AN: Insert disclaimer here. The last chapter I was working on was quite difficult but it is done. I'm hoping the rest flow more easily. Please enjoy.
Hogwarts Library
The weekend couldn't come fast enough for Salvadore. Not that it was a bad week but the glares coming his way from Ron were getting annoying really fast. It wasn't his fault that he was the only one in their class year that could consistently cast silently. It wasn't his fault that Professor Snape regularly commented his practical work as 'adequate', which for him counted as high praise. It certainly wasn't his fault that Hermione had taken to studying with him in the library after dinner.
Seeing Salvadore practically living in the library had inspired her to try and keep up with his study schedule. By Wednesday they fell into a routine of completing their homework together before going their separate ways before curfew. Hermione would usually go to help Harry study, as Ron was still mad at her, and Salvadore would stay in the library researching rituals and runes.
The whole week wasn't too bad. Dean and Seamus had eventually approached and compared notes on sports. Not bad blokes in his opinion but defiantly not study partner material. Neville was an oddity to him. Definitely powerful but very reserved, as though he was still growing into the self-confidence he seldom displayed.
Interest from the various females in the school was as expected. Few and waning further. Not that he was looking for a relationship at the time but a guy had his pride. He wasn't bad looking by any stretch but at this point he knew that most girls already had their eyes set on a certain someone and if they didn't it certainly wasn't going to wander to a muggleborn ministry student.
The Slytherin front had been oddly docile on his front. Sure he'd seen Harry and Ron verbally spar with a blonde named Draco but he'd been largely left alone. Outside of some evaluating looks coming his way from some of them he'd been largely left alone, which Ron had noticed and commented on. Apparently since he was not targeted in the daily squabbles nor would he 'back up' Harry and Ron in their verbal jousting, his character was now in question. While the rants were kept to a minimum he was certainly loud enough where the whole common room would hear his mutterings to Harry over their chessboard.
This of course led to where he was now. Remembering his promise to teach Hermione how to enchant the bottomless bag he was waiting for her in the library. He was actually going over his potions book when she arrived.
"Going over potions again Salvadore?" She asked, grateful that there was finally someone else in Gryffindor that put as much emphasis in their studies as she did.
"Sort of, look at this" he said while handing the book to her. He knew some of the techniques were valid but he wanted a second opinion on some of the others before he experimented with them.
"What happened to your book?"
"It's the one Professor Slughorn let me borrow, all those instructions were already written in there."
"Have you been using these in class?" she asked as her ire was starting to rise. It seemed like cheating using someone else's notes on a subject he was suppose to be learning. It would be one thing if he discovered the techniques himself but he learned nothing if he was just copying from someone else.
"Some of them, the ones I know for a fact work. The ones I'm not sure about I skip" he replied while digging through his bag while looking for his notes on how to make the bag she wished for. Unaware that he had managed to stave off one of Hermione's rants by piquing her curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"Hmmm? Oh, well look at the Draught of Living Death that we made earlier this week. I've learned that crushing the seeds will release more juice for the potion but the instructions on the stirring I'm unfamiliar with so I skipped those and stuck with the normal instructions" Salvadore said while she looked at the appropriate steps.
Salvadore continued to point out the various changes that he could confirm and which ones he was unfamiliar with. Hermione was impressed with his potions knowledge and had started to make mental notes to research some of the things he had mentioned to verify for herself. She was hoping that the extra research might allow her to return the favor of him teaching her the enchantments for her bag.
"How did you learn all this? And why are you telling me?" she asked with a little skeptism. While she was all for the sharing of knowledge, assuming that the others were also putting in the work, she knew that the academics in Hogwarts were pretty competitive, especially in the N.E.W.T years. Being as the magical community was small, jobs were few in numbers unless one went to work for the Ministry or started their own business. Since they were all going to be competing against each other after they graduated every little piece of knowledge that could make them stand out was worth its weight in galleons.
"Well I worked with some potions masters that would join us on the dig sites. They're the ones who showed me the instructions I pointed out. Judging by the types of instructions changed in there I'd say that they were written but an eventual potions master themselves. I mean those are some pretty radical changes to some of them. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the recipes had ingredients completely swapped out."
"As to why I'm telling you this? Why not? I know things are pretty competitive here but the hording of knowledge just isn't how I was taught to do business. Don't get me wrong, there are some things you keep quiet about. Family magics for example or maybe there's someone whose intentions you don't necessarily trust or maybe it's just a specialized spell for the tradesmen. Can't have the customers be able to make the items for themselves now can they?" Seeing her nod in understanding he continued.
"Well on a dig site there's no such thing. We share knowledge as best we can. Why? Because there's a likely chance that you're going to be put out of commission at one point or another and you're going to have to rely on the rest of the team to save your bacon. God forbid the spell, potion, or technique is locked in your head alone because you wanted to feel special." Hermione was taken aback by the turn of phrase. Most magical substituted Merlin for God. She made a mental not to ask him about it later.
"In this case I was tutored by some Potions Masters that hadn't found their apprentices yet. Not a good thing if the only person who could make the extra strong blood replenishing potion is in need of it and hadn't gotten around to making it yet. Which is not uncommon to have happen" he said with a small smirk as he remembered the last time it had happened.
"They showed me some of their tricks of the trade. Some of this stuff that only a person with a mastery would understand the why's and the how's, like the stirring instructions. Some of it is stuff they found through experimentation and research like brewing certain potions on a full moon for increased potency. Don't get me wrong, I've no interest in going for a mastery myself but they definitely taught me enough where I could probably correct most mistakes I would make while brewing and come out with an adequate potion."
"Well…" she started, put at ease with the explanation "if you can recognize that a potential potions master wrote them why wouldn't you use all of them?" She had a hard time reconciling the fact that someone wouldn't just take shortcuts when presented to them. She knew Ron wouldn't resist and she hoped Harry would but she couldn't say for certain much to her disappointment.
"That would be because most potion masters would tan your hide if you told them you gave someone a potion that was made following someone else's instructions blindly without verifying the results first. Sometimes changes are made to add more potency, sometime they're there to dilute it, sometimes it just changes the taste, and sometimes they're there to subtly sabotage a potion or have it do something in addition to its usual results. The only way to tell is to research. Arithmancy comes in handy there as I'm sure you can tell, followed by making a test batch and of course, when in doubt, ask a potion master" he finished as he found the notebook he was looking for.
"Tell you what…" he started making sure he had her full attention. "I'm probably going to test a couple of next week's potions tonight to verify the instructions. If you want you can come with and if they're legit I'll let you copy them."
"Just like that?" She asked, still unsettled that a fellow student would so willingly share such potentially advanced knowledge. From this conversation she knew that he was rightfully at the top of their potions class. If the notes were as good as they suspected it would likely bring her own performance on par with his own. She didn't know him, they could hardly be counted as friends, so why would he be willing to share with her?
"Just like that" he replied. Recognizing her hesitation, he decided to elaborate.
"Despite what the common practice is around here, we're not in competition. Believe me when I say that our final class rankings will not affect our respective career paths in the slightest."
"How do you know that for sure?"
"Are you planning on working for the Ministry when you get out of here?"
"It's where I'm leaning, yes."
"Then we're not in conflict"
"What are you planning for your future then?" She asked hoping to get a little bit more insight to the newcomer.
"Some other time. We got a bag to teach you to enchant. Ready?" Seeing her nod they continued to go over his notebook reviewing the charms and enchantments needed before going into an empty classroom to start placing them on her bag.
It was a happy Hermione who practically skipped all the way back to the Gryffindor tower with her new enchanted bag in tow. After arranging to meet with Salvadore early in the evening to test the potions instructions they went their separate ways. Hermione went to the common room to encourage Harry to finish his homework while Salvadore returned to the library.
Finally deciding on not wanting to skip lunch Salvadore packed his things and made his way to the great hall. Salvadore ate in peace. He made it a point to ignore the glares and inquisitive looks Ron and sister would send his way. His peace was suddenly interrupted by two owls that landed in front of him to deliver letters.
He recognized Hooter immediately. The anticipation of what the Skewers had to say brought a smile to his face. The second owl was a mystery. Attached to its leg was a letter that looked more like it belonged in the muggle post. A frown crossed his face as he read the return address.
Pierre Lavigne. His grandfather. Despite his stated intentions, the old man had certainly distanced himself further from the Thatchers as years went by. His mother had never reconciled with her immediate family despite everyone else's efforts. The final nail in the coffin with the efforts had been when Pierre had gotten himself thrown out of the funeral for Steven Sr, who had died under mysterious circumstances in 1981.
After his mother died Pierre had attempted to strong-arm tactics to take custody of Salvadore. His attempts had failed in a most dramatic fashion. When the dust had settled Steven Thatcher had gained custody of his younger brother and all but disappeared into the wizarding world. Pierre had consistently tried to make contact with the Thatcher brothers over the years but to no avail.
Salvadore wondered what avenue his grandfather would try now. His last attempt was trying to gain custody upon learning that Steven Jr was deceased. Those efforts had led to Salvadore's emancipation. Putting the letter away for later he opened the letter from the Skewers.
Salvadore,
Congratulations on Gryiffindor! The house of the brave you say? Somehow we find that fitting. Remember though, those that rush in blindly are merely the first to get hit. We'd hate to see all our teachings go to waste because you foolishly charged into a situation you were ill prepared for.
Samantha is fine. She would write to you herself but she is currently on bed rest recovering. No need to worry, she just got caught in a potion brewing accident and needs to flush the residue from her system, so she's sleeping it off for the next week or so.
I know it's just been a week but do you think you'll be able to find the knowledge you seek for your project? While you now know that the Hogwarts library is not the largest in the world, it is mighty extensive. Thankfully, from what I hear, for the N.E.W.T years you are given almost free reign of the restricted section. I'd suspect you should be able to find what you need in there.
Don't forget to keep up with your non-magical studies. There is no such thing as bad knowledge to a cursebreaker. Mundane knowledge will save you just as much as magical. We look forward to hearing about how the rest of your time there goes. At least every other week or Samantha will go there herself and scream your ear off.
We expect to only be at this site for two more weeks before we head back to England. With the recent political climate I expect we'll be leaving for another expedition soon after, probably within a week. I don't expect we'll be spending much time in England for the foreseeable future and will more than likely start preparing to transfer our business to either the Americas or Australia. With that said I fear we will not be able to spend the holidays with you this year.
Stay safe Salvadore. We'll write to you again soon.
Always,
Jonathan
Salvadore wondered what else was going on with them. They had strict rules they followed in the camp. One of them was no interrupting the brewer. While proficient in potions, neither Skewer would be in charge of the brewing in a camp. So for Samantha to be caught in an accident meant that they were being driven to distraction or it was no accident.
The fact that they were intentionally staying away from England was of very little surprise. They had discussed options when Voldemort was announced to have returned. In all honesty, he would hardly be surprised if they officially relocated before the term ended. They didn't tell him the full story but Salvadore suspected the Death Eaters had attempted to recruit them before and they were going to get out of there before they found themselves painted into a corner.
Hogwarts was safe by everyone's estimation, especially with Dumbledore as Headmaster. If the circumstances ever changed then they would re-evaluate and see if he would have a better shot at transferring to an international school.
Salvadore packed his belongings and decided to study outside. Working his tail off during the week meant that his weekends would be free to pursue other subjects. Seeing a tree that had his name on it out by the lake, he made his way.
There were at least one set of eyes that tracked him as he made his way out. Ron was still disregarding his brother's advice and decided to keep an eye on Thatcher himself. Getting chewed out by Professor McGonnagal had at least taught him to be more patient. He didn't want to lose his Prefect position and he certainly didn't want his mother to find out about it either.
"Who do you think wrote him?" he asked while turning to Harry.
"Who?"
"Thatcher, didn't you see the letters"
"Not really, wasn't paying attention. Maybe some classmates from his own school"
"Maybe, he looked upset at one of them"
"Dunno what to say mate, still say you listen to Bill and just leave him alone."
"But he didn't say what they talked about! How is that suppose to put me at ease?"
"Well first off, considering they were talking about his brother's death, you can't really expect him to just come out and talk about it. It looked like it took a lot out of him to just talk about it to us. Also, considering that he came back looking relieved and even waved your father off means the meeting probably didn't go all that bad. I can't imagine a duel to the death ending with both people walking away to continue their lives you know?"
"Y'know, I thought I'd get a little more support from my best mate. I can't talk about this anymore, let's go hit the pitch. I want to get some extra practice in before the tryouts next week."
Glad that the current anti-Thatcher rant was headed off. The two made their way to the Quidditch pitch. Harry wondered just how long Ron would stay away from Hermione. Harry had taken to spending more time with her so she wouldn't feel too isolated from the both of them like in third year.
He really wished they would just admit their feelings for each other so they could get things back to normal.