Stefan's pov
"So Hagrid got a dragon ?" I stared at my favorite trio who all nodded their heads. I sigh and go with Hermione and see with my own eyes a baby dragon, Hagrid lets me play with him.
I toss a leather ball around the hut and watch him go after it then pet him. He burned me a couple of times by accident but they were minor. After we left Hermione tells me to keep this quiet and I promise my little bookworm to keep my mouth shut.
Just a few weeks into the second half of the school year. Harry won the game against Hufflepuff in quidditch and during a night trip to the restricted section to find information on Nicholas Flamel but he almost got caught.
Instead he found when looking for a hiding place some kind of mirror that showed each person something they wanted.
I stayed after Ron told Harry about becoming hooked on seeing images of his parents in that mirror. Eventually the headmaster moved the mirror and Harry went back to normal and found out who Nicholas Flamel was.
He is the only wizard to create a philosopher stone which turns any metal into gold and creates the drink to make you immortal. I see why they have fluffy guarding that trapdoor and they more than likely be more dangerous traps guarding the stone.
The trio now thinks Snap is going to steal the stone to become immortal and rich. I still not fully convinced but the facts do seem to point to him planning to take the stone. Back to now, Hermoine tells me we need to keep it a secret and find a way to get that dragon out of here before Hagrid gets in trouble.
The two weeks pass quickly with school work, homework and studying keeping me busy. Ron sends a letter to one of his brothers who works with dragons to see if he can take little Norbert. As we are waiting for a reply I get a letter from someone inviting me to a dinner Friday after classes. I show the letter to Hermione
Dear Baron of Cumbria
You have been invited to attend dinner at 8:00 this Friday with several classmates. The bloody Baron will come by your dorm for you by 7:30 please look presentable and school uniform will do unless you wish to dress more formally.
Be on good behavior and not cause a scene with other guests.
" You're not seriously going, right?" She asked and I nodded in answer. " could be a trap and what's with the Baron of Cumbria thing?" She says and I laugh. " Well since I am heir to the Earldom of Wessex then by custom I think I gave one of my grandfather's lesser noble titles to show my status as heir. He also holds a Viscount title that our ancestor was given for service in the Spanish war of succession." I told her.
"Wow but why is Baron Viscount a higher title than that?" She said to me and I told her he thought it would be great for me and that it was once Baron of Cumberland but was changed when the county was dissolved. Later she mentions this to the whole dorm, Hermione didn't know but the most highest noble title in magical aristocracy seems to be lordship. Likely because of the international law about hiding magic from muggles.
Many magical families with ties to the muggle world had to sever them. The malfoys from what the books say try to stop the law from passing and protest it bitterly but then sing a different tune when it passes. Some families like mine were allowed to continue our ties with the muggle world due the influence we wield in both worlds and we act sometimes as a middleman between them.
I dress in a clean uniform and robe with my family coat of arms showing proudly on that day. The ghost bloody baron came for me and led through the school to the dungeon and to my horror the Slytherin dorm.
Great, I 'm now in the snake den with just a wand to fight my way out if things go south. They look at me in surprise and one seven year old tries to protest my presence here but one look from the Bloody Baron send shuts him up. Some look at me with daggers in their eyes, some look mad and others just stare at me.
The ghost finally leads me to a large dinner room that looks awesome, painted Slytherin colors, a big table, fireplace, some portraits and other fine things. And fill Slytherin students with professor Snape at the head of the table.
" Baron of Cumbria has arrived" Bloody Baron announced as we entered the room. At least forty pairs of eyes look at me. Draco made a face as he saw and demanded to know what I was doing here.
"he was invited by me mr. Malfoy and I expect no trouble from anyone here. He is a guest and I expect no rude comments or acts from him." Snape told Malfoy and everyone nodded their heads to him.
" Putting a lion into a serpent den is very unusual Professor" I said boldly as I took a seat in between Draco and Daphne Greengrass. " a little lion can't do much when surrounded" he told me and almost everyone snickers.
I quickly pull out my wand and a vial of a bluish green liquid. I point my wand right next to Draco's head and hold out the vial ready to throw. " A stunner spell at this range could kill or very badly damage his brain Professor Snape and if I drop this then this room goes boom" I said while pressing my wand into Draco's head.
The little snake grew pale and stuttered to Snape to help him. "Just like your grandfather, I remember he did this once when escaping from an angry Veelas. Now put it down before you hurt someone" He said and I grin before throwing it at the nearest wall. Everyone but me and Draco try to go under the table or in Snape's case cast a shield.
The vitality hit the wall and nothing happened. I laugh loudly and professor Snape tells me if I try that again he sees that I am expelled, I apologize to everyone and remove my wand from Draco. As dinner continues, I switch from my usual British accent to a southern coast accent.
Everyone looked annoyed with it and Snape tells me grandpa taught DADA when he was a student. " What does he do now? " He then asked me and I told him he goes on adventures with my grandmother. " Once when I was seven he used me as bait to lure out a man killing a tiger. Should have guessed it when he gave me a coat that smelled of meat and told me to stand out in an open field but a seven year old doesn't know better" I said.
Snape cracks a smile at this " I surprise your parents allow him near you after" he says and I tell him my parents don't know and my grandmother chases him around a broom and hits him with it. " After that incident she never let him take me hunting again or use me as bait for anything." I said and Snape described what it was like when my grandfather taught in Hogwarts.
Daphne surprises everyone when she asks if my father is really a squid. I looked at her with a hint of anger in my eyes because of how she said squid like their a thing of shame. " Yes, unfortunately he was born like that and his mother is one too, you know, Miss Greengrass ." I told her coldly while switching back to my American accent.
Draco then in a stupid move ask in a smug tone if my mother is really a dirty muggle. What happens next I'm never really sure but Draco is sent flying into the wall and I am in a battle with Slytherin students. While I shoot spells and dodging spells from Slytherin Snape just sits and watches as I fight with a calm look on his face.
At one point in the fight I take someone's fallen wand and start casting twice as many spells. Wielding two wands is harder than with one and more of a drain on me but I escape from the room. Stunned two sixth year students before they could react and shot a few times randomly. To scatter anyone into the common room before leaving the dorm through the front entrance which is open as someone is entering.
I knock him down and toss the other wand I picked up back inside then leave the dungeon quickly. Made it back to my dorm before long and ran past everyone in the common room to my room. I hid under my bed and waited for them to get me. It was Professor McGonagall who dragged me out of my bed with magic. Then by my left ear led out the quarters to Snape.
I shake with fear as she looks at me with a mad face. I got a very long lecture from her. Fifty points were lost for the house. And one week helping Snape who actually defended my action telling McGonagall that while my actions were disgraceful, I was defending my mother's honor and that his house was the cause of my outburst with comments about my family.
" Mr. Brankovic the next time you are invited, control yourself because next time I will take you down, you only escape because I did not join the fight and many of your foes weren't armed. I owe your grandfather many favors and by not having you kicked out of this school will be one. But I will not stand for it again or that trick with the vial. You are the heir to a mighty family and I expect you to act it no matter what anyone says about your mother, father or other family members." He told me and I nodded my head to him before he left.
McGonagall sends me to bed afterwards and the next day everyone knows about what now is called the Battle in Slytherin's dorm or Baron Cumbria's escape or as Slytherin calls it Brankovic's treachery. My house proudly supported me while Hufflepuff thought my actions uncalled for, Ravenclaw thinks I am a fool for breaking guest rights and Slytherin hates me more than anyone else.
I spent the next two days trying to win back the points I lost. I earned half and helped get Hagrid's dragon out of here. During the night me and the trio deliver him to Ron's brother in a crate and in the middle of the night on top of the observer tower.
Ron and Harry got caught because Harry forgot his invisible cloak in the tower. But I went back for it and rescued Hermione from that creepy groundskeeper and professor McGonagall. Hermione held the whole dinner incident over my head for going when she said I shouldn't while Harry and Ron looked at me in awe of it. The rest of the quidditch season went well for Gryffindor and school work piled up. Harry and Ron got detention plus lost the house over a hundred points leading us to lag behind Slytherin.
Slytherin also attacked me in the halls during classes. I learned more spells and often had a running battle with them almost everyday. They also have been pranking me or trying to but often I catch them before they can sometimes.
In transfiguration I ahead of the class with professor McGonagall now praising me when I finish way before anyone else. She really encouraged me to try a more advanced level after I turned a mouse into a teacup on my first try. I actually had turned it into something else but changed my mind.
In professor Sprouts I did ok but plants didn't interest me as much as Neville , who is very good in this class. History with Professor Binns was boring as watching paint dry but peek up when he mentions two of ancestor. Louis Brankovic who in one of the many English magical civil wars slay Michael Malfoy the head leader of a faction in that war in the battle of Hasting in 1499. And German Brankovic who killed the only troll king in British history at the battle of St. Albans during the epic troll-wizard war in 1589.
Louis, Binns said, will go on to become Lord Protector after routing all his foes and crushing the last Malfoy stronghold in Kent before they bent the knees. German will fall in the same battle as the troll king but only after he and his last remaining retainers made a last stand as trolls swam him to avenge their fallen king, which allowed wizard reinforcements to reach the battle turning the tides.
Astronomy class I did great, I really like staring at the stars and the teacher is cute so that's a plus. DADA class was pretty easy since we mostly focused on the theory of how to defend ourselves. We did have a few practice duels in which I often won because of my large magic reserves.
In potions I am great, something about mixing, stirring and creating new potions seems so simple to me. Just follow the instructions correctly and you're done if not then hopefully you can learn from your mistake. Snape found my process with an approving face when I made a potion that makes people forget things. It was pretty hard but I got it and tested it on Ron. I turned his hair pink and he went around the day with it until finally a professor told him to fix his hair.
The ginger was mad at me but another dose of the potion fixed that. The teachers think I a prodigy in the making since I soak up the lessons so quickly. Hermione and other smarty first years were really jealous of me to the point where they study harder. At the study group I was often done with school work or just sat there reading a book or being lazy and changing my hair color. I was blond a whole day and everyone reaction was funny, mostly stare at me or told me to change it back. I used my owl Steve to sent letters to my grandparents and let him fly around outside.
I wrote a short story in my spare time about a knight who learns a lesson about being humble. Hermione thought it was nice and asked if I wanted to be a writer in the future. I told her not to just bore me and she told me I should brush up for the finals. Also something happened in detention with Hagrid when led Harry and Ron into the forbidden forest. Harry told me it was he who should not be named that attacked him, when he found him sucking the blood of a unicorn to sustain himself.
I took this hard since if it was true then a mad dark lord is coming back to power. Ron didn't see the encounter since he was with the half giant and there was also a centaur who saved Harry from what almost got him. I found Hagrid decision to leave Harry with his hound a very stupid idea at worst. It was in hindsight leaving a first year with a dog for protection in a forest filled with dangerous magical creatures.
As the school year comes to a close the trio and I look at the evidence and I can see professor Snape planning to steal the stone for the dark lord and cursing Harry's broom during the game as revenge for his lord's defeat. Also they told me how Hagrid got the dragon egg and what Hagrid told the stranger who gave him Norbert. He is a member of the staff and likely knows all the traps to the stone. I also discovered some info that he was a suspected Death Eater or as the followers of You Know Who are called but there wasn't enough evidence to prove it.
In the final weeks I made friends with Sophie Ropers, Fay Dunbar, Michael Corner, Lilly moon, Sally Anna Perks, Amelia Pond aka Runcorn by some and some of the other first years but none were Slytherin. A letter came for me from grandma telling me all my siblings now showed signs of magic and that they will attend next year with me. I was happy with that and even more so when grandpa sent a letter to inform me of my recruitment to the order of the dragon as a squire.
He being a commander in that knight order thinks it would be good for me to spend the summer learning and training under the order to prepare for my future role plus a chance to be a knight if I prove myself worthy. Also he sent a package with a grey tunic, belt, armband and black scarf inside.
I kept it a secret but somehow it got out in a week. Draco spread rumors my grandfather bribed the order to accept me, I hex him later during a fight between classes and he was in the hospital wing for two days.
Hermoine looked up the Order and talked a lot about it in our group. She stated it was formed to fight and stop the expansion of Ottoman Turks into Europe, some of guys like Terry, Michael, Ron, Dean and Seamus were jealous of me spending the summer in Romania.
Later my favorite trio came to me telling me they tried to warn Professor McGonagall about Snap but she didn't believe them and the headmaster left the school for urgent business.
As the appointed leader by them I decide we need to stop Snap and steal the stone to prevent it from falling into the dark lord's hands.
Later that night we sneaked out of the dorm but I had to cast the full body blind spell on Neville when he tried to stop us. We use Harry's cloak and reach the third floor to the room to find the three headed dog sleeping with a harp playing. At the worst time the harp stopped playing and that dog started to wake but Harry with a piper saved us from being dinner. He played the dog back to sleep and we went through the trapdoor, fell into devil snare which Hermione took care of with a spell that lightened up the room.
Harry led us through a room where he mounted a broom to catch a charm wing key along with many others. After was a chamber with a huge chess board, Ron got us past it but sacrificed himself in a titanic chess game to see us through. Next chamber we found a knocked out troll who smells bad and knew now Snap has been here. Later we reached a chamber with seven potions and a wall of purple flames. Wasn't hard to guess who set this up and it came with a riddle to tell us which potion to drink.
Hermione solved it quickly and we let Harry drink the potion then he went through the flames safely. Since there was no potion left, me and Hermione went back for Ron and got help. Hours later after teachers were alert and Dumbledore had returned we are informed Harry is in the Hospital wing recovering from his encounter with professor Quirrel which surprised us all.
We were all wrong about Snape and Professor Quirrel fooled us very well. After a few days we were allowed to see Harry who told us how Professor Quirrel was housing the Dark Lord's soul in him and why he always wore the turban all the time. Harry was down for the next few days before he cheered up and finals also came.
I passed with flying colors and I stood at the top of my class with Hermoine second, Harry was in the top ten and Ron in the middle of our class. Draco was 16th and it was funny watching him get angry when he saw the results the day after the finals. The last feast of the school year was a perfect ending to the year. I wore my pointed hat with everyone else, sang the school song, ate til I am full and cheered with my house after we won the house cup after Dumbledore rewarded fifty points each to me, Ron, Hermione and Harry.
Slytherin sullen in silence and there was a huge house party in the common room. The next day I prepare for the last day of Hogwarts by getting for my first day to the order of the Dragon by dressing in a black pants, brown boots I got from grandma in a package from her a while ago, my grey tunic with a white shirt under, a belt, the armband which had the order symbol on it and the black scarf. My stuff was soon packed, Steve is back in his cage and I leave parting gifts for my friends. The common room is empty as it's still early and there are no classes.
The house elves helped carry my stuff to the great hall where I waited for Grandfather to come for me. An hour later he arrives dressed in a similar outfit. " How is my favorite grandchild?" He asked me while rubbing one hand over my head. " Great grandpa, Hogwarts was amazing. I can't wait for next year and how long is this going to last?" I said and he told me six weeks.
" You're going to be a squire and going to be trained in arms, tactics, horsemanship and a few other things that they teach. Think of it as summer Hogwarts but more military focus. And you get a salary but very small, so don't waste it all since you're not allowed to draw from your trusty vault Stefan. " He tells me and also mentions I can't take Steve or most of my stuff but I am ok with that since they go home instead.
We left by a portkey just as students started to file in for breakfast. The two of us now stood in front of a grey castle with banners of a dragon. " Welcome to Castle Dracula Stefan and your first day here" my grandfather told me.
The order of the Dragon was formed in 1408 by king Sigismund of Hungary to defend the cross and fight the Turks as they pushed into Europe. Around the 1470s it was disbanded or just disappeared. One of its most famous members was Vlad Dracul II. Who was one of the Ottoman Empire's greatest enemies. In his struggle to stop the Turk as they invaded his lands he launched a darling night attack that almost killed the sultan who was leading his army.
I am doing third pow now and am exploring theories by other authors about muggleborns or things in the magical world. Like some muggleborns could be the product of wizards raping female muggles and wiping the memory of the encounter.