Felix woke up lying in a chamber with a single bed covered in white linen sheets, sun was shining through the open window and a slight breeze caressed his face. "It wasn't lying…I am not dead, but everything hurts…"
"Good morning, Felix", he heard Professor Horsewood's strained voice to his left.
He looked at her with groggy, blurry eyes. "How long…how long was I out? Where am I?" He asked her trying to lift himself a little higher.
"You have been unconscious in St. Mungo's' for three very long, very worrying weeks. The nurses had to resuscitate you more than once, as your vitals kept flatlining…" she answered him as she helped him up with his back against the bedpost.
"Wasn't my intention…what happened? Last thing I remember is me drinking the potion", he lied. "Everything hurts, sore throat, itchy eyes, splitting headache…three weeks? It felt more like an hour's worth of time."
"Time is a…relevant and subjective concept. I have a multitude of questions for you, but that is for later, for now you need your rest. I will let your friends know you are awake and improving". She told him making eye contact.
"Ma'am, what happened to me? It wasn't the first time I drunk the Seer potion, never before had it had this kind of reaction."
"That is at the core of the problem, Felix. You overdosed which caused an acute allergic reaction. You were in a coma for eight days now."
"There's something you're not telling me", Felix said, it wasn't a question.
"I'll let you rest", she left without saying anything else.
Three days later Felix walked through the fireplace in the Headmistress' office using the Floo network from St. Mungo's.
He made his way down the castle's winding stairs and to the Great Hall, it was breakfast time and he felt famished after three weeks of unconsciousness and three days of Hospital food.
William, Alfred and Claudia were the first to run to him. "Felix!" she shouted hugging him.
"That did not go as planned! We don't even have what we wanted out of this endeavour", Emerick whined, still worried for his friend. Felix walked over to the Hufflepuff table taking a seat, as his cousins and friends gathered around him.
"Little Hangleton", Felix said with a smirk, shaking their hands and giving hugs to his friends.
"What's that?" Emerick questioned with a raised brow.
"The location we were searching for", Felix shrugged smiling contently.
"Oh! You got it!" Emerick tried not to shout too loud.
"We should tell…" Claudia begun to say when Felix shook his head.
"We will, tonight in the HQ, Miremba, we need to get you sworn in, there's information you need to learn since I believe you want to fight Bloodfang? Part of why you came with the Exchange program to Hogwarts?"
Miremba nodded with the same austere apprehensiveness she always seemed to possess. "Indeed."
"How are you Felix, my friend? Are you well? I was very worried, we all were. The Headmistress told us you had an allergic reaction to the Seer potion?" Socrates gave him a hug, before taking his seat in the Hufflepuff table.
"That is the truth, but it is only the partial truth. Someone…spiked my potion by adding quadruple the amount of petals required and stirring in hellebore. It nearly killed me, but it also allowed me to experience something so…profound and mind altering that words cannot do it justice", Felix elaborated, his gaze looking at no one in particular as if he was seeing something everyone else could not.
"How…?" Uriel looked him, then Emerick and the others as if expecting them to know how Felix knew this when they did not know more than what the Headmistress had shared.
"Oh, it's Felix, he most likely legilimensed a doctor, or something", Claudia replied in a resigned, yet teasing voice.
"Or something", Felix restrained himself from snorting, filling his mouth with food.
"You must tell us more, I am intrigued!" Socrates cried, barely able to withhold his excitement.
"Many things have that effect on you", Uriel chuckled.
"An inquisitive mind is a…"
"Healthy mind, we know", Claudia chuckled completing his sentence.
"I go away for three weeks…" Felix mused, his eyes darting between Claudia and Socrates.
"We have…"
"Classes, we know" Socrates filled in what Claudia started saying. Ethel snorted.
"Ah, classes. How I missed them, what have we got first?" Felix asked, stuffing his mouth full of pancakes and stood up, grabbing his backpack.
"History of Magic, and your Professor is very boring", Miremba replied in a dry voice.
Pretty much everyone around her, Felix, Claudia, Uriel, the Blake brothers, Socrates and Emerick laughed. "Understatement of the millennium!" They all said in unison.
"I wonder why Professor Binns stays behind?" Socrates voiced as they exited the sunlit Great Hall, heading down the corridor to the History of Magic classroom.
"Huh?" Emerick wondered aloud, looking at Socrates.
"All ghosts have a reason for staying behind and not moving on, be it regret, fear, anger or a grudge. Professor Binns remains behind for a reason", Socrates replied, leaving the "why?" unspoken.
"Has no one thought of this before? No one cared, or bothered to ask him?" Felix voiced, intrigued by Socrates' question.
"He's droned everyone into apathy", Uriel joked with a guttural snort.
"He is indeed…uninteresting, a pity since History of Magic can be an amazing subject."
"You have a vivid, amazing Professor in Elysion. Her lecture could resurrect the dead…wait we should have her teach Professor Binns a lesson", Felix laughed.
They continued chatting into the History of Magic classroom, and during the lesson at wand lore throughout Wizarding recorded history as Professor Binns droned others into a stupor.
Classes and Quidditch training helped Felix start to get back into his school routine in his first day back in Hogwarts. Later that night, just past midnight, he made his way from the Hufflepuff common room with Ethel to the abandoned classroom where, in his absence, they had made their research HQ.
He knocked on the door twice and twice more after a three seconds pause then tapped once on it with his wand.
Emerick opened the door from the inside. The classroom had been redecorated to fit their needs, like the room of requirement would have done if it was accessible.
Everyone else was there, including the Headmistress and Professors Cooper and Willows.
"Out of curiosity, ma'am. Why not Professor Marvey? Considering she's helped…us in the past?" Felix asked, closing the door behind him.
"She was the Governors' hire as well as Professor Hudson and I do not trust her motives for being here or helping you against another Professor, and Deputy Headmaster to boot. I do not want to trust her with this", Professor Horsewood answered him calmly, yet Felix could feel more intense emotions bubbling below.
"She wasn't your choice, ma'am? I thought you had hired her to spite Professor Hudson, whatever their history is", he decided to push his luck, just in case some tidbit of information would inadvertently escape her that would help him make sense of things.
"I'm not that petty, Mr. Burton. No, instead I made Professor Hudson Head of the House he hated most as a child", Professor Horsewood evaded his trap with a faint, self-satisfied smile.
"Grand", Emerick laughed.
"How very diabolical, ma'am. A true Slytherin, if you weren't a Ravenclaw", Uriel tried, very bravely, to tease the Headmistress.
"A little secret, Mr. Fatherspoon. Ravenclaw are far more cutthroat and potentially devious than Slytherin, it's just that we are so in the pursuit of knowledge…usually", she saw him hard swallow, which pleased her.
"Little Hangleton, that's where Azrail and Professor Jordan's at", Felix decided to move things along.
"Full of surprises you are, as always, why there?" Professor Horsewood inquired.
"At one time it was the home of Tom Riddle Senior, father of one Tom Marvolo Riddle or…"
"Lord Voldemort…of course", Professor Horsewood stated as if the location should have been something she had thought of on her own a time ago. "Both their graves are in the Large house's cemetery, just outside the village, I believe."
"I can't tell you much of how I found out, in part because I don't know how much of it was…"real" and what wasn't, but I experienced a variation of Achronia's Styx and Limbo…The Crossroads, and I…feel different. But that's not important right now, what's important is we know where they are. So, what now, ma'am?" Felix asked, obvious he wanted to act sooner than later.
"Now, you all sit tight while I make arrangements. When it's time Professor Willows will contact you. And Felix, I need your solemn promise you will not use this rescue attempt to conclude your third fight with Azrail. I am already going against everything I hold true and holy as a Professor, Headmistress and Human being, with accepting to place the lives of underage students in direct mortal peril. So, I cannot and will not have one or any of you behaving erratically or with a different agenda that will endanger others. Am I clear?" She asked him sternly, but her question was directed to all present.
"My time to fight Azrail will come no matter what any of us do or don't do, but it is not this time. We need to rescue Professor Jordan and Lethargos from my brother and return them to Hogwarts without any more casualties, I can't lose another person I care about to him. I'll never knowingly or willingly endanger anyone I care about…again, you have my word, ma'am", Felix replied in a tone of voice that left no ambiguity as to his sincerity.
She scrutinized him silently for a moment or two. "Very mature of you, Felix. I'll be in touch", Professor Horsewood paced slowly away.
"The initial thoughts are for two teams to infiltrate the house from two different points, each with a Professor", Professor Willows said.
"If we find any of Azrail's lieutenants we are to try and neutralize them as quietly as possible, get in grab Professor Jordan and that Lethargos person, and leave", Professor Cooper continued Professor Willows' thoughts on the matter.
"And if my brother is there?"
"Initial thoughts are rarely…well fledged out well", Professor Willows sighed.
"So, what do we do in that eventuality?" Felix pressed on.
"Try to not get murdered?" Uriel replied dryly.
"Preferably", Claudia continued in the same tone.
"Azrail is cunning and deceitful but predictable in his unpredictability. Lure him away we must", Socrates added.
"That is a thought", Professor Willows continued their discussion until the wee hours of the morning.
"What you will find difficult in this, will be the anticipation, the wait. Needless as it might be to mention, you cannot tell anyone anything of this, considering who the Governors are, who their ally is and who their eyes and ears are, in Hogwarts. So, as difficult as this will be for you all, you must try and hide your tension leading up to the rescue day, whenever this will be.
"As I am sure you are aware, Professors, my mind loves to wonder. So, I wonder is tension, absentmindedness and frequent mood swings paradoxical and strange for individuals passing through their adolescence and into their formative teenage years and unto adulthood? Or would it be stranger for those individuals to change their otherwise accepted chaotic and erratic behaviour for a more orderly one suddenly and without valid and prolonged cause?" Claudia facepalmed as Ethel laughed aloud and Felix gave a knowing grin.
"I have never before heard anyone explain "It's normal to display tension, we're teenagers" in a more convoluted way", Uriel joined the laughter.
"Oh, that's only because he's not talking in Hellenika and you've not known him longer", Felix's grin now spread from ear to ear as he high-fived Socrates.
Professors Willows and Cooper rolled their eyes exiting the Classroom.
Three days passed by, three days that Felix found beautifully mundane and ordinary consisting of classes, studying in the library and Quidditch practice, as well as himself practicing on what Professor Jordan had taught him before his capture by Marigold at last year's attack on Hogwarts by Azrail and his cronies.
His friends on the other hand did not share his blissful, calm attitude.
"What's taking her so long?" Emerick whispered to them, leaning forward across the desk they were occupying in the library, studying for their daily and weekly homework.
"And just maybe the Professors were onto something", Felix chuckled quietly. "She'll notify us when everything's ready. For now we have Potions homework to get done and I have training for tomorrow's game against Gryffindor", he told Emerick calmly, without lifting his eyes from his notes and books.
Emerick's mouth opened and closed a few times but he said nothing further, looking at Uriel and Claudia who could only shrug. Socrates seemed as calm and focused in his studying as Felix was, sitting right next to Claudia.
Two hours of studying and revising later Claudia could no longer keep it in, her impatience taking the better of her. "Okay, how can you be so calm? Or concentrate on studying?" Her right foot tapping away at the floor beneath the desk.
"Timeframe was never mentioned, she may send for us today or a month from now. I don't know when I'm going to face Azrail, but assuming I survive the encounter or that it comes after NEWTs, I don't intent to fail them or get anything less than Outstanding on every subject", Felix replied as calmly as before.
"I am rubbing off on you, friend. Now, how about you tell us the real reason?" Socrates told him in an uncharacteristically stern tone of voice.
"I'm not in any rush to face certain death or insurmountable odds, or the chance of losing even more people I care about. The time will come when it does."
Chapter 3: Anticipation
Claudia leaned forward and to the right, peeking in at what Felix was reading. ""Advanced battle hexes and offense as the best defense", that's not from the library…not even from the restricted section!" She exclaimed as quietly as she could so as to not be overheard by Mr. Thorson, the Librarian.
"I'm not in a rush, I never said I'm stupid. I', preparing as best I can, the book is from Professor Jordan's personal library in his office. I borrowed it."
"Breathlessly silent: Your target thinks they have been silenced, while in truth their lungs have stopped working. Deceptive", Socrates read one of the hexes described in the book, in the page Felix had open.
"That one ain't even one of the top ten in this book", Felix replied with a faint smirk.
"I must borrow this book after!" Ethel tried not to speak too loud.
"From Professor Jordan's personal library?"
"You did", Ethel shrugged mischievously.
"I am his apprentice" Felix stated feeling a surge of confidence at the fact.
"Details!" Ethel remarked. Felix was rolling his eyes when a long eared, gray owl landed on his shoulder, giving a hooting sound.
"Someone misplaced an owl?" Uriel commented as the owl flattered its wings landing in front of Felix on the desk. It hooted again fluttering its wings before flying off.
"Another deception, me thinks", Socrates was looking at Felix who nodded his agreement standing up.
They followed it to the out-of-order restroom in the second floor where the owl transformed into the Headmistress.
"Professor, I thought…" Felix started saying but she cut him off, straightening his clothes.
"We all have our secrets. Now, you know that Quidditch game you have tomorrow? Now you don't have a Quidditch game tomorrow. Uriel is going to pretend to be you, so you have only a few hours to instruct him as best you can so he can pass as you and hopefully no one will even notice you'll be gone from Hogwarts, because tomorrow at four in the afternoon you are going to rescue Professor Jordan with Mrs. Russo, Mr. Stalwart and Mrs. Clifford", Professor Horsewood told them.
"My father will be unpleasantly displeased with me if I am left behind from a battle. I'm going, ma'am", Socrates stated.
"Resistance is futile, ma'am, when it comes to Atalian stubbornness and force of will, they are uniquely…intense", Felix added before she could reply.
"I am aware, Felix…very well. Professors Willows and Cooper will tell you the rest tomorrow."
"Where will you be, ma'am?" Claudia asked.
"Me? I'm going to try and make sure the Ministry and Azrail are nowhere near that house."
"And where am I in this plan?" Ethel asked, clearly not liking her name left out of the rescue plan.
"You will be in the stands cheering for your team and House, someone from Felix's friends must be and you are a Hufflepuff to boot", Professor Horsewood's voice left no room for "buts" or "ifs".
"Fine, I don't like it but fine", Ethel pouted crossing her hands in front of her torso.