AN: Hey everyone, welcome to the main story. For any newcomers, I highly recommend reading the prequel story, 'The Infant Enigma' first or you're probably going to get lost. That being said, there is a time skip between the two, so this one starts in the Order of the Phoenix. Well, I think that covers everything I need to say. I hope you enjoy the story.
Chapter 1
Walking briskly through the hallways, Perseus couldn't but glare in every direction he looked. He'd always loved Hogwarts, especially around this time of year. The castle was always fun. Talking portraits, a poltergeist stirring up trouble, ghosts with stories that scatter over a millennium, magical creatures and a few hundred kids playing with all sorts of spells and magic items, there was always something new and exciting to draw his attention. With snow only days away at this point and the upcoming Christmas holidays drifting into everyone's thoughts, the witches and wizards usually only had their excitement and enthusiasm grow stronger, filling the school with a buzzing, infectious happiness that usually had Perseus bouncing off the walls. This year however, you were hard-pressed to find any of it. Delores Umbridge had made sure of that.
Ever since that absolute toad of a woman had showed up, it was like the life of the castle itself had been drained dry. Tensions were high and everyone was forever fretting about what was going to happen next, especially those in the fifth and seventh years. Both years had major exams coming up at the end of the June and their Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons had been crippled. Though even that was overshadowed by the fear of what damn decree was going to be set over the school next. Each one was more oppressive than the last one these days and Umbridge showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, she was growing even more addicted to power. Now the only excitement in the students was due to the fact that the holidays meant that they could go home, far away from the bitch.
Add the fact that she was forever trying to get rid of both him and Hagrid specifically, simply because they weren't pure human, and you found Perseus physically having to stop himself from drowning her or ripping the earth apart from beneath her feet. Even going out of his way to avoid her wasn't helping, the damage she was doing was noticeable on almost every face he came across and just because he was avoiding her didn't mean that she was avoiding Perseus in the slightest. On the contrary, she seemed to make great effort in tracking him down and making a scene over how horrible he was if he so much as breathed through the wrong nostril.
Not wanting to deal with it right now, Perseus walked right passed the Great Hall as the other teenagers piled in, all keen for lunch. He'd already gotten all the food and drink he'd need for the day stored in his backpack, something he'd been doing all year. The House elves were more than happy to give him all the food he could eat when he visited the kitchens.
Heading straight out the main door, the school's greatest enigma walked right through the courtyard, across the grounds and down the lake's edge. Afraid of what he could do with so much water nearby, Umbridge never dared follow him down there. No one wishing him ill-will ever did. Once he was close to the lake, particularly when he was touching it, even Dumbledore was easily overpowered by him.
Even so, he didn't stop until he was halfway to the forest. There were a few trees and tables scattered around the area, with a few students using them here and there in small groups. A few of them waved and said hi as Perseus walked by, to which he responded in kind, but there was one in particular that had drawn his attention. Smiling, He made a beeline straight for a boy resting alone against a tree and flopped down right next to him, playfully bumping him with his shoulder.
"Amazing how you always manage to find me." The guy drawled, not even opening his eyes. "Yet I still can't figure out why you bother. All those friends of yours and all those little kids admiring your water shows. Why do you bother me so much?"
"Because you like it. You'd be too lonely without me." Perseus retorted cheekily, eyeing the guy daringly as he opened his bag. "And because you'd probably starve without me bringing you food like a House Elf. You ever heard of lunch? Or the Great Hall?"
"I'm more than capable of stealing from the kitchens myself." He replied, finally opening his eyes as a muffin was thrust into his hand. "And it's a good thing I do. If I relied on you for all my meals, I'd end up with no teeth and diabetes. You ever heard of the healthy food groups? Why do all your muffins, donuts and half the rest of your food get slathered in blue icing anyway?"
"Because I like blue food and the House Elves like me." Perseus answered smugly, taking a bite out of a ham sandwich. "Besides, I'm sure you need the extra sugar, Alabaster. Carrying around all that attitude has got to burn a lot of energy."
Alabaster just snorted at that, a proud smirk spreading across his face before taking his first bite and sifting through the rest of Perseus' offerings, claiming an egg sandwich, an apple and a flask of pumpkin juice for himself. Rolling his eyes at the response, Perseus turned his attention back to his own food, content with companionable silence for now.
Alabaster's friendship was one of the few good things to come of this year. He was a bit gruff at times, could be really moody and you'd never catch him without a sarcastic or condescending comment on the tip of his tongue, but once you got passed that, there was...well, Perseus wasn't really sure what it was. There was loneliness, he knew that much, pain too, but there was so much he couldn't read hidden in those pale green eyes. There was a hint of warmth when he looked at Perseus, but that was relatively new. Initially, the water wielder mostly got shock and wariness from the spellcaster.
Alabaster was an enigma, one that Perseus' overly curious mind had latched on to since the day they'd met. He just hadn't understood it. He'd never even noticed Alabaster previously, but considering just how noticeable he was, that shouldn't have been possible. The boy's brown hair and freckles were par for the course amongst the students, but those eyes were unique and stood out almost as much as the sheer power the air around his body was practically humming with. Then there was his name, Alabaster Torrington. Definitely not the most unusual name around the school, look at his own for example, but it still sounded like something Perseus would remember, even if he did only hear it during his Sorting Ceremony.
Considering that he was a year older than Perseus, that meant that he was in his seventh year. That meant that Perseus had failed to notice his existence for six years. Of course, it was possible, there were a lot of students in the school and the castle was a big place. There was no doubt a number of students he knew nothing about and Alabaster was a loner, never really seen hanging out with anyone. He seemed good at hiding his existence, even the other people at the nearby tables barely noticed his existence even with Perseus beside him, but that was made null and void by the simple fact that now Perseus was almost drawn to Alabaster. Something that seemed to completely catch Alabaster off-guard at their first encounter. You'd think that Perseus had caught an invisible man with the wide eyed goldfish routine Alabaster had given when he realised he'd been spoken to.
The mystery only deepened the more time Perseus spent with the guy. Alabaster was special, he just couldn't quite figure out the how. His attitude was a front, one that was initially meant to scare Perseus off. He wanted companionship, but seemed adamant about not letting anyone even notice he was there. Perseus had a feeling that he was the only exception and that was hard won. Then there was the way he spoke sometimes, his eyes growing a little guarded, hesitant. Like he knew things and was worried about just how much he could safely reveal. Being raised by Dumbledore all his life, Perseus could pick up that look a mile away. His curiosity drove him crazy whenever that happened, but he knew better than to push him into talking. Alabaster could get stubbornly tight-lipped when he wanted to. Finally, there was the simple fact that he felt more at home with Alabaster than anyone else in his entire life. He'd only known him a few months and he knew the powerful spellcaster could be dangerous if he wanted to be, but he'd never felt safer or more relaxed with anyone before him. The only possible reason he could find for it was maybe because he was an outcast, even if it was strangely self-imposed. He was different from everyone else, didn't quite fit the way they did with each other. It may be for a different reason, but the situation was still similar to Perseus'.
The silence didn't last long once the food all disappeared. Perseus' ADHD never allowed it, so it only took moments before he started talking a mile a minute, bringing Alabaster up to date with all the latest complaints and acts of rebellion of the students, the way the teachers were looking pointedly in the other direction to it half the time and any little, insignificant event that he may have found entertaining. Not that Alabaster seemed to mind, or even have any trouble keeping up. It was one of the reasons he liked Alabaster so much. Most people always ended up confused, frustrated and annoyed with him, demanding that he slow down and focus more, but, if anything, Alabaster encouraged him to go faster and could spout back everything word for word if he wanted to. The older boy in Ravenclaw robes had admitted early on that he had and was used to being surrounded by people with ADHD, so keeping tracks on barrages of random conversations and hand signs was second nature to him.
While Perseus was talking, Alabaster was taking every word while his hands fiddled with a handful of cards he never went anywhere without. They always managed to catch Perseus' wandering eye, especially since he grew suspicious of their nature. He was sure he'd once seen Alabaster pull a cup of water out of one.
"I mean, seriously, if Umbridge can agree to let one Quidditch team practice instantly, then there's no reason to deny another. There isn't even the slightest bit of justification! What was the point, to prove she's a bitch?"
"Pretty sure she gets a kick out of getting that point across." Alabaster drawled, spinning a card absentmindedly between his fingers. "That and the enjoyment of power and suffering she can throw at people she doesn't like just because she can. People in power positions usually love reminding those beneath them 'there place'." He added, his face and voice darkening at the end. His grip tightening on the card as a finger traced the depicted sword's hilt didn't escape Perseus' notice either.
"Then I bet she absolutely loved it when the other teachers told her to stuff it and reinstate the team." Perseus smirked, sighing mentally in relief as the dark look turned in a, albeit smug and merciless, smirk. "If only I could have seen her face when she was forced to play nice."
"That is always a sight worth seeing." Alabaster agreed, visibly revelling in the thought. "Nothing's more satisfying than the thought of power holding jackasses being taken down a peg."
'Phew, bomb defused. Now, to evacuate.' He should probably take better care of what subjects his mouth led him to. Alabaster had an explosive attitude toward most authority figures, especially those like a certain uncaring, high level Ministry official. How he hadn't sent Umbridge reeling and gotten himself expelled in his first class with her, or even get to this point as a student with people like Filch and Snape about was a galaxy away from Perseus' comprehension.
Fortunately, how to diffuse the situation was. Emphasise a failure and then move right on to something else, something a low attention span was perfect for. It only took his eye wondering back to the card for Perseus to find a new topic.
"Hey, do you have a sword like that one?" He asked curiously, nodding his head at the picture.
If distraction was the game, it looked like he'd struck gold. All signs of anger and sadistic pleasure were gone in an instant, which was shocking enough. But what really drew Perseus' attention was the split second tensing and panicked eyes before he schooled himself into a relaxed raised eyebrow. "What would make you think I have a sword? One made of gold no less! That'd be horrible for fighting."
"I didn't ask if you used one, I only asked if you had one." Perseus frowned, not sure what to make of it as Alabaster slipped his cards away. "Lots of wizards have stuff like that. As family heirlooms on display or results of their own fun with magic. And besides that, I..."
"You what?" Nervously rubbing the back of his neck under Alabaster's intensifying gaze, Perseus couldn't help but mentally kick himself. He wasn't big on making a fool of himself and once Alabaster got that look on his face, he didn't let the subject drop until he got what he wanted.
"Ok, I know this is ridiculous and I'm being stupid for even considering it, but...I've kind of...dreamed of you. Not like that!" Perseus didn't even need to wait for the gobsmacked look Alabaster gave him before how that sounded registered, his eyes blowing wide, a dark blush quickly covering his face. "I mean I've had dreams of you with that sword in your hand. I thought it was interesting that the picture on your card was of the exact same sword, ok? It was a funny coincidence."
"I see." Frowning, Alabaster turned his head back to the ground, biting his lip, leaving Perseus staring in blatant confusion. He'd expected to be scoffed at and told trusting dreams like that was stupid, not have Alabaster turn silent and...concerned? Troubled. He wasn't sure, all he knew was that this wasn't in any way an expected reaction. From anyone. It was almost like...
"Yo, Perseus!" Startled, Perseus whipped around to find three very familiar teenagers heading toward them at various paces and seemingly caught between saying hello and bickering amongst themselves. Or at least, the bushy brunette girl and redhead boy were. Their bespectacled friend seemed to be off in his own little moody world.
"Looks like your fans want you." Alabaster commented, rising to his feet. "Talk later, Seaspray."
"Wait, why not..." He knew it was a pointless, Alabaster was off before he'd even managed to turn back around. Sighing, he watched disappointedly as the brunette disappeared from sight before turning back to the excited Weasley and exasperated Granger as they reached him.
"Honestly Ronald, he was clearly in the middle of a conversation." Hermione ranted, throwing her hands out in the same direction Alabaster went. "Would it really have been so hard to wait a few minutes?"
"What? Whoever that was could have come too." Ron retorted, seemingly oblivious to the boy now right before him. "Besides...that guy's taken off. It couldn't be that important."
"Even if that was true, it's not the point, Ronald!"
"Hi Perseus, how are you?" The third member asked loudly, effectively shutting the others up and turning their attention sheepishly to the boy sitting before them. "Sorry if we interrupted something."
"It's ok. This time." Perseus grinned, pulling himself to his feet. "I said something stupid. You might have just saved me from teasing and questioning of my sanity. And of speaking questioning sanity, what are you three up to now?" He asked, his grin quickly growing more mischievous.
"Nothing against the rules, if that's what you're thinking. At the moment, anyway." Harry replied, ignoring Hermione's indignant huff and Perseus' resulting snicker. "Hermione found a charm for breathing underwater she wants to try."
"And I was hoping you were free to join us." Hermione went on. "I want to test the air bubble's duration and response to aquatic pressure and thought it would be good to have you there in case something went wrong."
"Well, I'm always good for a dip in the lake." Perseus smiled, nodding his head eagerly and setting off, dragging Hermione by the arm. "Come on, let's get to it."
"Perseus! Wait for us!"
Perseus just laughed in response, lifting a screaming Hermione onto his shoulder and running faster. He had no intention of stopping until he could toss her into the water.
He just hoped that they thought of a useful warming spell for under water while they were at it. After all, for the normal human, the lake's near freezing temperature would be near unbearable.
