A/N: Thank you very much for your reviews, Micchi-chan. Writing from a villain's perspective is always a nice change. Eris' revelation as the big bad guy behind scenes was probably a bit obvious but I know that I surprised you with the "Vinda Rosier" mask…and the shopkeeper being one of Eris' children.

Vinda Rosier, for those who didn't watch "The Crimes of Grindelwald", is a known follower of Grindelwald who doesn't speak much and has a secretive personality. She is seen killing a young Muggle child (off-screen) and has tea with Queenie.

In my storyline, Rosier is one of Eris' disguises. She attended Hogwarts and influenced some students who later became part of Grindelwald's Army...but I am getting ahead of myself. More about her will be disclosed...in due time.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter", "The Vampire Diaries", "Sherlock Holmes", only my original characters. Now, buckle up, for another chapter is waiting for you!

Trigger warnings: implied sexual assault (Kol Mikaelson, an Original Vampire and also one of Eris's champions), infanticide (traditionalist families), implied past self-harming

Chapter Twenty: Behind Bespectacled Blue Eyes

It had only taken some months for Myrtle to realize that Azure and Myrtle's wandless magic matched; the Slytherin's wandless magic was Air-related, while Myrtle's was Water-related.

This meant their bond was unusually strong, something that also applied when two people shared a Patronus corporeal form. According to Professor Merrythought, Dark Wizards were unable of producing a Patronus because their magic had become too corrupted. For the Auror recruits, mastering the Charm was part of their training; "happy memories" were needed.

A better definition of a "happy memory" - which also reminded Myrtle of Peter Pan's Pixie Dust – was actually an "intense memory". Strong but positive feelings were what the Dementors sought but as long as the wizard maintained the shield, the creature could never touch his victim and ultimately consume his or her Soul; Dementors would instead feed off the shield's magical energy.

If Azure's was a badger; Myrtle's was just a big ball of light, which was surprisingly advanced for four-year-students. But when it came to spell-casting, Azure was better than Myrtle; her friend's arsenal of spells – and fighting moves – was wide. She had seen Azure duelling older students, Riddle included, albeit that particular duel had been quite fierce, involving the use of constant non-verbal magic.

Professor Flitwick had once said that "intention is the key". It was thanks to that advice that Myrtle would finally be able to cast a Patronus, focusing on the memories of Keane when he patted her head, Grandpa telling them stories, Keane hugging Myrtle after her first owl died and her first meeting with Minnie.

But when she remembered the memories she had shared with Azure, Myrtle always felt something stronger. A special kind of intimacy, especially when her friend began behaving like a boy, no, a gentleman…

One of those memories was when they had danced at the wedding. During two days, she had made new friends and met people who were no longer "alive" in the strict sense of the word.

"So, I finally meet Cuthbert's favourite student…it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Warren."

"I was born in a world of wealth and glitter. Oh, and how glorious it was, to live in Vienna, married to a dashing young noble who I had loved from afar."

"Lord Elijah Mikaelson is an old Vampire. He is quite reasonable but when his family is being threatened, he is like any older brother. He removes the obstacle. He is methodical in his kills."

"I am Lexi Branson. My full name is Alexia, but don't call me that."

"I am Stefan Salvatore."

"Oh, Miss Warner, what a surprise to see you here..."

But she was certainly not expecting to find her favourite teacher. Almost no one could stand his classes without sleeping through them every Tuesday and Thursday. As for outside of the classroom, he was a loner – Peeves had even teased him that he and the Grey Lady would make a great pair – and only talked openly with people who he sincerely liked.

"I had a niece once but I might as well call her 'daughter'. The Mikaelsons were fond of her, especially Rebekah, who treated her as a little sister. I couldn't protect her from that monster...and God punished me."

Myrtle happened to be one of them. It was as if they were almost like…kindred spirits.

"Monsters with men's desires are the worst of the monsters we can find in this world, Miss Warner. Nora was innocent and he - Kol - stole it from her."

Professor Binns Professor had narrated bitterly, removing his spectacles and allowing her to see a pair of dark blue eyes…full of sadness and regret.

"Kol…means 'dark' in Old Norse. I saw true darkness when he killed me and after that. He was…the Dark Prince incarnate."

What he had implied was something that she, a well-read person, knew: the Bible had plenty of examples, mythology was full of it and finally, she had read too many of Shakespeare's works to be able to tell the difference when that kind of intimacy was wanted or not.

Men – of any species – could be monsters.

"Hey, Azure?" The aforementioned girl nodded absently before putting away her things in the pouch that was laid on the grass. "Have you noticed that Professor Binns is always absent during Halloween?"

"He is the only Ghost who does not join his fellow Ghosts at the banquet nor is seen inside of the castle. We always have someone teaching us History of Magic on that day. Last year it was Lord Draben," Azure recalled. "But why the sudden question?"

"Eleonora died on a Halloween," Myrtle answered cautiously.

The older girl bit her lip and folded her hands in her lap. "I see."

"In my second year, our class had a very serious lecture on Wizard-borns because Fawley commented that Wizard-borns were useless, even more than Muggle-borns," Myrtle said. "You can imagine Professor Binns was very upset; his only niece was a Wizard-born."

"The Hufflepuff Fawley, huh…that insensitive twit!" Azure spat disdainfully. "Did Professor Binns told you about what was entailed for children if they were born without magic, prior to the 1918 Wizard-born Act?"

"He did," Myrtle confirmed, reminiscing Professor Binn's grim ethereal face as he explained that traditional Pure-blood families would kill any confirmed Wizard-borns. According to Minnie, the Greengrasses, Rosiers, Malfoys and Lestranges were included. "After that Act, if a child of wizards was born without magic, he or she would be given up for adoption in the Muggle world, which is an improvement compared to being subjected to," she cleared her throat. "Infanticide. However, there was also a custom practised among the old families that the child was to be treated like a house elf; in other words, he or she could be subjected to punishments by the Lord of the house."

"Muggle-borns are mistreated, but Wizard-borns..." Azure seethed, balling her hands into fists. "Britain is so backwards compared to the rest of the world. And whose fault is that? The people who run our government: the Ministry of Magic!"

Myrtle nodded sadly. "When Professor Binns was alive, there was no such thing yet. Consequently, wizards and witches were not compulsively sent to Hogwarts. He was a self-taught Potioneer that served both Muggle and Wizard customers alike. Eleonora's parents had left her in his care when she was four years old. She was very sick because of the Black Plague."

Azure made a pondering noise before furrowing her eyebrows. "But who killed her and Professor Binns?"

"One of the Originals. This happened before the Vampire-Wizard Treaty."

Azure rose one of her fingers. "Not Lord Elijah; Professor Binns was a scholar and a poet, the kind that the elder Mikaelson tolerates the most when it comes to humans." A second finger. "And Lady Rebekah was very good friends with his frail niece."

"She would offer her blood and in turn, the Original fed her Vampire blood, which improved her health," Myrtle said. "They were as close as sisters."

A third finger appeared. "And Niklaus…"

"He possessed enough self-control to not tear Professor Binn's head off his shoulders whenever they met. Our Professor looks eerily like an older version of the Original Hunter," Myrtle replied. The truth was that he was Mikael's doppelganger. If he was two decades older and short-sighted, they could pass by twins.

"Kol," Azure scowled before clicking her tongue. "The second most sadistic Vampire that has existed, tearing across Europe and butchering lots of people? It was because of him and his older brother Niklaus we had a Dementor and an Inferi crisis in the Middle Ages, for Merlin's sake!" There was a pause before she regained her breath, mismatched eyes narrowing. "And the reason he killed our Professor was male desires?"

"If a Mikaelson wants something of you, you don't ask why. You just obey," Myrtle answered cautiously, almost paraphrasing Professor Binns. "But sometimes, the pain of what comes after eats away your will until you're nothing but a shell of what you were."

Azure shook her head in understanding. "Eleanora took her own life after Kol killed Professor Binns?"

"He bit him first, then broke and tore off his arms and legs. He removed Professor Binn's heart from his chest and compelled Eleonora to be pliant while he drank from her and…" Myrtle bit her lip.

"…Sexually assaulted her," Azure completed, eyes ablaze with anger. "Whether they're from a different species, males tend to have the need to assert their dominance over the opposite gender, not in an exclusive sexual manner, although that is something that Vampires revel in because it helps with curbing their appetites," she said between gritted teeth. "He almost turned her, didn't he?"

"She refused the transition by slitting her own throat with a hair-pin, one of Rebekah's gifts to her…she bled out in seconds," Myrtle explained mournfully, her fingers rhythmically touching her wrist. "Professor Binns said Rebekah herself daggered her brother after she found out."

"I do hope that Kol remains inside of his coffin," Azure said menacingly before folding her arms. "Although it would be preferable to the world in general if he had been killed with a White Oak stake to the heart but of course, not; that family has a tradition of carting around their own siblings."

"That does not apply to Rebekah anymore: she reunited with Stefan Salvatore," Myrtle pointed out. "No overprotective brothers around this time."

Azure laughed. Klaus' powers were removed by a witch! Not just any witch, but Quetsyah, the Bennet Ancestress who became immortal long before the Mikaelsons turned into vampires."

Myrtle giggled. The feared Klaus as a human? It was impossible not to laugh from this. "Katherine Pierce also got what she deserved; the past always catches up with us."

"That manipulative seductress as a human servant…" Azure smiled mischievously. "Lady Tessa is quite the woman. Still, I would not mind turning Petrova into a frog. Or a cockroach."

"An immortal witch and an Original vampire together," Myrtle remarked. "Such a turn of events."

"I bet they'll be married in less than one year," the Slytherin added with a grin. "Thank you for telling me, Myrtle. Sometimes, it is better to know the truth."

"'Any truth is better than indefinite doubt'," Myrtle quoted, the words leaving her lips naturally. Like Azure, she loved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books. John Watson was fascinating, but so was his partner, the titular character and private detective Sherlock Holmes.

Azure snapped her fingers, realization dawning on her face. "The Adventure of the Yellow Face, page 960. I like it, though this one is my favourite: 'You know a conjurer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick.'"

"'And if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all'," Myrtle completed, biting into her lemon cookie. "A Study in Scarlet, 1887. Part 1, chapter four and page…33."

"'What one man can invent another can discover'. And this one?"

Myrtle giggled. "Grandpa and Keane's favourite quote. From The Adventure of the Dancing Men. Page 525."

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