A/N: Finally! Another chapter down! 6642 words heehee I'm proud of it… not as proud as I am of chapter 9, but still… and I feel like I'm finally walking into the heart of the story, you know, the moment when everything starts making sense hahaha :P

Thanks for the reviews!!

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This is War!

Harry stared at Ethan's photo and smiled to himself. The boy could very well pass for Lily and James' son, with the light coloured skin and tuft of black hair. Unfortunately, the photo currently displayed on the cover of The Daily Prophet was black and white, so he couldn't make out the eye colour. The baby was blinking owlishly at the camera from Lily's arms, as she cooed at him and James stood behind her with a wide grin on his face.

Hermione cooed beside him. "Harry, your brother is so cute."

Ron rolled his eyes and stabbed an olive. "Just because he's a baby… remind me, why did I let you sit with us?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "You didn't. Harry asked me to, like the gentleman he is… unlike others."

Ron glared back. "I can be a gentleman, too!" he stated though a mouthful of mashed potato.

Hermione grimaced at the sight. "Yes, I'm sure…"

Harry snickered at them and folded up the newspaper. Setting it aside, he picked up his fork and began to eat. Far more decently than Ron was.

Now that it was November the temperature had gone down considerably and frost had begun to settle in. November also marked the beginning of Quidditch season, with the first match being that very Saturday and Harry's first.

Wood had been working him to his limits, but still refused to show the way Harry played to the rest of the school. He was intent on winning the Quidditch Cup this year and believed Harry was the key to winning it.

Just then, Snape walked by their table without sparing them a glance. Was he limping? Harry pointed it out to his two friends, making Hermione frown and Ron shrug nonchalantly.

"Why do you think he's limping?" Hermione asked Harry, as soon as Snape was out of earshot.

"No idea," replied Harry. "I'll ask Sirius later… maybe he'll know something. Do you think it has anything to do with that three-headed dog? I wouldn't put it past him."

"But why would he go there?" said Hermione with furrowed brows.

"You said so yourself," pointed Ron. "That monster is guarding something. Maybe he wants it."

"What could possibly be worth facing that thing?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione shrugged, before going back to their meals.

---

Harry tapped his fingers on his kneecap. He was waiting sitting crossed-legged in front of Sirius' office, waiting for his godfather to show up. He had a free period before Transfiguration, and while (somehow) Ron and Hermione had agreed on visiting Hagrid, he had preferred to speak to Sirius about Snape as soon as possible. There was something that smelt bad about the whole situation.

His only problem was finding a way of asking Sirius what he wanted to know without giving away the fact that he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville knew about the three-headed dog and that it was standing guard over something.

"Harry!" called Sirius down the hall. "What are you doing here, kiddo? I thought you would be using your free period to think up ways of pranking Snivellus!"

Harry smiled and stood up. "I would be, except the whole thing with Ethan joining the family's got me all shaken up… in a good way."

Sirius smiled back. He took his keys from his cloak and opened the door to his office. "Come in! Come in! It's warmer inside… the bloody chill has already penetrated the halls. Nasty weather. Would you like anything to drink? A butterbeer, perhaps?"

"I'm not supposed to be able to drink that yet," chuckled Harry, taking a seat in front of Sirius' desk. His godfather smirked.

"I won't tell if you don't."

"Done."

"That's my boy!"

Harry grinned and looked around his godfather's office, while Sirius went looking for the butterbeers. The walls were painted a deep crimson, the curtains on the windows were pulled open, useless trinkets were mixed with Dark Detectors, a bookcase held about fifty books on defence and Dark creatures, framed pictures of Sirius' family hung on a wall.

"So…" called Sirius from somewhere in the back of his office, "what do you think of Ethan? Cute little fellow isn't he?"

Harry smirked knowingly. "Stop pretending, Sirius, you're just happy 'cause you have another young mind to corrupt."

Sirius gave his trademark bark-like laugh, before returning to his desk with two bottles of butterbeer. "Alas!" he sighed dramatically, uncorking both bottles. "You have discovered my ulterior motives! Cheers!"

Shaking his head at his godfather, Harry reached for the offered butterbeer, before replying, "Cheers!"

They both drank to Ethan with mischievous smiles on their faces. Lily would go berserk if she knew that James had given butterbeer to Harry before Sirius offered it to him… he preferred to keep that sliver of information to himself, though. Knowing Sirius, he would probably blackmail him with it later in life.

After a pause of pleasant silence in which Sirius had drank half of his bottle, Sirius's voice brought Harry back to Earth.

"Harry, there's something I have to tell you."

Harry cocked his head at his godfather. He detected the unusual serious tone under the calm one. He sat up straighter. "What is it?"

Sirius fidgeted a little with his butterbeer before finally looking up at his godson. "I was just talking to Dumbledore, and… well, it seems I'm not going to be teaching next year."

"But why?" cried Harry in slight alarm. "He couldn't have kicked you out! You're an excellent teacher!"

"It has nothing to do with that, kiddo. Dumbledore was actually very disappointed that I have to go," reassured Sirius with a smile. He glanced at the wall on which the pictures of his family hung. "It's Kristy."

Harry frowned at the picture Sirius was looking at. "Yeah, I know that's Kristy. I've known her all my life."

Sirius suddenly burst out laughing. Harry sent him a reproachful look.

"No, you silly boy!" chided Sirius with a huge grin. "Kristy is starting at Hogwarts next year… the board of governors won't let me teach my own daughter. They think it may lead to favouritism. It seems Lucius Malfoy is concerned about his son's grades."

Harry raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Lucius Malfoy thinks that you'll give Kristy higher grades and let her skip detention just because she's your daughter?"

His godfather smiled in reply.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Harry. "And I thought that I should be concerned about Snape!"

Sirius' smile went away in a flash. "Why would you be concerned about him?"

"He was limping this morning," replied Harry. "Didn't you notice?"

Sirius' face darkened. "How did you notice he was limping? He covered it up rather well."

Harry's face lit up. "So you know what happened to him."

"No."

"You're not convincing anyone."

"Why do you care, anyway?"

Harry's face fell. 'Here goes,' he thought to himself. 'He's suspicious… this was a bad idea.'

"Um…"

Sirius gave him a pointed look and then glanced from left to right, as if he were looking for intruders. He pulled out his wand and cast a couple of privacy charms. This was going to be good.

He beckoned his godson closer to him, and began to whisper. "Harry, listen carefully. Do you know why is it forbidden to enter the corridor on the third floor this year?"

'Because there's a giant three-headed dog guarding the entrance,' he replied in his head. Instead, he answered, "Um…"

"Harry," cut Sirius, "I know you're trustworthy, so I will tell you something about this whole thing, but you have to remain quiet." He took a deep breath. "There is something of great importance being kept at the school this year… so important that it could bring Voldemort back."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes… Snape was a close follower of his, so why not give it a try and end up in that monster's good graces?"

Harry gulped. "You think Snape's trying to bring Voldemort back? But if he comes back… he'll kill me… isn't that the reason why I've lived under the Fidelius Charm all along?"

Sirius sighed tiredly. "One can only guess, kiddo… but Snape's been into the Dark Arts far longer than it's comfortable to assume. I only wish Dumbledore wouldn't trust him so much."

"What can possibly bring Voldemort back?" asked Harry, perplexed.

Sirius cast him an uneasy glance. "I've already said enough. Knowing too much about the whole business might put you in danger, Harry."

"But-"

"No buts," cut Sirius. "Now, let's go back to a more pleasant topic. Have your parents sent you any letters?"

Harry sighed with resignation, but answered anyway. "Yeah, I got one last night. Did you know they named Ethan after Alan?"

"Nope, your dad failed to mention that…"

"Ethan Alan Potter, they named him… I can't wait to meet him!"

His godfather chuckled. "Did they manage to find when he was born?"

"Yup! October the twelfth."

---

While grumbling unintelligibly under his breath, Jack decided to check on Tancred one last time before going to bed. His glare was directed to an invisible enemy that walked in front of him… an enemy that appeared to know the way to the Hospital Wing better than he did, because he got there faster than he expected. Somehow, he was not surprised to see Kenichi and Ralph sitting at both sides of Tancred's bed. The sandy haired boy was munching on a sandwich and sipping from a glass of lemonade… not surprising, either.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" cried Ralph, as soon as he saw the younger boy.

Jack sent him a mild glare. "Manfred happened to me."

"Manny? What does my brother have to do with anything?"

Jack started at the nickname, but said nothing about it. "He very expressively demanded that I stay away from you. Bloody fool wanted to kill me."

Kenichi and Tancred exchanged a frown.

Ralph looked at the annoyed green-eyed boy as if he had grown a second head. "Why would he do that?"

Jack grimaced. "It would appear that there's a family feud in the Slytherin bloodline between the Bloors and the Riddles… something to do with inheritance."

"Never heard of it," stated Ralph.

"Believe me, it's there," replied the currently green-eyed boy. He headed for the sink and grimaced at his reflection. His reflection grimaced back. His skin looked a bit paler than usual, which made his eyes and black hair stand out against it, more so because his hair had suddenly decided to go into Potter-mode and stand out in no apparent direction. His robes were no longer torn but they were wrinkled.

"That's quite the appearance, dear," said the mirror annoyingly. "Did you just wake up? That's rather irresponsible-"

"None of your business," growled Jack, splashing some water on his face and using it to make his hair a bit more presentable.

"Now, that's better, isn't it?" asked the mirror.

Jack frowned and after a second of going over it, he splashed water on the mirror as well. The mirror spluttered. "How rude!"

The boy gave it a devilish grin and returned to his friends. He directed his gaze to Tancred. "When are you being released from this place?"

Tancred shrugged. "Tomorrow night, probably. Which is good 'cause tomorrow is Thursday, and I don't want to miss Swallowraw's Friday class."

Kenichi's eyebrows shot upwards. "You wanna go to class?"

"Just to Swallowraw's. Hey… did you know Mr. Tiny left the day I got lost? Ms. Sanan told me… and she also said that he's coming back for New Year's."

"What!?" cried Jack and Kenichi at the same time.

Tancred nodded absentmindedly and bit into his sandwich. An uncomfortable silence followed.

Ralph cleared his throat. "If you guys don't mind, I would very much appreciate it if we could go back to the conversation we were having before my cousin dearest arrived."

"Be my guest!" declared Jack, throwing his arms in the air. "By all means, do not let my presence stop you. What were you talking about, anyway?"

"The stone I touched," replied Tancred. "I was telling them what it looked like; like a metallic tombstone… it was eerie. It was very, very thick, and it was kind of stuck on the side of a cliff."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "A cliff in the middle of the jungle? There was nothing like that in the place where we found you."

The Canadian boy rolled his green eyes. "Trust me, it's there. It just sort of shows up… I don't know how to explain it."

"Like most things in this place, actually," agreed Kenichi. "Magic is just confusing."

"Tell me about it," Tancred rolled his eyes. He stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. "M' ah-ired…"

"What?" said the other boys at the same time.

Tancred swallowed. "I'm tired… I'm going to turn in for the night."

The other three nodded and cleared the room after saying their good nights. Kenichi sighed when the door closed behind them and they began walking to their common room. "Did you guys notice any stone when we found him in the forest?"

Both Jack and Ralph shook their heads in denial. "Why?"

Kenichi frowned. "I don't know… there's not a lot of things that can cause you to black out just like that… or so magically powerful that they will paralyze your magic for a while if you touch them."

Jack cocked his head in thought. "Well, this island isn't exactly one to hold average magical items, judging from what we've seen."

"You have a point there."

The Japanese boy grumbled. "Don't you feel like we're missing something? I don't think it was mere coincidence that Mr. Tiny left the very day Tancred disappeared."

"Neither do I," agreed Ralph. "Manny has told me some nasty stories about that man… I don't know if I should believe him, but even my mom and dad seem wary of him. They both studied in Ingoldstadt, see? Desmond Tiny has been coming to the school even before that…"

"Which kind of stories?" asked Jack with morbid interest.

Ralph made a movement between an involuntary shudder and a shrug. "The kind of stories that will make you glance over your shoulder every few minutes."

Kenichi lifted his eyebrows. "Like?"

Ralph groaned. "They say he takes pleasure in people's agony and tragedies. There are stories that say that he has always been alive, because there's nothing human about him. That he seats through natural disasters as if he were watching a show… that he studies the dead and the dying to amuse himself, and that if he's not satisfied he will provoke more deaths to 'keep the fun going'."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

Ralph gulped and shrank away from the shadows. "There's a legend that says he can control everyone's destiny… he can travel through time and create situations that bring people together or tear them apart… he has created wars that way; never interfering in people's decisions but always present… whispering to them... and if you cross him… well, he might turn your life into a miniature hell."

"Do you actually believe this?" frowned Jack.

"Is there any proof?" asked Kenichi.

The three boys paused in front of the door that led into their common room. Ralph tore his eyes away from his friends.

"There's no proof that he can't do it," he answered cryptically.

Kenichi and Jack exchanged a glance. Without looking at his friends again, Ralph stepped into the common room and mumbled a feeble 'good night' before entering his room.

The only ones in the First Year common room aside from themselves were Neema, Otieno and Aaron, so Jack and Kenichi had no problem going into their own room silently. Once they were inside, Kenichi stopped by his bed and Jack leaned on the closed door.

Kenichi took a breath. "You don't believe what Ralph said about Mr. Tiny being able to manipulate people's destinies, do you?" he whispered.

Jack gazed at the dark window between their beds and felt a chill run down his spine. He knew it had nothing to do with the cold November wind. "I don't know…" he whispered back. "I don't want to believe it, but… there's something about that man that I can't place… something… evil."

---

He squinted at the slab of shiny rock before him. It was the way it had been described to him… dark grey, very thick, shaped as a tombstone, and lodged in the mountainside. He studied the symbols very closely… definitely runes. Unrecognizable runes.

The lightened tip of his wand cast a respectable halo of light around both him and the tablet. Pulling out parchment, quill and ink, he settled down on the ground and began copying each and every rune on the rock as fast as possible. Occasionally, his eyes would dart around him and into the dark jungle before focusing back on his work. An encounter with a grown Nundu would not do, though the animals were the last things in his mind that night. There could be something far more terrible lurking in the shadows… something, or someone, he would never be able to outrun, nor outsmart.

When he was done with the very last rune copied almost to perfection, he closed the bottle of ink and put it away along with the quill. It had taken him roughly fifteen minutes to copy down everything, which meant that now everything outside the halo of light was pitch black. He snatched the parchment and wand from the ground and started back the way he had come. Surprisingly, he met no one and nothing all the way back to the common rooms, and, finally, his dorm. Peaking in, he made sure his roommate was fast asleep before going in.

He rolled up the parchment (surely the ink would be dry by now), and stowed it away in his desk. He would share the information the next day.

---

"Jack, I'll say this the nicest way possible," began Kenichi slowly. "Why in the sweet name of a statue of a hippogriff in underwear did you go back to the jungle last night?"

The boy being questioned shrugged. "Felt compelled."

"Compelled!?" exploded Ralph. The other three shushed him. Ralph continued to speak in a lower tone. "There are Nundu in that jungle, you idiot!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Tancred blinked at him. "But why would you feel compelled? Looking for spooky slabs of rock in a dark jungle in the middle of the night isn't exactly popular, y'know?"

"Fine! I don't know why I went back, ok?" admitted Jack. He gave the sandy haired boy an exasperated look. He had chosen Thursday night to speak to his friends about his excursion, because Tancred would be back. They were sitting in his and Kenichi's room, where they knew they wouldn't be bothered.

"Did you at least find something?" asked Kenichi.

Jack stood up and went to his desk. He pulled out the roll of parchment and showed it to them. "I copied down the runes. I'd like to know what it says."

Tancred frowned at the scripture. "Probably 'Danger! High voltage!' or something of that sort."

"Lame, Torrson," said Ralph, though both he and Kenichi were smiling. Jack shook his head at him.

"We have a free period after Swallowraw's class," he stated. "I'll go to the library to check out some Ancient Runes books, you coming?"

"I am," said Kenichi. "Ah, and they're coming, too," he added, pointing at the remaining boys.

"Ho! Wait… I-"

"But-"

"You were going to say yes, anyway," shrugged Kenichi.

Ralph and Tancred exchanged looks. "Yeah, we were."

Jack nodded. "So tomorrow it is."

'Tomorrow' found Jack in the Dark Arts classroom sitting beside Amy Cooper: the blond and blue-eyed witch from New Zealand, and being lectured on pin-pointing the element each of them were to Wield.

"… other ways include a look into your personalities. This is the simplest way of telling which element is compatible with you. However, it is not very accurate, especially when the wielder is your age."

Jack sighed and rested his chin on his folded arms. He didn't like lectures. Sure, they were better than actually writing but they bored him out of his mind. Besides, Ralph's stories about Mr. Tiny were still turning in the back of his mind, and he couldn't concentrate. The Dark Arts teacher was still rambling.

"A Waterwielder," he was saying, "is most known for their adaptability to new situations. Water represents calm, easy going personalities. Unless they're angry, of course. Waterwielders take the longest to anger… think of a Tsunami. It takes some time to form, but when it strikes the consequences are devastating. You do not want a Waterwielder angry at you."

Jack glanced at the girl sitting beside him. Amy struck him as the water type of person. He had gotten to know her better in the last few days, since now their two little groups seemed to have merged. Aura, Isabel, and Amy were like the group's conscience now, though that did not mean that they would include them in all of their activities as of yet.

"Earth," continued Professor Swallowraw, "is represented by strength and stubbornness. An Earthwielder is firm; an Earthwielder waits and listens. It is also unpredictable… no one ever knows when an earthquake will strike, for example. Although Earth is usually viewed as useless by the other three elements because it is hard to work with, when wielded correctly Earth has more chances of being victorious in duels than the others. Keep that in mind, future Earthwielders.

"Fire is entrancing, passionate, aggressive, and unpredictable. It is also dangerous since it can consume even its caster… in more than one way. Like the other three elements, fire also has its opposite poles. A Firewielder can be from merry and warm, to hypnotizing and tricky… but they can also be snappy and violent if poked in the right places, or fed with the right fuel… not to mention, difficult to tame.

"As for Air, or Wind, the personality trait that stands out the most is lightness of being. Airwielders are commonly optimistic and playful… hyper in some cases… although, I would like to see a tornado or a blizzard with those characteristics. Air can range from a comforting breeze, to a treacherous hurricane when angered. The strength of Wind is usually underestimated because it cannot be seen, but if anything, that makes Air more dangerous.

"As you may have noticed, all four elements are highly unpredictable and not at all easy to control. There are many reasons why any one element would appear to be more powerful than the others, but I beg you remember that the four coexisting in harmony and balance makes our world. They are the four pillars that keep the earth together, which means that, in duels, what makes the difference between victory and defeat is the skill of the Wielder, and not the element itself."

The sound of Amy's quill distracted Jack from the lecture. She was scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

'Bored?' said the little note she passed to him.

Jack grabbed his own quill. 'Somewhat.'

She smirked when she read his answer. Amy then scribbled something else and passed back the note.

'You strike me as a Water or an Earth type.'

Jack's eyes widened slightly. 'Really? I see you as a Water type, too… but, anyway, what's so watery or earthly about me?'

Amy disguised her sniggers as a cough when she read his reply.

'Well, you're too docile to be firey, and not playful enough to be windy. But you are stubborn and determined; that's Earth. And I can tell you don't anger easily; that's Water. What's so watery about me, then?'

'Weeeell… nothing seems to remove that calm smile on your face. And your presence is kind of soothing… I don't know how else to say it.'

Amy's cheeks acquired a nice pink tinge, and Jack smirked when he noticed. He took her reply.

'Thank you, Jack ü.'

He smiled at her.

Once the class was over, the four boys got together and made their way to the library. It took them little over half an hour to find any books that might be useful in translating the runes on the parchment. To Jack's dismay, and the frustration of the other three, none of the books they had collected had similar runes to the ones on the tablet: the runes contained in the books were all composed by straight lines, but the runes they were looking for should be slightly circular… like spirals, even.

Ralph gagged and threw a wine coloured book on top of the pile of discarded books. Jack looked up from the passage he was reading and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I give up!" declared the hazel-eyed boy. "I can't even understand half of what I'm reading!"

Kenichi and Tancred looked up from their own books and shared a glance. "Maybe we should take a break?"

Jack marked the page of the book he had been reading and nodded. "I like how that sounds… and I think it's almost lunch-time, too."

"Oh, goody," commented Tancred. "Let's go, then." He stood up, swung his bag over his shoulder, and began to walk out of the library without glancing back. The other three watched his back, until the sandy haired boy realized he was not being followed. He turned around and cocked his head. "What are you waiting for?"

The other three burst out laughing, only to be scolded by the librarian and rushed out of the library. They left the place behind with stifled sniggers but hardly said a word to each other as they walked to the Dining Hall.

"Hey, Ralph!" called a voice from a hallway. It was Manfred. "Come over, I have to talk to you… dad sent you a message."

Ralph raised his eyebrows at his elder brother, and Jack narrowed his eyes at him. He had not forgotten their little duel and Manfred's insults. The hazel-eyed boy turned back to his friends.

"I'll meet you later," he promised, before turning around and following his brother, who didn't acknowledge any of the other three.

In the Dining Hall, Amy, Isabel and Aura spotted the three boys and waved them over to their table. The chatter in the Hall was louder and more cheerful than it had been in the last week… it seemed Mr. Tiny's absence brought back life to the school.

"Where's Ralph?" asked Isabel.

"His brother wanted to talk to him," answered Kenichi with a shrug. "Something about their dad."

The six began to eat earnestly after that, with little to no conversation between them, due to the fact that their mouths were busy chewing. Jack was about to bite into his steak when Ralph showed up in a huff and collapsed unceremoniously in the seat they had saved for him.

"The weak link in the chain, he called me!" complained the youngest Bloor to his friends, loading his plate with food rather savagely. "Can you believe it?"

"Well, you are rather pathetic," replied Jack, making the others snigger.

"Argh, go suck a lemon, Riddle," scoffed Ralph, before viciously stabbing a mushroom and chewing on it more fiercely than it was necessary, only to remember he didn't like mushrooms and spitting it out almost immediately, making the others snort and giggle into their drinks.

"Bloody hell! I hate those things! But seriously!" continued Ralph, ignoring his friends' amusement. "You're right Jack, there is a family feud between the Bloors and the Riddles. Manfred ratted me out, and my dad's not happy that I, and I quote, 'fell for a Riddle's charismatic bunch of lies and follow him around like a lost puppy', I mean… Hell!"

"So, you're the weak link in the chain for being friends with Jack?" asked Aura with a nonplussed look.

"Yeah…" sulked Ralph, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm supposed to hate him, see? My brother says there will be consequences if we stay friends."

"Consequences?" echoed Kenichi.

"What did you tell him?" said Jack.

Ralph gave his audience a triumphal smirk. "I told him he can shove his consequences where the sun don't shine."

The table burst out laughing.

---

Headmaster Taue looked up from his work when his Maths teacher barged into the room without so little as a 'hello', book in hand. The first he noticed was that she was in a rage. The second, that she was pulling Jack Riddle behind her by his arm. The third, that the boy was sopping wet. "Good evening, Professor," he greeted dryly, before glancing at the boy. "Riddle."

"Headmaster!" she shrieked, roughly pushing the scowling boy in front of her. "This… this little imp! He has flooded the dungeons!"

"I didn't do it!" retorted the boy savagely.

"Don't you lie, Riddle! I saw you coming from them!"

"I'm not lying! Coming out of the dungeons doesn't prove anything!"

"Oh! I will eat my head!"

"You just want me in trouble!"

"The nerve!"

"Silence," called Taue steadily. Both student and teacher looked at him. "Did I hear correctly? Professor Obex, are you telling me that a first year student managed to flood the dungeons?"

"Precisely! Everything is under water! It has even begun to leak to the upper levels!"

Taue lifted his eyebrows. "Impressive."

Obex was shocked into silence.

Riddle frowned at the professor, before addressing Taue. "Headmaster, the dungeons are indeed flooded but I had nothing to do with it! Water just came from somewhere, and I had to run so I wouldn't drown down there! Professor Obex was passing by and she assumed I was guilty because I came running through the door."

"You were the only person down there," retorted Obex. "The evidence points to you!"

The Riddle heir was about to retort when Taue interrupted.

"Professor Obex… I am aware that your quarters are located in the dungeons. As a Waterwielder myself, I will see to it personally that everything is recovered and safe. If you excuse us, I will speak to Mr. Riddle about his detention."

Jack felt his stomach flip. "But, Headmaster!" This was so bloody unfair! He had only been researching!

"Silence, Riddle," ordered Taue. Obex gave the frustrated student a smug smile of triumph and strutted out of the office. Jack felt his fighting spirit leave him.

"What is my punishment, Headmaster?" he asked dully.

Taue sighed. "Stay still, Riddle."

The boy gave the man a hopelessly puzzled look. Taue disregarded it and with a swift motion of his hands pulled all the water off Jack's clothes, hair, and skin, and then made a rather large sphere of water. "Sit down, Mr. Riddle," he said calmly, while stroking the water's surface. "I know you are not responsible for this, even though the evidence does indeed point to you."

Jack took a few seconds to shake off the shock, before catching himself and sitting down as requested. He ran his fingers through his perfectly dry hair in a daze. Taue seemed amused.

Sensing that his student was about to begin firing questions, Ingoldstadt's Headmaster turned the sphere into a ring and left it to rest on top of his desk. "You must excuse Professor Obex, Riddle," he said.

It took but an instant for Jack to be drawn to the man's voice. Like Rego's, Taue's voice had something mystical and alluring to it. He also noticed that Taue had the darkest skin he had ever seen in his short life.

"Our Maths teacher has had trouble adjusting to the freedom Ingoldstadt gives to the Dark Arts. You being the Dark Heir has her on her toes."

"No kidding," commented Jack dryly before he could stop himself.

Taue chuckled. "I can only imagine how tough it must be for you. How are you holding up?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the man from Kenya. "Why care?"

The Headmaster gave the boy a knowing smile. "I'm sure that question was not as straightforward as it sounded," he said, standing up and walking to a window. With a hand twitch, he called the water to himself and then let it fall inside a large basin below the window.

The boy in question stared suspiciously at the man. He couldn't be older that forty… when Taue remained silent, Jack started to look around. The office was octagonal and it had four windows, which meant they were in one of the many turrets. There was only one set of double doors made of dark wood, three enormous bookshelves, and here and there he could see what could only be souvenirs from Kenya itself. Wooden trinkets, pottery, some jewellery…

"Sir?" began Jack tentatively.

Taue moved his head slightly, but not enough to get a clear view of the boy. "Yes?"

Jack tapped the armrest of his armchair with his fingers and dug the tip of his shoe into the colourful rug beneath him. "Sir, how did you pull the water from me? I mean… I'm fully dry…"

Taue chuckled slightly. "I am a Waterwielder, Jack… you don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Jack shook his head. "As a Waterwielder I can manipulate water into whatever form I want, not just use it as a weapon. Have you not seen a Wielder at work already?"

"No, sir. We've only heard of them in theory."

Taue turned around and leaned on a wall. "I must speak to your Dark Arts professor about that, then… perhaps he can take you to watch the fifth years while they practice or duel. Now… for you detention…"

Jack turned his head so fast his neck cricked.

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow. "You may have not flooded the dungeons, but you did talk back to a teacher. And before you protest, let me tell you I know you were defending yourself, but I will have you know that there are better ways to defend yourself than losing your cool and snapping at people. Let this be a lesson for you."

The boy slumped in his chair with a groan. "What do I have to do? Um… sir?"

The Kenyan man smirked. "I'm sending you over to Professor Rego… I believe she has just begun a project that she is going to need help with. Go see her after dinner, and she will give you the details. I think she has wanted to give you a detention since you ran off to the forest in search of Tancred. Honestly, the way she speaks of you, I don't know if she wants to kill you or to adopt you… maybe both," he added with a chuckle. Jack gave Taue a look of utter disbelief.

Taue smiled in response and then his expression turned thoughtful. "Make that two who want to adopt you… Helen could give Nyah a run for her money in that department."

Jack titled his head and quirked an eyebrow with amusement. "Any more likely foster parents I should be aware of?"

The Headmaster pretended to think. "Hmm… well, Professor Amundsen practically worships you for your knowledge in Potions, and Professor Edere is hot on her heels. She claims she has never before seen a student who can catch on to Transfiguration as fast as you have." Taue laughed at Jack's gobsmacked expression.

"I thought they didn't like me!" cried Jack in surprise. "They're rougher with me than with the rest of the class."

The adult nodded solemnly. "That's because they know you have the potential to do much more than what you're letting on right now. So… run along. There's a detention somewhere in your near future and I don't want to be the one to rob you of your last hours of freedom."

Jack gave Taue a grim smile and stood up from his chair. "Fine, Headmaster. It was nice talking to you… in a weird, twisted way…"

Taue smiled one last time and showed Jack to the door. "I agree… it was most certainly… informative."

The boy smirked and left the office without looking back. He set out to his common room to find Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred, and tell them about what had just happened… and maybe find out how on earth was it possible to flood the dungeons. He grumbled to himself. This day isn't turning out to be a good one…

"Oi, Riddle! Your detention any good?"

Jack halted. And it's just about to turn worse…

Manfred.

Great.

"Say… mind if I escort you to your first session?"

Just fantastic.

"I'd rather not," groaned Jack in response, without turning around to meet the older boy's triumphant gaze. He did not wait for Manfred's next comment, but resumed his walk to his common room.

Manfred grinned. "Aren't you in the least bit curious as to why I know you got detention?"

"Were you intercepted by Obex-saurus?"

His cousin burst out laughing. "Nope… as a matter of fact, I knew you would be in the dungeons when I let the water in."

Jack froze. "What did you just say?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

Manfred leaned elegantly against a door and blew a strand of black hair off his face. "I didn't think Obex would buy it… magically flooding the dungeons seems to be above first year level, though no one ever said it would be above a second year."

Jack turned around slowly. "Care to share that knowledge?" he asked through clenched teeth.

The Bloor heir tilted his head. "Yes. I told you to stay away from my brother… you didn't. So consider this an act of war."

"You little-!"

Manfred smirked evilly and in one swift move opened the door and slipped through it soundlessly, locking it behind him.

Jack pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora!"

Nothing. He growled and walked to the door.

"Manfred! Open the door! Manfred!" called Jack, thumping on the door. The elder Bloor brother laughed in response. "Manf-damn you!"

The Riddle heir turned away from the door, swearing bloody murder and muttering a string of curses under his breath… the kind of curses that would make a sailor proud… or make Voldemort narrow his eyes at him and order him to eat a bar of soap…

"Phew, I can tell you are proficient in the arts of language," said a familiar voice.

Jack turned his head and almost choked when he saw Billy's cerulean eyes staring back at him, glinting mischievously. "Billy! What the hell are you doing here?"

The seven-year old albino laughed. "I missed you, too."

"Sorry…" muttered Jack, glaring at the door. "It's just my idiotic cousin… never mind…"

"Ralph?"

"Nah… Manfred."

"What'd he do?"

Jack sighed. "You know about the small library down in the dungeons?" Billy nodded. "Well I was down there researching some runes, and I heard a noise so I went to investigate… nearly had a stroke when I saw the Niagara Falls coming down the stairs. I grabbed my book and I ran upstairs, but when I got out Obex saw me and thought I was responsible, so she took me to the Headmasters office and I got detention. I just found out I was framed…" he finished with a bitter tone. "And Obex kept my book!"

Billy raised his pale eyebrows. "And he did that because…?"

"Because of a bloody family feud. I suppose his dad will be so proud of him," he sneered. "Even called it an act of war."

"You're not thinking about revenge, are you?" asked Billy warily.

Jack gave him a pointed look. "Didn't you hear what I said, Billy? This is war!"

--- º --- º --- º ---

A/N: Almost unbelievable, but I actually got the chills writing this chapter. See, it was three or four in the morning when I was writing about Mr. Tiny, and I was so into the story that I kept glancing through the window…