The False Mage
A Harry Potter Universe Fan Fic
A/N All characters, places, plot points, and assorted neat stuff not mentioned in J.K. Rowling's masterworks are my idea.
A/N my biggest problem so far seems to be Darrin's class schedule I have no idea what spells come in at what grade level. (Or what classes I should make available) Also the timeline is giving me problems- I need to correlate this to when Harry Potter is in his 4th year at Hogwarts but, I don't know what year Darrin needs to be in yet.... Hence the whole Xth year bit.
Thanks to Fullsailnate for encouragement to post this. No mailbox marauders for you!
PROLOGUE
Darrin was a normal Xth year student at J.D.A. (Jersey Devil Academy for wizards) the North American counterpart to the Salem witches institute. He went to class, struggled with his homework, griped about his teachers. He was as normal as you could get-not recognized for any special achievement, just drifting by as one of the lesser noticed students in the academy.
Not that he wouldn't have stood out a great deal if a few things were known about him. For in actuality Darrin was thought (by his parents-no one else knew) to be a Squib, born to a magic family yet unable to control magic himself. This one fact would surely turn heads by itself- especially since he seemed only slightly more troubled by magic than any of the other students.
What seemed to allow him control of magic was one heck of a lucky break, literally.
Chapter One: The Nobody
Darrin sat on a bench outside of school deep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey after a particularly rough time in class, he was as usual, seemingly occupied with his thoughts.
"So there I stood surrounded by my foes..." despite the voice Darrin did not turn to look where it was coming from. He knew he wouldn't see the speaker even if he did.
"You were important enough to have foes? "He hadn't spoken aloud merely thought the phrase with a bit of effort.
"Important? I was the most powerful wizard of my time" roared the voice from nowhere "Oh, pardon, you are rather young, before your time, I keep forgetting you haven't even managed to die yet...." Sarcasm had been more than intoned in his voice.
"I quite enjoy living-thank you very much Clanker, besides I seem to remember quite well the exorcising charm we were taught last week." At the hint of this Clanker the poltergeist grew sulky. Darrin could feel him slid around in his mind, looking for a spot to hide. "Besides," he continued his silent conversation "You tell me this story every week."
"It's a good story!" He objected rather heartily "One that deserves retell..." But Clanker was not able to finish his thought as they were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes nearby.
"Ouch, watch it, your gonna break that camera!" came an angry voice from the same apparently irritated shrub.
"You made me trip! Sticking that stupid microphone everywhere, this is stupid! Let's just go back to the tent!" The bush now had a second voice to its inner conflict.
Darrin sighed, he had seen this before, and as other students seemed oblivious for the moment he decided to act on his own.
"Mugglus Confundus!" He said commandingly as he drew his wand. Having the complete attention of the students who were passing by, he blushed slightly as two dazed looking muggles slumped out of the bush behind him. One was carrying what looked like a muggle camera and the other some sort of fluffy thing on a stick with a black string going from it to his pocket.
One of the students passing had been none other than Darrin's friend and roommate Terth. Terth was a slightly scrawny looking young man and had a jumpy personality to match.
"More devil hunters?" cried Terth, alarmed " I thought instructor Thorpe re-did the anti muggle barrier last week!"
"He did, I saw him do it myself" Darrin said, speaking aloud for the first time in hours.
"Well he botched it again" said Terth glaring at the Muggles who now had the distinct appearance of deer in the way of a very bright spell.
"Do we have to watch them? Or do we just get Instructor Drake down here for another round of memory charms?" He questioned, sounding none too keen on the idea of being around the muggles
Darrin chuckled a little "You get the instructor I'll watch them for now..." He knew they had nothing to fear from the now thoroughly confused muggles-they hadn't even tried to stand back up yet. Though he did remember something about the equipment they were carrying from muggle studies although he couldn't quite place it.
As Terth darted off, he sat stretching as he replaced his wand in its holster. All year they had been having problems with the anti-muggle barrier so it didn't concern anyone too much to see a few more turn up on occasion, students had been given instructions on what to do in case of an intrusion, based on what year they were (first years had been told to find an instructor as quickly and as casually as possible.)
There had been few serious incidents anyway, apart from a band of Goth teenagers who blended in a bit too well and had nearly walked off with a stack of spell books they found.
On the whole Darrin didn't see the reason for concern; most of the study body seemed to share his opinion that muggles were mostly harmless. Terth, of course, being a notable exception. Then again Terth was so easy to scare that he had slammed himself into a doorway (reaching for a handle on the side it wasn't on) upon seeing the schools advanced incantations teacher apparate before him in the halls one day. Not that the incident had ended badly for him, he was now privy to much more attention from instructor Torries, one of the schools best looking female teachers.
Darrin was remembering the incident with mirth as Clanker decided it was safe to come out of the part of his brain which housed his potions knowledge. (As he didn't like the subject, it was a rather small but quiet section for Clanker to retreat to.)
"Still thinking of exorcising me?" Clanker hummed, "Remember without me being here you won't be here either..."
"Yeah I know, Clank-O" He grinned slightly more widely as he thought, "But without me you'd still be in a fence post outside Cretis Elementary School"
"Without your dumb luck!" Clanker corrected, "Somebody else would've tripped and broken their ankle in that pothole eventually. I would've just switched my self into one of them!"
"Uh-huh, Clanker the all powerful poltergeist, care to tell me how you got in there in the first place?" At this Clanker sputtered and Darrin suddenly remembered how to make a sleeping potion. "Fine go hide."
As Darrin glanced over to see how his confusion charm was lasting he was pleased to see that while mobile, the muggles couldn't seem to work out any direction resembling straight and thus had not left the spot.
"Good work Darrin!" congratulated instructor Drake as he strode up. In his wake were Terth lagging tentatively behind, and Clarius, another friend of Darrin's and a very powerful wizard for his age.
Pausing as he came up to shoo off some second years who looked as thought they might start practicing some new magic they had learned on the hapless muggles ("Go practice on Instructor Thorpe's pet mood slime!") He sat down beside Darrin on the bench. "Ah! So important to keep a relaxed pace in one's life" he said, noting that Darrin might as well have been asleep for the exertion he seemed to have made.
"Instructor, Darrin's more laid back than a rocking chair that's tipped over. Mind if I do the honors?" Darrin smiled at his friend, although Clarius was an Xth+1year he shared a dorm with the Xth year students of Weirden Ward (classes had been exceptionally small those years) Similar arrangements had been made in Avalus and Tantoor Wards.
"Think you're up to it?" he said not sounding as worried as he was trying to look.
"Obliviate!" Clarius said with a flick of his wand
The muggles were definitely affected though not quite in the way Clarius or anyone for that matter expected -as they promptly faced each other and started arguing again. Before they noticed they where no longer alone and stopped to stand confused, (this time by their own means) staring at the four wizards arranged in front of them.
"Uh-Oh" muttered Terth inching backward.
"Wha..." started Darrin
"Obliviate!" said Instructor Drake, now standing and pointing his wand at the stunned strangers. This time the appropriate blank look appeared on their faces and Drake muttered another spell to make them wander back into the woods in the direction they came from. "Carefully next time Clarius! Flick you wrist this way to make them forget more time." Clarius and the others still looked lost. "You made him forget that he was supposed to be confused, canceling Darrin's Confundus charm, or at least any chance it had of sticking." Clarius now looked a bit taken aback but seemed to recover quickly enough.
"Honestly, you guys, study harder! Now back to the dorms before dusk!" He said pacing off rather disappointedly.
"Oh Great Clarius, now he's gonna hand out extra homework for a week!" Darrin egged as Terth chuckled.
"Har Har" mocked Clarius looking at Terth "He's right though. We need to be back before dusk, we've received a package" At this Darrin and Terth's eyes widened. They had been expecting this announcement from Clarius for some time now.