My Beta finally caught a break to preview this.
Enjoy!
(And, incidentally, Happy Birthday Anonymous Guest).
"There he goes!"
"The one with the glasses?"
"The one walking next to the black-haired boy."
"Did you see his face?"
"Did you see his scar?"
Adrian and Harry shared a quiet sigh as they moved through the hallways the next day, thoroughly ignoring everyone around them. It had been an uphill battle last night in the dormitory.
One downside to living with Ravenclaws, as they'd found out, is that they seem to think they're entitled to every bit of information; including personal information.
As soon as they entered the dormitory, upper years were already there and interrupting Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Prefect, to ask Harry question after question after question. All of which were either bizarre, personal, a mix of the two, or downright rude.
Eventually, they just approached Penelope alone on where they'll sleep and were directed to the circular dormitory room in Ravenclaw Tower. They marched past the crowd still asking questions and found the door before shutting it in many people's faces, locking it, and playing one of Slender's phonograph songs loudly, the bronze horn aimed specifically at the door for a few minutes.
They got ready in peace, only opening it about 10 minutes later at the quiet knocking of Penelope leading their fellow dormmates up. She gave the two a brief summary of whatever they'd missed in regards to bathrooms, library schedules, cleaning, etc.
Afterwards, they allowed a fairly normal question-answer between them and their roommates. The other First Year boys included Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Oliver Rivers, and Stephen Cornfoot. They curtly avoided any questions regarding Slender's mansion and where they lived other than the vaguest information they could give that would stop their questions. Thankfully, as they were new and extremely nervous, the others were more inclined to mind their manners and didn't press after the first refusal.
Eventually, they simply changed behind the curtains and went to bed. Harry was especially interested to find that the Ravenclaw dormitories had a similar sky enchantment to the Great Hall and the canopy had an open top, allowing them to stare at the swirling stars and galaxies above them as they drifted to sleep.
Of course, that also meant that in the morning, they got a face-full of artificial sunlight.
So, Adrian and Harry woke up first, still being off-set from New York time to British time. They had their showers and usual morning rituals, but couldn't seem to escape the morning crowd of people talking about them.
And now they were here, walking down a much-too-long hallway towards the Great Hall, seemingly passing every single student on the way.
When they finally got to their destination, they sat down at the end of the Ravenclaw table, purposefully avoiding any conversation or curious ravens trailing questions after them. They took some of the oatmeal and miscellaneous from the serving platters and quietly started eating. The highlight came when Nick arrived and sat down with them, despite the House difference.
"Hello." He said brightly.
Adrian sent him the darkest death-glare he could. He wasn't a morning person on a normal day; compound the 'Slender-lag' from the time shift, an exhausting amount of obnoxious people, and he was hungry? If gorgons existed in this world, then they had nothing on him right now. "Why. Are. You. So. Chipper?" He grit out.
"Because, it's a glorious day! The sun is shining, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming ("Actually, it's September, they're practically dead" Harry commented) and we're learning magic! Why aren't you excited!"
Adrian blearily glared at the undead corpse and then at the goblet of water in his hand. "I swear, if you'd taken a swig of this before you said all that, I'd dump this under the assumption it was drugged."
"~Good Morning Toooo Yoouuuuuu~" Nick sang. Adrian rolled his eyes and just worked on getting breakfast.
"So, how's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked, biting into a sausage.
Nick shrugged, "It's really cool. The dorms are down towards the cellars, but like the wine cellars, not a dank, creepy dungeon-y cellar. The common room's really cozy, too. Lots of plants decorating the place and even several tea plants right there in the common room with a communal kettle of water over the hearth. You need to bring your own mug, though."
"Sounds very earthy." Harry commented.
"It is," he agreed, "Professor Sprout is apparently our Head of House. She's the Herbology Professor and I swear that's her actual name."
"Ours is Professor Flitwick." Adrian replied.
"The tiny guy?"
"That's him. He's the Charms Professor. Apparently also a professional magic dueler, too." Adrian stated.
"So what're Ravenclaw rooms like?" Nick asked, interestedly.
"Well, I suppose they're the opposite of your room." Harry said thoughtfully. "Yours is close to the ground; ours is in one of the tallest towers. Yours is very earthy; ours is… 'Heavenly', I guess? Lots of stars, galaxies, and sky-stuff."
"Cool."
They continued eating and sharing some tidbits about what they'd done so far, who they'd met, and what they thought when a voice interrupted, "Ah, Mr. Brahms, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to."
They turned to see a kind-faced woman with flyaway hair and gardening clothes with an almost permanent layer of dirt on. She had a stack of papers in her hand and handed one to Nick. "I'm glad you promote Inter-House Unity, but it would be helpful if you could stay to your House table on the first breakfast and special feasts. It makes roll-call easier. Now, this is your schedule, please don't hesitate to ask the older years for directions. As for your friends, I see Filius making his rounds, now. Good luck and have a good first day!"
She waved cheerily and headed back to the table of yellow and black. Professor Flitwick soon arrived with a stack almost as tall as himself and used his wand to levitate two schedules to his own students. They began comparing the schedules immediately, noting they had most classes together, thankfully.
A little ways into the meal, Slender arrived with a large canvas under his arm and waved to the group before talking quietly with Professor McGonagall. She nodded and finished handing out her own schedules to the Gryffindor Table before motioning for the disguised guardian to follow her.
"Wonder what that's about." Nick commented through a bite of kipper.
"Probably regarding living conditions." Adrian added.
Harry turned to them, "Living conditions?"
Adrian actually looked embarrassed as he gave a weak smile and half-heartedly said, "Er, surprise?"
"Here we are." McGonagall stated as they approached a large wall with an iron door set into it. She waved her wand over it and the door vanished, revealing a medium-sized room with three beds, a few cabinets, a desk, and a window letting in the morning light.
"Now, Professor Dumbledore offered you a painting from our vast collection." She pointed to a painting leaned against the wall of a dour-faced man in a wig and purple/gold robes frowning imperiously from a somewhat garishly decorated portrait.
Slender's mouth quirked a frown, "I… appreciate the sentiment, but I believe we have a suitable portrait."
He gestured to the item draped in a tarp that he had with him. He took off the canvas and underneath was a large painting of a woman lying on a blanket in a pleasant meadow scene. A few clouds hung in the sky, blocking the sunlight and making it partially overcast, but still a pleasant scene overall. The painting had an ornate, but tarnished silver frame with a small plaque that read 'Family Portrait'.
"I… see?" The Transfiguration Professor watched the figure carefully, half-expecting it to move or give some indication of magic. How else would it take the password?
The faceless entity lifted the portrait easily and hung it over the entrance. He leaned in and whispered something to the still portrait before turning to her. "Thank you, Professor. That will be it. Oh, and if you ever need to talk to her, her name is Emily."
She nodded, confused. He had just talked to a still, muggle painting. Wizarding paintings, of course, they talked all the time, but a normal, muggle one? Was he… touched in the head, so to speak? Or possibly developing sudden delusions from exposure to the magical world?
"Mr. Lindermann!"
She turned, surprised, as Harry ran through the corridors towards the tall man. "Why didn't you say you were staying?" He demanded, breathing heavily from the run.
"I wanted it to be a surprise. Plus, the living arrangements were still up in the air," Slender replied evenly. He gestured to the painting hiding the room, "This is where we will be staying, for future notice."
Harry was cut off as the first bell of the day rang out. McGonagall fixed a glare on him, "Don't be late, Mr. Potter." She said warningly. He nodded feverishly and started running in one direction.
Slender chuckled as the footsteps came running back and Harry, once again breathless, asked, "Which way *huff* to Professor Flitwick's charms class?"
"Down that corridor, turn left, up the stairs to the next floor above. Room 437." She replied. He gave a quick thanks and dashed off in the direction she indicated.
The day went rather well, considering.
The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs shared a large number of courses together. Their first, Charms, was with Professor Flitwick. Harry liked the diminutive professor, even if he did seem startled when he found his name on the roll-call. It was doubly more embarrassing when he fell off of a stack of books he was using for height. Other than that, they began going into the applications and basic understandings of what charms as a whole actually were.
Following that was their first Herbology lesson, again with Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout showed them some of the kinder specimens from Greenhouse 1. They were simpler magical species that witches cultivated in small gardens, the equivalent of decorative flowers or cooking/potion herbs. None too hazardous, but Adrian still wore his dragon-hide gloves to keep his hands relatively clean of the fertilizer and dirt.
History with the Gryffindor House was taught by a ghost, much like the ones that were seen before the Feast, though Professor Binns didn't seem to be able to interact with much outside of the textbook which he read verbatim off of. People like Ronald Weasley had already started nodding off while the more desperately studious like the Ravenclaws and Hermione Granger, were practically stapling their eyelids open to keep from dropping like flies. The entire class was horrifyingly boring-
-until the Professor happened to look up. Whether a rote habit he'd developed years ago or something else, in all of the years he'd taught (and been dead), he would always glance up at the class only after reading the second sentence of the third paragraph of page 20 in the first year textbook; never again through the entire Hogwarts curriculum would he do so.
His rheumy, ghostly eyes wandered over the large collection of students, but he passed over a small section on the Ravenclaw half. His eyes focused for once in his afterlife on the students themselves and he trailed off from his unending lecture as he saw Adrian quietly taking notes and doodling on his notebook.
The class grew confused at the sudden change of pace and began murmuring to themselves, wondering if the teacher had always stopped right then and there. Professor Binns kept staring at the young raven, unable to shake the sensation that something was very off and very… wrong about him.
He quickly composed himself and delved back into his lecture on the Goblin Rebellion of 157 B.C., but at a much faster pace with slightly more 'presence' in his voice. It was certainly more memorable than his previous droning, but the specter kept casting anxious looks at the Ravenclaw student, always looking away hastily if the jet-black eyes met his own.
Dinner that night was a loud, rambunctious affair. Lots of First Years were anxiously clamoring to talk about the first day while older students were complaining about the workload and upcoming anxiety.
Nick had volunteered to stick around the Hufflepuff Table today to get to know people like Susan and Hannah. An older boy, Cedric Diggory was also pretty friendly, so they were pretty open to talk to.
Adrian and Harry on the other hand, had experienced the infamous Ravenclaw Anti-Socialism. Every student was practically nose-in-a-book or reviewing notes and weren't up for interruptions or polite chatter despite their earlier desperation to get to know the two. Adrian was perfectly happy with this and content to eat in silence. Harry 'popped' his lips in boredom between bites, gazing around at the heads and eyes just barely visible above a textbook or stack of papers.
Salvation for him came when two familiar, glamoured figures (and a canine) arrived in the entrance door. Nick pardoned himself from the Puff table and walked over to snag a seat at the Ravenclaw Table with Jeff and Toby close behind.
Jeff had his usual white-hoodie-black-jeans get-up while Toby actually had two differences to him. The paper mask was still firmly in place, but his arms had double-wrapped bandages covering them down to his gloves and buckled at his hip was a small, red canister sloshing with a strong-smelling liquid as he walked.
"So," Jeff said, sitting down and grabbing some stew, "How was the first day?"
The group relayed their studies and what they'd learned in the three classes so far. They glossed over the questioning and the night before, but could tell that it was implied and understood. Adrian (experimentally) vocally insulted the ravens on their social skills, and they shared a quiet snicker as not one seemed to leave their literary isolation.
"So how are things back at the Mans- at home?" Nick amended quickly.
Jeff shrugged feeding Smile some unglazed ham, "Solomon's just got us doing the usual chores, EJ's going nuts with this research stuff, and LJ's been a royal pain in the ass. Like normal, y'know?"
Toby nodded, "Yeah, but the jobs are actually pretty toned down. Sle… He's got us sticking around I think so we'll be here for you guys on the first week. Said something about telling his bosses he's on leave for this week, so the job flow's pretty low."
Harry nodded, "Sounds really boring."
"Not really, I've been studying those textbooks he got!" Toby proudly announced, "I bet I know your books better than you at this point."
"Really?" Adrian smirked, "Well then, what's Martengill's Law of Relative Magical Consumption with space-expansion charms."
Toby deflated, mumbling, "Well, I mean I'm not that far into the chapter, yet." He quickly perked up again, "But I can say I've been studying British culture."
"Really?" Harry asked, interested.
"I'm not buying it." Adrian said flatly, "What exactly did you research?"
"All the classics," Toby exclaimed, "Mitchell and Webb, Monty Python, and I even found a few episodes of the old Doctor Who!"
"Ooh, which one?" Nick asked, grinning.
"Tom Baker!"
"He's definitely a classic." Nick conceded, nodding.
Adrian sighed, "Toby, those definitely do not count."
"Oh, yeah?" The twitchy killer folded his arms, "I studied Dickens, too."
Adrian actually raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really? Wow, I'm impressed. Which works did you get to?"
"First off, I feel insulted," Toby pouted, "Also, it was a Christmas Carol."
"Which version?" Adrian asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Toby fidgeted and became mildly interested in the fork to his left.
"Er… um…" He mumbled sheepishly, "The Muppet one."
"I rest my case." The spirit said with finality, spearing a potato slice.
Jeff interrupted, "Anyways, so we're actually going to be sticking around tonight. That room with the painting Sol set up? That's the guest room for now, so we'll be available if you need us. Pretty much one person will be in the room at all times, but the rest may be… walking around, y'know?"
Harry nodded. Slendy had discussed the possibility of having the stealthier wards patrolling the halls at night to explore the castle as well as keep an eye on the wizards and wards. They knew how to 'vanish' pretty easily and, if need be, incapacitate someone without them knowing until they were bludgeoned over the head and would (most likely) forget the encounter completely.
The meal progressed pretty steadily until Harry finally noticed the smell properly, "Toby? Why do you have that canister with you?"
The masked killer glanced around and muttered, "I just got back from a job and didn't have time to change much. I've still got some cuts under the bandages and I completely forgot about the gas until we walked in the Hall."
Harry's eyes widened and he cast suspicious glances around the room, locking eyes momentarily with Granger as she stared concernedly at Toby's hip.
Is that…?
No, it couldn't be…
Although it certainly does look like it…
Hermione considered everything as she sat alone at the Gryffindor Table. She hadn't made any friends yet, but… it was only the second day… she'd find people… eventually…
In the meantime, she had the library and all the books and knowledge she could find.
However, the main point of concern at the moment wasn't her relative loneliness, but the mysterious people two tables down. She learned from the rumor mill (or rather overhearing other girls chatting through the rumor mill) that Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts with a family. Apparently he'd been adopted into a family who were rather unwilling to answer any questions put to them. Especially so, considering their intimidating guardian; Mr. Lindermann.
She was grateful he had managed to stop Ron from eating like a pig (at least for the rest of the initial Feast), but her skin crawled with how uncomfortable his terse responses and silence made her.
Now, there were two that had returned; the one with a complete disregard for the rules and brought a dog and another… odd one that she hadn't been able to talk to since he stayed at Ravenclaw. He wore a surgical mask and while she'd heard of people in Eastern Asian countries adopting that in the event of a contagious sickness or similar, that hadn't made it really to Europe. So, his surgeon's mask certainly made him stand out quite a bit.
Though, this evening, he walked in with his arms completely covered in bandages! She could see small splotches of red seeping through the fabric and gauze! What's more, he brought a small, red canister of petrol right into a school! At any normal school he would be taken away in handcuffs and the school would be under lockdown at the very least. Here, he waltzes through right under the professor's gazes and simply sat down with an entire liter of hazardous chemicals!
She had to report this, tell Professor McGonagall. The Gryffindors had her Transfiguration class this morning and she seemed reasonable.
Her eyes shifted slightly and she became aware of two piercing, green eyes staring at her. She didn't know what to do and maintained the stare for a moment before looking away nervously. She had to tell… or maybe it wasn't what she thought…
A small twinge of relief flooded her as she considered, perhaps it was simply a prank, a joke, or just an unfortunate circumstance that required a totally safe liquid being transported in a canister meant for flammable materials. After all, who in their right mind would carry around a canister of petrol?
She laughed at her paranoia, but still felt uneasy about it.
That in mind, she decided to wait.
And watch.
The dinner ended quietly. Harry would notice Granger occasionally glancing at Toby, but for the most part she didn't approach them, didn't question them, didn't call them out, and didn't do much of anything aside from look. When they got up to leave, Harry pointedly noticed that she stayed and didn't follow. He even double-checked as they walked away and he didn't see the give-away bushy, brown hair.
Toby and the others made their way to the portrait (the password for it being 'Ninety Two Entirely Evil Things to Do' for the time being).
The night was quiet and not one of the Professors or Prefects noticed an extra person stalking the dark halls, knife shining at their side or hatchet gleaming in the moonlight.
The next morning dawned bright as three Professors made their way through the hallway of portraits. The Headmaster was smiling politely despite the early morning. Professors McGonagall and Snape both looked ready to chew the head off of the first student to make any part of the normally-already-strict teacher's irritated.
Professor Dumbledore had instructed two house elves to wake Minerva and Snape an extra hour so they could freshen up early and follow him to visit their newest guests for a good impression.
McGonagall merely sat up as the creature vanished, muttering under her breath words spoken by the Scottish fishermen of her childhood hometown that would make even a foul-mouthed garden gnome blush to the ears.
Snape, on the other hand, had almost made a house elf shish kabob when he instinctively conjured a metal spike straight at the source of the unknown Apparation crack. Thankfully, the unfortunate elf (who lost the Draw Straws game in the Kitchens to wake the Potions Master) had anticipated it and ducked as the iron bar drove itself a few inches into the stone masonry. The elf squeaked out a "Pr'fessor Dumbley wants you awake, sir." Before popping out as fast as he could.
Thus, here they were, following their questionably-sane leader through the early-morning Halls of Hogwarts. "Albus, may I ask what's come over you?"
"Whatever do you mean, Minerva?" The Headmaster replied patiently.
"She means that perhaps you've taken one too many of those damned lemon drops and it's finally addled your brains." Snape hissed irritably.
McGonagall held up a hand towards the Potions Master, "That's not what I meant, Severus, and you know it."
"But you were thinking it." He remarked dryly,
She neither confirmed nor denied, "I just mean that why couldn't this have been done at a decent and humane time of day instead of 6 o' clock in the bloody morning!"
"Language, Minerva." The Headmaster chided calmly. She looked ready to transfigure his nose into a tea kettle as he continued, "I merely wanted to catch our guests early before any of them left or classes started to ensure we could provide them an invitation in person."
"Invitation?" Snape asked suspiciously, "To what, exactly, Headmaster."
"Oh, just a nice, quiet tour of the castle." The Headmaster said airily. "I want Mr. Lindermann to trust us with Mr. Potter's wellbeing instead of being a constant presence. So, I figure we shall give them a general tour of the classrooms, the owelry, the astronomy tower, the dungeons, (the dormitories), the hallways-"
"What?!" Snape interrupted, hearing the mumbled part, "I'm not allowing Potter's spawn into my snakes' dormitories!"
"Relax, Severus," Dumbledore assured him, "Mr. Lindermann will be present as well. I'm sure Harry will be under careful watch." His calm airiness turned serious and stony, "We need Mr. Potter here at Hogwarts. We cannot allow Mr. Lindermann to feel uncomfortable with this choice. Perhaps showing him around will assure him that everything is safe."
"Except for the third floor." Snape countered.
Dumbledore shrugged, "Oh, we'll just… touch on that, yes? Say it's under renovations at the moment?"
"Renovations that cause people to 'die a painful death'?" He quoted.
The old man winced slightly at his word choice repeated back to him, "Hmmm… muggle construction sites are rather dangerous. Falling bricks and stones, magical ward imbalances, they all qualify as 'painful deaths', so we just assure him that it's only temporarily dangerous." He emphasized.
"I still don't understand why you feel the need to have those in the first place. I mean, a chess set?" McGongall said tersely, "I could do much more that would help ensure the Stone is better guarded."
"Careful, Minerva," Dumbledore said, glancing about, "It's unwise to speak so freely."
"Of course, Headmaster."
They reached the portrait in question. Dumbledore knocked on the frame and they stood, watching the girl in the portrait facing away from them towards the meadow behind. After a minute, the headmaster coughed, but the portrait didn't move an inch.
"Miss?" He said calmly, "I wish to speak to you."
Nothing.
"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Snape snarled, striding forward. "This is just some muggle portrait. I have no clue what this man intends to pull, but I will not be played for a fool!"
He lifted the portrait off the wall hook and-
-stared at the blank wall underneath. To be sure, the Potions Master put his hand against the wall and felt only the cold stone of the castle. "Minerva, are you sure this-"
*teeheeheehehe*
He stopped as a tiny, tinkling sound of laughter was heard from his hand. He looked down at the portrait and slowly placed it back on its hook. The girl was still facing away from them, but a tiny bit of her head had shifted so her face was more visible.
"Ah, my dear, hello." The Headmaster said cheerily. "May we speak with you?"
The girl finally moved. She was a fair-faced young woman in an old, white sunhat covering curly, brown hair. She got up off of the picnic blanket and smoothed out her white and blue dress before walking towards the portrait 'window', her figure growing as it approached. Finally, she was right at the window almost like an actual person just through a doorway.
"Could you please open, Miss?" Dumbledore requested kindly, eyes twinkling.
She grinned cutely, but shook her head. Dumbledore's smile twitched as he tried again, "Miss, I am the Headmaster of this great school and I am requesting entry to speak to the occupants."
Her grin was still in place, but her head angled down, shadowing her eyes a bit sinisterly. She shook her head again and spoke in a melodic voice, "No password, no entry."
The old man felt affronted, "Now see here, I am the Headmaster and I refuse to be barred from a room in my own school!"
"Professor Dumbledore," McGongall asserted loudly. The tension dissipated as the three others turned to her. She addressed to the portrait politely, "Now, Ms… Emily, was it?" the portrait nodded, "Could you possibly contact whomever is inside the room and tell them we wish to speak to them as soon as possible."
The girl dipped in a brief curtsey before running off through the field behind her and approaching a tall, oak tree just above the picnic site. She ducked behind the tree trunk for a moment before returning and resuming her position on the picnic blanket.
A moment later, the portrait swung open on a hidden hinge. Mr. Richards stood, blinking blearily at them, his lower face obscured by his almost ever-present surgeon's mask. "Waddayawan?" He slurred.
"We wish to extend an invitation to you and your family," Dumbledore said, undeterred, "Is Mr. Travis in? I understand he was with you last night."
The boy seemed to need to think it over before his eyes widened slightly in realization and grunted towards a lump of a figure still sleeping, completely hidden under the covers, with his large Husky dog sprawled on top. Snape sneered at the unsanitary space, but didn't say a word.
The old man nodded and handed the young man a letter, "I suppose you could give this to Mr. Lindermann next you see him, yes?"
Toby nodded as he took the letter, tossed it on the desk and collapsed in the bed fully-clothed as the portrait swung closed.
They started walking away as McGonagall began sputtering. "T-that's it!? Just… throw them a letter and walk away? We could have done that anytime!"
"Yes, my dear, but we've learned far more than you believe," The older man replied evenly, "Severus, perhaps you noticed?"
"The beds." He muttered, eyes narrowing a tad.
Dumbledore nodded. "There were three beds, presumably one for Mr. Lindermann himself, one for Mr. Travis (and, evidently, his dog), and the last for Mr. Richards. Of those three, only one had someone in it and the other two were almost completely untouched."
Minerva frowned as she vaguely recalled that. Dumbledore continued, "The bed Mr. Richards just dropped into was previously made and precisely kept by the house elves as was the other bed for Mr. Lindermann. However, I distinctly recall Mr. Lindermann visiting just briefly late last night to go over some paperwork I owled him about."
"So, neither Mr. Lindermann nor Mr. Richards slept in those beds." McGonagall surmised. Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "But I told you how Mr. Lindermann is perfectly capable of travelling on his own, perhaps he simply decided to go home. Perhaps Mr. Richards accompanied him and only just arrived this morning?"
"That is a distinct possibility, Minerva, though I wouldn't approach them directly about it. Perhaps that is correct or Mr. Richards may simply be an insomniac and decided to walk about or read last night. I find it a common pastime, myself." He admitted. "Additionally, I don't want to scare them away so early. Perhaps learn where they go over time and if this is a frequent occurrence, but at the moment we'll do nothing and simply let the letter run its course as a normal invitation to a tour this afternoon."
Breakfast was a normal affair. Adrian was, per usual, still cranky… and slightly homicidal towards any questions this early in the morning. Harry just spread marmalade on his toast and ignored the irritable spirit.
A few minutes in, Jeff arrived with Smile trotting behind him. They chose a section of the Ravenclaw table that was pretty much isolated from the others and it was early enough that there were few others anywhere. Jeff grabbed some bacon and sausages and fed Smile a small plateful before serving himself.
"Where's Toby?" Harry asked. The masked teen didn't follow them in.
Jeff shrugged, "He's in the room, sleeping. It was a pretty long night."
Jeff glanced at the front table where three teachers were already sitting, engrossed in their own worlds as they read the paper or graded some papers. He leaned in and murmured just above hearing levels, "So, we got some visitors this morning."
"Huh, who?" Harry asked.
"Those three; Gramps, Granny, and Greasy." He gave a slight gesture towards the three at the Head Table. "Came really early, too. We had just finished shifts. I got 10 to 2, Toby took 2 to 6, but he stayed up until his shift began so he didn't really get to sleep. They arrived literally a few minutes after Toby settled in. I had to duck under the covers because I couldn't wake up enough for a glamour. Toby wore his mask, so he was okay."
Harry nodded, remembering one time Toby walked downstairs without a mask and half-awake. His glamoured cheek flickered in and out of existence, alternating between normal skin and a gory gash. Jeff continued, "Turns out, they gave us a message, something about a tour of the castle, I think. I dunno, I was half-asleep, too."
He handed them a letter with a small, red seal with 'Solomon Lindermann' on the front. "So, should we send it out?"
Adrian considered the letter he was holding, "I can ask Scath to take it."
"Who's Scath?"
In response, Adrian let out a low whistle, not drawing too much attention. Then, a black shadow flew through one of the owl windows at the top of the Great Hall, circling the room once before landing in front of Adrian. A few students noticed and tracked the bird as it glided down in front of them. Jeff handed over the letter which it grabbed in its beak and immediately flew off.
Meanwhile, up at the Head Table, the three teachers awake at this time watched the familiar, dark bird take off with the invitation they had sent and weren't all too surprised when it returned not five minutes later with a small parchment reply. The older teen read the letter and nodded before crumpling the reply in his pocket.
A moment later, another bird of the same variety arrived carrying a letter addressed to Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore,
We are grateful for the opportunity and would all like to attend this afternoon for a tour of Hogwarts.
-Solomon Lindermann
Short and brief, but to the point, however by the time Dumbledore glanced up from the letter in his hands, the other letter recipients had disappeared.
Harry, Adrian, and Nick walked to their shared Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Transfiguration Class later that morning. However, Jeff, Toby, and Smile all followed behind, Toby having woken up intent on going to a magic class, too.
The second they walked through the door, Toby gasped sharply and ran the length of the classroom, shouting, "Kitty!"
He ran straight to the desk and picked up an orange tabby cat lounging on the surface and immediately started petting it in the crook of his arm. The surprised cat couldn't position herself to get out of his grasp or scratch his arm, particularly with those bandages over his skin. Harry, on the other hand, was amazed the feline could manage to convey a complex facial expression as fear, indignation, and resisting the urge to purr simultaneously.
Jeff held onto Smile's leash tightly as the dog growled at the feline a few feet away, but didn't make any other signs of aggression.
Probably for the better when Toby finally let the cat slip out of his arms and it immediately shifted into Professor McGonagall, stiffly glaring at the shocked teen and the bewildered dog with a faint dust of red from embarrassment. "Mr. Richards, for future reference it's generally a poor decision to grab a cat, no matter how experienced you are with them."
"You doubt my petting skills?" Toby smirked.
The blush deepened as students struggled with silent laughter, "That is not the message to convey, Mr. Richards. Now what are you doing here?"
"We wanted to stick around to see some of the classes," Toby replied perkily. One of the Ravenclaw Purebloods muttered angrily about 'muggles', 'undeserving', 'knowledge', and 'ridiculous'. They were ignored.
"Then, please take a seat somewhere and do not be disruptive!" She sternly replied. Not wanting to get kicked out, Toby sat in one of the corner seats, still with a good view of the chalkboard, but out of the way of the main two groups of students. Jeff and Smile took two in the very back, content to entertain themselves while only partially paying attention.
McGonagall began her lecture by changing her desk, briefly, into a pig and then back again. After that, she began the conceptual analysis of transfiguration and its laws. Finally, she gave them each a matchstick and instructed them to turn it into a needle.
Most of the lesson was largely uneventful, but Nick and Adrian both managed a reaction with their wands. The amnesiac setting his match tip on fire while the bug enthusiast managed to reduce his to silvery, metal filings. McGonagall explained it was simple-enough mistake and gave them new ones.
By the end of the lesson, only a few of the Ravenclaws managed to work their match into a needle. Harry and Adrian being among the first to complete it, but still had to purposefully hide the power of their custom wands. Toby, on the other hand, was groaning with his hand to his head, still swimming over the confusing mathematical applications and theory to transfiguration the Professor spent a solid hour discussing.
The lesson afterwards was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrel. The entire course had potential, but was largely composed of incomprehensible stuttering and an overwhelming stench of garlic that put Smile on edge. The running rumor was that Quirrel kept garlic in his turban for a horde of vampires he met in Albania. Personally, Harry thought he learnt more on self-defense from Masky and Hoodie than this stuttering, nervous wreck could ever accomplish.
His idea of 'defense' is 'run away screaming and hope whatever it is that's chasing you doesn't get wise enough to follow the sounds of your screams to where you're hiding'.
Thankfully, that was the last class of the day and almost immediately after, Mr. Filch approached the Professors at the Lunch Table regarding multiple guests having arrived.
Slender had walked in with BEN, Sally, EJ, and LJ in tow. Jeff and Toby started talking with the group about what the lessons were like as Slender talked briefly with Professor Dumbledore. The old man nodded and smiled genially in the soft-spoken conversation before he turned to the four Heads of Houses at the table and they finished up their Lunches. Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick collected Harry, Nick, and Adrian from their tables and led the group out to the Great Hall.
Once outside, Professor Dumbledore spoke, "I'm afraid the Minister has seen fit to request a rather sudden meeting this afternoon. I'm afraid I will be indisposed for the rest of the day." He ignored Snape's muttering against Fudge and turned towards the Gryffindor Head, "Minerva, I trust you to be able to give an excellent tour for our guests. Yes?"
She smiled at the group and nodded, "Of course, Headmaster." The old man left in the direction of his office. As soon as he was out of sight, the Potions Master huffed.
"I will be available only for the few minutes of the Slytherin Common Room tour," Snape said tightly. "I will be in my office. Alert me when I am needed." With that, he left towards the dungeons, black robes billowing ominously in his wake, faint mutterings fading in the distance.
McGonagall suppressed a sigh before leading the group along the halls. First, she showed them the owelry and explained the basics of owl post and owl care. Nick was greeted by Hedwig, who preened at the adoration from Sally. Adrian gave a faint smile at Scath sitting ominously on a rafter completely devoid of owls, the closest whom eyed the shadowy messenger bird apprehensively.
A short walk after with Professor Sprout leading got them to the Hufflepuff dormitories. She told them the passcode barrel-tap (even Harry and Adrian) on the basis that the house doesn't really care to exclude anyone from the common room. The room was hidden behind a false barrel top as tall as the ceiling embedded in the wall that would open with a wand tapped to the tune "Hel-ga Huff-le-Puff" or would douse the intruder in vinegar if they failed their attempt.
It was like Nick had described. Very cozy with warm, earthy tones in the furniture aside from a few banners with bright yellow and black patterns. The center had a huge hearth with a large cast-iron pot steaming above it with several large bushes in pots along the walls with labels like 'rose hip', 'jasmine', 'Camellia', and so forth.
They left and walked up several flights of stairs while being shown the astronomy tower, Quidditch pitch, and greenhouses through the windows on the way until they found the Ravenclaw eagle statue. Flitwick answered the riddle it presented and gave a short lecture on the history behind Ravenclaw and the Dormitory. Harry and Adrian even showed the artificial sky above their dormitory beds, which impressed Sally immensely.
On the way to the Gryffindor Tower, McGonagall made sure to point out her own office along the way. They approached a large portrait of a heavyset woman in a pink dress when McGonagall spoke 'Caput Draconis' and it let them inside a richly decorated red and gold common room. Several comfortable-looking armchairs huddled around a fireplace while many more littered around with tables and desks nearby.
The Transfiguration Mistress happily told them some of the history of Gryffindor House and the Common Room. As she spoke, students milling around excitedly whispered about how Harry Potter was in Gryffindor at last. Several presumed he had been re-sorted and the rumor spread like wildfire until the youngest Weasley bounded down from the stairs to the boy's dormitory and walked right up to the still-in-Ravenclaw-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Hiya Harry! I heard about your re-sorting. About bloody time, I'd expect to go mental being around those know-it-all Ravenclaws all the time."
"Mr. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, mortified. She was internally grateful Filius had to leave shortly after the Ravenclaw Tour to deal with some of his students. She was rather certain Mr. Weasley would find some aspect of himself charmed in an uncomfortable manner. The redhead looked like a deer in headlights as he finally noticed the stern professor's presence. He paled even faster when he saw the unblinking, onyx gaze of Slender as well.
"Mr. Potter has not been switched to Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore saw fit to provide his family a tour of the castle and Mr. Brahms and Mr. Thresher are here as well." She spoke tersely. Ron, wisely for once, kept his mouth shut (though, the imposing presence of Slenderman might have helped). He quickly fled back upstairs without a word of apology and McGonagall continued with the lecture, but the cheery atmosphere had left.
The Gryffindor section finally came to a close and the group left with a large amount of red-and-gold students whispering as the portrait door closed.
Finally came the last part of the tour (the part McGonagall was silently dreading). She led them down the many stairwells, drawing things out by giving extra mini-lectures on the history of certain paintings or an archway or something, but in the end she was still at her colleague's office door.
She knocked three times and it was opened almost immediately by the intimidating Potions Master. "It's time for the Slytherin Common Room tour, then that's the last." She said curtly.
He didn't say anything in response, rather just waving his wand over several potions brewing and putting them in stasis as he followed them further into the dungeons. They arrived at a stone wall with an engraving of a snake coiled around a staff. "Machiavelli" Snape uttered.
The wall opened inward and they filed inside. Snape sent his worst glare to every single snake in the room and they quickly fled out the door or to their rooms, while still casting dirty looks behind them; some outright infuriated that 'muggles' were let into the Slytherin Common Room. After the mad scramble of students, Snape turned to the group and spoke softly, "This is the Slytherin Common Room, as you've undoubtedly surmised. Do not leave here as students may not take kindly to strangers being by the dormitories. You may look about, but do not touch anything."
The three Hogwarts students were impressed at the common room. It was a lot darker with a dreary feeling. Very unlike the Hufflepuff Room. The air was slightly chilled and there was a faint smell of lakewater constantly around, but without the mildew or 'fishy' smell it usually comes with. The windows were tinted, but let in filtered green light that seemed to shimmer against the glass.
The others began to wander around, under the watchful eye of the Potions Master and Deputy Headmistress. Minerva had only been down to this room on few very rare occasions and was not eager to stay for long.
Slender walked up to Snape almost immediately, "I'm impressed. This seems like a very quiet room."
The potioneer raised an eyebrow, but nodded cautiously, "You'll find that, unlike Gryffindors, we respect each other's desire for privacy and peace. Loud noises or games are taken to a side-room just through there, this room is primarily for studying, reading, or relaxing in relative silence." McGonagall's mouth tightened at the jibe against her house, but remained silent.
"Although, I am curious where this room is. I'm trying to mentally figure out the castle."
"We aren't actually within the castle walls that can be seen from the outside," Snape admitted. "The entire common room, here-" He gestured upwards.
"-is under the lake."
Above them was a large, circular glass window letting in light filtered a light, murky green with the occasional fish or lake debris drifting by.
Slender's heart froze as he whirled around to find-
BEN.
The young blonde was directly beneath the window, staring upwards and rigid as a statue. His breath was coming out in short, halting gasps and his eyes darted around unseeing. "BEN?!" He exclaimed.
The boy's breathing became more erratic as he started hyperventilating. Each out-breath was accompanied by unintelligible, whimpering attempts at speech. He suddenly looked down, eyes screwed shut and his arms grasped around his head, hugging it awkwardly. BEN bolted straight at the door marking the exit and flung his body against it frantically, only making the door thud loudly with each impact.
Snape and McGonagall were completely confused and alarmed. Out of nowhere, one of Mr. Lindermann's wards suddenly goes into a complete fit and starts trying to injure himself in the process.
BEN finally took his hands off his head and found the doorknob. It took a few tries to get the door fully unlatched but once it was, he shot straight out the door and down the empty hallway, not hearing any of the cries behind him.
Snape and McGonagall were following closely behind as Solomon took enormous strides to catch up with the panicked boy. They followed the choked breathing through the many hallways of the dungeons until they finally found him squatting in a ball in the center of an empty hallway. The Transfiguration Mistress was about to approach when a sudden bolt of lightning shot out from the boy's form towards a metal sconce nearby, startling her back.
The arc blew apart the magical ember of Ever-Fire and the sconce went dark, the dimmed light revealing the multitude of tiny tendrils of electricity now jumping from around his form. Solomon calmly walked forward towards him as the other wards finally caught up.
The guardian ignored the dangerous arcing around him as he knelt in front of the blonde and started speaking lowly. A few seconds later, the lightning subsided and BEN fell down, curling into a fetal position as Solomon picked him up.
McGonagall broke out of her hesitation and rushed up, "Mr. Lindermann, what in Merlin's name happened?!"
Slender was already walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing, carrying the still form in his arms, "I'm afraid Benjamin suffers from severe anxiety, especially near water. I should have warned you prior, but I hadn't expected something quite like this."
"Mr. Lindermann, I can fetch a Calming Draught if he needs it." Snape suggested. McGonagall was honestly surprised at the offer while Slender just nodded in appreciation.
"No, thank you, Professor Snape," he replied, "I believe the worst of it is over. He's had panic attacks prior and he should recover with time."
"And the electricity?" Snape asked, pronouncing it correctly.
Slender shrugged, "That's actually new to me. As far as I can tell, he's never done that before, but then again, he's never been directly beneath water before either since the incident that caused this phobia in the first place."
Neither professor decided to mention it further. They made it to the hospital and Madame Pomfrey had BEN set into one of the beds before immediately casting a multitude of diagnostic spells and charms over him before Slender could object. He waited in tense silence as she read the readings, praying the glamours held up against whatever magic that was.
At length, she nodded and turned to him, "Aside from the panic, he's perfectly fine. He seems to have retreated into himself, for lack of a better phrase, but it doesn't seem comatose. I suspect he'll be like this perhaps a day or two at most. Is it alright to keep him here for the time being?"
Slender, relieved at the save, nodded, "Thank you, Madame." He turned to the Deputy Headmistress, "Professor McGonagall, I believe we can conclude the tour on that note. Don't worry, this was entirely my fault and I apologize for it. I'll take my wards back shortly after Dinner tonight, is that alright?"
McGonagall was extraordinarily relieved that this accident hadn't driven the guardian off. What's more, he didn't place any sort of blame on the school at all. She watched as he met with the rest of his wards just arriving and followed Adrian towards the library, presumably to wait until dinner.
The Transfiguration Mistress approached the bed with the small, unconscious form. There were no marks that would suggest the lightning that erupted from his body just moments before. She turned to Madame Pomfrey, who was documenting his patient information on a clipboard. "Poppy? May I ask you something?"
"Of course, Minerva." She paused her quill scratching to look up at her.
"During his diagnostics… did… did you find anything odd with a magical core of sorts?" She asked cautiously.
Madame Pomfrey shook her head, confused. "No. All of the scans indicated he had no functional magical core in him. It's expected from muggles, after all."
McGonagall nodded, smiling faintly, "Of course. Yes, how silly of me, though…" She glanced around quickly, confirming the solitude, "May I inform you of something of a secret?"
"I maintain doctor-patient confidentiality all the time, Minerva," the nurse assured her. "I'll be sure to keep it."
McGonagall hesitated, wondering where to start. "It's just that… at the Alley, I brought the entire family to the Leaky Cauldron. Before I had the chance to even inform them of the pub, they had already spotted it. All of them, too. Now, just moments ago, this boy was in the midst of a blind panic and was… sparking with eklektrity or whatever muggles call it."
Madame Pomfrey frowned and waved her wand once more over the still form. A moment later, a small orange light glowed at the end of her wand and she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Minerva, but the scans say he's just as muggle as anyone else. No stable or functional magical core."
Minerva sighed and nodded. All forms of magic confirmed they had to be muggles. Mr. Lindermann, himself, claimed they were nonmagical, yet so much seemed to contradict that.
She walked away from the nurse, who moved on to an unconscious patient who suffered a potions mishap earlier in the day.
She had to tell Dumbledore, she supposed.
Dinner was slightly solemn for Slender's wards. BEN being in the hospital wing caused Sally to fretfully shred some spare parchment in the library (to Madame Pince's agitation that the shredding sounds were her precious books instead). During dinner, she resumed the nervous habit with several paper napkins, forming a small, growing pile by her near-empty plate.
At the Hufflepuff table's encouragement and prompting, she eventually enjoyed enough dinner (particularly in time for dessert, to her delight).
A main highlight of the meal came when harry ran upstairs in the start of the dinner and came back with a familiar cat-being in his satchel.
Sally walked over and spent some time petting the rodent/feline-thing as several students started to take notice.
"Oi, Potter." Called one of the upper year 'Claws. "What kind of cat is that?"
That grabbed the attention of the others who were not staring at the tiny, yellow muzzle poking out of the satchel to nuzzle Sally's hand. The nearest ones tried maneuvering to see it, but BRVR just became anxious and started retreating into the pouch.
Finally, Harry sighed and murmured to his pouch before taking out his Partner in (murderous) Crime and placing it on the table with a small plate of fruit slices and some beef cuts. As it munched on the meal, the student body stared curiously, or (particularly with muggleborns) amazed. Ravenclaws noted the odd, bright yellow fur coupled with extremely prominent red cheek circles, a curiously-shaped tail, and rather sharp teeth and claws.
"I-is that…?" One of the muggleborn hufflepuff upper years had their eyes practically popping out of their head. "Is that a real Pikachu?"
BRVR grinned quietly and sat on its haunches, raising an arm and mustering the cutest, "Pi-ka-chu!" it could.
Simultaneously, every girl in the vicinity gave a loud 'awww' of adoration while practically every muggleborn murmured 'cool' 'incredible' or something similar. The attraction brought some unwelcome attention, as well. Draco Malfoy, the blonde Slytherin who'd approached on the train, had sauntered over with his large cohorts, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Potter, I'm rather certain Hogwarts rules stipulate only cats, owls, or toads may be appropriate pets." He said smugly, eyeing BRVR curiously.
"BRVR is considered a cat." Harry responded, petting BRVR's ears. The Pikachu complied with a low purring sound, strengthening the 'cat' argument.
"That beast is not a cat!" Draco retorted, starting forward towards the two. BRVR sensed less-than-friendly intentions and Harry felt small static discharges across its fur as the blonde got closer.
"I really don't think you want to do that, Malfoy." He stated calmly, still stroking BRVR's head.
"Oh, yeah?" The Slytherin smirked as his hand shot towards the Pikachu.
"PI-" The hand retreated.
"You dun goofed." Toby commented across from Harry.
"-KA-"
"Oh, dear." Slender sighed, knowing the inevitable. He leaned away from the Pokemon and the other wards followed suit.
"-CHUUUUUUUU!"
The hall glowed yellow from the discharge at the Ravenclaw table. The teachers were on their feet in a flash their wands out and at the ready.
The shrill screams lasted about 20 seconds and when the display ended and people blinked spots from their eyes, they saw the destruction eminent from Harry's pet.
Malfoy, himself, was coated in smudges of char, his robes smoking and singed at the edges. His slicked-back hair was frizzy and he was lucky the gel had only smoldered instead of fully igniting. Ravenclaw girls around Harry were horrified to find their hair in similar manners (mostly frizzed and bushy, instead of smoldering). A charred black electrical pattern was partially burnt into the tabletop around the now-contented yellow cat-like mouse which hopped on Harry's shoulder and accepted another petting.
Malfoy's eyes rolled upward and he was caught by the (mostly) unburned Crabbe and Goyle who brought him over to the Slytherin table. Immediately, one of the upper years thought to toss a goblet of ice water over him, successfully waking him up to dazed sputtering.
Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Kettleburn (the Care of Magical Creatures Professor) quickly made their way to the scene. "Potter! What are you doing, bringing that dangerous creature in here?!" Snape shouted, angrily.
"It's my pet, sir." Harry responded with somewhat forced calmness. "He doesn't hurt anyone on purpose."
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall began sternly, "Your 'pet' managed to severely injure one of our students. I'm afraid we will need to discuss this incident as well as your companion's continued stay here."
"Now, Minerva," Flitwick began, "You saw as well as I that Mr. Malfoy came here and maliciously approached his pet. Even he should understand that if you go up to a creature and provoke it, you will get a none-too-pleasant response."
"That creature electrified him!" Snape argued.
"And for a normal cat, it would have clawed or bit him," Flitwick countered. "Yes, its methods of self-defense are curious, but still self-defense. Mr. Potter's pet was very well-behaved prior to the altercation."
"BRVR doesn't hurt anyone without provocation," Harry confirmed, "He's actually pretty shy." The small pokemon nuzzled his palm in response.
McGonagall sighed, "Mr. Potter, I take this is the 'BRVR' you had mentioned in Diagon Alley?" He nodded and she looked sternly at the pokemon that shied away from her gaze. "Is he even a cat?"
Harry bobbed his head to the sides, "He's technically a 'mouse', but he hates water, purrs if you pet him, eats meat, chases mice, and uses a litterbox from time to time. Plus, he looks pretty cat-like. Though, he likes to use a large hamster wheel, eats fruit with his forepaws like a rodent, and he'll sometimes gnaw on his scratching post."
Flitwick nodded, "It seems cat-like enough to me, Minerva. Plus, one of your lions brought his pet rat and another brought a tarantula. I believe we can excuse this as long as it doesn't cause any lasting damage."
"What about the table?" She enquired. In response, Flitwick waved his wand over the table and the burn marks repaired themselves, leaving perfect wood behind. "What about Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes, what about Mr. Malfoy," Snape glared. The Slytherin was trying to fumble to his feet, but kept collapsing into Pansy Parkinson's arms (to his housemate's and peers' amusement).
Harry shrugged, "He'll probably be tingly and numb for an hour or so, but it'll wear off, sir."
Slender walked over early in the conversation and chose to speak, "Professor Snape, I feel it's pertinent to tell you that we discussed BRVR's behavior and his attacks, at most, will stun others. I'm not sure about your familiarity with the muggle world and electricity, but I presume you all are aware of what happens when a person meets an… unfortunate end in a lighting storm."
The four paled along with several students who glanced at BRVR's innocent face. The small cat-like pokemon seemed to bare its teeth in a very-not-cute, feral grin at the apprehension and discharged a few sparks of electricity from his cheeks to emphasize a point.
Slender continued, "Needless to say, he can control himself well and I have confidence nothing of the sort will happen." BRVR cowed back at the stern glare from the guardian and the discharges stopped as he hopped back on Harry's shoulder and cuddled into the crook of his neck.
"Now I've gotta ask, what kinda creature is that?" Kettleburn asked in a slightly heavy accent, brining his hook hand to his chin in thought. "Haven't seen anythin' like it and I teach Magical Creatures."
Harry smiled at BRVR, "He's actually not supposed to exist, per se. He just showed up one day and he's been with us ever since."
"I believe you'd call it 'accidental magic'." Slendy offered helpfully. The professors were all stunned at the seemingly impossible feat of constructing a living organism, but there was the proof, sitting on a student's shoulder.
Several muggleborns of varying ages all began to approach and BRVR seemed calm enough to let himself be pet by the not-too-overeager ones. The teachers eventually retreated back to the table for the remainder of the dinner. As it wound to a close, Solomon gathered his wards and led them towards the Great Hall.
Slender stopped them just before they walked out the entryway towards the gates. "Now, Harry, I want you and your pet to behave, understand?"
Harry and BRVR both gave affirmative nods as Slender continued, "Now, the patrols are shifting. Toby is returning with me, but Jeff has offered to stay an extra night to show the new patrol around and will keep Smile as well. EJ and Sally will be joining them; a partition is available in the room to allow Sally some privacy."
Toby moved towards the group as Sally and Eyeless Jack moved closer towards the disguised serial killer. "Now, I will be patrolling the forests tonight, so I won't be able to be contacted, not that I expect anything to occur.
"The room is on the second floor, behind a painting called "Family Portrait". If you need, ask Harry or Jeff as they've been there before."
"Yeah, hey Slendy, where'd you find that painting anyways?" Toby asked.
"It was recovered on an assignment in a different sector of the Council. The wife is dead and the husband is undergoing severe psychiatric treatment in a human hospital, so neither is an issue. They kept the portrait in storage, but I borrowed it for 'good behavior assessment'. I explained that she can stay out as long as she simply guards the entryway during the school year and she agreed."
He looked around at the group in front of him, "Now, BEN is in the hospital at the moment. I hold full responsibility for that, but we must be careful and assign a watch around him regularly until he recovers, understand? Adjust your patrols accordingly."
Jeff gave a mock-salute as he led Eyeless Jack and Sally through the hallways, Sally eagerly pointing at everything and having the older boy explain it while EJ calmly tapped his cane against the flagstones in front of him.
Slender led the group away and out the front door towards the edge of the ward line to take them home. That left Harry, Adrian, and Nick standing in the Entrance Hall.
After a while, they made their way to their respective dorms after discussing (and lamenting over) the substantial amount of homework each received. The rest of the day calmly wound down.
McGonagall walked the dark, eerie hallways of Hogwarts. She was currently patrolling the carpeted hallway completely filled with mirrors, portraits, and statues, so only the light of her Lumos allowed her to see.
The silence and loneliness wasn't terrible, though. It gave her time to think, certainly. After all, given the past three days, much had happened to practically make her head spin with confusion.
Solomon Lindermann's curious form of Apparition, being one. He seemed so muggle, but no muggle could possibly hope to achieve something as advanced as group Apparition with such a large number of people. It defied all magical standards!
Then, there were the wards, collectively, that seemed magical, but none of them claimed to have shown any form of magic and genuine surprise when she explained it to them. The boy, Benjamin, during his panic attack had displayed what she could only explain to be extraordinary accidental magic, but Poppy's diagnostic confirmed he had no magical core and, therefore, no way to channel magic in that way.
As of yet, he hadn't awoken and Poppy had marked him down as an official patient in the Infirmary. She forbade visits outside of his family. The Hufflepuff upper year girls had become fond of him and his foster sister Sally. After seeing Sally's distress at dinner, they sent a gift basket up to the hospital. Poppy had performed multiple scans for any possible anti-muggle curses or even a harmful prank that might aggravate his condition further. McGonagall had suggested placing wards around his bed as she suspected some Slytherin students may take the opportunity to hex the poor boy if the medi-witch were ever away.
She sighed, praying he'd recover safely. She had to return to her patrol. She turned the corner-
-and stopped, surprised.
The corridor was wide and open with several, large windows letting in moonlight. The pale, white light shone down on a small figure quite literally skipping through the hallways. She recognized the form immediately as one of Solomon's wards.
"Ms. Williams!" She called out, the figure halting her movement, "I must ask what exactly you are doing out so late." She said sternly.
The figure didn't' turn around, but she didn't run away either. McGonagall made quick, long strides toward her. "Ms. Williams, have you any idea what time-"
She was stopped as the figure turned and large, doll-like green eyes glowed and bored into her own. In the pale light, the red streaks of blood running down her face against pale skin stood out starkly. McGonagall backed away in horror and she noticed the figure wore a mud-stained nightdress with splotches of crimson marring the pink cloth around her shoulders.
The girl spoke barely above a raspy whisper, "Play with me?"
Her terrified stammers were cut off as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps clattering against the stonework. She quickly turned her head and saw Professor Quirrel walking down the hallway with an oil lamp in hand. She turned back and saw the apparition was gone.
"P-P-Professor M-McGonagall? Are y-you alright?" He stuttered.
McGonagall turned away from the man and swept the area, rushing about to anywhere a child could possibly hide behind. Anything to confront the perpetrator for pulling such a macabre prank. Eventually, she turned towards the confused Defense Professor, "Where did the girl go?"
"W-w-where did w-who-?"
He didn't finish as she continued, "The girl, of course! A little girl right in front of me, I could've sworn it was Ms. Williams, but… it couldn't have been." She pushed a finger to her forehead, a small headache building.
Quirrel smiled indulgently, "M-Minerva, I-I-I think you m-may need s-some sleep. I'm n-no medi-wizard, b-b-but I can tell if y-you're seeing things, y-you probably need h-h-help or rest." He led the confused Transfiguration mistress through the halls towards her rooms.
Wizards don't tend to notice the obvious, so in the dim moonlight, both magical teachers missed how the nearby statue of Keira the Kind was reading her stone storybook to a large group of children with one more girl than usual.
AN: I own nothing
-Crow
-The Family Portrait: "A Family Portrait" by L. Chan