A/N:Hello again everyone. Thank you once more for your continuing support of this story. 45 favorites 72 follows 22 reviews and over 3000 views; once again I really appreciate it. I sure a few grammatical errors got pass me this time, due to be wanting to keep myself imposed deadline, so I apologize for that.
Please Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or anything dealing with its franchise.
Chapter 5
Bonding Time, Holidays, and a Mal Foy Christmas
It was a Monday in the first week of December. Transfiguration class had just finished and William was heading down from the first floor to the Great Hall for lunch. Walking with him were Daphne and her group, with Tracey talking animatedly to the stoic form of Daphne as she walked on William's right. This had become a regular occurrence since their negotiation and while Daphne had spoken with William on occasion; Tracey was the one that would often try to needle information out of him in the form of a friendly conversation. If William was to be honest, he really didn't mind the companionship; Daphne's continued subtle attempts at gain leverage over him by using Tracey's flamboyant personality to get him to open up was both amusing and flattering. He didn't know just yet what she wanted, but the amount of effort in subterfuge she was using made him very curious in why she wanted a 'simple muggleborn' like him, perhaps Sashet had another target on her list?. It was also a huge boost to his standing within the house, and with Malfoy's continued ignorance of his presence; it secured him as his own upcoming power base. His thoughts were interrupted by someone calling his name. Turning around, he saw it was Hermione with Potter standing beside her and Weasley a ways back, watching his group warily.
"Yes Ms. Granger, How may I help you?" William asked, he could practically feel Daphne's attention on the conversation as she listened for anything useful.
Hermione glanced behind him slightly and spoke, "I finished the book you gave him, I'm ready to continue onto the next" While he had not changed expression, internally William was proud that his sister was able to pick up on his desire for her to not speak openly about her occlumency or her training.
"Another book Hermione, I thought you told me and Harry you wanted to talk to the slimy git about some kind of training he'd give us" Weasley spoke loudly. William could feel the intrigue radiating off Daphne and he watched as Hermione visibly closed her eyes and counted slowly under her breath.
"Yes. Thank you for that Ronald." She said annoyed.
"Us? I was under the impression only you and Mr. Potter were interested, and that it would only be after you both finished the book." William said with a raised eyebrow.
"We're coming to make sure you don't teach her anything dark, you Slytherin" Weasley replied before Hermione could.
"Be quiet/ Shut up, Ronald/Ron" both Hermione and Potter spoke at the same time.
William thought about it carefully. His priority was getting Hermione trained in her magic; that would not change, but he would not be able to start teaching her their family spells with them around. He would just wait until it was opportune to teach her, but for now he'd make her stronger and better with her magic. "Very well, I'll tell you where to meet and at what time later into the week." He spoke, getting a nod from Hermione, and then walking off with the other Slytherins.
As they entered the Great Hall and William took his usual seat, however with the addition of Daphne, Tracey and Zabini around him, Daphne who was sitting across from him spoke, "You offer training to Gryffindors, while not doing the same for your ally?"
"You'd have to forgive me, I was working under the impression that your tutors would have taught you well beyond anything I could hope to teach you." William replied while preparing a small sandwich.
"And yet you have a better understanding of magic than I do despite that. It would be remiss of you to not aid your ally to achieve her full potential." She replied, though her occlumency was as unwavering as ever, he could still see the mirth shining behind her glacial eyes.
"What about us?" Tracey piped up, pointing towards herself and Zabini.
"You will be in the same capacity as the weasel. You may look and listen, but don't expect me to correct or help your spell work." He replied, as he took a bite of his lunch. As he watched Tracey put on a dramatic pout at what he said, he mentally changed the tally between him and Daphne; 'Dagworth 1- Greengrass 1, enjoy your small victory, Ms Greengrass, I play a long game after all.'
It was Wednesday night of the assigned date in which he had originally planned to train Hermione. Now however, he was training Hermione, Daphne and Potter, with their friends tagging along. When he had informed Su, she was not amused; while she was alright with him just allowing Hermione and possibly Potter to be aware of their area, she was upset with the thought of so many taking up both their time and knowing of their place. As he leaned against a wall waiting for them to arrive, he looked across to Su who was sitting on the Professor's desk with her arms and legs crossed.
"We would have been training by now" she said softly, clearly upset.
"It's just one day out of our time Su" seeing that she was still upset, William continued," Tell you what, tomorrow during dodging practice, you get an extra fifteen minutes to cast stinging hexes at me" He chuckled as he watched her face color slightly and started to produce a small smile on her face.
"Fine." She replied softly; however she paused and looked into his eyes before continuing," During the break, I would like your permission to show my father memories of our training sessions."
"Why" he asked plainly. A few months ago he would have been suspicious after a question like that, actually, anyone else asking permission to temporarily be allowed out of an oath to him would still garner that now. But he trusted Su, and knew she must have a beneficial reason.
"I want you to join me in the circuit" She replied.
"And your father works into that how exactly" he asked visibly surprised; at least to Su.
"With the memories, I can show him how good you are and your learning curve. I'm sure you'll impress him enough to have him sponsor you along with me…We could even enter the open circuit if he thinks we're good enough" Su replied.
"Open Circuit? How is that different from the Dueling Circuit?" he asked.
"The Open Circuit is an international event for all types of magic and it's done in a tag team format with various challenges you have to face while you duel another team. They don't have a set bracket for ages like the Dueling circuit does, so if you win your age group, you can advance to the older brackets. At the end of it, they give out awards and rankings for how well you've done." Su finished and watched William's eyes as he thought, looking at the various ideas flicker pass.
William thought deeply about it. He highly doubts he had gotten that good so quickly, but Su was not one to joke about something so serious. It held a lot of benefits for him and eventually his House: Exposure to an international stage, experience against the vast branches of magic, learning from a veteran duelist, the connections he could possibly make with the other contestants and the officials. All that, but at the cost of exposing his abilities and his trump card; he knew that he would use them…he disliked losing…
His thoughts were disturbed when the door opened, letting in Hermione, Potter and Weasley, who were quickly followed by Daphne, Tracey and Zabini, however, as the door closed, he received a memory from Sashet, who was at her usual station by the door in the shadow of a suit of armor. Six people came in, but there were seven heat signatures that entered through the door; A signature the size of an adult. Someone was spying on them, but given that he wouldn't be teaching anything particularly a secret, he would wait and have Sashet continue to monitor the person until she could identify them. As he pushed off the wall he gave Su his answer," I give you permission to allow only your father to view your memories of our duels." She gave him a nod as she continued to sit on the desk, watching as he stood in front of his 'students'.
"Alright, I'm not much of a teacher; so bare with me as I bumble my way through the dark" William said jokingly, trying to feel out which teaching style would be most effective.
"What are these Slytherins doing here; I thought you were only teaching us." Ron said indignantly.
"They are my guest as you are Ms. Granger's and Mr. Potter's, Mr. Wealsey. I may have to put up with bigoted slur as a fellow student, but not when I try to do a miracle in the form of teaching you" he said authoritatively, not once did he raise his voice, but it had the effect on all of them; while they all stood a bit straighter, Zabini rose an eyebrow, Tracey was visibly startled at the change, Weasley was looking at him cautiously, Hermione and Potter were glancing at each other, and Daphne shivered slightly." Now that I have your attention, I want you to each describe to me what you think magic is, and how it feels when you use it."
They all looked at him curiously; however Hermione had her hand held straight in the air. He chuckled at his sister's antics and addressed her smiling slightly," Hermione, while I do appreciate the respect, I'm not a professor and this isn't a formal class. Just speak your mind." He noticed his slip up and subtly glanced at Daphne, however he wasn't able to pick up anything like before when she was searching for information; she was just focused completely on what he was saying.
Hermione blushing slightly, cleared her throat then spoke," Magic by definition is the ability to influence our surrounds or events by the use of the power in us to either move, change or create what we desire. Too me it feels like something reaching out from inside me and grabbing hold of something when I cast."
He nodded at her and moved onto the others; they didn't give a definition like Hermione did, but they each spoke of magic differently." Good, the reason why I asked you to tell me that is because as you practice the spells I teach you, I want you to apply that feeling consciously when you cast."
Before he moved on to the spell, Daphne spoke up," You and Ms. Li didn't state how magic feels to you."
"Su here is not obligated to answer as she is only here as support and to act as an advisor to me." William stated, giving Su an out if she didn't want to answer," For me, I believe magic is a semi-sentient force, which relies on circumstance for it to become active. For me, my magic feels like a roaring river that flows through me, just waiting to be unleashed."
"You think magic is alive" Ron said mockingly.
"Yes." William stated flatly, not at all perturbed at the weasels attempt to undermine him." How would you explain its ability to enforce oaths, allow an individual to divine the future or give a result that you were not expecting when you were not clear with your intent or pronunciation; why is it necessary that we must have a clear intent and pronunciation when we want to cast a specific spell?" he asked the weasel and watched as he muttered and bumbled, while the others were either thinking about what he said or looking at him strangely.
"Well that is just food for thought. Now, I want you to cast the spell 'Incendio', it releases a small bolt of fire in the area your wand is pointing at or if you're focused enough, it will set the point your wand is aiming at on fire. The pronunciation is 'in-SEN-dee-oh', and you will be casting at these," He cast vocally," Vera verto horribilis", a few tables and chairs that were against the far wall began to change into wooden dummies.
"How did you do that!?", Potter asked amazed as well as the others.
"That was a second year spell; something that can be done by anyone once learnt. I just added a modifier to make it more powerful and have a larger range."
"What's a Modifier?" Tracey asked.
"It's an incantation used in attachment to another in order to either change or increase the potential of a spell. And I will not be teaching you until you're stronger magically." He stated.
"And how comes you're so powerful that you can cast it and we can't" Weasley asked jealously.
"I exercise" William shrugged nonchalantly.
"Exercise!" Ron shouted at the outlandish claim.
"You can choose whether or not to believe me or follow my advice, but I like to think magic acts like a muscle; every time you use it, they become stronger, but that is magical strength. To better control your magic and to use it longer, you need stamina, so you also train your body physically. And that is what you will be doing now; you will keep casting the spell, however you must keep it consistent and accurate. Begin."
They spent the night until just before curfew casting. True to his word, William only assisted Hermione, Potter and Daphne, however he did take note that out of the six, Potter was currently the strongest and had the best stamina, which he attributed to his recent quidditch training, then it was Hermione, Zabini,Tracey, Weasley, and surprisingly Daphne being the weakest. Her spells started out the weakest, though with great aim, and then it steadily got weaker as she casted and started to become visibly exhausted. It was a good indicator to potentially why she pursued him.
"Alright that's enough for tonight." William listened to their pleased sighs before continuing," next week we'll try protective spells. It is up to you whether or not you continue what I taught you tonight."
As they all left, with Hermione thanking him profusely and Daphne giving him a pleased look, Su Li approached him and spoke to him softly," You did well for your first time teaching."
"Thanks Su, I thought I started off a bit shaky, but found some ground after Mr. Weasley's outburst" He said preoccupied as he reviewed Sashet's memory; Su picked up on this look and his speech pattern. He only spoke the last names of strangers when he was in public; she took out her wand slowly. It took only a few seconds to finish going over everything Sashet had noticed of the heat signature, then he turned to the corner behind her and spoke aloud," What did you think Headmaster, was my first attempt at teaching satisfactory?"
William was positive the Headmaster had used his occlumency to seem nonplussed as his form seemed to dissolve into existence as he spoke," Not many understand the difficulties and pitfalls in the teaching profession, but you have done well enough to earn thirty points."
"Headmaster, we didn't see you enter" Su Li responded, slightly flatfooted at his appearance, quickly putting away her wand. She expected to be fighting a student a few years older than her and William; she was under no disillusion in their chance in contending with such a powerful wizard.
"It is amazing how short sighted being invisible can make you" he replied sagely with his eyes twinkling as he continued," though it makes one wonder about your impeccable vision, Mr. Cunningham."
William's wand wasn't making a sound, but he was consciously aware of its presence; he decided to give Dumbledore nothing, especially with him being caught red-handed spying. "Magic, Headmaster." He replied vaguely, stepping beside Su and giving him an obstructed view of the Headmaster. He continued," How may we help you, sir? It's not every day one finds their Headmaster invisible in the room they've been in for over an hour. Is this some hobby that you didn't mention on your chocolate frog card?" He knew spoke bluntly but played it off as an impertinent child.
Dumbledore chuckled and then spoke grandfatherly," At last I doubt these old bones could manage such a hobby. I noticed a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors traveling in the same direction, and I admit my curiosity got the better of me. Not wanting to disrupt the rare occurrence, I followed invisibly. I must say, I'm quite glad I did. How long have you been so skilled with magic?" he peered with his eyes twinkling.
With the knowledge of Dumbledore's unjustified suspicions, he saw the question was laced with potentially detrimental results. It gave him little choice than to go with Professor Snape's theory," I've found an excellent tutor in Ms. Li, professor, she taught me everything I know." He replied.
"I was under the impression your family didn't allow you to teach others, Ms. Li?" he queried.
Su was nervous inside. She knew William well enough to see he was wary of the Headmaster, while the Headmaster seemed to be prying into William's ability. She had to choose who to side with…it was a simple choice for her and she answered the Headmaster softly looking into his eyes," That is my family business Headmaster, and I'm not at liberty to say." When she finished her response, she felt tendrils of a probe against her barriers, if it was not for her training over the months with William, she would not have realized one was there, however before she reacted to it, William had stepped in front of her; breaking the connection.
"Was there anything else Headmaster? Curfew is fast approaching and we need to leave." William stated, wanting to end the conversation before Dumbledore divined some information other than what was already public knowledge.
"Yes of course, however before you both leave, I must inform you, as the Headmaster, I cannot in good conscience allow these sessions to continue." Dumbledore replied in a sad grandfatherly tone.
"What,why?" William looked at the Headmaster, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was well aware that this was a possibility, and ensured that not only they ended before curfew than like when he and Su Li trained, but that they didn't cast against each other; eliminating any danger.
"I cannot allow students to learn spells from others without the supervision of a teacher, especially knowing that you would eventually start casting against each other." His reply came with his grandfatherly tone deep with regret. "And in order for you to not be tempted, I will have this corridor warded off against entree."
That, caught William's attention. Was it a slip of the tongue or bait? He had operated under the impression that you couldn't ward the halls due to the amount of magic in Hogwarts would interfere with it. If he could ward a hall to prevent a couple of students out because they were casting unsupervised, why hadn't he done the same for the third floor as an additional means of protecting whatever was beyond all those safeguards…it made no sense.
"Good night. Headmaster" he replied abruptly, leaving with Su right behind him.
As they walked to the grand staircase, Su spoke softly with her irritation laced in her speech," What now? We won't be able to train, and it'll be worse when we come back from the break and can't do anything." They stopped at the staircase as they would head in different directions from there.
"I'll find us another room. Just give me time." William said plainly, as he watch Su look into his eyes, then turn to head to her common room. He heard her soft voice carry due to the empty hall way as she spoke to herself,"-nd a minute added for every day he makes me wait. Stupid Dumbledore…"
William chuckled as he walked down the stairs. As he reached the grand entrance and was about to walk down the corridor that led to the dungeons, he heard an owl hoot loudly, and land on the marble hand rail of the stairs, staring at him with a small package and a single black feather tethered to it. As he took the package from the owl, it flew off immediately without a single glance at him. He opened it and saw it contained a vial that read, 'Sleekeazy's Hair potion', however it was filled with a black liquid; he now had the final piece for his plan.
The cold winter air for a brief moment blew strongly through the open train station as the crowd of parents, siblings and guardians stood in a relatively silent vigil; as they awaited the approach of their love ones. Two individuals stood slightly out among the crowd; one was a woman who was wearing a light brown robes and a business suit under it, which accentuated her form and her and dark brown skin, which even in the current cold weather kept her warm due to the magic imbued in it; her light brown eyes held irritation and a promise of pain. The man next to her was wearing clothes of similar appearance to hers; he had light brown hair flecked with grey strands in places and his face, was adorn with small scars in places, currently wore an ill and exhausted expression o it, though still held an undercurrent of amusement at the woman's expression.
"Ms. Cunningham, I'm sure he has a reasonable excuse for not writing. It's possible he may have been caught up in the wonderment of the castle and forgot." the man spoke calmly to the woman.
She gave him a musical chuckle and replied," I've told you several times now, Remus, call me Nymeria, and my son is not one prone to acting as a child should or being forgetful." Her eyes narrowed as she continued," He purposefully chose not to write his poor, worried and hard working mother, as she tirelessly furthered his scheming endeavors and goals."
He chuckled at the recurring theme he had heard from Ms. Cunningham about her 'wayward' since his employment to her; he still wasn't bought on the idea that he was working for a twelve year old, and not his mother. He still remembers the interview that changed so much for him.
~Flashback~
While currently in between jobs after his latest dismissal when they found out he was a werewolf, he had been sent an owl to Gringotts about the client looking for workers that he had noted in the Daily Prophet adverts. He was not very optimistic on his chances, but he still applied; it came to his great surprise when he had received a confirmation letter for an interview.
He had entered the private conference room in Gringotts for the interview that he was shortlisted for. He noted that the only one in the room was a beautiful and elegantly dressed woman, that screamed pureblood to him, who had rose a manicured eyebrow at his shabby appearance. The interview in his opinion had gone swimming until she asked about any aliments or disabilities.
"I'm a werewolf" he had said plainly, already preparing for the look of disgust and fowl language about him and his kind. He was already half way standing when she spoke.
"Oh, and how would that affect your ability to work?"
He had looked at her curiously; bewildered at the thought of a pureblood not knowing about werewolves or any magical for that matter." You're a muggle aren't you?" He stated.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" she replied.
"No, but it makes one curious how you've gained enough respect to gain entrance into a private conference room in Gringotts."
"A question that will be answered when you sign your contract; but first, explain how your…lycanthropy? Affect your ability to work. From my muggle knowledge of werewolves you're forced to change once a month?" she asked him curiously.
"Yes…however, my kind become bedridden for a short period after the transformation; three days to be precise." He explained not entirely comfortable with the subject matter.
She had a contemplative look on her face then spoke," How are you with Occlumency?"
Remus was surprised at the question. Muggles normal didn't have indepth knowledge of magic, let alone know something so esoteric." My condition prevents any such intrusion to my mind; it's also…too wild to be interpreted."
She had leaned back then, seemly pleased to hear that. He watched her as she produced a contract out of a folder that rested beside her and pushed it towards him."Very well then, from what I've seen you are more than qualified for the position I had in mind and you fit the criteria my son will expect. However, I can't tell you anymore than that until you sign."
He took up the contract and started to read. It was a contract written on goblin parchment, something he was aware of that made sure one could not sign on it under any form of duress or compulsion, and had mainly a description of his job, being the bodyguard of the contractor, his pay and benefits, a salary of two hundred galleons a month, room and board, and medical expenses. He had to admit, it was too good to be true; the salary alone was more than he had ever earned from the menial jobs he had been doing thus far, and when he saw the stipulations, he spoke up," A Non-disclosure agreement, an oath of protection and a Gag order?" While he wasn't completely aware of the changes in the muggle world, he could see that these were muggle concepts. While he could understand why she would include the oath, though again he questioned the extent of her knowledge, he wanted to know exactly what the nondisclosure and gag order were.
"Yes, I was told that was a concept that hadn't been really formalized in the magical Britain yet; the Non-disclosure agreement is basically protection to ensure you cannot distribute any information or knowledge you gain while you're employed; the Gag order is the same, however that one is enforced once you leave our services." She said to him wearing a small smile on her face.
He wouldn't admit it, but besides the amazing pay, his curiosity and the smile she wore; the smile that his old friends had on their faces when they were about to do a grand prank, was a major factor to him signing that day.
~Flashback end~
As they could see the steam of the train, alerting all to its approach, he noticed Ms. Cunningham irritation turn into anticipation, and he couldn't help the chuckle that it brought on. As they watched the train enter, and come to a stop with dozens of students in different states of dress, some wearing their uniforms and others casual clothes, he noticed one boy approaching them in particular. The boy was tall for his age, with light tanned skin and wore his uniform; He also had dark brunette hair that was being swept with the gentle breeze and his eyes were a bright hazel, which seemed to be taking in Ms. Cunningham with a wary expression, and he also took notice of the two girls that flanked his sides.
"Hello mother, you look well" the boy said.
Remus watched as Ms. Cunningham observe the boy before lifting and extending each of his arms, before speaking with her narrowed eyes focused on her son," Your arms seem to be functioning, and even if they weren't, you still had your magic, so tell me William, why is it you haven't written to your poor mother"
"I forgot" He deadpanned and Remus couldn't help but chuckle as mother and son just stared at each other, before William continued," mother, allow me to introduce you to Hermione Granger and Su Li, my friends; Hermione, Su, this is my mother, Nymeria Cunningham"
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham" Hermione spoke up politely, while Su bowed slightly.
Remus had notice Ms. Cunningham's look of surprise when her son spoke, but she covered it quickly and addressed the girls," Please call me Nymeria, it's nice to meet you; I'm surprised my son managed to make friends, he can be such a stick-in-the-mud. And this isn't my husband, but my bodyguard, Mr. Remus Lupin." She chuckled as Hermione ducked her head in embarrassment at her mistake.
"We should be going we still have some Christmas shopping to do." William spoke up suddenly, and then turned to his friends," Hermione, Su, enjoy the holiday, I'll see you soon." Remus watched as Hermione launched herself at him and hugged him tightly, while Su Li said a quiet good bye to them all and walked away.
William watched them leave until they were lost in the crowd, then he turned and spoke to Nymeria, " I take it that he is up to my standards and signed the specified contract?"
"Do you trust me so little, dear?" She replied to him pouting.
He didn't take her bait for another potential argument; instead he turned to Remus and launched a subtle probe on his barriers. What he found surprised him. There weren't any barriers, but another presence in his mind that had detected and savagely attacked him. The backlash caused him a slight headache and his reaction was noted by Remus, however before Remus spoke, he beat him to it by asking," What was that? I didn't think creating an active independent presence was possible."
"I'm a werewolf, Mr. Cunningham" Remus waited for the telltale signs of disgust or fear, but all he saw was a blank expression, so he continued," What you saw was the mental representation of my affliction, it's the only benefit of being a dark creature I suppose"
'A Dissociative Identity Disorder?' William thought curiously,' that would explain the second presence if I factor in the magic in the disease…if I could recreate something like that as a occlumency defense…' He would have to think more on that, it held great potential if he could have maybe his subconscious actively maintain his defense while he fought; the ultimate form of multi-tasking. "Your defenses will do. Nymeria, do you have a portkey? I really do need to shop for a few things, and you can fill me in on how well you've done on the tasks I gave you."
In short order, the three individuals had portkeyed to Diagon Alley, and were walking with its bustling crowd. When they entered a shop, William decided to speak, seeing there would be less chance of them being overheard, "How are the businesses going" he stated
"I've managed to employ about three hundred people so far, ranging between squibs to a few halfbloods. I have the squibs that were interested or had experience with it, create potions for the apothecaries, while the rest are currently being trained by the 'Legion' instructors. I have been giving thought to something Remus pointed out to me, but felt you would want to decide on it. As for the shops themselves, we have acquired them all, with minimal difficulty dear. "
As he walked to the countered with a few of the items he planned to purchase, he looked at the silent and calm bodyguard and spoke," What is this idea of yours Mr. Lupin"
Remus took time to collect himself a bit, he had first been skeptical when Ms. Cunningham had told him, that her currently twelve year old son was the one he, and hundreds of others, was employed by, but he seem to be more mature than he gave credit for, so he spoke," Ms. Cunningham told me about your concern for those that have been mistreated by the magical community, and I asked her if she could do the same for my kind. There are many of us who are shunned by the both the wizarding and the muggle world, and they live on the fringes of both; only surviving on the barest means. It was my hope that I could persuade your company to give them chance you are giving many; the same chance you are giving me" he finished.
While he was calm, William could still hear the passion and concern the many held for others like him, and William thought about it. These people were just a means for his House to start gaining back its power; however by being the means in which they could beat the struggles and opposition they faced, he would be able to ensure their loyalty to him and his House in the future. With those thoughts in mind he replied to Remus," I will answer the call of any in need, as long as it is within reason. I'm not sure how their society or culture works, so approach those who will be willing to work for their living…" he paused at that as a thought occurred to him, one that had potential and followed how his family worked in the past. He would have Nymeria get it started, as her next project. "Nymeria, you said you had difficulties in getting the apothecaries? I take it you were talking about the ones on Diagon alley."
"Yes, most of them need a little 'persuading', while others were glad to have a benefactor for protection and aid. I decided to leave the ones being controlled by Houses, but they been having some strange accidents lately. Besides, some healthy competition will do our business wonders" Nymeria replied, with a sweet smile on her face as they continued into another store.
Remus whispered so only his employers could hear him," She burnt down one that refused and stole the supplies from one, and extorted another who refused her; all in Knockturn Alley so that wasn't any real reports one it, and these so called 'accidents' were of her tampering with supplies, causing faulty potions or ingredients to go bad." While he had not done anything so far giving his job, he was there as he watched the woman work. She hired less than savory muggleborns to get her plans done, but he learnt one thing; the sweet playful and charming woman he had been around, could be a cruel and cutthroat businesswoman when it called for it.
William nodded at that, not at all surprised. But with that objective out of the way, he could move on to other projects until he had time to deal with his family's 'Society of Potioneers'. He spoke to Nymeria," Thank you, mother." Nymeria smile seemed to brighten at his show of affection, he continued," Next I want you to specialize the training our magical employees within the Legion get. We won't be able to use them here in this world for a while until I get my seat and more power, but they won't be idle. I want the muggleborn and halfbloods trained to work in teams of four using muggle tactics, get Jacob and the Instructors on that. Also have Blacktooth recommend some magical Instructors. I don't care about the cost now that we will have a steady stream of income from the wizarding world now too; so hire mercenaries if you have to. It's a large world, I'm positive even the wizarding world has them; I want them taught healing and combat spells overall, while each should be specialized in healing, ward creation and breaking them, and potions. Also find a architect and have them design plans for a gated community, then have the goblins go over that and make it defensible, and any other criteria need for a large magical settlement" he stated to her, a bit of eagerness in his voice, at the thought of following his Family.
"Why is all that needed" Remus asked curiously.
"I play a long game Mr. Lupin, a very long game." William replied, with a visible smile on his face.
It was currently Christmas morning in the Granger household, Hermione was sitting in front of the fireplace with a book nestled in between her pajama covered knees, as she sat cozily in an armchair with the light of the early morning sun gently entering the room from the frost covered window behind her. She liked to believe she was mature for her age, so she did not race to her parents' room to wake them up nor did she open her presents without them. No, all she had done was creep into their room and set their alarm to go off in the next ten minutes, which was nine minutes ago, and she organized the presents my name, so they wouldn't have to waste time looking, and get straight to the wonderful feel of ripping and tearing them open while laughing maniacally; See…Mature.
As she heard the alarm go off loudly, something her hand had 'accidentally' cause when she was changing the alarm, she heard her parents mumbled voice carry from upstairs of the large two-storey house. It didn't take long for them to come shambling into the living room she was in, wearing only their pajamas and robes. Seeing them she closed her book, got up and spoke" Oh good, you're awake, now we can open presents."
"How convenient that the alarm went off an hour earlier than it normal does, wasn't it princess" Her father spoke, sarcasm thick in his voice as her mother chuckled lightly as she sat down in another arm chair.
"Imagine that" she said innocently, as she looked anywhere but at him, with a smile growing on her face.
"She gets it from you" Dan turned to his wife.
"Along with her brilliant mind, drive, and looks" Emma replied without hesitating.
"And did she get from me then?" he asked.
She paused, stroking her chin, seemingly contemplating an answer, and then she replied," She does have your hair I suppose"
Hermione giggled as she watched her father expression took on a depressed appearance, and then she turned and picked up presents for each of them and handed it to the recipient. Her presents were all from her parents as they were in the past, and she doubted that would change anytime soon. She had gotten presents for her friends; a book on quidditch for Harry, some chocolates and sweets for Ron and Su, and she wasn't entirely sure what to get William, but with his love for reading and strong as hers, she got him the second year edition for their Transfiguration class. She was certain he was at least that advance, given what she had seen and how he taught, though she was a little miffed when she learnt that he could no longer teach her because the Headmaster had found out and closed off the area he used, he still help her research spells, and because of her occlumency, he had started to help her develop them further while they were in the library, and even told her about some the spells he could do. She had used what she learnt to help Harry, and when he felt up to it Ron to some extent.
"Hermione, you seemed to have missed to at the back there" her mum spoke.
Hermione looked at the mentioned presents, which were clearly books given their shape. She was surprised, 'her friends had sent her presents? She thought to herself, 'Which ones?'. As she picked up one of the presents wrapped in yellow paper, she saw Su Li's name written on the front. She didn't think they were close enough to warrant the girl getting her sure an expensive gift, but it touched her. She opened the paper and saw it was a book on the Wizarding world's genealogy. It would certainly be an interesting read; the next one was wrapped in purple paper, she had mentioned she liked the color in their talks, and it made her blush slightly that he had been thoughtful enough to pick it for her, his present was also a book, but it had an old feel to its leather bound cover and she could feel magic seem to extend from the book and wrap around her hand as she rubbed it, she opened it and read the title,' Enchanting for a budding Enchantress by Larentia Dagworth' she looked down and read the short note below the title addressed to her:
Merry Christmas Hermione,
Given the excellent work you've done with your barriers, and the factor that I know you'll keep training withl your magic until you beat me in literally every subject, I decided to get this for you. After all, us muggleborns need our own edge against our pureblood counterparts to even the field. I have Transfiguration, and maybe this will be yours.
Enjoy. Your Friend,
William Cunningham
Hermione hugged the book close to her, and noticed her parents looking curiously at her; her mother spoke," From your friends at school?"
"Yes. This one is really amazing, because they don't teach it at school, and must cost a fortune" Hermione paused and looked down at the book," I can't accept this, my gift to him doesn't compare."
"I'm sure your friend will appreciate it no matter what dear" her mother said kindly.
"Him? ,you're gone for three months and already got yourself a boyfriend, princess?" her father teased.
"He's not my boyfriend dad!" Hermione said blushing furiously.
"What's his name dear, maybe we could meet him sometime" Emma giggled watching her daughter's expression.
"William Cunningham. He said he was an orphan until he was adopted by Nymeria Cunningham" She replied.
"Adopted? By the same Cunninghams that run Cunningham Pharmaceuticals?" ,Emma queried.
"Yes, but he doesn't really like talking about the time he was an orphan, but he told me he went by 'Foster' before he met his adopted mother." She said plainly, going from memory what William had told her. She noticed her father had become pale, she asked him worriedly," Daddy, are you feeling alright?"
"Yes Dan, you look like you've seen a ghost" Emma said, feeling her husband's head.
"I-I'm fine, just seemed to be a bit light headed. I'm going to lie down till breakfast" Dan said, as he got up quickly, and left the room. The name had jogged his memory of a time he had long forgotten, by god above he would forget again.
"Again!" a strong voice shouted out, not at all affected by the cold Irish weather as the snow constantly came down.
"I-Ignis Eructo" a voice said softly and nervously as a small jet of red flames launched from her wand.
"Maintain it Su Li!" the voice demanded harshly as she was beginning to struggle to keep the level constant.
"Y-yes father" she pushed herself; she would not disappoint him, not when the results would determine if she and potential William were ready for the training he would give them for the Open Circuit.
"Your sister could maintain this for five minutes without fail at your age" Su's father spoke up from behind her, so he didn't see her face contort into an angry glare at being compared once again to her older sister, and her 'prodigious' skill in their family's magic. "Now, Change!"
She used her anger to push her magic and what William had taught her about conjuration; pointing her wand at the dying stream of flames and shouted with all her might, "Animalia igne avis" the dying flames began to change and turn into miniature birds of fire; flying briefly until Su couldn't maintain the concentration and power any longer, and faltered to the snow, the birds collapsing around her and dying out.
She breathed heavily, she did not want to look up into the disappointment in her father's face she knew would be there. However she heard him approach her and spoke as he towered over her," You are a Li!, We are masters of fire, descendents of dragons!, you will learn to master your flames or they will consume you. A spell of that magnitude has been easily attained by each Li before you, it was a staple spell of your sister's at your age, and will expect more of you!" Su Li cringed at that, her left hand, the one hidden from his view crushed the snow between her gloved hand,' She was trying! Why must she always be compared to her sister!', "However…it will be efficient enough for you to not disgrace the Li name in the Open Circuit. And I will have the boy train with you; I will not have him do the same." She looked up at her father at that; he was of a lean build and of Japanese descent, with short silk like black hair, and his dark eyes looking down at her, disappointment clear on his face." You will have me meet him on the train station where I will evaluate him to see if his character is a worthy as his current skill"
"Yes..Father" Su said softly.
"Rest for fifteen minutes then cast the chain again" He said strictly.
"Yes father" Su sat down in seiza, as she felt the holster, William had gotten her for Christmas, on her left forearm. She mind wandered until she heard her father telling her to begin again. She will train, become stronger, and climb through the ranks until she faced her sister…and there, she will show her father that she was her own person, stronger than her sister, and make him acknowledge her as such.
It was midday on a very snowy Christmas, that Daphne found herself standing in front of her father's study, facing the closed doors as she tried to calm her nerves. She was about to put her plan into action; She was going tell her father about William Cunningham, and her plan to have him be her betrothed. She had decided after his first and only lesson before Dumbledore had to butt in and ruin such a potentially good thing. She had watched as he took command and control over the arrogant weasel; though that wasn't hard accomplishment, she had relished the feeling of his presences in that moment and then his mastery of such powerful spell, and she knew it had to be powerful because both she and Tracey and tried it, and she watched as Tracey collapsed in exhaustion after failing the spell. She remembered how she had shivered at the thought of being in control of such a powerful wizard; to have a husband that would make her enemies not even have the thought of crossing her or getting her way, even cross their minds; someone who could protect her and her children when her power no longer could. And the more time she spent with William, and learnt more of him and saw the extent of his growing power and reputation, she envisioned him as that husband; which brought much teasing from her best friend.
Calming herself and bringing her occlumency barriers to fully, and feeling the holster her ally had gotten her on her right forearm, Daphne's anxious face changed into her mask as she knocked three times firmly on the door.
"Enter" a sharp command was given.
As she entered, closing the door behind her, she saw her father working at his large mahogany desk that faced directly across from the door. There were no other seats in the room as she stood in front of him, standing tall and radiating confidence, as she looked at the top of her father's golden blonde short curly hair, as he continued to work, despite her presence in the room. It was a powerplay she had long learned; it stated that 'you are not deemed more important than what I am currently doing', and it made her toes curl.
As he finished his paragraph, her father looked up at her and spoke in a stoic baritone with his piercing blue eyes staring at her," Yes, Daphne."
"I wish to speak to you about my betrothal and a candidate I have found" she stated, keeping direct eye contact. Showing any weakness now would do more harm to her plan that she wanted to think about.
"Go on." He said, relaxing in his antique high-back armchair.
"I want you to consider a betrothal to wizard how would take our Family name, knowing that no pureblood would agree, I did research into potential candidates, and I have information on the best one" she brought the dossier that was hidden behind her on top the desk, and she watched as she father began to skimp through it, she continued," His name is William Cunningham, and he is the heir to a large muggle conglomerate called-"
"Cunningham Pharmaceuticals" Her father stated.
"You're aware of them" came her reply; she was received and glad she was able to predict her father would have knowledge of them.
"They're well known; and have been making subtle moves to integrate themselves in the wizarding world" he stated stoically.
Daphne shivered at that thinking back to her negotiation with William. Was this why he could so readily turn down her offer? He was already making progress into her world? " William has shown signs of being a true Slytherin, and has already created a steadily stabilizing power base within the house, and has shown an amazing ability to wield magic" she stated proudly.
"William you say?" came the dry reply.
Internally she winced at her slip, but showed nothing as she replied," Upon seeing his potential, I was able to get an unofficial alliance out of him. We have become close enough that he is teaching me how to better use my magic" a slight stretch of the truth, but anything that would help change her fathers mind.
"You did not try for a vassalage" he stated.
"No, I knew there would be nothing I could offer him from it that he didn't already have or couldn't easily obtain." Another slight stretch, but there was no way she would admit her folly to her father.
"I will give you an answer before your return to Hogwarts." He stated.
Recognizing the dismissal, Daphne left the room. When the door closed behind her, she thrust her hands in the air and gave a sigh of relief and triumph. He didn't say it, but she knew she had won him over. All that was left was to work on William…perhaps she could get some advice from her mother; she did end up with her father after all.
Harry Potter was having the best Christmas in his short life. He had woken up this morning at the persistent shaking of his best mate Ron. He didn't expect anything, so he was greatly surprised at the small stack he got. Candy from various students, a book from Hermione, a sweater from Ron's mum, various prank gifts from Fred and George, and the greatest gift, an invisibility cloak from an unknown person. After that, he had gone down to breakfast to find there was only one long table, with the few remaining students and the professors all sitting together. He had enjoyed watching the jokes that Fred and George played on their older brother, Percy, and he was amazed by Ron's ability to practically inhale the food around him.
He had spent most of the day messing around with Ron and his brother's; snowball fights, running from other students after a prank, and even watched as the twins found the Slytherin common room entrance and try to guess the password. However, he begged off the fun and returned to his dorm alone. He had promised Hermione that he would continue their search for Nicholas Flamel while he stayed at the castle, and he hoped with the aid of his new cloak, he could sneak into the restricted section while Madame Pince was down in the Great Hall.
As he put on the cloak and began walking down to the library, he found his mind began to wonder, and when he became conscious of his actions, he found himself in an unfamiliar corridor, facing a slightly ajar door. As he entered, he found the room was empty, except for something large and flat, that was covered big a thick white cover. Curious, he pulled the cover down, and what he saw surprised him greatly. In the now exposed mirror, he saw his reflect, however standing behind him were two individuals; one was of a man, who looked greatly like him, and wearing similar glasses and had messy black hair. The next one was of a woman, a fully head shorter than the man, with bright red hair and eyes as emerald green as his.
"M-mum…D-dad?" He said, fighting the tears that were building as he watched them nod sadly at him. Harry stayed there in front of that mirror; crying and talking to those images of his parents, completely unaware of the person listening to his greatest desire.
It was a happy Yule for Draco; none of that Christmas nonsense those filth mudbloods keep sprouting. He was woken up by his useless house elf, Dobby, to which he showed the elf his displeasure by telling him to close the door on his own fingers, and the stupid thing did it, even when he had demanded that he was woken up at this time. He had the elf dress him in his best, and then he walked to his trunk and opened it to find the present he made for his father; the present was already wrapped and was in the shape of a medium size box that could fit comfortably in one's lap.
He walked out his room and down the corridor to find his father and give him his hand made present. He found both his parents sitting at the long dining table on either end of it, having their breakfast. His father was sitting down reading the newspaper, ignoring his food, while his mother was talking to one of the useless elves about the decorations and food they were to prepare for his father's annual Yule Ball. He was excited about it because his father planned to show him some new spells on a mudblood he was planning to capture for him later. Seeing that now was a perfect time as any, he approached his father with his gift.
"Father, I made a gift for you" he said pompously, sticking his chin up.
"Made Draco?" Lucius Malfoy asked curiously. His son was not none to things himself, but have others do it for him.
"I decided to put what they've taught me to good use; even studied things the other students and mudbloods haven't learnt yet" he said proudly.
Curious, Lucius took the gift and placed it in his lap as he ripped the paper. What he found was a medium sized chest, intricately designed, and had rune on a clasp that held it closed. Curious of the rune, he looked at his son, who seemed to have read his mind, spoke, "It's so that when you put in your magic, only you can open it after, go ahead and try it." Draco said proudly.
Surprised at his son's utility in creating his gift, Lucius placed his right hand on the lock, and watch as his Head of House ring glow briefly as he did. Well he was curious at the odd occurrence, he ignored it and tried to open the box…it didn't budge, however a silver looking cranking lever popped out the right side of the box. Amazed at his son's surprising show of talent, he took hold of the lever and began to push it.
As he did, a musical sound started too eminent out the box. He laughed at his sounds ingenuity, which made his son chest elevate at his own handy work and this father's show of appreciation. The noise had caused his wife to turn her attention to them in curiosity. He decided to see what else his son had done and continued to crank it and listened to the musical tones while looking down at the box in his lap.
'Di-Do-Di-Do-Di-Di-Di-Di-Do' ,It went was he cranked, pride at the skill his son must possess to use charms…or maybe more runes, to create the sound.
'Di-Do-Di-Do-Di-Dooo-Do', the musical sounds seem to be building in tension, did his sound have some other surprise for him?
'Di-Do-Di-Do-Di-Di-Di-Di-Do' the musical sound stopped at that, and the lever seemed to be stuck. Thinking that there must be a miscalculation in how his son made the gift, he tried forcing the crank. As he was about to push hard on it for a second time, the box launched open suddenly with a large creature striking him straight at the neck. As he launched the box away from him in fright, he noticed a mechanical looking snake extended out of the box.
As he weakly tried to get up, he heard his wife yelling at the elf to get a 'bezoar'. He gripped his neck at the aware he was bitten and looked up at his son as he stare at him in shock. That face told him his son was not the one who did this. As Narcissa came to him, he felt her rip open his mouth, and stuffed the bezoar down his throat, and used magic to force him to swallow. However, he still felt the poison spreading to his chest, going for his heart.
"It's still spreading Lucius! The bezoar can't stop it!" Narcissa said frantically as she watched inky blackness slither up and down is neck,and going down towards her husband's chest.
Lucius looked to his right, at the mechanical snake. No venom would be potent enough to stop a bezoar, unless…" Basilisk…" He said weakly as his eyes became glassy and his skin became pale.
A/N: And there you have it. Hopefully Lucius's death wasn't anticlimatic, I wanted it to be subtle but still carry a bit of a childish quality to it. I also wanted to showcase other sides to Su Li and Daphne, hopefully I got it across to how and why they do things and act. But please review and let me know what you think and how I can improve.
Till next time.