Harry Potter and the Collegium of New Avalon
Author: Charlemagne
Part: 9
Rated: PG
Genre: Action Adventure/Mild Romance (HP/CC, Hermione/Other, Ron/Other)
Content: Fantasy Violence, Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron Weasley, or even
You-know-who as they all belong to one very special author in England who is
not me. The events in this story make no claim to anything of J.K. Rowlings
but attempt to create a fantasy story of what will happen to them in college
and tell an amusing tale, which I hope you'll enjoy.
The sudden appearance of the storm overhead made Hermione a bit nervous as she moved through the night, content with her good deed for the day. It briefly occurred to her that while she had helped the Librarian with her work today she hadn't really helped him perhaps as much as she COULD help him and that she should maybe stop by tomorrow to see if she could volunteer to help again some time.
'Then again Ron might not be so amicable about it. Harry doesn't seem like he would have a very good time either.' Hermione thought as she looked back at her friend for precisely two days Phillip. Hermione tried to avoid judging by first impressions but what she'd gotten of him that first moment had pretty much stuck with her; he seemed like an honest, caring, and compassionate fellow…in quite a bind. It was probably wrong to get him to help too but Hermione was fairly pleased her was obviously attracted to her too and couldn't help but like exploiting it, Victor certainly had been but she'd never felt she had a grasp on his heart.
'About the understatement of the century.' She thought to herself. Victor Krum had allowed himself to fall in love with her and from the get go she'd always felt she was living up to an ideal of his that didn't exist. It was romantic yes to have Victor go against many of his fellows in Durmstrang when Voldemort took over the school as his base because of her but Hermione didn't want to be Guinevere, she ended up in a nunnery and Hermione was Anglican. She thought about how Victor had gradually grown more distant after that and she felt he probably had his heart broken when he found out she wasn't his "true love", she was glad they had broken it off though. The question was, did she really want to start dating anyone again so soon afterwards?
"Oh dear I wish I conjure up an Umbrella or something…maybe next week." Phillip said in the rain as he looked for some shelter, it was a bit of an irony there that he obviously was going through years of spell training in great periods. Hermione briefly wondered and not for the first or last time who exactly had supplied the memories for the Ravenclaw studies he was taking, she couldn't imagine having anyone else's memories and it was an odd thought of what kind of effect her memories might have another person! Well she supposed having Professor McGonagall's memories wouldn't be so bad but otherwise she was at a loss, it would be like looking in and wondering why your right handed and not left when you were born that way.
He was carrying it with great dignity as Hermione smiled and lifted her wand with a smile "Cover us! Umbrella, I command!" she said, smirking when she had discovered in conjurations magical words were really more guidelines than actual notes of power. A large pink polka-dot umbrella appeared just above Hermione as she grabbed it and held it above their heads. It was as exactly as she had pictured it in her minds eye. "I wanted to see if we could make it in a run first to some shelter." She said simply, Phillip's shocked look was reward enough. After Hogwarts she had taken her exams to get licensing to practice witchery in the Muggle World and abroad and while it had taken quite a few tests to get approval for all the spell types she had to "quick-learn" for the tragedies like most, she was still proud of her abilities.
"Ummm Phillip do you want to spend time after class maybe sometime studying?" Hermione had no idea why she had asked that but she was quite pleased with herself for doing so. She admitted she had volunteered Ron and Harry for the job in part because the man needed the help and neither were the type to refuse but also because she really didn't want to lose her bearings while living on campus. She had considered moving away and commuting on broomstick if she accepted a job at Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall and she could afford it but she wasn't sure. Rooming with Angelina Johnson wasn't so bad as she'd been fairly good friends at Hogwarts with her but Hermione was uncomfortable on campus, she couldn't describe it else wise.
'Of course both seem to be doing quite well.' Thought the witch as she noted Ron and Harry's crushes and their shared room and how in a single day they had become Captain of the Dueling Club and gained a prestigious chaser position. All she had gotten…well she'd gotten enough, best not to be ungrateful or lose sight of it.
"My stop." Hermione noted seeing the girl's dormitory-house-something, she swore sometimes magicians had the silliest names for things.
"Ummm I see." Phillip said looking up as his rabbit shook itself out of water under the umbrella and drenched them both.
"HERMES!" Phillip said as he looked at Hermione kissed him lighting on the lips and blinked falling back flush with embarrassment.
"Ummm I'd like to see you more around campus and maybe elsewhere. I like you." Phillip said the lines Hermione realized he was going to see before but now with a stupid grin on her face. It was so third year!
"Soon." Hermione said entering as she smirked, in the back of her mind wondering if that rabbit were up to something.
***
"Oh for the love of…" Harry cursed now completely soaked in rain and having somehow lost his way on the bloody island back to his dormitory when he had parted ways with Ron, his friend suggesting they split up for some reason. Harry hoped it wasn't going to be trying to sneak away to talk to Isolde and fervorently hoped that Ron found another girl to ogle over. It wasn't that he wouldn't mind the ox taken down a peg or two or that he wished him on anyone, which was a tad unfair but felt right.
'Yep I hate his guts.' Harry shook his head realizing that the man had insulted him, his Quidditch style, and Cho, which had pushed his buttons badly. Still, there was something wrong about trying to steal someone away from a relationship he felt in his heart. Maybe it was he didn't like disrupting things people were okay with and why would anyone stay with someone other than they were? The Dursleys were the obvious exception but Harry wasn't going to leap forward head first into anything that always ended up bad, very bad indeed.
"Lost or just leaving somebody?" he heard for about the fifth time and was about to tell them to shove off, which wouldn't be very polite but the previous four times any well wishers directions had just gotten him further lost. Once he was fairly sure was done on purpose because they thought he was impersonating Harry Potter, which was both disturbing and bizarre.
"Well I…" Harry looked up and saw of all people Cho Chang herself, who was holding a blue umbrella over her head. "Lost. Mind giving me some help?" he asked, feeling more than completely embarrassed. Asking for directions from Cho seemed about tantamount to joining the Neo Death Eaters.
"Certainly. Boy's dormitory right. Gotcha. Shouldn't be too hard to find but another twenty feet and you'd be on the road to the fraternity estates on the island's edges." Cho said.
Actually that had been where Harry had been intending to go, a fraternity should be by a dormitory right?
"Really?" was all he could think of before getting under her umbrella and being careful not to drip on her, which would have been quite unattractive. The storm was picking up he could tell despite he had nothing to wipe his glasses on dry so he could see.
"Yeah the fraternity estates are huge magical places, you probably would have been out there all night. Some of them are pretty much like the Houses at Hogwarts dedicated to raising a better wizard…as they see it, they'res actually one for each of the House's there." Cho said as Harry blinked, thinking being member of a Gryffindor Fraternity would be quite pleasant. "Others are devoted to particular areas of magic and there's some like the Alpha Bachuus which are just devoted to getting as many girl's to sleep with them as possible." Cho frowned.
"How horrid." Harry said realizing that it actually was with a wince but he had just been agreeing with Cho out of hand. "Are you a member of a frat…sorority?"
"The Aescalapians." She smiled as Harry briefly remembered how they'd discussed her desire to become a magical healer. "I'm actually doing volunteer work at Saint Mungo's in between courses. It's really refreshing."
They talked the entire way over. The storm continued to grow worse though as Harry watched Cho barely able to hold onto her umbrella as the wind picked up and the lighting intensified. The umbrella actually folded upwards in one particular large gust when they arrived at his dormitory.
"Um Cho it's pretty hellish out here you want to come inside?" Harry asked before blinking as he realized what he had just asked but he recognized Cho had gotten his original intent but seemed pretty reluctant even this weather.
It was then it started raining toads.
"I think I'll come on in." Cho said simply.
***
Ron Wealsey got back to the dormitory extra-quick as he felt guilty bringing up faulty directions in his conversation with Harry. Harry was thinking about Cho, the Quidditch team, and probably a few thousand other things so implanting a few ideas and dissuading a few others wasn't too hard. Growing up in a house with as many siblings as Ron had pretty much guaranteed that you developed a good ability to steer a conversation when you wanted to.
'Eh what's the worse that could happen?' Ron thought as the storm picked up and he winced behind himself.
Out of respect for Fate Ron avoided saying it couldn't get worse for his friend. It was outside here that Ron was to meet Isolde today and he was hoping he could avoid running across her boyfriend as well.
'Though if it's a duel he wants I could take on him and his group with one arm tied behind my back. Ron assured himself as he clutched his wand tightly. It was then he was tapped on the back of the shoulder and he jumped high in the air.
"AHH!" Ron spoke spinning around as his cheeks flushed in humiliated embarrassment. He had faced down You-know-who himself and all he'd done was flinch, he wasn't scared of Baal Krell either but he was anxious about something and so much it was leaving him week in the knee.
"Jumpy aren't we Mr. Wealsey?" Ron looked at her and noted she was a very attractive woman about his age with long curly brown hair, cute small nose, and a pleasant figure. There was something very familiar about her as well but Ron couldn't place it.
"Eloise Midgen, remember Hogwarts?" she said smiling as Ron's eyes widened.
"Eloise…wow." He looked at her and blinked trying mentally to remove the acne and straighten her nose and give her well….the look she was giving in his memory of the girl from Gryffindor.
"So are you waiting for someone?" She said apparently very pleased that Ron had noticed the change.
It was then that Isolde walked down the stairs of the men's dormitory to the spot they said they'd meet and looked at Ron as he suddenly felt his desire rise and Eloise disappeared out of his mind, which never would have occurred around her had he been distracted by anyone else. Ron had personally always liked Eloise and Hermione had insisted she had a crush on him all through Hogwarts but he'd never noticed her before.
"Hello Ron." Isolde said smiling.
"Bye Ron." Eloise said with her nose slightly upturned in distaste and a shaking of her head if this weren't an uncommon occurrence.
"I'm glad you came to see me Ron. I wouldn't have been able to see you hadn't you done so." Isolde spoke with a very soft tone that Ron found irresistible as she put her hand on his chest. "Ron I know we haven't known each other very long but I was curious if you could do me a favor…" she said biting her lip.
"Anything." Ron said honestly as Isolde leaned up against him and held him.
"Be with me." She sighed wrapping her arms around him.
***
Albus Dumbledore walked up the library of New Avalon, which was certainly pleasant enough shelter from the storm as he wrapped three times on the door.
"Atrus?" Albus sighed as the door opened and he viewed the old man with a trace of sadness. Atrus Pandora had once been the premier wizard of his time but had given it all up to tend a simple library existence, and in the end his devotion to the job had destroyed him. It pained him every time he saw him to look at what had become of quite possibly the closest man to Albus's heart.
"Yes, Pardon me. Do I know you?" Atrus asked as Albus shook his head.
"Just a fellow seeker of knowledge." Albus told his mother's son.
"Ah well then welcome. You do recall our school motto? I do. Abandon your preconceptions at the door! Oh dear I probably have some filing I need to do." Atrus spoke "You would excuse me. If you have any need to examine any of the books in the locked shelves or need help finding anything just give me a ring would you sir? A question, Sir, have you ever read Great Wizards of the 20th century? You resemble Albus Dumbledore quite a bit." Atrus spoke smiling picking up the first book he laid his eyes on.
"I've been told that on a number of occasions." Albus chimed to Atrus as the man smiled "Quite a fascinating book really."
"Oh I'd love to discuss some of the finer points, so few of the young ones know much about them…I accept their help and try and steer them in the right direction but really no appreciation for the older works. All are interested in the new fangled quick spells or Muggle news or whatever will help them pass exams the easiest, no appreciation for the finer points of the Arts or our history. Would you like some tea sir?" Atrus said as he snapped his fingers and a silver tea set marched itself up and starting to prepare it self.
"Yes I've heard a bout that. A bit of lemon juice in mine." Albus said, smiling that his half-brother wasn't embarrassed to say 'new fangled'. Saint Mungo's had determined they could do nothing for his brother in restoring his memories fairly early and it had seemed cruel to Albus to force him to stay for treatment when his books were where he wanted to be. So it had been arranged that he should stay here and continue to serve as librarian despite his condition.
The sight of toads falling from the sky from the sky onto the ground wasn't very surprising to Albus as he listened to Atrus prattle on about Great Wizards of the 20th century, a book which he had found very dry reading but he'd tried to insert some humor into. 'Technically I consider myself a man of the 19th century.' Albus thought as he was surprised by the next display of dark wizardry.
"Good evening Albus." Grindelwald said. He was as he was when he was in the prime of his flush youth and a monocle was over his left eye. His form, like that of all specters and projections, shimmered on it's outside. The former leader of Wotan's Eye merely looked at him across the wooden table Albus was about to sit in and was smiling broadly.
"I see you've managed to escape." Albus said lightly blinking his eyes.
"Surely dear boy you didn't honestly think I would spend my entire existence rotting away in the dusty old book you put me in did you?" Octavian smiled happily as the lightning chimed with his essence.
"Actually I rather hoped…" Albus tried to be witty but it was obvious Octavian wasn't listening to him.
"Fifty years of nothing but your own thoughts puts one's goals in perspective Albus, it does…and my refinement of the Prime magic, oh perfect." Grindelwald said. His sanity had apparently not improved with his long isolation to contemplate his deeds.
"Presumably larger ways to kill people and cause fear and terror?" Albus guessed.
"Oh certainly. This college is also perfect for my usage, thank you for putting me here. Entire armies of willing young minds to be molded the way I see them by the lessons I give them, the traumas I inflict…" Octavian smiled "the people I kill. Of course you being now an old man Albus are too weak to stop me." Octavian removed a illusionary wand "Just in case however, CARDIAC TEAR!"
Albus felt his heart, burn as he fell to the ground and Octavian disappeared, Atrus going over to him.
***
TO BE CONTINUED
-Charlemagne
Author: Charlemagne
Part: 9
Rated: PG
Genre: Action Adventure/Mild Romance (HP/CC, Hermione/Other, Ron/Other)
Content: Fantasy Violence, Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron Weasley, or even
You-know-who as they all belong to one very special author in England who is
not me. The events in this story make no claim to anything of J.K. Rowlings
but attempt to create a fantasy story of what will happen to them in college
and tell an amusing tale, which I hope you'll enjoy.
The sudden appearance of the storm overhead made Hermione a bit nervous as she moved through the night, content with her good deed for the day. It briefly occurred to her that while she had helped the Librarian with her work today she hadn't really helped him perhaps as much as she COULD help him and that she should maybe stop by tomorrow to see if she could volunteer to help again some time.
'Then again Ron might not be so amicable about it. Harry doesn't seem like he would have a very good time either.' Hermione thought as she looked back at her friend for precisely two days Phillip. Hermione tried to avoid judging by first impressions but what she'd gotten of him that first moment had pretty much stuck with her; he seemed like an honest, caring, and compassionate fellow…in quite a bind. It was probably wrong to get him to help too but Hermione was fairly pleased her was obviously attracted to her too and couldn't help but like exploiting it, Victor certainly had been but she'd never felt she had a grasp on his heart.
'About the understatement of the century.' She thought to herself. Victor Krum had allowed himself to fall in love with her and from the get go she'd always felt she was living up to an ideal of his that didn't exist. It was romantic yes to have Victor go against many of his fellows in Durmstrang when Voldemort took over the school as his base because of her but Hermione didn't want to be Guinevere, she ended up in a nunnery and Hermione was Anglican. She thought about how Victor had gradually grown more distant after that and she felt he probably had his heart broken when he found out she wasn't his "true love", she was glad they had broken it off though. The question was, did she really want to start dating anyone again so soon afterwards?
"Oh dear I wish I conjure up an Umbrella or something…maybe next week." Phillip said in the rain as he looked for some shelter, it was a bit of an irony there that he obviously was going through years of spell training in great periods. Hermione briefly wondered and not for the first or last time who exactly had supplied the memories for the Ravenclaw studies he was taking, she couldn't imagine having anyone else's memories and it was an odd thought of what kind of effect her memories might have another person! Well she supposed having Professor McGonagall's memories wouldn't be so bad but otherwise she was at a loss, it would be like looking in and wondering why your right handed and not left when you were born that way.
He was carrying it with great dignity as Hermione smiled and lifted her wand with a smile "Cover us! Umbrella, I command!" she said, smirking when she had discovered in conjurations magical words were really more guidelines than actual notes of power. A large pink polka-dot umbrella appeared just above Hermione as she grabbed it and held it above their heads. It was as exactly as she had pictured it in her minds eye. "I wanted to see if we could make it in a run first to some shelter." She said simply, Phillip's shocked look was reward enough. After Hogwarts she had taken her exams to get licensing to practice witchery in the Muggle World and abroad and while it had taken quite a few tests to get approval for all the spell types she had to "quick-learn" for the tragedies like most, she was still proud of her abilities.
"Ummm Phillip do you want to spend time after class maybe sometime studying?" Hermione had no idea why she had asked that but she was quite pleased with herself for doing so. She admitted she had volunteered Ron and Harry for the job in part because the man needed the help and neither were the type to refuse but also because she really didn't want to lose her bearings while living on campus. She had considered moving away and commuting on broomstick if she accepted a job at Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall and she could afford it but she wasn't sure. Rooming with Angelina Johnson wasn't so bad as she'd been fairly good friends at Hogwarts with her but Hermione was uncomfortable on campus, she couldn't describe it else wise.
'Of course both seem to be doing quite well.' Thought the witch as she noted Ron and Harry's crushes and their shared room and how in a single day they had become Captain of the Dueling Club and gained a prestigious chaser position. All she had gotten…well she'd gotten enough, best not to be ungrateful or lose sight of it.
"My stop." Hermione noted seeing the girl's dormitory-house-something, she swore sometimes magicians had the silliest names for things.
"Ummm I see." Phillip said looking up as his rabbit shook itself out of water under the umbrella and drenched them both.
"HERMES!" Phillip said as he looked at Hermione kissed him lighting on the lips and blinked falling back flush with embarrassment.
"Ummm I'd like to see you more around campus and maybe elsewhere. I like you." Phillip said the lines Hermione realized he was going to see before but now with a stupid grin on her face. It was so third year!
"Soon." Hermione said entering as she smirked, in the back of her mind wondering if that rabbit were up to something.
***
"Oh for the love of…" Harry cursed now completely soaked in rain and having somehow lost his way on the bloody island back to his dormitory when he had parted ways with Ron, his friend suggesting they split up for some reason. Harry hoped it wasn't going to be trying to sneak away to talk to Isolde and fervorently hoped that Ron found another girl to ogle over. It wasn't that he wouldn't mind the ox taken down a peg or two or that he wished him on anyone, which was a tad unfair but felt right.
'Yep I hate his guts.' Harry shook his head realizing that the man had insulted him, his Quidditch style, and Cho, which had pushed his buttons badly. Still, there was something wrong about trying to steal someone away from a relationship he felt in his heart. Maybe it was he didn't like disrupting things people were okay with and why would anyone stay with someone other than they were? The Dursleys were the obvious exception but Harry wasn't going to leap forward head first into anything that always ended up bad, very bad indeed.
"Lost or just leaving somebody?" he heard for about the fifth time and was about to tell them to shove off, which wouldn't be very polite but the previous four times any well wishers directions had just gotten him further lost. Once he was fairly sure was done on purpose because they thought he was impersonating Harry Potter, which was both disturbing and bizarre.
"Well I…" Harry looked up and saw of all people Cho Chang herself, who was holding a blue umbrella over her head. "Lost. Mind giving me some help?" he asked, feeling more than completely embarrassed. Asking for directions from Cho seemed about tantamount to joining the Neo Death Eaters.
"Certainly. Boy's dormitory right. Gotcha. Shouldn't be too hard to find but another twenty feet and you'd be on the road to the fraternity estates on the island's edges." Cho said.
Actually that had been where Harry had been intending to go, a fraternity should be by a dormitory right?
"Really?" was all he could think of before getting under her umbrella and being careful not to drip on her, which would have been quite unattractive. The storm was picking up he could tell despite he had nothing to wipe his glasses on dry so he could see.
"Yeah the fraternity estates are huge magical places, you probably would have been out there all night. Some of them are pretty much like the Houses at Hogwarts dedicated to raising a better wizard…as they see it, they'res actually one for each of the House's there." Cho said as Harry blinked, thinking being member of a Gryffindor Fraternity would be quite pleasant. "Others are devoted to particular areas of magic and there's some like the Alpha Bachuus which are just devoted to getting as many girl's to sleep with them as possible." Cho frowned.
"How horrid." Harry said realizing that it actually was with a wince but he had just been agreeing with Cho out of hand. "Are you a member of a frat…sorority?"
"The Aescalapians." She smiled as Harry briefly remembered how they'd discussed her desire to become a magical healer. "I'm actually doing volunteer work at Saint Mungo's in between courses. It's really refreshing."
They talked the entire way over. The storm continued to grow worse though as Harry watched Cho barely able to hold onto her umbrella as the wind picked up and the lighting intensified. The umbrella actually folded upwards in one particular large gust when they arrived at his dormitory.
"Um Cho it's pretty hellish out here you want to come inside?" Harry asked before blinking as he realized what he had just asked but he recognized Cho had gotten his original intent but seemed pretty reluctant even this weather.
It was then it started raining toads.
"I think I'll come on in." Cho said simply.
***
Ron Wealsey got back to the dormitory extra-quick as he felt guilty bringing up faulty directions in his conversation with Harry. Harry was thinking about Cho, the Quidditch team, and probably a few thousand other things so implanting a few ideas and dissuading a few others wasn't too hard. Growing up in a house with as many siblings as Ron had pretty much guaranteed that you developed a good ability to steer a conversation when you wanted to.
'Eh what's the worse that could happen?' Ron thought as the storm picked up and he winced behind himself.
Out of respect for Fate Ron avoided saying it couldn't get worse for his friend. It was outside here that Ron was to meet Isolde today and he was hoping he could avoid running across her boyfriend as well.
'Though if it's a duel he wants I could take on him and his group with one arm tied behind my back. Ron assured himself as he clutched his wand tightly. It was then he was tapped on the back of the shoulder and he jumped high in the air.
"AHH!" Ron spoke spinning around as his cheeks flushed in humiliated embarrassment. He had faced down You-know-who himself and all he'd done was flinch, he wasn't scared of Baal Krell either but he was anxious about something and so much it was leaving him week in the knee.
"Jumpy aren't we Mr. Wealsey?" Ron looked at her and noted she was a very attractive woman about his age with long curly brown hair, cute small nose, and a pleasant figure. There was something very familiar about her as well but Ron couldn't place it.
"Eloise Midgen, remember Hogwarts?" she said smiling as Ron's eyes widened.
"Eloise…wow." He looked at her and blinked trying mentally to remove the acne and straighten her nose and give her well….the look she was giving in his memory of the girl from Gryffindor.
"So are you waiting for someone?" She said apparently very pleased that Ron had noticed the change.
It was then that Isolde walked down the stairs of the men's dormitory to the spot they said they'd meet and looked at Ron as he suddenly felt his desire rise and Eloise disappeared out of his mind, which never would have occurred around her had he been distracted by anyone else. Ron had personally always liked Eloise and Hermione had insisted she had a crush on him all through Hogwarts but he'd never noticed her before.
"Hello Ron." Isolde said smiling.
"Bye Ron." Eloise said with her nose slightly upturned in distaste and a shaking of her head if this weren't an uncommon occurrence.
"I'm glad you came to see me Ron. I wouldn't have been able to see you hadn't you done so." Isolde spoke with a very soft tone that Ron found irresistible as she put her hand on his chest. "Ron I know we haven't known each other very long but I was curious if you could do me a favor…" she said biting her lip.
"Anything." Ron said honestly as Isolde leaned up against him and held him.
"Be with me." She sighed wrapping her arms around him.
***
Albus Dumbledore walked up the library of New Avalon, which was certainly pleasant enough shelter from the storm as he wrapped three times on the door.
"Atrus?" Albus sighed as the door opened and he viewed the old man with a trace of sadness. Atrus Pandora had once been the premier wizard of his time but had given it all up to tend a simple library existence, and in the end his devotion to the job had destroyed him. It pained him every time he saw him to look at what had become of quite possibly the closest man to Albus's heart.
"Yes, Pardon me. Do I know you?" Atrus asked as Albus shook his head.
"Just a fellow seeker of knowledge." Albus told his mother's son.
"Ah well then welcome. You do recall our school motto? I do. Abandon your preconceptions at the door! Oh dear I probably have some filing I need to do." Atrus spoke "You would excuse me. If you have any need to examine any of the books in the locked shelves or need help finding anything just give me a ring would you sir? A question, Sir, have you ever read Great Wizards of the 20th century? You resemble Albus Dumbledore quite a bit." Atrus spoke smiling picking up the first book he laid his eyes on.
"I've been told that on a number of occasions." Albus chimed to Atrus as the man smiled "Quite a fascinating book really."
"Oh I'd love to discuss some of the finer points, so few of the young ones know much about them…I accept their help and try and steer them in the right direction but really no appreciation for the older works. All are interested in the new fangled quick spells or Muggle news or whatever will help them pass exams the easiest, no appreciation for the finer points of the Arts or our history. Would you like some tea sir?" Atrus said as he snapped his fingers and a silver tea set marched itself up and starting to prepare it self.
"Yes I've heard a bout that. A bit of lemon juice in mine." Albus said, smiling that his half-brother wasn't embarrassed to say 'new fangled'. Saint Mungo's had determined they could do nothing for his brother in restoring his memories fairly early and it had seemed cruel to Albus to force him to stay for treatment when his books were where he wanted to be. So it had been arranged that he should stay here and continue to serve as librarian despite his condition.
The sight of toads falling from the sky from the sky onto the ground wasn't very surprising to Albus as he listened to Atrus prattle on about Great Wizards of the 20th century, a book which he had found very dry reading but he'd tried to insert some humor into. 'Technically I consider myself a man of the 19th century.' Albus thought as he was surprised by the next display of dark wizardry.
"Good evening Albus." Grindelwald said. He was as he was when he was in the prime of his flush youth and a monocle was over his left eye. His form, like that of all specters and projections, shimmered on it's outside. The former leader of Wotan's Eye merely looked at him across the wooden table Albus was about to sit in and was smiling broadly.
"I see you've managed to escape." Albus said lightly blinking his eyes.
"Surely dear boy you didn't honestly think I would spend my entire existence rotting away in the dusty old book you put me in did you?" Octavian smiled happily as the lightning chimed with his essence.
"Actually I rather hoped…" Albus tried to be witty but it was obvious Octavian wasn't listening to him.
"Fifty years of nothing but your own thoughts puts one's goals in perspective Albus, it does…and my refinement of the Prime magic, oh perfect." Grindelwald said. His sanity had apparently not improved with his long isolation to contemplate his deeds.
"Presumably larger ways to kill people and cause fear and terror?" Albus guessed.
"Oh certainly. This college is also perfect for my usage, thank you for putting me here. Entire armies of willing young minds to be molded the way I see them by the lessons I give them, the traumas I inflict…" Octavian smiled "the people I kill. Of course you being now an old man Albus are too weak to stop me." Octavian removed a illusionary wand "Just in case however, CARDIAC TEAR!"
Albus felt his heart, burn as he fell to the ground and Octavian disappeared, Atrus going over to him.
***
TO BE CONTINUED
-Charlemagne