The Provisional Laws of Acquired Behavior or Learning
Authors Note: Still the same day as the previous chapter, Forcing this chapter out because I'm living through a heatwave which is sapping all my motivation and writing skill away… not going to write until I stop melting.
#These-God-Awful-Tree-Jokes – I always got the feeling the reason Sonic said them all in the first comic and never again was because he grew up in a forest and had probably heard or made them all already and was sick of hearing them.
Warning chapter contains mild Google Translate Content ahead.
Disclaimer: I don't at this time own any published work of Sega or JK Rowling, if I did I'd gut the current Sonic fandom and only allow literate people to contribute cutting the fandom back by 90% and improving the quality by the same percentage.
Hogwarts Lake 5:15pm Monday
Roger skipped a stone on the calm waters of the black lake as Sophie and Susan sat at the waterside, Maurice was grinning fresh from another loop around the black lake.
Sophie shone a beam of light off the water looking at the fish skirting about in the rocks "So how did you find the classes?"
Maurice piped up "Bring a pillow to History the only thing you're going to do in that class is sleep, Hey Sue did you manage to get that pass from Flitwick?"
Susan smiled "Flitwick says he'll schedule the OWL testing next week to give me time to read some history books, apparently I'm not the only student who's had perfect memory to test up in theory"
"Wow! You're going the blitz all the theory stuff we're doing!" Sophie's admiration and envy was clear.
"What did you mean sleeping in history class? I mean I though it was a bit dull but not as bad as you seem to find it" Roger asked Maurice who grimaced and just sighed "I felt like my brain was dribbling out my ears"
To Rogers surprise Susan who he'd judged the more serious of the duo nodded fervently in agreement "So glad I'm going to be done with that class soon" Maurice skipped a stone at the lake "You promised to tutor me as I'm the one who gave you the idea"
"I doubt its going to stay that bad, maybe Binn's had a bad day?" spoke Sophie doubtfully.
Maurice shook his head at Sophie's optimism "You're going to hate it, Defence though.. that's my favourite so far, Kill it with fireee my students!" Maurice faux cheered with his arms waving in the air.
Susan started giggling "Maurice stop! I'm going to laugh myself sick remembering!"
At Roger and Sophie's confused look Maurice explained with a grin "As first years we can't use complicated powerful magic, but setting things on fire is a first year charm"
"Sounds interesting?" Spoke Roger hesitantly unsure if the duo were joking or not. Sounded fun though.
"So what's Potions like? You had that class before us" asked Susan turning to the two Slytherins.
Roger shrugged "We ended up doing a risk assessment of the classroom and checking everyone's cauldrons then we got a list of spells to prevent sabotage and splash back from potions, next lesson we're learning about ingredient interaction"
Sophie nodded "It's a interesting subject but it looks like it gets complicated real fast."
Behind the group the bushes lining the forbidden forest rattled ominously startling the group into silence.
"It's probably dinner time soon we should go" spoke Sophie not taking her eyes off the brush.
The entire group could feel a multitude of gazes on them Maurice made a motion to turn and investigate but found his arm tightly gripped by Susan "Maurice?"
The blunet met Susan's gaze and examined her somewhat fixed expression "yeah.. lets make like a tree and leaf"
Much muted groaning ensued.
Great Hall 6:00pm
"Why do I feel like we just had a narrow escape back there?" muttered Sophie with a shiver.
Roger scowled "We probably did, it is called the Forbidden Forest for a reason"
"I thought they had wards up to stop anything nasty coming out?" spoke Susan.
Maurice sighed as if reciting something from memory "There aren't any, its centaur territory and they usually keep the wildlife contained"
"How do you know that?" spoke Roger skeptically.
"I had a look around from the Hogsmeade side before term its very dark in there I only stayed there for about a minute"
"Scared?" Roger asked mildly with a implied taunt but without heat.
Maurice scoffed "You wish, I just don't see the point of staying somewhere I can't run without breaking my legs for the dark"
The group separated drifting towards their house tables Susan masked a yawn as she sat next to Maurice "Tired already?"
Susan nodded slightly "It's been a long day"
Maurice spotted a steaming jug of hot chocolate and poured himself a mug, gulping it down like water to calm his nerves.
"Are you going to make it back to the common room?"
"Ask me after dessert" Susan drawled flatly, serving a copious volume of chocolate stalagmite from the desert platter.
Ravenclaw Tower 6:20pm
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Maurice stared at the knocker blankly "What"
Susan answered for him "Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front."
At Maurice's questioning look Susan blushed "Alice in wonderland was my favorite story when I was little."
"I still don't get it" he stated flatly eyeing the knocker suspiciously even as it swung inwards.
"How did you get in earlier without me then?"
The following statement also flatly given "I followed a sixth year"
"You are going to have to solve the riddles yourself at some point"
"I'll leave a window open" grumbled Maurice slumping down into a armchair convinced the knocker had it out for him.
Staffroom, ground-floor 10:00pm
"Yer a lifesaver Pomona" rasped McGonagall accepting large mug of hot toddy.
"I try" spoke Professor Sprout in a faux snooty voice as dry as the Kalahari Desert idly placing the platter of drinks and biscuits on the central table.
"I don't see why you're so tired Minerva, Some of us were actually teaching today" snarked Professor Kettleburn.
Equally snarky the scotwomam retorted "Bite your tongue! Have you even seen how much paperwork I have tae do fer school maintenance now, the board and the business with the brooms?"
"Well my 5th years seem to have forgotten absolutely everything about brewing over the holidays" grumped Slughorn "Mr. Wynch nearly liquidised himself and five other students whilst Mr. Brunt decided to burn his eyebrows off and don't even ask me what Mr. Meakin did, boys got a sordid future in the Unspeakable's at the rate he's going" Slughorn helped himself to a mug of mulled wine to calm his nerves.
A beat of silence passed in quiet the fireplace happily crackling away.
"So, impressions of the new first years?" prompted McGonagall.
Ignatius spoke first "Great bunch, very willing to learn"
Lucretia snorted "Ignatius, You told them to set everything on fire, of course they were willing to learn!"
Ignatius merely smirked into his drink.
"How was your class Lucretia I never got the chance to pop in" interrupted McGonagall foreseeing a couples bickering ahead.
"Quite good I managed to sufficiently imprint the dangers of improper transfiguration in their minds so we should have less transfigured messes to clean up this year"
"Don't count on it" murmured the thoroughly jaded Madam Poppy Pomfrey darkly, because honestly the things Hogwarts students got up to just defied belief, this matron had seen things.
"I for one thought the first years were very attentive" demurred Sinistra.
Rolanda huffed "Yes well, You cheat with that enchanted planetarium, how much of the budget went into that again?"
Sinistra sniffed "I'll have you know Rubeus contributed quite heavily to its construction"
Horace smiled misty eyed "The man had such a large supply of rare potion ingredients lying around it seemed a travesty to let it go to waste, I simply helped him find the right buyers, for a small commission of course."
"And no doubt made out like a bandit in the process" added Poppy dryly earning a scowl from the potions professor.
"Do you know when he'll be coming back Minerva?" Asked Silvanus.
McGonagall leaned back in her seat "Well he's in Eastern Europe last I checked touring the dragon preserves, he's been our groundskeeper for over forty or so years the mans earned himself a wee break"
Ignatius raised a mug "Here's to hoping the man doesn't return with one of the beasties"
"Way to jinx it, hope the dragon eats you first" Bathsheda muttered earning laughter.
England 11:55pm
Ministry of Magic, Level 2, Improper Use of Magic Office
The unknown wizard smirked under his invisibility cloak as his wand ever so gently altered the warding enchantment anchored to the stone in front of him making it flash light purple before returning to its former blue hue appearing unaltered.
The wizard raised a small unusual looking hand mirror inscribed with runes to his face, "Bull reporting to Ogre in position, ready when you are"
France
Ministère De La Magie, Level 3, Bureau Magique Inapproprié
Like in England another disguised figure sat lounging on a office seat in front of a similar looking ward as if a cat and observing their own mirror "This is Cat reporting to Ogre in position and ready to go"
Germany
Ministerium für Magie, Level 5, Eingeschränkte Magie
As in England and France a third likewise disguised figure sat stood tense in front of another ward observing his own enchanted mirror "This is Opossum reporting to Ogre in position and ready and waiting"
In an Unknown Location
A massive mirror made of at least a hundred smaller mirrors sat resplendent across the wall like a large cinema screen in a theatre, runic carving looped around the walls like vines and in each and every mirror faces were visible hundreds of people reporting in.
A figure sat obscured in shadows gazing at all the faces in the mirror expressionlessly its eyes burning a pitiless red, Everything was coming together and much sooner than they had thought it would, finding that person in Azkaban had been a blessing in disguise. In Azkaban they had found a new lieutenant plagued by a genius mind and woefully underutilized.
Given unlimited resources and free reign this new lieutenant had brought the plan forward by 35 years at the very least, Now it was time to turn plan into action, a finger snap spurned the lieutenant into action.
In front of the figure in the throne standing in front of the mirror mosaic on a raised platform with greasy grey brown hair, intimidating black eyes and faded pock-marked skin stood someone who should have by all rights still have been imprisoned in Britain's Azkaban Prison in maximum security yet here he was, Augustus Rookwood stood proudly and clearly spoke "All operatives are in position, this is Ogre to all operatives, Begin Operation Hidebound on my mark"
The figure in the throne remained tense if even one of the operatives messed this up the second attempt would be much, much harder.
"Now!"
The mirrors lit up bright red for over a minute as every person in the mirror simultaneously cast their spells in places all over the world.
After the light faded "Has it worked?"
Rookwood waved a wand over the podium casting a silent spell "We are successful"
Muted exclamations of excitement were heard from the mirrors.
"Gentlemen" the figure in the darkness spoke.
The room went abruptly silent in deference of their leader "We have a year to get everything in place, a year before anyone notices anything is wrong, use it wisely, you each know your assignments, Dismissed!"
