Unless Abe or Bathilda are big blabbermouths, how do people know stuff like that. I know secrets have ways of coming out eventually, but unless MACUSA has ways of tracking bloodpacts and investigating after that since it would be useful to know why they needed one, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing thats general knowledge.
Mason Aves: The Wizard(Kinda Complete.. again)
- Thread starter HelloDarkness07
- Start date
22. Leaving Hogwarts
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
---
It's been a few days since our raid, and I have to say, Goldstein is a good Auror, and a good person. I like her, that's for sure.
Ash and I led them to the Breeding Ring's house, which was alarmingly close to my orphanage. Fortunately for us, it was in the muggle world, and the only place for literally miles, that had Magical protections.
Goldstein went in first, and then came back 5 minutes later, with enough evidence. Then, they called the British Aurors, and when asked by a pureblood auror, how they knew it was an illegal Breeding ring, she said, "I'm an Auror, a competent one, unlike you. I have experience in these kind of things, and have an intuition for it."
I enjoyed a small laugh, and then went back to Hogwarts, courtesy of my Sling Ring portal, leaving Ash in the very capable hands of Newt Scamander. I was getting good at them, and the portals took barely 5 seconds to form for now. It's still too long, but at least the size of the portal, and the orientation didn't matter.
Right now, I was standing in the Great Hall, along with all the other Seventh Year students. I, however, stood out like a sore thumb, thanks to my comparatively inferior height of just 5'7, and my obviously young face. I was 15, almost 16, while all the other Seventh Year students were all 17-18, and a few almost 19 years old.
But well, this was the Year End ceremony, and we have to do it this way. We were all standing near the Teacher's table, for the last 5 minutes, while Headmaster Dippet spoke about this last year.
The other students, meanwhile, were sat at their respective House tables, looking just as bored as us. I remember sitting there for the last 4 years, while the respective final year students stood like this, but I don't think the speech was ever this long.
Taking a deep breath, Dippet continues, "And while this year has ended, the adventures will still continue for our young friends here. Some of them will become Aurors, like Mr Stevens there, while some will join the Healers at St Mungo's. But no matter what profession they choose, or what profession chooses them, big or small, they will know, that they have a home in Hogwarts. Hogwarts will always be ready to help them in their greatest needs, as long as they are ready to ask for it."
The students take the cue, and clap for a few seconds, with us joining in. Then, Dippet says, "Now, I'd like to congratulate a special student of Seventh Year. She has consistently been at the top of her class, and even managed to get a grand total of 18 OWLs. And now, she has attempted NEWTs in 14 of those subjects, making it the second Highest attempt at NEWTs every! Please, welcome to the stage, Ms Thena Avery!"
We once again clap, as Thena, a girl standing two rows behind me, walks up the stage. Honestly, I have no idea why girls always are the ones that are able to handle the Time Turner Pressure. Must be something about the misogyny that forces them to want to prove themselves.
Sure, every topper of each year is offered it, but almost always, they return it in their Third Year itself. Those that do keep it till their OWLs, give it back after. But these people are so few in number, that they're only found once every few years. And they're always girls.
And then comes someone like Avery, who keep it until their NEWTs, using it to study 14 subjects for her NEWTs. Granted, practical and theory counts separately, but still. I myself didn't bother with signing up for extra subjects, despite knowing that I could manage it.
I have good memory, doesn't mean I want to overdo it. My NEWTs, if they all come out the way I expect, will number in 12. Two for Charms, DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, and Runes, each, and one each for Arithmancy, and Herbology. I hadn't taken any other subject, since I didn't want to.
Once she's been congratulated in person, he sends her down and then says, "Now, this doesn't mean the efforts the other students took are any less. So give them a big hand for successfully completing their Seventh Year of Hogwarts Education, and becoming full fledged Wizards!"
As the students clap, now for all of us, I smile, thanking God that Dippet didn't put me on the spot, by bringing attention to me being younger. I was already getting quite a bit, since it was apparent that I'm younger than my fellow pass outs.
I smile and wave my hands, when Tom catches my eye with a raised glass, Ana sitting right beside him. Turning to my left, I seek out Darla, and smile at her, doing the same for Dorea on my Right.
Once I sit back down on the table, the speech over, and the feast beginning, I hear, "Bloody hell. I thought he'd never stop. I'm bloody starving!"
Chuckling, I see Lucas fill his plate with the magically appearing food, and say, "Dippet did take a long while, this year, didn't he?"
As I start gathering food from the table for myself, Lucas says, "Yeah, but me mum did say he's getting a bit old."
I snort, in the middle of eating, which causes me to choke. As I clean myself up, Ana says, "A bit old? He's almost 300! I think if it wasn't for the Flamel's he'd the oldest Wizard alive!"
Gulping the food stuck in my throat away with the help of water, I say, "Nah, that's Barry Winkle, ain't he? Barry Wee Willie Winkle? The mad man who tries to one up his birthdays every decade? He's what? 700? And he doesn't even have a Philosopher's stone!"
Ana hums, and asks, "Why do you reckon we don't know much about him? A man like him must've had something to his name, other than just being old, right?"
"How do you think he survived this long? He only shows his mug every 11th year, to announce a birthday party that's 'the best the world has ever seen', has that birthday party, and then fuck's right off to wherever he wants. That's how you stay alive so long, by not giving anyone any troubles, and staying away from the people."
I wanted to become like this Barry Winkle. He literally had nothing to his name, no magical discovery, no invention, nothing. He didn't even write a single book, nor did he defeat a Dark Lord, or something else of the kind. Even Dippet has a Dark Lord in his past, from when he was in his 50s!
But Winkle, despite being in his 7th century, has nothing remarkable to him. He has a Vault in Gringotts that he uses to invest, definitely smartly, and he has a shop that sells Potions, that he hired one famiy to handle for a portion of the profits. Literally enjoying his long life! Good for him!
Soon, the topic turns towards my next steps, and since it's only Ravenclaw students on the table, due to it being a Feast, Tom is the one to ask.
I swallow the chicken that I was eating, after having thanked the House Elves for the food of course, and say, "For now? Nothing. I'm going to start looking for a place to make my home, and then wait for the Ministry to give me my Results."
"After that?" Ana asks, tilting her head in thought.
I shrug, and smile wide. I say, "Who knows, I might go to France, on a holiday, or I might go to Ireland. I've never been to either place. Until the results come, and until I get a letter of appointment from St Mungo's, I'm in the wild! I'm literally going to be free of everything!"
Well, I might just start my muggle school, and sit whatever exams I need to, in these months. I want to become an actual Doctor in the muggle world too, alongside being a Magical Healer, and for that, I'll actually need a muggle graduate certificate, or something.
"Lucky bastard." Tom, Ana, and Lucas, along with a few other students sitting and eavesdropping, mumble at the same time, making all of us laugh.
My journey at Hogwarts, has officially ended. Although shortened, I did enjoy these 5 years that I was here. And it's not like I'll just.. stay away from here! I've already kept a Vanishing Trunk in the Room of Knowledge, for whenever I need to go there!
And I can still Apparate or create a portal to the Chamber of Secrets, as soon as I get to give my test, that is. I still am not an adult, you know.
At the end of the feast, Dippet orders us to leave for the carriages, our bags having already packed and prepared for departure. But, as the other years leave for the carriages, he takes us Seventh Year students to the antechamber. From there, he walks us down a few flights of stairs, and then, when we stop, we're in front of a familiar sight.
We're standing in a cavern, that slowly sloped downwards towards the Black Lake. Along the stoned shore, were boats, the same ones that we had sat on when we were 11. I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one tearful at seeing them.
This.. was an indication that we weren't students of Hogwarts anymore. And no matter what anyone says, Hogwarts is our home, and this feels like leaving Home for the first time.
Dippet smiles, pretending not to see many of us wipe our eyes, and softly says, "You came here, when you were 11, by the way of boats, and Mr Ogg led you to me. Now, it is upon me, to lead you to Mr Ogg." With a few long strides, Dippet sits in a boat, which magically goes to take the lead, and says, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get on! No more than four to a boat!"
Laughing a little, I wipe my own eyes, and sit down in a boat. Now bigger, these boats were definitely small for us, and we had to bend our knees, and bring them together, to sit well enough. But we didn't mind, none of us did. This.. was the end of a journey, us leaving our Home for the last time.
Even if I didn't know the boy sitting beside me, beyond his name, we were all together in this.
"Onwards!" Dippet yells, raising his hand upwards, wand tip pointed up.
As the boats leave the shore, and come out of the cave, I turn back to look at Hogwarts from the outside. Sigh, this won't ever get old.
"Remember children, you might have finished the Hogwarts curriculum, but you haven't finished learning." Dippet says, making me turn back towards him. He was looking at all of us, with a twinkle in his eyes, as he says, "Hogwarts is a place of studying, and Knowledge can always be found here. One just has to seek it!"
-
A few days later, a tall man, about in his late 20s, wearing a nice, moderately expensive three piece suit, grey in colour, walks towards Gringotts. This was none other than me, having changed everything about myself, until I was no longer Mason Aves. Metamorphmagic, baby.
My hair, which was usually black, was now dark blonde, and my eyes, which were usually a shade that changed between sea green, and grey, depending on the light, were now blue, and my height had a small bump of 4 inches, from 5'7 to 5'11.
I'd learned to change my body mass, and bone structure, only this past year. I can now change my height by 4 inches, so I could be anywhere from 5'3 to 5'11, without changing my bone density. I can't, however, change my weight by more than 5kgs. So now, while I'm taller, I look decidedly thin.
Walking inside Gringotts, I nod at the Goblin manning the Miscellanious Services, and wait for him to acknowledge me. After a minute or two of waiting, the Goblin looks down at me, from his high chair, and asks, "What can Gringotts do for you?"
"My name is Harrison Evans, and I want to talk to someone about identification papers in the muggle world." I state my need briefly, while not explaining too much. This is just a receptionist of sorts.
Nodding, the Goblin writes my request on a piece of parchment, and hands it to the runner behind him. He then turns to me and says, "Wait there until you're called for. It may take a maximum of 5 minutes."
Nodding, I look at where he was pointing, and seeing the familiar waiting are, I go and sit there. A few minutes later, the runner from before comes towards me, and leads me to an inside office, seated where was a lone Goblin, definitely amongt the oldest I've seen here.
We greet each other with a hello, and once I sit on my chair, he asks, "What can Gringotts help you with, Mr Evans?"
Smiling, I repeat my request and say, "My name is Harrison Evans, and I am in need of muggle documentation."
The Goblin smiles wide, recognising what I'm asking. You don't just approach the Goblins because you need something done that is strictly legal.
The Goblin, who's name plate says Larnott, leans back, and says, "It'll be expensive."
"I'm ready to pay a reasonable cost." I say, looking straight at him. I had 13000 Galleons left in my Trust Vault, of which I'd already brought 5000 with me, in case I needed it. Hopefully I don't, but can't say for sure.
Larnott raises his brows, and then says, "The standard rate is G200 per identification type, along with G100 Service charge. If you want a paper trail and obliviations to make it iron clad in the muggle world, then it'll be G250 extra."
Well, this is better than what I expected.
"How iron clad are we talking about here?" I ask, wanting to know more about this.
Larnott says, "The identification papers will be perfectly entered into the muggle system, and then our employees will make sure to add a sufficient paper trail by going there themselves. Even if someone does a very deep background check on you, the identification will hold. You don't get to ask how."
Well, this is probably because the technology isn't as advanced yet. The paper trail, I can guess. Time turners must be involved somehow, or a lot of Mind magic.
Nodding, I ask, "Have you done this before? It seems like you've done this before."
Larnott just smirks even wider, which prompts me to ask, "What kind of documents would you recommend then?"
"Advice and recommendations cost additional G10." Larnott simply says, making me scowl.
I nod and wave my hand at him to continue. So he starts writing on a piece of parchment, and says, "Well, let's start with a Passport, which I assume you don't have. Will a British passport suffice?"
On and on the questions went, after which he had me click passport sized photos in the same room. Then, he ordered me to leave, and return in 2 days' time, with the payment in hand. All in all, it cost me G1650 for a passport, the driving licences for Two Wheelers as well as four wheelers, a birth certificate, and a School Certificate to prove my Secondary education. There were more documents, and some other charges for the paper trail, as well as for discretion, which is what increased the costs to this much.
At the end of all of it, two days later, I had in my hand a British passport for Harrison James Evans, who had visited India and the United States of America in his 25 years of life. His birthday, 28th September, 1909.
He had just finished a secondary education with credit, and then decided to find work somewhere else after a few years of travelling. Which is where I am now. Meh, I might not find a job either way, I just needed these documents for something else.
Buying a house.
Another week later, Harrison Evans becomes the proud owner of Number 1, Malbern Terrace, in the Borough of Islington, at the cost of just £575. The real estate prices were damn low right now, so I might just invest in a few more houses just for investment's sake.
The house was nothing too much, it had blue tiled roofs, a blue pebbledash walls from the outside, with a nice sturdy make. And it had a garden at the front and back! The worst part of this house was definitely the fact that it was connected to another house on the left.
But well, this is London we're talking about. Every house here is like this. I'll have to find a place outside London for privacy. This is just going to be my public house. Well, as soon as Harrison Evans bequeaths it to Mason Aves, that is.
There was a plan, that was still a few years away, to make it seem plausible. But for now, I'm living at the Orphanage itself, until I can move here permanently.
-
About a month after my return to the orphanage, I get an owl from the Department of Magical Education, with my NEWT results. As expected, I had gotten 10 O's, and came third in class. Considering I had skipped two years, this was good!
With my results in hand, I was currently in the office of the DMLE head, to discuss my emancipation. We'd already discussed everything regarding the need for it, and considering that I was already a full fledged Wizard, it wasn't a long discussion.
Finally, he sighs, and says, "Mr Aves, we really hope that you know what you're doing. If you're emancipated, you will be tried as an adult for any crimes you commit. You won't be able to play the 'I'm Underage' card from now onwards."
Nodding, I say, "That's not going to be a problem, Mr Shafiq, since I don't plan on breaking any laws. I just don't think I can live 2 years without even using Magic. Plus, I'll need the apparition license too, if I get the apprenticeship I'm hoping for."
"You'll have to speak with Mr Twycross for that, I'm afraid." Mr Shafiq, the head of DMLE says. Finally, he stamps on the application form, and says, "Well, nothing I'm going to say is going to change your mind I'm sure."
With a tap of his wand, my application form folds into itself and turns into a paper bird. It then floats in front of his head, and only leaves when he says, "Melinda Edgecombe, Filing Department."
As the paper bird flies out of the room, he turns back to me, and says, "You'll get a verification, and an Emancipation Certificate within a month, after which you can apply for the Apparition test."
"Thank you for listening, Mr Shafiq." I say, smiling at the bigger man, as we stand up.
Shaking my hand, Shakif says, "You're most welcome, Mr Aves. But do be careful, Emancipation is not an excuse to drink carelessly, or break any laws. I wish you luck in your future, Mr Aves."
Smiling, I walk out of the Ministry, and towards the floo. The visitor's badge is summarily discarded in the bin specifically kept for that purpose, and I use the floo to go to the Leaky Cauldron. From the Leaky, I walk towards an alleyway, and create a portal to the Chamber of Secrets.
Walking inside, I'm met with an empty room, the Basilisk having been hidden away by me to avoid Sly becoming even fatter. Sly was currently in the Forbidden forest, probably finding something to eat, but well, at least he's not eating the Basilisk.
With a wave of my fists, I create platformed steps made up of the glowing orange Universal Magic, and walk up them to reach the hidden entrance to Slytherin's rooms. As I say the password, and walk in, I think over everything I've accomplished in these weeks I've been away from Hogwarts.
Well, not too much away, since I was currently underneath Hogwarts, but still.
I had a fake identity, complete with a license, and a passport. I am now emancipated, with my certificate coming in soon, and I'll also have the Apparition license soon enough, since I can actually do it pretty well. And I have a house!
Stopping in the Potions lab, I check up on the Animagus Potion, to see that it was coming along nicely. Nodding in satisfaction, I take out my Acacia wand, and with a few spins around myself, conjure three Eagle patroni. With a soft whisper, I say, "Begin the process." And send the patroni flying away towards Ana, Darla, and Dorea.
As soon as the patroni leave, I take a Mandrake leaf from the jar on the stands, and stick it to the roof of my mouth. Let the Animagus process begin!
Meanwhile, I did promise myself to visit France, didn't I? Well, better not disappoint myself.
Shifting into the form of Harrison Evans, I create a portal to the London Victoria, hoping to find a night ferry ticket for as soon as possible. I'll need to pack for the trip too. All without spitting the leaf out on accident. Sticking charm should do the trick, I think. I'll just have to reapply it every few hours.
France, here I come!
---
A/N: The Night Ferry was a boat train that actually began in 1936, but since this is Marvel we're talking about, let's assume it started a year or two early.
This gets the official work out of the way, leaving the next chapter for moving the plot forward.
Harrison Evans won't be in any way related to the Evans family that birthed Harry Potter, don't worry. I'm not going to make him Harry's grandfather, or something like that. Just a coincidence, or intentional, I suppose. Harrison James Evans, is an inspiration from the Indy!Harry fics.
Tata!
---
It's been a few days since our raid, and I have to say, Goldstein is a good Auror, and a good person. I like her, that's for sure.
Ash and I led them to the Breeding Ring's house, which was alarmingly close to my orphanage. Fortunately for us, it was in the muggle world, and the only place for literally miles, that had Magical protections.
Goldstein went in first, and then came back 5 minutes later, with enough evidence. Then, they called the British Aurors, and when asked by a pureblood auror, how they knew it was an illegal Breeding ring, she said, "I'm an Auror, a competent one, unlike you. I have experience in these kind of things, and have an intuition for it."
I enjoyed a small laugh, and then went back to Hogwarts, courtesy of my Sling Ring portal, leaving Ash in the very capable hands of Newt Scamander. I was getting good at them, and the portals took barely 5 seconds to form for now. It's still too long, but at least the size of the portal, and the orientation didn't matter.
Right now, I was standing in the Great Hall, along with all the other Seventh Year students. I, however, stood out like a sore thumb, thanks to my comparatively inferior height of just 5'7, and my obviously young face. I was 15, almost 16, while all the other Seventh Year students were all 17-18, and a few almost 19 years old.
But well, this was the Year End ceremony, and we have to do it this way. We were all standing near the Teacher's table, for the last 5 minutes, while Headmaster Dippet spoke about this last year.
The other students, meanwhile, were sat at their respective House tables, looking just as bored as us. I remember sitting there for the last 4 years, while the respective final year students stood like this, but I don't think the speech was ever this long.
Taking a deep breath, Dippet continues, "And while this year has ended, the adventures will still continue for our young friends here. Some of them will become Aurors, like Mr Stevens there, while some will join the Healers at St Mungo's. But no matter what profession they choose, or what profession chooses them, big or small, they will know, that they have a home in Hogwarts. Hogwarts will always be ready to help them in their greatest needs, as long as they are ready to ask for it."
The students take the cue, and clap for a few seconds, with us joining in. Then, Dippet says, "Now, I'd like to congratulate a special student of Seventh Year. She has consistently been at the top of her class, and even managed to get a grand total of 18 OWLs. And now, she has attempted NEWTs in 14 of those subjects, making it the second Highest attempt at NEWTs every! Please, welcome to the stage, Ms Thena Avery!"
We once again clap, as Thena, a girl standing two rows behind me, walks up the stage. Honestly, I have no idea why girls always are the ones that are able to handle the Time Turner Pressure. Must be something about the misogyny that forces them to want to prove themselves.
Sure, every topper of each year is offered it, but almost always, they return it in their Third Year itself. Those that do keep it till their OWLs, give it back after. But these people are so few in number, that they're only found once every few years. And they're always girls.
And then comes someone like Avery, who keep it until their NEWTs, using it to study 14 subjects for her NEWTs. Granted, practical and theory counts separately, but still. I myself didn't bother with signing up for extra subjects, despite knowing that I could manage it.
I have good memory, doesn't mean I want to overdo it. My NEWTs, if they all come out the way I expect, will number in 12. Two for Charms, DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, and Runes, each, and one each for Arithmancy, and Herbology. I hadn't taken any other subject, since I didn't want to.
Once she's been congratulated in person, he sends her down and then says, "Now, this doesn't mean the efforts the other students took are any less. So give them a big hand for successfully completing their Seventh Year of Hogwarts Education, and becoming full fledged Wizards!"
As the students clap, now for all of us, I smile, thanking God that Dippet didn't put me on the spot, by bringing attention to me being younger. I was already getting quite a bit, since it was apparent that I'm younger than my fellow pass outs.
I smile and wave my hands, when Tom catches my eye with a raised glass, Ana sitting right beside him. Turning to my left, I seek out Darla, and smile at her, doing the same for Dorea on my Right.
Once I sit back down on the table, the speech over, and the feast beginning, I hear, "Bloody hell. I thought he'd never stop. I'm bloody starving!"
Chuckling, I see Lucas fill his plate with the magically appearing food, and say, "Dippet did take a long while, this year, didn't he?"
As I start gathering food from the table for myself, Lucas says, "Yeah, but me mum did say he's getting a bit old."
I snort, in the middle of eating, which causes me to choke. As I clean myself up, Ana says, "A bit old? He's almost 300! I think if it wasn't for the Flamel's he'd the oldest Wizard alive!"
Gulping the food stuck in my throat away with the help of water, I say, "Nah, that's Barry Winkle, ain't he? Barry Wee Willie Winkle? The mad man who tries to one up his birthdays every decade? He's what? 700? And he doesn't even have a Philosopher's stone!"
Ana hums, and asks, "Why do you reckon we don't know much about him? A man like him must've had something to his name, other than just being old, right?"
"How do you think he survived this long? He only shows his mug every 11th year, to announce a birthday party that's 'the best the world has ever seen', has that birthday party, and then fuck's right off to wherever he wants. That's how you stay alive so long, by not giving anyone any troubles, and staying away from the people."
I wanted to become like this Barry Winkle. He literally had nothing to his name, no magical discovery, no invention, nothing. He didn't even write a single book, nor did he defeat a Dark Lord, or something else of the kind. Even Dippet has a Dark Lord in his past, from when he was in his 50s!
But Winkle, despite being in his 7th century, has nothing remarkable to him. He has a Vault in Gringotts that he uses to invest, definitely smartly, and he has a shop that sells Potions, that he hired one famiy to handle for a portion of the profits. Literally enjoying his long life! Good for him!
Soon, the topic turns towards my next steps, and since it's only Ravenclaw students on the table, due to it being a Feast, Tom is the one to ask.
I swallow the chicken that I was eating, after having thanked the House Elves for the food of course, and say, "For now? Nothing. I'm going to start looking for a place to make my home, and then wait for the Ministry to give me my Results."
"After that?" Ana asks, tilting her head in thought.
I shrug, and smile wide. I say, "Who knows, I might go to France, on a holiday, or I might go to Ireland. I've never been to either place. Until the results come, and until I get a letter of appointment from St Mungo's, I'm in the wild! I'm literally going to be free of everything!"
Well, I might just start my muggle school, and sit whatever exams I need to, in these months. I want to become an actual Doctor in the muggle world too, alongside being a Magical Healer, and for that, I'll actually need a muggle graduate certificate, or something.
"Lucky bastard." Tom, Ana, and Lucas, along with a few other students sitting and eavesdropping, mumble at the same time, making all of us laugh.
My journey at Hogwarts, has officially ended. Although shortened, I did enjoy these 5 years that I was here. And it's not like I'll just.. stay away from here! I've already kept a Vanishing Trunk in the Room of Knowledge, for whenever I need to go there!
And I can still Apparate or create a portal to the Chamber of Secrets, as soon as I get to give my test, that is. I still am not an adult, you know.
At the end of the feast, Dippet orders us to leave for the carriages, our bags having already packed and prepared for departure. But, as the other years leave for the carriages, he takes us Seventh Year students to the antechamber. From there, he walks us down a few flights of stairs, and then, when we stop, we're in front of a familiar sight.
We're standing in a cavern, that slowly sloped downwards towards the Black Lake. Along the stoned shore, were boats, the same ones that we had sat on when we were 11. I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one tearful at seeing them.
This.. was an indication that we weren't students of Hogwarts anymore. And no matter what anyone says, Hogwarts is our home, and this feels like leaving Home for the first time.
Dippet smiles, pretending not to see many of us wipe our eyes, and softly says, "You came here, when you were 11, by the way of boats, and Mr Ogg led you to me. Now, it is upon me, to lead you to Mr Ogg." With a few long strides, Dippet sits in a boat, which magically goes to take the lead, and says, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get on! No more than four to a boat!"
Laughing a little, I wipe my own eyes, and sit down in a boat. Now bigger, these boats were definitely small for us, and we had to bend our knees, and bring them together, to sit well enough. But we didn't mind, none of us did. This.. was the end of a journey, us leaving our Home for the last time.
Even if I didn't know the boy sitting beside me, beyond his name, we were all together in this.
"Onwards!" Dippet yells, raising his hand upwards, wand tip pointed up.
As the boats leave the shore, and come out of the cave, I turn back to look at Hogwarts from the outside. Sigh, this won't ever get old.
"Remember children, you might have finished the Hogwarts curriculum, but you haven't finished learning." Dippet says, making me turn back towards him. He was looking at all of us, with a twinkle in his eyes, as he says, "Hogwarts is a place of studying, and Knowledge can always be found here. One just has to seek it!"
-
A few days later, a tall man, about in his late 20s, wearing a nice, moderately expensive three piece suit, grey in colour, walks towards Gringotts. This was none other than me, having changed everything about myself, until I was no longer Mason Aves. Metamorphmagic, baby.
My hair, which was usually black, was now dark blonde, and my eyes, which were usually a shade that changed between sea green, and grey, depending on the light, were now blue, and my height had a small bump of 4 inches, from 5'7 to 5'11.
I'd learned to change my body mass, and bone structure, only this past year. I can now change my height by 4 inches, so I could be anywhere from 5'3 to 5'11, without changing my bone density. I can't, however, change my weight by more than 5kgs. So now, while I'm taller, I look decidedly thin.
Walking inside Gringotts, I nod at the Goblin manning the Miscellanious Services, and wait for him to acknowledge me. After a minute or two of waiting, the Goblin looks down at me, from his high chair, and asks, "What can Gringotts do for you?"
"My name is Harrison Evans, and I want to talk to someone about identification papers in the muggle world." I state my need briefly, while not explaining too much. This is just a receptionist of sorts.
Nodding, the Goblin writes my request on a piece of parchment, and hands it to the runner behind him. He then turns to me and says, "Wait there until you're called for. It may take a maximum of 5 minutes."
Nodding, I look at where he was pointing, and seeing the familiar waiting are, I go and sit there. A few minutes later, the runner from before comes towards me, and leads me to an inside office, seated where was a lone Goblin, definitely amongt the oldest I've seen here.
We greet each other with a hello, and once I sit on my chair, he asks, "What can Gringotts help you with, Mr Evans?"
Smiling, I repeat my request and say, "My name is Harrison Evans, and I am in need of muggle documentation."
The Goblin smiles wide, recognising what I'm asking. You don't just approach the Goblins because you need something done that is strictly legal.
The Goblin, who's name plate says Larnott, leans back, and says, "It'll be expensive."
"I'm ready to pay a reasonable cost." I say, looking straight at him. I had 13000 Galleons left in my Trust Vault, of which I'd already brought 5000 with me, in case I needed it. Hopefully I don't, but can't say for sure.
Larnott raises his brows, and then says, "The standard rate is G200 per identification type, along with G100 Service charge. If you want a paper trail and obliviations to make it iron clad in the muggle world, then it'll be G250 extra."
Well, this is better than what I expected.
"How iron clad are we talking about here?" I ask, wanting to know more about this.
Larnott says, "The identification papers will be perfectly entered into the muggle system, and then our employees will make sure to add a sufficient paper trail by going there themselves. Even if someone does a very deep background check on you, the identification will hold. You don't get to ask how."
Well, this is probably because the technology isn't as advanced yet. The paper trail, I can guess. Time turners must be involved somehow, or a lot of Mind magic.
Nodding, I ask, "Have you done this before? It seems like you've done this before."
Larnott just smirks even wider, which prompts me to ask, "What kind of documents would you recommend then?"
"Advice and recommendations cost additional G10." Larnott simply says, making me scowl.
I nod and wave my hand at him to continue. So he starts writing on a piece of parchment, and says, "Well, let's start with a Passport, which I assume you don't have. Will a British passport suffice?"
On and on the questions went, after which he had me click passport sized photos in the same room. Then, he ordered me to leave, and return in 2 days' time, with the payment in hand. All in all, it cost me G1650 for a passport, the driving licences for Two Wheelers as well as four wheelers, a birth certificate, and a School Certificate to prove my Secondary education. There were more documents, and some other charges for the paper trail, as well as for discretion, which is what increased the costs to this much.
At the end of all of it, two days later, I had in my hand a British passport for Harrison James Evans, who had visited India and the United States of America in his 25 years of life. His birthday, 28th September, 1909.
He had just finished a secondary education with credit, and then decided to find work somewhere else after a few years of travelling. Which is where I am now. Meh, I might not find a job either way, I just needed these documents for something else.
Buying a house.
Another week later, Harrison Evans becomes the proud owner of Number 1, Malbern Terrace, in the Borough of Islington, at the cost of just £575. The real estate prices were damn low right now, so I might just invest in a few more houses just for investment's sake.
The house was nothing too much, it had blue tiled roofs, a blue pebbledash walls from the outside, with a nice sturdy make. And it had a garden at the front and back! The worst part of this house was definitely the fact that it was connected to another house on the left.
But well, this is London we're talking about. Every house here is like this. I'll have to find a place outside London for privacy. This is just going to be my public house. Well, as soon as Harrison Evans bequeaths it to Mason Aves, that is.
There was a plan, that was still a few years away, to make it seem plausible. But for now, I'm living at the Orphanage itself, until I can move here permanently.
-
About a month after my return to the orphanage, I get an owl from the Department of Magical Education, with my NEWT results. As expected, I had gotten 10 O's, and came third in class. Considering I had skipped two years, this was good!
With my results in hand, I was currently in the office of the DMLE head, to discuss my emancipation. We'd already discussed everything regarding the need for it, and considering that I was already a full fledged Wizard, it wasn't a long discussion.
Finally, he sighs, and says, "Mr Aves, we really hope that you know what you're doing. If you're emancipated, you will be tried as an adult for any crimes you commit. You won't be able to play the 'I'm Underage' card from now onwards."
Nodding, I say, "That's not going to be a problem, Mr Shafiq, since I don't plan on breaking any laws. I just don't think I can live 2 years without even using Magic. Plus, I'll need the apparition license too, if I get the apprenticeship I'm hoping for."
"You'll have to speak with Mr Twycross for that, I'm afraid." Mr Shafiq, the head of DMLE says. Finally, he stamps on the application form, and says, "Well, nothing I'm going to say is going to change your mind I'm sure."
With a tap of his wand, my application form folds into itself and turns into a paper bird. It then floats in front of his head, and only leaves when he says, "Melinda Edgecombe, Filing Department."
As the paper bird flies out of the room, he turns back to me, and says, "You'll get a verification, and an Emancipation Certificate within a month, after which you can apply for the Apparition test."
"Thank you for listening, Mr Shafiq." I say, smiling at the bigger man, as we stand up.
Shaking my hand, Shakif says, "You're most welcome, Mr Aves. But do be careful, Emancipation is not an excuse to drink carelessly, or break any laws. I wish you luck in your future, Mr Aves."
Smiling, I walk out of the Ministry, and towards the floo. The visitor's badge is summarily discarded in the bin specifically kept for that purpose, and I use the floo to go to the Leaky Cauldron. From the Leaky, I walk towards an alleyway, and create a portal to the Chamber of Secrets.
Walking inside, I'm met with an empty room, the Basilisk having been hidden away by me to avoid Sly becoming even fatter. Sly was currently in the Forbidden forest, probably finding something to eat, but well, at least he's not eating the Basilisk.
With a wave of my fists, I create platformed steps made up of the glowing orange Universal Magic, and walk up them to reach the hidden entrance to Slytherin's rooms. As I say the password, and walk in, I think over everything I've accomplished in these weeks I've been away from Hogwarts.
Well, not too much away, since I was currently underneath Hogwarts, but still.
I had a fake identity, complete with a license, and a passport. I am now emancipated, with my certificate coming in soon, and I'll also have the Apparition license soon enough, since I can actually do it pretty well. And I have a house!
Stopping in the Potions lab, I check up on the Animagus Potion, to see that it was coming along nicely. Nodding in satisfaction, I take out my Acacia wand, and with a few spins around myself, conjure three Eagle patroni. With a soft whisper, I say, "Begin the process." And send the patroni flying away towards Ana, Darla, and Dorea.
As soon as the patroni leave, I take a Mandrake leaf from the jar on the stands, and stick it to the roof of my mouth. Let the Animagus process begin!
Meanwhile, I did promise myself to visit France, didn't I? Well, better not disappoint myself.
Shifting into the form of Harrison Evans, I create a portal to the London Victoria, hoping to find a night ferry ticket for as soon as possible. I'll need to pack for the trip too. All without spitting the leaf out on accident. Sticking charm should do the trick, I think. I'll just have to reapply it every few hours.
France, here I come!
---
A/N: The Night Ferry was a boat train that actually began in 1936, but since this is Marvel we're talking about, let's assume it started a year or two early.
This gets the official work out of the way, leaving the next chapter for moving the plot forward.
Harrison Evans won't be in any way related to the Evans family that birthed Harry Potter, don't worry. I'm not going to make him Harry's grandfather, or something like that. Just a coincidence, or intentional, I suppose. Harrison James Evans, is an inspiration from the Indy!Harry fics.
Tata!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
It's on WebNovel. Just google HelloDarkness07 WebNovel and you'll see my profile. Warning, it does cross a few lines, which you might not appreciate.
- Location
- Wales
Are Greek gods a thing in MCU. That the girl who had the top grades was a Miss A.Thena?
- Location
- Planet Earth
Maybe have his Metamorphmagic/Shapeshifting improve to the level of being able to control his actual age? On top of him making more methods of immortality. Like Regeneration on the level of a Phoenix or of Wolverine. That way he has a method for other people as well as himself. Plus, the regeneration would be helpful.
Here's hoping he gains more mutant abilities. Maybe encounters an infant Xavier and thereby enhances his telepathy massively...
Would be cool if he plays his cards right with his foreknowledge to become VERY wealthy, while also buying up some prime properties. Maybe get himself a nice island or two in the Caribbean or the Philippines.
I, being the incredibly paranoid person that I am, hope the MC adds and studies WAY MORE secret/security wards and such that he can use to further protect his secrets. Adding more wards to the various entrances to the Chamber so that Riddle does not enter, securing his trunks more against other people using, tracing, or studying them in any way. All sorts of stuff.
Dunno if he has refined his Mind Arts to the level of being able to download knowledge/experience from other people yet. But I hope he does reach that point sometime soon. That way he could just visit various colleges and download the knowledge they have from people, saving himself a ton of time and effort. Plus, if he "stumbles" across Erskine and other such people, he can instantly gain ALL that knowledge/ability/experience.
Still hopeful he lays some kind of groundwork to help protect his friends and others when the bombings/war starts. Maybe design new wards, safehouses, things like that. Especially do something to better protect the muggle-born who will be caught in it.
Here's hoping he gains more mutant abilities. Maybe encounters an infant Xavier and thereby enhances his telepathy massively...
Would be cool if he plays his cards right with his foreknowledge to become VERY wealthy, while also buying up some prime properties. Maybe get himself a nice island or two in the Caribbean or the Philippines.
I, being the incredibly paranoid person that I am, hope the MC adds and studies WAY MORE secret/security wards and such that he can use to further protect his secrets. Adding more wards to the various entrances to the Chamber so that Riddle does not enter, securing his trunks more against other people using, tracing, or studying them in any way. All sorts of stuff.
Dunno if he has refined his Mind Arts to the level of being able to download knowledge/experience from other people yet. But I hope he does reach that point sometime soon. That way he could just visit various colleges and download the knowledge they have from people, saving himself a ton of time and effort. Plus, if he "stumbles" across Erskine and other such people, he can instantly gain ALL that knowledge/ability/experience.
Still hopeful he lays some kind of groundwork to help protect his friends and others when the bombings/war starts. Maybe design new wards, safehouses, things like that. Especially do something to better protect the muggle-born who will be caught in it.
I know they are in Marvel. They are usually Eternals(an alien species) who visit, settle or just meddle on Earth. Do not think they have been shown in any of the MCU, but they could be. Since Thanos himself was a Deviant, which is a deformed Eternal. Pretty sure you cannot twist her name to get an A. Thena, since that would require using her last name first, which feels a bit convoluted. Plus, the Avery's are a known wizarding family.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Just lazy naming from my side, don't worry lol.. or is it?
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Lots of confusion
23. France
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
---
France. A beautiful Country, with a lot of magnificent culture behind it. But, it's also not that interesting through a Magical person's perspective. It was dreadfully boring for me, a pursuer of knowledge, at least in the muggle world.
I've been here for two weeks, and I'm already ready to go back to Britain. Thankfully, I was able to speak French, my secondary mutation helped in that. Plus, as long as I renewed the sticking charm on the Mandrake leaf, I could speak without worry of the leaf falling out.
It did however, make me produce a lot more saliva than normal, so I spoke a lot less than I could.
I spent the first week visiting the muggle tourist places, like the Eiffel Tower, or the Notre Dame de Paris, and the Louvre Museum of Arts. It was.. an experience. At least I finally got to see the Mona Lisa!
Yeah, I wasn't impressed. It's literally a painting, an old one, but still a painting! But well, it is a part of their history, and hence, important to the French.
Then there were a few Magical places, like the Pyrenees Village, a Village near the French Pyrenees mountains, a little bit away from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. I obviously wasn't allowed inside, and I didn't even try, but I did roam a little bit around it.
There were many other places that I visited, by way of either portals, or by bus. Like the Palace of Versailles, or the Sacré-Cœur, and many more. I didn't stay in one place for too long, however, since I was excited to finally visit another country!
I didn't get to do that in my previous life, because I wasn't rich enough for that. And in this life, I never had the opportunity.
I suddenly stop, taking a moment to gasp out loud, and groan, realisation settling in, while in the middle of a walk. I could have literally roamed around UK, by using the Knight Bus, or my portals, or the normal buses! I could have metamorphed into an old person, who was just on the shorter side, and no one would have paid me any mind!
"Fuck! So many lost opportunities!" I mumble, and continue my walk.
I've decided, I'm going to visit the Stonehenge at least, as soon as I'm back in England. It's the most famous place I can think of right now, other than the Tintagel castle.
Of course, I have been back to England in these days, to check up on the Animagus Potion's progress. It was just a few days away from being ready, now, and a few more processes to do. After that, I'll have to keep the cooled down Potion underneath a water source that is out in the open until the next Full moon when the Animagus Ritual will take place.
Still a long way to go, however. For now, I'll roam France. Right now, I was going to visit the Magical District of France.
Rue Girardon is a street located in the district of Grandes-Carrières in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Similarly, there's another street called the Rue Richer located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. At the Junction of these two, under heavy protection spells hiding it from the muggles, stands a lone statue. And I was staring right at it.
The statue depicts a woman, sitting atop a pillar of granite, wearing a skirt that partially covers the pillar. Usually, and when I see her from above the stairs, the statue is still, even if anyone approaches it, it'll still be still.
But, when a magical person approaches it, as I am doing now by walking down the stairs, the statue turns her head to look at me, the magical person. And as soon as I'm near the pillar, the statue slowly slides her skirt to the side.
With no hesitation, I walk towards the pillar, and through it, like it is the pillar at King's Cross station. As I do that, the pillar becomes intangible, allowing me to pass through without any prompting from me. And just like that, I'm looking at the Magical district of France, the Place Cachée.
Okay, first things first, ~~Sly, you can come out now.~~ I say, poking at the pocket he's sleeping in, while walking leisurely, looking at sights.
Sly pokes his head out, and then sensing the magic outside, probably, he just floats completely outside my pocket. He just stays there, in the air, floating at my head level, looking at everything with fascination.
Thankfully now, he looks a damn better sight than before, although a lot bigger too. Turns out, he was just growing up, but him eating a highly magical meat, of a Basilisk, was getting in the way of his proper growth. It made his stomach bloat up, while the rest of his body stayed the same.
It took a few days of forceful fasting to bring him back to a proper ratio, and now, he was a 5 foot long snake, with a girth as wide as my own arm. The weight finally got properly distributed, and it took just two weeks to happen.
~~Where are we now?~~ Sly asks, looking around.
A woman passes us by, and shrieks at seeing Sly flying near my head. Whoops, forgot about that.
"Désolé de vous surprendre, Mademoiselle. J'ai un permis pour ça." I say, looking as sheepish as possible.
Putting my hand in my pockets, I remove a blank piece of parchment, and show it to her from afar. She looks at it, and then sighs in relief. She then scolds me in French, as she says, "You should be more careful, young man!"
And then she walks away.
Shaking my head, I put the enchanted parchment back in my pocket. It was an amazing invention of mine, made within the week that I had between buying the ticket, and leaving for France.
It shows them whatever you want them to see. If I wanted to show them a French Passport, it'll become that in their eyes, if I wanted to show them a Permit for a XXXXX Creature like the Horned Serpent, then they'll see just that. I made it especially for Sly, since I didn't want to explain to everyone why I had him, and how I can control him. And sometimes, Sly just refuses to turn invisible, no matter what I try to bribe him with.
A permit usually means that I know how to handle the snake, which makes her trust me immediately. Works like a charm, every time!
~~We, are in Paris. The same place where I showed you that tall tower?~~ I explain to Sly, as we start walking towards a cafe that I see.
Sly perks up, and asks, ~~Are we going to go there again?~~
Chuckling, I say, ~~Sure, if you want. But for now, I want to try a Magical French breakfast.~~
Sly really loved the Eiffel tower, despite having to be invisible all the time while there. Well, not like he had any troubles doing that, since his Invisibility band was still working. Don't know why he's being stubborn right now, though.
Walking inside, I'm greeted with wide eyes, and a lot of scared people. Once again, I show them the fake Permit, which makes everyone's stiff shoulders settle down. Really, too easy to gain anyone's trust, with something like this, since it can even fool most Occlumency users!
As I sit down on a two person table, I pick up the menu from the table, and read it, letting Sly join me on my shoulder once again. Finding what I want to eat today, I flag down the waiter, and wait.
"Ready to order, Mr?" The waiter asks, almost as soon as he appears before me.
I say, "I'll have the Cafe au Lait, and an omelette, please."
The waiter notes it down on a floating notepad, and leaves, leaving me to look around awkwardly. It was a nice cafe, if a bit on the smaller side. They could have added expansion charms or something.
Sly was getting some attention from a few men, and a woman, who were blatantly staring at the snake, which just makes me realize something.
There were 17 people here, only three of them women. But.. something was off. You know, Minds are in a continuous spectrum. I've said that before, even if it is a bit on the theoretical side. But this just means that I can recognise when there is someone in the same room as me, without listening to their thoughts.
But here, I could feel the presence of 13 people, not counting the 4 people working here, but I can see just 11 people. I could hear the thoughts of just 8 though, three of them having pretty good control on their loud thoughts. But the remaining two people were completely invisible to me, in sight, and in senses.
Discretely, I tap the side of my glasses, activating an Enchantment that allows me to see through most Privacy, Invisibility, and Camouflage spells. Unfortunately, even that reveals nothing. According to my glasses, the only ones here, are me, the 13 patrons, and the four Cafe workers. The two Invisibile people are still.. invisible.
I really hope they aren't going to cause trouble for me here. But, this is literally my first time here, so I don't think they're here for me.
Soon, my order comes, and I start eating, reading the newspaper that I have the waiter bring for me while eating. Well, Grindelwald was back in Germany now, having abandoned his Austrian base for a few months now.
Probably egging Hitler on, or something. I remember he had a hand in Hitler's rise, although I'm pretty sure that Hitler would have carried on with his plan even if Grindelwald was a non-issue.
Then there's the Americans. As always, believing that the entire World belongs to them. And this holds true even on the Wizarding side.
Their Auror force was raging through Germany, looking for any signs of Grindelwald, while another party, this one comprises of UK, France, and USA, was still looking for his Austrian base, wherever it might be.
Very few people have ever seen it, since no one that Grindelwald doesn't want knows where it is. And his prisoners? They never come back alive, not like their bodies are sent back. And since only loyal people have access to the base, it was staying hidden. They just know it's in the Alps, but by God, it'll be hard to find.
Hearing a clink, I look up to see something I didn't expect, nor see coming. An old woman was sitting opposite me, with a cup of tea, and a croissant beside it in front of her.
"Can I help you?" I ask, because what else am I supposed to say.
I don't recognise this woman, and I don't think she knows me either. Plus, I am getting nothing from her. No loud thoughts, no random memories flying away from her, nothing. It was as if her mind didn't even exist!
I didn't even see her walk towards my table, which is really creepy.
Damn, she's one of the two Invisibile people, isn't she?
The old lady smiles at me, which makes me want to trust her. I simply close my eyes, and take a deep breath to bring my mind back into focus. I am soo.. grossed out right now, I just had the thoughts of kissing an old woman, and by Gods the thought was disturbing.
A Veela. Of course, it's a Veela. Just my luck. I really hope she isn't here to match me up, or something. I'm still underage.
Opening my eyes, I glare at her, seeing her look amused, and say, "The next time you try that, I'm stabbing you."
And I am actually serious about it. I don't mind Veelas, at least not the younger ones, I think. They get better with age, at using their Allure, and this one was old. I can literally see her bones on her face, behind pale white skin, she is that old.
Contrary to my expectations, the woman laughs a loud laugh, and says, "Oh, dear. You're just breaking all my expectations, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?" I ask, noticing that she had us surrounded by a Privacy charm, one I don't recognise, nor did I feel it being cast. Her accent was also odd.
She's speaking French, and the terms are mostly modern, but the way she speaks sounds ancient, as if she's here from the 10th century or something.
The lady sips her tea, and says, "Oh, nothing dearie. Just an old woman, satisfying her curiosity. That's a Horned Serpent, right? A hybrid, from the looks of it."
I immediately pat my arm on Sly, feeling his familiar form on my shoulders, and stiffly nod. He was currently in his Cobra form, which is normal whenever he doesn't fly. But she could have seen Sly when we first walked it, or flew in, for Sly.
The lady picks a cut off piece of the croissant with her fork, and after chewing for a while, she points her fork at me. She says, "I knew it! Nicky said 'No, it can't be a hybrid, hybrids aren't this small!' hah! Take that."
This lady is a bit off in her head, isn't she? Probably a bit demented too. Although I can't deny that she's a good Witch. Her spells are too subtle. Like the babbling hex she just caught me with. Thankfully, my mind is above such spells.
Dispelling the hex she cast on me with her fork, with the snap of my wand, I ask, "Well, anything else? Or is your curiosity satisfied?"
The lady giggles, all the while continuing with her breakfast, and says, "Oh, there's loads. Nicky won't mind you stealing me from him for that long, you know."
Sighing, I ignore this Nicky for now, lean back, and say, "What should I call you? If we're going to have a conversation, I need a name to go with it."
"Call me aunt Nelly." The lady says, and before I can even react to it, she says, "Now, the parchment you showed them all before? Did you just write the Runes, or did you do something else? I have a bit of a bet going on, you see."
At the end of the question, she's practically excited. Weird lady, but well, she is old. If by muggle standards, she looks 100, then she's definitely at least 150. Plus, considering she's a Veela, add a few more decades.
I pick up my own cup of tea, take a sip, and say, "Runes, and a few charms, after soaking the parchment in-"
"-the Confundus Elixer! Amazing! And you did it yourself?" The lady interrupts me, with a lot of excitement within herself.
What's even the point? Why am I even talking with her? Other than curiosity? Was there something in my tea? No, I would have known it.
I nod, and say, "Yes."
I don't elaborate, because something's fishy here. This lady comes out of nowhere, asks me questions, and I'm just answering? There has to be some manipulation at work here, because I seem to trust her too easily.
Could her Veela charm have actually worked?
"No, it didn't. My Veela charm failed to catch hold. Don't worry, you aren't being forced to answer my questions. Really, is it so hard to believe that I have no other motive than curiosity?" The lady says, making me even more suspicious now.
I point out, "That's exactly what a person with an ulterior motive would say."
I don't feel threatened by her, but that's just making me more suspicious. Am I too paranoid? Probably, but I think it's a good thing.
The lady chuckles, and says, "Very well, I give you my word, that you can leave if you want to. Please, try. I won't stop you from leaving, and I won't attack you in a place such as this, you know. I'm just.. curious."
I decide to do just that, and stand up to leave. As soon as I exit the privacy ward, the lady becomes invisible once again, and I hear a loud cacophony of noise, from the other patrons. Sighing, I take a step forward, and re-enter the warded are.
"Fine, I believe you." I say, as soon as her smiling face comes back into sight.
The lady claps her hands, and says, "Wonderful! You just won me a bet!" She then leans forward, and asks, "How old are you?"
"25" I immediately answer, having gotten used to being Harrison Evans in France.
The lady clicks her tongue, and asks, "No, I mean your true age. How old are you? I don't mean to ask the age of your face."
What. The. Fuck.
Never before, has someone seen through my Metamorphmagic. Never. I don't think she can see my face, but she probably knows that there's something hiding my true face.
Swallowing, more than a little afraid, but a lot more curious, I amswer, "15. Why?"
You know, I confess, my curiosity will most probably kill me one day. Damn my Ravenclaw tendencies.
"Oh." The lady, aunty Nelly says, and then shakes her head. She mumbles, "I thought you'd be younger. Artefact creation, at 15, while impressive, is not too surprising."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't mind me. I mean, I have seen a lot of people who created something unique for themselves, at 13,14,15 years of age. Artefacts are rare, their creators rarer. But 15 is just about right time for you to start learning." She says, and goes back to her tea.
Frowning, and more than a little insulted, I say, "Excuse me if I didn't have artefact creation as an elective for first year! Impressive or not, I don't care, I created all of my artefacts within a week at most!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
~~Psst. She tricked you.~~ Sly helpfully says, like I didn't notice that.
"Ah, you just had the moment didn't you? Where you found out you were tricked? Always a treat to see." She sighs in satisfaction, and adds, "But well, it is impressive. Your Rune work is solid, from the looks of it, and you have an amazing understanding of the Mind, judging by how you're able to affect them. You also felt us when you walked in, right? I'm assuming you're still in school?"
I shake my head, honestly impressed by her, and disappointed by myself. I really hate how much I'm trusting her right now.
I say, "I passed my NEWTs this year, got a special leave for it." And immediately curse myself. Fuck! There's definitely something fishy here! Another babbling hex? Or some type of subtle ward that makes you trust the person.
The lady nods, and then her eyes widen, as if they gain an understanding. Damn, she knows about me, doesn't she? Not like the papers kept it any secret, even the French papers had it, a week after the results were declared.
"Ah, the Aves. No wonder they allowed you to give your exams. You're good at magic, aren't you?" The lady says, stroking my ego with a smile on her face.
Not falling for it again.
I say, "I know some stuff."
She scoffs, and asks, "I read the reports, child. But, you know a lot more than even that it seems. Your gift with languages, or Artefact creation was not on the report, discounting the Shield ring that you made. But that's more of an Enchantment than an Artefact. Neither was the fact that you own a Horned Serpent."
I nod, but stay silent. I wonder who this is, and what she wants. My curiosity is.. fading now, and I just want to get the hell out of here. She creeps me out, despite looking like she'll die soon.
"Well, I will be sure to keep an eye on your progress, Mr Aves. I won't disturb you any longer. Take care of your little friend, hm? Horned Serpents are really rare, and they're really hard to find mates for." Saying that, she just… disappears.
Sly flicks his tongue a few times, and says, ~~She's.. gone.~~
I nod, trusting my own senses over Sly's. She's definitely not here anymore, and neither is the other invisible person. It's like she was here one moment, and gone the next.
Hopefully, I won't have to ever see her again. She looked old enough to die in the next five minutes, so hoping for the best.
~~Was she a pervert?~~ Sly asks, as we walk out of the Cafe.
I shrug, and say, ~~Probably not. She was just plain creepy, that's all.~~
She literally emitted an aura that said "trust me" which made me switch between trusting her, and not trusting her at all. Really, everything about her was creepy.
From the way she just appeared and disappeared, to the way she already knew so much about my projects. And she spoke about a Report? What was that about?
Well, I'm guessing I'll find out soon enough. That looked like a recruitment interview, although she definitely didn't know who I was before, that's for sure.
I'm just glad to be away from her.
-
Soon, I return back to Britain, and to my lovely new house in Islington, the woman in France at the back of my mind. I'd hired a few local teenagers to move some furniture to the house yesterday, to get some good reputation.
They got money, and free food for the two days, and I got my furniture set up, all the while looking like a posh rich man, and making a reputation as him. And then, after setting a few warning charms, along with a few basic wards, I returned to the Orphanage.
I'd told Sister Agnes about my trip, but she thought I was gone in a bus trip around England. Who was I to correct her? And I did plan a trip around England anyway, so I wasn't exactly lying.
Now, a couple weeks after my visit to France, and the creepy encounter with whom I think is the wife of the immortal alchemist, I was back in the chamber of Secrets, waiting for a Patronus from the girls.
The Animagus Potion was ready, finally, and we were going to drop our leaves in it now. As soon as the girls show up, that is.
"What do you think your forms will be?" Helena asks, floating around the chamber.
I shrug, turn the page of the book I was reading, and say, "Probably some snake, or a bird. I'm leaning towards owls, bird of Wisdom and all that."
Helena chuckles, and says, "Yes, I think an owl will suit you. You'll finally manage to fly on your own though, won't you?"
I scowl at her, for reminding me of that failure. I was trying, but other than casting Runes on my clothes, all of them, I hadn't found anything to allow me flight. It was embarrassing.
I say, "Shut up. I'll figure it out, you'll see."
And I will, soon enough. But first, let's become Animagus.
It was as I was reading the part in the book about the actual Animagus Ritual, which is still about a month away, that the expected happens. A white spiritual lioness phases in through the wall, stops in front of me, and says, "We're here."
The voice that spoke it, was Dorea's. At least they're learning how to send messages with the Patronus charm, finally.
Getting up, I keep the book back on the shelf, turn towards Helena, who herself was reading a book, and say, "Well, you can stay here if you want. I'll be entertaining my friends down in the Chamber."
Helena nods, and says, "Be careful not to be seen by anyone. If anyone finds out that you lurk around here, they can cause troubles."
Don't I know it. But, I have some methods of staying out of sight.
~~Speak to me, Slytherin! Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!~~ I say, once I'm in the main chamber, and in front of Salazar's statue.
Walking in, I see Sly resting on one of the Rocks, and leaving him be, keep walking. I'd found, that of the many tunnels here, two led to the outskirts of the castle. One came out right in the forest, while the other came out in a cave that's a little bit away from here.
I had told the girls to wait near the Three Broomsticks, from where I was going to bring them here, via the cave. Thankfully, I'd asked them to bring their brooms, because this road is a long one.
"Hey! What happened to the giant dead snake?" Ana asks, as soon as we return to the Chamber.
Huh, they haven't been here for so long? I hid it months ago!
"Sly kept on eating it, a lot. He basically became bloated, and I had to hide the corpse. It's.. safe." I say, not saying where it is. It's better that way. Less chances of Sly finding it that way, bloody glutton.
I then say, "Anyway, we're not here for the Basilisk, but for the Potion. Follow me, ladies. You can keep your brooms on the side there."
The journey here, with brooms, still took us 10 whole minutes, and we were already a bit tired. Thankfully, the Potion wasn't that far away. It was in the main chamber itself, hidden behind a pillar. So, not exactly hidden.
Soon, I divide the golden yellow potion into four vials, one for each of us. Then, with the wave of a hand, I write our names on each of the vials, and start handing them out to the respective person.
I say, "Now, slowly dip the leaf in, and then let it go. Don't drop it all at once. Like so."
Saying that, I remove the leaf from my mouth, still wet from the saliva, and slowly sink it into the liquid. The leaf, instead of floating above the surface, starts sinking to the bottom of the vial, and stays there.
Dorea, Ana, and Darla do the same, and then hand me the vials. Putting the rubber cork on them, I say, "Well, that's done. Now, just have to keep them in an open lake, out on the surface, that is at least 50 meters deep."
Darla asks, "How long do we have to keep it there?"
"Until the next Lunar Eclipse, which is in December. So, a long, long time." I say, remembering that the Total Lunar Eclipse happened back in January, and a partial Lunar eclipse happened last month, in July. Meh, doesn't hurt, having to wait too long.
"So, we just have to wait? That's.. boring. I was hoping for some excitement today." Dorea says, pouting.
"Well, we can practice our magic, if you want. I'll just be gone for 10 minutes, have to keep these underwater," I raise the vials as emphasis, and add, "or we can practice our Occlumency."
Dorea scowls, and says, "No thanks. I'd rather not do any studying in the Summer. It's summer!"
"We'll just have a girls day out then, why don't we? Mason can do whatever he wants, and we'll have a short trip to London!" Ana offers, already having one supporter in the form of Darla.
Darla exclaims, "Yes! Let's go to London, I'll show you good places to go to!" And holds Ana's hand.
Smiling in amusement, I start leading them back through the caves, once again atop our brooms. I could have just brought the Potion outside, but the Potion shouldn't see the light of day from the moment the process begins, to the moment you drink it. And the Chamber, even if well lit, is still not the 'light of day.'
Now, to find a lake suitable and secure enough for this. Don't want some treasure hunter finding and running off with the Potions.
And then, it's a few months of break. Ah, finally I can tackle flight.
---
A/N: About 5-7 more chapters before WW2 starts! Excited to write about it! Short time skips are annoying, so I'll finally get to write actual plot!
Thanks for your support!
Tata!
---
France. A beautiful Country, with a lot of magnificent culture behind it. But, it's also not that interesting through a Magical person's perspective. It was dreadfully boring for me, a pursuer of knowledge, at least in the muggle world.
I've been here for two weeks, and I'm already ready to go back to Britain. Thankfully, I was able to speak French, my secondary mutation helped in that. Plus, as long as I renewed the sticking charm on the Mandrake leaf, I could speak without worry of the leaf falling out.
It did however, make me produce a lot more saliva than normal, so I spoke a lot less than I could.
I spent the first week visiting the muggle tourist places, like the Eiffel Tower, or the Notre Dame de Paris, and the Louvre Museum of Arts. It was.. an experience. At least I finally got to see the Mona Lisa!
Yeah, I wasn't impressed. It's literally a painting, an old one, but still a painting! But well, it is a part of their history, and hence, important to the French.
Then there were a few Magical places, like the Pyrenees Village, a Village near the French Pyrenees mountains, a little bit away from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. I obviously wasn't allowed inside, and I didn't even try, but I did roam a little bit around it.
There were many other places that I visited, by way of either portals, or by bus. Like the Palace of Versailles, or the Sacré-Cœur, and many more. I didn't stay in one place for too long, however, since I was excited to finally visit another country!
I didn't get to do that in my previous life, because I wasn't rich enough for that. And in this life, I never had the opportunity.
I suddenly stop, taking a moment to gasp out loud, and groan, realisation settling in, while in the middle of a walk. I could have literally roamed around UK, by using the Knight Bus, or my portals, or the normal buses! I could have metamorphed into an old person, who was just on the shorter side, and no one would have paid me any mind!
"Fuck! So many lost opportunities!" I mumble, and continue my walk.
I've decided, I'm going to visit the Stonehenge at least, as soon as I'm back in England. It's the most famous place I can think of right now, other than the Tintagel castle.
Of course, I have been back to England in these days, to check up on the Animagus Potion's progress. It was just a few days away from being ready, now, and a few more processes to do. After that, I'll have to keep the cooled down Potion underneath a water source that is out in the open until the next Full moon when the Animagus Ritual will take place.
Still a long way to go, however. For now, I'll roam France. Right now, I was going to visit the Magical District of France.
Rue Girardon is a street located in the district of Grandes-Carrières in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Similarly, there's another street called the Rue Richer located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. At the Junction of these two, under heavy protection spells hiding it from the muggles, stands a lone statue. And I was staring right at it.
The statue depicts a woman, sitting atop a pillar of granite, wearing a skirt that partially covers the pillar. Usually, and when I see her from above the stairs, the statue is still, even if anyone approaches it, it'll still be still.
But, when a magical person approaches it, as I am doing now by walking down the stairs, the statue turns her head to look at me, the magical person. And as soon as I'm near the pillar, the statue slowly slides her skirt to the side.
With no hesitation, I walk towards the pillar, and through it, like it is the pillar at King's Cross station. As I do that, the pillar becomes intangible, allowing me to pass through without any prompting from me. And just like that, I'm looking at the Magical district of France, the Place Cachée.
Okay, first things first, ~~Sly, you can come out now.~~ I say, poking at the pocket he's sleeping in, while walking leisurely, looking at sights.
Sly pokes his head out, and then sensing the magic outside, probably, he just floats completely outside my pocket. He just stays there, in the air, floating at my head level, looking at everything with fascination.
Thankfully now, he looks a damn better sight than before, although a lot bigger too. Turns out, he was just growing up, but him eating a highly magical meat, of a Basilisk, was getting in the way of his proper growth. It made his stomach bloat up, while the rest of his body stayed the same.
It took a few days of forceful fasting to bring him back to a proper ratio, and now, he was a 5 foot long snake, with a girth as wide as my own arm. The weight finally got properly distributed, and it took just two weeks to happen.
~~Where are we now?~~ Sly asks, looking around.
A woman passes us by, and shrieks at seeing Sly flying near my head. Whoops, forgot about that.
"Désolé de vous surprendre, Mademoiselle. J'ai un permis pour ça." I say, looking as sheepish as possible.
Putting my hand in my pockets, I remove a blank piece of parchment, and show it to her from afar. She looks at it, and then sighs in relief. She then scolds me in French, as she says, "You should be more careful, young man!"
And then she walks away.
Shaking my head, I put the enchanted parchment back in my pocket. It was an amazing invention of mine, made within the week that I had between buying the ticket, and leaving for France.
It shows them whatever you want them to see. If I wanted to show them a French Passport, it'll become that in their eyes, if I wanted to show them a Permit for a XXXXX Creature like the Horned Serpent, then they'll see just that. I made it especially for Sly, since I didn't want to explain to everyone why I had him, and how I can control him. And sometimes, Sly just refuses to turn invisible, no matter what I try to bribe him with.
A permit usually means that I know how to handle the snake, which makes her trust me immediately. Works like a charm, every time!
~~We, are in Paris. The same place where I showed you that tall tower?~~ I explain to Sly, as we start walking towards a cafe that I see.
Sly perks up, and asks, ~~Are we going to go there again?~~
Chuckling, I say, ~~Sure, if you want. But for now, I want to try a Magical French breakfast.~~
Sly really loved the Eiffel tower, despite having to be invisible all the time while there. Well, not like he had any troubles doing that, since his Invisibility band was still working. Don't know why he's being stubborn right now, though.
Walking inside, I'm greeted with wide eyes, and a lot of scared people. Once again, I show them the fake Permit, which makes everyone's stiff shoulders settle down. Really, too easy to gain anyone's trust, with something like this, since it can even fool most Occlumency users!
As I sit down on a two person table, I pick up the menu from the table, and read it, letting Sly join me on my shoulder once again. Finding what I want to eat today, I flag down the waiter, and wait.
"Ready to order, Mr?" The waiter asks, almost as soon as he appears before me.
I say, "I'll have the Cafe au Lait, and an omelette, please."
The waiter notes it down on a floating notepad, and leaves, leaving me to look around awkwardly. It was a nice cafe, if a bit on the smaller side. They could have added expansion charms or something.
Sly was getting some attention from a few men, and a woman, who were blatantly staring at the snake, which just makes me realize something.
There were 17 people here, only three of them women. But.. something was off. You know, Minds are in a continuous spectrum. I've said that before, even if it is a bit on the theoretical side. But this just means that I can recognise when there is someone in the same room as me, without listening to their thoughts.
But here, I could feel the presence of 13 people, not counting the 4 people working here, but I can see just 11 people. I could hear the thoughts of just 8 though, three of them having pretty good control on their loud thoughts. But the remaining two people were completely invisible to me, in sight, and in senses.
Discretely, I tap the side of my glasses, activating an Enchantment that allows me to see through most Privacy, Invisibility, and Camouflage spells. Unfortunately, even that reveals nothing. According to my glasses, the only ones here, are me, the 13 patrons, and the four Cafe workers. The two Invisibile people are still.. invisible.
I really hope they aren't going to cause trouble for me here. But, this is literally my first time here, so I don't think they're here for me.
Soon, my order comes, and I start eating, reading the newspaper that I have the waiter bring for me while eating. Well, Grindelwald was back in Germany now, having abandoned his Austrian base for a few months now.
Probably egging Hitler on, or something. I remember he had a hand in Hitler's rise, although I'm pretty sure that Hitler would have carried on with his plan even if Grindelwald was a non-issue.
Then there's the Americans. As always, believing that the entire World belongs to them. And this holds true even on the Wizarding side.
Their Auror force was raging through Germany, looking for any signs of Grindelwald, while another party, this one comprises of UK, France, and USA, was still looking for his Austrian base, wherever it might be.
Very few people have ever seen it, since no one that Grindelwald doesn't want knows where it is. And his prisoners? They never come back alive, not like their bodies are sent back. And since only loyal people have access to the base, it was staying hidden. They just know it's in the Alps, but by God, it'll be hard to find.
Hearing a clink, I look up to see something I didn't expect, nor see coming. An old woman was sitting opposite me, with a cup of tea, and a croissant beside it in front of her.
"Can I help you?" I ask, because what else am I supposed to say.
I don't recognise this woman, and I don't think she knows me either. Plus, I am getting nothing from her. No loud thoughts, no random memories flying away from her, nothing. It was as if her mind didn't even exist!
I didn't even see her walk towards my table, which is really creepy.
Damn, she's one of the two Invisibile people, isn't she?
The old lady smiles at me, which makes me want to trust her. I simply close my eyes, and take a deep breath to bring my mind back into focus. I am soo.. grossed out right now, I just had the thoughts of kissing an old woman, and by Gods the thought was disturbing.
A Veela. Of course, it's a Veela. Just my luck. I really hope she isn't here to match me up, or something. I'm still underage.
Opening my eyes, I glare at her, seeing her look amused, and say, "The next time you try that, I'm stabbing you."
And I am actually serious about it. I don't mind Veelas, at least not the younger ones, I think. They get better with age, at using their Allure, and this one was old. I can literally see her bones on her face, behind pale white skin, she is that old.
Contrary to my expectations, the woman laughs a loud laugh, and says, "Oh, dear. You're just breaking all my expectations, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?" I ask, noticing that she had us surrounded by a Privacy charm, one I don't recognise, nor did I feel it being cast. Her accent was also odd.
She's speaking French, and the terms are mostly modern, but the way she speaks sounds ancient, as if she's here from the 10th century or something.
The lady sips her tea, and says, "Oh, nothing dearie. Just an old woman, satisfying her curiosity. That's a Horned Serpent, right? A hybrid, from the looks of it."
I immediately pat my arm on Sly, feeling his familiar form on my shoulders, and stiffly nod. He was currently in his Cobra form, which is normal whenever he doesn't fly. But she could have seen Sly when we first walked it, or flew in, for Sly.
The lady picks a cut off piece of the croissant with her fork, and after chewing for a while, she points her fork at me. She says, "I knew it! Nicky said 'No, it can't be a hybrid, hybrids aren't this small!' hah! Take that."
This lady is a bit off in her head, isn't she? Probably a bit demented too. Although I can't deny that she's a good Witch. Her spells are too subtle. Like the babbling hex she just caught me with. Thankfully, my mind is above such spells.
Dispelling the hex she cast on me with her fork, with the snap of my wand, I ask, "Well, anything else? Or is your curiosity satisfied?"
The lady giggles, all the while continuing with her breakfast, and says, "Oh, there's loads. Nicky won't mind you stealing me from him for that long, you know."
Sighing, I ignore this Nicky for now, lean back, and say, "What should I call you? If we're going to have a conversation, I need a name to go with it."
"Call me aunt Nelly." The lady says, and before I can even react to it, she says, "Now, the parchment you showed them all before? Did you just write the Runes, or did you do something else? I have a bit of a bet going on, you see."
At the end of the question, she's practically excited. Weird lady, but well, she is old. If by muggle standards, she looks 100, then she's definitely at least 150. Plus, considering she's a Veela, add a few more decades.
I pick up my own cup of tea, take a sip, and say, "Runes, and a few charms, after soaking the parchment in-"
"-the Confundus Elixer! Amazing! And you did it yourself?" The lady interrupts me, with a lot of excitement within herself.
What's even the point? Why am I even talking with her? Other than curiosity? Was there something in my tea? No, I would have known it.
I nod, and say, "Yes."
I don't elaborate, because something's fishy here. This lady comes out of nowhere, asks me questions, and I'm just answering? There has to be some manipulation at work here, because I seem to trust her too easily.
Could her Veela charm have actually worked?
"No, it didn't. My Veela charm failed to catch hold. Don't worry, you aren't being forced to answer my questions. Really, is it so hard to believe that I have no other motive than curiosity?" The lady says, making me even more suspicious now.
I point out, "That's exactly what a person with an ulterior motive would say."
I don't feel threatened by her, but that's just making me more suspicious. Am I too paranoid? Probably, but I think it's a good thing.
The lady chuckles, and says, "Very well, I give you my word, that you can leave if you want to. Please, try. I won't stop you from leaving, and I won't attack you in a place such as this, you know. I'm just.. curious."
I decide to do just that, and stand up to leave. As soon as I exit the privacy ward, the lady becomes invisible once again, and I hear a loud cacophony of noise, from the other patrons. Sighing, I take a step forward, and re-enter the warded are.
"Fine, I believe you." I say, as soon as her smiling face comes back into sight.
The lady claps her hands, and says, "Wonderful! You just won me a bet!" She then leans forward, and asks, "How old are you?"
"25" I immediately answer, having gotten used to being Harrison Evans in France.
The lady clicks her tongue, and asks, "No, I mean your true age. How old are you? I don't mean to ask the age of your face."
What. The. Fuck.
Never before, has someone seen through my Metamorphmagic. Never. I don't think she can see my face, but she probably knows that there's something hiding my true face.
Swallowing, more than a little afraid, but a lot more curious, I amswer, "15. Why?"
You know, I confess, my curiosity will most probably kill me one day. Damn my Ravenclaw tendencies.
"Oh." The lady, aunty Nelly says, and then shakes her head. She mumbles, "I thought you'd be younger. Artefact creation, at 15, while impressive, is not too surprising."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't mind me. I mean, I have seen a lot of people who created something unique for themselves, at 13,14,15 years of age. Artefacts are rare, their creators rarer. But 15 is just about right time for you to start learning." She says, and goes back to her tea.
Frowning, and more than a little insulted, I say, "Excuse me if I didn't have artefact creation as an elective for first year! Impressive or not, I don't care, I created all of my artefacts within a week at most!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
~~Psst. She tricked you.~~ Sly helpfully says, like I didn't notice that.
"Ah, you just had the moment didn't you? Where you found out you were tricked? Always a treat to see." She sighs in satisfaction, and adds, "But well, it is impressive. Your Rune work is solid, from the looks of it, and you have an amazing understanding of the Mind, judging by how you're able to affect them. You also felt us when you walked in, right? I'm assuming you're still in school?"
I shake my head, honestly impressed by her, and disappointed by myself. I really hate how much I'm trusting her right now.
I say, "I passed my NEWTs this year, got a special leave for it." And immediately curse myself. Fuck! There's definitely something fishy here! Another babbling hex? Or some type of subtle ward that makes you trust the person.
The lady nods, and then her eyes widen, as if they gain an understanding. Damn, she knows about me, doesn't she? Not like the papers kept it any secret, even the French papers had it, a week after the results were declared.
"Ah, the Aves. No wonder they allowed you to give your exams. You're good at magic, aren't you?" The lady says, stroking my ego with a smile on her face.
Not falling for it again.
I say, "I know some stuff."
She scoffs, and asks, "I read the reports, child. But, you know a lot more than even that it seems. Your gift with languages, or Artefact creation was not on the report, discounting the Shield ring that you made. But that's more of an Enchantment than an Artefact. Neither was the fact that you own a Horned Serpent."
I nod, but stay silent. I wonder who this is, and what she wants. My curiosity is.. fading now, and I just want to get the hell out of here. She creeps me out, despite looking like she'll die soon.
"Well, I will be sure to keep an eye on your progress, Mr Aves. I won't disturb you any longer. Take care of your little friend, hm? Horned Serpents are really rare, and they're really hard to find mates for." Saying that, she just… disappears.
Sly flicks his tongue a few times, and says, ~~She's.. gone.~~
I nod, trusting my own senses over Sly's. She's definitely not here anymore, and neither is the other invisible person. It's like she was here one moment, and gone the next.
Hopefully, I won't have to ever see her again. She looked old enough to die in the next five minutes, so hoping for the best.
~~Was she a pervert?~~ Sly asks, as we walk out of the Cafe.
I shrug, and say, ~~Probably not. She was just plain creepy, that's all.~~
She literally emitted an aura that said "trust me" which made me switch between trusting her, and not trusting her at all. Really, everything about her was creepy.
From the way she just appeared and disappeared, to the way she already knew so much about my projects. And she spoke about a Report? What was that about?
Well, I'm guessing I'll find out soon enough. That looked like a recruitment interview, although she definitely didn't know who I was before, that's for sure.
I'm just glad to be away from her.
-
Soon, I return back to Britain, and to my lovely new house in Islington, the woman in France at the back of my mind. I'd hired a few local teenagers to move some furniture to the house yesterday, to get some good reputation.
They got money, and free food for the two days, and I got my furniture set up, all the while looking like a posh rich man, and making a reputation as him. And then, after setting a few warning charms, along with a few basic wards, I returned to the Orphanage.
I'd told Sister Agnes about my trip, but she thought I was gone in a bus trip around England. Who was I to correct her? And I did plan a trip around England anyway, so I wasn't exactly lying.
Now, a couple weeks after my visit to France, and the creepy encounter with whom I think is the wife of the immortal alchemist, I was back in the chamber of Secrets, waiting for a Patronus from the girls.
The Animagus Potion was ready, finally, and we were going to drop our leaves in it now. As soon as the girls show up, that is.
"What do you think your forms will be?" Helena asks, floating around the chamber.
I shrug, turn the page of the book I was reading, and say, "Probably some snake, or a bird. I'm leaning towards owls, bird of Wisdom and all that."
Helena chuckles, and says, "Yes, I think an owl will suit you. You'll finally manage to fly on your own though, won't you?"
I scowl at her, for reminding me of that failure. I was trying, but other than casting Runes on my clothes, all of them, I hadn't found anything to allow me flight. It was embarrassing.
I say, "Shut up. I'll figure it out, you'll see."
And I will, soon enough. But first, let's become Animagus.
It was as I was reading the part in the book about the actual Animagus Ritual, which is still about a month away, that the expected happens. A white spiritual lioness phases in through the wall, stops in front of me, and says, "We're here."
The voice that spoke it, was Dorea's. At least they're learning how to send messages with the Patronus charm, finally.
Getting up, I keep the book back on the shelf, turn towards Helena, who herself was reading a book, and say, "Well, you can stay here if you want. I'll be entertaining my friends down in the Chamber."
Helena nods, and says, "Be careful not to be seen by anyone. If anyone finds out that you lurk around here, they can cause troubles."
Don't I know it. But, I have some methods of staying out of sight.
~~Speak to me, Slytherin! Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!~~ I say, once I'm in the main chamber, and in front of Salazar's statue.
Walking in, I see Sly resting on one of the Rocks, and leaving him be, keep walking. I'd found, that of the many tunnels here, two led to the outskirts of the castle. One came out right in the forest, while the other came out in a cave that's a little bit away from here.
I had told the girls to wait near the Three Broomsticks, from where I was going to bring them here, via the cave. Thankfully, I'd asked them to bring their brooms, because this road is a long one.
"Hey! What happened to the giant dead snake?" Ana asks, as soon as we return to the Chamber.
Huh, they haven't been here for so long? I hid it months ago!
"Sly kept on eating it, a lot. He basically became bloated, and I had to hide the corpse. It's.. safe." I say, not saying where it is. It's better that way. Less chances of Sly finding it that way, bloody glutton.
I then say, "Anyway, we're not here for the Basilisk, but for the Potion. Follow me, ladies. You can keep your brooms on the side there."
The journey here, with brooms, still took us 10 whole minutes, and we were already a bit tired. Thankfully, the Potion wasn't that far away. It was in the main chamber itself, hidden behind a pillar. So, not exactly hidden.
Soon, I divide the golden yellow potion into four vials, one for each of us. Then, with the wave of a hand, I write our names on each of the vials, and start handing them out to the respective person.
I say, "Now, slowly dip the leaf in, and then let it go. Don't drop it all at once. Like so."
Saying that, I remove the leaf from my mouth, still wet from the saliva, and slowly sink it into the liquid. The leaf, instead of floating above the surface, starts sinking to the bottom of the vial, and stays there.
Dorea, Ana, and Darla do the same, and then hand me the vials. Putting the rubber cork on them, I say, "Well, that's done. Now, just have to keep them in an open lake, out on the surface, that is at least 50 meters deep."
Darla asks, "How long do we have to keep it there?"
"Until the next Lunar Eclipse, which is in December. So, a long, long time." I say, remembering that the Total Lunar Eclipse happened back in January, and a partial Lunar eclipse happened last month, in July. Meh, doesn't hurt, having to wait too long.
"So, we just have to wait? That's.. boring. I was hoping for some excitement today." Dorea says, pouting.
"Well, we can practice our magic, if you want. I'll just be gone for 10 minutes, have to keep these underwater," I raise the vials as emphasis, and add, "or we can practice our Occlumency."
Dorea scowls, and says, "No thanks. I'd rather not do any studying in the Summer. It's summer!"
"We'll just have a girls day out then, why don't we? Mason can do whatever he wants, and we'll have a short trip to London!" Ana offers, already having one supporter in the form of Darla.
Darla exclaims, "Yes! Let's go to London, I'll show you good places to go to!" And holds Ana's hand.
Smiling in amusement, I start leading them back through the caves, once again atop our brooms. I could have just brought the Potion outside, but the Potion shouldn't see the light of day from the moment the process begins, to the moment you drink it. And the Chamber, even if well lit, is still not the 'light of day.'
Now, to find a lake suitable and secure enough for this. Don't want some treasure hunter finding and running off with the Potions.
And then, it's a few months of break. Ah, finally I can tackle flight.
---
A/N: About 5-7 more chapters before WW2 starts! Excited to write about it! Short time skips are annoying, so I'll finally get to write actual plot!
Thanks for your support!
Tata!
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- Location
- Planet Earth
Really feel like that rather OBVIOUS meeting with the Flamels should have made the MC Waay more paranoid. She was obviously easily able to manipulate him. So he should be thinking up all sorts of ways to protect himself. Pheromones, different mental attacks, sounds, etc...
Also, hope the MC learns all kinds of construction charms and combines them with common sense to build a nice home. like transfiguring stone to water, pouring it into a mold, then turn it back, or studying chemistry to use charms and transfiguration to actually change the composition of materials, so you can change coal to carbon to diamond or something. Maybe make enough money to buy himself an island. Should be doable. Repair charms and enchanted objects that repair, used on junk/cars/antiques/homes, then invest the money.
Also, hope the MC learns all kinds of construction charms and combines them with common sense to build a nice home. like transfiguring stone to water, pouring it into a mold, then turn it back, or studying chemistry to use charms and transfiguration to actually change the composition of materials, so you can change coal to carbon to diamond or something. Maybe make enough money to buy himself an island. Should be doable. Repair charms and enchanted objects that repair, used on junk/cars/antiques/homes, then invest the money.
AldariSiradla
Knight of the Fountain Pen
Well, Nicky lost a bet and Nelly is smug.
Glad to see that immortality has not killed their sense of humor.
Glad to see that immortality has not killed their sense of humor.
- Location
- UK
Yeah I don't get this. Hitler in the run up to WW2 must be a fairly public figure right? So it doesn't make sense people especially wizards can't actually find him…
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Grindelwald
- Location
- UK
Now that makes much more sense
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Sometimes my eyes catch the smallest mistake in my writing, while leaving something big in the story. Sorry for that!
- Location
- Australia
Nice story. Just found it yesterday. I'm surprised you didn't have it set up that lily would be his daughter so he could take Harry in.
24. St Mungo's
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
Two chapters today! This is the first one!
---
With a soft crack of displaced air, I appear in an alleyway out of a small hole in space, and look around to see if anyone saw me, as I start walking forward. But it's unlikely; muggles are prone to ignore Magic even when they're staring right at it.
It was a small side effect of the Statute of Secrecy, although not a direct or purposeful one. Muggles could still see magical things, it wasn't anything like the Mist from Percy Jackson. It was a psychological effect.
Having spent centuries thinking that Magic is a myth, something to tell stories about, muggles now find it almost impossible to even think otherwise. They find an explanation for themselves, for whatever magic they see, and most of the time, the explanation is completely mundane!
Of course, someone can still find it odd when someone appears out of nowhere, or if you do something completely magical out in the open. They tend to ignore it, but they don't always do that. And, something like Apparition is more likely to catch someone's eyes, than a glowing light. Still, I cast a Notice-me-not charm around myself, as a precaution.
Apparition. It was an amazing art, and now I finally have my license for it. You're at one spot, enter a very small wormhole of your own creation, and exit out of another wormhole at your destination. That's rad, even if I think portals are a bit more convenient, but that argument is not that important. The broken down department store in front of me, is.
Purge and Dowse, Ltd, says the name board hanging overhead. It looks completely normal, if completely abandoned. The glass windows were broken in, and dust and broken dummies covered the ground. There was another banner outside, on the windows and the door, that said, 'Closed for Refurbishment' so that Muggles don't pay too close attention to it.
Or at least, that's what you'd see from the outside.
Ignoring the door, I walk towards the window that held a frankly ugly model dummy, as I was instructed, and approach it to touch the window. The window feels solid to me, so I turn towards the dummy, and whisper, "I have a meeting with the Head Healer."
Almost imperceptible, the dummy nods and the window gives in, becoming intangible, my hand passing through it. Looking back, to see if anyone saw through the notice-me-not charm, I walk through the intangible window, and come out somewhere else.
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is the main Wizarding Hospital within Wizarding UK.
There were smaller hospitals in Wizarding villages, but they were either Private, or for small time treatments. St Mungo's was Government funded, and had cures, or treatments, for almost any malady.
I was currently in a reception room, from the looks of it. There were about 30 wizards and witches here, most of them looking normal. A few had abnormalities growing out of their bodies, and one even had a chair leg for a hand. How that happened, only he knows.
A few were serious patients, one who was coughing, with visible large boils on his face, Dragon Pox, and another with blood flowing down from the head. They had a healer or two near them, to keep them stable before anything more could happen.
Ignoring them all, I approach the Reception desk, and smile at the blonde, plump woman sitting there. She looks entirely calm, even with all the excitement happening in the room.
Looking at me, utterly bored, she asks, "Name and purpose?"
Well, you could have at least used the full sentence.
I answer, "Mason Aves. I have a meeting with the Head Healer. I got a letter informing me of an appointment."
And I hand her the letter to allow her to conform, when she asks for it.
She looks it over, places it back in front of me, and then begins looking over a book. The finger going down the page clues me in on what she's doing.
As I wait patiently, she pauses her finger, and says, "Ah, yes. Mr Aves. You do have a meeting with Healer Potter. Take those stairs, and go to the 3rd Floor. Her office will be right in front of you. I'll inform her of your arrival."
Taking the appointment letter, I place it back inside my coat, and nod at her. Smiling, I say, "Thank you for your help, Miss. Good day."
"Have a good day!" The lady calls back, as I start walking towards the stairs.
The place looked alright, about what you'd expect from a hospital. It wasn't too fancy, and nothing too magical was apparent visible, if you ignore the patients and the Magical portraits.
The stairs were bland, with nothing magical about them either.
Soon, I reach the 3rd floor, and walk towards the office of Healer Potter. Huh, I wonder if she's a relative of Harry Potter, or a would-be-relative. I don't remember reading about anyone in his family being a healer, but JK did skip a lot of important stuff.
Mainly family trees.
I just know that the Head Healer's name is Head Healer Potter, and that she's a woman. Other than that, I wasn't told anything. Not by the receptionist, not by the appointment letter, and neither by Professor Slughorn, who informed me about the specifics of the Apprenticeship. I don't even know who I'm going to apprentice under!
Before I can knock on the door, that says Head Healer Potter, the door opens, and I am allowed to look inside. There was a table, with the expected files and folders stacked neatly, and a woman seated behind it.
The woman looked to be in her 60s, and had a few patches of grey hair to show it, and had brown eyes. She was wearing the typical Lime Green Healer's robes, and had a top hat that reminds me of muggle nurses.
As I take my first step inside, the woman gets up, and says, "Mason Aves, I presume?"
"Yes, I am. Master Potter?" I ask, just to make sure.
The woman nods, holds her hands together in front of her, on the table, and says, "That's yet to be decided. I agreed to meet with you because I owed Horace a favour. I have not yet decided to accept you as an Apprentice Healer."
"Of course, ma'am." I say, nodding at that statement. I already knew that.
Nodding at me, Madam Potter tilts her head towards the empty chair, and says, "Come in, sit. I don't have all day."
Nodding graciously, I sit down on the chair, and keep my document file on the table. She starts writing on a form in front of herself, and asks, "Have you gotten your NEWT results yet?"
Nodding, I offer her my file, and say, "Yes ma'am. It's right there, behind the OWL marklist." She takes the file, keeping the form she was working on to the side. It was a patient discharge form, I notice.
"What did you think of the NEWTs? And the OWLs? It can't have been easy, giving them two years early." Healer Potter says, as she leafs through my file.
I say, "It wasn't difficult, Ma'am. I've been studying ahead since day one at Hogwarts, and I could have sat my OWLs in third year itself. The NEWTs were a bit more difficult, but I did wonderfully, if I do say so myself."
Honestly speaking, the only part of NEWTs I had trouble with, was deciding which subjects to drop.
"O's all around? You topped the class?" Healer Potter asks, looking up with a raised eyebrow.
Why is she asking me this? Shouldn't she already know?
I shake my head with a smile, and say, "No, ma'am. A girl from Slytherin, Thena Avery, was the one who topped the year. I came third, likely because I did not take as many subjects as the first two."
Meh, not like coming in first had any advantage out in the real world. The only reason Avery might go far, is because she has the family name to back her up, just like me, somewhat.
She keeps the file down, closing it, and stares at me for a few seconds. I nervously look around, interviews still having a bad effect on myself, and blink as she asks, "Why do you want to be a Healer, Mr Aves? As good as your NEWTs are, you could get any job in the Ministry. I expect you'll be the Minister within three decades at most, if you go that route. You also have the family name to keep the Purebloods happy."
Nodding, I answer, "Yes, while that is true, I'm not interested in being a pencil pusher. I like to keep myself busy, and being a Ministry worker will just keep my hands busy, and nothing else. Besides, my mother was a nurse during the last muggle war, and that is what pushed me on this path. Originally, before I knew I was a wizard, I was going to become a Doctor, and had even began reading pre-med books. But, being a Healer gives me more range of people to take care of."
"Why not an Auror then? You can help people by catching Dark Wizards. Or maybe helping out with the Grindelwald issue. He's causing trouble in Germany, last I heard." Healer Potter asks, raising an eyebrow and staring at me.
I blink, again, understanding what she's doing. She's judging my character, and I'm ashamed to admit it took me this long to figure it out.
Snorting, I look a bit insulted, and say, "I'll be honest, Ma'am. Our ministry is corrupt, we all know that. Aurors are obligated to follow orders of the Corrupt politicians while Healers are not. As an Auror, I could be ordered to prioritize saving one person ahead of the other, which I do not like. And I am still going to help out in the upcoming war with Grindelwald. But until then, I'll practice my healing as much as I can." I answer honestly, but clearly.
I see a minute twitch in her lips, but it wasn't enough to clue me as to what her feelings were. And I'm not going to use my Telepathy on her. She's going to be my boss, hopefully!
She taps her fingers on the table, making me glance at her bright green nailpolish, and says, "Hmm.. Horace mentioned that you wanted to take a break after your apprenticeship is over. Why is that?"
Scratching my head, since this was a bit of an issue, I answer, "Um.. I wanted to study muggle healing if possible. I think being a Doctor will help me with my Healing capabilities."
It was an issue, because I'd literally be abandoning my post right after completing my apprenticeship. For a minimum of 5 years. That has a chance of becoming a deal breaker.
"Good. You've thought it out then. Very well. I'll accept you as an Apprentice Healer. You'll get three chances. Three mess ups, and I'll forgive them, depending on the severity. But a fourth one, and you will be kicked out, with a permanent ban on using Healing Magics, even on yourself." Healer Potter says, bringing up another piece of parchment, and starts filling it up.
Smiling wide, I say, "Ma'am, I'll be sure to not waste even a single chance."
"See that you do." Healer Potter says, without looking up. She then points her quill at the corner of the table, and says, "There's an ID with your name on it. You'll show up in my office at 7 AM, everyday, from the next Monday. Use these days to buy, and read these books. You'll get them at Flourish and Blotts, but you'll have to show them this ID to get the books. Any questions?"
As I take the offered parchment, with the list of books, and the ID, which does have my name on it, I shake my head and get up. I say, "Thank you for this opportunity, Healer Potter. I won't let you down."
"We'll see. And call me Master Potter from now on, you will be learning directly under me, after all." Healer Potter, now Master Potter, says with a smile on her face.
I smile wide, wondering if this is some stroke of luck that I'll have to pay for later with bad luck. Apprentice under the Head Healer? Damn, I'm lucky!
"Remember. If I'm not satisfied with the zeal I see within you, you will be removed as an Apprentice. So, don't disappoint me." Master Potter says, making me smile.
I say, "Don't worry, Master Potter. I'll be at my best." And I will, for sure.
Finally, something shiny catches my eye, as I see a nameplate, hidden behind the files that she disturbed, making it visible again.
'Head Healer Euphemia Potter.'
Well, I guess I am lucky. My Master is Harry Potter's grandmother. Is it good luck, or bad, though?
We'll see.
For now, I'll have to make sure to get my muggle certificates in order, and start reading Pre-med once again.
Don't want to let Master Potter down.
-
A few days later, I walk towards Gringotts, with a small skip in my step. I had finally received it, the Emancipation Certificate, from the Ministry.
The Bureaucracy processing speed of the Ministry honestly baffles me sometimes, like now. I got my Apparition license 4 entire weeks before receiving the Emancipation Certificate. I literally had the Apparition license in my hand before I was even declared a legal adult.
Approaching the Goblin manning the Inheritance station, I wait in front of the Goblin to be acknowledged.
A few minutes of waiting later, it's my turn, and the Goblin asks, "What can Gringotts help you with?"
"I would like to take a Bloodline test, and claim any vaults I am entitled to." I say, looking straight into his eyes.
The Goblin stares at me for a few seconds, and asks, "Name?"
I answer, "Mason Lucas Aves."
The Goblin, who's name is apparently Girnar, says, "Snaphook will take you to Grungir's office. You can have your test done there itself. Be aware that you cannot claim any vaults that you aren't the undisputed heir of."
Nodding, I follow after Snaphook, realising that he was the one that brought me to Grungir the first time. Heh, what a coincidence.
"Mr Aves. I wasn't expecting to do this so soon. Aren't you just 16 years old? You still have a year before you can claim your vaults." Grungir says, as soon as I walk inside.
"You know me, I don't do things on time. I do things early." I joke, sitting down in front of Grungir.
He and I, we're not friends, not even close. But he has gotten a bit less.. stiff, while in my presence.
Handing him the Emancipation Certificate, I say, "Jokes aside, the Ministry of Magic just declared me a legal adult. Now, I know that Goblin's don't exactly follow Ministry law, but I think 20 Galleons should change that, right?"
"25. I need to explain to my superiors, why I allowed a child to claim his Family Vault a year early." Grungir counters, showing his teeth.
I shrug, and count out 25 Galleons from the pouch on my hip. G25 is not that much of a loss for me.
Grungir keeps the money in a drawer, and hands me a parchment along with a parchment. He says, "Seven drops, please. And just so you know, the Emancipation Certificate holds true in the Bank. So, thank you for the generous donation."
As he gets up and walks towards a locked cupboard in the back, I say, "You're welcome. And at least this way I won't face any troubles while claiming my Vaults."
Already knowing the procedure, I cut my thumb, and drop 7 drops of blood on the parchment. Meanwhile, Grungir closes the cupboard and approaches his chair once again.
Keeping a small box on the table, he says, "We already know you're the sole heir of the Aves Account, which the Bloodline test will show. Now, lets see if you'll get any more Vaults that you're dreaming of."
I curiously look at the box. It was about a foot long, and half a foot wide. The box was probably wooden, but it was covered in a smooth Acromantula Silk, so I couldn't tell for sure.
Taking the parchment from me, Grungir puts his pointy finger on it, and says, "Reveal!" in the Goblin Tongue.
I could understand it, thanks to my Mutation, and I could read it too. But, my throat just wasn't meant for speaking it, so I didn't even try to do it in front of a Goblin. It contains a lot of growly, throat sounds, along with more than a few snarls, and I would mess up within the first 5 words itself. Every time.
Just like last time, my name is written at the bottom, and my parents' names get written atop mine, followed by my grandparents. But then, the list keeps on going up my family tree. On and on, the names go, one generation to the previous, and I see a few surprising names up there.
Dilys Derwent, a previous Headmistress of Hogwarts, and a Head Healer of St Mungo's was one, while Josephine Claude/Flamel, was another. Josephine Claude was a Potioneer from the 12th Century, who had married out of the Flamel Family, and into the Claude one. It was an extinct Family now, the last daughter marrying into the Aves family itself.
Heh, I didn't know I was a descendant of Nicholas Flamel's great aunt. Welp, judging by the intermarrying that is prevalent here, in the Wizarding world, most of the Wizards in France are probably descended from the Flamel couple themselves, which I'm not.
The names finally stop in the 11th Century, when the building of Gringotts had first began. Gringotts, as a Bank, was only established in the year 1474, but people would still hire them to protect their property in underground Vaults, that still stood to this day.
Of the hundreds of names written there, I see that a few surnames were written in Green ink, some in Red, and some in Black. The names, meanwhile, were all in Black, which I know means they're all dead. Other than Morfin Gaunt, of course. This bastard is the only one of my ancestors still alive. Not for long though, if I have my way.
I ask, "What do those colours represent?"
Grungir keeps looking at the parchment, and says, "Green indicates the Account is active, Red indicates the Account is deactivated, but still intact, and Black indicates the Accounts have either been sold off in an auction, or claimed by either the Ministry or the Bank."
"Do they do it often? Claiming vaults?" I ask, leaning forward to see which Vaults are still active, since those are probably not available to me.
Grungir hands me the parchment to look at, and says, "Not that often. Whenever we manage to unlock an abandoned Vault, we put up a notice. If the Vault belonged to someone famous, we hold an auction. If the Vault belonged to a Criminal, we take all the Money, and our Silver, and give the rest to the Ministry. Anyone else? Those Vaults are all claimed by Gringotts. Alas, most of the Old Vaults, those that were here before Gringotts was a recognised Magical Bank, have not been unlocked yet. They are protected too well for us to claim as ours, even after the many tries from our Curse Breakers. Those are also denoted by Red, as you'll see."
Well, so this is probably why not many Heirs of the old houses are around, despite most people being descendants of them. Goblins didn't manage to unlock them yet. Quickly, I browse all the Red surnames here, and see just a few. Slytherin was the most famous of them, along with Peverell, surprisingly.
Heh, obviously, just like half the population of this World, I'm also descended from all four founders. This was expected, since the Founders were so far into the past. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were all in black, telling me that the accounts have already been closed. Or they didn't exist in the first place.
Slytherin, however, was in Red, and so was Peverell. So, the Account still exists, and I can claim them. I am a bit upset about the lack of a Ravenclaw account, but Rowena already gave me a Library that has literally infinite knowledge. I think it's a fair trade off.
"Say, Grungir? Slytherin and Peverell are still Red? Does that mean I can claim them if I'm eligible?" I ask, keeping the parchment down.
Grungir snorts, and says, "The Peverell Vault has been closed for 400 years, and none of our Curse Breakers managed to open it. Even a few of their other descendants tried it, but nothing worked till now, so I suggest against it. As for Slytherin, the Gaunts have already tried opening the Slytherin Vaults, Mr Aves. It didn't open for them, so I doubt it will open for you."
"Humour me, if I try, and if I open the Slytherin Vault, will I be entitled to all within it?" I ask, dismissing the Peverell Vault for now.
It seems like the Peverell Vault is literally closed off, if even the Potters failed to open it. As for Slytherin, I'd still like to try. Hopefully, the Vault has more knowledge about Salazar's time shenanigans. Some more Ritual knowledge will also be appreciated.
Grungir blinks, twice, and says, "Well, unless you want to pay the Vault fees for the last 400 years, with interest, Gringotts will claim all moneys from the Vault, along with anything Goblin made, and the rest will be transferred to the Aves Vault. Speaking of the Aves Account, here."
Grungir slides the box from before towards me, as I ponder over the Slytherin Vault. Not even a second later, I decide. Yup, I'm going to try and open it.
I take the box, and try to open it. It doesn't budge, but it glows a bronze colour for a second. After which, there's a click sound, and the box opens automatically.
Inside the box, which is also decorated by expensive blue silk, are two items. One is a key, Golden in colour, while the other is a small ring box. I take the key first, and put it in my pouch.
I open the Ring Box, to find a silver banded ring, with a blue sapphire adorning it. On the inside of the ring, written in latin, were the words, "Sapientiam Super Omnes."
Wisdom above all.
A Signet Ring. Well, not like I'll go around calling myself a Lord now, but the Ring does show my status as a Head of House. If anyone recognises it, that is.
"Do you still want to try to open the Slytherin Vault? Or shall I have someone take you to the Aves Vault?" Grungir asks, bringing me back to the bank.
Smiling, I say, "I'll try it, if only to satisfy my curiosity."
Grungir stands up, and starts walking towards the door, surprising me. He asks, "Shall we then?"
I ask, "You're coming? Isn't this.. I don't know.. below your station?"
Grungir scoffs, and says, "Like I'll miss a chance to see a Wizard fail. The reaction is always quite amusing, from what I've heard."
Hm.. I don't know if I like him now.
Shaking my head, I walk after him, towards the Caverns that house the Vaults. I say, "Can we stop at the Aves Vault first?"
"It isn't my job to show you everywhere, Mr Aves. We'll deal with the Slytherin Vault first, and then, I can have a Runner take you to the Aves Vault." Grungir says, not even slowing down in his walk.
I accept that, since time is money. I'm just thankful I still have a couple days before I am to join St Mungo's.
Soon, we take the cart, deeper than I've ever been before, and stop in front of a dark cavern. Grungir stops, and takes the lantern, while I follow after him with another Lantern in hand. It is forbidden for Wizards to use Magic in Gringotts, or I would have summoned my Lumos orbs. But it wasn't that dark, I could see in front of me, but the Lanterns just helped us not be too blind.
He starts leading me inside the cave, with us being able to see just a few dozen feet in the front. After a minute or two of walking, we stop in front of a metal door, that has a Snake carved into it.
Not just any snake, it was the Basilisk. The Basilisk had eyes made of emeralds, and it was staring right at me. I take a step to the left, and see it turn it's head to look at me again.
Curious.
"Well? I haven't gotten all day, you know?" Grungir says, startling me. Damn, I'd forgotten he was still here.
Taking a step forward, I say, ~~Open.~~
Nothing happens, the snake just keeps staring at me.
"I didn't know you were a Parselmouth, but it isn't surprising, knowing your father's family like I do." Grungir voices, from the back.
I mumble, loud enough for him to hear, "I don't advertise it, since I don't actually want the bastards to find out yet."
Then, I hiss out, ~~Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!~~
Nothing.
~~I am a Descendant of Salazar Slytherin!~~
Nothing. Welp, worth a try.
"So.. that's three tries. I don't know what you said, but I'm guessing it didn't work. Are you done?" Grungir asks, making me turn back.
He was sitting on a rock, with his head resting on his palms.
I say, "Just a few more. I promise I won't take more than a minute of your time" And turn towards the snake again.
Taking a deep breath, I say, ~~Let me in, you cunt!~~
As I'd expected, nothing happens that could indicate the door opening. However, something does happen. The Basilisk carving glows it's eye green, and I hear, ~~You have been to hissss roomsss?~~
I literally jump, since I didn't expect the snake to actually be able to speak. Putting my hand on my chest, I say, ~~Yes, I have. Can you tell me how I can open this door?~~
~~Ssss…~~ the Basilisk hisses, sounding happy. He then says, ~~Only one of Master's blood can open this door, and only if you've been to his Chamber.~~
Well, I actually didn't expect him to give me a clue. And what a helpful clue it is. Blood, and password. And the Gaunts would have never guessed 'Let me in, you cunt' to be the password. Someone who already knows about the Room is sure to try that password, which makes it extra secure.
Putting my hand in my pocket, I take out my Rune Carving scalpel, and press it to the palm of my left hand. Placing the bleeding palm on the head of the snake, I say, ~~Let me in, you cunt!~~
The emerald eyes flash with a bright light once again, and this time, I hear a grinding sound.
"What?! How?! I know the Gaunts tried bleeding on it, and it didn't work!" Grungir yells in shock, his voice echoing.
Ow. I rub my ear, after casting a simple healing spell on my palm, and say, "That's a secret Grungir. Can't tell you everything now, can I?"
Grungir stares at me, wide eyed, as the door finally opens completely, and looking inside, he says, "I… need to inform some people. You, wait here."
As he starts running towards the cart, I ask, "Can I go inside? It does belong to me , you know."
Grungir just waves his hand, without even turning around, and says, "Have at it." Before he disappears from my sight.
Looking towards the dimly lit Vault, that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin and his descendants, I walk in, the Lantern left outside. As soon as I take my first step inside, the Vault lights up, as a chandelier makes itself known above me.
This Vault was left alone for 500 years, when the entire Slytherin family passed away in a hunting accident. They were kissed by Dementors, that mysteriously showed up. I'm suspecting, as it was also suspected then, that the Gaunts had them killed, but they didn't know about the dual password, and hence, they stayed poor. Alas, they weren't punished, since the Wizard's Council didn't care much.
The Vault was big, about as big as the Great Hall of Hogwarts, and it was divided in different sections. To my left, was the armory, with a few weapons, armours, shields, and various items kept on shelves. The armours were kept assembled beside the shelves, like the empty armours at Hogwarts.
Next to the armory, was the Money section, with piles and piles of the Gold and silver coins, and a single small stack of bronze knutts.
Right beside that, was a small shelf with gemstones and precious metals kept. I could see Gold, Goblin's Silver, Silver, and a few more metals that I don't recognise. The most beautiful of the stuff there, however, has to be a single jar.
The jar had sand inside of it, but it wasn't normal sand. The sand looked like powdered Gold, but there were specks of green mixed in between. I had no idea it still existed outside of the Department of Mysteries!
The Sands of Time! Fuck! The Slytherins were smart, not to let anyone know about this. This.. is beautiful!
Hearing the sounds of footsteps, I immediately pick the jar, and place it in my mokeskin pouch, the pouch expanding to accomodate it, before shrinking back down.
This.. is better left hidden. I'll keep it in the Vault again, but later. Now, I'll have to talk with the Goblins of Gringotts. I glance at the Library, which was at the right of the Vault, and the wardrobe, in the middle, and ignoring them for now, I start walking outside.
"Mr Aves." An old-ish Goblin says, walking towards me with guards surrounding him on three sides, and Grungir standing behind him. Offering his hand, he says, "I'm Uthgard, the current Director of Gringotts. Let's talk business, shall we?"
---
A/N: In the original, I had him claim the Ravenclaw vault too, but it just doesn't make sense. Rowena died in 11th century, at most, and her daughter Morgan, didn't go by the Ravenclaw name. It was also too much to have him claim 3 whole vaults, that literally no one claimed before? Yeah, not likely.
So, I came up with this. Slytherin Vault and Peverell Vault are still active, but the Goblins couldn't open them to claim them for themselves. Their descendants didn't know how to open the Vaults either, due to reasons.
Mason will only have the Aves and Slytherin vaults for now, the Peverell Vault might or might not make an appearance.
Tata!
Two chapters today! This is the first one!
---
With a soft crack of displaced air, I appear in an alleyway out of a small hole in space, and look around to see if anyone saw me, as I start walking forward. But it's unlikely; muggles are prone to ignore Magic even when they're staring right at it.
It was a small side effect of the Statute of Secrecy, although not a direct or purposeful one. Muggles could still see magical things, it wasn't anything like the Mist from Percy Jackson. It was a psychological effect.
Having spent centuries thinking that Magic is a myth, something to tell stories about, muggles now find it almost impossible to even think otherwise. They find an explanation for themselves, for whatever magic they see, and most of the time, the explanation is completely mundane!
Of course, someone can still find it odd when someone appears out of nowhere, or if you do something completely magical out in the open. They tend to ignore it, but they don't always do that. And, something like Apparition is more likely to catch someone's eyes, than a glowing light. Still, I cast a Notice-me-not charm around myself, as a precaution.
Apparition. It was an amazing art, and now I finally have my license for it. You're at one spot, enter a very small wormhole of your own creation, and exit out of another wormhole at your destination. That's rad, even if I think portals are a bit more convenient, but that argument is not that important. The broken down department store in front of me, is.
Purge and Dowse, Ltd, says the name board hanging overhead. It looks completely normal, if completely abandoned. The glass windows were broken in, and dust and broken dummies covered the ground. There was another banner outside, on the windows and the door, that said, 'Closed for Refurbishment' so that Muggles don't pay too close attention to it.
Or at least, that's what you'd see from the outside.
Ignoring the door, I walk towards the window that held a frankly ugly model dummy, as I was instructed, and approach it to touch the window. The window feels solid to me, so I turn towards the dummy, and whisper, "I have a meeting with the Head Healer."
Almost imperceptible, the dummy nods and the window gives in, becoming intangible, my hand passing through it. Looking back, to see if anyone saw through the notice-me-not charm, I walk through the intangible window, and come out somewhere else.
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is the main Wizarding Hospital within Wizarding UK.
There were smaller hospitals in Wizarding villages, but they were either Private, or for small time treatments. St Mungo's was Government funded, and had cures, or treatments, for almost any malady.
I was currently in a reception room, from the looks of it. There were about 30 wizards and witches here, most of them looking normal. A few had abnormalities growing out of their bodies, and one even had a chair leg for a hand. How that happened, only he knows.
A few were serious patients, one who was coughing, with visible large boils on his face, Dragon Pox, and another with blood flowing down from the head. They had a healer or two near them, to keep them stable before anything more could happen.
Ignoring them all, I approach the Reception desk, and smile at the blonde, plump woman sitting there. She looks entirely calm, even with all the excitement happening in the room.
Looking at me, utterly bored, she asks, "Name and purpose?"
Well, you could have at least used the full sentence.
I answer, "Mason Aves. I have a meeting with the Head Healer. I got a letter informing me of an appointment."
And I hand her the letter to allow her to conform, when she asks for it.
She looks it over, places it back in front of me, and then begins looking over a book. The finger going down the page clues me in on what she's doing.
As I wait patiently, she pauses her finger, and says, "Ah, yes. Mr Aves. You do have a meeting with Healer Potter. Take those stairs, and go to the 3rd Floor. Her office will be right in front of you. I'll inform her of your arrival."
Taking the appointment letter, I place it back inside my coat, and nod at her. Smiling, I say, "Thank you for your help, Miss. Good day."
"Have a good day!" The lady calls back, as I start walking towards the stairs.
The place looked alright, about what you'd expect from a hospital. It wasn't too fancy, and nothing too magical was apparent visible, if you ignore the patients and the Magical portraits.
The stairs were bland, with nothing magical about them either.
Soon, I reach the 3rd floor, and walk towards the office of Healer Potter. Huh, I wonder if she's a relative of Harry Potter, or a would-be-relative. I don't remember reading about anyone in his family being a healer, but JK did skip a lot of important stuff.
Mainly family trees.
I just know that the Head Healer's name is Head Healer Potter, and that she's a woman. Other than that, I wasn't told anything. Not by the receptionist, not by the appointment letter, and neither by Professor Slughorn, who informed me about the specifics of the Apprenticeship. I don't even know who I'm going to apprentice under!
Before I can knock on the door, that says Head Healer Potter, the door opens, and I am allowed to look inside. There was a table, with the expected files and folders stacked neatly, and a woman seated behind it.
The woman looked to be in her 60s, and had a few patches of grey hair to show it, and had brown eyes. She was wearing the typical Lime Green Healer's robes, and had a top hat that reminds me of muggle nurses.
As I take my first step inside, the woman gets up, and says, "Mason Aves, I presume?"
"Yes, I am. Master Potter?" I ask, just to make sure.
The woman nods, holds her hands together in front of her, on the table, and says, "That's yet to be decided. I agreed to meet with you because I owed Horace a favour. I have not yet decided to accept you as an Apprentice Healer."
"Of course, ma'am." I say, nodding at that statement. I already knew that.
Nodding at me, Madam Potter tilts her head towards the empty chair, and says, "Come in, sit. I don't have all day."
Nodding graciously, I sit down on the chair, and keep my document file on the table. She starts writing on a form in front of herself, and asks, "Have you gotten your NEWT results yet?"
Nodding, I offer her my file, and say, "Yes ma'am. It's right there, behind the OWL marklist." She takes the file, keeping the form she was working on to the side. It was a patient discharge form, I notice.
"What did you think of the NEWTs? And the OWLs? It can't have been easy, giving them two years early." Healer Potter says, as she leafs through my file.
I say, "It wasn't difficult, Ma'am. I've been studying ahead since day one at Hogwarts, and I could have sat my OWLs in third year itself. The NEWTs were a bit more difficult, but I did wonderfully, if I do say so myself."
Honestly speaking, the only part of NEWTs I had trouble with, was deciding which subjects to drop.
"O's all around? You topped the class?" Healer Potter asks, looking up with a raised eyebrow.
Why is she asking me this? Shouldn't she already know?
I shake my head with a smile, and say, "No, ma'am. A girl from Slytherin, Thena Avery, was the one who topped the year. I came third, likely because I did not take as many subjects as the first two."
Meh, not like coming in first had any advantage out in the real world. The only reason Avery might go far, is because she has the family name to back her up, just like me, somewhat.
She keeps the file down, closing it, and stares at me for a few seconds. I nervously look around, interviews still having a bad effect on myself, and blink as she asks, "Why do you want to be a Healer, Mr Aves? As good as your NEWTs are, you could get any job in the Ministry. I expect you'll be the Minister within three decades at most, if you go that route. You also have the family name to keep the Purebloods happy."
Nodding, I answer, "Yes, while that is true, I'm not interested in being a pencil pusher. I like to keep myself busy, and being a Ministry worker will just keep my hands busy, and nothing else. Besides, my mother was a nurse during the last muggle war, and that is what pushed me on this path. Originally, before I knew I was a wizard, I was going to become a Doctor, and had even began reading pre-med books. But, being a Healer gives me more range of people to take care of."
"Why not an Auror then? You can help people by catching Dark Wizards. Or maybe helping out with the Grindelwald issue. He's causing trouble in Germany, last I heard." Healer Potter asks, raising an eyebrow and staring at me.
I blink, again, understanding what she's doing. She's judging my character, and I'm ashamed to admit it took me this long to figure it out.
Snorting, I look a bit insulted, and say, "I'll be honest, Ma'am. Our ministry is corrupt, we all know that. Aurors are obligated to follow orders of the Corrupt politicians while Healers are not. As an Auror, I could be ordered to prioritize saving one person ahead of the other, which I do not like. And I am still going to help out in the upcoming war with Grindelwald. But until then, I'll practice my healing as much as I can." I answer honestly, but clearly.
I see a minute twitch in her lips, but it wasn't enough to clue me as to what her feelings were. And I'm not going to use my Telepathy on her. She's going to be my boss, hopefully!
She taps her fingers on the table, making me glance at her bright green nailpolish, and says, "Hmm.. Horace mentioned that you wanted to take a break after your apprenticeship is over. Why is that?"
Scratching my head, since this was a bit of an issue, I answer, "Um.. I wanted to study muggle healing if possible. I think being a Doctor will help me with my Healing capabilities."
It was an issue, because I'd literally be abandoning my post right after completing my apprenticeship. For a minimum of 5 years. That has a chance of becoming a deal breaker.
"Good. You've thought it out then. Very well. I'll accept you as an Apprentice Healer. You'll get three chances. Three mess ups, and I'll forgive them, depending on the severity. But a fourth one, and you will be kicked out, with a permanent ban on using Healing Magics, even on yourself." Healer Potter says, bringing up another piece of parchment, and starts filling it up.
Smiling wide, I say, "Ma'am, I'll be sure to not waste even a single chance."
"See that you do." Healer Potter says, without looking up. She then points her quill at the corner of the table, and says, "There's an ID with your name on it. You'll show up in my office at 7 AM, everyday, from the next Monday. Use these days to buy, and read these books. You'll get them at Flourish and Blotts, but you'll have to show them this ID to get the books. Any questions?"
As I take the offered parchment, with the list of books, and the ID, which does have my name on it, I shake my head and get up. I say, "Thank you for this opportunity, Healer Potter. I won't let you down."
"We'll see. And call me Master Potter from now on, you will be learning directly under me, after all." Healer Potter, now Master Potter, says with a smile on her face.
I smile wide, wondering if this is some stroke of luck that I'll have to pay for later with bad luck. Apprentice under the Head Healer? Damn, I'm lucky!
"Remember. If I'm not satisfied with the zeal I see within you, you will be removed as an Apprentice. So, don't disappoint me." Master Potter says, making me smile.
I say, "Don't worry, Master Potter. I'll be at my best." And I will, for sure.
Finally, something shiny catches my eye, as I see a nameplate, hidden behind the files that she disturbed, making it visible again.
'Head Healer Euphemia Potter.'
Well, I guess I am lucky. My Master is Harry Potter's grandmother. Is it good luck, or bad, though?
We'll see.
For now, I'll have to make sure to get my muggle certificates in order, and start reading Pre-med once again.
Don't want to let Master Potter down.
-
A few days later, I walk towards Gringotts, with a small skip in my step. I had finally received it, the Emancipation Certificate, from the Ministry.
The Bureaucracy processing speed of the Ministry honestly baffles me sometimes, like now. I got my Apparition license 4 entire weeks before receiving the Emancipation Certificate. I literally had the Apparition license in my hand before I was even declared a legal adult.
Approaching the Goblin manning the Inheritance station, I wait in front of the Goblin to be acknowledged.
A few minutes of waiting later, it's my turn, and the Goblin asks, "What can Gringotts help you with?"
"I would like to take a Bloodline test, and claim any vaults I am entitled to." I say, looking straight into his eyes.
The Goblin stares at me for a few seconds, and asks, "Name?"
I answer, "Mason Lucas Aves."
The Goblin, who's name is apparently Girnar, says, "Snaphook will take you to Grungir's office. You can have your test done there itself. Be aware that you cannot claim any vaults that you aren't the undisputed heir of."
Nodding, I follow after Snaphook, realising that he was the one that brought me to Grungir the first time. Heh, what a coincidence.
"Mr Aves. I wasn't expecting to do this so soon. Aren't you just 16 years old? You still have a year before you can claim your vaults." Grungir says, as soon as I walk inside.
"You know me, I don't do things on time. I do things early." I joke, sitting down in front of Grungir.
He and I, we're not friends, not even close. But he has gotten a bit less.. stiff, while in my presence.
Handing him the Emancipation Certificate, I say, "Jokes aside, the Ministry of Magic just declared me a legal adult. Now, I know that Goblin's don't exactly follow Ministry law, but I think 20 Galleons should change that, right?"
"25. I need to explain to my superiors, why I allowed a child to claim his Family Vault a year early." Grungir counters, showing his teeth.
I shrug, and count out 25 Galleons from the pouch on my hip. G25 is not that much of a loss for me.
Grungir keeps the money in a drawer, and hands me a parchment along with a parchment. He says, "Seven drops, please. And just so you know, the Emancipation Certificate holds true in the Bank. So, thank you for the generous donation."
As he gets up and walks towards a locked cupboard in the back, I say, "You're welcome. And at least this way I won't face any troubles while claiming my Vaults."
Already knowing the procedure, I cut my thumb, and drop 7 drops of blood on the parchment. Meanwhile, Grungir closes the cupboard and approaches his chair once again.
Keeping a small box on the table, he says, "We already know you're the sole heir of the Aves Account, which the Bloodline test will show. Now, lets see if you'll get any more Vaults that you're dreaming of."
I curiously look at the box. It was about a foot long, and half a foot wide. The box was probably wooden, but it was covered in a smooth Acromantula Silk, so I couldn't tell for sure.
Taking the parchment from me, Grungir puts his pointy finger on it, and says, "Reveal!" in the Goblin Tongue.
I could understand it, thanks to my Mutation, and I could read it too. But, my throat just wasn't meant for speaking it, so I didn't even try to do it in front of a Goblin. It contains a lot of growly, throat sounds, along with more than a few snarls, and I would mess up within the first 5 words itself. Every time.
Just like last time, my name is written at the bottom, and my parents' names get written atop mine, followed by my grandparents. But then, the list keeps on going up my family tree. On and on, the names go, one generation to the previous, and I see a few surprising names up there.
Dilys Derwent, a previous Headmistress of Hogwarts, and a Head Healer of St Mungo's was one, while Josephine Claude/Flamel, was another. Josephine Claude was a Potioneer from the 12th Century, who had married out of the Flamel Family, and into the Claude one. It was an extinct Family now, the last daughter marrying into the Aves family itself.
Heh, I didn't know I was a descendant of Nicholas Flamel's great aunt. Welp, judging by the intermarrying that is prevalent here, in the Wizarding world, most of the Wizards in France are probably descended from the Flamel couple themselves, which I'm not.
The names finally stop in the 11th Century, when the building of Gringotts had first began. Gringotts, as a Bank, was only established in the year 1474, but people would still hire them to protect their property in underground Vaults, that still stood to this day.
Of the hundreds of names written there, I see that a few surnames were written in Green ink, some in Red, and some in Black. The names, meanwhile, were all in Black, which I know means they're all dead. Other than Morfin Gaunt, of course. This bastard is the only one of my ancestors still alive. Not for long though, if I have my way.
I ask, "What do those colours represent?"
Grungir keeps looking at the parchment, and says, "Green indicates the Account is active, Red indicates the Account is deactivated, but still intact, and Black indicates the Accounts have either been sold off in an auction, or claimed by either the Ministry or the Bank."
"Do they do it often? Claiming vaults?" I ask, leaning forward to see which Vaults are still active, since those are probably not available to me.
Grungir hands me the parchment to look at, and says, "Not that often. Whenever we manage to unlock an abandoned Vault, we put up a notice. If the Vault belonged to someone famous, we hold an auction. If the Vault belonged to a Criminal, we take all the Money, and our Silver, and give the rest to the Ministry. Anyone else? Those Vaults are all claimed by Gringotts. Alas, most of the Old Vaults, those that were here before Gringotts was a recognised Magical Bank, have not been unlocked yet. They are protected too well for us to claim as ours, even after the many tries from our Curse Breakers. Those are also denoted by Red, as you'll see."
Well, so this is probably why not many Heirs of the old houses are around, despite most people being descendants of them. Goblins didn't manage to unlock them yet. Quickly, I browse all the Red surnames here, and see just a few. Slytherin was the most famous of them, along with Peverell, surprisingly.
Heh, obviously, just like half the population of this World, I'm also descended from all four founders. This was expected, since the Founders were so far into the past. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were all in black, telling me that the accounts have already been closed. Or they didn't exist in the first place.
Slytherin, however, was in Red, and so was Peverell. So, the Account still exists, and I can claim them. I am a bit upset about the lack of a Ravenclaw account, but Rowena already gave me a Library that has literally infinite knowledge. I think it's a fair trade off.
"Say, Grungir? Slytherin and Peverell are still Red? Does that mean I can claim them if I'm eligible?" I ask, keeping the parchment down.
Grungir snorts, and says, "The Peverell Vault has been closed for 400 years, and none of our Curse Breakers managed to open it. Even a few of their other descendants tried it, but nothing worked till now, so I suggest against it. As for Slytherin, the Gaunts have already tried opening the Slytherin Vaults, Mr Aves. It didn't open for them, so I doubt it will open for you."
"Humour me, if I try, and if I open the Slytherin Vault, will I be entitled to all within it?" I ask, dismissing the Peverell Vault for now.
It seems like the Peverell Vault is literally closed off, if even the Potters failed to open it. As for Slytherin, I'd still like to try. Hopefully, the Vault has more knowledge about Salazar's time shenanigans. Some more Ritual knowledge will also be appreciated.
Grungir blinks, twice, and says, "Well, unless you want to pay the Vault fees for the last 400 years, with interest, Gringotts will claim all moneys from the Vault, along with anything Goblin made, and the rest will be transferred to the Aves Vault. Speaking of the Aves Account, here."
Grungir slides the box from before towards me, as I ponder over the Slytherin Vault. Not even a second later, I decide. Yup, I'm going to try and open it.
I take the box, and try to open it. It doesn't budge, but it glows a bronze colour for a second. After which, there's a click sound, and the box opens automatically.
Inside the box, which is also decorated by expensive blue silk, are two items. One is a key, Golden in colour, while the other is a small ring box. I take the key first, and put it in my pouch.
I open the Ring Box, to find a silver banded ring, with a blue sapphire adorning it. On the inside of the ring, written in latin, were the words, "Sapientiam Super Omnes."
Wisdom above all.
A Signet Ring. Well, not like I'll go around calling myself a Lord now, but the Ring does show my status as a Head of House. If anyone recognises it, that is.
"Do you still want to try to open the Slytherin Vault? Or shall I have someone take you to the Aves Vault?" Grungir asks, bringing me back to the bank.
Smiling, I say, "I'll try it, if only to satisfy my curiosity."
Grungir stands up, and starts walking towards the door, surprising me. He asks, "Shall we then?"
I ask, "You're coming? Isn't this.. I don't know.. below your station?"
Grungir scoffs, and says, "Like I'll miss a chance to see a Wizard fail. The reaction is always quite amusing, from what I've heard."
Hm.. I don't know if I like him now.
Shaking my head, I walk after him, towards the Caverns that house the Vaults. I say, "Can we stop at the Aves Vault first?"
"It isn't my job to show you everywhere, Mr Aves. We'll deal with the Slytherin Vault first, and then, I can have a Runner take you to the Aves Vault." Grungir says, not even slowing down in his walk.
I accept that, since time is money. I'm just thankful I still have a couple days before I am to join St Mungo's.
Soon, we take the cart, deeper than I've ever been before, and stop in front of a dark cavern. Grungir stops, and takes the lantern, while I follow after him with another Lantern in hand. It is forbidden for Wizards to use Magic in Gringotts, or I would have summoned my Lumos orbs. But it wasn't that dark, I could see in front of me, but the Lanterns just helped us not be too blind.
He starts leading me inside the cave, with us being able to see just a few dozen feet in the front. After a minute or two of walking, we stop in front of a metal door, that has a Snake carved into it.
Not just any snake, it was the Basilisk. The Basilisk had eyes made of emeralds, and it was staring right at me. I take a step to the left, and see it turn it's head to look at me again.
Curious.
"Well? I haven't gotten all day, you know?" Grungir says, startling me. Damn, I'd forgotten he was still here.
Taking a step forward, I say, ~~Open.~~
Nothing happens, the snake just keeps staring at me.
"I didn't know you were a Parselmouth, but it isn't surprising, knowing your father's family like I do." Grungir voices, from the back.
I mumble, loud enough for him to hear, "I don't advertise it, since I don't actually want the bastards to find out yet."
Then, I hiss out, ~~Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!~~
Nothing.
~~I am a Descendant of Salazar Slytherin!~~
Nothing. Welp, worth a try.
"So.. that's three tries. I don't know what you said, but I'm guessing it didn't work. Are you done?" Grungir asks, making me turn back.
He was sitting on a rock, with his head resting on his palms.
I say, "Just a few more. I promise I won't take more than a minute of your time" And turn towards the snake again.
Taking a deep breath, I say, ~~Let me in, you cunt!~~
As I'd expected, nothing happens that could indicate the door opening. However, something does happen. The Basilisk carving glows it's eye green, and I hear, ~~You have been to hissss roomsss?~~
I literally jump, since I didn't expect the snake to actually be able to speak. Putting my hand on my chest, I say, ~~Yes, I have. Can you tell me how I can open this door?~~
~~Ssss…~~ the Basilisk hisses, sounding happy. He then says, ~~Only one of Master's blood can open this door, and only if you've been to his Chamber.~~
Well, I actually didn't expect him to give me a clue. And what a helpful clue it is. Blood, and password. And the Gaunts would have never guessed 'Let me in, you cunt' to be the password. Someone who already knows about the Room is sure to try that password, which makes it extra secure.
Putting my hand in my pocket, I take out my Rune Carving scalpel, and press it to the palm of my left hand. Placing the bleeding palm on the head of the snake, I say, ~~Let me in, you cunt!~~
The emerald eyes flash with a bright light once again, and this time, I hear a grinding sound.
"What?! How?! I know the Gaunts tried bleeding on it, and it didn't work!" Grungir yells in shock, his voice echoing.
Ow. I rub my ear, after casting a simple healing spell on my palm, and say, "That's a secret Grungir. Can't tell you everything now, can I?"
Grungir stares at me, wide eyed, as the door finally opens completely, and looking inside, he says, "I… need to inform some people. You, wait here."
As he starts running towards the cart, I ask, "Can I go inside? It does belong to me , you know."
Grungir just waves his hand, without even turning around, and says, "Have at it." Before he disappears from my sight.
Looking towards the dimly lit Vault, that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin and his descendants, I walk in, the Lantern left outside. As soon as I take my first step inside, the Vault lights up, as a chandelier makes itself known above me.
This Vault was left alone for 500 years, when the entire Slytherin family passed away in a hunting accident. They were kissed by Dementors, that mysteriously showed up. I'm suspecting, as it was also suspected then, that the Gaunts had them killed, but they didn't know about the dual password, and hence, they stayed poor. Alas, they weren't punished, since the Wizard's Council didn't care much.
The Vault was big, about as big as the Great Hall of Hogwarts, and it was divided in different sections. To my left, was the armory, with a few weapons, armours, shields, and various items kept on shelves. The armours were kept assembled beside the shelves, like the empty armours at Hogwarts.
Next to the armory, was the Money section, with piles and piles of the Gold and silver coins, and a single small stack of bronze knutts.
Right beside that, was a small shelf with gemstones and precious metals kept. I could see Gold, Goblin's Silver, Silver, and a few more metals that I don't recognise. The most beautiful of the stuff there, however, has to be a single jar.
The jar had sand inside of it, but it wasn't normal sand. The sand looked like powdered Gold, but there were specks of green mixed in between. I had no idea it still existed outside of the Department of Mysteries!
The Sands of Time! Fuck! The Slytherins were smart, not to let anyone know about this. This.. is beautiful!
Hearing the sounds of footsteps, I immediately pick the jar, and place it in my mokeskin pouch, the pouch expanding to accomodate it, before shrinking back down.
This.. is better left hidden. I'll keep it in the Vault again, but later. Now, I'll have to talk with the Goblins of Gringotts. I glance at the Library, which was at the right of the Vault, and the wardrobe, in the middle, and ignoring them for now, I start walking outside.
"Mr Aves." An old-ish Goblin says, walking towards me with guards surrounding him on three sides, and Grungir standing behind him. Offering his hand, he says, "I'm Uthgard, the current Director of Gringotts. Let's talk business, shall we?"
---
A/N: In the original, I had him claim the Ravenclaw vault too, but it just doesn't make sense. Rowena died in 11th century, at most, and her daughter Morgan, didn't go by the Ravenclaw name. It was also too much to have him claim 3 whole vaults, that literally no one claimed before? Yeah, not likely.
So, I came up with this. Slytherin Vault and Peverell Vault are still active, but the Goblins couldn't open them to claim them for themselves. Their descendants didn't know how to open the Vaults either, due to reasons.
Mason will only have the Aves and Slytherin vaults for now, the Peverell Vault might or might not make an appearance.
Tata!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
The only reason I didn't do this, is that it'll mean Petunia is also his daughter, and that he allowed her to marry someone like Vernon. Yeah..
25. Another Secret Revealed
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
Second One!
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You know, I always dreamt of being a Millionaire. Well, dreamt was exactly the right thing I did. I never tried to become a millionaire either, just sat on my arse and imagined what I would do with a Million Dollars. And my dreams weren't that big. 1 Million Dollars, was the most amount of money I could imagine myself with, even in those dreams.
Reality, however, is often disappointing, and I had about $500 to my name when I died. At most. Which is still a lot, considering I was in India, where 500 meant a.. liveable monthly salary to have.
Now, though? I can call myself a millionaire without any issues! I actually am a Multi Millionaire, even if it is just my ancestors' money. It's mine now, fuck them.
The Slytherin Vault may have been emptied of all the cash, given to the Goblin's as late fees, along with most of the Goblin Silver tools, weapons, and armours. It had to happen, because the Vault was way past claiming period, and I'm just glad they allowed me to keep my stuff. Thankfully, I didn't lose much, just 100,000 Galleons in total, and all of the Goblin Silver in the Vault, which also wasn't that much.
I had to negotiate for all the other items, by giving them permission to copy the books there. Not like they would do them any good, since they're all in Parselscript. So, I didn't lose anything significant. If the Goblins were unable to break the Enchantments on the Vault to enter it, then they definitely can't break the Enchantments to decode the language.
However, the Aves vault was literally filled with money. 980,000 Galleons, that was how much cash the Aves Family Vault had. Which amounts to about 3.8 Million Pounds in all, which was more than enough for me. I didn't need to hoard cash in Billions to love a happy life. I was happy with my 13,000 too! These 967,000 Galleons extra were just a bonus.
Along with the cash, the Aves Vault had various Knightly weapons, two full armours that were made of Steel, a lot of Jewellery, few artefacts, and different trunks belonging to my different ancestors.
One of those trunks was literally an expanced library, which belonged to one Henry Aves, Harrison Aves's grandfather. Most of the books there were already present in the Room of Knowledge, but some were the journals and Grimoires of my ancestors, which the Room did not have. They must not have brought them to school.
As for the Slytherin Vault, it had given me a few amazing finds. The Library for one, which was way more expansive than the one in the Chamber. Fortunately, it also had a lot of the Sorcery Primers, and Guides, that the Chamber did not have, and which were mentioned in his Sorcery Journal.
Then there was the literal stockpile of Creature body parts, many of whom were still intact. They were hidden under cloths, in a hidden compartment behind the Library, which is why I did not find them at first.
Think of a Magical Creature, and Salazar had already had at least something of that animal. Tears of a Phoenix, Venom of a Nundu, horns of Unicorns, and even the cloaks of both Lethifolds and Dementors.
These were the only ones intact however. Most of the other ingredients had been rotten even through the Stasis and Preservation Charms.
There were also multiple entirely intact carcasses, including a Re'em, a pair of Unicorns, a baby dragon(which I am really upset about,) and a goddamn Cerebrus. He had bodies of them all, completely alright, and I wonder if there used to be more. His other descendants from the Slytherin family line must have used up something, right?
The compartment wasn't hidden that much, there was just a small additional mechanism that opened a hidden door. But, at least my Ritual necessities won't be lacking.
Funnily enough, Salazar did have a few Golden Graphorn horns, but they didn't stay intact in these centuries that the Vault was abandoned.
There was also a wardrobe section there, from the years 700 BC to the early 1500s AD, which also included actual fighting armours, both magical and mundane, and many different kinds of Robes.
Anyway, after spending a day just going through everything in my Vaults, both Aves and Slytherin, and finding many interesting things, I came back home, to the orphanage. I was going to spend another year here, having told Sister Agnes that I was working a job at the hospital, which wasn't exactly a lie. Soon, however, I'll have to make something up to own the Malbern Terrace house in my own name, and not in Harrison Evans's.
Harrison Evans did make an appearance once in a while, in his Islington house, driving a Royal Enfield, but it wasn't too often. It was just enough to not make the neighbours too suspicious.
I kept my bike at Malbern Terrace itself, since Mason Aves is too poor for the bike. Soon, I'll get to drive the bike as Mason too.
When monday comes, I show up outside the office of Master Euphemia Potter, the Head Healer of St Mungo's, to begin my Healing Apprenticeship.
"Good, you're on time." Master Potter says, opening her door at exactly 7 AM. Wonder how long she's been actually here.
Nodding, I smile, a bit excited to begin, and say, "I'm eager to start working, and learning, ma'am."
She smiles gently, and says, "You'll be cursing your excitement soon enough. Now, follow me. You won't be doing anything for the first month, other than reading your books which I assigned you, and observing the Healers at work. I'll show you to your first station, in the Dai Llewellyn ward, where you'll be shadowing Healer Smethwyck for 5 hours. After lunch, which Healer Smethwyck will inform you of, you will come to my office so I can gauge your actual medical knowledge. Any question?"
"Just one. Will I be assigned a different Healer everyday, for shadowing, or will Healer Smethwyck be responsible for my learning?" I ask.
I'm asking this because the questions I ask the Healers will depend on that. An unknown Healer won't bother answering me with the same enthusiasm that a regular teacher would.
Master Potter says, "A different Department, everyday, and then you'll cycle through them all. You'll be allowed to clarify your doubts with them, or you can note them down to ask me later."
We had reached the Dai Llewellyn ward by then, by way of stairs, and she walks in without a knock. There were 6 patients, and 5 Healers in the room, one of the healers wearing a badge called 'Department Head- Dai Llewellyn ward.'
That was obviously Healer Smethwyck, whom Master Potter approaches, with me following behind. She says, "Hippocrates, this is our new Trainee Healer. Mason Aves. He might be young, but he's smart enough to be here. Apprentice Aves, this is Healer Smethwyck, he'll be responsible for your education for the day. I'll leave you in his hands. Remember, sharp at 1:00 PM, I want you in my office."
Well, so begins my Medical education.
-Time Skip: August 1936.
A year has gone by, and my journey in learning Healing has gone on splendidly! It isn't easy, Healing.
The first month, as Master Potter had told me, was spent just shadowing different Healers, watching what they do, and how they do it. Other than that, Master Potter gave me short, hour long lectures about different parts of the books that she assigned me.
It was easy, at first, since I had read the books ahead, but casting the spells she taught me, even on dead animals, was really hard.
The first spells she taught me were Diagnosis Charms. And there were a lot of them!
First came the Categorisation Charms, One for visible ailments, one for invisible ailments, both of which would just tell me what type of ailment it is, and which Ward the patient should belong to.
Curse damage, Charm Injuries, Hex Exposure, failed transfiguration, Dark Arts, Mundane wounds, and genuine Illnesses were just few of the types that Wizards can befall.
Then, after the type of ailment is determined, you need to learn different Diagnosis charms that help you determine the specifics of the wound, injury, ailment, illness, etc.
These are the spells that help you determine if the cut visible on the arm is from a cursed dagger, curse, muggle knife, or a spontaneous event. Hell, it also helps you determine what the material of the weapon was, and how long ago the injury took place.
These kinds of spell took me 3 months to master, which is quick according to Master Potter.
Finally, the last part that I have learned this year, is healing minor wounds. I was just on physical wounds right now, with the actual spell damage and all being for later. There's still at least a year of my education remaining, even with my perfect recall.
But I am also enjoying myself. Healing is fun, and there is a different kind of joy in making sure someone else is healthy. It's frustrating too, because not all patients listen to healers, let alone the junior Trainee, but I like the environment in St Mungo's.
And yes, I am still a Trainee. I won't be a true Healer until Master Potter proclaims me so. But, that was, as I said, at least a year away right now.
Currently, I was walking through London, with Darla by my side, tears falling down her face. She had just had another fight with her parents, and she sent me a Patronus, asking for a friend to talk to. I immediately apparated to her house, and took her to the City, to help her calm her mind.
"It just makes me so frustrated, you know? All these years, I've done as they asked of me. I went to the bloody Finishing school in my summers, studying how to curtsey, and knit, and fake laugh, and they still can't accept who I am! Sometimes I wonder, if there's something wrong with me?" Darla rants, having spoken for 5 continuous minutes.
As she finally stops her rant, I say, "Parents.. are complicated. This is ironic, I understand, coming from the orphan."
Darla snorts, wiping her tears. So I say, "But I've seen something in my life, while observing the public, and now, observing my patients. Some parents are completely understanding of their children. A very small percentage of the population is like this. They are ready to accept their child as they are, no matter what they do, or.. whom they love."
Darla sniffles, so I hand her my handkerchief, and carry on saying, "Some parents meanwhile, they do love their children, but only an image of them. That love is conditional, for them. The child should act a certain way, dress only what they want the child to, obey every order without question. It's not right, but the majority of the people are like this."
Stopping Darla from walking forward, I pull her towards the ice cream parlor that was next to us, and say, "They might not accept who you love, Darla, nor the way you dress. But that doesn't mean that there's a fault in you."
Sniffling her nose, Darla whispers, "It sure does feel like it sometime."
Ordering icecream for both of us, I softly scold her, "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for your parents' faults. They're the ones that still think you a Demon dealing Witch. They're the ones who think that you deserve to go to hell, because you love Ana. They're the ones trying to force you to marry that Bobby. If anyone here has faults, it is them.'
Darla snorts, and stays silent, as she starts stabbing her icecream with the spoon. I allow her the silence, and eat my own icecream.
Darla had told her parents about her relationship with Ana, which had gone about as well as everyone had expected it to go. The religious pair of parents had not accepted her confession at all.
Not like same-sex relationships are common in this era. They're there, and some people do support them. But almost everyone would rather their own child not be gay. They'd support their neighbours child coming out of the closet any time, but their own child should remain straight, according to them. Hypocrites.
After a lot of accusations of Witchcraft messing with her mind, to Demons making her gay, her parents had shut her in her room. That was two days ago. Today, however, her father brought a marriage proposal for her, from a fellow Police officer of his.
Other than the small problem that the police officer is male, he is also in his late 30s, while Darla has just turned 17 a few days ago. That was the cause of a bigger fight, after which Darla had to run away to clear her head, and called me.
I hold her hand, noticing that she had begun crying again. Once again, I'm thankful for the Notice-me-not charm on us, when my plain Vanilla scoop explodes, sending the icecream flying to my face.
"Sorry." Darla mumbles, holding her free hand to her mouth to hide her amusement.
I just smile at her, and cast a few cleaning spells on my face, to get rid of the icecream. I say, "Well, at least you're smiling now. And don't worry about it. I told you then, and I'm telling you again. If you want, my house has a room reserved for you, for however long you want."
This gives me an opportunity to claim the house as Mason's. Welp, it's time for Harrison Evans to go overseas and disappear.
Darla opens her mouth, still smiling a tearful smile, to say something, but we both suddenly widen our eyes, feeling dread right in our bones.
I snap my head around, to find whatever I'm feeling, but nothing clicks. I can feel where it's coming from, but it wasn't even remotely close to me. For some reason though, Darla and I are the only ones to feel it, and none of the muggles here react to it.
"Please tell me you can feel whatever the fuck that is?" Darla asks, whispering in fear.
I shake my head, force my mind to try and defeat the fear, take out my wand, and say, "Yes. Wands out, Darla, and stay close to me."
Getting up, I start walking towards the door, a £5 note on the table. Whatever this was, it's evil. Not like Dementors, but for sure, way, way worse.
Dementors bring our bad memories to the front, and they make us feel sad, hopeless, and cold, the severity depending on the closeness. But this.. this was sending chills down my spine continuously. This was as if Dementors were a child, compared to whatever this is. It also felt disgusting, just knowing something this evil exists.
Once outside, I look around, and spin my foot to apparate towards the Evil, knowing the direction it's coming from. Unfortunately, I just spin around my foot, the Apparition failing. Damn, not a Ward, but something else is stopping apparition.
Beside me, Darla herself had tried to get out of here, and even her apparition fails, making her more afraid, visibly.
Holding Darla's hand, I keep it on my shoulder, reassurance for both of us, and say, "I guess we're walking towards the danger then?" When both of us automatically start our walk.
Both of us, at least subconsciously, know that we need to get rid of the danger before anything happens. This Evil is in the Muggle world, and only Wizards can feel it. I'm afraid, but I don't think running away is an option.
As we start walking in the direction of the feeling, I realise that I might have to use Sorcery today, and say, "Whatever you see me do today, promise me that you won't tell anyone."
Darla immediately whispers, "I swear Mason, if you bring me home alive, after we've dealt with whatever this is, then I'll keep all your secrets forever, without question."
Closing my eyes, I expand my mind, telepathy branching out from mind to mind. I jump from one mind to another, searching for whatever is causing us to be this afraid, without stopping. I'll either find the being that's causing this, and it is a being, or I'll be able to see it from someone's mind.
Meanwhile, my hands are busy with a method of their own. Scrying.
I can sort of feel what direction the fear is coming from. Well, more like, my Entire being is yelling at me, not to go in a particular direction. But.. this could be a trick, conjured by the weak to just inspire fear.
As I start walking towards the Evil, Darla following behind me with her left hand on my shoulder, right hand holding her wand, I keep my eyes closed to cast the scrying spell.
"Prorumpo Malignus!" I whisper, after a few seconds of intricate wand motions, and stab my wand into the solid ground.
The Wand sinks into the ground, both because of it's intrinsic magical properties, and because of the spell I just cast. And then, I see it.
In my inner eye, I see the entire neighborhood, about 300 meters wide in all directions from me, and floating above all of it, was a cloud of purple gas. It wasn't visible in the real world, however, with the help of the Evil Seeking Spell, I could see it quite clearly. There was just one place, where it was almost pitch black, and it was moving. I see just a small image of a silver amulet in that black spot, before the Spell fails and I'm pushed out. Even my telepathy attempts shatter, returning my mind completely to me.
"I know where it's coming from." I say, standing up with a scowl, and turn towards Darla while rubbing my head.
Contrary to my belief, Darla nods resolutely, her fear still showing, and says, "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"We?" I ask, looking at Darla as if she's crazy. "Darla you're not coming. It's going to be dangerous."
Darla glares at me, and whispers furiously, "Excuse me if I'm not willing to listen to another man about what I should, and shouldn't do! I do that at home enough."
"Darla." I say, but before I can argue, there's a bump in the feel, as if the Evil buzzer had been turned to two, from one. I say, "Okay, we both felt that, and you want to go towards.. that? Are you crazy?!"
"And what?! You're not Merlin, Mason! I might not be as good a Witch as you are, but I know how to defend myself! I'm going, and you're not stopping me." Darla starts walking towards the direction of the being.
Sighing, I pull her back towards me, and say, "Fine, but you'll leave and get an Auror as soon as it feels like it's going to get too dangerous."
Darla nods and asks, "So.. what's the plan?"
I pause, to think. I can't tell the Ministry anything, not without sounding crazy. Wizards think that Dementors, Lethifolds, and Obscuri are the most dangerous Dark Magical creatures, and anything more dangerous is not something they'll accept.
And the Evil bumped to level three, whatever it is, is getting stronger by the minute. The more time I waste, the stronger the Evil enemy becomes.
I say, "This was the second jump in it's strength. Whatever it is needs to be dealt with, and none of us are qualified to do that. What we need to do, is find a way to stop it from getting even stronger, or separate it from the muggles."
"Right, and we don't know what's making it stronger. So separation it is. Now, how in the world will we do that?" Darla asks, as she joins me in thinking up plans.
I smile, and say, "Don't worry about that. Just give me cover fire if the enemy is beyond my strength."
Highly unlikely, but not impossible. I am not yet the strongest Wizard, hell, I'm barely a competent Wizard, when it comes to combat Magics, and all that, I've learned came from books! No teacher, means I definitely have some drawbacks when fighting whatever this will be.
Shaking me head when Darla tries to ask a question, I say, "No time for an explanation right now. Don't be too shocked by whatever I do today, and you'll be fine."
As Darla nods, hesitant to accept it all blindly, I raise my left hand up, and spin my right hand in counterclockwise direction.
"What ar-" Darla begins to ask, looking at me as if I'm crazy, but stops, seeing a golden portal forming in the air in front of us.
"Explanations later, follow me if you really want to fight." I say, and walk through the portal I created. Darla follows me a second later, and looks around.
We were currently in an alleyway, looking out towards the road, and now, I can feel it clearly. The Evil, it was close, very close. Now I just have to find the silver locket.
-
Finally, he was free. After so many years, countless millennia, of having to stay away from Earth, he had gotten free. All because a simple mortal couldn't keep his hands to himself in a museum.
Many times, in the past, this being had come to Earth, fought it's defenders, and inevitably been defeated. But he knew, that the only reason he was defeated at all, was because the defenders managed to see him coming. And they did see through every plan he laid, no matter how precisely he had done it.
So, he had not planned anything at all, for his return. He had just asked his followers to plan something, that does not have a fixed time for the inevitable result, while leaving even him in the dark.
They had planned to leave an artefact of his in the World, where anyone can accidentally touch it, and summon the being. It had taken a long time to feed souls to the artefact, to power the Summoning Ritual, while also being discreet, and so, he had to wait more.
Alas, his followers had died, at least those that had managed this feat, but not before hiding the artefact away.
And now, a mortal had found it in the British Museum, touched it bare handed for the first time since it was charged, activated the Summoning Ritual, and summoned the being into this Realm. Then, he had possessed the man, taking more souls to make himself stronger, and hidden himself inside a very strong barrier. All before anyone even knew about his arrival.
Behind the being, one could see numerous humans, old, young, male, female, and even children, laying down unmoving. They had died spontaneously, with no reason that anyone could see.
The Being had simply eaten their souls, to make his Avatar here more powerful, powerful enough to bring his entire body here, he hoped.
Soon, he knew, the Defenders would learn of his arrival, but it will be too late. The being will have gotten too strong to defeat by the time the barrier gets removed, mortal souls being just that powerful.
As he walks away from his latest victim, the old man falling down on the ground in the middle of the road as if his strings were cut off, he suddenly pauses. The reason, he found himself displaced, the area looking very similar to the place he was in a moment ago, but not it.
"Sorcerers." He snarls, looking around to find the pests and kill them.
-
It didn't take me long to find the reason of our fear. Not like the man was subtle at all. There he was, walking along the road, ignoring the man dying right beside him, and the dozen or so other people lying dead in the back.
He was wearing a locket, made of silver, that I had seen as the source of all of this fear that I'm feeling, which means a Dark Artefact. Great, the man might actually be innocent of this all, and a victim to boot. This is going to be an issue, trying to save him. If it's tough, though, I'm just going to kill him. Can't risk the entire City of London for one soul.
The muggles might have just seen the people dying, but Darla and I, being Wizards, could see what was happening, and it honestly scares both of us.
When the being touched the old man with his left palm, the man simply dropped down. When he did, however, a small marble of silver light came out of his mouth, and entered the body of the being.
Note to self, stay away from the man.
Darla and I observe him silently for a few seconds, trying to find an opportunity to take him away, both of us reluctant to rush. Alas, we don't get much time to think, since I see him eyeing another human as a Victim of his soul sucking.
Fuck.
"Mason, no!" Darla whispers, seeing me about to rush in.
Leaving Darla in the alley, I run towards the being from his back, and drop down, my hands slamming down on the ground. Immediately, the Mirror Dimension forms around the two of us.
The Mirror Dimension wasn't a single dimension, but a cluster of many. It was the collection of all the Dimensions, that form the borders between the different Energy Dimensions, which is what also makes it that much more dangerous. It is almost impossible to escape from, unless you can create Dimensional Portals, since you never know where you'll appear.
The many Mirror Dimensions is what allows Sorcerers to trap enemies here, indefinitely, without worrying about them ever meeting each other. There are just so many of the Mirror Dimensions, that finding the same Dimension again is next to impossible unless you have a Sling Ring
So, unless you have Sling Ring, that can create Portals between the Mirror Dimension and the real world, you'll be stuck here. I still, however, cannot risk that the being in front of me has a Sling Ring, or can create Inter-dimensional portals, so I'll have to stay here for a while.
Before the Mirror Gateway disappears completely, Darla jumps in, having apparated to shorten the distance.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Do you want to die?!"
Both of us exclaim to each other, whispering to not gain the brings attention, as I cast the Disillusionment charm on both of us before the being can see us.
I had just jumped into the situation, and she had done the same, despite my wishes otherwise. No time to argue now. At least I know why we're friends, we're both idiots.
Shaking my head, I say, "Stay in the back, and stay invisible. I'll go and talk to him. Not negotiable." I add the last part when I see her try to argue.
She nods, not saying anything. She's probably running on instinct right now, too afraid to think things through. Well, as long as she stays in one place, she won't be detected, I hope.
Gods, I should have just sent her home, but I didn't think she would agree. She might hate him, but she is the daughter of a Police officer.
"Sorcerers!" The being snarls, turning around to search for me. I walk away from Darla, keeping my telepathy connected to her mind to know where she is, and become visible at a spot to the right of the being.
The being immediately snaps his head towards me, startling me with the bright yellow eyes. I patiently look at it, my mind running fast, thinking up plans.
"I thought my barrier would have prevented you from coming here, but obviously not." The being says, looking at me like I'm literally an insect.
I just stare at him, not saying anything. His barrier was strong, no doubt. But it also had one fault. It didn't prevent teleportation of any kind, when I was already inside the barrier. I couldn't create portals to go outside the Barrier, but I could do it from one spot inside the barrier to another. It is also why Darla managed to apparate towards me, which honestly I didn't foresee. We just couldn't approach him in this manner.
"No words?" The being asks, and starts walking towards me. It then chuckles, and says, "No matter, you will die anyway."
Well, that's not on my agenda right now.
Snapping my hand forward, I fire a stunner, just as a test. The man doesn't dodge, and allows the spell to hit him on the chest.
"Tickles." The man says, taunting me.
Well, I expected that. Low level spells probably won't have any effect on him, as seen right now. So, I won't use low level spells.
As the man keeps walking towards me, I stamp my feet on the ground, sending a ripple through the ground of the Mirror Dimension. The earthly ripple slams into the man, sending him flying backwards.
I chuckle, and start spinning my wand in intricate motions. Charms are useless right now, but it seems physical impact does have an effect on the man. And Mirror Dimension manipulation is particularly good at causing physical attacks.
My spell takes effect almost immediately, and the ground underneath me starts rising above the surface, forming into shapes. The first shape to rise is the form of a Nundu, made entirely of concrete, transfigured out of the ground.
Similarly, other animals form near me, most of them big enough to seriously harm the man, and others small enough to go relatively unnoticed.
I've noticed, after having mastered the Mirror Dimension spell, that Transfiguration spells are more stable here. It's like, the Dimension itself is more allowing of changes in Reality.
Seeing the man running towards me, now furious, I point my wand at him, and say, "Attack."
"ROAAR!!" with a loud roar, the concrete Nundu starts running towards the man, and reaches him in barely four seconds. Nundu are Magical leopards, and their speeds greater than most brooms. This Nundu, however was just a transfigured model, and hence, not that fast. A real Nundu would have trampled on the man before he had even seen it.
The Nundu slams its head into the man's chest, sending him crashing into the ground. As he starts bouncing on the ground, by the force of the Nundu's hit, my hope raises a little, despite the fear that's still running rampant.
The Nundu sees its victim stopping from the hit, and runs again, approaching the man with high speeds, this time, the other bigger animals right beside it.
As one, the Nundu, a bull, and two gorillas, all jump at the man, aiming to trample him to death. This time, however, the man was ready, and the animals slam into a Magical shield, gross purple in colour.
I try to pull my animals away, but no matter how much I try to order telepathically, the animals don't listen. They remain stuck to the shield. Slowly, the four animals rise up from the shields, and turn towards me, their eyes now glowing yellow.
Well.. fuck.
I cross my arms in front of me, summoning the shield artefact from my ring, just in time to save myself from being killed by the Nundu's thorny head. This time, the Nundu was just as fast as a real Nundu, and the full brunt of it slams into my shield. Coincidentally, the Nundu's rampaging run killed all the smaller animals in their spots before they can even do anything.
The Enchantments on the shield prevents my arms from being too damaged by the hit, but it doesn't dull the pain completely, and nor does it save me from being thrown into the air. I still feel my bones vibrate with the force as I fly upwards, involuntarily, and then start my drop downwards.
Pointing my shield downwards, I brace myself for the approaching ground, and cast a spell at the last moment. "Arresto Momentum!"
I slow down, enough that I can drop down safely, without dying immediately. Banishing the shield, I frown, knowing that the hit could have killed me, if I didn't have my shield.
Well, 'Boom boom whoosh!' now I have two shields.
The man appears in front of me with a purple flash of light, and looks surprised. He asks, "You're still alive? Well, deal with him."
I see my animals jump from similar purple flashes towards me. The Nundu is the first to approach, owing to its speed, and it hits my left Tao Mandala shield. This time, the force is negated by the shield completely, stopping the Nundu in it's spot.
I hit the edge of my right shield on it's neck, the spell on the shield shattering the nundu back into stone. The Bull approaches next, and I spin my hand on the shield, spinning the Sanskrit symbols around. As the bull hits my shield, this time, it gets transfigured into water, that I send towards the gorillas.
The water pulls the Gorillas under the ground, where they merge with the ground again. All of this, happens within 10 seconds, which does make me feel better about myself. I'm not completely useless, after all.
The man takes that time to appear to my right, and before I can do anything, holds me by the neck. The Tao Mandala shields disappear from my hands, as I feel the man start putting pressure on my delicate neck.
Pain. That much was obvious. But the amount of fear that I feel, has multiplied hundred times when the man touched me, making me freeze in my place. I don't even make a single noise, when the man starts choking me, increasing the force on my neck.
I hear him say, "You fought bravely, Sorcerer. Alas, your enemy was I. An Elder God of the highest calibre. Even the Sorcerer Supreme trembles in front of me, and you think you can defeat me. You think, you can defeat the First Demon?!"
I can still see him, hear him, however my body refuses to respond to my commands. My mind, mostly because it is too afraid, has no control over my body, so powerful was the spell on me.
Now, I just had my mind with me, which I use to do something that will probably be the stupidest idea I ever have. I enter the mind of the self proclaimed Elder God, so I can hopefully save my Mind, even if my body dies.
I look into his eyes, and use Legilimency to enter his mind, however, he slams me down on the ground, breaking my concentration and bringing me back to my body. He has a knowing glint in his eyes, as he says, "You're one of Oshtur's, aren't you? Your Magic, it is not that of the Sorcerers, but yes, you're one of Oshtur's spawn. My, what secrets she has hidden here."
Now back in control of my own body, I choke out, "Who- ugh- are you?"
The man chuckles, his eyes glowing even more, as I see the illusion of a giant snake standing right behind the man. He says, "I am the first Demon, the second oldest of the Olde Ones! My name is Set! Surrender your soul to me, and I shall show you mercy!"
Fuck! He's actually an Elder God? And this is his weakened power? What the fuck is his true power like?!
I focus as much as I can, knowing that I'll only get one chance at this, and raise my right hand. My hand, which was pale white now because of a lack of blood flow to it, glows a pale white light, as Runes flash on my skin for a second.
Set looks at the hand, curious, and gets a punch to his face in return. The point-black punch hits him on the nose, sending his head snapping back. The force of the punch forces Set to take a few steps back, and drop me at the same time.
I had used the runes to temporarily increase my strength 5 fold, but there was a small side effect.
My hand drops down beside me, now useless, as I start coughing to regain my breath, with tears in my eyes. I put my left hand in my pouch, that's always at my hip, and take out a Healing Elixer, which speeds up the regeneration of a Wizard by twice. It only works for 5 minutes, however, which is how long I have before the Potion knocks me out of commission to let my Magic heal the rest naturally.
Seeing Set still standing, I summon a Tao Mandala shield in my left hand, and place it between us, as I struggle to stand back up.
Set looks at me, glaring hard at me, which sends another shiver down my spine. He then does something that scares me even more. He raises his hand, and creates an exact replica of the Tao Mandala shield in his own hand, only purple in colour.
I know it is one he replicated off of me, because I can see the Sanskrit additions that I myself used, to allow me to stop the Nundu's hit, as well as to Transmutate the Bull.
He raises his hand to hit me, and I block his Tao Mandala edge with my own shield. It holds, however I am still weakened, despite my healing, and I drop down to my knees, Set standing in a relaxed position in front of me.
Putting pressure on my shield, he says, "You should just surrender your soul, mortal. Join me, and you will be truly immortal, become my Vessel in this world! And you won't have to be afraid of anyone anymore, not even death."
"Tempting offer." I grit out, cursing my idiotic plans, and then smile. I say, "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse."
Set opens his mouth to ask why, when I stand up, the Tao Mandala in my hand disappearing in a shower of golden sparks. It causes Set's own shield to drop down, barely missing my hand, as he loses his balance.
Ducking around his arm, I summon my physical shield artefact, and slam it into Set's face, breaking his nose once again. As he stumbles back, I stomp my feet on the ground again, the ripple taking me away from Set this time with the shifting ground.
His nose healing, Set says, "So be it."
And he jumps into the sky. The jump takes him flying into the air, hundreds of feet up, as he then flies towards me.
Well.. crap.
My one hand is useless, and the other has the shield in it. Set, meanwhile, has both his hands, and magical spells covering both his hands. He then points the hands towards me, still in mid air, sending a purple wave of evil magic at me.
I turn around, using the shield to divert the spell away from me, and throw the same shield towards an approaching Set. The shield, which had begun rusting because of the Evil spell, hits Set in the face, temporarily blinding him.
Taking the opportunity, I point my left hand at the dangerous being in front of me, and cast the most dangerous spell that I can successfully cast, with the low amount of magic that I currently have.
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" I yell loudly, sending the dark cutting curse at Set's stomach.
At the same time, a beam of yellow light slams into his back, which I recognise as the Flesh Rotting Curse. Set starts screaming, the two spells attacking him from both sides. I guess even dark curses work.
I snap my eyes to the back of Set, to see something which makes me curse my stupid brain once again. Apparating towards her, thankful that it works within the Mirror Dimension, I furiously ask, "What the hell happened to stay hidden?"
Darla starts casting a spell at my arm, which slowly brings sensation back to it, and says, "Well, someone wasn't doing so well out here. Are you an idiot?! This wizard is dangerous, probably more than Grindelwald, and you're here fighting it, and losing badly! Have you seen yourself, you're bleeding from everywhere!"
I allow her to cast the spell, wondering how she knows the counter to a paralysis curse, and ask, "Is Ana teaching you curses?" I obviously didn't know I'm bleeding, and I'm definitely not cursed. Which means he caught me with something, and I just didn't notice.
Darla avoids my eyes, and stares at the screaming Set. Frowning, she says, "Ana and I practice everything we can get our hands on, Dark or Light. We need something to defend us, when shit inevitably hits the fan regarding our sexuality."
I shake my head, wondering how I could have missed that. The screams stop sounding at that time, telling us that Set was healing now. I stay vigilant, and ask her, "Can you use Fiendfyre?"
Darla takes a second, and nods. She says, "That necklace, right? It's the source of it all."
Nodding, I say, "I have something that can take it off, or at least damage it. I want you to burn him as soon as I stab him. Understand?"
Darla nods, this time a bit hesitantly. So I say, "Darla, I need you to promise me. Doesn't matter if I'm safe or not, we need to kill this Being before he can get out of here. Everyone will die if we fail here because you didn't want to harm me."
"Okay, okay, you prat. I'll try. Promise me you'll try to get away." Darla says, holding my right hand with her left.
Well, at least I got the feeling back to it. And I'm going to have to come back from this, or Darla will be stuck here until some other Sorcerer finds her, which is.. highly unlikely.
Pressing her hand in support, I walk a few steps forward, wanting Set to keep his attention at me.
Now completely healed, he looks at me, and then Darla. I feel her shiver at his look, even when the telepathic connection is dulled after everything I've been through right now. Then, he looks at me, and says, "Last chance, Spawn, join me."
"I'm guessing you can't eat my soul, for some reason, or you would have already killed me twice. Is this Oshtur limiting your appetite?" I ask, getting ready with two Tao Mandala spinning around my both fists.
Summoning two magic circles of his own, Set says, "Doesn't matter, pest. I just have to kill you the old way. By my own hands."
And then, he fires a thick beam of purple light at me, from his hands. I create a portal in front of me, making it appear at his back. The beam hits him in the back, pushing him towards me.
I run forward, and slam my shields in Set's neck, the edges trying to cut into it. It fails, as I expected, and Set headbutts me in the face. As I bleed from my head, falling down on the ground, Set picks me up.
He says, "I gave you three chances to surrender your soul, but it seems you don't want Power, or your life. Now, you. Will. Die."
This time too, I feel myself being paralyzed, my body not responding to me. However, this time, I was ready for it.
With a small push, my Astral Form gets out of my body, and then slams right back into it, creating a small shock of Universal Magic within my heart. This shock is enough to break my paralysis, allowing me to move again.
Before Set can react to the innovative use of Astral Projection, I conjure a dagger from my Pouch, and slam it into the locket in Set's neck. The Dagger, made of Goblin's Silver, and dipped in Basilisk Venom, stabs right through the protection spells it was covered by, and goes through it, into the flesh of the mortal vessel.
Set drops me, more out of surprise than anything else, and stares at his broken locket, as the Basilisk Venom has already melted most of it. The Basilisk Venom is now also coursing through his blood, which makes him drop down to a knee. The spot I stabbed into is black, with the Venom slowly rotting his body from the inside.
I stumble back up, and start running backwards, knowing that Basilisk Venom is not enough to defeat an Elder God. It just weakened him, but it won't take long for him to recover.
As Set starts to stand up, however, a gigantic bird made of flames smacks into his back, sending him crashing into the ground, and covering him from head to toe in flames.
"AAAARGHHHHHH!!!" The possessed human screams, his voice echoing, as the Fiendfyre burns him, and the Demon within him.
I lay down on the ground, finally confident that this worked. The Fires keep burning, so I turn to Darla, who had come to support me, and say, "Let's get out of here. If this doesn't work, I don't think anything will."
Darla helps me stand up, and says, "You're explaining everything to me, as soon as you're recovered."
I smile, not having enough willpower to argue. I just stumble through the hand motions, and create a portal to go outside the Mirror Dimension, leaving the uncontrollable flames behind.
The body of the human burns, completely turning to ash, and takes the locket with it. As soon as we walk out of the portal, outside the house of Master Potter, I drop down, unconscious, the strain of everything finally taking its toll.
-
Seeing her friend become unconscious, Darla panics, finding herself in an unknown location, and as soon as a House Elf appears, she attacks it with a stunning charm, instinct taking over.
A stunning spell to her back drops her down, right beside her friend, Mason. From behind her, Fleamont Potter removes a piece of cloth from his body, turning himself visible again, and frowns, seeing two unknown people, both injured beyond belief, having appeared out of a glowing hole in space.
He turns towards his House Elf, Trappy, and orders, "Take them to the guest rooms, and keep an eye on them. Tell me when the girl wakes, I'll have Mia heal the boy."
The House elf mutely follows his orders, snapping his fingers to disappear.
Meanwhile, in the Mirror Dimension, as soon as Mason and Darla leave, numerous other portals appear one after the other, bringing people of various ethnic backgrounds into the Mirror Dimension. They all immediately take charge, and cast spells to suffocate the flames out, showing that not even ash had remained now.
Their leader, a woman with no hair on her head, looks around, and says, "It seems someone already defeated Set, although not completely."
Her faithful companion, Hamir the Hermit, a Sorcerer descended from a long line of monks, sniffs his nose a few times, and says, "Wizards. Curious, I didn't know Wizards could even enter the Mirror Dimension, let alone fight a Demon Lord head on."
The bald lady smiles, and says, "This particular Wizard is also a Sorcerer, Master Hamir, he has learned the Mystic Arts on his own. Curiously enough, I have taught a few of the child's ancestors." She then turns to the Three Masters of the Sanctums, and orders, "Spread around, we need to send this fragment of Set back to his Realm before he finds his way out of here."
As the Sorcerers start following her orders, Hamir asks, "Are we going to approach him? The Wizard? Sorcery is not something a child should learn alone, no matter the affinity, Master."
"Don't worry, Master Hamir. I have faith in the Wizard, that he won't do anything dangerous. He doesn't even use Dimensional Magic, and Headmaster Dippet himself has reassured me of his talents.." The Sorcerer Supreme says, turning to walk towards a portal.
Hamir stays behind, to see these things through. He knew that his Master had already seen the future, various times. So, if she's confident that Set will be found, then he will.
He then snorts, and mumbles, "Wizards, always arrogant. Don't use Dimensional Magic, and think they can fight Demon Lords."
Shaking his head, he joins the search for Set, knowing that his Master has the Wizard situation handled.
---
A/N: Set wasn't at full power, not even close. He was barely at a fraction of a fraction of his power, even with the Souls as a power-up.
Oshtur is a part of the Vishanti, and in my Universe, she created the Wizards, while Gaea created the Magical creatures. It isn't canon, just something I cooked up for this fic, and it might or might not have any relevance in the future.
The reason why Set couldn't just eat Mason's soul, is because Oshtur has a sort of claim on it, like she does every Witch and Wizard.
Hamir the Hermit is not Hamir from the Doctor Strange Movie, look him up. According to canon, they're the same, but I'm keeping them different. This Hamir is an ancestor of Wong.
If there's any doubts, or questions, feel free to ask!
Tata!
Second One!
---
You know, I always dreamt of being a Millionaire. Well, dreamt was exactly the right thing I did. I never tried to become a millionaire either, just sat on my arse and imagined what I would do with a Million Dollars. And my dreams weren't that big. 1 Million Dollars, was the most amount of money I could imagine myself with, even in those dreams.
Reality, however, is often disappointing, and I had about $500 to my name when I died. At most. Which is still a lot, considering I was in India, where 500 meant a.. liveable monthly salary to have.
Now, though? I can call myself a millionaire without any issues! I actually am a Multi Millionaire, even if it is just my ancestors' money. It's mine now, fuck them.
The Slytherin Vault may have been emptied of all the cash, given to the Goblin's as late fees, along with most of the Goblin Silver tools, weapons, and armours. It had to happen, because the Vault was way past claiming period, and I'm just glad they allowed me to keep my stuff. Thankfully, I didn't lose much, just 100,000 Galleons in total, and all of the Goblin Silver in the Vault, which also wasn't that much.
I had to negotiate for all the other items, by giving them permission to copy the books there. Not like they would do them any good, since they're all in Parselscript. So, I didn't lose anything significant. If the Goblins were unable to break the Enchantments on the Vault to enter it, then they definitely can't break the Enchantments to decode the language.
However, the Aves vault was literally filled with money. 980,000 Galleons, that was how much cash the Aves Family Vault had. Which amounts to about 3.8 Million Pounds in all, which was more than enough for me. I didn't need to hoard cash in Billions to love a happy life. I was happy with my 13,000 too! These 967,000 Galleons extra were just a bonus.
Along with the cash, the Aves Vault had various Knightly weapons, two full armours that were made of Steel, a lot of Jewellery, few artefacts, and different trunks belonging to my different ancestors.
One of those trunks was literally an expanced library, which belonged to one Henry Aves, Harrison Aves's grandfather. Most of the books there were already present in the Room of Knowledge, but some were the journals and Grimoires of my ancestors, which the Room did not have. They must not have brought them to school.
As for the Slytherin Vault, it had given me a few amazing finds. The Library for one, which was way more expansive than the one in the Chamber. Fortunately, it also had a lot of the Sorcery Primers, and Guides, that the Chamber did not have, and which were mentioned in his Sorcery Journal.
Then there was the literal stockpile of Creature body parts, many of whom were still intact. They were hidden under cloths, in a hidden compartment behind the Library, which is why I did not find them at first.
Think of a Magical Creature, and Salazar had already had at least something of that animal. Tears of a Phoenix, Venom of a Nundu, horns of Unicorns, and even the cloaks of both Lethifolds and Dementors.
These were the only ones intact however. Most of the other ingredients had been rotten even through the Stasis and Preservation Charms.
There were also multiple entirely intact carcasses, including a Re'em, a pair of Unicorns, a baby dragon(which I am really upset about,) and a goddamn Cerebrus. He had bodies of them all, completely alright, and I wonder if there used to be more. His other descendants from the Slytherin family line must have used up something, right?
The compartment wasn't hidden that much, there was just a small additional mechanism that opened a hidden door. But, at least my Ritual necessities won't be lacking.
Funnily enough, Salazar did have a few Golden Graphorn horns, but they didn't stay intact in these centuries that the Vault was abandoned.
There was also a wardrobe section there, from the years 700 BC to the early 1500s AD, which also included actual fighting armours, both magical and mundane, and many different kinds of Robes.
Anyway, after spending a day just going through everything in my Vaults, both Aves and Slytherin, and finding many interesting things, I came back home, to the orphanage. I was going to spend another year here, having told Sister Agnes that I was working a job at the hospital, which wasn't exactly a lie. Soon, however, I'll have to make something up to own the Malbern Terrace house in my own name, and not in Harrison Evans's.
Harrison Evans did make an appearance once in a while, in his Islington house, driving a Royal Enfield, but it wasn't too often. It was just enough to not make the neighbours too suspicious.
I kept my bike at Malbern Terrace itself, since Mason Aves is too poor for the bike. Soon, I'll get to drive the bike as Mason too.
When monday comes, I show up outside the office of Master Euphemia Potter, the Head Healer of St Mungo's, to begin my Healing Apprenticeship.
"Good, you're on time." Master Potter says, opening her door at exactly 7 AM. Wonder how long she's been actually here.
Nodding, I smile, a bit excited to begin, and say, "I'm eager to start working, and learning, ma'am."
She smiles gently, and says, "You'll be cursing your excitement soon enough. Now, follow me. You won't be doing anything for the first month, other than reading your books which I assigned you, and observing the Healers at work. I'll show you to your first station, in the Dai Llewellyn ward, where you'll be shadowing Healer Smethwyck for 5 hours. After lunch, which Healer Smethwyck will inform you of, you will come to my office so I can gauge your actual medical knowledge. Any question?"
"Just one. Will I be assigned a different Healer everyday, for shadowing, or will Healer Smethwyck be responsible for my learning?" I ask.
I'm asking this because the questions I ask the Healers will depend on that. An unknown Healer won't bother answering me with the same enthusiasm that a regular teacher would.
Master Potter says, "A different Department, everyday, and then you'll cycle through them all. You'll be allowed to clarify your doubts with them, or you can note them down to ask me later."
We had reached the Dai Llewellyn ward by then, by way of stairs, and she walks in without a knock. There were 6 patients, and 5 Healers in the room, one of the healers wearing a badge called 'Department Head- Dai Llewellyn ward.'
That was obviously Healer Smethwyck, whom Master Potter approaches, with me following behind. She says, "Hippocrates, this is our new Trainee Healer. Mason Aves. He might be young, but he's smart enough to be here. Apprentice Aves, this is Healer Smethwyck, he'll be responsible for your education for the day. I'll leave you in his hands. Remember, sharp at 1:00 PM, I want you in my office."
Well, so begins my Medical education.
-Time Skip: August 1936.
A year has gone by, and my journey in learning Healing has gone on splendidly! It isn't easy, Healing.
The first month, as Master Potter had told me, was spent just shadowing different Healers, watching what they do, and how they do it. Other than that, Master Potter gave me short, hour long lectures about different parts of the books that she assigned me.
It was easy, at first, since I had read the books ahead, but casting the spells she taught me, even on dead animals, was really hard.
The first spells she taught me were Diagnosis Charms. And there were a lot of them!
First came the Categorisation Charms, One for visible ailments, one for invisible ailments, both of which would just tell me what type of ailment it is, and which Ward the patient should belong to.
Curse damage, Charm Injuries, Hex Exposure, failed transfiguration, Dark Arts, Mundane wounds, and genuine Illnesses were just few of the types that Wizards can befall.
Then, after the type of ailment is determined, you need to learn different Diagnosis charms that help you determine the specifics of the wound, injury, ailment, illness, etc.
These are the spells that help you determine if the cut visible on the arm is from a cursed dagger, curse, muggle knife, or a spontaneous event. Hell, it also helps you determine what the material of the weapon was, and how long ago the injury took place.
These kinds of spell took me 3 months to master, which is quick according to Master Potter.
Finally, the last part that I have learned this year, is healing minor wounds. I was just on physical wounds right now, with the actual spell damage and all being for later. There's still at least a year of my education remaining, even with my perfect recall.
But I am also enjoying myself. Healing is fun, and there is a different kind of joy in making sure someone else is healthy. It's frustrating too, because not all patients listen to healers, let alone the junior Trainee, but I like the environment in St Mungo's.
And yes, I am still a Trainee. I won't be a true Healer until Master Potter proclaims me so. But, that was, as I said, at least a year away right now.
Currently, I was walking through London, with Darla by my side, tears falling down her face. She had just had another fight with her parents, and she sent me a Patronus, asking for a friend to talk to. I immediately apparated to her house, and took her to the City, to help her calm her mind.
"It just makes me so frustrated, you know? All these years, I've done as they asked of me. I went to the bloody Finishing school in my summers, studying how to curtsey, and knit, and fake laugh, and they still can't accept who I am! Sometimes I wonder, if there's something wrong with me?" Darla rants, having spoken for 5 continuous minutes.
As she finally stops her rant, I say, "Parents.. are complicated. This is ironic, I understand, coming from the orphan."
Darla snorts, wiping her tears. So I say, "But I've seen something in my life, while observing the public, and now, observing my patients. Some parents are completely understanding of their children. A very small percentage of the population is like this. They are ready to accept their child as they are, no matter what they do, or.. whom they love."
Darla sniffles, so I hand her my handkerchief, and carry on saying, "Some parents meanwhile, they do love their children, but only an image of them. That love is conditional, for them. The child should act a certain way, dress only what they want the child to, obey every order without question. It's not right, but the majority of the people are like this."
Stopping Darla from walking forward, I pull her towards the ice cream parlor that was next to us, and say, "They might not accept who you love, Darla, nor the way you dress. But that doesn't mean that there's a fault in you."
Sniffling her nose, Darla whispers, "It sure does feel like it sometime."
Ordering icecream for both of us, I softly scold her, "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for your parents' faults. They're the ones that still think you a Demon dealing Witch. They're the ones who think that you deserve to go to hell, because you love Ana. They're the ones trying to force you to marry that Bobby. If anyone here has faults, it is them.'
Darla snorts, and stays silent, as she starts stabbing her icecream with the spoon. I allow her the silence, and eat my own icecream.
Darla had told her parents about her relationship with Ana, which had gone about as well as everyone had expected it to go. The religious pair of parents had not accepted her confession at all.
Not like same-sex relationships are common in this era. They're there, and some people do support them. But almost everyone would rather their own child not be gay. They'd support their neighbours child coming out of the closet any time, but their own child should remain straight, according to them. Hypocrites.
After a lot of accusations of Witchcraft messing with her mind, to Demons making her gay, her parents had shut her in her room. That was two days ago. Today, however, her father brought a marriage proposal for her, from a fellow Police officer of his.
Other than the small problem that the police officer is male, he is also in his late 30s, while Darla has just turned 17 a few days ago. That was the cause of a bigger fight, after which Darla had to run away to clear her head, and called me.
I hold her hand, noticing that she had begun crying again. Once again, I'm thankful for the Notice-me-not charm on us, when my plain Vanilla scoop explodes, sending the icecream flying to my face.
"Sorry." Darla mumbles, holding her free hand to her mouth to hide her amusement.
I just smile at her, and cast a few cleaning spells on my face, to get rid of the icecream. I say, "Well, at least you're smiling now. And don't worry about it. I told you then, and I'm telling you again. If you want, my house has a room reserved for you, for however long you want."
This gives me an opportunity to claim the house as Mason's. Welp, it's time for Harrison Evans to go overseas and disappear.
Darla opens her mouth, still smiling a tearful smile, to say something, but we both suddenly widen our eyes, feeling dread right in our bones.
I snap my head around, to find whatever I'm feeling, but nothing clicks. I can feel where it's coming from, but it wasn't even remotely close to me. For some reason though, Darla and I are the only ones to feel it, and none of the muggles here react to it.
"Please tell me you can feel whatever the fuck that is?" Darla asks, whispering in fear.
I shake my head, force my mind to try and defeat the fear, take out my wand, and say, "Yes. Wands out, Darla, and stay close to me."
Getting up, I start walking towards the door, a £5 note on the table. Whatever this was, it's evil. Not like Dementors, but for sure, way, way worse.
Dementors bring our bad memories to the front, and they make us feel sad, hopeless, and cold, the severity depending on the closeness. But this.. this was sending chills down my spine continuously. This was as if Dementors were a child, compared to whatever this is. It also felt disgusting, just knowing something this evil exists.
Once outside, I look around, and spin my foot to apparate towards the Evil, knowing the direction it's coming from. Unfortunately, I just spin around my foot, the Apparition failing. Damn, not a Ward, but something else is stopping apparition.
Beside me, Darla herself had tried to get out of here, and even her apparition fails, making her more afraid, visibly.
Holding Darla's hand, I keep it on my shoulder, reassurance for both of us, and say, "I guess we're walking towards the danger then?" When both of us automatically start our walk.
Both of us, at least subconsciously, know that we need to get rid of the danger before anything happens. This Evil is in the Muggle world, and only Wizards can feel it. I'm afraid, but I don't think running away is an option.
As we start walking in the direction of the feeling, I realise that I might have to use Sorcery today, and say, "Whatever you see me do today, promise me that you won't tell anyone."
Darla immediately whispers, "I swear Mason, if you bring me home alive, after we've dealt with whatever this is, then I'll keep all your secrets forever, without question."
Closing my eyes, I expand my mind, telepathy branching out from mind to mind. I jump from one mind to another, searching for whatever is causing us to be this afraid, without stopping. I'll either find the being that's causing this, and it is a being, or I'll be able to see it from someone's mind.
Meanwhile, my hands are busy with a method of their own. Scrying.
I can sort of feel what direction the fear is coming from. Well, more like, my Entire being is yelling at me, not to go in a particular direction. But.. this could be a trick, conjured by the weak to just inspire fear.
As I start walking towards the Evil, Darla following behind me with her left hand on my shoulder, right hand holding her wand, I keep my eyes closed to cast the scrying spell.
"Prorumpo Malignus!" I whisper, after a few seconds of intricate wand motions, and stab my wand into the solid ground.
The Wand sinks into the ground, both because of it's intrinsic magical properties, and because of the spell I just cast. And then, I see it.
In my inner eye, I see the entire neighborhood, about 300 meters wide in all directions from me, and floating above all of it, was a cloud of purple gas. It wasn't visible in the real world, however, with the help of the Evil Seeking Spell, I could see it quite clearly. There was just one place, where it was almost pitch black, and it was moving. I see just a small image of a silver amulet in that black spot, before the Spell fails and I'm pushed out. Even my telepathy attempts shatter, returning my mind completely to me.
"I know where it's coming from." I say, standing up with a scowl, and turn towards Darla while rubbing my head.
Contrary to my belief, Darla nods resolutely, her fear still showing, and says, "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"We?" I ask, looking at Darla as if she's crazy. "Darla you're not coming. It's going to be dangerous."
Darla glares at me, and whispers furiously, "Excuse me if I'm not willing to listen to another man about what I should, and shouldn't do! I do that at home enough."
"Darla." I say, but before I can argue, there's a bump in the feel, as if the Evil buzzer had been turned to two, from one. I say, "Okay, we both felt that, and you want to go towards.. that? Are you crazy?!"
"And what?! You're not Merlin, Mason! I might not be as good a Witch as you are, but I know how to defend myself! I'm going, and you're not stopping me." Darla starts walking towards the direction of the being.
Sighing, I pull her back towards me, and say, "Fine, but you'll leave and get an Auror as soon as it feels like it's going to get too dangerous."
Darla nods and asks, "So.. what's the plan?"
I pause, to think. I can't tell the Ministry anything, not without sounding crazy. Wizards think that Dementors, Lethifolds, and Obscuri are the most dangerous Dark Magical creatures, and anything more dangerous is not something they'll accept.
And the Evil bumped to level three, whatever it is, is getting stronger by the minute. The more time I waste, the stronger the Evil enemy becomes.
I say, "This was the second jump in it's strength. Whatever it is needs to be dealt with, and none of us are qualified to do that. What we need to do, is find a way to stop it from getting even stronger, or separate it from the muggles."
"Right, and we don't know what's making it stronger. So separation it is. Now, how in the world will we do that?" Darla asks, as she joins me in thinking up plans.
I smile, and say, "Don't worry about that. Just give me cover fire if the enemy is beyond my strength."
Highly unlikely, but not impossible. I am not yet the strongest Wizard, hell, I'm barely a competent Wizard, when it comes to combat Magics, and all that, I've learned came from books! No teacher, means I definitely have some drawbacks when fighting whatever this will be.
Shaking me head when Darla tries to ask a question, I say, "No time for an explanation right now. Don't be too shocked by whatever I do today, and you'll be fine."
As Darla nods, hesitant to accept it all blindly, I raise my left hand up, and spin my right hand in counterclockwise direction.
"What ar-" Darla begins to ask, looking at me as if I'm crazy, but stops, seeing a golden portal forming in the air in front of us.
"Explanations later, follow me if you really want to fight." I say, and walk through the portal I created. Darla follows me a second later, and looks around.
We were currently in an alleyway, looking out towards the road, and now, I can feel it clearly. The Evil, it was close, very close. Now I just have to find the silver locket.
-
Finally, he was free. After so many years, countless millennia, of having to stay away from Earth, he had gotten free. All because a simple mortal couldn't keep his hands to himself in a museum.
Many times, in the past, this being had come to Earth, fought it's defenders, and inevitably been defeated. But he knew, that the only reason he was defeated at all, was because the defenders managed to see him coming. And they did see through every plan he laid, no matter how precisely he had done it.
So, he had not planned anything at all, for his return. He had just asked his followers to plan something, that does not have a fixed time for the inevitable result, while leaving even him in the dark.
They had planned to leave an artefact of his in the World, where anyone can accidentally touch it, and summon the being. It had taken a long time to feed souls to the artefact, to power the Summoning Ritual, while also being discreet, and so, he had to wait more.
Alas, his followers had died, at least those that had managed this feat, but not before hiding the artefact away.
And now, a mortal had found it in the British Museum, touched it bare handed for the first time since it was charged, activated the Summoning Ritual, and summoned the being into this Realm. Then, he had possessed the man, taking more souls to make himself stronger, and hidden himself inside a very strong barrier. All before anyone even knew about his arrival.
Behind the being, one could see numerous humans, old, young, male, female, and even children, laying down unmoving. They had died spontaneously, with no reason that anyone could see.
The Being had simply eaten their souls, to make his Avatar here more powerful, powerful enough to bring his entire body here, he hoped.
Soon, he knew, the Defenders would learn of his arrival, but it will be too late. The being will have gotten too strong to defeat by the time the barrier gets removed, mortal souls being just that powerful.
As he walks away from his latest victim, the old man falling down on the ground in the middle of the road as if his strings were cut off, he suddenly pauses. The reason, he found himself displaced, the area looking very similar to the place he was in a moment ago, but not it.
"Sorcerers." He snarls, looking around to find the pests and kill them.
-
It didn't take me long to find the reason of our fear. Not like the man was subtle at all. There he was, walking along the road, ignoring the man dying right beside him, and the dozen or so other people lying dead in the back.
He was wearing a locket, made of silver, that I had seen as the source of all of this fear that I'm feeling, which means a Dark Artefact. Great, the man might actually be innocent of this all, and a victim to boot. This is going to be an issue, trying to save him. If it's tough, though, I'm just going to kill him. Can't risk the entire City of London for one soul.
The muggles might have just seen the people dying, but Darla and I, being Wizards, could see what was happening, and it honestly scares both of us.
When the being touched the old man with his left palm, the man simply dropped down. When he did, however, a small marble of silver light came out of his mouth, and entered the body of the being.
Note to self, stay away from the man.
Darla and I observe him silently for a few seconds, trying to find an opportunity to take him away, both of us reluctant to rush. Alas, we don't get much time to think, since I see him eyeing another human as a Victim of his soul sucking.
Fuck.
"Mason, no!" Darla whispers, seeing me about to rush in.
Leaving Darla in the alley, I run towards the being from his back, and drop down, my hands slamming down on the ground. Immediately, the Mirror Dimension forms around the two of us.
The Mirror Dimension wasn't a single dimension, but a cluster of many. It was the collection of all the Dimensions, that form the borders between the different Energy Dimensions, which is what also makes it that much more dangerous. It is almost impossible to escape from, unless you can create Dimensional Portals, since you never know where you'll appear.
The many Mirror Dimensions is what allows Sorcerers to trap enemies here, indefinitely, without worrying about them ever meeting each other. There are just so many of the Mirror Dimensions, that finding the same Dimension again is next to impossible unless you have a Sling Ring
So, unless you have Sling Ring, that can create Portals between the Mirror Dimension and the real world, you'll be stuck here. I still, however, cannot risk that the being in front of me has a Sling Ring, or can create Inter-dimensional portals, so I'll have to stay here for a while.
Before the Mirror Gateway disappears completely, Darla jumps in, having apparated to shorten the distance.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Do you want to die?!"
Both of us exclaim to each other, whispering to not gain the brings attention, as I cast the Disillusionment charm on both of us before the being can see us.
I had just jumped into the situation, and she had done the same, despite my wishes otherwise. No time to argue now. At least I know why we're friends, we're both idiots.
Shaking my head, I say, "Stay in the back, and stay invisible. I'll go and talk to him. Not negotiable." I add the last part when I see her try to argue.
She nods, not saying anything. She's probably running on instinct right now, too afraid to think things through. Well, as long as she stays in one place, she won't be detected, I hope.
Gods, I should have just sent her home, but I didn't think she would agree. She might hate him, but she is the daughter of a Police officer.
"Sorcerers!" The being snarls, turning around to search for me. I walk away from Darla, keeping my telepathy connected to her mind to know where she is, and become visible at a spot to the right of the being.
The being immediately snaps his head towards me, startling me with the bright yellow eyes. I patiently look at it, my mind running fast, thinking up plans.
"I thought my barrier would have prevented you from coming here, but obviously not." The being says, looking at me like I'm literally an insect.
I just stare at him, not saying anything. His barrier was strong, no doubt. But it also had one fault. It didn't prevent teleportation of any kind, when I was already inside the barrier. I couldn't create portals to go outside the Barrier, but I could do it from one spot inside the barrier to another. It is also why Darla managed to apparate towards me, which honestly I didn't foresee. We just couldn't approach him in this manner.
"No words?" The being asks, and starts walking towards me. It then chuckles, and says, "No matter, you will die anyway."
Well, that's not on my agenda right now.
Snapping my hand forward, I fire a stunner, just as a test. The man doesn't dodge, and allows the spell to hit him on the chest.
"Tickles." The man says, taunting me.
Well, I expected that. Low level spells probably won't have any effect on him, as seen right now. So, I won't use low level spells.
As the man keeps walking towards me, I stamp my feet on the ground, sending a ripple through the ground of the Mirror Dimension. The earthly ripple slams into the man, sending him flying backwards.
I chuckle, and start spinning my wand in intricate motions. Charms are useless right now, but it seems physical impact does have an effect on the man. And Mirror Dimension manipulation is particularly good at causing physical attacks.
My spell takes effect almost immediately, and the ground underneath me starts rising above the surface, forming into shapes. The first shape to rise is the form of a Nundu, made entirely of concrete, transfigured out of the ground.
Similarly, other animals form near me, most of them big enough to seriously harm the man, and others small enough to go relatively unnoticed.
I've noticed, after having mastered the Mirror Dimension spell, that Transfiguration spells are more stable here. It's like, the Dimension itself is more allowing of changes in Reality.
Seeing the man running towards me, now furious, I point my wand at him, and say, "Attack."
"ROAAR!!" with a loud roar, the concrete Nundu starts running towards the man, and reaches him in barely four seconds. Nundu are Magical leopards, and their speeds greater than most brooms. This Nundu, however was just a transfigured model, and hence, not that fast. A real Nundu would have trampled on the man before he had even seen it.
The Nundu slams its head into the man's chest, sending him crashing into the ground. As he starts bouncing on the ground, by the force of the Nundu's hit, my hope raises a little, despite the fear that's still running rampant.
The Nundu sees its victim stopping from the hit, and runs again, approaching the man with high speeds, this time, the other bigger animals right beside it.
As one, the Nundu, a bull, and two gorillas, all jump at the man, aiming to trample him to death. This time, however, the man was ready, and the animals slam into a Magical shield, gross purple in colour.
I try to pull my animals away, but no matter how much I try to order telepathically, the animals don't listen. They remain stuck to the shield. Slowly, the four animals rise up from the shields, and turn towards me, their eyes now glowing yellow.
Well.. fuck.
I cross my arms in front of me, summoning the shield artefact from my ring, just in time to save myself from being killed by the Nundu's thorny head. This time, the Nundu was just as fast as a real Nundu, and the full brunt of it slams into my shield. Coincidentally, the Nundu's rampaging run killed all the smaller animals in their spots before they can even do anything.
The Enchantments on the shield prevents my arms from being too damaged by the hit, but it doesn't dull the pain completely, and nor does it save me from being thrown into the air. I still feel my bones vibrate with the force as I fly upwards, involuntarily, and then start my drop downwards.
Pointing my shield downwards, I brace myself for the approaching ground, and cast a spell at the last moment. "Arresto Momentum!"
I slow down, enough that I can drop down safely, without dying immediately. Banishing the shield, I frown, knowing that the hit could have killed me, if I didn't have my shield.
Well, 'Boom boom whoosh!' now I have two shields.
The man appears in front of me with a purple flash of light, and looks surprised. He asks, "You're still alive? Well, deal with him."
I see my animals jump from similar purple flashes towards me. The Nundu is the first to approach, owing to its speed, and it hits my left Tao Mandala shield. This time, the force is negated by the shield completely, stopping the Nundu in it's spot.
I hit the edge of my right shield on it's neck, the spell on the shield shattering the nundu back into stone. The Bull approaches next, and I spin my hand on the shield, spinning the Sanskrit symbols around. As the bull hits my shield, this time, it gets transfigured into water, that I send towards the gorillas.
The water pulls the Gorillas under the ground, where they merge with the ground again. All of this, happens within 10 seconds, which does make me feel better about myself. I'm not completely useless, after all.
The man takes that time to appear to my right, and before I can do anything, holds me by the neck. The Tao Mandala shields disappear from my hands, as I feel the man start putting pressure on my delicate neck.
Pain. That much was obvious. But the amount of fear that I feel, has multiplied hundred times when the man touched me, making me freeze in my place. I don't even make a single noise, when the man starts choking me, increasing the force on my neck.
I hear him say, "You fought bravely, Sorcerer. Alas, your enemy was I. An Elder God of the highest calibre. Even the Sorcerer Supreme trembles in front of me, and you think you can defeat me. You think, you can defeat the First Demon?!"
I can still see him, hear him, however my body refuses to respond to my commands. My mind, mostly because it is too afraid, has no control over my body, so powerful was the spell on me.
Now, I just had my mind with me, which I use to do something that will probably be the stupidest idea I ever have. I enter the mind of the self proclaimed Elder God, so I can hopefully save my Mind, even if my body dies.
I look into his eyes, and use Legilimency to enter his mind, however, he slams me down on the ground, breaking my concentration and bringing me back to my body. He has a knowing glint in his eyes, as he says, "You're one of Oshtur's, aren't you? Your Magic, it is not that of the Sorcerers, but yes, you're one of Oshtur's spawn. My, what secrets she has hidden here."
Now back in control of my own body, I choke out, "Who- ugh- are you?"
The man chuckles, his eyes glowing even more, as I see the illusion of a giant snake standing right behind the man. He says, "I am the first Demon, the second oldest of the Olde Ones! My name is Set! Surrender your soul to me, and I shall show you mercy!"
Fuck! He's actually an Elder God? And this is his weakened power? What the fuck is his true power like?!
I focus as much as I can, knowing that I'll only get one chance at this, and raise my right hand. My hand, which was pale white now because of a lack of blood flow to it, glows a pale white light, as Runes flash on my skin for a second.
Set looks at the hand, curious, and gets a punch to his face in return. The point-black punch hits him on the nose, sending his head snapping back. The force of the punch forces Set to take a few steps back, and drop me at the same time.
I had used the runes to temporarily increase my strength 5 fold, but there was a small side effect.
My hand drops down beside me, now useless, as I start coughing to regain my breath, with tears in my eyes. I put my left hand in my pouch, that's always at my hip, and take out a Healing Elixer, which speeds up the regeneration of a Wizard by twice. It only works for 5 minutes, however, which is how long I have before the Potion knocks me out of commission to let my Magic heal the rest naturally.
Seeing Set still standing, I summon a Tao Mandala shield in my left hand, and place it between us, as I struggle to stand back up.
Set looks at me, glaring hard at me, which sends another shiver down my spine. He then does something that scares me even more. He raises his hand, and creates an exact replica of the Tao Mandala shield in his own hand, only purple in colour.
I know it is one he replicated off of me, because I can see the Sanskrit additions that I myself used, to allow me to stop the Nundu's hit, as well as to Transmutate the Bull.
He raises his hand to hit me, and I block his Tao Mandala edge with my own shield. It holds, however I am still weakened, despite my healing, and I drop down to my knees, Set standing in a relaxed position in front of me.
Putting pressure on my shield, he says, "You should just surrender your soul, mortal. Join me, and you will be truly immortal, become my Vessel in this world! And you won't have to be afraid of anyone anymore, not even death."
"Tempting offer." I grit out, cursing my idiotic plans, and then smile. I say, "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse."
Set opens his mouth to ask why, when I stand up, the Tao Mandala in my hand disappearing in a shower of golden sparks. It causes Set's own shield to drop down, barely missing my hand, as he loses his balance.
Ducking around his arm, I summon my physical shield artefact, and slam it into Set's face, breaking his nose once again. As he stumbles back, I stomp my feet on the ground again, the ripple taking me away from Set this time with the shifting ground.
His nose healing, Set says, "So be it."
And he jumps into the sky. The jump takes him flying into the air, hundreds of feet up, as he then flies towards me.
Well.. crap.
My one hand is useless, and the other has the shield in it. Set, meanwhile, has both his hands, and magical spells covering both his hands. He then points the hands towards me, still in mid air, sending a purple wave of evil magic at me.
I turn around, using the shield to divert the spell away from me, and throw the same shield towards an approaching Set. The shield, which had begun rusting because of the Evil spell, hits Set in the face, temporarily blinding him.
Taking the opportunity, I point my left hand at the dangerous being in front of me, and cast the most dangerous spell that I can successfully cast, with the low amount of magic that I currently have.
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" I yell loudly, sending the dark cutting curse at Set's stomach.
At the same time, a beam of yellow light slams into his back, which I recognise as the Flesh Rotting Curse. Set starts screaming, the two spells attacking him from both sides. I guess even dark curses work.
I snap my eyes to the back of Set, to see something which makes me curse my stupid brain once again. Apparating towards her, thankful that it works within the Mirror Dimension, I furiously ask, "What the hell happened to stay hidden?"
Darla starts casting a spell at my arm, which slowly brings sensation back to it, and says, "Well, someone wasn't doing so well out here. Are you an idiot?! This wizard is dangerous, probably more than Grindelwald, and you're here fighting it, and losing badly! Have you seen yourself, you're bleeding from everywhere!"
I allow her to cast the spell, wondering how she knows the counter to a paralysis curse, and ask, "Is Ana teaching you curses?" I obviously didn't know I'm bleeding, and I'm definitely not cursed. Which means he caught me with something, and I just didn't notice.
Darla avoids my eyes, and stares at the screaming Set. Frowning, she says, "Ana and I practice everything we can get our hands on, Dark or Light. We need something to defend us, when shit inevitably hits the fan regarding our sexuality."
I shake my head, wondering how I could have missed that. The screams stop sounding at that time, telling us that Set was healing now. I stay vigilant, and ask her, "Can you use Fiendfyre?"
Darla takes a second, and nods. She says, "That necklace, right? It's the source of it all."
Nodding, I say, "I have something that can take it off, or at least damage it. I want you to burn him as soon as I stab him. Understand?"
Darla nods, this time a bit hesitantly. So I say, "Darla, I need you to promise me. Doesn't matter if I'm safe or not, we need to kill this Being before he can get out of here. Everyone will die if we fail here because you didn't want to harm me."
"Okay, okay, you prat. I'll try. Promise me you'll try to get away." Darla says, holding my right hand with her left.
Well, at least I got the feeling back to it. And I'm going to have to come back from this, or Darla will be stuck here until some other Sorcerer finds her, which is.. highly unlikely.
Pressing her hand in support, I walk a few steps forward, wanting Set to keep his attention at me.
Now completely healed, he looks at me, and then Darla. I feel her shiver at his look, even when the telepathic connection is dulled after everything I've been through right now. Then, he looks at me, and says, "Last chance, Spawn, join me."
"I'm guessing you can't eat my soul, for some reason, or you would have already killed me twice. Is this Oshtur limiting your appetite?" I ask, getting ready with two Tao Mandala spinning around my both fists.
Summoning two magic circles of his own, Set says, "Doesn't matter, pest. I just have to kill you the old way. By my own hands."
And then, he fires a thick beam of purple light at me, from his hands. I create a portal in front of me, making it appear at his back. The beam hits him in the back, pushing him towards me.
I run forward, and slam my shields in Set's neck, the edges trying to cut into it. It fails, as I expected, and Set headbutts me in the face. As I bleed from my head, falling down on the ground, Set picks me up.
He says, "I gave you three chances to surrender your soul, but it seems you don't want Power, or your life. Now, you. Will. Die."
This time too, I feel myself being paralyzed, my body not responding to me. However, this time, I was ready for it.
With a small push, my Astral Form gets out of my body, and then slams right back into it, creating a small shock of Universal Magic within my heart. This shock is enough to break my paralysis, allowing me to move again.
Before Set can react to the innovative use of Astral Projection, I conjure a dagger from my Pouch, and slam it into the locket in Set's neck. The Dagger, made of Goblin's Silver, and dipped in Basilisk Venom, stabs right through the protection spells it was covered by, and goes through it, into the flesh of the mortal vessel.
Set drops me, more out of surprise than anything else, and stares at his broken locket, as the Basilisk Venom has already melted most of it. The Basilisk Venom is now also coursing through his blood, which makes him drop down to a knee. The spot I stabbed into is black, with the Venom slowly rotting his body from the inside.
I stumble back up, and start running backwards, knowing that Basilisk Venom is not enough to defeat an Elder God. It just weakened him, but it won't take long for him to recover.
As Set starts to stand up, however, a gigantic bird made of flames smacks into his back, sending him crashing into the ground, and covering him from head to toe in flames.
"AAAARGHHHHHH!!!" The possessed human screams, his voice echoing, as the Fiendfyre burns him, and the Demon within him.
I lay down on the ground, finally confident that this worked. The Fires keep burning, so I turn to Darla, who had come to support me, and say, "Let's get out of here. If this doesn't work, I don't think anything will."
Darla helps me stand up, and says, "You're explaining everything to me, as soon as you're recovered."
I smile, not having enough willpower to argue. I just stumble through the hand motions, and create a portal to go outside the Mirror Dimension, leaving the uncontrollable flames behind.
The body of the human burns, completely turning to ash, and takes the locket with it. As soon as we walk out of the portal, outside the house of Master Potter, I drop down, unconscious, the strain of everything finally taking its toll.
-
Seeing her friend become unconscious, Darla panics, finding herself in an unknown location, and as soon as a House Elf appears, she attacks it with a stunning charm, instinct taking over.
A stunning spell to her back drops her down, right beside her friend, Mason. From behind her, Fleamont Potter removes a piece of cloth from his body, turning himself visible again, and frowns, seeing two unknown people, both injured beyond belief, having appeared out of a glowing hole in space.
He turns towards his House Elf, Trappy, and orders, "Take them to the guest rooms, and keep an eye on them. Tell me when the girl wakes, I'll have Mia heal the boy."
The House elf mutely follows his orders, snapping his fingers to disappear.
Meanwhile, in the Mirror Dimension, as soon as Mason and Darla leave, numerous other portals appear one after the other, bringing people of various ethnic backgrounds into the Mirror Dimension. They all immediately take charge, and cast spells to suffocate the flames out, showing that not even ash had remained now.
Their leader, a woman with no hair on her head, looks around, and says, "It seems someone already defeated Set, although not completely."
Her faithful companion, Hamir the Hermit, a Sorcerer descended from a long line of monks, sniffs his nose a few times, and says, "Wizards. Curious, I didn't know Wizards could even enter the Mirror Dimension, let alone fight a Demon Lord head on."
The bald lady smiles, and says, "This particular Wizard is also a Sorcerer, Master Hamir, he has learned the Mystic Arts on his own. Curiously enough, I have taught a few of the child's ancestors." She then turns to the Three Masters of the Sanctums, and orders, "Spread around, we need to send this fragment of Set back to his Realm before he finds his way out of here."
As the Sorcerers start following her orders, Hamir asks, "Are we going to approach him? The Wizard? Sorcery is not something a child should learn alone, no matter the affinity, Master."
"Don't worry, Master Hamir. I have faith in the Wizard, that he won't do anything dangerous. He doesn't even use Dimensional Magic, and Headmaster Dippet himself has reassured me of his talents.." The Sorcerer Supreme says, turning to walk towards a portal.
Hamir stays behind, to see these things through. He knew that his Master had already seen the future, various times. So, if she's confident that Set will be found, then he will.
He then snorts, and mumbles, "Wizards, always arrogant. Don't use Dimensional Magic, and think they can fight Demon Lords."
Shaking his head, he joins the search for Set, knowing that his Master has the Wizard situation handled.
---
A/N: Set wasn't at full power, not even close. He was barely at a fraction of a fraction of his power, even with the Souls as a power-up.
Oshtur is a part of the Vishanti, and in my Universe, she created the Wizards, while Gaea created the Magical creatures. It isn't canon, just something I cooked up for this fic, and it might or might not have any relevance in the future.
The reason why Set couldn't just eat Mason's soul, is because Oshtur has a sort of claim on it, like she does every Witch and Wizard.
Hamir the Hermit is not Hamir from the Doctor Strange Movie, look him up. According to canon, they're the same, but I'm keeping them different. This Hamir is an ancestor of Wong.
If there's any doubts, or questions, feel free to ask!
Tata!
- Location
- Israel
About Hamir, it makes sense that they're not the same, Hamir isn't an immortal so it makes sense that he'll have an ancestor running around nearly 80 years before the time the Doctor Strange movie took place (between 2010 and 2020 if we go by the tech we see around).
So movie Hamir is Hamir son of Hamir.
So movie Hamir is Hamir son of Hamir.
Wouldn't that be great grandmother as Dorea is the grandmother assuming Mason doesn't butterfly that away?