About two weeks later, the group (minus Elaine and Victoria) was studying in the library with an addition to the group— a Ravenclaw friend of William's named James. He got along with everyone quite well, and had joined them for study groups beginning last semester. William proudly held the title as the clown of the group, and James was not too far behind. Their humor was one in the same, but he was a more serious version of William. Either way, everyone loved seeing the two of them together for no shortage of comedic relief.

Elaine and Victoria approached the table, seeming to be engrossed in a conversation. Their expressions looked like something between shock, excitement, and embarrassment.

"What's with you two?" Eva asked as they took their seats at the table. The two girls exchanged a look, reddening a little, then Elaine leaned a little closer. Everyone stopped what they were doing, waiting for some unexpected news.

"None of you have had potions yet this week, right?" Elaine asked, already knowing everyone's schedules.

"We do, in about 15 minutes," Tom answered, checking his watch while motioning to Eva, Isidore, and Eleonora.

"Oh, so none of you have seen the new dreamboat professor," Elaine whispered, and everyone proceeded to openly display their surprise with gasps or dropping their quills.

"New professor?! It's the middle of the semester!" James exclaimed, and Elaine shrugged.

"Well, we have new one."

"What happened to Professor Slughorn?" Tom asked, his voice even. William looked over at him, then to Elaine awaiting an explanation.

Shit. Just when he started to teach me about horcruxes, Tom snarled internally.

"Promotion, maybe? Professor Lestrange said it, I think, but I don't remember half of the things he said," Elaine chuckled nervously. Isidore jumped in his chair, saying, "did you just say 'Professor Lestrange?'"

"That was our next question, he must be related to you. He does seem to look an awful lot like you," Victoria mumbled.

"What's his first name?" Isidore pried, and Elaine answered with a thousand-yard stare, "didn't catch it."

Isidore immediately stood up, saying, "what did he look like?"

"Like he could tell me to piss off and I'd say thank you," Victoria answered, then Isidore groaned, "hair color?"

"Brown," the two girls answered.

"Was he tall?"

"Oh yes," Elaine giggled.

"Eye color?"

"Perfection," Victoria sighed.

"Please elaborate," Isidore said through gritted teeth.

"They were light brown, but definitely had green in them," Victoria added.

"Yep, that's him," Isidore grunted, already beginning to walk away.

"Wait, you mean, the psychopath?" Elaine cried, turning in her chair to face Isidore.

"No. You know the update I gave you about what I saw at that alchemist's house two weeks ago?"

Everyone who had spoken to him about it nodded, then he said, "yeah, you're talking about my father. Evander Lestrange."

"WHAT?!" Elaine, Victoria, William, and James shrieked.

"I have to go," Isidore said hurriedly, then he bolted down the library before disappearing around some shelves as he ran to the exit.

"We'll see you all later," Eva called, grabbing Tom and Eleonora. The two of them swept their books and papers into their arms, then broke into a run after Isidore.

"Way to go, Victoria. You just told Isidore how attractive his father is," Elaine muttered.

"Me?!"

"Uh-huh! His eye color is 'perfection.' You said that out loud! What are you, a love-struck girl writing a diary entry?! That's so cheesy, you weirdo!" Elaine hissed with aggressive air quotes for 'perfection' and a scowl on her face.

"You're the one who called him a 'dreamboat!'" Victoria spat, then found James and William laughing on the other side of the table.

"Oh, our peanut gallery," Elaine growled.

"Way to go, Isidore knows you two have a crush on his dad," William said before snorting with laughter.

"Hopefully all the other love-struck girls will drown you two out," James said, having noticed a change in the dynamic of Hogwarts's female population since the morning.

"He looks younger than he is, okay?!" Elaine protested. William proceeded to lay his head on the table, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Shut up!" Elaine cried, whacking his head with her folder.

"Alright, alright, I'll try to stop!"

William sat back up with a sigh to calm himself, then his smile grew smaller.

"Seriously, I wonder what happened with Slughorn?"

"Well, if he got offered a better job, what's the problem? I would've probably done the same thing," James asked.

"Yeah, me too. Some ministry positions are really hard to pass up," Elaine agreed. William offered a smile with a shrug, and said, "Good point."

He checked his watch, then stood up and stretched his arms.

"I have to get going to my Transfiguration lecture. I'll see you all at dinner," he told them.

"Have a good class," Victoria said while William and Elaine said their goodbyes.

"Don't sleep with your eyes open, again," James muttered, and William laughed.

"That's only for my History of Magic lecture," William answered.

"That's so freakin' weird," Elaine muttered as she suppressed a laugh, but William merely shrugged.

"You call it 'weird,' I call it talent," he told her with a polite and sarcastic bow, then gathered his books and walked away, wearing his usual carefree grin.

He stepped out of the library, and his smile dropped. Like everyone in this eclectic group of people, he also had his own talents, aside from sleeping with his eyes open.

This other gift William had, was his ability to act. It surpassed even Tom Riddle's.

I'll be fine, as long as Tom don't suspect me, he thought.


Evander heard the door to the classroom open, turning to greet his new students.

"Good afternoon—" he began, then froze when he saw the familiar four faces from Hogsmeade.

"Professor Lestrange?" Eleonora asked, and he smiled.

"Surprise," he laughed.

"How did this happen?" Eva asked.

"Well, I came to Hogwarts as promised for business, but then I was told that Professor Slughorn was offered a higher-paying job with the ministry. They wanted him to start within three weeks, or they would've given the position to someone else. So, he took it. I heard about the job since I was here the day he decided to leave, and took it. I heard my brother had submitted an application, and there was no way I'd let him have it."

"Oh, hell no, that would've been a disaster," Isidore shuddered.

"Precisely. Now, I still work for the ministry. But my department is quite theoretical, and doesn't require me to be there every day. So, why not take the professor position? And, I never liked to admit this… but I always wanted to teach at some point."

"Didn't you get a degree in mathematics when I was about to start school here?" Eleonora asked, and he nodded with a grin.

"A bachelor's degree in mathematics, yes, then a doctorate in physics."

All of them had dumbfounded stares, seeing that his smile was shy as he tried his best to sound humble.

"I was able to be an instructor's assistant at a few universities over the years for extra money, and I found out that I love teaching. So I saw an opportunity, and took it. And, I can finally keep an eye on-"

He hesitated, looking down at the ground as he scratched the back of his neck for a moment while mumbling, "my kids. Since we have a lot to figure out."

"Isidore? You okay?" Eva whispered, then he blinked a few times as if he had just been startled awake.

"I'm— yeah."

He sighed, then said, "Congratulations on the position. I actually am glad you're here."

Evander broke into a grin that made the hearts of the two girls melt, then Isidore added, "it'll take some getting used to. For me, probably. I just—"

"Isidore, it's alright. Don't be afraid. I promise to be the best professor I can. Potions can be dreadfully boring and difficult or the best class at this school, depending on how you teach it. At least think of me as a new professor if my being your father is too much, and I can assure you that this class will be enjoyable."

"Thank you," Isidore murmured, his body relaxing a little.

"Another thing I should mention. Just call me Professor Lestrange. I just want you as comfortable as you can be, given the circumstances," he added, turning to write on the chalkboard.

"Right, that'd be best for now," Isidore said awkwardly, producing a delighted smirk from Evander.

"Please, take your seats. I think the other students will be arriving soon," he said, motioning to the classroom. The four of them sat at their lab bench in the middle row on the right edge of the classroom, in front of a case of vials and beakers.

Students did begin filing in, and the girls all had similar reactions to their new professor: small squeals, gasps, turning bright red, tripping or choking on air.

The usual sound of three chimes from a bell reverberated through the school, indicating the beginning of class. Evander stepped around from behind his desk, crossing his arms as he leaned against the side of the blackboard.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm sure you were expecting Professor Slughorn. As an alumni of this school, I know news spreads like wildfire here, so I'm sure some of you have heard that I'll be taking over as the potions professor for Professor Slughorn. He was worked here a long time, and his talents were recognized by the ministry. They offered him a position that will treat him kindly between hours and pay, so he took it. Although, they unfortunately gave him a deadline of three weeks to accept, which hardly seems fair to offer in the middle of a school year."

Evander already had all the students in his clutches, between the sound of his voice, his natural charm, his posture, and his looks.

"But most of us would have certainly taken that opportunity. He'll be back to visit and say his goodbyes to his students. You all know how much he loved teaching," Evander added with a smile, which lead to an eruption of murmurs throughout the room.

"Anyway, my name is Evander Lestrange—" he said, then the class shot Isidore surprised looks.

"Yes, we're related, since you're all curious," Evander said, his tone smooth but slightly cutting. The students immediately looked back to him, and he gave a relaxed smile as if to counter the one of his voice.

"So, it'd be customary to say a little about me…

"I was born and raised in Slane, Ireland, since I know you can all hear my accent. I attended Hogwarts from 1919 to 1926, and was in Slytherin. I was a prefect from my fifth through seventh years, head boy seventh year, Quidditch team from my second through seventh as the seeker. I worked with the Ministry of Magic right after school and have since, well— also with the Magical Congress of the United States of America. I have a bachelor's degree in mathematics and doctorate in physics, which is where I began my teaching career and realized that it was indeed my passion. So, some-odd years later, here we are!

"Do any of you have any questions? I'd be happy to answer them."

One boy in the back did raise his hand, and Evander nodded his head to him.

"Pardon me, Professor Lestrange, is it true you were offered the position as the Minister of Magic? I feel that I've seen your name before in the papers," he asked shyly, standing up. The class turned to Evander with tense gazes, but were surprised to find him smiling calmly to the student.

"Yes, I was. I turned it down because I was deeply involved with research in the Department of Mysteries. Because of my other degrees, I was leading a study and couldn't back out of it at that point. I had hard-working people on my teams, and wanted to take care of them by seeing it through the end of the research."

"That's very admirable, sir," the boy said with a smile, then took his seat again.

"Thank you— what's your name?"

"It's John, sir," he answered.

"John. I'll have your names down soon enough. Are there any other questions?"

"Yeah. Is he married?" A girl at the table to the left of Isidore murmured to her lab partner, who answered, "I know, seriously!"

Isidore leaned onto his hand, looking into his lap to roll his eyes. He already hated attention, and wasn't looking forward to more because of their relation. But he knew it was better that Evander was here, and he did feel an odd sense of security. The man was clearly brilliant, and was his best bet of finding someone to get Cornelius and Theodora to swap places.

"Alright then. Let's begin the lesson. Turn to page 293," Evander announced, turning toward the board and beginning his lesson.


(One week before)

William yawned as he walked down the dark hallways of the school in the evening. He had been with James, reviewing for their History of Magic exam since he had, yet again, fallen asleep during the lecture (yes, with his eyes open).

Out of pure boredom, William focused on the sound of his footsteps, then changed the force he used when his heel met the ground. Indeed the sound was more muffled, and he tried again a few different landings for his feet to use with each step.

Hmph, I think this is the most quiet, he thought after about four different tries. He thought he could hear some quiet chatter down the hall in the potions classroom, and stopped to listen for a moment.

"I was in the library the other night— in the restricted section— and, I read something rather odd about a bit of rare magic. It's called, as I understand it, a horcrux."

William knew the sound of that voice. But why was it so different? And what was it doing asking about horcruxes?

"I beg your pardon," Professor Slughorn's voice said, sounding very taken aback. William promptly stepped agains the wall, carefully leaning toward the slightly ajar door to the nearby potions classroom.

"I didn't fully understand it—"

"I'm not sure what you were reading Tom. This is very dark stuff, very dark indeed."

"Which is… why I came to you."

William listened, hearing about the concept of splitting a soul so that one cannot die. It sent a horrible chill down the length of his spine, unable to imagine dealing into such dark and most likely painful magic just to achieve longevity. He came from a pureblood family, and couldn't picture the body would even look normal after such an act.

"And how does one split his soul, sir?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Tom."

"Murder."

William gasped, slamming a hand over his mouth, which he realized was now shaking. The way Tom spoke terrified him beyond words he could describe. Even if he wasn't going to do something, why would he be interested in something so horrific?

"Can you only split the soul once? For instance, seven—"

"Seven?! Merlin's beard, Tom—"

William couldn't even hear what Slughorn said after that, he just began to feel dizzy.

"This is all hypothetical, isn't it— purely academic—" Slughorn quickly rationalized.

"Of course, sir. It'll be our little secret."

William backed himself to the adjoining hallway, stepping into the dim lighting away from the wall as he panted with fright.

What the hell was that? he thought, then spun around at the sound of footsteps a ways down the corridor.

"William, is that you?!" Eva cried, before breaking into a jog to catch up with him. He felt himself freeze, she wouldn't be able to handle the news.

She can't find out. Her heart would break. Maybe literally!

He met her half way, a wide grin on his face as he said, "Eva, what a pleasant surprise!"

"What're you doing here?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"An after-dinner stroll. You're always telling us that helps digestion," he said, patting his stomach.

"That's nice, you're actually listening to me! I wanted to see if Professor Slughorn could answer a question I have on the assignment."

"How about I do that? He went home for the night— I just passed his room, it was dark."

"If you don't mind," she said, then he chimed, "It would be my pleasure."

"Then can we go see try to find the knight? I wonder which portrait he's broken into tonight," she asked, and William nodded excitedly. That was a tradition the two of them shared, occasionally with the others too. They liked looking at the portraits around the school to locate the goofy knight the first years all saw cartwheeling around.

"Count me in," William laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders to lead her in the opposite direction of the potions classroom.

Tom, please tell me you didn't hear us, he thought glancing behind him for a split second. The hallway remained empty, including the one that crossed it a ways down the the potions classroom.

William never considered himself a lucky person. But on this one, his plea was heard. He realized this once Tom walked past them about 15 minutes later.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Tom said, the usual charm in his voice with a polite smile. William and Eva were sitting next to each other, leaning against the stone railing of a staircase landing.

"Of course not. We're just watching Sir Cadogan," Eva said, nodding up to a painting, to which Tom looked up at. The knight galloped (not on a horse— he took the liberty of frantically skipping) through six portraits in a row, annoying the people in them.

"Do a cartwheel!" William cried, then Sir Cadogan gave himself a running start. In the middle of his cartwheel, he kicked a man who had been reading a book in the face, then fell into the portrait next door, nearly knocking the woman who was holding a baby in it.

"Sir Cadogan, please," she barked, and the man next door groaned as he held his face. Tom, William, and Eva were all laughing, which won them a bizarre pose from Sir Cadogan.

"This never gets old," Eva giggled.

"It doesn't. But don't mind me— I didn't realize you two were on a date this evening. No wonder I couldn't find you two after dinner. I'll leave you be," Tom said with a smirk, turning and beginning to descend the stairs.

"We're not—" both Eva and William shrieked. Tom merely waved a hand, then disappeared.

Eva and William gave each other awkward smiles, then looked away at the same time. Sir Cadogan dramatically stroked his chin, turning his head from side to side, the feather on his helmet tickling the face of the woman behind him.

"That's the third time this week we've been told that," William chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry you keep getting mixed up with me," Eva muttered as she shyly scratched her head.

"It's not a problem!" William squeaked.

"It's not?"

"Why would it be?"

Eva looked around for a second, then leaned closer and said, "don't you like Elaine?"

William blinked in surprise, then hurriedly said, "no, not like that!"

"Oh, my mistake. You two just seem to get along well."

"Not any better than you and I do."

He immediately wished he hadn't said anything, and looked away as he saw her head snap in his direction.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"If you say so."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, only broken by the sound of shifting staircases above and below them. William bit his lip, then said, "I just mean, she doesn't like this stuff as much."

"You mean the silly things we do?"

"Yeah, like portrait watching. And going to check on the magical creatures, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, playing ninja or something…" he said, tugging on the bottom of his Gryffindor tie.

"Well, she's missing out then, because you're a lot of fun. I'll always do those things with you."

He looked up at her gentle smile, seeing an innocent gleam in her eyes.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," she said, drawing an x over her heart.

"That's quite a statement. How about a pinky promise," William said, holding out his hand. She locked her small pinky with his, and they squeezed their fingers.

"With pleasure!"

Eva offered a bright smile, and William looked down with a sheepish laugh. Her green eyes were always so full of emotion, and her soft blond curls gave her an ethereal beauty. Although she had no idea of it, always feeling inferior to the other girls in her group. She felt that they had her beat with intelligence, looks, athletic ability, and even musically.

Her speaking voice wasn't as girly as one would expect from her appearance, definitely evident of her being an alto, but it was soothing. She hated singing in front of others, but William had caught her once out in the rain, alone— she had a voice that could belt so well, it stopped him in his tracks. She was decently smart, and worked hard for good grades. She may have been shorter than the other girls at 5' 2," but it only made her seem sweeter when someone would look at her smile from above.

"You know, you really know how to charm a girl."

William looked back at her, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"What?"

"You made my day, is all. You get all shy, in a different way than Isidore or Tom do. They get embarrassed and almost defensive when they're trying to be nice. You get…"

"Say it," William laughed.

"Well, adorable."

William found himself laughing, thinking, she's so oblivious when it comes to herself. But that's her charm, isn't it?

"Alright, Hufflepuff. Careful which boys hear that. They might misinterpret your friendship."

"I'm serious! But you know we're friends, so I can get away with it, right?"

Okay then. I expected that, but it still hurts a bit, he thought, hiding his pained expression with a sarcastic grin.

"Hence my friendly reminder, Mansfield."

"Don't worry. I'm not this comfortable around most guys. It just shows how much I trust you," she sighed with a roll of her eyes as she hugged her knees, staring at the floor.

"Like I'm one of the girls?" he asked, then she went, "I guess if you put it that way."

Encourage her to see you as just a friend. Great idea, you dumbass prick.

His thoughts were confirmed, as Sir Cadogan fell over, and the faces of the portraits around them looked a little pained. William gave them a look, thankful Eva hadn't been looking up at them.

"But you're not, William. I can relax in a different way around only you."

Sir Cadogan shot up from the ground, seeming to have resurrected with William as their faces both lit up. Well, Sir Cadogan's helmet seemed to move like he was more perky; his face wasn't actually visible.

"Likewise. It's hard to describe, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but why waste energy trying to figure it out? If something makes you happy, then let it be and take it as it comes."

William have her a half-smile, nodding in agreement. For now their friendship was what he needed, and his priority was keeping an eye on Tom. Not just for her safety, but for everyone's.

He stood up, offering her his hand. She clasped it, and he pulled her to stand, then said, "I need to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Did you get in trouble?" she pouted.

"Me, I would never!"

She gave him a look like she didn't believe a word he said, which only widened his grin.

"Maybe a little," he lied, then she gave him a gentle push in the direction of his office.

"Then go, you can't keep him waiting."

"Goodnight, Lady Mansfield," he said with a bow, then turned on his heel and began walking up the stairs. He stopped about six feet up, half-turning with a charming smirk on his face.

"Goodnight, Sir Sinclair," she said using her Hufflepuff robes to curtsey. She looked way up with a smile, meeting his own, then saw the graceful swirl of his Gryffindor robes as he turned to head back up.

William bid the portraits goodnight, then turned into the hallway on the next floor. His smile disappeared, and his stomach felt like it was about to flip from nerves.

He noticed that Dumbledore and Tom had a strained relationship, and hated having to tell on him. But he knew Tom had everyone else fooled, and that Dumbledore's the only one who would listen to William's story. He had to tell someone, out of fear Tom would do something that would result in something drastically horrible. As his friend, William couldn't allow that.

Tom, don't do anything rash. Please, I don't think any of us could bear it.


A/N: So you got to know William's character a little more, and Eva too.

Because I'm not going to really touch on it any more, I'll just say it here: Slughorn wasn't fired. But he definitely got in trouble with Dumbledore. It's not his fault, he was able to get a good job (as Evander said) because Dumbledore didn't want Slughorn teaching Tom anything else like this. Professors (at least for my story) are limited in what they can teach, so this was a preventative measure. I applaud William, he may have just pushed the Voldemort within Tom away for the time being.

And obviously, Evander replacing Slughorn is one major difference between the canon story and my own. I did borrow the conversation from the Half-Blood Prince film for the horcrux lesson. (that's my citation/credit attempt)

Anyway, thanks for reading again!