Yosh! This is Squalo King with a new chapter of The Ever Shrinking Hollow.
I own nothing, disclaimer achieved.
Chapter 1: Cor Eorum Reditus
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A young boy, no older than 7, found himself in a strange room. There were no electrical sources for light and all there was to light the room was several candles and they did so poorly leaving only the ground around the young ward visible. He looked down saw several hand prints of blood and fingernail scratches on the floor.
*Breath* *Breath*
Within the room was the sound of heavy breathing that echoed all around him. He looked a head of him and saw nothing and no one, he looked behind and was given the same results, he was trapped in a room and did not know what was in there with him.
Most children would believe they were caught in a horror story, a scary tale told to them by their parents to trick them into behaving. However this young man felt no fear or confusion toward what is happening.
He then felt something wet in his hand, he looked down and saw that his hand was in a glass of warm water. It was at this point the boy realized what was happening, this was a dream and despite the morbid situation he was in he could now come up with a response.
"Father." he uttered.
July 1st
A young boy opens his eyes and sees the light of the sun shine into his eyes. He looks over to his hand and sees a glass of water. He sees how early in the morning it was, he didn't have to worry about school because school was closed on the account of vacation. He leans over to his window curtains and opens it completely letting all of the light in. He slowly gets up and notices that his hand was in a cup of water, a gift from his lifts, up his bed sheets and sees that he did not urinate himself.
He gets up out of bed and opens his window letting all of the light in. He looks out the window and sees the town that he and his father lived in; Runestone. He then looked around at his room; it spacious though it was filled with many things that could bring joy to a kid's heart: a deck of playing cards, board games of all times, remote control planes, remote control cars, remote control trains, cricket bats and balls, yo-yos, play guns and even more. He closet was filled with fresh clean clothes, shoes and even some costumes for Halloween. He had books of legends, of proven facts, history of both the Muggle and Wizarding world and comic books. He even had his own bathroom.
He walks over to his closet and gets some clothes to change into, a plaid shirt and brown pants, with a new set of socks. As he got dressed he thought about the dream that he had, it was not frightening enough to wake him up.
"COR, ARE YOU AWAKE?!" yelled a loud male voice
The voice, up the house and into Cor's ears, the voice of his father. He quickly answered back.
"I'm awake, I'll be down in a moment!" he yelled. However his father couldn't hear him, or at least pretended like he couldn't.
"WHATS THAT, COULDN'T HEAR YOU, I'M SENDING UP CLOUD!" he yelled back. Cor could hear some laughter when his father finished yelling.
Cor finished getting dressed and decides to prepare for the day in the bathroom. He was about to open the door at the end of his room when there was a scratching at his door.
"Cloud." he uttered.
He walked over to his door and opened it revealing a pure white furred Niffler with a yellow pale bill. He scurried over to Cor and hugged his leg. However Cor did not respond with similar affection or any at all.
"Why do you do this every, morning?" he asked curiously. Cloud didn't answer, he just purred and continued to hug Cor.
"You never give me an answer." said Cor in an apathetic tone.
He then turns around and walks into the bathroom with Cloud hugging his leg. When he walks into his bathroom, he pulls Cloud from his leg and puts him on his closed toilet, where Cloud sat looking up at Cor.
Cor looked into the mirror and saw his own reflection: he had messy gray hair that went down to his shoulders, he had tanned skin, amber colored eyes and strangely enough his hands, feet, fingers, legs and his upper and lower body was wrapped in medical bandages, excluding his head.
"Good morning Cor." he said. He reached over for his toothbrush but Cloud had grabbed it and handed it to Cor.
"Thank you, Cloud." said Cor.
Cor then began to brush his teeth as he was instructed. When he was finished Cloud then handed him a brush and comb as a way of reminding Cor to take care of his hair and Cor does as such.
As he did he saw that his bandages on his left hand were wet due to his father's crude failure of a prank. He looked into the medicine cabinet for more when Cloud presented them like a faithful friend. He then pet Cloud's belly to show that he was grateful, but when he did a diamond and gold coin slips out of his pouch. Cloud quickly grabs both of his treasures and puts them away.
"Does father know about those?" asked Cor.
Cloud looked away and seemed very nervous about it. Cor didn't pay it any mind and began to unwrap the bandages and replace them.
Cor then began to brush his gray hair, he did so carefully since he had long hair, he when he was finished he combed his until it was presentable. When he was finished Cloud began to purr and click as his way of talking, he seemed to be asking for something. Cor then picked Cloud up and walked over to a bag of marbles that he had, he took one out and gave it to Cloud who happily put it into his little pouch.
"Time for breakfast." he said.
Cor walked down the stairs, when he did he saw the lower part of his home. He walked around and saw the interior of his home: Spell books everywhere, colorful items, strange arcane objects that gave of a resonance of their own, weird ingredients, a television, radio, couch, a broomstick and more mystical magical items, in other words the home of a Wizard. In the corner there was a nest that had gold, jewels, money and all manner of shiny objects, seeing this nest Cloud jumps from Cor's hands and runs to his little nest and plays around in his gold.
"Whats so good about those things?" asked Cor as he watched Cloud in his paradise.
"Hey Cor, get in here!" yelled his father from the kitchen.
Cor walked toward his father's voice and entered the kitchen to see his father sitting at the table with his own plate of food and a plate of food for Cor: a large omelet with steak, potatoes, spinach, some fish, bacon and with orange juice to drink. Cor's father was eagerly eating until he saw his son. Cor's father had amber colored eyes like his son, however he had lighter skin that his son did, he had gray hair that was somewhat curly, he had some stubble and seemed a little gruff. He was dressed in white shirt and black pants while he had an abnormal magician's hat that had a pattern of white hearts and black spades stitched around it. This man was named: Evanescere Tunc Reditus.
"Food's still warm, go on fill your gullet!" said Evanescere.
Cor sat down at the table and he began to wolf down his breakfast like a hungry beast. Evanescere watched as his son ate, he had already eaten his food, and felt amused as usually stoic son wolfing down his breakfast without pause.
"*Laughs* Careful, so you don't choke to death, I made the food so I'll get put away if you croak!" said Evanescere.
Cor did not slow down as he was told and Evanescere just chuckles, but he prepares to help in case of chocking. As he sat at the table he picks up the Daily Prophet and sees that it was May 1st, 5 months away from the anniversary of Voldemort's defeat at Godric's Hollow, something that would be celebrated that Ocotober as it always was. When he read the paper he noted two letters letters sitting beside his plate, both meant for Cor: one was colored light blue with a wax seal of an "B" and an insignia of shield with two wands crossing each other atop it, the second one was white with an"I" wax seal with an insignia of four creatures, adjacent to each other: a Thunderbird, a Wampus, a Horned Serpent and a Pukwudgie. Seeing them he felt incredibly anxious and excited about this, and he wished to give them to him right away, but suddenly there was a tapping on the window. He looks on instinct and sees that its a snow white owl with a letter in its mouth and it was tapping the window with its talons.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Evanescere quickly got up from his seat and closed the curtains on the owl, however it continued to tape on the window and Cor hears this and stops eating.
"Whats that noise?" he asked. Evanescere then began to tap on the window hoping to scare the owl away.
"Oh, I was just, cleaning the window, tappin' that dust off." He said desperately as he tapped on the window.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Cor was a bit confused by his father's behavior, but decided to disregard it and continued eating his breakfast.
Evanescere stopped tapping and opened the curtains to see that the delivery owl was gone and so was the letter from Hogwarts. Evanescere sighed in relief and goes over to the table, picking up the letters. He grins and turns to his son, he makes sleight hand movements making both letters disappear in his hands.
"Hey Cor, mail for you!" said Evanescere.
Cor stopped eating and pulled the two letters addressed out of his shirt as if this was a normal occurrence. As he looked at them Evanescere had a disappointed look on his face due his son's lack of reaction to his trick.
"At least pretend to be surprised." he though.
"These came today in the mail, haven't opened them yet out so don't call the officials on me." said Evanescere in a joking manner.
Cor looked at both of the letters, he saw the color of each of them and knew each school they came from. The first one came from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, a school that was located in France. The second one was the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that was located in North America, an ocean's leap away, though with magic distance meant nothing. Cor looked at his father and Evanescere got nervous due to his deceit.
"These are acceptance letters, were these the only two?" asked Cor.
"Yep, nothing from Hogwarts." said Evanescere trying to hide his deceit
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
There was a knock at the door. To avoid the subject any further Evanescere quickly went to the door and opened it revealing a elderly man, wearing a tweed cap, dark green cloth jacket and pants to match, he was bald, had wrinkles and a somewhat bulbous nose and he was a bit shorter than Evanescere.
"Hello Benny!" said Evanescere with a smile.
"Oi Evan, came by to check on you, have a request for you and your boy." said Benny with a grin.
Benny peaked inside of Evanescere's house and saw what was a normal living room; carpets, a television, old antiques and the such. The place where Cloud was resting before was a small pillow that now had an old German Shepard that was lying around.
"Hey Cloud, come say 'Hi' to our neighbor!" said Evanescere.
Cloud merely whimpered and his is face with his paws. Benny laughed seeing this. Cor had noticed but not cared about the change in appearance, he long since knew it was an old trick that Wizards and Witches used to hide from Muggles without having to give up their magical identities all together.
"So where's the tyke, got a little job for him." said Benny.
"Trying to rent out Cor, well he's eating at the moment." said Evanescere. He then turned back and called out to his son.
"Cor, come over and greet Benny!" He yelled.
Cor got up from the table and walked over to the door to greet their elder neighbor and his father's friend: Benny Moss.
"Hello Mr. Moss." said Cor as he bowed a little. Benny laughed and tussled Cor's hair.
"I told you boy, call me Benny!" said Benny in hearty voice.
"Yes, Mr. Moss." said Cor back to his neighbor. Evanescere groaned hearing his son's lack of social skill, while Benny laughed at Cor's response.
"Stubborn thing aren't ya, respectful to a fault." said Benny. He then looked over to Evanescere.
"Anyway Evan, Ava's birthday is coming up at the end of the month." said Benny.
Cor knew who Ava was, she was one of the many neighborhood kids of Runestone, though he wasn't friends with any of them Ava actually talked to him and tried to get Cor to engage in some of the fun, this proved difficult for Ava at times.
"So you've come to invite us, awfully kind of you." said Evanescere.
"Its happen' at the school, it being vacation for the little ones the teachers let us have the party there!" said Benny excited about the entire affair. Evanescere laughed a little.
"Flock of tykes at a school with a party, that's a hellfire waiting to start up." said Evanescere
"Well my beloved is going to be cooking and the parents are attending too." said Benny. He looked down at Cor and Evanescere knew where this was going to go.
"How about you come Cor, Ava's been wantin' to invite ya, but she's been too shy to bashful to speak to ya." said Benny.
"Why can't she ask me herself?" asked Cor. Benny grinned a little and points at Cor.
"I think she fancies ya boy, something about those sunset amber eyes of yours." said Benny in a joking manner. Cor was confused about this, but his father patted him on the head and smiled.
"Gets it from it Pa, his mum loved em." said Evanescere.
"Course, so can ya make it?" asked Benny hoping for a "yes".
Cor was about to speak for himself, he wanted to know what his eyes had to do with it, but Evanescere covered his mouth and answered for him.
"Course were comin', its an invitation after all." said Evanescere with a grin. Benny smiled greatly hearing this.
"Great, bring a present too, oh and one more thing." said Benny.
He then pulled a letter out of his pocket and hands it to Cor. When Cor takes it into his hands he sees a wax seal with an "H" with a small print of a shield, located inside was a snake, lion, badger and a raven. Evanescere looked at the letter feeling nothing, but utter despair. Cor merely looked at it and ran upstairs to open it with Benny and Evanescere watching as he went on his way.
"What the hell was that about, late birthday money from some distant blood?" asked Benny. Evancescere held in a very great sigh and spoke.
"Benny, that letter, how did you get that?" asked Evanescere. Benny was hoping he hadn't done anything bad and answered.
"It was the daftest thing I swear, some flying rat-"
"An owl?" asked Evanescere. Benny nodded.
"Yep, strange though ,I figured the weird buggers were nocturnal or something." said Benny.
"Anyway it had a weird letter in its mouth and it looked like it was trying to take it out of your mailbox, I mean the gall and while my own kin is the post man." said Benny.
"Oh boy." said Evanescere with great concern.
"From the look on yer face, I should have torn it up, sorry lad." said Benny with sincerity.
"No its fine, I just need to talk to Cor." said Evanescere. Benny nodded and was about to take his leave.
"Okay, the party is on the last Sunday, 26th." said Benny.
"I'll be there." said Evanescere.
Benny then walked home and Evanescere closed the door, he looked over at the table and saw the letters Beauxbatons and from Ilvermorny, they were left on the table, abandoned by the young lad. He panicked and began to pace a little.
"What to do, what to do, what the holy hell to do!?" he uttered in shock.
As he did this the house changed back to its original form, turning the interior to normal and changing Cloud back to his Niffler form. Cloud watched as Evanescere paced around the room, he knew his worried look well and he got concerned,
"Should I let him go, if I do something horrible will happen!" he said nearly pulling his hair from his head.
*Purr*
Evanescere stops pacing and looks at his furry companion only to see that he was leering at him.
"Don't judge me, you know Hogwarts is no good, in any situation." said Evanscere. Cloud threw some of his gold at his owner only for it to not make it halfway.
"I don't know whats going to happen to him!" Evanescere.
Cloud then slammed his webbed feet on the inside of his nest. Evanescere shook his head.
"The only reason he got the letter was because the Minister of Magic has his name on record and Hogwarts ending up getting it!" said Evanescere. Cloud then rubbed his face and clapped his hands. Evanescere then calmed down and spoke clearly
"But I if he gets hurt then-"
Cloud pointed upstairs to, presumably, Cor's room and urges Evanescere to go up there to talk to him. Evanescere sighs and nods, he digs into his pocket and tossed a Galleon to Cloud.
"You can keep that." said Evanescere and he walks upstairs.
Cor's Room
Cor was sitting on his bed, his letter already opened and was reading it, he saw the list of things that he need, what he could bring and the message for students from Dumbledore. He had his sights set on Hogwarts and was willing to go despite what his father said.
"Its in my hands, I can go to school there." said Cor.
"Congratulations, Mr. Reditus." said Evanescere
Cor looks at the entrance to his room and saw his father standing there, trying to look as relaxed as possible. Cor didn't know what his father was going to do and prepared for the worst.
"So you got what you wanted." said Evanescere
"Yes." said Cor.
"You know what Hogwarts is, what could happen there?" asked Evanescere.
"Yes." said Cor. Evanesco then walks toward his son's bed.
"And you still want to go?" asked Evnaescere.
"Yes." said Cor. Evanescere rubbed his face in confusion and sat down on the bed, he tried to be as calm and sincere as possible despite his fears.
"Cor, Beauxbatons is located in France, its Hogwarts more worthy rival with possibly better, they well teach you to be a gentleman and the art of Wizardry, not to mention the girls are amazing."
Evanescere then sighed happily.
"Last time I went was in my youth and I doubt anything changed." said Evanescere. Cor shook his head.
"I don't care about that." said Cor.
"Fine, but you will later I promise you that." said Evanecere pointing at Cor.
"What about Ilvermorny , its located in America and its not some elitist hole like what Hogwarts attracts, a grand haven for witches and wizards for ages." said Evanescere.
"I don't care if its safe." said Cor.
"But I do!" yelled Evanesco. He looks down at Cor and sees that he's looking at his letter, not startled by what he did. Evnaesco calms down and takes a deep breath.
"Cor, if you go to Hogwarts the worst of the worst can happen, it doesn't have to be there." said Evanescere. Cor nodded.
"Yes, I've decided that long ago." said Cor.
"But you don't need to go there." said Evanescere. Cor shook his head.
"I know, but I want to." said Cor.
"But you could get hurt, and I don't just mean your body!" said Evanescere worried on the verge of tears. Cor shook his head and looks at his father.
"I know, but nothing can hurt me." said Cor. Evanesere sat down and shook his head, he looked at the letter and wanted to destroy it, but his son stopped him.
"If you tear it they'll send more, and I'll send it back in secret, I have to go to school by law." said Cor. Evanescere tussles his own hair and sighs.
"The Ministry will not like you skipping out." said Evanescere
"I'll be fine, I can't-"
Evanescere put his hand up, stopping Cor in his tracks. He then takes his hand and puts it on Cor's head. He then looks at his son and forces a smile.
"Oh there's no talking you out of this is there?" asked Evanescere. Cor shook his head answering his father right away. Evanescrere then took then letter from Cor and grinned, he looked at the list of things and nodded.
"Will cost a lot for tools, we'll got to Diagon Alley before the month ends." said Evanescere. Cor nodded.
"Yes sir." said Cor.
"Right, but I'll send the letter of confirmation right away." said Evanescere with approval.
"Yes sir." said Cor.
"And before you leave for a new school you will go to that party." said Evanescere with a smirk.
"Yes sir." said Cor. He then smacked Cor's back and laughs.
"Can't wait to wish your wife a happy birthday huh?" asked Evanescere jokingly. He then got up and walked out of the room with the letter leaving Cor alone and a question snapped into his mind.
"Why does she like my eyes?" asked Cor.
Thats all for now.
Please review.
This is Squalo King signing off :)