm everybody¡ªnot ideal for us or them. So, instead, Professor Lockhart is writing a paper advocating for the establishment of a new Magical Law and Order, one that would be wholly independent of the reforming Ministry of Magic. This entity would be separated from all political powers, and its purpose would be upholding wizarding law, even over those who were in control and making the decisions.


    This was nothing new; it was a return to form and reestablishing something like the previous Wisengamot. The only difference was that we were going to push for the fact that anyone who is part of this version of the Wisengamot can not hold any other power, neither in the Ministry nor in Hogwarts. Yes, they could teach in Hogwarts¡­ but becoming their Headmaster? No. One man can not have too much power, or we risk the rise of another Voldemort. That is going to be our argument.


    Well, it is still in development, and we only hinted at it in the first issue. What was not a hint, though, was the fact that Quincy published her very first paper, which was then accompanied and commented on by Slughorn''s report on the same issue. Her first publication introduced no less than six new potions, all dealing with dispelling and curing curses, mostly related to the ones Death Eaters were using. Moreover, she included the complete recipe list and detailed brewing method. Maybe it was what made the paper sell so quickly¡­ I couldn''t be more proud of her!


    Also, I wasn''t joking when I said we would trouble Dumbledore openly. Let''s see if he can spin his tale again, saying that we are dangerous fugitives or implying that my father was a mad dog that served nobody. Heh¡­ I wonder if he ever thought about that. I have information on him and his decisions almost the moment he announces them. While he used Snape as a double agent, I can''t help but ponder whether he would even consider the fact that Snape was continuing his profession, but instead of Dumbledore, it is us who he reports to in secret.


    "Father¡­ you were right from the get-go¡­ I can trust Severus Snape¡­ I can see that now."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "Are you really going to let them return?" Moody asked, meeting in private with Dumbledore in the Headmaster''s office.


    "I am thinking of it. My old friend is behind their moves, so if I want to fight him, I would need to let them be at arm''s reach." He answered, standing before his window, stroking his long beard. "To find the key to end this conflict, I need them to present it. If I tried to take it forcefully, it would result in a failure¡­"


    "What key¡­?" He asked, not really understanding what Dumbledore had meant by it, unaware that the old wizard was now only missing one peculiar stone.


    "The key to ensuring a peace that may last a thousand years. On my table, Alastor."


    "What is it?" He asked, taking the envelope, but didn''t open it until Dumbledore gave a reassuring nod.


    "Those are the list of people who we have in our ranks and are paid by the Anguine family."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Should I arrest them?"


    "No, that would anger the public. Slowly replace them or release them from power. If must, then give them rewards too, but don''t let them have any know or say in the new Ministry or the school."


    "Mhm. I will do it¡­ What about the Anguine''s old estate? Should we keep it under surveillance after we let them have it back?"


    "I don''t know if it would be possible, so don''t bother with it. Instead, continue to try to get people within Azkaban to speak up against the family. Many will want to know what happens when their trial arrives, and we can''t keep the press out of it. I want their confessions to be apparent and point out the Anguine''s dealings, including how they acted while at school, the murder of Professor Umbridge, and the insidious plan they made and enacted while they were still just freshmen."


    "Mhm, but I don''t know how many would believe it. Many in prison right now were in Slytherin with them."


    "Make them understand the situation." Dumbledore continued, "Also, inform them that Slytherin House is no longer there. After raising someone like Tom, it is officially disbanded and banned. Hogwarts will have only three houses starting next year."


    "I don''t think many will argue against it." Moody smiled, bringing out his flask, "I killed so many dark wizards graduating from that house that I lost count."


    "There is more. To get redeemed, the prisoners must also tell everyone how Conrad Anguine massacred the Malfoy family without remorse. We must make everyone see that they are just as insidious as Tom was. People must not forget that Voldemort was thought of as a caring and amicable student. People loved him and would not think he was capable of such atrocities until it was too late! Our priority is to make the public understand the dangers of a third Dark Lord emerging."


    "I do believe you, but the people may not, Albus. The kids¡­ well, we can''t call them kids anymore. The Anguines did many things that contradict what we know about them. Not to mention, we did use Angus¡­ he killed Voldemort once."


    "Yes, but just as a father''s sin can''t become the sin of his child, his achievements and heroism also can''t be attributed to his kid."


    "I will do my best." He answered after taking another swing from his flask, "What about Gilderoy and Horace?"


    "Gilderoy won''t return. None of us think he would be that stupid, right?" Dumbledore asked with a slight, barely noticeable smile before sitting down at his desk. "He will stay with the Anguines; I have no doubt about it. As for Horace, we will welcome him back. Make sure Severus inspects him if he returns before assigning him a post amongst the teachers."


    "What about the¡­others?"


    "Nothing. Neville is still young. He will grow up, and those who entertain his naivety can do nothing, really. We just need to do enough to preserve the peace. I already have a list for the new core Wisengamot; the moment the Ministry is reestablished, I will present it before them."


    "Are we going to let that young girl compete for votes?"


    "I hope they get into the Ministry."


    "Really?" Moody exclaimed, surprised, his magical eyes settling on him, waiting for Dumbledore''s answer.


    "If we want to ensure that Flamel and the Beauxbatons can''t interfere with Hogwart''s business while we are still weak, we need an entity that can take the blame for their meddling. Just step away and let things play out; that problem will solve itself. Our focus is on the Anguines."


    "Mhm. Understood."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    "It is different¡­" I whispered, standing in front of my old home. I wasn''t saying it just because the place was empty but because it was ruined. Many of the windows were broken, the walls were torn down, and the garden was wholly ravaged when they ransacked it, searching for hidden rooms and probably family heirlooms.


    "It is still home." Quincy whispered, holding my arm and leaning on my shoulders. "We can rebuild it and make new memories here."


    "And treasure old ones." I agreed, and with our wands out, we began to lift the rubble from the ground and slowly return everything to how it was in our memories. Cracked walls were mended, shattered glass flew back to its place, and destroyed roof tiles reformed in the air before landing in their old spot. I couldn''t help but feel to be in a trance while we made the grass green and the toppled statues stand up straight in the middle of our fountains. It was... It was like slowly returning to a more peaceful time.


    It took us the whole day to return the mansion to the same as we remembered it to be, but it was still¡­ empty. I couldn''t help but touch the old chairs and desks that my father used or walk into the kitchen and see Squeaky making me my favorite breakfast before her image dissipated.


    "Maybe I shouldn''t have brought the stone with me." I mumbled, making my wife chuckle because she also saw the faint image of Squeaky.


    "You didn''t let the stone take hold, though. The dead must rest¡­"


    "Yes. They do." I agreed, shaking my body, "Let''s signal the others they can come over!"


    "Don''t you want to look for¡­"


    "My mother?" I asked, glancing at her and shaking my head. "No. Not really. I don''t care."


    "Should we hire house elves?" She quickly asked, diverting the topic immediately, making me think for a little.


    "Yeah, I think we should!" I nodded with a grin, "If Hermione and his party get any say in it, we may be too late to do so, ahahaha! I wonder how all this will end¡­ The inactivity of the Order makes me think they are preparing for something big."


    "I expect them to try and tarnish our names." She shrugged, looking towards the rejuvenated garden and now sprinkling fountains, "Probably bringing up the usage of the killing curse."


    "Most likely!" I agreed, watching as Lockhart appeared out of thin air, sighing loudly, exclaiming how nostalgic it was to visit once again before realizing its meaning and apologizing profusely. "But unlike them, we don''t need to hide it. I think the people of today will appreciate open honesty~!" I grinned, nodding towards Lockhart to stop stumbling over his words and just go in already. "The people will decide, and we all know the real play is going on for this little rock." I murmured, pulling it out of my pocket and holding it up toward the sun.


    "You really want to destroy it?"


    "I do. And I already know how¡­"

 Chapter 178 – Public Debate (1)

    "I don''t know if this is a good idea¡­"


    "We should be fine." I answered, smiling at Lockhart, a bit touched that he was worrying about us.


    "I will be close by to guard them." Grindelwald chimed in while we were eating our dinner. "This is an open rally, and even if Dumbledore is against us, he won''t try to do anything drastic."


    "He could still blame it on remnant Death Eaters." Quincy said nonchalantly, making our old professor sigh and look at us, shaking his head.


    "You already decided, so I won''t argue. Just be careful. I am not in the mood to write an obituary. Although, I could do a really tear-jerking one, mind you!"


    "Ahaha, you won''t have to! We are going there to support Hermione openly. It is the first debate between those the Order put forward and between the members of SPEW."


    The newly established Ministry was close to reaching its final form. In the past weeks, multiple figures have popped up, including wizards we knew were from the core of the Order, like Kingsley Shacklebolt or Hestia Jones. The former was also someone who was being pushed to become the new, first Minister of Magic after the reformation.


    But, it was not all¡­ because even within the Order, I could see that Neville was doing as he promised. He became surprisingly vocal. When his interview appeared in the Daily Prophet, I couldn''t help but laugh while reading it, feeling that he was exactly how I will always remember him. A guy who looked timid and reserved, but when he dared to do something, he was the first to jump into it.


    He not only loudly campaigned that the Order should disband now, after Voldemort''s death, and people should enjoy their freedom, but he also supported two mages, a witch and a wizard, to have a joint seat at the helm of the Ministry. His idea was that it would be like a natural balancing act if two people sat in the position, making sure there was no chance to grab for power. Or not so easily.


    It was an interesting idea, and it became somewhat popular amongst the wizards, who eagerly listened to the boy who killed the Dark Lord. The people he supported were people named Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Of course, neither of them was on our payroll, but if Neville was trusting them, they had to be good people and now part of his budding faction. As for would they appear today? I don''t know because their party was still a budding one. Still, I could see the cracks within the Order, and via Snape''s info, we could slowly dip water into them and let them seep deep down the crevices, eroding it all.


    Hermione did well in that her party talked to not only the wizards but also other magical creatures, including house elves and goblins, amongst many other minor factions. With my interference in the background, Old Silver made some calls, and a few goblin families voiced their interest in listening to her and even financing their campaigns.


    Tomorrow will be the first open debate between the main parties, held in a square within Diagon Alley. It will also be our first time back to it without having to wear a disguise or drink a polyjuice potion.


    "Will there be talks about the new Wisengamot?" Lockhart asked, looking at us, "Maybe you will meet Professor Slughorn again?"


    "Maybe." We answered, looking at each other.


    Professor Slughorn left us about a week ago when the Order officially accepted his and Lockhart''s requests and pardoned them both. At first, we thought he would return to Hogwarts to pick up teaching again. Instead, he volunteered to try to join the new Wisengamot. He was more or less back to how we first knew him, and even though he was a ''prisoner'' back then, he had an extensive collection of people who were close to him to this day. Since leaving and returning to his family, he has been hard at work building it back up and has also begun to campaign to implement the Wisengamot to our specifications. To be a collection of talented, innovative, and like-minded wizards who would make sure we won''t regress into another dark age.


    Multiple other candidates, too, were being nominated left and right, and one of them was me. The surprising thing was that it was someone else who brought it up and someone we never even paid off. No¡­ It was Neville''s suggestion. I don''t know what he was trying to achieve, but it came as a big surprise. Honestly speaking, I don''t know how to feel about it. It is intriguing and could be fun and interesting, but it is not something I think that I am up to do as a job. I am a bit stumped, and so is Quincy, as she couldn''t give me a piece of proper advice on how to publicly reply to it. Well¡­ I will improvise if it comes to that, as I have yet refused to say anything in the papers.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    However, we tackled the case of the prisoners held within Azkaban. It was our current ''attack'' on Dumbledore and his followers, including the one called Mad Eye Moody. He was the current warden of Azkaban and also the nominee to take up the Head Auror role in the future. Our demands were straightforward. First, we demanded an open trial. Second, the jury should be made of the public, not members of the Order. We have been hammering home the fact that, of course, the Order would try to bury them at all costs. They only see them as Death Eaters and not as conscripted youngsters who had no choice but to obey. How could they have joined the Order when their families were essentially held hostage? The moment they stood out of line, everyone would have been massacred. Should they have sacrificed everybody? Did the Order want that? Expected everyone to become a martyr?


    Those were our questions that they had yet to answer. Lockhart''s wording made them resonate strongly with our readers, especially when he wrote that there was someone who did exactly that, my Father¡­ and our reward was to be put on the most wanted list by both parties. As for today¡­ I am curious how it will go. It will be our first public appearance, not just speaking through agents and the Quibbler. I wonder¡­ Will they try to assassinate us? Well. Time will tell¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    It was the first time that we didn''t arrive via apparition or using any other magical tool to enter Diagon Alley. First, we left our home in a muggle car, with a chauffeur driving us to London. Of course, it was Grindelwald; his appearance changed completely, disguised as a completely different person. He achieved it without the use of a polyjuice potion, using a spell that he developed, and neither of us could tell it was him. I wonder if Dumbledore knows how to reverse it or detect its usage...


    Well, I didn''t worry for long about it. Instead, I enjoyed the trip and the fact that we entered Diagon Alley from behind the Leaky Cauldron. It was good to be normal once again, returning to the usual ways, with the difference that the current owners of the pub were on our payroll. Our ''chauffeur'' stayed behind not because he wanted a drink while we did our thing but to simply get all the names of those who used the same entrance and those who were staying there and give new instructions to the owners.


    This didn''t mean that we would be unguarded because, by the time we would reach the square where the debate was about to be held, he would be amongst the crowd, with a new identity watching out for us. We wouldn''t even know who he would be or where he was, which was by his design. There are many ways to use spells to extract knowledge from someone and to prevent it from happening. So, we decided it would be best if we knew nothing about it. Of course, this required us to trust him, and as I said, we would do so.


    "We still have time. Do you want to look around?" Quincy asked, grabbing my arm and holding onto me. It was making me nostalgic. It was such a long time ago we could go on a date like this, and I intended to enjoy it to its fullest.


    "I do. Let''s just walk the streets and see what changed. Previously, we had not much time to enjoy it."


    "And it looks more lively!" she added as we watched the many buildings, with the boards on their windows taken down and their colorful walls repainted, bringing life back to the city.


    "Oh? Florean Fortescue''s Ice Cream Parlour has reopened? Let''s check it out; I was still young when I last visited, and they had the best ice cream! Dad always used to treat me to one..."


    Hearing me say that, she was the one pulling me forward, and a minute later, we were there, browsing his selection of ice creams.


    "Do... Do I know you, youngsters?" the aging man asked as we discussed which flavors to try, trying to pick different ones so we could snack on each other''s picks.


    "No, I don''t think so." I answered, not expecting him to recognize me, one of many customers from years ago. Not to mention, I was a child back then.


    "I do know those eyes! You are Conrad, Conrad Anguine!" He exclaimed, making me surprised that he recognized me. "Then you must be Quincy Black! Sorry, Quincy Anguine!"


    "Y-yes!" She nodded, blushing a little from happiness, and I turned a bit nervous. I couldn''t lie. His voice managed to alert multiple passersby, and after hearing our names, we were surrounded by people. Great...


    "Please, take it! My gift!"


    "Huh?"


    Now, I was confused. Florean was giving us the ice cream for free and acted as if we were his saviors. Wait. It suddenly clicked¡ªwe probably helped him. It turns out that I was right because soon, he was telling everyone that it was us who saved him and his family by paying for their safety. After Voldemort was gone, he managed to use the money they had to return and reopen his family''s business.


    It didn''t take long that soon the people around us would tell us similar tales and make me realize that I was doing it to screw over the Order and the Death Eaters. In the process... I was changing so many lives... I just... did it to get back at them, never thinking more of it. I never even thought about how the people who took up the offer felt. I didn''t need to... but it was a good feeling.


    "You still popular." I heard a familiar voice, and when I turned towards it, I saw Krum standing there, nodding at us.


    "It surprised us, too." We answered in synch as the people separated, recognizing the other party, looking on, waiting for what would happen. It was not that they expected any trouble, as we had endorsed what Hermione was doing multiple times.


    "Here for debate?"


    "Yep! Is that a problem?" Quincy asked, making him smile and shake his head.


    "No... but I see... Three debates now."

 Chapter 179 – Public Debate (2)

    After we arrived, I had to realize how many people had recognized us. I still thought we were partially unknown or too insignificant to be known by face. Turns out, I was wrong. Was it our wanted posters? Well, I heard some people whispering it was because of the Triwizard tournament, including what my Father achieved at the end of it.


    "Have you seen Neville?" I asked after sitting at an empty bench, watching the crowd and the podium a few yards away from our seats.


    "No. Maybe he was told not to come? His presence with his followers could seriously splinter those who are supporting the Order and their candidates."


    "You are right about that. I am curious about what kind of speeches they will give. I had never met this Schacklebolt before. I know nothing about him!"


    "Me neither. Does it matter, though? He will retell the rhetoric that was given to him by Dumbledore. We all know who the real mastermind is. Plus..." She continued, looking around, gently moving her wand in the cover of her thighs.


    "Nothing?"


    "Nothing. I also don''t know if we could detect him if he is wearing the Invisibility Cloak."


    "You would, I am fairly certain, after studying the Grimoire." I patted her hand with a smile, "We will be fine."


    I believed that when I said it. If we were attacked today, I would be able to use it to my advantage fully and make sure Dumbledore gets treated the same way as Voldemort. I was confident in it... And honestly? Deep down, I wanted him to try it. Just do something stupid... something that I can take advantage of.


    But as expected, that didn''t happen, and the debate started at the set time. The stage had been separated into two opposing sides, One led by Kingsley Shacklebolt and the other by Hermione Granger. Krum was standing close by to her all the time, acting as his chief of security and guarding her with his body. It made me grin because they were cute together.


    As for the debate, I wasn''t really paying any attention to it. Besides the two head figures, many of their party members also spoke up, advocating for some of their points and whatnot... Still, it wasn''t what I was interested in, but in how the crowd was reacting to the points being thrown out by both sides. My foremost curiosity was in the people, to gauge what motivated them and which points drew any reaction out of them, be it good or bad. No matter who gets to power next, really. You need the people more than you need a seat within the Ministry. People live for decades; your seat is good for a maximum of eight years. Four if you do a horrible job... or even less.


    "The three curses will be forbidden once again." Quincy whispered when we were half an hour into the open debate and reached the first point where both parties agreed. The difference was that SPEW advocated expanding on the forbidden spell list, including many memory-altering spells.


    "I''m all for it. Although it won''t stop people from using it, it would make them believe they are much safer now."


    What was funny was the fact that in the debate, our names were dropped multiple times as horrible examples, mentioning the duel where I killed Draco and his Father. Or what we did to plot the murder of Umbridge. An hour later, the same example came up again, and the two sides were arguing about the validity of the witches and wizards being imprisoned in Azkaban. I couldn''t help but chuckle and shake my head, listening to this farce.


    "I can see that the infamous young murderer is here and finds it exceptionally funny..." Shacklebolt exclaimed, looking directly at me. As silence fell to the square, people in the back tried to tiptoe to take a look at us. Before doing anything, I felt Quincy squeezing my hand, giving me the go-ahead.


    "I do." I answered, standing up before I walked directly up the stage, nodding towards both sides, placing the tip of my wand against my throat, enchanting my voice. "I wonder which of us killed more Death Eaters, Mister Shacklebolt."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Don''t try to frame it that way. Those were different."


    "True. I should be applauded for it, going by your standards." I nodded before he could continue, turning towards the crowd instead, "Truth is, I killed them because of their stance and because of the Malfoys going after my family, aiming at my future wife. While the Order of the Phoenix talks about their bonds and their familial strength, the Death Eaters spew the rhetoric of a strong, clean family. They were the same rhetorics in my eyes. The two sides of the same coin, if you will. The only difference was the coat of paint on it... Yet neither side truly understood what family was. You, those who lost family members to either side, it doesn''t matter why; you understand what I mean by this."


    "Like we killed any¨C!" Someone from the Order interjected, and I don''t know which participant was that not that it mattered, because I kept facing the crowd.


    "They killed many, including their own. While I used the killing curse, the Order even set their own captured pawns on fire to prevent them from speaking. We can debate which of us were crueler, whether it was necessary or not... but that won''t do good to nobody and won''t bring back the dead." I shrugged, making the crowd murmur, "This is also why you are afraid to bring forward the people in Azkaban and put them through a proper trial right here, right before everybody!"


    "Their trial will come when the Ministry is up and working again. They will be tried according to law!"


    "Hopefully, none dies while in prison." I said calmly, finally looking at Shacklebolt before glancing at Hermione and the rest. "I am much more satisfied with SPEW''s ideas and plans than what the Order proposed so far."


    "And your opinion matters because?" Someone asked, finally making the crowd join in as shouts and whistles began flying everywhere. I let them do it for a little before raising my hand, trying to calm them down.


    "It matters because my Father worked tirelessly for your Order, saving dozens if not hundreds of muggle-born wizards, including Hermione Granger! Not to mention, he was a crucial part of your successful attack on Hogwarts, where Voldemort was killed for the first time, showing us that he indeed dabbled in the heinous art of splintering his soul to cheat Death! You discarded my Father as a tool that outlived its usefulness and branded us as dangerous fugitives. I am not angry about it, Kingsley Shacklebolt. You could have just let us go... But no. If that were the case, I could chalk it up to be part of the political game. What I am angry about is the fact that you tried to kill me and my wife!"


    "What the Beuxbatons did is not up to us. We had nothing to do with that!" He answered firmly, making me roll my eyes. "Not to mention, why not tell us all who did you free? Who is your new Master? You were once taught by Voldemort, and now... come on, tell us who! The crowd would love to hear it!"


    "By Voldemort? Like I had a say in it! He whisked me away to make me into his pawn, forcing me to serve his plans in laying a trap for you! Do you really think I had the strength to stand up to him as a kid?! Laughable. And now you are saying someone worse is looking out for us? Really? Did he come back?! No? Then who do you think it is?" I laughed, filled with righteous anger and sarcasm, "Don''t tell me it is Gellert Grindelwald? Or should I pick an even older Dark Wizard? Will Herpo do it?"


    My question also made the crowd laugh out loud while I just stood there and kept grinning, and although I knew Hermione and Krum were also probably looking on half-disgusted, half-fuming, I would still deny the accusation. I''m not stupid, and I know it would be a bad idea to reveal that information, so I will lean into it and paint anyone trying to reveal it to sound like a clown. Of course, the crowd''s reaction was enough to stop Kingsley from saying anything more, making me chuckle once again before shaking my head.


    "I am my own Master. Even if I am standing here, I am not trying to become a minister. If you want to know, I like what SPEW stands for, but I also like what some people in your Order have been saying lately. I would support your faction, too, if you would let it go from your greasy, power-hungry fingers! There is someone amongst you who I call a friend: the Hero, Neville. Weren''t he and many of your lot hiding under my Father''s protection? Or are my memories of growing up being friends with Neville Longbottom incorrect? You old bastards are slimy as a Flobberworm. But... Neville? He is a sensible one; I don''t understand why he is not amongst you today. Curious... I thought he was part of the family."


    "He is too young." Kingsley answered immediately, making me shake my head.


    "That is my point. He is. Just like Hermione Granger and the bulk of SPEW. You old bastards made our life turn out as is. Because people like your generation, we had to live in a world where when we were 13 and 14, we got to swear fielty to a Dark Lord, where we got branded," I continued pulling up my sleeve and showing the very faint remains of Voldemort''s tattoo, "or die by refusing it. My generation has had enough of yours and especially had enough of having the same people in charge of deciding our futures. You can teach us, but you all lost the chance to lead us."


    With that, I didn''t wait; stepping down from the podium, Shacklebolt''s answer drowned out by the crowd. I think we did enough... it was time to leave.

 Chapter 180 – Old Friends

    It happened during the time when Conrad was up on the podium, giving his improvised speech. Further away, atop one of the sloped buildings, a man was crouching down, watching the crowd. After being immobile for a long time, he suddenly flinched, standing up straight before speaking softly, seemingly to himself.


    "The cloak is only good when your opponent doesn''t know you have it, old friend."


    At first, there was no answer to his words, but when his blue eyes finally went from looking at the youngster further away and gazing towards the opposite rooftop, the air abruptly warped at the same spot where he was looking. A moment later, Dumbledore appeared, throwing a cloak backward, attached to his wizard robes, letting it hang behind his back as a cape.


    "I don''t have it, Albus." Grindelwald said calmly, his appearance remaining that of a middle-aged, average man, but his voice was the same kind that the old wizard knew oh so well.


    "I guessed as much."


    "Are you still going to try and kill me?"


    "Thinking about it." He answered without hesitation, looking at his old friend, his gaze calm and unafraid of a possible confrontation.


    "Then why spare me all those years ago?"


    "I didn''t spare you; I left you there to rot and die a slow death."


    "No, you didn''t." Grindelwald sighed, shaking his head, "You are ambitious, Albus, but not cruel."


    "I became cruel. Isn''t it what your young disciple believes?"


    "He does think that, and I can understand why. But don''t forget, we have known each other for almost a century. Back then, you couldn''t do it to me, and I believe you wouldn''t be able to do it now either."


    "You would have done it..." Dumbledore answered after a moment of silence, having a slight, soft smile behind his long beard. "You would have also collected all three to then rule over all wizarding kind and bring forth a collective order. One that has one voice, one direction, one goal... and eternal peace."


    "Grandeur dreams of a young mind. We both know that now, don''t we, old friend?"


    "I don''t know anymore. I had a long time to think about it and had new experiences to make me think of what would have happened if I had stayed with you. If I don''t stand in your way and instead help you. Maybe what transpired with Tom Riddle would have played out differently. Perhaps he would have never become the scourge and death-bringer he eventually turned out to be. Maybe he would have remained a weird muggle boy without ever being discovered. My only solace was that he never found out about the Hallows... Who knows what kind of abomination he would have become."


    "The strands of fate, vowed by magic, are indeed unpredictable. My good friend, it seems to me that we have swapped places. Our talk here, right now, makes me remember our last duel..."


    "It is not too late, Grindelwald." Dumbledore continued after taking a deep breath, understanding what his old friend was implying. "We can still join hands and do what we planned in that special summer year. We can do it all; we have it all for our plans to become reality. We have all three, Grindelwald... All three!"


    "Those plans would never work, Albus! Don''t you see it? They were plans, born from naivety and misled desires. We were dreaming of a world of wonder without truly understanding magic, fate, and the Hallows. We were young geniuses who thought we knew it all and did it better than our teachers! Even if I give you the Stone, it would bring you nothing more than ruin. The three never can stay together for long. Anyone who has them will fall because their fate will create ripples so strong that they will tear them apart."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I didn''t know that in your old age, you became a seer, my friend."


    "In my cell," Grindelwald smiled amicably, looking into his friend''s eyes, "I had time to think and peer behind the veil. You didn''t abandon me; you saved me. I want to return the favor, Albus." He said, and his honesty and the truth behind his pure words were undeniable, even without the usage of spells peering into his mind. "We can still stop it all."


    "What about the kid?"


    "Grudges must be settled, but that doesn''t mean anyone has to die. We can work things out. Albus... You were right; we can all change. We all have our destinies, but the route we can take to fulfill them is up to us! Please..." For a long moment, Dumbledore was looking at his stretched-out hand, thinking deeply, before his eyes twitched, and Grindelwald knew he had to lower his arm.


    "My decision is final, old friend." Dumbledore answered, his right hand clutching his wand. "Our dream is the correct path, even if I need to turn it into reality by myself. I wish that I could turn back time and stand with you... but I will do it now. For you." Then, this time, it was him who raised his other hand, stretching it towards Grindelwald. "Join me and let us do what we originally dreamed of... For the Greater Good."


    "No." Grindelwald answered without hesitation, standing in a dueling posture. "I''m sorry, Albus. I will have to stop you then. For your own sake, before it is too late and you die."


    Dumbledore knew there was nothing to talk about anymore. Instead, it was his wand that spoke, sending a red spark towards Grindelwald, who, in a flash, deflected it before both of them teleported, appearing hundreds of meters away, exchanging a flurry of spells so fast, their arms seemed to be stationary.


    The world surrounding them was colorless, turned black and white as time seemingly stopped as the two''s magic clashed. With two quick flashes, they were no longer in Diagon Alley, in London; they were already somewhere uninhabited, lost in England''s lush, green fields. Dumbledore raised an army of earth golems with one spell, sending them against Grindelwald.


    His opponent was unperturbed, taking a deep breath and twirling his wand above his head, turning Dumbledore''s eyes serious as he looked up to the sky, seeing black clouds appear from nowhere and the torrential rain come down, forming massive spears that pierced the land and his golems. They were all nailed to the earth one by one, dissolving them into mud, before lighting struck down, aiming to hit the old wizard.


    With raising the Elder Wand, one bolt of lightning struck it on the tip, just for it to be absorbed and shot out as an attacking spell right at Grindelwald. Conrad''s master was unperturbed by the fact that apparating away and reappearing behind Dumbledore, the two exchanged another move, then a second, third, and fourth.


    Their exchange was like the core of the storm. As lightning fell around them everywhere, as the earth was thrown into the air, floating as if gravity itself retreated, the two wizards were aiming different untaught spells at each other. As the ancient magic met, clashing and exploding, the thundering noises were like war drums playing next to their ears.


    Although both of their faces were stoic and concentrated, their eyes unblinking, their minds calculating every move the other was making, trying to create an opening or getting in a counter-spell to end the battle. It was a fight where it took only one mistake to come to a conclusion, one momentary lapse of judgment. Yet, neither of them was relenting, matching the other.


    Ultimately, the two separated, standing in the rain and lightning, looking at each other, saying nothing. Still, both of them knew what the other was thinking about. Dumbledore''s index finger unconsciously strokes his wand, finally understanding what Grindelwald had to feel back then when it was he who held it between his fingers, facing off against him. It was, even if he wouldn''t admit it, infuriating.


    On paper, he should be the one winning this fight; his wand should give him the edge over the other, but Grindelwald was still keeping up with him. Was it the work of Nicolas''s elixir? Did age really matter this much? No, that can''t be. He was stronger when they fought all those years ago. But then again... how could Grindelwald keep up with him? He was rotting in a cell, all alone, this... Was this the wand''s doing?


    "I know your thoughts, old friend." Grindelwald spoke, but his wand kept pointing at him. "And they are correct. That wand is a treacherous, evil being. It obeys you as long as you are worthy in its eyes. The moment it feels like he has found someone better, he slowly begins holding back. It tests you and its new candidate. I know, I experienced it... It will abandon you for another when it feels you are no longer worthy and never hesitates. It is the nature of power; it is power''s incarnate! And power only cares about one thing... more power."


    "..."


    "As I said, it is not too late." He continued, sighing, "Think about it... and we can stop this before it is too late."


    With that, Grindelwald suddenly disappeared, disengaging from their battle, apparating away, leaving Dumbledore standing in the rain before slowly holding up his hand and looking at the wand between his fingers.

 Chapter 181 – Trial (1)

    "The bastards!"


    With a loud shout, Lockhart almost fell through the door to the dining room, scaring our two new house elves, Winky and Dobby. When we hired them, it turned out the latter was once in the Malfoy household, but when it fell apart, he got sent to Hogwarts. With all the commotion happening later, many elves were in a kind of limbo, undecided about where they would end up eventually. Luckily for us, both were grateful to be given a home and to stay with us. The former was happy because she seemingly relished the idea of finally serving a wizarding family once again. The latter, on the other hand, after hearing my name, was surprisingly adamant about coming with Winky and constantly going on about working for the one who killed his evil Master. Huh...


    "What''s wrong?" I chuckled, biting into my sandwich. "Don''t scare poor Winky!"


    "Ah, sorry, sorry!" He smiled at her hurriedly before shrugging and throwing the current issue of the Daily Prophet on the table. It had an image of me, with the headline ''The Story of the Youngest Murderer,'' highlighted in bold letters.


    "You look good on the front page." Quincy chuckled, making the elves tiptoe to take a look at it.


    "Master is dashing!" Winky agreed while Dobby was tilting his head, his massive eyes looking questioningly at us.


    "Why do people write lies about Young Master? They are horrible!"


    "Well, it isn''t exactly lies." I answered with a chuckle, picking it up and reading some parts of it. "We did make sure one of the evil teachers, who was just as bad as Lucius Malfoy, disappeared. And I killed your old owner, no?"


    "Someone worse than Old Master? That can''t be!" Dobby gasped, and thanks to Quincy''s quick reflexes, she pulled out the plate from between his fingers. Poor Dobby did have issues, always trying to self-punish when he made a mistake. Or when he thinks he made one. Or when the Malfoys come up and he curses at them. Haaah, I don''t want to know what he went through, but the first day was mainly about Winky following him and berating him because she had to clean up the broken plates he had been smashing against his head.


    "Yeah. They did get the part right where we used Draco to kill Umbridge. They just didn''t nailed the weapon and the exact method."


    "Maybe that would be too big news?" Quincy asked, taking the paper and reading it for herself. "Wait, is that me? Did they give me the name of the Blackest of Witches?"


    "They think it is a good enough wordplay of your heritage and your black heart." Lockhart snorted, sitting down and taking the coffee from Winky, who was ready to serve him breakfast. "Amateurs. I will publish a counter article! If they want to play it like this, I will bring them down; just watch me, Young Conrad! I will show them how we do it professionally! They are a bunch of amateurs!"


    "It''s your field of expertise!" I nodded with a chuckle, "I trust your judgment, Professor." Seeing him beam just the same as he did while we were back in school, I was no longer annoyed. Instead, I genuinely looked at him as a proper friend by now.


    "What about the books?" Quincy asked, making him take a sip before answering.


    "They are coming along. The first volume will be finished by autumn, and I am planning to release it at the start of the new semester. It will summarize my experience in Hogwarts, my meeting with you, and what you did for me and everybody else. It is not long, but it will be impactful, and then we can start writing your recollections! Those will go out before Christmas if all is good, making it the perfect gift. I hope to sell a lot of them!"


    "They will attack you for it." Grindelwald spoke up, entering the room like a silent specter popping up from nowhere.


    "What are they not using to try and smear us with filth?" I asked with a shrug. "They will do more and more because they are feeling that they are about to fail."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I wasn''t bluffing. They were losing their support and fast. For one, Gringotts was back in the goblins'' hands. This also meant that our gold supplies were stopped as everything returned to normal, and all the losses were chalked up to Voldemort and his few missing supporters. Of course, I wasn''t worried because it was time to start raking in those investments.


    Many who escaped were now happy to help us or work for us. Not only did the Quibbler become ours, but multiple different, diverse shops and venues now also belonged to us or worked for us. There was one, the Dragon''s Lair, where, for example, I was selling the artifacts that I was creating. I usually sent all the little trinkets that were my finished training exercises to them. The people who manned the shop were old schoolmates, graduates who weren''t captured or imprisoned by the Order. As for if someone asked who made them, they wouldn''t spill the beans. They even began advertising the shop, and we were making a good profit.


    Heck, I thought that maybe I should pass down some of my meager knowledge and train some beginner artificer of my own. Anyway, to fuel both my and Quincy''s passion, we also bought up a few suppliers who would trade and gather ingredients for us. Copying what my Father did in the muggles'' world, we knew how important it was, so we were spending money wisely, making it self-regenerate, so to speak. Quincy also had her own avenue, which, unlike mine, was wearing her name. Quincy''s Remedies. She opened it two days after our public debate in the heart of Diagon Alley, and the people there were also young Hogwarts graduates, mainly from Hufflepuff. With her recipes becoming somewhat famous and with Professor Slughorn''s multiple endorsements, business was booming.


    With the public perception on our side, they could do nothing much against our shops besides some smear campaign. Or opening competing shops, but so far, the latter has not happened yet. Then, there was the fact that SPEW was also catching up with them. They successfully presented more and more choices for ministry positions and garnered ample followers to start counting their votes. The Order''s only chance to come back in the race was if they relented... and made some internal compromises, letting Neville come to the forefront. Only that would draw back people to their side, as he was hailed as a Hero. The boy who ended Voldemort. If anyone asked me... I think they were going to do it. I saw no other route before them. This, in turn, also means that we will have two Ministers of Magic because Neville was repeating it time and time again! I wouldn''t mind... I would take two people at the top who I may befriend instead of having one who is antagonistic towards us.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    A few days later, in the Daily Prophet, there was an announcement that the new Wisengamot had been voted in and, in its first year, would contain only 12 members before more matured and joined up with them. Of course, my nomination was thrown out, using my age as the main reason... and I agreed. Publicly. As for the others? Most of the names were not interesting to us, but a few made me smile, knowing we would have multiple pairs of ears inside of the group. The most evident was Professor Slughorn, who made it in, so I expect clicks to form and some decisions to reach his ear at the last moment. But... Then again, two others were selected, and I don''t think anyone knew they were also in contact with us. One was from the Abbott family, who received our support to reestablish themselves, while the other was Snape himself. I was surprised he got in there, but he did, and I couldn''t be happier.


    With that sealed and publicly announced, finally, it was time for what I had been waiting for. They would have no more reason to postpone the trials of the captured ''Death Eaters.'' We already began preparing for that trial because I wanted to be there and make sure we free as many of those who we knew. If they don''t make the trial public, I will still attend, and if not for any other reason, then it will be because I was there with them at school. I knew them, and they worked with me... And I worked with my Father and Snape. If the latter, as Dumbledore said, was one of the biggest heroes, being an agent for decades and helping them from the inside, then we were accomplices. So... Are we punishing now people who did what the Order asked of them? I wanted to hear Dumbledore''s answer to that question, and if everything went well, I may just do so.


    If I can provoke him enough to attack me, it would be enough to oust him and start a campaign to draw attention to the wand in his hand. Our goal with Quincy was clear from the start. Dumbledore would be punished, but there is another thing we decided on. The three Hallows have to be destroyed. We tried attacking the stone, but that had no success, and I came to the conclusion that we would need the Elder Wand to blast it apart. As for how we will destroy the wand itself... That is still in development. But I am sure we will come up with something... so it is future me who will need to worry about it.


    For now, it was time for me to prepare to try to free some old friends. I will never forget how they helped Quincy and me, and I am here to return the favor.

 Chapter 182 – Trial (2)

    The trial of the captured Death Eaters happened in the old ministry building in the heart of the muggles'' city. Since the fall of Voldemort, the Order''s number one enforcer, Mad-Eye Moody, has either been overseeing Azkaban or was in the Ministry, destroying the curses and traps that were left behind.


    By now, the institute was usable again, although I knew there were talks about relocating it. Too many bad things happened inside, and nobody felt that it was right to remain there and continue governing from a tainted place. However, until the new location is selected, there is no choice but to use it. What I was surprised about was that people were being let in for the trial, including us.


    We didn''t come alone because Lockhart did come with us this time, enjoying his pardoned existence and the fame he was gradually racking up. No joke, since we arrived, multiple people came to ask for his and our autographs. I was a bit taken aback, but he was in his element, retelling tales that didn''t even happen, being the type of propagandist you would want with you if you were in our shoes.


    "Honestly... He is a natural. He was wasted in Hogwarts." Quincy whispered into my ears, making me nod.


    "Yeah, if Voldemort would have used him as his mouthpiece, oh boy... He would have been able to sway public opinion towards so many things! I do believe that his bullshittery is above his proficiency in mind magic."


    "You can say that again."


    "Conrad?"


    I was about to break out from the ring of people who stopped us the moment we got into the lobby when I heard my name being called. Tiptoing to see above the heads of others, I quickly found the owner, whom I had already recognized. He wasn''t better off because he was sandwiched between even more people, trying to catch my attention.


    "Neville!" I shouted back, and after both of us managed to break free, we finally met in the middle before hugging it out.


    "Good to see you! Quincy!" He grinned and hugged her, too, and although it was genuine for us, it was also a great show for the people present. I even looked into the flash of one of the photographers, snapping an image, most likely for the Daily Prophet.


    "Popular, eh? I remember you complaining about having no friends in the village, but now... look at you!" I grinned, elbowing him.


    "I wouldn''t say I have friends. I have followers and people who know me... friends are something... No matter."


    "I get it. I do. We both do." I chuckled, squeezing his shoulders as we walked towards the room where the trial would be held, breaking off from the crowd. While those who were with Neville were being taken care of by the two accompanying him, our ''followers'' were bogged down with Lockhart, who was eager to answer any and all questions coming his way. "I recognize the witch you were with. She saw Grindelwald." I mumbled, looking back over my shoulders.


    "That would be Professor McGonagall. She is one of my main supports and someone I trust deeply. The wizard next to him, the big guy, is Hagrid. He has a heart of gold... especially towards beasts. Do you remember the three-headed dog?"


    "That nasty beast?" Quincy asked, raising her eyebrows, recalling the events of the TriWizard tournament.


    "Yeah. His name was Fluffy, and it was his."


    "Fluffy..." we grunted, exchanging a glance, "Weird name for a raging beast."


    "It wasn''t supposed to be like that." Neville spoke cleanly and calmly, but we know him well. I could feel the anger under his skin boiling. "Someone drugged the dog and made it into a berserker, overdriving and killing it. I won''t say Hagrid doesn''t harbor hard feelings towards you all... But so far, I have managed to uncover a few things, presenting evidence to Hagrid, and even if he is not the smartest man, he isn''t stupid. He can see reason, and he knows people. He sniffs them out." He added with a half-smile. "He understands what I meant..."


    "Hmmm... So, he is a bodyguard of yours?"


    "Yes, and I brought him here because I trust his judgment; he will know from those who are going to be released today who is trustworthy and who isn''t."


    "What are you trying to tell us?" Quincy asked, tilting her head while I kept smiling, not taking offense to his words.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "I don''t want you to get people out who are... guilty. Even if you were friends with them. I will support you where we feel you are right but oppose you if I must."


    "Fair." I nodded, stretching my hand out and shaking his. "I am not here to cause trouble; I am here to get people their freedom back. Some of them are in prison unjustly."


    After we entered the room and found our seats, we waited patiently, watching as the room was being filled with people. It was also our first time meeting with Dumbledore face-to-face in a pretty ordinary manner. Well, sort of, not counting the few yards between us while he walked forward, being one of the judges on the podium. He never looked at us all this time, but he was scanning the room, and I knew why. He was looking for Grindelwald, but we didn''t even know where he was.


    In the end, the judges were made of people from the Order alone, which was one of the points that SPEW and I attacked openly multiple times, but it never changed, no matter what we did. However, that was not the case when it came down to who would fill it out from Order. One such new member was Neville himself. Which, in turn, meant he had to have more than one of his supporters joining him. All I had to do was wait... and play my part well.


    When the first Death Eater was brought out, it was a man named Lawrence Selwyn. I had never met him or heard about him, so we just sat back and let it play out, getting a feeling of the process of this charade. The one who played the prosecutor''s role was the now somewhat infamous Mad-Eye Moody, quickly painting a picture of the pure devilish deeds of Lawrence up on the big stage.


    And I believed him. Especially after I came to understand that the Selwyn family was the same one that spawned Umbridge. I never knew the connection, but... I believed Moody, so after a brief exchange with my wife, we let it all play out and let the judges sentence him to life in prison.


    Next was another man, Evan Rosier. He supposedly was a pretty brutal enforcer, even taking a chunk out of Moody''s nose when Voldemort first came to power, so it seems this was some kind of payback. I wasn''t surprised when he also got the life sentence. The one who followed him on the stand was an older woman, Druella Rosier.


    Now, she was much more interesting. I learned that she was the mother of one of the missing, high-ranking Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange... and Narcissa Malfoy. Aaaaand, it turns out that she had a third daughter, who distanced herself from the family, and then that girl also had a daughter of her own, who was now part of the jury. Druella tried to plead with her directly, but the girl, bearing the family name of Tonks, didn''t even flinch. It was like watching a muggle TV series! I almost asked Quincy if she brought any popcorn with her or not.


    Anyway, when all pleading failed, she looked at me directly and began calling me all the names under the sun until she was dragged away with another life sentence being announced. Was I affected by her words? No, not really. I understood why she blamed me for Narcissa''s death, her apparent suicide. Was I guilty? Strictly speaking, yes. Was I feeling guilty? No. We all make choices, and those choices have their consequences. I could have been friends with Draco, but it didn''t turn out that way, and I wasn''t going to brood over the past. I did what I did and won''t deny it or change it retroactively.


    After a bit of shouting to bring back order, they brought out Irene Fawley. Now, she was someone who I knew about. Maybe I didn''t know her by her full name, but I recognized her face because she was a year below us in Ravenclaw. She was part of my ''crew,'' helping me find Quincy. Looking at her, she didn''t look good, way too thin, and her face was telling enough, barely having any resemblance of life on it. If she had to go back, she would be dead in a week.


    The moment Moody began listing her crimes, saying that she was responsible for multiple incidents where Death Eaters raided families for no reason, I had to finally stand up. All that Moody was bringing up was nothing but secondary evidence, obfuscating the point that she was brought away from Hogwarts and made to be the one signing off on papers for the Death Eater search squads. Probably a punishment for her involvement with us or for escaping Hogwarts, putting the blame on her family''s name.


    "And should I remind everyone," I said at the end of my speech, looking at Dumbledore, "Who raided our school, forced us to escape, and then left us there, not caring how Voldemort punished the students? All those people who were caught in the crossfire?"


    I know that by interfering, I was breaking a few laws, or I could be rejected or even ejected from the place, yet they could not really do it. Not without turning the public completely against themselves. Of course, they knew I would do this, so they were prepared, but so was I. I made sure that I was attacking their every point, making them admit that what they had was circumstantial at best or at worst; they were ignoring the fact she was forced to obey, or she would be dooming herself and her family to a gruesome death.


    After a short but intense back and forth, the judges finally relented, and she was released. Seeing her relieved expression made me smile, and I did not sit down because I noticed that the next figure they were bringing in was a man who I also knew by face. He was an older Slytherin student back then, so I decided to walk out of my seat and stand beside Mad-Eye Moody.


    "If nobody here bothers defending those who were victims of a system..." I said calmly and cleanly, looking at the judges. "Then I will."


    I didn''t care what they were thinking of my brazen attitude or about my ''qualifications,'' I confidently exchanged a gaze with Marcus Flint, letting him know that I was there to return the help he once gave me. While doing so, I also noticed that Neville, from time to time, glanced towards the giant man sitting at the back. Hagrid... huh? I wondered if he really could sniff out people''s personalities. Oh well... I am going to get everybody out one way or another.

 Chapter 183 – Prepare a Summit

    Seven people. In the end, I managed to free seven of those who were put on trial, which also meant I managed to get the freedom back for everyone who was with us back in school¡ªanyone who helped us while the TriWizard Tournament was happening. The interesting and somewhat worrying part was that Dumbledore never once opposed my arguments, never tried to push back against me, and even agreed with me twice!


    He was playing it well, so it was no wonder he was the leading wizard of his century. If I would have continued pushing on more or kept trying to provoke him, then I would have started looking like an ungrateful ass, so he also forced me to change tactics and act as if I was asking for his opinions politely. He not only managed to maintain his positive appearance and righteous decorum, but he also showed those who were present that the Order was not fractured. Every time Neville spoke, he stood with him, and I could see in Neville''s eyes that it surprised him, too.


    Through Snape''s reports, we knew that there was splintering within. Neville emerged as a new type of leader, gaining support within the Order, especially from those members who had grown up or matured into adults when he was born. But when it was time to show their unity, with Dumbledore at the helm, they did it perfectly. People on the outside would be oblivious that big problems were brewing behind the scenes.


    I wasn''t even mad because I never expected it to be easy or straightforward. I was just curious how long he could keep it up. When we left, nobody tried to stop us, I mean, from their side. There were people who wanted an interview, but I told them that I had to wait for my voice to return as I spoke enough for the day.


    Of course, when the relevant issue of the Daily Prophet arrived, it displayed the whole thing as if I was doing everything I could to save my minions. This was already laughable because if it was that, why did Neville and Dumbledore agree with me that they should be freed? My guess was that if the Order couldn''t go against me directly, they were doing it through the press. Journalists can be replaced, after all.


    We didn''t lag behind. On the same day, the Quibbler was out, detailing the whole incident from our point of view. It even had extra pages that described the people we freed and what they did for us. Most were from my recollections, with the help of sample pages from the journals we used, but a big part of it was Lockhart''s work, painting it to be a bit more colorful and touching.


    With this, our focus had to shift once again, as next was the upcoming votes and re-establishment of the Ministry of Magic. Two candidates were coming from the Order, aiming for the seat of Prime Minister. One was Shacklebolt, who we already knew about, but the other was a sudden surprise. I honestly thought Neville would be the one, but he made a public speech and made a surprising announcement. He acknowledged his age, that he was too young, and that many would say he was inexperienced... So, he nominated Minerva McGonagall for the position, someone who was also from the top branch of the Order and previously a famous witch within Hogwarts.


    On the side of SPEW, Hermione was their nominee, which wasn''t a surprise for anybody. We knew it would be a certainty, and she was the beating heart of it all anyway. What was maybe cause for surprise was how well she spoke before the public and how heartfelt everything she said was. She didn''t only speak to wizardkind but also spoke to many marginalized magical races, be it goblins, house elves, or centaurs.


    It was also something that soon put them into the crosshair of a campaign that I was sure was orchestrated by Dumbledore. It started as a rumor that grew stronger and stronger, painting SPEW and many of its members as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang spies. Outsiders who are now, after Voldemort''s death, came to take advantage of Britain and put it under their rule. The issue was that there was no way to deny the connections as many of them were living in Beauxbatons. Victor was from Durmstrang. No matter how much or how well they try to say all the rumors are fabricated, they could never deny it confidently in the eyes of those who were paranoid, even if just a little bit.


    And... In a country that was under decades-long regimes, paranoia was still thriving within people''s homes.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "What''s our next step?" Lockhart asked as we sat in my father''s old office. This time, it was me who sat in his chair, taking a big sigh when I leaned back in it. "You didn''t get into the Wisengamot nor the Ministry."


    "Not that he wanted to." Quincy answered for me, making Lockhart sigh.


    "I know, but it would still be such a powerful move! I had drafts written up that now I can''t publish¡ªwhat a waste!"


    "It would have been too much work, not to mention the distractions it would have caused." Grindelwald interjected, standing at the windows, leaning leisurely against the wall, "Politics is best left to others who then you can control or give suggestions to. Participating in it? It is a headache, trust me. Voldemort made the very same mistake that I did and tried to be at the forefront of it."


    "That is why you don''t see Dumbledore doing it." I agreed, trying to explain it to Lockhart, "He is totally fine with being the Headmaster of Hogwarts because, from that position, he oversees future generations'' witches and wizards. He will always have a hand, a voice, a say in how politics is handled through them."


    "..."


    "Anyway!" I clapped after letting him think about it for a little. "I have an idea, and I invited Miss Granger over for dinner for tomorrow night!"


    "What is it all about?" Lockhart asked, feeling that he was the only one who was out of the loop.


    "Do you remember our tale, what we did after separating from you?" I answered with my own question, seeing him put it together, a lightbulb appearing above his head.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When Hermione arrived, I wasn''t surprised she was accompanied by Krum; what surprised me was that they were dressed elegantly. Of course, we were, too, expecting that somehow, somewhere, paparazzi must be doing their best to make a story out of it. Hells below, I was banking on it. That is why so many of our security spells were tweaked to let them get a scoop.


    After a pleasant but quick welcome, we invited them into our home, where a dinner table was already ready. I could see that Hermione was somewhat annoyed that two elves were serving her, but she was aware enough to not mention it. Well... not immediately. After the appetizers were gone, she brought up the fact that if she gets to have a say in it, there will be debates about freeing all elves. Just by hearing her, Winky managed to drop a cup, letting it shatter on the hard, wooden floor, making me smile.


    "What about elves like her?" I asked seriously, watching our two elves quickly clean up.


    "She was brainwashed from a young age." She answered me immediately, and I could see in Victor''s eyes that they probably had the same conversation a few times because he looked blankly ahead, eating, as if nothing was happening.


    "It could be the case, then what? Will you brainwash them? Remove their memories, wiping their personalities?"


    "What? No! They need rehabilitation."


    "Look, I understand." I shrugged, leaning forward, "I had an elf who served our house for a long time, Squeaky. She was more of a sister and mother to me than my own mother ever was. I will tell you now because you never had elves or experienced their nature... but some of them wouldn''t want to be free."


    "That''s¨C" She started, but it was Winky who interrupted her with a loud yell.


    "That''s right!"


    "I do agree," I continued while smiling at Winky, "that those elves who wish for their freedom should be able to get it. If an elf wants to be free, then there should be no opposition against it! But you also can''t forcefully free every one of them."


    "They¨C"


    "They can make their own decisions." Quincy said, cutting her off, "Give them free will, the same thing you are campaigning for. Let them decide their fate. Isn''t that what SPEW is saying? You can''t drastically change things like this. Not unlike you do it forcefully..."


    "..."


    "If you want to transform it," my wife continued, "Make it gradual through education."


    "I understand." Hermione shrugged deeply at the end, shaking her head, "But who says we will have a chance to make changes at all? The smear campaign has hurt us deeply..."


    "We can deal with that." I chuckled, making both of them fall silent. They looked at me without blinking, waiting for me to continue. "Let''s hold a summit."


    "What for?" Krum asked after Hermione remained silent.


    "A summit for the future of European wizardkind. Three schools were counted as the cornerstones of the wizarding world for many centuries... We could make it happen again, and I could make it so that Dumbledore and Hogwarts have to accept the meeting proposition and attend it. Through that, we could make sure all their lies would simply wash off of you and that they would have no more grounds to attack you."


    "You would really do it?" Hermione asked, a bit taken aback.


    "We were supposed to be allies, no?" I shrugged, making her blush a little, nodding her head. "Yeah. I will do it. I have friends in Durmstrang. I know they are already working with Beauxbatons, so we can paint a peaceful and harmonious future for everyone. If Dumbledore and his side of the Order are going to try and oppose it..." I grinned, looking at the two, "Then we are as good as putting you and Neville on the seat of Prime Ministers."

 Chapter 184 – The Summit (1)

    In the headmaster''s office, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his glasses resting on an open letter while he was pinching the ridge of his nose. Luckily, he was alone, nobody witnessing his grimace as the paintings of old headmasters were yet to be put back to their hanging spots. As with everything else, every painting was thoroughly investigated, looking for remaining hidden traps and providing Dumbledore with a place where he could be alone with his thoughts.


    "You little bastard." he grunted, muttering under his beard, unable to decide whether he was scolding Conrad, Quincy, or Grindelwald for this plan.


    At first, he received a private letter from Flamel and Zevron, the new Headmaster of Durmstrang, congratulating him on restoring peace and suggesting they should meet officially to tell every wizard and witch that peace is finally restored amongst a wizarding kind. Yet, before he could answer, both the Daily Prophet and that busybody Quibbler published their big ''scoop'' about it, saying there are rumors of the return of the Triumvirate¡ªmeaning the glory of the three schools...


    "It is your doing, isn''t it?" He mumbled, thinking of his old friend, linking him with Durmstrang and with the news of what happened there.


    He was also put in a spot because his connection with Flamel has been little to none since returning to Great Britain. Were they still allies? He couldn''t tell, not after they came to an agreement with Durmstrang. They were supposed to be their guards, the school that protects his back and deals with Durmstrang. Instead, they settled. He no longer knew what to believe, mainly because Flamel was old. If anyone, he could be the one alone who would be able to outplay him, something he was always mindful and afraid of.


    There was no way to get out of this, not with how everything stood at the moment. He already knew that his supporters would, at best, land ministry positions but not become the Prime Minister. He could work with that... He could work with him if Neville became the new head of the Ministry. Yet, he stepped back for Minerva''s sake, which made Dumbledore confident that all would be well in the future. Yet, as soon as one worry of his was dispelled, another reared its head right after.


    "Hmph! Sure! Let''s play it rough then." He scoffed, put his glass up, summoned an automatic, enhanced quill, and began to pen his answers simultaneously.


    He began writing multiple letters at once to regain control over the events. A pair would head out, going to the other two headmasters and inviting them to Hogwarts. Then, there were letters going to Minerva and the muggle-born youngster, Hermione Granger. When those invitations were finished, new ones began to be written, aimed at the Anguine household and, lastly, a dozen or so for the press.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "You were right." I chuckled, reading the Daily Prophet, looking at Grindelwald with a smile. "He did all the things you predicted he would do."


    "I know him well." he answered with a nod while spreading jam over his toast. "Hosting it at Hogwarts would be a questionable move only if it would be us inviting him to the summit. However, we can''t fault him for setting the stage because we made the first move. It will be dangerous."


    "As everything else." Quincy answered, sipping on her tea. "It will be something that many people will attend because of his latest open invitation in the papers. What I am afraid of is if he manages to come to some kind of agreement with the two others and cements his position."


    "He will try." Grindelwald and I agreed just as the sleepy Lockhart entered the room. He was pulling another all-nighter to edit his book, which was going to be released next week, adding last-minute changes to its cover and backside.


    "Returning to that school is not something I am a fan of." He mumbled, forcing his eyes open.


    "Take it as an adventure!" I joked, making him shrug as seemingly, after everything, Lockhart enjoyed the best when he could be staying in the villa and writing his books.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I had so many adventures, I could fill a library with my recollections."


    "Half of it would be made up." My wife joked before looking at me, "Will we make our move?" She asked, looking at me while I nodded my head.


    "Um. Durmstrang will bring it up. Of course, we will be just... there to observe. But they will push to make Dumbledore accountable to the Elder Wand. From what we know, he promised that he would relinquish it after Voldemort had been defeated, yet he never brought it up again. We will ask him about it out in the open."


    "People could take it as Durmstrang wanting to interfere with Hogwart''s business¡ªto get the wand." Lockhart warned us, but Quincy quickly answered him while smiling.


    "Hogwarts did nurture Voldemort, so the fear is reasonable. Plus, we will also speak up and give a solution: Destroy it."


    "If nobody can have it, no unnecessary fear would rule the minds of powerful wizards." Grindelwald whispered, raising his cup, and his voice woke up my old grandpa, who was quiet for a long time.


    "He is right. The worst enemy of powerful wizards is their own mind."


    "Oh? You up? How''s it going?"


    "I was observing you for the time being. This peace did good for your mental state; your blood has calmed down a lot."


    "I do feel great. Better than ever."


    "Keep it up because you will need it."


    "What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a bit cautious now because he had not issued any warnings for no reason in the past.


    "I don''t know, Conrad. But I have been feeling weird for a while now, making me wonder why. I have yet to figure it out, but something makes me feel I am in danger."


    "Meaning... I am in danger...?"


    "You are my sole descendant at this point in time. So yes. It means that."


    "Nothing new there. Haaah, don''t worry; you should be an experienced dark grandpa, aren''t ya? Relax!" I answered, trying to comfort him, but now I was also looking into my cup of tea a bit more seriously. Listening to Herpo and learning about Grindelwald''s philosophy about magic, I was also convinced that magic itself was something akin to a sentient power. Something that interfered with the world if it felt its balance being out of control. My only hope was that this didn''t mean I was turning into something of a threat to this balance.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When the time for the summit arrived, Hogwarts announced an open week, welcoming many young wizards who may start their first year when September comes. We weren''t far away from it, and it was not just an excellent opportunity for the next generation, but it was a fun event for those students who were excited to return to a whole new school in a completely new era.


    The last time this many people flooded the grounds of one of the most ancient wizarding schools in history was during the TriWizard Cup, and many couldn''t help but recall those events, especially with the three schools that are supposed to meet here once again. Many expected a few sparks, but still, nobody was thinking about a catastrophe, not after the fall of the Dark Lord.


    Like many others, we arrived early, two full days before the other two Headmasters would, bringing along our own camping kit and setting it up on the school grounds. It was nice to be back... Whatever happened, there were good experiences to have here, like meeting Quincy. It made everything so much... livelier back then. We couldn''t help but walk around, explore the same routes we took in our first years, and enter the castle when the sun slowly started heading towards the horizon. Walking its halls, illuminated by the sunset, the change was tangible... it was different, and anybody who attended school while Voldemort lived could tell it by just passing through the main gates.


    "They really removed Slytherin''s hourglass." I mumbled, holding Quincy''s hand as we walked past the other three, which were filled with red, blue, and gold marbles. Yet the fourth, emerald-colored one was nowhere to be seen, only its empty slot, the telling sign that Slytherin''s house was officially disbanded.


    "I kind of feel like it is a waste!" Quincy exhaled, shaking her head, and I agreed.


    "Yet we can''t really speak up against it." I shrugged while pulling her away, deciding to head toward the old divination tower where we had spent so much time before. "Its reputation was damaged beyond reasoning. Anyone campaigning for it to be kept around would be thrown into Azkaban, even if it is us or Slughorn."


    "Then add a new fourth! Call it Anguine, and make its color purple~!" She giggled, and although she was joking, I couldn''t help but imagine it before bursting into a laugh myself.


    "Yeaaaah, that won''t happen. We are nowhere close to those four founders. They will have to do with three!"


    "Maybe in the future?" she asked, hugging my arm and leaning against me. "Dream big; isn''t that what we learned?"


    "Geez, you want us to become famous, huh? Aren''t we well-known enough?"


    "I don''t care about my renown, but if you would be that liked..." She grinned, "Or be that notorious..."


    "Ha-ha. Very funny."


    "Fufufu, well, anyway, if you were that important, your name would get to be the new fourth house... I would be the proudest wife on the planet!"


    "And then our kids would come to school and end up in Hufflepuff. To be bullied by everybody else."


    "Pft! I could totally see that happening! Except for the bullying part~!"


    "No chance for either of that." Answered a third voice, stopping us in our trek. We looked up at the top of the staircase and saw Dumbledore standing there, gazing down at us above his half-moon spectacles.

 Chapter 185 – The Summit (2)

    "Which part?" I asked back calmly, looking up at the old-new Headmaster of Hogwarts, slowly letting go of Quincy''s hand as we got ready to use our wands if we must.


    "All of it."


    "This is why I want to kill you..." I whispered, shaking my head because if he says that, he just told us we won''t have children as long as he have a say in it.


    "You are welcome to try." He continued just as calmly as before, still standing atop the staircase, talking down on us. "I would prefer it instead of what is happening right now."


    "That may just happen." I sneered, feeling my blood being roused from its sleep all of a sudden.


    "Even with the Elder Wand, two versus one is not ideal." Quincy added, prepared to fight alongside me.


    "Like it would make a difference between us. You both are still young, and if it were not for your guardian, you would already be out of the picture."


    "I don''t see him here." I provoked him, opening my hands and spreading them with a slight smile.


    "Maybe it would be different than in the city..." He murmured, and I saw his fingers twitch, but no wand appeared between them. Instead, he began stroking his beard. "What, he didn''t tell you? Still, keeping secrets before his allies? He can''t change, can he...?"


    "He tells us what needs to be told." I answered seriously and wasn''t just saying that to oppose him. I believed it. I guessed as much that something happened on the day in Diagon Alley, but because he didn''t mention it, I didn''t ask. Not everything needs to be said and shared; that was one of his first lessons.


    "I see. I guess he didn''t tell you he tried to recruit me, did he? That he offered me to join him." Dumbledore continued. Listening to him, I already realized what he was trying to do. Sadly, that was not going to work, and it just made me chuckle and smile, visibly confusing and then angering him.


    "Of course he did; he wants to save you."


    "And you believe that?" He asked as if his intelligence was insulted. The fact that he was raising his voice once in a while told us enough. His mask was slipping.


    "We do." was our firm answer before I continued explaining, "I only know his past from recollections and contemporary newspapers. You may have known him better, but the current version of him is genuine. It isn''t an act, and I am convinced of that fact. His mind and thinking have changed in a way that I have yet to comprehend and may never will."


    "That is why he is playing you both."


    "No." Quincy sighed, shaking her head, "The manipulator right now is not him, but you, Albus Dumbledore. You became so used to doing it that it became part of you. You don''t even realize it, do you?"


    "You speak like you know of me." He countered her words, smiling with tangible sarcasm.


    "Kind of." I shrugged, remembering all the times Grindelwald recounted their summer together and how they were like lost brothers finally finding each other. "He believes that everything is happening for a reason. Every action has its consequences that will show itself, be it good or bad. If not immediately, then they will accumulate and explode when one expects it the least. He is trying to save you..."


    "Save... me? This is why you are still kids... you ate up his speech like I did when I was young. If he was good with something, it was the twisting of words and ideals, using his voice as a spell that was stronger than one of the forbidden curses."


    "I believe him." I repeated myself once again, "Before you try to say anything, I believe him because the proof of his current ideals is right before me. He told me that everything that led me to him, to free him, all of it was according to the laws of magic. I can''t prove that he is right or wrong, but I believe him when he says we''re going to balance everything out one way or another. Just as Neville finished off the Dark Lord, fulfilling the prophecy that foretold him, our journey will end, too... The only difference is that a seer never perceived our prophecy, Albus Dumbledore."


    "Fulfilling yours? By killing me? You really place so much importance on me, boy?" He laughed, missing the main point. It was his actions and his desire to collect all three Hallows that caused the imbalance, not his presence or power.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "No, you could live if you gave up on your desire. Me wanting to kill you is a personal issue of ours." I declared as clearly as possible, ending his chuckle. "But, I will leave you with one simple thought." I shrugged once again, holding Quincy''s hand, ready to leave this conversation as it was going in circles. "Reflect on your past, like my Master did. Retrace your steps, Albus Dumbledore, and see if they seem familiar. See if you and your old friend switched places or not... According to the will of magic... I think your roles got reversed."


    With that, I dared to turn my back to him, holding my wife''s hand as we left. We ended our nostalgic tour of the castle early and headed back to the grounds toward our tent instead of visiting the old divination classroom. Maybe next time...


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Returning to our tent, Quincy began brewing some tea in the kitchen while I sat down in the living room, occupying one of the old armchairs and looking out the window, where the fake scenery of Hogwarts was greeting me. The inside of our tent was akin to a traditional little cottage: small, cozy, and maybe a bit stuffy with all the little knickknacks, books, and whatnot lying around inside.


    "Concerned?" She asked, sitting down in my lap, holding up my cup, and letting me take a sip from it.


    "No. Facing him today, I felt not the same fear or the drive to flee, which tells me that although he is still dangerous, my blood thinks I have a chance."


    "Then what is it?"


    "Do I want to kill him?"


    "I don''t get it..." She murmured, gently stroking my face and tucking my hair behind my ears.


    "Father wasn''t stupid. He knew he was using him, and he was fine with it. Seeing him now... I was thinking maybe his biggest punishment would be not death but to make him lose everything. Make him watch as his precious Hallows are being destroyed; make him lose his standing as a grand wizard, savior of the world, two times over... Turning him into a villain. To make him fall and then give him the opportunity to look up and see his own failure."


    "Did I tell you that I feel tingly when you are a bad boy?" She added with a chuckle, snuggling up against me as I hugged her.


    "A few times, yes."


    "Then add another to the list~!"


    "Not that I would do everything to keep him alive, though." I shrugged, shaking my head, "But if events play out in a way, he is no longer a threat... So be it."


    "Because of Grindelwald?"


    "Yeah..." I nodded after a pause, letting out a long breath, "If he cares, I care too. It is that simple."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    In the headmaster''s office, Dumbledore was sitting in his chair, the Elder Wand resting in his lap while rocking back and forth. His eyes were closed, and he was lost in his memories, traveling back in time. The further he let his thoughts slip, the murkier it all got.


    First, it was the days they spent planning, discovering Tom Riddle''s secrets, and making plans to defeat him. It was the most dangerous time of his life but also the most thrilling as he fought for power and became even stronger than ever before. Then, as he ventured even further back, he remembered the peaceful days when he pursued knowledge above all else... right until he arrived at the years when he was filled with doubt and stood before his most significant decision yet:


    Should he stand with his old friend? Or should he step up to the role so many wanted him to be: the Wizarding World''s savior. In the end, he decided on the latter, fighting Grindelwald, going against all that he represented, all that he, Albus Dumbledore helped him formulate and put into action... and by a flash, he was suddenly back in that tumultuous summer in 1899. On the day their plans were completed, with only one last thing to do... To cut all old ties and leave together, to do what must be done. For the Greater Good.


    While sitting, his fingers twitched as if he was trying to touch something and measure it, but he couldn''t do it. No matter how much he tried, he didn''t remember how it felt. What color was it? What was it made of? What about its core? Length? Springiness? He couldn''t recall anything about his wand¡ªthe same one that helped him defeat Grindelwald, the one that accompanied him until he obtained his very first Hallow.


    The more he forced himself, the blurrier everything got... then his head began hurting, and the scenery within his mind changed to the argument between him, his brother Aberforth, his sister Ariana, and Grindelwald himself. The voices were mixed, shouting over each other, a mess that he thought he had buried deep enough to never be able to recall. Yet, here it was, a mismatch of colors, voices, and boiling feelings. He couldn''t remember who used the first spell, but in the end, it was he who stood over his dead sister''s body, the top of his wand pointing at her unmoving chest.


    Looking at his sister''s empty, lifeless face made Dumbledore''s fingers tense up, twitch, and clench onto the hilt of his wand... which, no matter what, looked like the Elder Wand in his memories. As his blue eyes snapped open, he had to realize he was already standing, his hand stretched out just like in his memory, and he was clenching his wand, pointing it at the air before him. It was his first night in decades that he realized his breathing was hurried, his emerald robes were soaked, and his head was thumping so strongly that it could explode at any given moment.


    Without saying a word, he slowly lowered his hand, looking away from the wand, placing it down once again before going to his cabinet. He retrieved a bottle of Dragon Wine and poured it not into a cup but directly into his mouth until his headache finally subsided enough to stop his ears from ringing. At the moment, no thoughts were left in his mind; he only had varied, unsure, and disturbed feelings as he let everything collide and mix together, unable to untangle the mess inside his mind.

 Chapter 186 – The Summit (3)

    This time around, the two schools arrived at the same time, traveling side by side, coming not with a ship or with a carriage drawn by dragons but by using a portkey. It was much more straightforward, less flashy, and without any display of power that would be easily mistaken as an attempt to overwhelm anybody with their entrance. It was their way of showing that they were taking this seriously as an opportunity and not as a challenge.


    Of course, the real talks wouldn''t start until the second day. The first one was all about arriving, meeting, sweet-talking, and having dinner in the Great Hall of the school. Only a few students were accompanying their Headmasters from both schools for this event, which was logical; to be honest, I was surprised that there was even one who was brought over. But it made sense very quickly.


    At the dinner, where many others were also invited to meet and greet the guests, I saw Hermione welcome some of the Beauxbatons, probably old friends from school. At least, it told me that Hermione valued friendships over public perception because I was sure that Dumbledore''s journalists would use it to support the rumors that she was being paid by them behind the scenes.


    However, she wasn''t the only one who had met with familiar faces as we also watched students from Durmstrang emerge behind their leader. Few of them were the same who worked against us when we masqueraded as siblings, and of course, there was Dimitris. Because it was only he who knew our actual appearance, it was only him who looked towards us, barely able to hold back his smiles. Yet, he matured a lot because he didn''t betray anything and kept walking beside the new Headmaster of Durmstrang, Zevron.


    I knew not much about him, nor did I really care. If they chose him, there had to be a reason, and I trusted that they wouldn''t screw it up, not after everything that happened there. Plus... I think Dimitris would have already contacted us if they had made the wrong decision and put another dark wizard at the helm of their school.


    The dinner itself was just as enjoyable as most feasts despite the boring part happening from start to finish. What I mean by it is the speeches from the Headmasters. I thought it would be interesting, but both Zevron and Flamel spoke about the past decade''s horrors and Voldemort''s dark shadow, drawing parallels between his reign and Grindelwald and then speaking about a much brighter future. About cooperation, peace, and sunshine. The usual, so they very quickly lost my interest. So, instead of staying for dessert and listening to Dumbledore standing up and giving a similar sermon filled with twisted truths and half-lies, we stood up and left.


    It didn''t take long for a third person to catch up with us, finding me and my wife sitting on a stone bench, facing the sparkling silver lake thanks to the full moon''s light.


    "Conrad! Quincy!" He shouted, making us smile and stand back up, hugging Dimitris, who almost jumped on us like an overexcited puppy. "It is so good to see you again!"


    "Same, same! How are things? You look much better! Wait, you grew a few inches, didn''t you?"


    "Maybe!" He grinned, sitting back down with us, "Many things happened, and right now, I am the First Student in the school leading the Student Council!"


    "Wait, the what?" Quincy giggled, listening to him curiously.


    "We established a Student Council composed of the top male and female students of each year, and we are organizing the different families, bloodlines, and talents to ensure the peace is not disturbed. We are also the body that translates between the teachers, students, and their families! It is a lot of work, but it is also fun!"


    "Damn, you became really busy and famous, eh?" I joked, elbowing him.


    "Busy? Oh, for sure! I was already on three trips to Beauxbatons, establishing an exchange student missive that helped us strengthen our bonds. We hope to appoint one with Hogwarts, too!"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Who knows? First, we need to get through the first hurdle." I answered with a shrug, making him look around and turning his tone down to something much more silent. I appreciated it, but Quincy had already cast a spell that would muffle our words to prying ears wanting to listen in.


    "True enough... I got your letters and brought up the issue within the school. I know that the new Headmaster agrees with my notion that things need to change."


    "Speaking of Zevron, who is he? Or, what kind of person he is?"


    "He is excellent! He comes from a relatively new wizarding family, only four generations old, but they seriously contributed to Durmstrang and its improvements, not just now but in the past, too! The best part is that he didn''t want the post at first but got voted in by everyone else."


    "He didn''t want to be your Headmaster?" I asked, finding it surprising.


    "Yeah! So, he also employs aides from the Durmstrang staff and openly discusses everything with them. When I brought up the issue of the Elder Wand, we had a long discussion and then a public forum before deciding that it is indeed a dangerous artifact that either needs to be destroyed or buried forever."


    "That sounds good." Quincy whispered, making me nod because it was exactly what I was hoping for. The only part that made me unsure was the Beauxbatons'' stance. "Did you manage to talk with Flamel?" she continued her question.


    "I was not there, but yeah, the Headmaster did visit them multiple times. His retellings were about that Flamel will consider the issue, but we think he knew about it beforehand."


    "I am sure of that." I exclaimed, leaning back, crossing my hands, "The question is, how much he knew or how much he cared."


    "Or how much he cares now!" Quincy added.


    "Well!" I shrugged, stretching, "We will see tomorrow! Let''s discuss it then. For now, why not join us at our tent, Dimitris? We can have tea and talk about what happened since we separated!"


    "Oh, that sounds excellent! Let''s go!" He laughed, standing up, truly happy to see us again, and we felt the same way.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    When the second day arrived, there was news that the first half of the open forum would be held in the Great Hall. It was there, on the teachers'' podium, where the three Headmasters would discuss the future of the schools and, in turn, the Wizarding World''s next generation. The very first half of it went surprisingly well, going from morning up to lunch, but when afternoon came, it was time for the real deal.


    "I am glad that we all agree that the future is in our younger generation. It is in cooperation and in the fact that we need to learn from the past to avoid repeating its mistakes." Zevron spoke, addressing the crowd and the headmasters. "As Headmaster Flamel explained in his speech a few hours ago, history tends to repeat itself when it is forgotten."


    "I have to admit, he speaks well." I whispered to Quincy while the crowd, including us, clapped and waited for him to continue.


    "Many of us know the old tale," Zevron continued, and while I watched Dumbledore, he seemed to remain calm and collected, probably expecting this from the start. "of three ancient artifacts. We read that tale to our kids and even heard it recounted by my grandmother many times when I was little. It turns out that it isn''t just a kids'' story. Is it Headmaster Dumbledore?"


    "No, it isn''t." He nodded when Zevron looked at him.


    "I am right to assume you have it with you right now?"


    "You are."


    "Can you enlighten us of its origin?"


    "..." When he remained silent, Zevron didn''t wait for long, continuing as if nothing had happened.


    "Wasn''t it wielded by Gellert Grindelwald before his defeat at your hands?"


    "It was." He answered plainly, his face remaining emotionless, yet before Zevron could say anything, he continued, "Meaning that the Elder Wand can be defeated by any regular, talented wizard. It is just a wand, after all."


    "That is said to have a will of its own, always choosing the better wizard." Flamel added, finally making Dumbledore look at him, and I could feel he just determined that his old friend was no longer a friend.


    "What should we do?" Dumbledore asked in a monotone voice, "Share it? I am open to your suggestions, old friend."


    "Destroy it." Flamel declared while standing up. "There are things in this world that need not exist!" and with that, he placed his Philosopher''s Stone on the podium set up in the middle. "Just like my stone, your wand is too dangerous. They need to be destroyed."


    I think nobody expected such a resolve, not even we. Flamel wasn''t playing around; he was announcing that he would give up his own life. But... as I looked at Dumbledore, the light I saw flash in his eyes made my stomach drop. I could envision him raising his hand, attacking them, taking the stone, and escaping... Yet, that didn''t happen. Ultimately, he blinked his aged eyes as the emotions I could read from his face disappeared in a flash.


    "Let''s arrange it then," he said, standing up and producing his wand, which he placed on the pedestal next to the Philosopher''s Stone. "For the Greater Good."

 Chapter 187 – Marauder’s Map

    We were gathered in one of the classrooms, where I was meeting with people from every faction willing to listen to me. I had sent out an invite to Neville, Flamel, Zevron, and Hermione, to name a few, to attend this impromptu meeting. In the end, Flamel didn''t show up, but he sent some teachers in his stead. I guess he was guarding the two magical items as they were sealed and placed under lockdown here in the castle after Dumbledore''s surprising suggestion.


    It wasn''t only me who was surprised by his offer, giving up his wand and letting it be put into a glass container with the Philosopher''s Stone. Then, with everyone accompanying it, the box was brought to the astronomy tower and put behind a magical ward. After leaving the classroom, volunteers from every faction were chosen, standing guard at the door, and one such volunteer was Flamel. I think he expected that Dumbledore would also act the same way, yet he refused, retreating to the Headmaster''s office instead.


    When the two artifacts were brought away, I received a look from Snape, who followed Dumbledore close by, telling me with that one turn of his head that he didn''t know what was happening. But someone else did... because I received a whisper in my ear as Grindelwald reinforced my initial thoughts. To get everybody up to speed, I didn''t stretch out our meeting, nor did I try to convince anybody about what I had to say. I just wanted to make sure they were told what we thought about Dumbledore''s offer and their willingness to let go of the Elder Wand.


    "Are you trying to tell us that Dumbledore will try to steal both artifacts?" Hermione asked, feeling that it was a stretch, even if she was inclined to believe me.


    "That would be the heist of the century." Zevron hummed, scratching his chin while Dimitris, standing next to me, was fidgeting, believing my words from the get-go.


    "I know he will. And if we don''t act now, he will be gone with the two by morning."


    "Act now? Do what?" McGonagall asked, looking at me with a strict, stern gaze while surrounded by Neville and multiple other people from his faction. I didn''t recognize most of them, but I could feel the unfriendly looks from numerous eyes as they looked at me. As if it would make me flinch... Heh.


    "Do what we all agreed on! We must do exactly what we should!" Quincy snorted, annoyed by her expression and the accusing tone she was using, even though we were trying to warn them. "Destroy the wand. Destroy the Hallows. What else would that mean? Why wait?"


    "Waiting does seem to be pointless..." Neville whispered, making me smile a little, but then again, McGonagall cut in.


    "Procedures need to be followed! We agreed to destroy it, which must be done publicly to appease everybody. We can''t just do it willy-nilly, as we don''t know what consequences it would bring with it!"


    "Showing the ruined wand is enough proof." Zevron chimed in, and I couldn''t help but nod towards Dimitris. They chose an excellent headmaster. I already liked him!


    "Dumbledore only needs the last Hallow to have a set and became who knows what... We don''t know if holding all three would give any special powers to the wizard who has them." I shrugged, making them furrow their brows.


    "You say he has two?" One of the Beauxbatons teachers asked, surprised.


    "We know." Quincy nodded. "He has the Invisible Cloak. Don''t you see why we are so annoyed that nothing is being done? I guess not."


    "Hah!" Dimitris chuckled but quickly closed his mouth after every head turned toward him. "Sorry..."


    "That cape!" The giant man in the room, Hagrid, suddenly exclaimed, his booming voice making some others jump. "I knew that one was special!"


    "What cape?" McGonagall asked, looking at him.


    "The one that James had!" Another man spoke up, his gaunt face going from white to red because of anger, and I saw him comprehending a vital clue as understanding dawned in his eyes. If I remember correctly, when he introduced himself, his name was Lupin, and he was one of early Neville''s supporters.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "James?" Quincy asked, making the man look at him. His face turned awkward and weird for a moment, and he looked at her strangely before finding his voice once again.


    "James Potter. I had good friends as a kid... James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. All of them are dead..."


    "Hmph..." Quincy snorted at once, hearing Sirius''s name, and her countenance went dark, but she didn''t try to truly interrupt his monologue. I gently stretched out my hand, holding hers and squeezing her fingers to keep her calm.


    "James had a cloak that we used multiple times to sneak out of school."


    "Haaah..." McGonagall exhaled but very quickly forced her stern look back on her face. I could see that her mind put many past incidents together because of Lupin''s current revelations.


    "That cloak was always with him and helped James many times when we fought against Voldemort, but when it was time for them to hide from the world, Dumbledore borrowed it. Of course, he let him have it; it was a potent tool and weapon! While they were hiding, waiting for Harry to be born, it was only logical to entrust it to Dumbledore! I thought it was lost when we fled the country after our defeat... Or destroyed when Voldemort found and killed them..."


    "No, it wasn''t. He just kept it hidden." I sighed, looking at them. "Do you get it now? He can steal the artifacts without us noticing it. Then he will only need to get the last Hallow!"


    "He still needs to find it!" McGonagall exclaimed, making me stand up. I glanced at them once before pulling out the Resurrection Stone from my pocket.


    "He knows exactly where it is." The silence in the room was palpable until I closed my fist, slipping it back into my pocket and letting Quincy continue.


    "All three must be destroyed; this is the perfect time for us to do it. Take the wand, destroy the stone, the cape, and then the wand itself. Otherwise, he will make off with the Philosopher''s Stone, rejuvenate himself, and have infinite time to wait, plan, plan, plan some more, and get his hands on it when our grandchildren have already forgotten about it."


    "They are right." Zevron nodded, first to agree with us. "I guess you have plans, young ones?"


    "We need to catch him with the cape on." I said firmly, "Otherwise, we won''t know where it may be hidden and have trouble finding it. Plus... Don''t take it personally, but we ain''t trust any of you besides Neville and Hermione here. If the cape is lost, I would suspect that one of you would keep it for themselves!"


    "Preposterous!" One of the Beauxbatons teachers snorted, but Zevron''s laugh silenced them before anyone else could start arguing.


    "I like the kid! He is right; we don''t know each other well enough to have that kind of trust. We must work together to destroy them so we can''t fall into temptation. Because none of us can say for certain that we wouldn''t be tempted."


    "Locating an invisible man... That hard. How we do? Use spells?" Krum shrugged, rubbing his forehead, but before we could say anything, Lupin stepped forward, looking at us.


    "I think I can help with that."


    "Can you sniff him out?" Neville asked, making him smile while I was furrowing my brows, trying to understand why he asked that.


    "No." he answered, pulling a folded-up paper from his coat''s inner pocket. "But I have something with me that will show us everything we need."


    Spreading it out on the table, expressing a silly-sounding incantation, we watched as a map of the castle appeared, showing everyone on it. We could see ourselves gathering in the correct classroom. Scrutinizing it, we could also see Dumbledore and Snape up in the Headmaster''s office while Flamel was standing at the door leading to the Astronomy Tower. He wasn''t alone, of course; nine other names were there with him.


    "Incredible..." Quincy whispered, and I couldn''t help but agree with him.


    "It was made by us, collectively." Lupin whispered, and I could detect a tinge of nostalgia, proudness, and happiness in his voice for a brief moment.


    "If the others would have put this much effort into their studies..." McGonagall mumbled, but our eyes were scanning the map.


    I was particularly looking for one name because if the others also notice it... Ugh. As I was searching for Grindelwald, I felt Quincy gently kicking my feet and moving her finger ever so slowly. Ah... there it was. What the hell is he doing so far out? At the owlery? Well, whatever, everyone''s eyes were focused on the artifacts, so it seemed that nobody noticed him at all. Lucky me!


    "What now?" Hermione asked, looking up from the map and glancing at us, making me do the same just so I could catch Krum''s eyes moving from the same spot where Grindelwald''s name was readable. Shit...


    "We are going to keep an eye on the map." Neville exclaimed. "Watch Dumbledore. We will do it in rotation! If he moves, we do too. Agreed?"


    "Fine by me." Zevron nodded, and soon everyone agreed.


    Ultimately, it was Quincy who would stay there first, keeping an eye on the map and placing down a book to keep the map stretched out just conveniently enough to cover the edge where Grindelwald''s name was visible. I, on the other hand... I left, but unlike the rest, who were going to rest or sleep before their turn, I was following Krum because I had a feeling he would do something stupid... Come on, Victor. Don''t screw it up for us, not right now!

 Chapter 188 – For The Greater Good (1)

    It didn''t take long to catch up to Krum, getting ahold of him in front of the castle''s front gate.


    "I wouldn''t do that." I said simply, keeping my right arm ready to flick my wand into my hand and fight him if I had to.


    "..." At first, he said nothing, but then he slowly turned around and looked at me, his eyes traveling to my hand before tilting his head and looking into my eyes. "Defend him?"


    "I will. Especially now because if you start a fight and screw this up for everybody, I will be more than angry."


    "..."


    "Also, what would your girlfriend say?" It had a visible effect because his eyes did flinch, bringing her up. Although he was looking like a block of ice or a boulder, he wasn''t a machine. "Look, if you are suicidal, at least wait until we destroy the Hallows. Then, you can rush into your death for whatever reason; I won''t stand in your way."


    "You think I die?"


    "I know. I have fought with him multiple times, and I am still not at the same level as he is when it comes to dueling. Go ahead and let me see your triumph if you think you have improved more than I have since the TriWizard competition. Be my guest!" I snorted, relaxing my hands, "But do it after we succeed with the more important mission."


    "..." With a long breath, he finally nodded, taking a step towards me and the castle instead of trying to leave. "I wait."


    "One more thing..." As he walked past me, I declared, "Write a goodbye letter to Hermione explaining your foolishness." I know my voice was cold and insulting when I said it, but I considered Krum a friend... And I was incensed he would do something this stupid. If he wanted to die, it is his choice, I will respect his resolve to go through it for his honor, but I won''t accept the fact he breaks another''s heart in the process. "Or break up with her first. Your choice, but don''t make her turn against me because of your selfishness. I don''t want to act against my friends."


    "..."


    As expected, he said nothing while leaving me alone, but not for long because it was Neville who had walked up to me the moment Krum disappeared.


    "I''m surprised you could talk him down."


    "You noticed it too?" I smiled, making him nod and patting my shoulders.


    "The moment his name appeared."


    "Are you here to tell me he should die for his past sins?" I asked with a shrug, but Neville shook his head.


    "No. You see, I also don''t want Dumbledore to die. I just wish for the Hallows to be destroyed and have him return to his senses. As you believe in Grindelwald''s redemption, I also believe in Dumbledore''s."


    "Good enough. Maybe he needs to break like his old friend did to have a chance at rebuilding himself."


    "You will still try to kill him." He spoke, but I didn''t answer him because I didn''t know. Maybe. Probably. Was I like Krum in this way? That may be why I was feeling so frustrated with how he acted. Damn, this is complex...


    "You are smiling like you just heard the funniest joke, Conrad."


    "I''m smiling because I don''t know shit." I answered with a chuckle, "I just want things to be over and have a regular life."


    "Yeah... that''s something I understand..."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Up in the Headmaster''s office, Snape stood silently before one of Dumbledore''s cabinets. His eyes silently scanned its contents: the Sorting Hat, Gryffindor''s sword, and the rare and old codexes signed by long-gone headmasters of old times. They were all rarities from different corners of the world. The two of them had been isolated up there for hours now, as Dumbledore only spoke one sentence when they entered and sat down at his table.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Now, we wait."


    As for what they were waiting for, he didn''t say anything, and Snape was professional enough not to ask questions in this tense atmosphere. Spending decades with Voldemort taught him enough, so he stayed silent and looked forward without mentioning his thoughts and doubts. The only thing that told him about the passing of hours was the setting sun and crescent moon becoming visible in the night sky. It had to be around midnight when Dumbledore, who had sat in his chair until now, stood up and fixed his robes, making Snape turn towards him.


    "It is time. You were a good agent, Severus; I just don''t understand why you betrayed me."


    Snape wanted to say something and ask what he was talking about, but Dumbledore''s voice was full of conviction and factuality. Without hesitation, he flicked an old, worn-out wand, making the sword of Gryffindor fly out of the cabinet and impale Snape from the back, piercing his heart.


    "I wasn''t sure of it until now..." Dumbledore enunciated slowly, walking over to Snape''s body, playing with a wand he had prepared for an emergency long ago, carrying it with him at all times. As he looked into Snape''s eyes, watching life slowly escape his body, he let out a genuinely disappointed sigh. "But no person can lie when stepping through Death''s door. I can see it in your eyes; my conjecture was correct. Goodbye, Severus." He whispered with calm indifference at the end while putting the Invisibility Cloak on himself, disappearing from view and from his office.


    ...


    ....


    .....


    "What''s happened?" Hermione spoke up, flinching and making me dart my eye directly on the Marauder''s Map.


    Of course, those who were present surrounded the table just the same. Quincy woke up immediately when she spoke, jumping to her feet from the chair and rushing beside me. We watched as Snape''s name flickered twice, and then the next moment, it disappeared.


    "Was he sent away? Maybe?" McGonagall asked, making Zevron question her sternly.


    "Are apparitions possible from here?"


    "With the Headmaster''s permission... And Snape is strong enough to do so." She mumbled, but it wasn''t convincing enough.


    "He is moving." I said, pointing at the map showing where Dumbledore exited the office and was on his way down. "Let''s split up! Half of us will head with the map to the wand. The other half, go, check the Headmaster''s office!"


    There were no complaints as we hurried out, and the map was entrusted to Neville. In the end, Lupin, Hagrid, Dimitris, and two Beuxbatons were heading to check on what happened at the Headmaster''s office, while the rest of us went straight to the Astronomy Tower.


    We didn''t need to wait long to confirm the worst because as we walked, we watched the map that showed how the second group passed by Dumbledore. The moment they appeared, he became motionless until they passed by him, waiting patiently before continuing on his way toward us. My stomach fell because I was now sure that Snape hadn''t teleported away. As for how he killed him, there were multiple possibilities. He most likely didn''t use the killing curse because that, with how alert everybody was, would have been perceived by someone.


    When we arrived, Flamel didn''t ask questions; looking at the urgency on our faces and then the map alone was enough to realize the underlying issue. He only nodded, letting us in before, which I didn''t expect. I thought he would think it was a ploy that I may have come up with. Huh...


    "He is taking a detour." Neville spoke, glancing at the map.


    "There has to be a secret entrance." Quincy answered him, which made sense. If anybody, he has to know the castle so well he could traverse it with his eyes closed.


    "Should we take the wand?" Zevron raised the question, but before I could say my thoughts, McGonagall''s lips moved faster than mine.


    "I know Albus enough to understand that there has to be a hex placed on it... it is better not to touch it before him."


    "We hide." I exclaimed as we did not have much time left. "Use your most potent spells to make sure you are concealed! He may be unable to use high-level detection spells to not alert Flamel, who is standing outside... We can''t let him touch the wand, so the moment he nears it, attack! Neville, you have the map; you will move first. We follow your lead!"


    "Um." He nodded, looking determined, knowing that with this, I also gave him the chance to disarm Dumbledore instead of killing him outright.


    When it came to hiding away, Quincy quickly turned into an owl, perching up on the tower''s highest point and melting into the darkness. Soon, it became just as deserted as before when I pulled out one of old Peverell''s prototype invisibility cloaks, disappearing at last. While I remained motionless, standing before the main telescope, facing the box where the Elder Wand and the Philosopher''s Stone were, I would stay invisible. While standing straight, I was just as hidden as Dumbledore was right now. The difference was if I started moving, the distortion in the air where my body was would instantly reveal my position.


    I would lie if I said I wasn''t nervous. My heart was racing because this was a pivotal moment, a chance to end everything and let the world return to normalcy. If this is finally done, I can start living with Quincy without worry... It had to work. There was no other option before us. I will make it work...


    While thinking about it, I held my wand in my right hand while the left gripped the Resurrection Stone in my pocket. I didn''t even realize that I was doing it, not until I felt a presence behind me... It was someone who I recognized without turning around, and the moment he put his hand on my shoulder, I felt my anxiety disappear and was able to focus on the moment.


    "I believe in you... Son. Unlike me, you are not alone. Make me proud!"

 Chapter 189 – For The Greater Good (2)

    When Dumbledore appeared, he came through the floor of the Astronomy Tower, emerging from a hidden staircase. Of course, we couldn''t see him nor hear his silenced steps, the latter being probably the work of some kind of spell. To our luck, I was right because he didn''t use any large-scale or powerful revealing spells. He was too afraid and cautious, avoiding alerting Flamel, who was just outside, keeping watch.


    Staying still and ready, I wasn''t even blinking, not wanting to miss any moment to act. My eyes were starting to burn, wondering what the hell he was doing for so long, not knowing that he was already standing before the two artifacts. Maybe he was still thinking, and, just perhaps, he realized that he had already killed for it, pushing himself over the line, making sure he could not turn back anymore. It was a death that made him abandon those old dreams, and it was another death that now put him back on track. I know I was right with my conjecture because I heard him whisper when I saw a hand appear from nowhere, holding an old, faded wand.


    "Not even Death will be able to claim me anymore..."


    Knowing it would alert everybody when he made a move to dispel the spell on the box, his hand moved so fast that it left afterimages, looking like he used two spells at once. One was for destroying the box along with the protective spell, and the second was unlocking his own hex, which he placed on the Elder Wand. Yet, before being able to touch it, a stunning spell flew straight at his back. I watched him twitch and react in a flash, swirling to face the spell, deflecting it while the cape he wore was thrown backward on his body. Despite his age, he was nimble and dangerous, not only deflecting Nevile''s attack, but as the others jumped in, he easily knocked them back, be it Hermione or Krum, leaving Dumbledore to only worry about McGonagall, Zevron, and Neville.


    There was no room or time to talk because everyone knew there was no time to spear. Everything was based on reflexes and how well one could improvise. Maybe it was by design, as Dumbledore didn''t want to give us enough time to plan out anything, something that has been a thorn in his side since he returned to Britain. As they fought, I could already hear the rushing footsteps from below, belonging to more mages and, most importantly, to Flamel. No matter how strong Dumbledore was, he was alone. His only advantage was that those who fought with him for decades, like McGonagall, couldn''t bring themselves to indeed try and hurt him, giving him enough freedom to cast his spells.


    "Fools..." I thought, but both Quincy and I remained hidden, not interfering. Yet. Which was the best decision because I had a hunch that this would happen.


    I watched as Dumbledore raised a magical ice wall, separating himself from the rest before he reached towards the Elder Wand. The moment his fingers touched it, proving that no more tricks were protecting it, we also made our move.


    It was the first time I felt that I managed to match Grindelwald''s speed. Maybe I really did because my disarming spell flung the wand out of his hand, right into the claws of Quincy, who swooped down from above, catching it mid-air and flying out of the Astronomy Tower. She was, without thinking, heading towards Grindelwald at the owlery, not giving Dumbledore a chance to try and catch her either by hand or a spell.


    However, Dumbledore was still Dumbledore. Losing the wand made him reach for the Philosopher''s Stone instead, managing to warp his fingers around it. Yet, it also gave me enough time to act a second time. Without any more hesitation, I transformed into a basilisk, focusing my eyes on his body, his face... his eyes. I don''t know if he knew it or if it was a coincidence, but he pulled the cloak over his head to avoid my gaze. My change was instant and sudden, so our eyes met while he was right in the middle of closing his eyelids behind the cover of the coak.


    Yet, the effect was something that was different from what was expected to happen. I knew that if looking into the eyes of a basilisk happened through a medium, the victim would turn to stone. I expected it and would have accepted it as a result because it would still be me capturing Dumbledore... But, maybe because I was not a real basilisk or maybe because of the Hallow''s properties, he didn''t get petrified.


    Instead, the Invisibility Cloak began stiffening, losing its elasticity and silky, smooth fabric, beginning to solidify and turn into marble. Both of us were stunned a little, but only until the ice wall spell shattered, and Flamel was the one stepping through the crumbling fragments, aiming an explosion spell at both of us.


    Was he still angry at me? Maybe it was because of my animagi form. I can''t tell, not that it mattered. When his flaming fireball hit the solidified cape, it exploded into sharp fragments, ending one of the Hallows and, with it, Dumbledore''s dream. If not for my tougher scales, multiple fragments would have pierced my body, but then, probably because of his anger, the old wizard did something drastic.


    While clenching onto the Philosopher''s Stone, he took control of the spinning fragments in the air, flinging them towards two people. Me and Flamel. He wasn''t playing around, and I had only a brief millisecond to react, trying to shrink my body by transforming it back to my human form, but it was too late. He was still one of the greatest wizards...The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He managed to aim the splinters directly toward my eyes, trying to blind me for good. He even calculated that I would dodge, launching multiple at different trajectories that would all be aiming at my eye at various levels, depending on my movement. It was the wedding ring I crafted that saved me from going completely blind that day, blocking the spell that was propelling them toward me and diverting them off course, but it couldn''t catch all because of its limits.


    When I was halfway through my transformation, being a human again, I felt the sharp piece of marble lodge itself into my right eye, going in deep, making me hear a squelching sound as it blinded me. Reaching up with my emerging hand, I pulled it out without hesitation before it could go through and pierce my skull. I felt that something else was coming out with it, but I ignored the pain, trying to cast a spell at Dumbledore despite the fact that he was already halfway out, apparating away.


    "Fucker..." I hissed, bleeding down my face, hearing a loud thump from behind me.


    "Flamel!" Zevron shouted, and I didn''t need to turn around to know; the noise came from Flamel, who was hit just the same, his skull pierced by one such fragment, killing the oldest wizard alive.


    "Conrad!" Neville shouted, wanting to catch up to me, but Grindelwald''s voice echoed in my mind before I could answer him.


    "Get to the owlery. He is here!"


    "The owlery." I spoke, my voice drowned out by the noise and clamor because of what just happened. Using my connection with Grindelwald to successfully override the no-apparition rule within Hogwarts, disappearing from view.


    When I reappeared, I was atop the owlery, still holding the bleeding hole where my right eye used to be. It was a complete coincidence that my wand was pointing straight at the back of Dumbledore while Grindelwald, Quincy, and I surrounded him. I heard my wife taking a sharp breath, but instead of yelling or panicking, she kept her composure, not breaking the Y-shaped standoff with Dumbledore in the middle of it.


    "Give up. Please." Grindelwald expressed, standing face to face with his old friend.


    "Too late for that." He answered simply, not angry or anxious; it was as if he had removed himself from everything happening.


    "You can come with me." Grindelwald continued, and just hearing it, I couldn''t help but form a smirk and hear Quincy snort. My wife''s fingers squeezed the Elder Wand in her left while her right hand remained unshaken, her wand pointed at Dumbledore.


    "I should have done it back then." Dumbledore nodded, letting out a silent sigh, "How did you do it?"


    "It is a trick I learned while studying magic in my cell."


    "..." It wasn''t only him who was a bit confused because neither of us knew what they were talking about, but Dumbledore''s next word made my jaw start to drop. "I never knew someone would be able to pull others out of apparition. And you want to say that you learned it... while in prison?"


    "I understood the principles behind it then." He nodded, "I can teach you. Magic is more than spells, artifacts, or power."


    "Deja vu..." he chuckled. "You said something similar when I asked about the Hallows."


    "It-"


    "Enough. I will either kill you now and escape to prepare for the future or die here. Either way, we will see what the will of magic is. Which must be done... For the Greater Good."


    His next spell was akin to a forcefield blasting forth from his body, flinging us from the top while also destroying the owlery. Quincy managed to transform again, escaping to fall; I, on the other hand, turned myself weightless, grabbing onto one of the pieces of the owlery. As for why, the reason for it was simple... it didn''t fall, but instead, its hundreds of pieces began floating in the air.


    The two of them exchanged spell after spell, sending lighting to the skies, making the earth crack below while multi-colored light lit up the darkness of the night. Even then, it was not hard to tell; Dumbledore was on the backfoot between them. Most likely, it was because the wand he was using was not his, something he just had as a backup, while Grindelwald used his original wand, gaining the upper hand between them.


    "Conrad!"


    With a shout, Quincy threw the Elder Wand toward me. Of course, we were not stupid; I knew exactly why she did it. The moment it left her fingers, Dumbledore ignored Grindelwald, turning toward us to Accio ''his'' wand, wanting nothing else but to reclaim it.


    "Greed is your downfall..." Grindelwald whispered sadly, yet it echoed in all of our ears as he lowered his wand, even though he had a clear shot at Dumbledore. Maybe the old wizard expected it to happen... What he didn''t expect was my reaction.


    I didn''t look at the Elder Wand, not even once. We knew he would do it the moment he had the chance, which was our trap. The first spell that hit him was Quincy''s stunning spell, landing square on his chest while. The second was mine, an emerald-colored flash of light consuming his whole being before his lifeless body toppled from the piece of rubble he was standing on, falling down dozens of meters, landing with a crunch.


    The moment he was dead, the rubble also began dropping out of the sky, forcing us to land. Before I would jump, floating down, I looked a last time at Grindelwald, knowing what would happen next. Not just because of Krum but because of his whole personality... He had to disappear, and the less we knew, the better it was for both of us. He slowly nodded at me with a soft, proud smile as we exchanged our goodbyes wordlessly before he apparated away.


    "Goodbye... Master." I whispered, understanding that we would never see each other again.


    "Conrad... Your eye!" Quincy finally exclaimed, transforming mid-air and then rushing up to me in tears and wiping the blood from my face with her sleeves.


    "It''s just the loss of depth perception, no biggie." I grinned before turning my head towards the corpse of Dumbledore and using Accio to summon the Philosopher''s Stone from his pocket. "See?" I chuckled, catching it with my free hand. "I can cope with it already!"


    "But..." She sniffled while I hugged her with one arm.


    "It''s fine... It''s fine because it is finally over..."

 Chapter 190 – Epilogue

    Standing over the corpse of Dumbledore, Quincy finally let me go, recovering the Elder Wand while I pulled the resurrection stone from my pocket.


    "Congratulations." A distant voice said the moment I did, and slowly, Dumbledore''s spirit materialized, looking at his own dead body.


    "Weird to hear it from you," I mumbled, not expecting him to pop out of nowhere to say his piece.


    "I am already dead. There is no reason to hold a grudge... I had bet everything on the wrong move; it is that simple. I lost, you won, and now you will destroy them..." He sighed, his eyes turning towards the Hallow in my hand.


    "Yeah, that''s the plan." I answered as I played with the stone between my fingers, and Quincy gave me the Elder Wand. "Do you have any messages you want to pass on?"


    "None. I fought throughout the last part of my life just to destroy myself in the end. Hmm... There is a lesson there, it seems, that I didn''t learn."


    Maybe... but I wasn''t in the mood to answer him. Instead, I tossed the Resurrection Stone into the air, blasting it with the Elder Wand, vaporizing it with one forceful spell. Just holding it made me feel powerful, which was a weird experience because I was also aware that it was the type of perception change that was baked into the artifact itself. Was I that much more powerful with it? Probably not to the extent it made me feel in that moment. What an insidious little bastard...


    "One more." I mumbled after Dumbledore''s spirit dissipated, and then Quincy threw the Philosopher''s Stone into the air as if we were shooting ducks, making me repeat the same feet, blasting it apart, making sure nobody could get their hands on it. "Now... Only this remains."


    "How are we going to destroy it?" She asked, looking at the wand now that we managed to destroy everything that was too dangerous to exist.


    "Well..." I mumbled, looking behind me as people finally arrived, observing the ruined scenery. "We still have a famous silver sword, no?" I smiled, lowering the wand and letting the people know it was over...


    ...


    ....


    .....


    I gave the wand directly to Neville, telling him to use Gryffindor''s sword on it... and then let myself be arrested. Why? The new system and our new laws were just about to be established; I didn''t want to be the outlier, so because I used the killing curse, I let myself be ''investigated.'' Of course, Quincy was not happy about it; Lockhart even published an article about it, calling it ridiculous while I was being investigated.


    I knew it wouldn''t last long, and after the fifth day, I was already out, cleared of all wrongdoings because of the circumstances. On the last day, Neville visited me, telling me about how they destroyed the Elder Wand using the sword. I would have doubted it if not for Quincy, who was also present, confirming it for me after I got home. She told me that it was so tough that even the sword broke apart when she finally cut the wand into two. Good... Good! Finally, I could take a deep breath and know that it was, indeed, over.


    While I was ''locked away,'' the betrayal of Dumbledore caused irreparable damage to the name of the Order, forcing it to completely disband. Those endorsed by Dumbledore found themselves losing all credibility or support, forcing them to drop out of the race for power, ceasing them to even think about becoming ministers. This included Mad-Eye Moody too, who a few weeks later finally stepped down from heading the reestablished Aurors and as the warden of Azkaban. He wasn''t charged, nor anybody else, but they found themselves in a forced, early retirement situation, taking up civilian life once again.


    Not that I cared about it. I ignored the news, leaving it all up to Lockhart, letting him handle my ''responses'' while I enjoyed life with my wife, having our proper honeymoon. The only thing that we partook in ourselves was when Severus Snape was buried. As for Flamel? We skipped out on it.


    Did it create some backlash in the papers? Yeah. Not that it mattered. We kept supporting Hermione and Neville, and before the end of the year, the new Ministry of Magic was finally established, and it started serving the people once again, as it should have. It wasn''t a surprise to have Hermione''s idea implemented, which meant that two prime ministers were chosen, one being Hermione, the youngest ever in history, and the second was Neville''s nominee, Minerva McGonagall. The difference between their ages probably made it happen in the first place, creating a balance between them, something that later on would become the norm.


    As for Hogwarts, I hoped that Snape would become the Headmaster after everything and retake the position, but in the end, with his death, it was Slughorn who was recalled from the Wizengamot to take up the position. It was also the first occasion when everybody was shown that the new rules were upheld and that nobody could hold multiple important posts at once.


    After becoming Headmaster, I know that behind closed doors, he tried to reestablish House Slytherin. Still, without much success, so Hogwarts became a three-house school, working closely with Beuxbatons and Durmstrang. What Dimitris started became a reality, and the three schools were sending students over to the others to gain experience, spending whole semesters abroad.


    As for Neville, he became a minister himself, taking the position Moody was in charge of and becoming the youngest Chief of the Aurors. Of course, after the excitement died down, he couldn''t help but come to us and complain because, oh boy, there was much work to be done. Even after everything, there were many groups who had it all during Voldemort''s rule and wanted it back, so splinter gangs and terrorist groups were rampant, not to mention the still missing head figures of the Death Eaters.


    But, for the most part, peace did return, lifting up those who were trampled upon, be them wizards or magical beings. We even had to free one of our elves, Dobby, after Hermione pushed through a law, giving the house elves the choice to gain their freedom whenever they asked for it. He was the first to do so amongst his kind, making Winky curse and grimace at him every time; even though he remained with us and continued to work, the difference was that we were now paying him for his services.


    Speaking of Hermione, I knew that Krum, although being her official bodyguard, was also doing detective work, trying to find Grindelwald on the side. I think the only thing that could refocus that mule of a man''s attention away from Grindelwald was Hermione herself... Or when Quidditch was mentioned.


    One order that came down, though, something that Quincy didn''t forgive to Hermione to this day, was the registry of all animagi. Not because she got cataloged but because I was put under a spell. If I ever transformed into a basilisk, they would be instantly notified, and an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause and the severity of my punishment. Not that I minded; I understood why they did it, and I never once raised my objection against their decision. Not that they could really do anything about it... Not when I had around twenty people within the Ministry who were on a first-name basis with me. And then there are those who are not in the Ministry...


    As for the remaining figures, supporters of Neville, I didn''t really ask much about them. I know that the man named Lupin became a teacher, even starting a rehabilitation course for werewolves, thanks to Minister Granger''s Werewolf Curse Acceptance missive. Or something like that. Then, there was Hagrid, who also became a teacher, which was the primary choice for many after the Order dissolved.


    We? Well, at first, we retreated from the world and began enjoying life. When we were away, we let Lockhart have the villa for himself because he kept living with us. There was enough room in the house anyway, so we gave him the south wing. It was a peaceful life... even when he held some parties promoting his books and flirting with women.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    "Another letter!" Lockhart shrugged, yawning, coming into the dining room, holding a thick one in his hand, "The owls keep knocking on my window for some reason..."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "You should start writing in the daylight. But I know, I know! You feel most energized when it''s dark outside!" I chuckled, taking it from him, flipping it over, scanning the rough letters with my intact eye, while the empty socket was covered up with a permanent eyepatch, magically affixed to it for the past twenty years. After a decade, it became my most recognized feature. "It is from Old Silver again. Since our artifact business bloomed, I swear he is considering me a half-goblin."


    "Isn''t that good?" He asked, taking the coffee cup from Winky, "His resources turned you into one of the wealthiest men on the British Isles."


    "That is part of it... He wants to swindle some blueprints and techniques from me to further benefit his family." I chuckled, giving the letter to Dobby, "Send it ahead of me to my office. I will read it at work."


    "Yes, Master!" He nodded happily before disappearing with it.


    "New semester, huh?" Lockhart hummed, scratching his chin, "It is that time already? Wait, isn''t Isabel going to attend Hogwarts this year?"


    "Yep!" I answered with a proud smile, "She is still sleeping, I checked on her. It took us two hours to put her to bed yesterday."


    Just as I finished, I could hear rushing footsteps coming down, and after kicking the room''s door in, my daughter flew straight at me, trying to tackle me like a rhino.


    "Daaaaaaad! Let''s go! My own waaaaand!" She yelled, wearing her white onesie as she landed on me, holding my neck and spinning me around.


    "Woah, woah, woah, Izzy! Slow down; it is not even eight yet! When did you wake up?!" I answered her with a laugh, barely catching her thin body and then being slapped by her lengthy, black hair. But who can be angry at those sparkling, purple eyes?


    "When you came in! So? Are we going? Are we going?"


    "Relax!" I repeated myself, pulling her off me, "Let''s wait until your mother wakes up, then we eat breakfast, AND then we go, get you your uniform and everything that will be needed. Wand last."


    "Nooooooh!"


    "Yes, because then you will try casting spells left and right. Wand last! Go, wake up your mother instead of whining!"


    "I''m up, I''m up..." Mumbled Quincy, coming in, rubbing her eyes, barely awake. "She woke me first by diving into the bed..."


    "It is the day! Woohooo!" She continued, dancing and shouting happily, "Uncle Gilderoy, you will come with us too, yes?!"


    "Of course!" He chuckled, rubbing her head because, truth to be told, maybe it was he who spoiled her the most.


    When she was born, he even cried, which was amusing to see. Also... We received an unmarked letter congratulating us on that day, along with a postcard from Nepal. I didn''t need to ask who sent it; I recognized the handwriting. It was enough to know he was doing just fine, making me smile. Well, it wasn''t the only thing... not exactly, if I want to be truthful.


    In the past twenty years, my artifact-making shop has become a worldwide enterprise, bringing in more wealth than when we robbed Gringotts with the goblins'' help. We had branches at different locations all around the world, and sometimes, we received anonymous donations of rare and valuable artifacts or components, all marked to be given to me directly. We had one employee once who tried to steal it and got blown up by the hex protecting it... Well... That was not nice to deal with, but shit happens, as muggles tend to say. After that, it was rare for anyone to try to fiddle with Grindelwald''s gifts.


    Of course, the contents of his packages were not only related to me but to Quincy''s endeavor, too, because her potions were also making their rounds around the globe. While my portion of the family businesses was restricted to the wealthy, selling artifacts for the price of a magical steed or even a house with the land attached to it, she was dominating the market of affordable potions. We were earning way more than we could spend, so we started donating to multiple other businesses and charities. We even set up a public fund to support muggle-born wizards as they came to our world without understanding it or having any money to fall back on.


    Maybe it was because of that when I was about to open up a course, wanting to teach artifact making to others, that both of us were contacted directly by Headmaster Slughorn. Quincy was early in her pregnancy back then, but the old wizard noticed it when he arrived at our home. Heh, he had a sharp eye; I had to give it to him. Anyway, we were invited to Hogwarts to teach. Quincy was offered to be the new Potions professor while I would head a new subject, Artifact Crafting. While she would teach kids from the first year, my proficiency was to be an advanced course, only available to those who had already taken their O.W.L. tests. Because it is a subject that requires ample wealth and aptitude, it was not something that anyone could tackle. Of course, I didn''t ask my students to pay for anything while learning under me. I was already a substantial patron of the school, so I provided them with everything in class.


    Of course, we both agreed to the job and at first, many signed up for my course, wanting to become rich just to be faced with the fact that I was a dreadful teacher to study under. Not because I was terrible at explaining but because no student passed in my first five years of teaching. None. I wasn''t making them flunk out of school, of course, but I did advise them to pick something else before they put themselves into a depressing amount of debt after failing so many times. If someone was only in it for the money, they would flood the market with sub-par, faulty nonsense... Not on my watch! In a short time, I became the strictest teacher but also someone known to be fair and respected, not feared.


    By the end of the fifth year, it was considered the most challenging subject in school, yet many still tried it out, only to switch to something different by the time the winter break arrived. Nevertheless, it was also the fifth year when I had someone who persisted throughout the year and even passed my most complex test at the end. He was the first to do so, Eric Wright, a muggle-born wizard. After graduation, he started working for me, and right now, he is the regional manager, overseeing my shops'' dealings within Europe.


    At the moment, there are two who also passed the first year in the previous semester, a girl, Michelle Williams, and a boy, Teddy Lupin. The former is from a muggle-born family, while the other is the son of my colleague, Remus Lupin, the teacher of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. I would lie if I said the relationship between our two families is amicable... There is still a cold air between us, a respectfully kept distance, but even if it is there and probably would never disappear, I was teaching his son the same as any other student... And boy, he has a good head on his shoulders.


    As for my daughter, Isabel was born in Hogwarts. Because both of us worked there, the castle was more of a home for her than our villa. It won''t be her first time being there, and she probably knows it better than some of the teachers! If not for the Marauder''s Map that the Headmaster lets me use, she probably would have caused more trouble than she already did while growing up.


    "What do you think?" Izzy asked, looking at us, "Which house will I be sorted into?"


    "Ravenclaw." "Hufflepuff." "Gryffindor."


    "Eeeeh? I can''t be sorted into all three!" She pouted as all of our answers were different.


    "Let the hat decide!" I chuckled, shaking my head, "It knows best, believe me."


    What probably neither of us expected was that when the moment finally came a week later, and we watched our daughter grinning from ear to ear, walking up to the stool and letting Lupin put the hat on her, she would sit there for ten minutes before the hat sighed, speaking up in a defeated voice.


    "Ravenclaw. I am not playing another mind game with you!"


    "Maybe a few spanks would have sufficed while she was little." Hagrid, the teacher of the Care of Magical Creatures, mumbled, making Quincy snort after hearing it while I simply shook my head.


    "I did spank her once." I answered with my own whisper, "Her magic erupted, turning her buttocks into plushes, softening the blows..."


    Hearing it, a few of the other teachers chuckled, loosening my wife''s expression and making her scratch her throat.


    "If she causes trouble, punish her twice as much." She exclaimed, making everyone look at her in surprise as almost every teacher watched Izzy grow up here. "She thinks she is at home. Now she is a student, so different rules apply!"


    While she said that, I watched with a smile, seeing the Ravenclaws'' table erupt in cheers because multiple older students had known her for a long time. Or because she was looked upon as having access to my wallet. Oh boy, if so, they are up for a surprise. Izzy can be devious; she will rip them off before they can say Abraka Dabra!


    "The next girl is... dangerous."


    If not for my experience, I would have flinched. It had been decades since I heard Herpo''s voice, but he was back.


    "I thought you were gone. I half-expected that Izzy was going to come to us, telling me a snake followed her in her dreams as you began stalking my daughter."


    "She is more open than you. She already perceived me, although she has yet to make the connection. But her dreams are unlike yours, so don''t worry. I am not here to torture my descendants. That one, sitting on the stool, though..."


    "What do you... mean... by that one...?" I muttered in my head, quickly putting it together while catching the young girl''s first name, which Lupin read loudly: Delphini. "No way!"


    "She has my bloodline in her; I can feel it. She is diluted... If not for being in proximity to her, I wouldn''t know. But she has it."


    "Are you sure that only Voldemort and I were connected to you?"


    "Yes. I am fairly certain. So if she isn''t yours..."


    "Holy fuck..."


    "Will you kill her, Conrad?"


    "I don''t know." I answered honestly, rubbing my chin while watching the girl be sorted into Ravenclaw. "Who knows what kind of girl we are talking about here... For now, I''ll keep an eye out. Can you monitor her?"


    "I can try. But if her heritage gets exposed, you would have to do nothing yourself. Think about it."


    "I know. But I am a father and teacher now... And every child deserves a chance. Even if she is his kid... Let''s wait and see what kind of girl she really is."


    Maybe she will be a menace; maybe she won''t be. But we didn''t create a brighter future just to be afraid of someone casting a shadow under the sunlight... I won''t be scared of passing clouds because whatever happens, the world is too bright right now for another decade of darkness to get a hold of it.