The next day Lelouch woke up with a smile. His roommates were already getting ready for the day. He got up from his bed, changed his clothes and brushed his teeth before turning to the portrait next to his bed.
"Good morning Nunna." he smiled at his sister. She yawned, blinked her eyes and smiled at him. "Morning, brother."
Lelouch chuckled. "There were new developments," he said as he checked himself in the mirror and brushed his hair. "Tell Cadogan to meet me at the Room of Requirement after lunch."
"Hai!" Nunnally answered.
He chucked his books on the drawer and turned to his sister. "So, what are your plans for today, Nunnally?"
She smiled in excitement. "Lady Tessa, of the third portrait from the second year corridor invited me for a tea party this morning!"
Lelouch nodded. "Be careful of the headmaster, don't be seen and don't mention Britannia."
"Alright."
...
He left for the hall with large steps and a serene smile on his face. Kallen's presence in this world reassured him quite a lot. Having someone to have his back made every difference, especially if it was Kallen.
He sighed. The day before was very emotional to him, he felt drained right now. They had a short talk about her last days on earth, about how his Zero Requiem had weighted on her and on those that were tricked by his play, among other things. They didn't have much time to chat back then, Lelouch insisted that she had to leave the room before someone else saw them. They were lucky Crabble was still under the effects of a sleeping potion. Kallen didn't care about it at all, but considering Lelouch's position right now in Hogwarts, and the fact she was a Gryffindor and a Weasley, things would be very hard on her if they started meeting regularly.
They would straighten things out today. He just hoped she wouldn't punch him again. His nose still hurt.
As Lelouch approached the Great Hall, plans and more plans appeared in his head. The presence of the red queen in the game created new opportunities and strategies that weren't possible before.
He arrived at the hall and glanced at her direction. Their eyes meet only for a moment before they separated again. He sat in his usual seat, beside Greengrass and Millicent. On the other side of their table, Malfoy was a lot more hesitant than before. He lost a hundred points for Slytherin because of Millicent, she was left immobile in front of a Troll and could have died at any moment back then. They said the Minerva gave him legendary scolding that could be heard by half the castle.
"Good to see you well, Black!" one of his housemates commented. Another patted him on the back. Lelouch smiled and traded pleasantries with them. He had already become the new face of the first years in Slytherin. Malfoy slowly fading into the background.
He filled his plate and started eating, noticing the inquisitive glances Daphne was giving him. It was obvious she would have questions about his relationship with Kallen. Lelouch would have to make something up to appease her.
As soon as he finished, he stood up and motioned for Millicent to not follow him. He climbed to the seventh floor and wished for his office in front of the Room of Requirement.
The large banners with the Black Knights crest welcomed him. This time, the room got creative and made two mannequins, just like he found in his mindscape when he was younger. One of them wore his Zero costume, the other one his Emperor robes, each one representing a different face of him.
He looked at the book on his desk and sighed. He was slowly learning about Mind magic. It was a very hard subject, especially to learn alone. From what he understood, the training in mind magic is normally done with two people. Even so, his studies were already helping him understand some things. Some years ago, when he first accessed his magic purposefully, he managed to access his mindscape, a metaphysical representation of his mind that was at the basis of this kind of magic. He tried to access it again but failed every time.
It was probably his mindscape that was giving these clues about his life to the room.
He sat down at his armchair and waited while he swiped his eyes through the book in front of him. Soon he heard the knock on the door and raised his head to welcome her.
Kallen entered with an expression of interest on her face, but not the amazement he was expecting. Well, he should have remembered that she already spent more than a decade in this bizarre world.
She looked at the banners on the wall and smiled. Even the Britannian crest didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes were fixed on the Black Knights crest, they were getting emotional.
"Welcome back, Q-1," He said with a smirk. "Are you ready for the next mission?"
She laughed back at him, cleaned her eyes and made a salute. "Hai, Zero-sama!"
He looked at her, nodded and let an easy smile on his face. "It is good to have you back, Kallen." She smiled back at him and took the chair on the other side of the table.
"So, what are you planning this time, Lelouch?" she asked him. "We are not in a war anymore, there's no reason for all...this" she waved to the room around them. Then she chuckled. "But then again, you wouldn't be you if you weren't trying to take over the world or something."
"Or something..." he sighed. "Most of my reasons for this start and end with the man who calls himself Dumbledore."
Karin blinked in surprise. "Dumbledore?" she said. "What's wrong with him? My family has been friends with him since ever. From what I've heard he played no small part in the fact that my father works in the Ministry today."
Lelouch asked. "I've heard from Daphne..." Kallen's eye ticked in irritation. "That the Weasleys were close to him. What can you tell me about the man?"
Kallen shrugged. "He has so many titles that I often forget them. Right now he is considered Britain's most powerful wizard. It was said that he was the only man Voldemort feared. He is the defeater of Grindelwald too."
Lelouch nodded pensively. "What is his relationship with Potter?"
Kallen frowned in confusion. "I think nothing? except, maybe, the fact that the Potter's are a family that is traditionally aligned with the light."
Lelouch hummed and started to describe his meeting with Harry in the park when he was younger, how he found clear signs of abuse on the boy and managed to involve the police and the child services, and how the old man wiped the minds of everyone involved, including Alice, with the tacit permission of the Matron of the orphanage.
By the end of it, Kallen was frowning, her face unusually serious.
"If that was all, it wouldn't be that worrisome." Lelouch massaged his temples and raised from his seat, approaching the mannequin that was wearing Zero's costume. He took the mask on his hand and inspected it.
"He somehow learned my old name and has been asking the portraits about someone called 'Lelouch vi Britannia'." He scowled. "I don't remember ever speaking my real name in this world."
That wasn't true, he said it to Alice when he was boarding the train to Hogwarts, but he was sure this had nothing to do with that. A muggle was still just a muggle to the people in the wizarding world and Dumbledore wouldn't go searching for a 'Lelouch' in muggle London.
Kallen widened her eyes in shock. "He knows your name, but doesn't know who you are?"
Lelouch frowned. "Strange, right?" he said. "No force in this world could have done that. It had to be someone from our dimension."
Kallen shook her head in disbelief. "Do you think he has some way to communicate with our world? That he knows about Lelouch being the Demon Emperor?"
Lelouch returned the mask to the mannequin and sighed in dejection. "I don't know...I have too little knowledge about this world to make an informed guess..."
He shook his head and continued. "He isn't the only person I'm suspicious of..." Lelouch sighed and turned to look at her. "There are things happening that I don't understand."
Kallen straightened up and nodded. "What do you need me to do, Lelouch?"
He smirked. "For now, I need you to be my eyes in Gryffindor," he said. "That's one of the reasons I don't want you to get involved with me. Keep an eye on my sister as well. She's prone to get into trouble"
Kallen scowled. "I am supposed to protect you, not be your spy."
Lelouch chuckled. "Don't worry, I am going to relieve Millicent from her duties as soon as I can."
Kallen scowled and crossed her arms with a light blush on her cheeks. "See that you do."
"Ah," Lelouch said. "I almost forgot. Room, I need a portrait."
In an empty wall, a portrait appeared, it was empty but for the rolling hills of grass moving on the wind. Kallen frowned "What?" She asked in confusion. Some seconds passed and she crossed her arms with an expression of impatience.
Suddenly, an armored man walked inside it. He was wearing a serious expression and holding his helm on his arm. He went into his knees and put a hand on his chest. "Your Majesty, have you requested my presence?"
Kallen blinked in shock. "Sir Cadogan?"
"Indeed, it is I.," he said, proudly. "And who might be this beautiful lady that is accompanying my lord in this pleasant morning?"
"How-Why-This is..." Kallen couldn't form any words and turned to Lelouch for an explanation. Lelouch smiled at the portrait and introduced her.
"Sir Cadogan, this is Dame Kallen Stadfeld." Kallen looked at him with a bewildered expression and tried to deny it to no avail. "You can think of her as your senior. She will also be your superior. Kallen is also a reincarnator like me and has been serving me and my family faithfully for a long time."
"What? no, I haven't!" Kallen sputtered. Lelouch rolled his eyes.
"She is an extremely skilled warrior and a superb knight. I am happy to have her in my service, please treat her well and heed her orders." He completed.
Cadogan nodded in recognition. "It is an honor to meet you, my lady Kallen. You must be impressive for my liege to accept you as his knight. I will happy to share a seat with you on the Round Table."
"No!, not Round Table!" she said and pointed at the banner on the wall. "Black Knights!"
Lelouch ignored her protests. "If you need to get any message to me, you can ask Cadogan to bring it. If you find Nunnally somewhere, you can also ask her, I am pretty sure she will be happy to see you again, Kallen.
"Nunnally?" Kallen tilted her head.
Lelouch didn't explain. "A happy accident." He shrugged.
Kallen sighed and parsed her mouth. "I will need to talk with my brothers about this..."
Lelouch frowned. "Your brothers?"
Kallen sat on the desk and explained to Lelouch, who was still beside the mannequins. "Fred and George..." She rolled her eyes. "I managed to keep my situation from the entire family, except them." she chuckled. "They found out when I was six. As they say, you can't trick a trickster..."
Lelouch opened his mouth in surprise. "How much do they know?"
Kallen tapped her chin. "Everything."
Lelouch groaned and facepalmed. "Shit..."
The memory of their last kiss appeared in his mind. Did they know about that as well? Damn...He didn't want to deal with a duo of siscon brothers. Things were bad enough already.
Kallen rolled her eyes. "They idolize you, don't ask me why."
His eyes ticked. At least there was some goodwill there...
...
Daphne walked through the hallway. She was searching for Julius, he seemed a lot more carefree after the troll incident, it had to have something to do with Karin Weasley.
She turned at a corner and noticed him approaching from the distance. Daphne hid behind the wall and waited. Why was she hiding anyway? it wasn't like she was doing something wrong...
At that moment she started to hear voices coming from the portraits next to her.
"Lady Nunnally, your hair is so shiny and soft...how do you care for it"
"Hmm, my oniisan brushes it for me, every morning."
"Your brother brushes it? Oh my! It must be great to have such a kind brother."
"Oniisan is the best! I will bring him to meet you sometime."
Oniisan? wasn't that Japanese for brother? Daphne took a peek at the portrait and saw an occidental girl with chestnut hair drinking tea with three older ladies. Daphne had never heard of a portrait having a sibling. Interesting.
It was at that moment that Julius approached. Before Daphne could call him out, the portrait of the girl called him.
"Oniisan! here!" The girl waved at him. Daphne's eye widened and she shrunk herself on the wall to hide from him.
Julius jumped in surprise and noticed the girl. He facepalmed. "Nunnally, how many times have I told you not to call me that around other people?"
"Ops?" she said with an inquisitive voice.
"Is that your brother? he is really a cutie, Lady Nunna!"
"Just...don't do that around people okay? it can pass the wrong message. I have class right now, Nunna, see you later."
"Bye, oniisan."
He left and went to the way of the charm's classroom.
Daphne stayed there in shock. What was that? The portrait...the portrait was calling him brother! Did he ask her to do that? why would he do it? How did he convince her...
Wait...her mother had told her about this kind of thing once...this...
...Is this what they call a fetish?
