The Chocolate Charlotte was perfect.
The dessert resembled a circular fort made of light colored biscuits [cookies], and was filled with multiple layers of sinfully sugary chocolate that decreased in sweetness and grew darker the further one would eat his or her way down into it, until finally arriving at the biscuits that served as a bottom crust. The bottommost layer of chocolate filling was almost black, and devoid of sweetness in its thinness, perfectly complimenting the semisweet layer above it when eaten with a mouthful of sweet crust. And instead of being garnished in strawberries or some such, as was most common, it had been garnished in cored baby pears that seemed magical in their ripeness and freshness.
In fact, the 'magical' dessert was magical.
It had been made by one Magnus Scot Gove VI, or Magnus-Six, as he was often called. The budding young chef was a resident of Godric's Hollow, soon to be eleven years old, highly magical (as he'd just discovered), and currently nursing a bad werewolf bite to his broken right forearm.
"Don't play with the sling," the young man seated next to him reminded him, buffing a bit of powdered sugar from his glasses.
"And don't forget to change the dressing twice a day," the other added, running a hand through his color-shifting hair.
"Oh now, boys, leave him alone," the old lady reprimanded them, waving her wand at the sink full of dishes that were washing themselves. "Poor little Magnus has had a rough night."
"Thank you, Gran," Magnus smiled, almost bursting with anticipation at the reaction his mother would have upon seeing her birthday surprise. "Pity the old man didn't want to come."
"That's just his way," Hannah Longbottom shook her head, "We'll save him a piece, though."
It had been a long night for the four of them. Having been out of eggs, young Magnus had raided Gran Longbottom's hen house, only to be attacked by a rogue werewolf. He'd been rescued by the Aurors Teddy Potter and Artie Weasley, and then promptly taken by Harry Potter to Teddy Lupin for treatment of his bite wound. It had been there, when he'd found out that Harry Potter (over 150 years old by now!) was indeed still alive, and that the Wizard on his Chocolate Frog trading card was really a young man named Henry Griffiths.
But to the rest of the world, Henry was Harry Potter – saviour from the days of Voldemort, and allegedly immortal.
At least, that was the illusion created for the world by the real Harry Potter, as the orphaned boy he'd raised carried on his legacy…and legend.
All in all, Magnus found it quite confusing.
The night's adventures had also confirmed Magnus' suspicions that all of the odd things that he'd been seeing of late in the village were indeed real – some of the townsfolk were Witches and Wizards, and he himself was a Wizard, too! It was why he could see the statue of the Potter family in the town square, which was normally disguised as a war memorial. It was why he could see the full interior of Honeyduke's now, having since found a lost bag of their magical candy some weeks before. And the odd coin he'd find on the ground every now and then? A Galleon, Sickle or Knut? It was magical money.
Magnus VI was a Wizard - just like his best friend Daniel Birken, who would soon be coming home for summer holidays from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was a member of Hufflepuff House.
Magnus was sad, however, that his friend's black and yellow hoodie that he'd left him had been destroyed in the werewolf attack.
The sun had been up for a bit as Gran Longbottom made them more coffee, and got some more orange juice for the boy. She was not, genetically, Magnus' Gran, though. He called her that because she'd taken a liking to the boy while trying to gently introduce the Muggleborn boy to the Magical World. That, and the lonely old lady relished having a child about, one to whom she could tell tales of the Final Battle of Hogwarts and the fall of the Dark Lord at the hands of Harry Potter and his friends.
"What's all this?" Magnus Gove V wondered, seeming nonplussed to find Hannah and two strangers in his kitchen with his young son at such an early hour.
The dessert certainly did not surprise him, however, as the whole line of Goves had always been chefs with a tendency to sneak into kitchens and cook clandestinely at midnight. This was a tradition from the late 1990's, when the original Magnus had taken up the habit at the rather bleak boarding school he'd briefly attended before being expelled and sent off to the Escoffier School in France. Magnus I had instilled a love of fine food into all of his descendants, and Magnus V and VI were no exceptions.
"My word! A Chocolate Charlotte!" Magnus V gasped, "Layered?"
Magnus VI nodded.
"Fresh lady fingers?"
Again, the nod. A smile.
"And the baby pears? Isn't it early for them?"
A broader smile and a heartier nod.
"It's just like magic!" Magnus VI exclaimed, bouncing in his seat.
His father inspected the confection. He sampled a very small bit of the filling. He inhaled deeply of the scent of chocolate and pears with just a touch of alcohol. "My God, 'tis perfect, son!" He congratulated him. "Hang on, why is your arm broken?" He added, as if this were perfectly normal as well.
It was, in fact, very hard to startle a Gove. Never mind the fact that there were strangers in his kitchen – one with bubblegum pink hair.
"Oh, darling, come and see your present!" Magnus V called to his wife, who appeared in her dressing gown. She, however, was startled.
"HANNAH!" She gasped, dashing back the way she'd come.
Teddy Lupin's hair turned pinker.
Harry Potter, as he preferred to be known, blushed.
Gran laughed.
"Well, who's ready for breakfast?" Magnus V asked. "Oh, and you gents are…?" He added, as if finally noticing them.
"Harry Potter," Harry (Henry) answered, and "Teddy Lupin," Teddy did the same. "Mr. Gove, we have some rather shocking news to convey," Harry added.
"Fellow from the boy's trading card, what? Well, any friends of Hannah's are friends of mine," Magnus V nodded, "But it'll have to wait. Can't have such a discussion on an empty stomach, can we? Oh, bother! All the eggs must be in the Charlotte!"
Hannah produced more, as if it were nothing at all for old ladies to go about the village with several dozen eggs in their shawls.
Mrs. Gove was delighted when she returned, dressed.
"They always do something like this for my birthday," she explained, raising an eyebrow at her son, but seeming nonplussed as well.
"Mrs. Gove," Harry explained, after breakfast was done and the Goves watched in wonder as the dishes drifted over to the sink to wash themselves, "We have news for you concerning your son. Normally, this meeting would take place after a Muggleborn magical child has turned eleven proper, and received his Hogwarts admissions letter, but in this case, since he was bitten by a werewolf last night and has known of the Magical nature of Godric's Hollow for weeks now…"
"Hang on!" Magnus V cut him off, "Werewolf? Magic? Nonsense! No such things," he scoffed, "Nothing ever happens in Godric's Hollow!"
Teddy Lupin took the opportunity to change form into a great gray wolf. Then he changed back. Blackie the shepherd left the room.
"Mr. Gove," Teddy explained, "Your son Magnus is a Wizard. I cured him last night with Blood Magic after he was bitten by a rogue werewolf while procuring eggs for this creation," he pointed to the Charlotte. "There may be a few side effects, however, and I must follow up with him. While I don't think he'll fully transform upon full moons, he may have cravings for rare red meats and get quite irritable on those nights. Perhaps even grow facial hair!"
"Well of course, beef should always be served rare," Magnus V agreed, as if he'd not even heard the bit about his son being a potential werewolf, "Even if it is British beef!"
"Hogwarts?" Mrs. Gove asked, "But Magnus has been accepted to the Escoffier!"
"Mum!" Magnus VI squeaked, as he was prone to do when he was excited, "Daniel goes there! Tha's where he's been! He's a Wizard! And so am I!"
"Ah! So that's where he went. Well, I just don't know about this?" Magnus V shook his head. "Can we afford such a school?" He asked, as if this too were nothing out of the ordinary and that strange men came calling for breakfast to abscond with his son every day.
"If you can afford the Escoffier, you can afford Hogwarts," Teddy assured him, having noted the classic auto parked in the drive.
Mrs. Gove was still eyeing him with suspicion. "Werewolf, you say?"
"Been after the bloody creature for weeks," Hannah snorted. "Made off with my best hen!" She smiled and patted Mrs. Gove's arm. "He'll love Hogwarts, dear. I was in Hufflepuff House, just like his friend, Daniel. They can ride the train together!"
"Train?"
"It leaves Kings Cross at 11 on September first!" Hannah smiled.
"Well, well! My son, the Wizard?" Magnus V wondered, "Now I know how he made this, and with one good arm, no less!" He pointed to the Charlotte. "Pears aren't ready yet!"
"I chilled the cream and ripened the pears!" Magnus VI added. "It was magic!"
"Spontaneous magic," Harry nodded. "That's why he needs to go to school, learn to control it with a wand, and such. Otherwise, he might well blow himself and the village up!"
"Magic wands?" Magnus V asked his wife. "Did you hear that, dear? Our boy is a Wizard!"
Teddy and Harry exchanged looks. "This is too easy," Harry fretted.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gove, being Muggles – not magical, that is – you seem to be taking this quite well?" Teddy wondered.
"My good fellow," Magnus V replied, "The dishes are doing themselves! And Gran couldn't have had two-dozen eggs in her shawl! And the dessert? So perfect? And still cold while sitting out? What other explanation is there, unless we've all gone mad?"
"And the werewolf bite?" Teddy offered shyly.
"Well, you can turn into a wolf, now can't you, my good man?" Mrs. Gove answered. "Just like in the movies! It's just brilliant!"
"Are they Confunded?" Harry asked Hannah.
"No, they're perfectly fine, trust me," Hannah smiled. "Takes a lot to ruffle a Gove."
Teddy then explained all about werewolves, his school, Wizard trading cards, gold Galleons, and all the things that Magnus VI had seen but that his parents hadn't believed. They even made a trip to the statue, where Magnus VI held his father's and mother's hands in turn so that they could see it, too. Then they went to Honeyduke's sometime later, where everyone made quite the fuss over the town's newest little Wizard.
"I'll be damned," Magnus V smiled. "My son, the Wizard!" he repeated.
Magnus VI smiled.
It was going to be a long wait until September!
Whether it was the sausages at breakfast, or the fact that Daniel's owl was lazy, the bird always stayed when he brought a letter to Magnus VI in the morning. Now that Daniel knew that his friend's parents knew, all bets were off. He even sent a few photos from school, taken by his friend Liam Creevey.
Thus began the interminable wait until an owl brought the magical letter, which would confirm Magnus VI's status as having been accepted to Hogwarts. The boy filled his days, however, with visits to the old folks who gathered here and there in the various shoppes about town, and chatted about the old days. All of them took a great interest in Magnus VI, of course, and made a fuss over his wounded arm. They filled his head with tales of werewolves and wonder, and about how Teddy Lupin was a hero who had freed his kind of madness over a century before. The boy soon learned that there were Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins. The Four Houses of Hogwarts, they told him, each with its own traits: bravery, dedication, intelligence, and ambition. Gran Longbottom even gave the boy an early birthday gift – her antique copy of Hogwarts: A History, signed by the late Hermione Granger-Weasley herself.
Magnus VI read it in five days, always scanning the skies for an owl.
Daniel himself finally arrived home in Godric's Hollow at the end of June, and the boys had much to discuss. He didn't care about the forgotten hoodie; he was very interested in seeing the V-shaped scar on Magnus VI's arm.
"A real werewolf?" Daniel breathed, "Rescued by Aurors? Did you get converted, then?"
"Not really, Mr. Lupin said I might not be quite human anymore though?" Magnus replied with some wonder. He then explained it all, including his meeting with Harry Potter. He didn't mention the real Harry, the original. Only that the Harry on the cards was real, and that he'd ridden a broomstick with him.
"You met Harry Potter? Wicked!" Daniel breathed in wonder. "When your Hogwarts letter comes, we'll take you to Diagon Alley with us to get your school things, Mag! It's just smashing! You'll love it!"
And so the two boys ran the village all summer long, getting into trouble and the sorts of minor adventures that only young boys with their dog can do. A few letters from someone named 'Hopkirk' came for Daniel, but all in all, it was a grand summer.
On August 24th, dangerously close to the age cutoff for admissions, Magnus' Hogwarts letter came by tawny owl. So did Daniel's, reminding him of his list of school supplies and the schedule to catch the train. The bird even stayed for a bite or two of the red velvet cake that had greeted the boy that morning when he'd gotten up.
"Platform 9 ¾?" Magnus asked. "Is there really such a thing?"
"You'll see!" Daniel smiled in reply, as Magnus then got to the serious business of opening his birthday presents.
His favorite, by far, was the black hoodie from Daniel with a large white "H" crest on the front.
The climax of the trip to Diagon Alley was, naturally, finding a wand at the Ollivander/Gregorovitch Wand Shoppe. Even the wild ride at Gringotts to set up a vault for the family paled in comparison to the mystery of the stacks and stacks of dusty boxes that lined the walls.
"Ever held a wand?" Ollivander asked, a middle-aged man with flyaway hair that reminded Magnus of Albert Einstein. He claimed to be the nephew of the original proprietor.
"Well he's a Muggleborn, now, isn't he?" Gregorovitch argued, his neat appearance making them sort of an odd couple.
"Yes, sir, I have. Mr. Lupin's, I wonder?" Magnus VI replied.
"Mine likes him," Daniel offered, holding out his wand of Scotch pine and unicorn hair.
"August birthday, must be a coniferous tree," Ollivander mused, rummaging through that section as the magical tape measured the boy, "Ah, smells like Christmas in here!"
BOOM!
Magnus had tried a wand of Vinewood that Gregorovitch had offered, but it was clear that it didn't like him.
Mr. Gove raised an eyebrow. Mr. Birken laughed. "You should have been here when Daniel's chose him!"
"Greg only does that because he likes to see the windows blown out!" Ollivander complained. "REPARO!" He waved the wand he'd chosen, and Magnus gasped as the glass reassembled.
"Chose him?" Mrs. Gove asked.
"The wand chooses the wizard, Madame," Ollivander explained.
"Two-dozenth time this week," Gregorovitch laughed, offering up a selection of white pine, yellow pine, various cedars, and even rare imported Bristlecone pine from the United States.
In the end, a wand of Lebanese cedar, ten and a half inches, with a hippogriff feather core, chose Magnus.
"Sturdy but still flexible, excellent for Charms, but touchy," Ollivander explained.
"Better than that nuclear warhead we sold to that part-Veela boy," Gregorovitch added.
"I thought Veelas were all girls?" Daniel asked. "Who was it?"
"Sebastian Fournier, French mother – the Veela, of course," Ollivander supplied. "Moved here just recently, they said."
The boys exchanged a look. "Wha's a Veela?" Magnus VI asked Daniel.
"You'll find out, Mag! Not everyone at Hogwarts is quite human!"
"Are you mad?!" Magnus demanded of his friend, staring at the brick wall before them.
"It's true! Just walk right through it," Hannah advised, having escorted the Goves to Kings Cross.
"Best do it at a run, if you're nervous," an older lady with graying, bushy red hair advised, as her brood of children headed for the wall at full clip.
They vanished into the bricks.
Magnus gasped. His father, who was carefully examining the wall, had declared it quite solid – until he'd seen the children dash through it. All in all, the Goves were taking this magic-thing very well. "I wonder?" Mr. Gove shook his head. "And there's a train back there?" He walked around the pillar with his wife. "Oh, how rude of me!" He then introduced them all to the older lady.
"Rose Malfoy," she introduced herself, "You must be a Muggleborn?" She smiled at Magnus VI, who nodded. "That was my flock of grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. We all got off to a late start in the family business, but we seem to have made up for it." She turned back to Magnus. "Aren't you the boy that Harry and Teddy rescued some weeks ago?"
"Rose?"
"Hannah!" The two old ladies embraced, upon recognizing one another.
"So sorry to hear about your mum," Hannah offered.
"Well, she was very old," Rose nodded, smiling weakly.
"And I'm not?" Hannah laughed, turning back to her 'grandson'. "Go on then!"
Magnus nodded, as a small boy came dashing up with his trolley. He had closely cropped hair with hardly a fringe, and it looked as if his DNA couldn't decide if it wanted him to be an albino or a ginger, or something caught in the middle.
"Rigel Arthur Malfoy!" Rose admonished him.
"I had to go!" Rigel protested.
"It's Rigel's first trip to Hogwarts, too," Rose explained. "I swear, he'll be late for his own funeral someday!"
So it was, with Rose's help, that the Goves and Birkens made it onto the platform where they stood in awe of the great scarlet steam engine. "I never will get used to this," Mr. Birken declared. The Goves were suitably awestruck.
"ALL ABOARD!" the conductor was shouting, and children were scampering this way and that, hugging parents goodbye, while owls hooted and cats yowled about being hauled off by porters.
Rigel was thoroughly embarrassed with his Gran's extended goodbye, and Magnus fought back tears at the idea of leaving his parents for the first time.
"Stiff upper lip, son," Magnus V reminded his boy, "And use that expensive owl, won't you? We'll take good care of Blackie. And I certainly hope they feed you well?"
Magnus VI was still sniffling as he followed Daniel to the back of the train.
"Best thing about the back is that you're closer to the car where they keep the snack trolley," Daniel advised. "Only us Hufflepuffs have figured that out, see? And you have a better view, too. All you see is where you've been, so you can wonder what it's like where you're going." He paused. "Trust me, Mag, you'll love it!" Daniel assured him.
They'd just settled into a compartment when the door slid open again.
"Do you mind?" little Rigel Malfoy asked, "Everywhere else is full?"
"Is there room in here?" another boy then stepped up. It sounded like, "Izz zer r-r-rooum en eeer?" in his heavy French accent. He had light blond hair pulled back into a long ponytail, and his face was flawless. He was a full head taller than Rigel, and his dark eyes were avian in nature. Rigel jumped.
"Why don't you lot get acquainted, while I go and find my friends?" Daniel offered, "I've told them all about you!"
Magnus nodded a bit nervously, but he instantly liked the French boy for some reason. He introduced himself as Sebastian Fournier, and Magnus remembered his name from the wand shoppe – he was the one with the "nuclear" wand. Magnus introduced himself as well, as did Rigel Malfoy. Another, one Ewan Scott, a rather nondescript boy from Kent, soon joined them. Ewan was a touch on the plump side with brown hair in need of a trim. He was accompanied by a smaller, very shy (and very ginger) boy who mumbled that his name was Rónán F. Greyson III. Magnus' arm twinged as Rónán sat next to him.
In no time at all, the boys were talking about their new owls and comparing wands, wondering which House they'd be Sorted into. When Daniel returned with some of his friends, most of them in Hufflepuff attire, he introduced Magnus.
FLASH!
"Thanks, Liam," Daniel laughed.
"Say! Me da' tol' me 'bout you!" A boy with a thick Irish accent said, "You the one what got bit by a werewolf?"
Daniel smacked his arm. "Manners, Ross!"
But Magnus proudly showed them his scar, as only an eleven year old could take such pride in.
Rónán gasped. "Did you, you know? Change yet?" He whispered, wide-eyed.
"Oh, no! Teddy Lupin fixed it, right after!" Magnus assured him. Then he noticed that Rónán had oddly colored eyes and very sharp canine teeth the protruded over his lip, even when his mouth was closed. He touched his scar again.
"You're a full werewolf, aren't you?" Sebastian asked. Magnus' eyebrows went up.
Rónán nodded. "My grandfather was. He grew up at White Wolf, first class, you know."
"Are you really?!" Ross exclaimed. Liam snapped another photo.
"What is it with all the roman numerals after your names?" Daniel laughed.
"No dog jokes, please?" Rónán asked shyly.
"No bird jokes, either," Sebastian added.
"You're a Veela, aren't you?" Rónán returned the favor.
"Half," Sebastian smiled.
"Pretty boy," Rónán sniffed.
"Mangy mutt,' Sebastian retorted, which was oddly hilarious to all of them.
Ewan looked at Rigel. "I feel left out, being fully human, don't you?" He grinned. Rigel just shrugged.
"I'm human!" Magnus protested, pulling his sleeve back down and wondering about it.
"I can fix that," Rónán teased him, and from there on out, it looked like the boys were already becoming fast friends.
When the witch with the trolley arrived, they challenged one another to Every Flavor Beans with no flavor guide chart, traded Chocolate Frog Cards, and had a grand time in general before arriving late that night at Hogsmeade Station.
Perhaps it won't be so bad, going away, after all? Magnus wondered. I hope they have a good kitchen staff?
Having read his history book, Magnus wasn't too awfully surprised to be greeted by a giant of a man at the station. He recognized him as (probably) the grandson of Rubeus Hagrid, the former gamekeeper who had written their text for Introductory Care of Magical Creatures class.
The boat ride across the Black Lake was another matter. Rigel nearly missed the boat, and Ewan got seasick.
They were greeted at the lakeside landing by a man who greatly resembled Rigel, only with much longer hair. He introduced himself as Deputy Headmaster Orion Malfoy, much to his son's chagrin.
"Your Pa-pa?" Sebastian grinned.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ewan wondered.
"And it only gets worse," Rigel sighed, as they were led into the Great Hall after a lengthy speech about Houses and rules and points.
Some things never change, Magnus knew, and the Great Hall of Hogwarts was one of them, they told him. It looked just like the moving pictures in his book, but the boy still stared around in wonder at the floating candles beneath the enchanted ceiling, where a nearly full moon shone down upon them. He noticed that Rónán grinned when he saw it.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts for yet another year!" The Headmaster greeted them all. He appeared to be quite old, with a neat beard and long, white hair and bent nose. His blue eyes twinkled behind half-moon spectacles, and he was tall and lanky. The students clapped as Magnus took in the sight of the four long tables. "I have a few words to start us off, and then we'll get to the Sorting and our wondrous feast that the House Elves have waiting for us!"
"Feast?" Magnus smiled, his stomach rumbling in anticipation.
"For our incoming Firsties, let me introduce myself as Headmaster Hugo Weasley. I also respond to 'Huge', 'old man', and 'hey, you'," he joked. There was polite laughter. "And for those who are related to me somehow – which is probably most you – let me remind you that you'll probably have to go all the way to Durmstrang to find a date for the Ball to avoid dating your own cousin!" He waved down the laughter and applause. Magnus found him quite agreeable so far. "AH! The Sorting Hat! Thank you, Professor Malfoy!"
FLASH!
"Thank you, Mr. Creevey," Headmaster Weasley added.
Magnus was instantly fascinated by the old Hat, with all of its stitches and patches and even a few scorch marks. He jumped when it seemed to come life as Professor Malfoy placed it on the stool at the front of the Hall, where it began to sing a little ditty about not being able to choose your relatives and how things seldom go as planned.
It was not without a bit of dread that Magnus realized that they were all going to take turns sitting on the stool and trying on the Hat to see which House they would live in. Daniel hadn't bothered to tell him that part…
Magnus saw his friend sitting at a far table with Liam and Ross, everyone there dressed in black and yellow with crests of badgers on their robes. Daniel waved to him as the first boy, one Aidan Adams, was declared a Slytherin by the Hat. There was much applause as the boy went to the far table on the other side of the Hall.
"Lot o'them in my family," Rigel whispered. "Guess tha's where I'll end up, tho' Dad was the very first Malfoy in Gryffindor."
Magnus didn't know what to think of it as he watched other Firsties that he'd not met on the train go and try on the Hat. The last to go before the letter "G" was a girl named Finnigan (he missed her first name).
"Fournier, Sebastian?" Professor Malfoy said. "Beauxbatons full up?" He asked.
There were whispers and a few giggles from mainly the girls as Sebastian smiled back and took the stool, his blond head disappearing beneath the Hat.
"Hufflepuff!" It declared.
There were many groans of disappointment from the other three Houses as many of the girls at the Hufflepuff table suddenly lost all interest in the Sorting and made way for Sebastian.
"Veelas," Rónán sniffed.
Some girl named "Gaines" went into Ravenclaw.
"Gove, Magnus Scot the Sixth?" Professor Malfoy called. "Really? Sixth? Family run out names and T's, did they?"
Magnus froze. Rigel gave him a shove and wished him luck. Suddenly, Magnus wasn't hungry anymore as the Hat slid down over his head.
"Ah! Amazing!" The Hat spoke inside his mind, "A Muggleborn who's not related to anyone here! Where did they find you?"
"Godric's Hollow," Magnus answered.
"Yes, friend of Birken's," the Hat replied, "Well, I think you might be happiest nearest the kitchens, Magnus! Boy with your talents? Down for the Escoffier, were we? Perhaps you can teach the Elves a thing or two? I hear their Hotpot is simply dreadful!"
"What?" Magnus wondered, feeling as if ants were crawling around inside of his skull as the Hat got to know him. Daniel hadn't mentioned that, either. He thought he'd be choosing his House based on some test – not by some telepathic Hat! What other surprises had Daniel not mentioned, then?!
"Always nice to see someone who made friends on the train. You missed Daniel awfully, didn't you?" The Hat asked.
Magnus didn't need to answer. For just an instant, it was like reliving that awful few months until he'd adapted to his best friend's absence.
"Friends are very important, aren't they?" The Hat asked. "Well, my boy, there's only one place for you! HUFFLEPUFF!" It called out.
And then the Hat was whisked off of his head, and Magnus found himself headed for the Hufflepuff table, where Daniel had stood to applaud and welcome him. He was seated next to Sebastian, much to the evicted girl's chagrin. He saw that his uniform had magically changed to black and yellow, with the "H" being replaced by a badger crest.
Rónán was next, with a G-name as well. The Hat took a while with him before declaring him a Hufflepuff too.
"Tha's three of us!" He exclaimed, missing the next few Sortings as they chattered.
Laddie Lawrence was then declared a Gryffindor.
"Must be a Scottish nickname," Rónán wondered. "'Laddie'?"
"Malfoy, Rigel!"
"Can you imagine, your dad being the Deputy Head?" A girl who introduced herself as Vivienne Gaines whispered to the boys. They all shuddered, watching as a very nervous Rigel took the stool and appeared to be arguing with the Hat.
There also seemed to be a staring match going on between the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. Professor Malfoy was looking intense.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hat finally announced, as Rigel handed it back to his stunned father. For a moment, there was quiet. Then everyone applauded politely.
"Bloody thing wanted to put me in Slytherin, can you imagine?" Rigel snorted, as he plunked himself down on the other side of Sebastian, nearly sitting in some girl's lap. They were whispering about it, and didn't pay much attention until "Scott, Ewan!" was announced.
The Hat didn't hesitate at all – "Hufflepuff!"
"Going to be a bit crowded, isn't it?" Magnus wondered.
"Nahhhhh, the Cellar's huge," Daniel assured him, as he and his friends began telling the boys all about it, thus causing them to miss the rest of the Sorting.
The Sorting finished up with, amazingly, no Weasleys at all. The Headmaster and Deputy both considered that miraculous, as the feast appeared on the tables in a dazzle of Elvish magic.
Everyone was busy tucking in when Magnus noticed a problem: the Shepherd's pie needed something. There were chicken wings, but without black pepper or hot sauce for dipping. There wasn't even any bleu cheese dressing. The buttered sprouts looked very nice and green, but had a bitter edge and untrimmed stalks on a few. Magnus found the food good, but with some room for improvement. For a magical school, he wondered who was in charge of the cooking? Oh, father just wouldn't have this, he observed of the mashed potatoes, upon finding a large lump in them.
But judging from the looks of the children around him, Magnus came to the conclusion that most of them (except perhaps Ewan) must be outright starved at home.
When the dessert course appeared, Magnus had high hopes for the chocolate cake.
"Really?" He grimaced, "Two layers?" It was also obvious from the first bite that someone was skimping on the cocoa and sugar, and that the eggs surely hadn't been whipped enough, as the cake was quite heavy. And there were no dark chocolate shavings for garnish? And the cherry dish wasn't on fire? What kind of pastry chef did Hogwarts employ?!
He caught Daniel slipping him a sly wink, as if to say, "I expected this!" After all, Daniel was familiar with Magnus' talents in a kitchen.
"Was this what you meant when you said it gets worse?" Magnus asked of Rigel.
Rigel shook his head, chocolate on his pointed face. It made Magnus think of a ferret, as he noted that Rónán didn't touch the chocolate cake.
"The Head's our great-something-uncle," a girl from the Ravenclaw table informed them.
"Oh, stow it, Helene!" Rigel snapped at her, and Magnus recognized her from Platform 9 ¾. "My sister," Rigel groaned. "Thinks she's so smart 'cause she's a Ravencow!"
"Beats being a mole," Helene grinned sweetly at him. "What will Grandfather Scorpius say? The first Malfoy in Hufflepuff?"
"He'll say that you need to leave that chocolate cake alone?" Rigel retorted, and Helene's face turned a wonderful shade of Weasley magenta.
"The Weasley metabolic gene missed her," Rigel added insult to injury. "They named me after a star, and her after a moon of Saturn. Of course, Saturn is the largest planetary body in the solar system!" He added. Helene glared at him.
"Oh, now Helene, you know how little brothers are," Sebastian batted his eyes at her, turning up his French accent. "Cut the poor boy some slack, won't you?"
"Don't you pull that Veela stuff on me, Frenchie!" Helene Malfoy warned him. "My uncle Louis is part Veela, you know. I know all about you lot!"
Sebastian looked stunned.
Magnus was still glaring at the half-eaten cake as if it had mightily offended him.
Then Headmaster Weasley was making announcements about the forest being out of bounds, banned objects that Caretaker Smith would be happy to discuss, and that any of the many Potter-Weasley-Malfoy offspring would be under "close watch". He then explained the empty seat at the High Table.
"As you might expect, we have an opening for a teacher in Defense Against the Dark Arts," the Headmaster went on. "For this term, we have a special surprise for you all. The Ministry has loaned us their Head Auror to fill in, since Professor Jones has finally grown tired of being blown up!" He gestured to the door.
In walked a man with black hair and green eyes, and Magnus knew him at once.
"Students, may I present the one and only - Harry Potter?"
The cheers and gasps of disbelief were earsplitting, but Magnus smiled. Of all of them, maybe even his own relatives, Magnus knew the truth about Harry Potter.
Harry scanned the tables, caught his eye, and slipped him a wink. Magnus waved to him, and Harry nodded.
"You know him?!" the boys all wondered.
"And now…settle down! Yes, I know it's exciting!" The Head called for order, "But for now, off to bed with you all!"
"I can't win," Rigel sighed, as students began filing out. "Another relative!"
Their Prefect, a girl named Marjorie MacMillan, then led them down a flight of stairs and around an abrupt turn that seemed to Magnus to be taking them directly under the Great Hall. She explained to the Firsties that the Hufflepuff chambers, or the Cellar as they called it, had indeed once been that – the wine cellar in the early days of Hogwarts. The entrance was guarded by a large painting of a bowl of fruit.
"Stroke the banana, tickle the pear, then squeeze the melons," MacMillan instructed them. Some of the boys snickered.
They emerged into the kitchens, and Magnus gaped.
The kitchens were huge. Several old cast iron stoves lined the walls, and intricately carved wooden cabinets were everywhere. Despite the mess of dishes in the large sinks, the kitchen looked and smelled very clean – a plus in Magnus' book. When he looked up, he could see right up into the Great Hall through the magical ceiling. Enormous worktables ran down the center of the room, and polished copper pots and pans and utensils of all sorts hung along the walls.
"This place has got potential!" Magnus breathed.
"Told you you'd love it!" Daniel whispered in his ear, pointing to a large round door at the far end.
"We live in a kitchen?" Ewan asked in awe, as the Elves all gathered around them, making sure that everyone had had enough to eat, and offering leftovers to take for midnight snacks.
"Thank Merlin that Helene isn't here," Rigel laughed.
"It's absolutely brilliant!" Magnus said aloud, which got him into the Elves' good graces at once.
Then he yawned.
"Methinks is being time for someone to be's in bed!" An old Elf patted his arm.
*
Once they were settled into their dormitory, and Magnus had found his steamer trunk at the foot of the bed nearest the circular door, he immediately got into his pyjamas and began composing a letter:
"Dear Mum & Dad – you wouldn't believe the state of the kitchen here! The possibilities are endless! The food's good so far, but there's certainly room for improvement!"
"You really think you can out-cook a House Elf?" Rigel asked, leaning in. "Sorry, you were reading out loud."
"Was I?" Magnus wondered, mulling it over. He then told them about the Chocolate Charlotte.
"That much chocolate would kill me, even in human form," Rónán advised.
"And you don't want to give a Veela chocolate," Sebastian added with a shudder. "I've already got enough girl-problems without that!"
"I don't think we're allowed alcohol," Rigel shook his head.
"Well, you'll have to get someone to taste it first, won't you?" Ewan smiled.
"Have you met my sister?" Rigel laughed.
"Yes, and he's met your great-something-Uncle!" Sebastian cut in. "How do you know Harry Potter?"
And so Magnus was obliged to tell them the whole egg story and how he'd been bitten and hopefully cured. The boys, with the exception of Rónán, seemed awed.
"Bloody MacLeods," Rónán then sniffed. "Grandfather said the first one was a good kid, but his brood kinda went off the rails, you know."
"So getting back to this cooking thing?" Ewan reminded them.
"You think the Elves would take a challenge?" Magnus grinned.
"They can't refuse one," Rigel smiled, "And from what my cousins told me, they'll be expecting midnight feasters!"
"Looks like a showdown in the kitchen's coming then!" Magnus stated.
Character review:
Sebastian Fournier – French ½ Veela
Magnus Gove – Muggleborn 'potential' part-werewolf
Rónán Greyson – 3rd generation pure werewolf
Rigel Malfoy – grandson of Scorpius and Rose, sister of Helene (think Tom Felton from the film "The Borrowers")
Helene Malfoy – Rigel's sister. Ravenclaw
Ewan Scott – plump boy from Kent, based on Oberoi from the movie "A Feast at Midnight". Related to the Scotts mentioned in TLNM2, cousin of Roddy the Ravenclaw.
Vivienne Gaines – Ravenclaw girl
Laddie Lawrence – Gryffindor boy
Liam Creevey – Hufflepuff 2nd
Daniel Birken – Hufflepuff 2nd
Ross ? – Hufflepuff 2nd