Rodrick took another bite as he listened on, a wary expression on his face, to the headmaster's speech. He couldn't help but feel like something was off.
"Professor's Black and Snape have both kindly offered to take over the lessons until Alastor returns," The headmaster continued.
Expressions of relief, surprise and even in some cases sadness filled the hall at the news. Though Rodrick's eyes never left the headmaster. He and the Defence professor had disappeared somewhere the previous day... He'd ignored it then thinking nothing off it, he'd certainly not received a vision. Unfortunately, it turned out something had happened, something drastic. Alastor Moody had been hospitalised. Why? The headmaster never stated. He'd simply told them the man would likely be in care due to an 'accident' for the next few months.
"Will Mr Twycross and Grace make their way to my office please." The headmaster finished, earning amused looks from the hall.
Rodrick blinked, momentarily lost in thought, who was Twycross- He quickly caught sight of the other student standing up, an embarrassed and tired look on his own face. His actual friends, having finally decided to show themselves, were both snickering beside him. He had a vague idea of what the headmaster wanted.
Still. Who would've thought the Ravenclaws name would be Twycross?
He simply had to ask. That simply had to be a magical name...
...
He idly considered using his dragon in order to apparate to the office before deciding against it. Standing up, he calmly started walking down the side of his table. Looking up, a twinkle appeared in his eye as he grabbed a falling copy of the Daily Prophet, in the process ignoring the irritated expression gracing the Slytherin he'd stolen it from. As he stared at the headline he'd made, he couldn't help the scoff, they got more ridiculous with each one. Seriously, an army of apparating dragons? He could barely handle one! Yet at the same time couldn't help but feel like everyone else was being rather quiet...
After a moment of thought he simply shrugged and chucked the paper, knowing it'd fly back to the one he'd stolen it from, he probably put himself under a silencing charm and forgot... Again. Though how the headmaster had managed to bypass it? he hadn't a clue.
A moment passed on before another thought occurred to the student. Turning around, Rodrick was rather pleased to see the Ravenclaw had managed to keep up. Removing the silencing charm, he plastered a smile on his face and calmly asked the other student if he knew where the headmasters office was.
The Ravenclaw didn't even turn his head as he moved past him, lost in his own world listening to music.
So that's what that feels like. Rodrick sighed before waking up the dragon living in his hair and telling it to apparate to the nearest phoenix.
...
"How'd you get here before me?" Rodrick questioned with a frown, earning a somewhat amused look from the headmaster. Though now that he really took in the headmaster's appearance, he was surprised to find stress lines marring the man's face.
He never answered, instead simply picking up the bowl of sweets and offering one to him earning another frown. As Rodrick made to question him again, he heard the tell-tale signs of the gargoyle statue outside the headmaster's office moving. Turning, he stopped himself from twitching as he eyed the Ravenclaw floating in on top of his magic carpet.
Show off...
"Do you two have any idea as to why I called you here?" Dumbledore questioned with a small smile in place.
Evidently the student could in fact hear the headmaster as he removed the headphones on his head.
"Because we figured out how to make sentient objects?" Twycross answered, a grin on his face. "Because it's illegal to make sentient objects?" Rodrick answered at the same time.
...
After the two of them had explained how they'd managed the magical miracle, Rodrick actually being truthful for once, mostly because he'd gone second and the Ravenclaw hadn't lied about the floating carpet.
Still, to both their surprise, the headmaster had merely nodded. More then that, he'd congratulated both of them with a number of house points for the endevour and urged them to keep coming up with wonders.
It was, perhaps the first time, Rodrick felt a true kinship with the old man. For those few minutes, he'd seen true wonder in the headmaster's eyes as he listened on with rapt attention. Not that he'd ever admit it, but in that single moment... He'd felt small. And for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.
Still. It was that very passion, that very wonder in the headmaster's eyes that made him stay back. That made him ignore the man's words to return to the hall.
"What happened?" Rodrick asked once he was certain the Ravenclaw was no longer in earshot. The main reason being that he hadn't asked for a vial of Phoenix Essence. He'd dismissed him entirely.
When he'd extracted the essence for the first time it had been a mere curiosity, a wonderous one for sure, but not something that would capture anyone's attention. Not openly at any rate.
When he'd created a potion that allowed him, and by extension the rest of the wizarding world, to turn into a magical creature. It'd given the essence a semblance of power, power that if discovered would result in far more headaches then he cared for. No matter how profitable it may be. And yet, though it was more then likely due to the stress of the Tri-Wizard tournament, the man hadn't brought it up much, if at all. But he had still made an effort, even stretched as he was.
However, a sentient creature? A dragon no less! The power to create a living sentient dangerous being would've grasped hold of anyone's attention. Even his grandfather wouldn't have ignored it.
Well. So long as there wasn't a bigger issue at hand. And he felt he deserved to at the very least know what was going on...
He certainly planned to talk to the Ravenclaw later, it wasn't every day he met someone else with that much potential, given the age difference he more then likely knew a lot more then him when it came to Runes as well.
But at the moment he probably had more important things to worry about. With that thought in mind, he willfully activated Mage Sight.
Up until this moment he'd had mixed feelings on the ability, sure it let him see magic, but it also tended to drain him when used. He knew how to activate it but he didn't have a clue how to get rid of it. Generally it just went off after a couple of hours of him not focusing on it, either that or he tired himself out enough to pass out. However, as he took in the small patch of dark chords currently encircling the headmaster's right arm, he found himself more then grateful for the ability's existence.
The headmaster stared back at him, once again surprising him with the tired look on his face. It wasn't every day Dumbledore didn't actively try to put out a grandfatherly presence, espicially in a crisis. The man may have called himself a Gryffindor but he was more Slytherin then half his house.
"What-"
"What happened to Moody? Where'd you go yesterday?"
Dumbledore looked about to say something before, to his and Rodrick's surprise, Fawkes screeched. And as he took in the boy's expression, he knew he'd lost.
"Tell me what?" Rodrick questioned as he stared back, a neutral expression on his face.
After a few moments of thought, the headmaster spoke.
...
"You found the graveyard?" Rodrick questioned, the haunted tone in his voice betraying the calm expression on his face. Even the dragon seemed to be shaking from it's 'nest'.
Dumbledore nodded warily as parchments of Daily Prophet clippings flew around the office, every few moments one would land in front of the headmaster to inspect.
The majority of them had surrounded a place called 'Little Hangleton'. Most of them speculation on whether a breach of the statute of secrecy had been made or not. Given the year, quite a few revolved around his Grandfather.
"I hadn't considered it then, he'd still been a student..." Dumbledore's voice revebrated through the silence. Rodrick's attention turned to the clipping in front of him. Given the title, he doubted this one was magical. Each clipping had landed in front of the headmaster before making it's way to his side.
'Lord's and Lady Riddle Murdered in their homes.'
"What year was he in?"
Dumbledore blinked at the question, "Curious question to ask..."
Rodrick shrugged, almost earning a snort from the man.
"I believe he was going into his sixth year," He answered, somewhat curious as to what Rodrick wante-
"Think he made a Horcrux out of them?" The innocent question surprisingly sent the room into silence.
"Headmaster?" Rodrick questioned somewhat warily. The man's face had turned completely neutral, his eyes momentarily widened.
"Professor?" Rodrick repeated as he watched the man stand up. The wary look turning into worry as he wondered if the man had been cursed, it'd certainly explain the arm...
"Forgive me dear boy, but there's something I have to check quickly." The man wasted no more time as he practically ran towards the fireplace.
"Dumbledore?" Rodrick questioned again louder, a bemused expression on his face as he watched the man quickly disappear through the fireplace.
"..." Rodrick turned towards the burning bird in the room, one had scratching his head.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" He questioned hopeful.
Fawkes tilted his head at the words earning a sigh from Rodrick.
Crossing his arms he idly wondered if Malfoy had a clue as to what was going on. Said thought causing a grin to appear on his face as he turned back towards the bird.
"If the headmaster asks, I am in the dungeon. Oh and tell him Moody might've infected him..." Rodrick remarked as he made himself disappear from sight, a silencing charm covering any sound he made before urging his pet dragon to apparate him outside Malfoy Manor.
...
Elsewhere, inside a manor surrounded by flamingos, the handsome young man sat at the head of a table idly twirled his oldest companion around his hand, watching in delight as magic responded to him without the drain it usually came with. Standing up, he aimed the wand in his hand at the traitor and transfigured him into the form he had been forced to take, the form he had had to live with... Until but a few hours ago.
When the spark of apparation wove through the manor, the man turned his green eyes to the lord of the manor.
"Lucius, would you mind telling me why the Headmaster is capable of inviting himself in here at a moments notice?" For what other wizard could manage such a feat? Though he'd known the man would come, he'd certainly not expected him to simply barge through... Honestly, did the man have any etiquette?
Not that he hadn't expected such a thing of course. For where else would the man look next but Malfoy Manor? And as he made the majority of the room disappear with the flick of a finger, he allowed a small smile to grace his face, there wasn't much he enjoyed more then a plan coming together...
As Bellatrix and Barty followed the rest under the powerful charm, the Dark Lord once again considered what reward to bestow upon the two. For they had done a marvelous job of resurrecting him.
...
AN: I'd really appreciate any and all feedback on this, it really does help motivate me to write more aswell make it easier to come out with further chapters.