The Second of the Slazer Chronicles
University
Finally! The day had come. Today would be the day that Cougar went to his new University.
Optimer Cougar Slazer had been surveying the Universities of the world for most of the time that he had been in seventh year at Hogwarts. It had always been his wish to go to a wizarding University and learn of the great arts, which his ancestors had taken on. He had, after many approvals and decisions, opted to learn at the University of Overbog. Overbog was a mighty wizarding city in the heart of India. It had come to a dilemma between the two Universities of Rio, or Overbog; and Overbog, with its highly rated Alchemy laboratories and the infamous Potion Masters that had been taught and lectured there, triumphed. Cougar wanted dearly to study Magical Alchemy, and become either an Alchemist for the Ministry of Magic, or a Potions teacher in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
For the past few months he had been renting a flat in Edinburgh with his best friend Charlie Weasley. But Charlie had moved away to Romania the week before to venture into the caves of Sonne Toom and research Dragon behaviour. He had always been a brave and adventurous guy. Cougar, however, was completely the opposite. He was calm, sensible, hated change and never yearned for adventure. It always seemed strange to others that Charlie and Cougar were friends; Cougar was a Ravenclaw, and Charlie was a Gryffindor in Hogwarts, but still they managed.
Cougar looked out the window of his flat. It was four stories up and he could see the motorway below him. He had a strange disliking to muggle cars, or driving of any vehicle for that matter. He hated the power and control he had over them; too much responsibility. He quite liked being part of a team, having responsibility and achievements shared, and this part of him had almost grown into a phobia. A bird flew by and landed elegantly upon his window ledge. Ah yes! It was his raven, Hempoglen. He reached for the window lever and allowed the birds entry.
"Hello boy! Welcome back!" Cougar had sent him on a message to Glasgow to inform his father of his departure time. His dad, Kangersplas Slazer would be driving him to Glasgow Airport, where he would depart for Overbog. This had come close to one of the most nerve racking days of his life. Hempoglen, or Hempy, as Cougar abbreviated, flew to his stand and began lapping up water in a replenishing attempt. He fought with Hempy for a few seconds trying to get the letter that was tied rather severely to his foot off. He opened the letter up and read it.
Dear Optimer (as per usual, his parents called Cougar by his birth name) I am afraid that I can no longer partake in driving you to the Airport on Monday 13th, as I have been called away to London, because of Ministry business. I offer my most humble apologies and hope that you will accept my new chauffeur, Frederick, to drive you, in a muggle automobile, to the Airport of Glasgow. He will arrive at 14:34 hours and he will take your bags out to the car. Please write back to your mother and I as soon as you arrive in Overbog.
Yours truly, Kangersplas Slazer Minister of Magical Military
Cougar finished reading with a smile and a shake of his head. This was his typical eccentric dad. Just after Cougar went into Hogwarts his dad was promoted to Minister of the Magical Military to defend Britain, and all the money sort of went to his parent's heads. They started hiring maids, butlers and chauffeurs, and they bought antique furniture and fancy jewellery. Cougar had never gotten used to it.
Just then the doorbell sounded. Cougar looked at his watch. It was 14:35. But his watch was not at the exact time. He walked to the door and opened it, and sure enough a tall grey haired man, wearing a black suit, stood in the landing.
"You are Optimer Cougar Slazer?" He grumbled. He shifted his weight and stood a little taller.
"Aye. You're here to take me to the Airport? I'll just get my bags." He signalled for the man to stand in the door way and he, himself, ran away into the living room to retrieve the cases. All he was taking were a few suitcases of clothes and three chests full of possessions, which he could not bare to part with. The rest he was leaving with his parents. Cougar took one last look out of his window onto the beautiful sea scene of the Forth, savouring the moment as the last he would really see of Scotland for a time.
He got to the Airport and onto the plane well enough. Hempy was not all too happy about being taken into cargo, but rules were rules, and Cougar did not want to raise too many questions from the muggle flight attendants.
The plane stopped off in Istanbul to refuel and let new passengers on. But after that they headed straight for New Delhi.
As they approached the capital, the night-lights glistened and twinkled. The tall building approached him. He got a little nervous. He was now in a whole other country. Before, back in Great Britain he had always thought himself safe, that he could at any time just fall back in with his parents when things got tough. But he was in a different continent now. Losing that feeling of familiarity that he felt in Scotland. All comfort was gone.
The feeling did not vacate him as he got on the train for Overbog. In fact, it got worse. He assured himself that everything would be fine. That he would get settled into the halls that night and be up and ready for the university lectures on Monday morning.
It was close on Midnight as they got to the university of Overbog. The university looked old and rustic. It had a gothic theme to it, much like Hogwarts, but three times the size.
A porter, who looked tired and grumpy, met him. Cougar was walked to his halls and was given a set of keys and a map of the university. The map was huge. You had to fold it at least ten times to get it into your robe pocket. In the dim lights of the corridor way he was in the 4th and top most floor of the building, and he was in the east wing.
The residency once properly surveyed was quite nice. It had a living room, which had two full-length windows on the front wall; they looked out onto the Hughes Park. There was a small kitchen, which was open plan with the living room and was just the right size for Cougar, who had never mastered the art of cookery. A bathroom that also had a shower. A bedroom, which had - what! - someone sleeping in it! There must have been a mistake! A mix-up! Something went wrong!
He ran down the stairs of the halls and into the reception. "Excuse me please!" He said to the receptionist, who was sitting watching repeats of Jerry Springer on a muggle television and eating a noodle dish.
She looked up without a hint of enthusiasm and signalled the question 'Yes?' with a movement of her head.
"Hi, I'm Optimer Slazer, I arrived tonight about five minutes ago. I was shown to my room by a one of the porters and there is someone sleeping in the bedroom of the apartment." He said frantically. It was late and he was stressed out, who could blame him.
"And?" She asked knowing quite clearly that he was unhappy about it.
"Well if they are staying there, then where am I supposed to stay?" Cougar pressed.
She tutted and sighed, but she forced herself to get up out of her big seat and look through a folder containing lots of names. "You're studying Magical Alchemy right?"
"Aye that's right." He peered over the desk to get a look at the book.
"Slazer, Hogwarts graduate, Magical Alchemy. Yeah you're here. Room 137b." She snatched the room key from Cougar's hand and looked at the ticket on it. "This says room 137b! What's the problem?!" She shouted.
"The problem is that there is someone already residing in the room!" He shouted back.
"Well what is the problem with a room-mate?"
"There isn't. But there is only one bedroom!"
"Then sleep on the couch!" She smirked at him.
Cougar gave up. She was obviously not a night person, plus she kept looking back at her television screen in case she missed a moment of her precious Jerry Springer. So Cougar decided that the most sensible thing to do would be to end the conversation and let her tell him what to do. It just would not do to upset the workers at the university within the first ten minutes of arriving.
A porter was again called over and took Cougar up to his room. The porter was one of the clumsiest people Cougar has ever seen. He tripped up stairs, banged into pillars, fell through doors and swore rather loudly every time; Cougar was sure that every student in the university heard him as he wrecked past their doors. He was led up to the room and the porter let him in after fumbling with the key in the lock, nearly breaking it and banging the door against the inside wall. The bedroom light went on and a guy about Cougar's age emerged from the bedroom door, with messed up black hair and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.
"What the f*ck are you doing?!" The guy demanded. He looked angry.
"New guy." The porter sneered.
"So? Why are you waking me up?" He shouted.
"I gotta do my job!" The porter shouted back.
"Just f*ck off will ya!"
The porter, who was much smaller than the semi-naked guy lunged forward to him in preparation for a fight. But Cougar stepped in and separated them. "Guys, guys! Lets settle down! It's nearly twelve o'clock." He turned to the porter. "Just go back down the stairs. Thank you for showing me up."
The porter looked over Cougar's shoulder and made an unfriendly face, then turned and walked out the door. The noise of him could be heard clattering down the corridor.
"Hi. You my new room-mate?" Cougar turned around hearing the semi-naked guy. He sounded much less tired now.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause a fuss. It's just that I was showed to this room and I saw that you were in there sleeping and I thought that there was a mix up." Cougar ran his fingers through his hair and took a long deep sign. "I'm Cougar." He outstretched his hand in greeting.
"Mickey Fisher." The guy said, shaking his hand. "You know where everything is? Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, and that's about it." He said pointing to the different areas of the residence. "And the couch jumps out into a bed."
"Yeah thanks." Said Cougar. He looked at the couch. It was a Magical Folding Futon. "What is the word that opens it?"
"Don't know." Mickey shrugged. "Look n' see." He yawned. "Well I'm shattered! I'm going to bed! We'll need to talk in the morning. Night!"
"Yeah, night." Cougar switched on the light and inspected the Folding Futon. They usually came with a word, printed somewhere on the fabric, discreetly so as not to interrupt the pattern. Charlie had one in the old flat. You had to whisper Underlope to it. Cougar found the word. It was Petalspin. He stood up and took out his wand. He pointed at it and said "Petalspin". The couch automatically shook, the cushions changed shape, and the bottom grew out of it and tipped up so that it resembled a large bed.
He then immediately started unpacking his belonging from the chest's, which had been brought up previously. He set his alarm clock on the end table where a lamp and an ashtray sat. He got a towel out and went for a shower before climbing into his bed. It was actually very comfortable. He found that after all the commotion he was extremely tired. He fell straight into a dreamless slumber.
University
Finally! The day had come. Today would be the day that Cougar went to his new University.
Optimer Cougar Slazer had been surveying the Universities of the world for most of the time that he had been in seventh year at Hogwarts. It had always been his wish to go to a wizarding University and learn of the great arts, which his ancestors had taken on. He had, after many approvals and decisions, opted to learn at the University of Overbog. Overbog was a mighty wizarding city in the heart of India. It had come to a dilemma between the two Universities of Rio, or Overbog; and Overbog, with its highly rated Alchemy laboratories and the infamous Potion Masters that had been taught and lectured there, triumphed. Cougar wanted dearly to study Magical Alchemy, and become either an Alchemist for the Ministry of Magic, or a Potions teacher in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
For the past few months he had been renting a flat in Edinburgh with his best friend Charlie Weasley. But Charlie had moved away to Romania the week before to venture into the caves of Sonne Toom and research Dragon behaviour. He had always been a brave and adventurous guy. Cougar, however, was completely the opposite. He was calm, sensible, hated change and never yearned for adventure. It always seemed strange to others that Charlie and Cougar were friends; Cougar was a Ravenclaw, and Charlie was a Gryffindor in Hogwarts, but still they managed.
Cougar looked out the window of his flat. It was four stories up and he could see the motorway below him. He had a strange disliking to muggle cars, or driving of any vehicle for that matter. He hated the power and control he had over them; too much responsibility. He quite liked being part of a team, having responsibility and achievements shared, and this part of him had almost grown into a phobia. A bird flew by and landed elegantly upon his window ledge. Ah yes! It was his raven, Hempoglen. He reached for the window lever and allowed the birds entry.
"Hello boy! Welcome back!" Cougar had sent him on a message to Glasgow to inform his father of his departure time. His dad, Kangersplas Slazer would be driving him to Glasgow Airport, where he would depart for Overbog. This had come close to one of the most nerve racking days of his life. Hempoglen, or Hempy, as Cougar abbreviated, flew to his stand and began lapping up water in a replenishing attempt. He fought with Hempy for a few seconds trying to get the letter that was tied rather severely to his foot off. He opened the letter up and read it.
Dear Optimer (as per usual, his parents called Cougar by his birth name) I am afraid that I can no longer partake in driving you to the Airport on Monday 13th, as I have been called away to London, because of Ministry business. I offer my most humble apologies and hope that you will accept my new chauffeur, Frederick, to drive you, in a muggle automobile, to the Airport of Glasgow. He will arrive at 14:34 hours and he will take your bags out to the car. Please write back to your mother and I as soon as you arrive in Overbog.
Yours truly, Kangersplas Slazer Minister of Magical Military
Cougar finished reading with a smile and a shake of his head. This was his typical eccentric dad. Just after Cougar went into Hogwarts his dad was promoted to Minister of the Magical Military to defend Britain, and all the money sort of went to his parent's heads. They started hiring maids, butlers and chauffeurs, and they bought antique furniture and fancy jewellery. Cougar had never gotten used to it.
Just then the doorbell sounded. Cougar looked at his watch. It was 14:35. But his watch was not at the exact time. He walked to the door and opened it, and sure enough a tall grey haired man, wearing a black suit, stood in the landing.
"You are Optimer Cougar Slazer?" He grumbled. He shifted his weight and stood a little taller.
"Aye. You're here to take me to the Airport? I'll just get my bags." He signalled for the man to stand in the door way and he, himself, ran away into the living room to retrieve the cases. All he was taking were a few suitcases of clothes and three chests full of possessions, which he could not bare to part with. The rest he was leaving with his parents. Cougar took one last look out of his window onto the beautiful sea scene of the Forth, savouring the moment as the last he would really see of Scotland for a time.
He got to the Airport and onto the plane well enough. Hempy was not all too happy about being taken into cargo, but rules were rules, and Cougar did not want to raise too many questions from the muggle flight attendants.
The plane stopped off in Istanbul to refuel and let new passengers on. But after that they headed straight for New Delhi.
As they approached the capital, the night-lights glistened and twinkled. The tall building approached him. He got a little nervous. He was now in a whole other country. Before, back in Great Britain he had always thought himself safe, that he could at any time just fall back in with his parents when things got tough. But he was in a different continent now. Losing that feeling of familiarity that he felt in Scotland. All comfort was gone.
The feeling did not vacate him as he got on the train for Overbog. In fact, it got worse. He assured himself that everything would be fine. That he would get settled into the halls that night and be up and ready for the university lectures on Monday morning.
It was close on Midnight as they got to the university of Overbog. The university looked old and rustic. It had a gothic theme to it, much like Hogwarts, but three times the size.
A porter, who looked tired and grumpy, met him. Cougar was walked to his halls and was given a set of keys and a map of the university. The map was huge. You had to fold it at least ten times to get it into your robe pocket. In the dim lights of the corridor way he was in the 4th and top most floor of the building, and he was in the east wing.
The residency once properly surveyed was quite nice. It had a living room, which had two full-length windows on the front wall; they looked out onto the Hughes Park. There was a small kitchen, which was open plan with the living room and was just the right size for Cougar, who had never mastered the art of cookery. A bathroom that also had a shower. A bedroom, which had - what! - someone sleeping in it! There must have been a mistake! A mix-up! Something went wrong!
He ran down the stairs of the halls and into the reception. "Excuse me please!" He said to the receptionist, who was sitting watching repeats of Jerry Springer on a muggle television and eating a noodle dish.
She looked up without a hint of enthusiasm and signalled the question 'Yes?' with a movement of her head.
"Hi, I'm Optimer Slazer, I arrived tonight about five minutes ago. I was shown to my room by a one of the porters and there is someone sleeping in the bedroom of the apartment." He said frantically. It was late and he was stressed out, who could blame him.
"And?" She asked knowing quite clearly that he was unhappy about it.
"Well if they are staying there, then where am I supposed to stay?" Cougar pressed.
She tutted and sighed, but she forced herself to get up out of her big seat and look through a folder containing lots of names. "You're studying Magical Alchemy right?"
"Aye that's right." He peered over the desk to get a look at the book.
"Slazer, Hogwarts graduate, Magical Alchemy. Yeah you're here. Room 137b." She snatched the room key from Cougar's hand and looked at the ticket on it. "This says room 137b! What's the problem?!" She shouted.
"The problem is that there is someone already residing in the room!" He shouted back.
"Well what is the problem with a room-mate?"
"There isn't. But there is only one bedroom!"
"Then sleep on the couch!" She smirked at him.
Cougar gave up. She was obviously not a night person, plus she kept looking back at her television screen in case she missed a moment of her precious Jerry Springer. So Cougar decided that the most sensible thing to do would be to end the conversation and let her tell him what to do. It just would not do to upset the workers at the university within the first ten minutes of arriving.
A porter was again called over and took Cougar up to his room. The porter was one of the clumsiest people Cougar has ever seen. He tripped up stairs, banged into pillars, fell through doors and swore rather loudly every time; Cougar was sure that every student in the university heard him as he wrecked past their doors. He was led up to the room and the porter let him in after fumbling with the key in the lock, nearly breaking it and banging the door against the inside wall. The bedroom light went on and a guy about Cougar's age emerged from the bedroom door, with messed up black hair and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.
"What the f*ck are you doing?!" The guy demanded. He looked angry.
"New guy." The porter sneered.
"So? Why are you waking me up?" He shouted.
"I gotta do my job!" The porter shouted back.
"Just f*ck off will ya!"
The porter, who was much smaller than the semi-naked guy lunged forward to him in preparation for a fight. But Cougar stepped in and separated them. "Guys, guys! Lets settle down! It's nearly twelve o'clock." He turned to the porter. "Just go back down the stairs. Thank you for showing me up."
The porter looked over Cougar's shoulder and made an unfriendly face, then turned and walked out the door. The noise of him could be heard clattering down the corridor.
"Hi. You my new room-mate?" Cougar turned around hearing the semi-naked guy. He sounded much less tired now.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause a fuss. It's just that I was showed to this room and I saw that you were in there sleeping and I thought that there was a mix up." Cougar ran his fingers through his hair and took a long deep sign. "I'm Cougar." He outstretched his hand in greeting.
"Mickey Fisher." The guy said, shaking his hand. "You know where everything is? Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, and that's about it." He said pointing to the different areas of the residence. "And the couch jumps out into a bed."
"Yeah thanks." Said Cougar. He looked at the couch. It was a Magical Folding Futon. "What is the word that opens it?"
"Don't know." Mickey shrugged. "Look n' see." He yawned. "Well I'm shattered! I'm going to bed! We'll need to talk in the morning. Night!"
"Yeah, night." Cougar switched on the light and inspected the Folding Futon. They usually came with a word, printed somewhere on the fabric, discreetly so as not to interrupt the pattern. Charlie had one in the old flat. You had to whisper Underlope to it. Cougar found the word. It was Petalspin. He stood up and took out his wand. He pointed at it and said "Petalspin". The couch automatically shook, the cushions changed shape, and the bottom grew out of it and tipped up so that it resembled a large bed.
He then immediately started unpacking his belonging from the chest's, which had been brought up previously. He set his alarm clock on the end table where a lamp and an ashtray sat. He got a towel out and went for a shower before climbing into his bed. It was actually very comfortable. He found that after all the commotion he was extremely tired. He fell straight into a dreamless slumber.