A/N:Hello again everyone; First off, I apologize for the long wait for this update. Last month was a very busy one for me, and I had some difficulties finding time to write this chapter, I'll talk more about that at the end. As usual, thank you one and all for your support; 188 favorites, 303 reviews and 109 reviews. Managed to pass another milestone, so a big shout-out to LeeArt for being my 300th follower.
While I was away, I did manage to read the reviews, thanks for the critiques by the way, they were helpful, but I felt like I should reply to two in particular since I get PM's about it the most.
Firewolfe:- Firstly, thanks for the review. As you pointed out, this story's focus isn't on Harry Potter, but on the Dagworths, hence the title. So it'll very OC-centric, and you'll find that Harry may be on the backburner every now and then. That being said, you can't have Harry Potter without well...Harry Potter. So, I have no intention in having William become the new savior, but he will have his own interactions with the Dark Lord; you'll just have to wait and see.
Mckertis:- Trust me, I realized that since day one lol. I'm the first to critique my own chapters, so I know there are flaws made every now and then. I've been trying to get those fancy, pesky line breaks in my chapters, so that you all will know when my scene changes, but it doesn't work for me. I think its either how I'm uploading or it doesn't work for me overall. I just ask that you bare with me until I can get a full time beta to help me out.
As usual,I apologize for any grammatical errors that got pass me.
Please Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or anything dealing with its franchise; Only the OCs.
Chapter 17
Curious Case of Luna Lovegood and When it Rains…
The grounds were dark in the Scottish highlands on which the majestic castle of Hogwarts rested upon. With the early morning fog still dense, one particular student pushed himself to run a second circuit through the outskirts of Forbidden Forest that surrounded the great lake; ducking branches, weaving between the trees, and jumping over logs or the large exposed roots as he continued his path.
William mindlessly went through all the motions, his heavy breathing visible in the cold air, as he thought deeply. Three weeks had passed since the start of new school year, and he was now cataloguing all the events which were causing things to progress far faster than he had originally thought possible, when he first planned to reveal his heritage before the next Wizengamot assembly this winter solstice. First, there was his budding relationship with his Sukie.
Nothing particularly detrimental had occurred since they had gotten together; their teamwork when dueling was slowly becoming seamless, as they continued to train under the tutelage of Flitwick. His plans in regard to his target were constantly being refined and improved with her insightful opinions, and he was starting to develope a closeness that he hadn't felt for anyone besides Nymeria.
Much to his conflicting approval, they had taken to using of any available moment, outside of training or researching to improve their repertoire, to snogging each other senseless. While he didn't particularly mind that fact or fight against it, he still found the complete lack of control he had over his hormonal driven 'other side' disconcerting. In the past three weeks, he had never been both grateful and irritated in Penny's new found prowess in locating them when things were escalating.
As he ran, William moved between two particularly close trees, squeezing between them without much break in his stride, though at the cost of having the rough bark rub sharply on his exposed skin of his arms; bruising and opening very small wounds. As he felt the hot sting of blood seeping out off them, his mind turned towards the Carrow twins.
True to his original word, he had kept his eye on them…or at least through Sashet's ever watchful gaze. The twins were quiet within their classes, despite the constant jeers of members of the other Houses, and when not in public with them, they had to endure the demeaning and bullying nature of 'Snake Pit' that came from being seen as weak within it.
They both had a notable prowess in magic, which caused him to become slightly disappointed in their lack of response to the pain they endured practically daily since they arrived in the castle, but that changed after Sashet had overheard a conversation between the two. The Carrow family had a history of servitude before their downfall. The twins and the now Regent Carrow had hoped to gain some form of security from Lord Malfoy when they came to Hogwarts, and from that used it as a way to propel themselves back to their status within society; a prospect which had quickly been thrown away after the first and continuous sessions they've experienced with the new Lord.
Their next prospect had been to try the same with Daphne; given her status as the Heiress apparent for House Greengrass, which currently had control over the 'grey' faction, it would have granted them the same recompense that Lord Malfoy could have afforded them, but that too had been a miss opportunity due to the run in that Flora had with his blonde friend and ally. Now, they suffered daily in silence due to their lack of direction or viable choices caused by their own pride and House's views, he would step in and offer all that they desire for themselves and their House; gaining what he desired for his House and the future that he envisioned for it.
Then, there was Daphne…and his discovery behind the reason of her interest in him. With the new knowledge he had, her desire to want him since they had met made sense, now that he could factor in what he knew of Daphne's personality, and the opinions of the 'elite' purebloods of this society in regards to their Ladies. However, he was not conflicted with how to handle the new situation; His original plan had him take up his Lordship and use the Consortship that came along with it to gain control over the Ancient and Noble House of Bones from Susan to strengthen his House politically, or if that was not possible, use his connection with Padma and form an alliance with the House Patil, which carried the equivalent of a 'Most Ancient' status within India, and would open the doors for both Dagworth and Cunningham business ventures. While Daphne held the political, economical, and social powers that was already established with the name 'Greengrass', and taking her as his consort would make his eventual control over the 'Grey' faction that much simpler…it was also completely unnecessary.
With Lord Greengrass still alive, he could ingrain himself to the man and use him to build a rapport amongst the Greys; however difficult that choice may be in the future. However, the problem lay with his alliance…and friendship…with the cunning heiress. While he wouldn't go as far as to say that he cared about the pureblood heiress, she was a good asset and valuable ally for his future endeavors within the wizarding world and far too valuable to be wasted away in some gilded cage as the trophy of some pretentious 'elite'.
While he plotted a course of action to avoid both things from happening, he continued with his agreement with Daphne and started training the pureblood heiress inside her converted lounge that resided within the dungeons. She still had a problem with her stamina that he had noted the first time he had taught her alongside his sister, but she was an attentive student, and was quick to correct problems with her form or casting.
William came to a halt in front of a small stream, which lay in a slight clearing among the ominous large trees of the Forbidden Forest, which led towards the Great Lake. He gestured with his left hand, causing a medium sized ball of water to form and rise out of the steadily flowing stream, and brought it towards his lips to drink, using the remainder to fall over his sweating body; cooling it down along with the densely fogged, but slowly clearing forest and grounds. As he stood there catching his breath and watching the gentle flow of the water, his mind went towards his sister and the progress she was making so far.
Hermione…was a testament to the Dagworth name, and enforced his thoughts on what their specific brand of family magic was; she was just as brilliant, just as adaptive, and a fast learner just as he was. They had continued their sessions with him teaching her the few familial spells that he had access to from the grimoire, and practicing her new found abilities in enchanting. He had even started to condition her to casting her spells non-verbally; something that was helped greatly by her skills in occlumency, and much to her insistence, helping her in her attempt to use her magic wandlessly.
Though he was willing to make his sister stronger, he was still reluctant to share his plans for their House in detail with her; especially with her continued worship of adults and authority figures still present. He, of course, had a plan in the works to dissuade her from her current way of thinking; something that was already being aided by the continuous floundering and inept teachings of 'Professor' Lockhart. He also wanted his sister to have a drive or desire to push their House to the forefront of this society; a face to present to the 'light' as he worked to better them in the shadows.
William sighed softly as he closed his eyes and brushed the strands of wet hair out of his face as he started taking a few steps backwards away from the stream. Not wanting to use his occlumency, but still wanting to clear his mind from the many thoughts and plans that was within it, William felt himself change as he brought his 'other side' to the forefront; there, standing on its four large paws where he once stood, was a tiger. While he was still capable of complex thoughts, they were muffled by his intensely focused senses and instincts. Instincts that had him wonder across the shallow stream and through the other side of the forest.
As he lazily walked, he found himself clawing against a few trees every now and then, leaving his scent attached to them as he did so. The smell of the forest continued to comfort him as also felt elated at the smell of distant prey, and a trill at the possible challenge he would face by the many predators that lurked deeper in the forest; causing him to continue marking the large grounds of Hogwarts as his territory, daring any of them to intrude upon it.
Time had no meaning to him, but by the time he neared where he first began, and would complete the circuit of his territory, the fog had lifted greatly, and the early morning sun was just starting to break over the horizon. It was then that he picked up a familiar scent of airy dandelions leading deeper into the forest. Curious, he followed the scent, keeping within the shadows of the large and close trees around him.
As he came closer to the scent, he could hear the faint hum of a girl from the direction that the scent was strongest, but also found that the forest no longer became refreshing to him, but wooden, dry, and filled with a strange aroma that would have caused him to calm; if not for his human side to enforce his barriers from the effects. Stalking low behind a few dense brushes as he neared the scent, sounds of humming and rustling of leaves, he came upon the sight of a young girl with slivery blonde hair, who was wearing a long gown of some sort, and stood barefooted as she spun slowly; humming a melodious tune. Around her, were many small plant-like creatures, no taller or thicker than long blades of grass, following her movements; while a large brown barky creature, which glowed with an ethereal green light from within its barky skin, stood sentinel by a large oak as it watched the sight before it.
Ignoring the warnings he was receiving from his logical other half, he followed his instincts and came out of the brush and sat on his haunches as he watched the sight also, facing the barky creature that was on the opposite side of the small clearing. The girl stopped abruptly, causing the small creatures to do the same, and turned to face him with her bright blue eyes blinking owlishly at him, as she tilted her head to the side.
"Hello William Cunningham, lovely day we're having; though it's a bit chilly." She spoke dreamily.
Allowing himself to change after the amount of freedom he had received, the tiger disappeared as William stood once more, causing the plant-like creatures to scurry away, mostly behind the barky creature, who had stepped forward warningly with large glowing claws. Slightly out of his depth with this situation, he followed the instincts of the phantasm that sat on its haunches, and the still form of the young Luna, and remained still as he spoke to her.
"Yes quite, but do you normally wonder into such dangerous situations or is it just that we will always meet like this?" he asked calmly, though with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Luna glanced slightly upwards in thought, before she looked back at him and replied, "No, but it would make them that more special." As she walked towards him, the creature seemed to calm and recede back into the bark of the large oak behind it.
"Ms. Lovegood…if I may ask…what were you doing, and what were those creatures around you?" William asked as she stood before him, petting the large phantasm as if it were real.
"Calling bowtruckles." She answered plainly as if that explained everything, not once breaking her gaze off his 'other side'.
"Why?"
"Father said the forest might have some, and said I would be able to meet one during the foggy days. I hadn't thought that there would be that many, but it was nice to meet them all, and that friendly Spriggan."
"Do you normally walk around in your night clothes?" William asked as he noticed her shake briefly, and allowing himself to digest the fact that a parent had sent their child into a dangerous forest on a day that they could easily become lost, and that Hogwarts played host to fae.
"I've recently started sleepwalking lately. Normally it would only be outside my dorm room or the common room, but today was the first time I made it to an alcove. I woke up and tried to get back in, but the Ravenclaw guardian didn't seem to understand me." Luna replied dreamily.
William felt there was more to it than that, but decided to just file it away as he brought out his wand, and casted a 'warming charm' at the girl before him as he spoke, "That's quite a shame; you wouldn't have had that problem within Slytherin. I won't deny the fact that I was disappointed that my House hadn't gained someone like you within it."
Looking up at him, she gaze into his eyes, causing William to reflexively skimp her mind, and felt a slight headache grow as he attempted to interpret the many colors, spirals and shapes that he found there.
"Oh, the sorting hat said I could've been, along with any of the other houses, but I decided on Ravenclaw because daddy's research led him to believe whackspurts didn't like heights, and I wanted to see if that was true."
"How are you finding the castle?"
"It's been better than I had first imagined. Hogwarts' been quite welcoming and open so far, but she does seem to like playing jokes with the stairs and doors. I haven't made any friends though; I suspect it's due to the whackspurts. A lot of people seem to be getting my name wrong and call me Loony, even when I tell them over and over again."
Seeing the opportunity, William spoke, "Well if you don't mind a slimy Slytherin, I would like to be your friend."
William watched as she seemed to beam at his words. "Yes, I would like us being friends very much. I'd like being friends with the both of you." She said as she bent slight to wrap her arms around the head of the phantasm; to his amazement, causing his wand to give out a slight purr. Looking up at him with her head tilted, she continued, "How are Slytherin's slimy?"
"It's a figure of speech. The House of Slytherin has many negative connotations due to a majority believing us to be nothing but future 'dark' wizards and witches."
"While you all seem to have a swarm of nyctophites down within the dungeons, that doesn't make you all dark wizards." Luna replied as she stood back straight.
"Nyctophites?" William asked curiously at the foreign term.
"They're tiny creatures that are attracted to dark magic and objects." She answered factually in her dreamy voice as she began to rock slightly.
"It seems I'm still greatly lacking in my magical education." William found himself chuckling openly. With a flick of his wand, and a show of muttering the incantation under his breath, the time issued out of his wand, and he spoke as he placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Come, we've been here for quite some time, and we'll miss most of breakfast by the time you and I don't hurry and get our uniforms on."
They walked in comfortable silence through the forest towards the castle, with nothing but Luna's gentle humming, and the sound of the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath their feet. William was already thinking of ways to best use the asset beside him. He wasn't entirely sure of how rare the ability to see the passive aspect of magic was, but if it was anything like parseltongue, it wouldn't due for him to allow such talent to go to waste or to be used against him and his House. And with the cost being so small compared to the gains he would receive; he would ensure Luna Lovegood desired no other friend but him.
"Luna…how long have you been able to see magic?" William asked.
"Since I was eight, after mummy died. She was a brilliant witch you see, and liked to dabble in spell creation, and I used to watch her all the time. One day one of her spells went terribly wrong; she shielded me from the explosion, and I've been able to see magic from it ever since." Luna answered, some of the dreaminess gone from her voice.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't think I would've brought up such a painful memory"
"It's quite alright; it doesn't hurt to remember as much as it did before."
"You seemed quite open with this information; I'd have thought you'd want to keep something like this secret."
"People tend to find the truth harder to believe than a lie; especially if the truth is something they can't understand. Though, it does make me wonder why you believe me." Luna asked as they broke through the tree line and stepped onto the grounds of Hogwarts.
"Well, we're friends aren't we? So I trust you." He watched as she seemed to beam slightly. He decided to build the bridge a bit thicker and used his magic to form water out of the air and had it create shapes before the wide eyed girl beside him.
"That…and I have a few truths that no one would believe myself." He finished, causing her to smile at him, and begin to hum as she started to skip slightly ahead of him.
As they two parted ways in the Entrance Hall, William began making his way down towards the Common room, passing sporadic groups of Slytherins. It didn't take him long before he stood outside the portrait, lowly announcing the password to it, and meeting the sight of the Carrows twins, who were just about to head out.
Taking them in, he noticed that they flinched slightly at the sight of him standing there, and while it was not visible, he could smell the murlap essence on their body. Finished with his cursory glance, he noticed that they were rigid, and seemed to be expecting him to do something; chuckling internally he spoke with a charming smile on his face.
"Good morning. If you two don't hurry, you'll run late for breakfast." He finished with his usual tone as he stepped to the side to allow them through.
They glanced at each other slightly before stepping out together, with their eyes cautiously glancing at him as they walked pass; bodies quite rigid as they walked down the path.
With them gone, William's smile immediately dropped as he continued inside the common room and towards his dorm; deep in thought. When they passed him, the Carrows' scent were filled with confusion, wariness, and fear. That, combined with their body language, spoke volumes of their experience so far in the castle. It wouldn't be long till Sashet sent him the signal to come to their aid.
Minutes had passed since he showered and moved through the empty dorm towards his bed…to find his uniform neatly laid there. He instantly moved towards his trunk, pulled his wand out and casted a few privacy wards around himself, before he hissed the password; causing the lid to gently fly open and revealing the organized contents within. Removing a few of his clothing, he sighed internally as it revealed the blood speckled parchment beneath; taking it out he thought back to his confrontation with the twins.
That day would've been the third time that he had become so angry that he lost all cognitive thought…if not for his newly formed occlumency barriers to monitor and help control it. That day, his anger was not directed at the twins and their childish prank, or the boisterous laughter of the entire student population and the embarrassment it entailed, but towards himself. He had placed his faith on the protections that were enchanted into his Lord's rings, and neglected a vital part of his magical education because of it. He had already thought that his ancestors' means of protection may no longer be entirely valid when he had read their ward schemes; so why couldn't the same principle be implied for their protections against potions and poisons?
At any other time, he would simply dropped the issue with the prank and be grateful for the lesson, however unconventional, he had received from the twins. But they had chosen to do so before the entire school; damaging his still fragile reputation within the snake pit.
So he had tracked them down later on that night, using the gift that he going to present to Hermione later on today. It had been necessary in order for him focus completely on creating a working illusion of their prefect older brother, Percy, and remain completely unseen.
The twins had oddly seemed to expect to meet someone, but became confused upon seeing their silent brother, but quickly started to jibe at him. With plenty of concentration, he managed to have the illusion fluently gesture for them to follow it, and led them towards the Grand staircase. When they had arrived, he simultaneously casted a non-verbal 'silence charm' on the twins while he wandlessly banished them over the stair-less banister, as the illusion of Percy slowly started to faded away. While one of the twins had fallen over, the other had managed to grab hold and hung precariously over the edge. That was quickly rectified with a second small burst of wandless magic.
From his readings of 'Hogwarts: A History', he had known that the staircases had been warded over the centuries to prevent instances like this, so the twins would survive, but the message would be sent loudly throughout the school, with no tangible evidence to connect him to it. However, a voice casting a spell from below had caused him to delay his plan of leaving, and made him investigate the loose end.
Coming back to the present from his thoughts, he broke his stare at the folded parchment before him. Potter's intervention, while unnecessary, had helped him greatly. It caused him to gain a useful artifact, and with a quick scan of the twins' unconscious foggy mind; stopped a piece of evidence from escaping his notice, and learned how to use the parchment within his hands.
Pointing his wand at the bloodied parchment, he intoned, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Black ink blotted together on the parchment, with the blood covering most of it, but words were still visible.
….The Marauders' Map
The Great Hall was buzzing with the early morning sound of the many students and professor's that filled it, as William finally made his way towards his House table. Spotting his usual group, he moved towards them, and upon being seen by Tracey as he approached, she spoke.
"I was wondering if you were planning on skipping breakfast."
As he moved to the opening left for him beside Daphne, he sat at his usual spot facing the rest of the hall. "I got a bit distracted while in my dorm. Do you know how exactly our things are ready for us in the mornings?"
"I thought you'd figure it out by now." Blaise replied plainly.
"So it is the elves then."
"Yep." Tracy replied as she took up another slice of toast.
"The same elf?" William asked, wanting confirmation, to which Tracey simply shrugged her shoulders. Seeing that this was probably another area that wizards took for granted, he dropped the subject and mental made a reminder to follow up with his theory with the source.
Preparing his breakfast on his plate, and pouring a glass of pumpkin juice, he began casting a series of spells to check them, and placed a ward to prevent his contents from being switched.
"Still think that you'll get potioned again there William." Tracey spoke, finishing with a quiet chuckle.
"I doubt the twins would try that again after what you did to them." Daphne finally spoke before she took another bite of her meal.
"It's not paranoia if they're actually out to get you, Tracey, and I haven't got the foggiest idea of what you're talking about." He answered both, causing Tracey to roll her eyes, and Daphne to give the faintest hint of a smirk as she chewed.
As they ate in silence, it was interrupted by the loud fluttering of wings, causing many to look up as the morning mail flew in, with the many owls. Still chewing, he picked up his goblet as the owl carrying his paper landed there, but he raised an eyebrow as a familiar Hawk owl landed regally beside it, a letter attached to its leg.
"You weren't expecting a letter? Madam Bones perhaps?" Daphne probed from beside him as he paid the Prophet owl, causing it to fly away.
"No…this is from mother." He answered as he took the letter from the owl, and watched as it remained steadfast, staring expectantly at him; he chuckled, having an idea as to what the letter was mostly about.
"Wait, since when have you been in correspondents with the Head of the DMLE." Blaise spoke.
"Better yet, why would she be so interested in talking to a muggleborn like you?" Tracey continued the line of questioning as she leaned forward.
Glancing at Daphne, he took the chance of opening the letter, trusting his mother's wording, and replied to the two across from him. "The same reason why I'm current sitting amongst the heir and heiresses of three powerful Noble Houses, despite my lowly status, I suppose."
She glanced at the peaceful eating Daphne, before she giggled to herself, "Touché."
Giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he focused on the letter within his hands and read it:
To my Neglectful Son,
I will disregard any thoughts that you would leave your lonely mother, who was completely beside herself with worry about your safety, in the dark about your well-being, due to the events on which we last departed. But your grace period is now over, and I expect my weekly updates from now on. I'm only throwing you a ball of yarn now because of some…issues, which I know you would want to be made aware of.
You will be pleased to know that Major is now Prime Minister, and I've heard through the grape vine that he'll be meeting with all those that had endorsed his campaign in the following weeks; you'll get the pounds I owe you from our little wager.
Business has been going well, though there have been a few hiccups. The security company finally got a couple guard dogs; one hundred and twenty in fact and they've already started their training. While most of the employees are a bit unsure of the new assets, I've had a small pound made for them when the dogs become unruly. Though, when I was procuring them, there was this particularly nasty one that attacked me. I'm quite alright, nothing a quick kip couldn't fix; and before you start thinking the worst, I had ignored the advice of my bodyguard and approached it; he stopped it before it got particularly nasty.
Our competition has tried some underhanded tactics of their own, and we lost a store in the less traversed part of London. We found out who it was, and I ensured they repaid the lost income with two of their own. Though I heard they met an unfortunate accident after finalizing the transaction. The world is such a dangerous place these days; please be safe my dear.
The company project has been going smoothly. The contractors work surprisingly quick and efficiently. Fifteen percent has completed so far. So I have predicted an estimate that they'll have everything ready by little over two years, give or take. I took the liberty of having a few things changed…ascetic purposes of course. You lack a certain eye for beauty, dear.
On more mundane news, certain employees had taken it upon themselves to go outside the scope of their duties and expand the business into fields that I'm positive you are against. I know I was. Unfortunately, I heard that because of their lack of regard for their health and safety; many have either lost their lives or their ability to reproduce; their families compensated, of course.
While I have deterred any future attempts, it was only a patch job at most, and the cause of the leak has yet to be found.
I expect to hear from you.
Plenty of love, and hope you're purring,
Your Lonely Mother
William couldn't help the scowl that crossed his face as he finished reading the letter. He knew that he would have to deal with Greyback eventually if he hoped to undermine Voldemort, but attacking his mother, whether coerced or not, pushed that schedule much sooner than he originally had planned. He wouldn't be able to voice it within a letter, but he would have to tear into Remus the next time he saw him for bringing his mother along, and allowing her to get hurt. The problem with the gang was nothing more than a slight nuisance; he had long known that his manipulation would only go so far, for so long without him reapplying it; finding the source wouldn't be too time-consuming.
"Trouble back home?" Tracey asked, seeing the look on his face.
"Just some minor issues with some employees on the muggle side of things. She was attacked by a particularly disgruntled one. I'm just upset that her bodyguard had allowed it to reach that far before intervening ." William answered as he took up his goblet and took a sip, then looked at the waiting owl and spoke to it, "Head up to the owlery and get some rest; I'll give you a letter for her later."
"And on the non-muggle side?" Daphne asked from beside him as the regal owl flew off the table.
William chuckled internally at the comment. He should've known it wouldn't take Daphne, let alone Lord Greengrass, long to be aware of the scope of his business; at least the Hold should remain a secret as long as things with the goblins remain agreeable.
"A small inconvenience, but it provided us the opportunity to expand." William spoke while looking at her.
"A shame what happened to Mr. Xavier; it seems not even purebloods are immune from being mugged if they wonder alone in Knockturn. Not without the right name, of course." Daphne replied holding her goblet up.
"Yes, the world can be a dangerous place. But it's not a name that protects you from it, but the actions that you're willing to take so the world fears what that name stands for." He answered, causing Daphne's lip to twitch slightly.
"Slytherins flirt in the strangest of ways, don't we Blaise." Tracey said as she watched the two. Blaise glanced up at them from his breakfast, and then continued eating. Tracey was about to argue with Blaise, when the Hall burst into laughter, causing the four to look up from their conversation, and focus towards the cause of the commotion.
Hopping into the Hall was Neville Longbottom, dress in pink pajamas with pictures of strange flurry creatures moving on it, and looking slightly bruised; probably from falling during his journey to get here.
"His legs are jinxed…The twins?" Tracey asked.
"Too simple and they don't prank their own; at least not publicly for us to see." Blaise answered.
"Not Lord Malfoy; he's not gloating." Daphne spoke, watching the laughing Malfoy with his group doing the same.
William watched as Neville fell to the ground as he tried to reach his House table, causing Hermione to rush to him and help.
'Finally.' William thought as he continued to watch the two. He was beginning to wonder how long it would take for the sublime messages he implanted in the minds of the Gryffindors, on his second day back at Hogwarts when he approached Susan, to take effect.
With this, the few Gryffindors affected would slowly start to bully and isolate Longbottom. That, along with the usual attacks from Malfoy, would make Hermione's befriending him have a stronger impact, and make him easier to manipulate for their House in the future.
William watched as Hermione led Longbottom towards where she was sitting with Potter and Weasel. As she sat, he took in the fact that the owl had already delivered her gift from him; a satchel similar to the one he had gotten and enchanted for Su. He just hoped she hadn't revealed her real gift hidden within to her friends.
Seemingly feeling his stare, Hermione broke from conversation with her friends and look over to him. Not wanting to interact so openly with her, he brushed against her mental barriers in a knocking fashion. Curious, she allowed him in, and he sent an image of her present opened to her. She gave him a questioning look before she complied and opened the satchel, revealing the contents within to her, making her gasp loudly.
When she looked up once more at him, he smiled and as he brought his goblet up to his lips, he mimed for her to keep it a quiet. She smiled and mouthed a 'thank you' to him.
William went back to his breakfast while his friends ate and conversed around him. Things were moving smoothly so far; he glanced around, looking first towards the isolated Carrow twins, the lonely yet happily eating Luna, and then towards the shy, pajama wearing Longbottom speaking to his sister. All his small projects were going as well as he could plan for; now he can focus on his main objectives for the year.
He glanced up at the staff table, and found himself meeting the grandfatherly twinkling blue eyes that had been observing him since he received his letter.
The weeks had quickly slipped away into a routine of lectures, assignments and training for William. It was currently Friday, a day that held only one class for the entire day, and he was soaked to the bone as he stood in a secluded spot by the lake with Su Li, who sat on a boulder, reading a book as she glanced towards the quidditch pitch, catching a glimpse of the Gryffindor team training as the heavy downpour of rain made the red of their robes barely visible.
"My skirt's getting wet." She stated softly as the William's concentration wavered slightly, causing the rain that he was holding back around and above her to dip slightly into the only dry area that she was occupying.
"I thought…you…liked it…when I made you…wet." William struggled out as he concentrated through the headache he was getting due to the mental strain of manipulating the water around Su, while he had a transfigured suit of armor move by animating the water that was occupying the space within it, and tried lash at a rock with tendrils that came from the choppy waters of the lake.
She looked away slightly as she blushed at the comment and the thoughts that it created, before she smirked as an idea formed, and she turned back and spoke.
"Make me wet now, and you won't get to later."
"Sadist…" came the reply causing her to giggle softly, as she realized he accepted the challenge as the space around her increased slightly, and further down the rock began to dry as he also removed the water from there.
Wanting to make it more difficult, she spoke while she went back to the book she received from Professor Flitwick, which gave an account of the creatures that duelist faced throughout the years of the Circuit.
"Any word on your target."
"No…but…I didn't…expect…one; Information…takes…time."
"You know she's just using you."
"I'd…be…disappointed…if she…wasn't." she heard him strain out a reply. While she felt secure in her position as his girlfriend, the less time he spent with Daphne, the better.
"And do you also know that she's just manipulating you to get what she wants."
The barrier around her rippled as he laughed, but it didn't waiver like it did the first time, however the armor did collapse bodily, before he focused once more as he continued. "I manipulate…everyone."
"You do it for a good cause."
"Pot…Kettle…Black."
"I could take over her training for you." Su Li softly suggested. Not at all minding the thought of training Daphne; it was a valid reason to thrash the girl without any repercussions.
She watched as he stopped completely and approached as he massaged his head; still maintaining the barrier as he spoke, "I couldn't ask you to do that. You're already busy helping me with Hermione, and our own training." He finished as he leaned towards her, only to be met with her wand against his chest, stopping him from touching her.
"You're soaking wet." She deadpanned as he chuckled at her expression, before she continued, "and I already told you; I'm your girlfriend. I'd help you with anything and everything. All you have to do is ask."
She watched as her tiger's hazel gained their usual softness when she was around, and the cogs turning as he contemplated the idea.
"I'll keep those words in mind. But I won't need any help with Daphne. But someone else does come to mind." He said as he leaned back into the rain, "Come on, it's almost time to meet with Hermione in the library."
She nodded as she got up and handed him his robe. She looked at the rock he had been hitting the tendrils of water on, and noticed no visible marks on it. "Still no improvement." She commented as she turned to him. He flexed his fingers slightly, causing a tendril to whip suddenly out of the still choppy lake, and lash against the bark of a tree; leaving a slightly deep slash.
"It'll take time, but I'm in the right direction so far." He replied as he made the indication to leave, which she followed suit, the rain not once landing on her as she did so.
"And the rest of your abilities? You seemed to have stopped trying to further your wandless magic to other spells." She said softly as she took his hand, forcing him to cover himself. Her tiger could be just as foolish as any other boy sometimes.
"I've seemed to reach an impasse of sorts, but I'm hoping that I've found a solution. Tell me, what do you know about Luna Lovegood?"
Su Li thought about the name, and the face that went with it. The first year girl had an eccentric quality to her that had rubbed many of the Ravens the wrong way; which caused her to become the victim to a few pranks, and bullying. What interest did William have with her?
"Not much, beside the fact that she likes to talk about various made-up creatures."
"I'm not so sure those creatures are made up." He stated, causing Su Li to look up at him.
"You believe her." She said, causing him to chuckle and smile at her.
"If you had asked me three years ago about dragons, what they ate, and where they currently lived, or even told any muggleborn about magic prior to their letters; I'm sure you'd be receiving the same skepticism Ms. Lovegood is facing. My point is, perhaps just like the muggles and muggleborns; there might be more to the world that is hidden even from magicals."
"So she can see invisible creatures?" she asked after thinking about the point her tiger made.
"She can see magic." He said in a sage-like voice, causing Su Li to look at him incredulously.
"That's impossible." She whispered softly, only for William to point at the water flowing around and away from them, as they made their way to the castle, before he conjured an umbrella and placed it above them; drying his clothes as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"You can't really say that when I'm able to see my 'other side'. Plus I tested her myself; she was able to see it herself, and trace any magic that I did around her all back to me."
"So she's a new asset then." She stated, knowing how her tiger thought and getting the idea of what he wanted.
"An ally and maybe more, if she's as useful as I think she is. I'd like you to keep an eye on her; safe if something were to happen in the 'Raven Nest'. Sashet is preoccupied at the moment, and will be for the rest of the year if I can get her close enough to Dumbledore."
As they reached the great doors of the entrance hall they paused their conversation as they passed a few other older students that either didn't have class or were making their way towards the dungeons for potions, and as they made their way along up the stairs and through the hall that led to the Grand Staircase, Su Li softly spoke again.
"I thought you'd be focused on the target?"
"That's why we have Daphne." He answered after they passed a portrait that hung on the wall next to the banister. "I'm still in the dark when it comes to Dumbledore. And I need to understand him if I hope to keep ahead of him once I'm in the open."
"Alright." Su Li replied, and they fell into a comfortable silence as they walked together up the moving staircases; noting that their stride hadn't stopped once, as the staircases seemed to be in place just as they arrived. They continued like that until they reached the fourth floor, one floor below the library, and William came to a sudden stop as he looked down the hall.
"What's wrong?" She asked curiously.
With a sigh he replied, "My magic. The phantasm is prompting me down the hall." He finished, walking down the path, following the entity visible only to him; Su following in his wake.
She followed him as he moved slowly through the halls, making turns without direction. Until he suddenly picked up his pace slightly with his wand drawn, causing her to do the same.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Someone's banging." He said as he lit his wand as the torches were not lit down the hall that they next took.
"Peevees maybe?" she stated, not hearing anything over the sound of the rain, lighting her wand, and moving so she was in a position to react if they were attacked.
"Maybe." He replied.
It was only when they moved the down the hall and drew closer to a door, did Su Li finally hear the knocking. Looking around she realized that they were currently in an unused part of the castle, given the barrenness and cold draft that flowed through it.
"At the ready; just in case." William stated to her, and moved to the other side of the door. Ready for anything, she watched as he launched a charm at the door, causing it to click open, and then slowly opened it wandlessly from his position as her wand lit red with a 'stunning spell' on her lips.
As William's lit wand pierced darkness at the entrance, they realized it to be a broom cupboard, but what caught their attention was the blonde figure curled up at the threshold, dressed only in a nightgown and was giving off silence whimpers and sniffles.
"Luna…" William said softly as he lowered his wand.
Su Li watched as the still sniffling girl stopped abruptly, even going as far as to rapidly rubbed her eyes with her gown before she turned to face them with a dreamy smile present on her face as she spoke, "Hello William Cunningham; lovely day isn't it?"
"Yes…the sky is a lovely shade of dark grey today." He said humorously, but Su could see none in his eyes from his wand light. "Sleepwalking again." He finished, and Su watched as the girl slowly nodded her head, her bloodshot eyes focused solely on her tiger. She discreetly checked the time with her wand…it was past one; a pang of guilt sunken into her as she realized what that meant.
Su watched as William kneeled down before the girl and asked her quietly, "And you managed to lock yourself in here?"
"Yes." Luna replied as she tried to keep her dreamy smile in the face of her tiger's intense stare, even as her lips trembled once more.
"And your wand…Luna…"
"I…I…NARGLES. The narg-nargles took it." Luna said painickingly as a few tears manage to breakthrough her. William slowing brought the girl towards him, and hugged her as she kept repeating the same sentence over and over through her sobs.
"It's alright Luna. You can let it all out now." William said as he tried to soothe the girl in his arms. Su felt both embarrassed and furious at how far members of her House would go.
"Su…" she heard William say, gaining her attention once more as he continued, "Could you go to the Tower and tell Penelope what happened."
"NO!" Luna exclaimed suddenly before she hid her teary face in her tiger's robes once more and spoke, "that'll only make things worse…"
"Alright we'll keep this quiet for now. Let's get you up." She watched as he stood while aiding Luna onto her feet, but seemed be supporting her as she stood there on shaky legs.
"Luna…how long exactly were you in there for?"
"Last night." She answered in her dreamy voice, but even Su could hear the weakness in it.
"Which day was it yesterday…"
"Monday, of course." Luna stated as if it was obvious, but Su Li felt her heart skip a beat and blood freeze at what that meant. She glanced at her tiger and saw that while his body exuded calm and gentleness as he held the smaller girl in his arms supportively; his eyes held disappointment, anger, and its usual calculative planning.
"Well then climb up. I'll get you all sorted out." He replied as he presented his back to the girl, allowing her to climb up. With her now on his back and her head peaking over his shoulder, her tiger turned to her and spoke.
"Su, could you go tell Hermione that I won't be coming until later on today, and help her with her research in identifying poisons." He finished. Su recognized what he wanted to do, and simply nodded her consent and made her way back to the library.
William watched as Sukie made her way back the way they came from until she turned the corner, and then turned his head slightly to the left to look at the blonde on his back, meeting her still bloodshot blue eyes.
"Let's get you something to eat, shall we." He spoke as he began walking further down the hall while he mentally commanded Sashet to bring the map to him.
"Pudding does sound nice at the moment." Luna replied, become more of her usual self, as she watched his phantasm that walked steadily beside her.
"I've always been partial to a good slice rhubarb pie myself." He stated as he felt Sashet's presence, and slowed slightly so that she could slither up his body, handing him the map in his unoccupied hand, before returning to her duty of watching the Carrow twins.
Activating the map, he focused on finding exactly where they were, Luna spoke once more. "Thank you for finding me William Cunningham."
"Just William is fine, and there's no need to thank me, that's what friends do, Luna. If anything I should be apologizing for not realizing what was wrong sooner. I promise, this won't be happening again."
"…it's nice having a friend; Ginny and I haven't talked since I embarrassed her in front of Harry Potter." She replied, her grip slightly tighter despite her weak condition.
"Ginerva Weasley?"
"Yes, she's was my only friend when we were growing up, but we stopped when her mum say us kissing when we were playing 'Harry Potter's Bride'; she doesn't like me very much."
"Luna, may I ask you a question?" William asked as he took a short cut that would led him down to the floor that the training room was located.
"You just did." She replied, William could hear the slight amusement in her dreamy voice.
Chuckling, he spoke again. "Another one then; Do you enjoy books?"
"Very much so."
"Well, I once read a book about a man. This particular man was very kind, and was generous to all those around him." he paused, seeing that Luna was listening, he continued, "This man eventual lost everything he owned, but he held the belief that everyone was like him, and since he was so kind to them, he could live off the kindness of others…He soon found himself starving, and close to death."
"What did he do?"
"He lost faith in the world and humanity as a whole, and decide that he would take what he believed he deserved; he became a monster. But that's not really the point of the book, can you guess?" William asked as he trekked up a set of stairs hidden behind a large tapestry.
"Always have a rainy day fund?"
"While true, not what I had in mind" William chuckled as he continued, "No, kindness; generosity; goodwill; while all of them are good traits to have, it should be tempered with caution. You and I…we're more alike than you know. We're both gifted with amazing abilities; abilities that make us different from everyone else, and they belittle us, bully us, and isolate us because we refuse to be veiled; to be just like them…to be content with having whackspurts buzzing around our heads." He finished, causing Luna to giggle. He was almost there…just a few more words.
"What did you do? You have so many friends." Luna asked curiously.
"I learnt a few truths that others refuse to see or believe…would you like to hear?" he asked, and when he felt her nod, he continued, "In this world that we live in, for us to be happy; to protect ourselves, our possessions…our friends; power is needed. If we don't have that, people will use us, hurt us, take everything from us; no matter how kind we are to them."
Luna remained silent.
"But with that power, we need to know how to use it responsibly. If we use it in the wrong situations, the wrong way, on the wrong person; we could end up just like them, just like the bullies or make things worse for ourselves." He stopped speaking for a second to check the map in his hand before he stepped out of the secret passage, and walked in the direction of the dueling room.
"Finally, and something you should remember always Luna; power will always attract others, but loyalty requires respect. With power, you'll attract many people, but just like the man from that book, when you lose it, you'll lose many of those that just wanted that power. So it's up to us to figure out who we can trust, and then inspire the desire for them be with us no matter the situation."
"I don't have any power." Luna stated factually in her dreamy voice.
"You're right." William agreed as he stood before the entrance to the room; japing his wand at the keyhole, causing it to click open. Walking in, he continued speaking, "At the moment you lack what people would call conventional power, but make no mistake Luna, you are more powerful than you know, and I have a proposition for you. That however, will have to wait till we get you something to eat though." He said as he sat her down in the chair behind the professor's desk.
Handing the young blonde his robe to wear over her gown, he turned and leaned against the professor's desk as he called out to the clear room. "Tabby." As soon as he said the name, a muted pop sounded throughout the room, and there before him was a house elf.
"Master Willy bes needing Tabbys help again?" Tabby asked.
"Yes Tabby, but first, how've you been? I'm sorry I haven't called before now, but you house elves have done such a wonderful job; I didn't really have a need to." William said as he used a painted smile at the house elf, causing it to visibly preen; hiding his irritation at what the elf called him.
"Tabbys been very well Master Willy. Tabbys been cleaning kind Master Willys room extra hard." Tabby announced, causing William to shift his attention.
"So it was you…did you also start leaving out my uniforms?" William asked, his attention solely on the house elf as it rubbed its hands nervously.
"Yes Tabby did, he wants to help Kind Master Willy…did Tabby do something wrong? is Tabby a bad elf?"
"No, not at all Tabby, I'm very grateful actually, and would appreciate it if you continued… but I was just wondering…how did you get pass the wards?" William asked casually.
"Tabbys an elf." Tabby stated matter of factly.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that, but could you explain how you did it." William continued on, but the elf just looked at him unsurely.
"House elf magic operates differently from our own; Daddy wrote an article about it when he was writing on how the ministry was secretly training Hit Elves to take out the Unspeakables if they ever revolted…are you going to asking him to get us something to eat, I'm quite hungry." Luna spoke from where she sat.
Filing that tidbit of knowledge away, William spoke, "You can continue what you are doing, Tabby, but do not remove anything out of my trunk besides my uniform. Is that clear." Seeing the rapidly nods from the elf, he continued, "Now, my friend and I unfortunately missed lunch. Could you bring us a bite to eat?"
"And pudding." Luna piped.
"And pudding." William chuckled at the antics of the blonde behind him before he continued, "Also, Miss Lovegood misplaced her wand early today, could you please find it for us, and tell me the location of where you found it when you do." William replied to the elf, who nodded before it popped away.
William had first thought Tabby would only bring a few sandwiches, but what it did bring could've been considered a small feast. Both he and Luna had eaten in relative silence, with the blonde humming contently as she spooned pudding into her mouth, while William collected his thoughts on how he was going to handle the opportunity he was currently in. After finishing his bite, he found himself meeting the bright dreamy blue eyes of the enigmatic girl behind the desk before as she spoke.
"Are you going to tell me how you're going to use me."
Using his occlumency to hide his surprise, William spoke, "What makes you think that I want to use you?"
"The Nargles told me."
Nodding, at the confusing answer and not trying to apply logic to the girl, William nodded as he replied, "Well they are right. It's nothing personal Luna, it's just the way that I am…a Slytherin. But what I said about being your friend is true, and I still have my proposition for you, if you're willing to hear it." Seeing her smile he went to continue, but was then assaulted by a vision of what Sashet was seeing.
Sashet had somehow found herself occupying the shadow up the ceiling, as she looked down at the Carrows twins from up above. They were at a dead end which was home to a large portrait of a woman, backs against the wall with wands drawn, and were being surrounded by three older Gryffindors as one of them spoke.
"Nowhere else left to run now you slimy snakes." The Gryffindor on the left spoke.
"Just leave us alone." The twin he recognized as Flora said strongly, but Sashet could smell the fear that came off her in waves.
"Or what. I'd love to see what you bastards would do. My family would just love to get a chance to finish burying that old griffin shite of a Regent." The Gryfinndor in the middle replied.
"The Death Eater spawns deserve worse than that Cormac. I say we make them suffer; just like how their parents made my older sister suffer before they killed her." The Gryffindor on the right said angry.
"What they did have nothing to do with us." Hestia replied, wand pointed at them.
"Shut it you Death Eater spawn!"the same Gryffindor replied angrily.
"Don't worry Sagan, we'll make these sick bastards pay for everything th-"
Cormac's voice and the image of what was happening faded as William broke the connection, but found himself staring into the curious and bright blue eyes of Luna, who was only inches from his face.
"You were suddenly swarmed by a large amount of whackspurts; they're gone now though, but I'll get you a charm to keep them away." She spoke.
William considered his options to handle the situation, and the fact that Sashet deemed this confrontation serious enough to alert him immediately, and then focused back on Luna. "I'd greatly appreciate that Luna, they do tend to catch me off guard on occasions when I least expect it, but they did show me something that needs my attention…would you like to come along with me?" he replied.
"Yes." She answered without hesitation.
With that reply, William smiled at her and got up from his seat; leading her out the door, and locking it with a wave of his wand, before he pulled out the still active map from his robes and started looking for the twins. As he did that he spoke to Luna.
"About that proposition I had for you," he paused as he found the twins a floor above them, and then continued as he started walking towards another shortcut close by, "With Professor Lockhart as our teacher, I'd like to tutor you in DADA, teach you how to use your abilities to your advantage, and as long as you call me your friend; be there for you in any capacity that I deem necessary. In return…all I ask is your friendship and help on occasions." He finished as they came upon the shortcut and leisurely began climbing the hidden stairs.
Skipping in step with his strides, Luna spoke, breaking from her melodious humming, "Sure."
Smiling down at the girl, and the surprising simplicity of her agreement, William spoke as they came out of the hidden passageway, and headed towards the direction for the twins, "Luna, do you remember what I said about power, loyalty, and how it requires respect?"
"Yes."
"Well, there are two types of people that you will meet in this world; those that will love you, and those that will hate you. How you use your power to create loyalty and respect defers between them. With those that love you, use your power to show your individuality, build them and protect them. When it comes to those that hate you; treat them as enemies, and use your power to give them a reason to fear going against you and those that are with you." William stated as he looked down at the young Ravenclaw, "This of course, is only my opinion, but please watch what happens next, and decide for yourself what you believe."
They turned a corner and came upon the dead end that Sashet had shown William. From the time he had seen what was happening, to reaching them, the twins had managed to take down one of the Gryffindors, but Flora had succumb to a spell and was huddled behind her sister as she struggled to maintain a 'shield charm' against the onslaught of spells being sent at her from the Gryffindors Cormac and Sagan.
'Silencio' William non-verbally casted at his feet as he walked down the hall towards the Gryffindors, with Luna staying behind the corner, watching. With the portrait still watching, he was limited to his usual methods of dueling.
"Expelliarmus;Incarcerous; Stupefy" he said, making a show of muttering the spells; disarming, capturing and stunning Sagan in the back, as he was still focused on Hestia.
Cormac turned so that he could face the new threat and still focus on Hestia, and sneered as he spoke when he saw William standing down the hall, "Of course. You Slytherins can't face someone unless their backs are turned."
"Avis Circumcingo" Having expected a retort, he was caught off guard when William suddenly launched a flock of birds at him in his direction. As he casted a 'shielding charm', Cormac was surprised when the birds flew pass him, and began flying around the twins, who had flinched when they first approached and circled them.
"Diffindo!" William watched as Cormac shouted, sending the spell towards him; sidestepping it when it neared him,he countered aloud with a spell. "Orbis pice oblino."
Cormac didn't see any results from the spell and spoke mockingly, "You want to duel when you can't even cast a proper spell."
"Stupefy" William casted aloud.
"Protego" Cormac casted. When he the spell from William hit his strong shield, making it hardly ripple, he laughed as he spoke once more, "And you're weak too. You're just a pathetic lil' squib aren't you." His only reply was a repeat of the spell that was casted at his shield.
After launching the spell for a fourth time, and seeing that Cormac was confident in his abilities, William acted, 'Oppungo', he mentally commanded as he pointed his wand at the Gryffindor; watching as the birds that were circling the twins attacked the boy from behind. William walked towards the yelling boy who was being pecked viciously by the large birds, and ignored the boy as he bent to picked up the dropped wand that fell outside the small circle of tar, which held Cormac in place.
As William stood up once more, he took in the area around him.
Cormac was still being pecked, the unconscious Gryffindors, Luna walking towards him, Hestia helping her sister up off the floor, and the now empty landscape of the portrait of the woman.
Realizing the now limited time, he casted a spell at Cormac using the older student's wand, silently, 'Mactasses.' He watched as the transparent curse hit Cormac bodily, and launched the boy off his feet, and into the wall behind him; knocking him out.
Throwing the wand over to the unconscious boy's side as he dismissed the conjured birds with his own wand, William moved towards the Slytherin twins, but stopped when Hestia pointed her wand at him. "Why did you help us muggleborn." She asked defensively.
"I saw my fellow Slytherin's being attacked by Gryffindors. Why wouldn't I help?" William spoke, but continued with a sigh when Hestia's wand turned red, "We both know that attacking me would be something you would greatly regret either in the next three seconds or the next time you stepped within the common room. Put your wand away, bring your sister, and follow me; Dumbledore will be sending someone along for his precious Lions." He finished, turning towards Luna and leading her back down the hall.
"Aren't you going to help them." Luna asked him in her dreamy voice.
"Of course, look behind you," William stated as he kept his eyes on the watchful portraits as he moved to find an empty classroom.
Luna looked back over her shoulder, to see the twins following cautiously a few steps behind them; Hestia's wand still out as she helped her bruised and wounded sister walk.
"Slytherins act a bit differently than the other Houses, Luna. We respect and covet power; not only do I have a reputation of being ruthless and skilled with magic within the House, I'm also allied with some powerful individuals. Because of this, despite my lack of nobility, I'm left alone within a House known for their avocation of blood purity and muggle hating; it's because of that fact, despite their wariness, I have two heiresses from an Ancient House following me without protest." William stated to Luna, before he approached a door, opening it to look within, and then enter upon seeing it empty. William took Luna further into the room, away from the door and waited, knowing how the twins would react to the situation.
As he assumed, Hestia warily looked into the open room, and upon seeing him standing beside the professor's desk, with Luna seated on top of it as she alternatively rocked her feet, she cautiously helped her sister inside; glancing around the room and its corners.
Finish giving them time to inspect the room, William slowly brought his wand out, used it to close the close and then started to place his usual privacy wards around the room, even as Hestia pointed her wand at him warily.
"If I wanted to attack or hurt you, it would've happened by now; put your wand away." William stated as he approached them.
"Then what do you want." Hestia replied back, her wand still out, but lowered.
"Nothing more than to just heal your sister."
"You c-can do that?" Flora finally spoke up from her seat in one of the many student chairs that her sister had placed her in.
"That, and much, much more." William stated as he stood before the pair; their scents were mixed with fear, anxiety, and wariness.
"What is it that you want." Hestia reiterated.
"The same thing that you want really." He said as he waved his wand over Flora as he casted a 'Diagnostic charm', causing her to flinch, and taking a note of the results as areas of her body lit briefly. The wounds were superficial, so he would be able to take care of them.
"And what would you know about what we want." Hestia replied defensively.
"Plenty." William stated, as he sliently casted, §Episky.§ It was the only healing charm he could find so far in the Library, but casting it in parseltongue should make it more effective due to the magic within it. After taking in the awe of the twins as Flora's cuts and bruises rapidly started fading, he spoke.
"Security. But that one is obvious to anyone who has eyes; you want power to get rid of the taint left behind from the actions of your parents, to be seen as your own persons and bring your House the respect it once had."
"You-you can do that for us?" Flora asked, voice still fill with wonder as she continued to watch as he healed her wounds.
"What's in it for you." Hestia stated guardedly, but William smirked internally at the hope he heard slip through her voice and her scent as the fear slowly faded.
"If you prove yourself useful and worth it, of course. But as a show of good faith, I'll start off with providing you the security you need here at Hogwarts." He said as he looked at Flora, while he subtly tested the strength of her occlumency, and then turned to her sister and continued, "Me…all I get are two more power allies. As a muggleborn, you never know when you could need them."
"Hest-" Flora went to say, but was interrupted by a muted pop, that caused the room's occupants to turn and see a house elf standing there with a wand in hand, that moved to say something, but stopped when William raised his hand signaling it not to.
"Not now Flora." Hestia said to her sister as she looked at William and the elf before she continued, "If it's alright with you…Mr. Cunningham…could my sister and I discuss this, and then get back to you with an answer."
"Of course Hestia." He answered with a subtle power-play, "I'll be awaiting your reply by dinner time this evening. I'm finish with your sister now, so you're both free to go; I'm sure you have a class in a couple of minutes." He finished, getting a nod from Hestia as her sister got up, and then left out the classroom together.
Once the door closed, William turned back to Tabby, and spoke as he walked towards him. "Hello again Tabby. I hope your search wasn't too difficult."
"Tabbys sorry it took s-so long Master Willy s-sir. Tabby found the wand in a hidey hole, a-along with many other things that belong to Miss Moonie." Tabby replied slightly nervous as he held wand in his palms up to William.
"Don't worry Tabby, I was just worried that you got into some trouble, my little friend." William answered kindly with a smile as Luna approached and took her wand from the waiting hands of the elf.
"Thank you Mister Tabby." She replied, causing the elf to brighten, as she place her wand behind her ear.
"Tabby," William spoke once more, getting the elf's attention as he continued, "Where exactly did you find this 'hidey hole'."
"Tabby found it in a compartment in Miss Eddycome's trunk." The elf replied.
William chuckled internally at another piece of proof to his theory. "Thank you Tabby, you've been of more help to me than you are even aware of. I wish you were my own elf." He stated, causing the elf to look as if he was going to burst into tears as he popped away.
"I think I'd prefer you as my mentor over Cho Chang." Luna said in her dreamy voice, causing William to look at her, and then smiled at him.
"I'm glad to hear that." William answered with a genuine smile of his own, happy that he managed to gain such a useful asset. "We'll ensure that those nargles learn their place very soon, but first, I'd like to introduce you to a few people, and if we hurry, I'm sure we can catch them before your next class."
The two left the classroom together with William leading them towards the library in hopes of catching Su and Hermione. As they walked in the direction of the Grand Staircase, and Luna informing William about a few of the things her father had written in their newspaper, he noticed an older Hufflepuff student heading towards them intently. When he came close enough, William noticed the prefect badge as the Hufflepuff spoke.
"Are you William Cunningham?" he asked.
"Yes…" He answered, having an idea of what this was about.
"They Headmaster wants to see you, along with anyone accompanying you, in his office. I'll lead you there."
"Very well, lead the way." William stated simply, as he walked behind the Hufflepuff prefect with Luna humming by his side. He called Sashet into his shadow, and smirked when he felt her presence within it. Today seemed to be filled with opportunities for his House and his goals for it.
And there you have it. To be frank, I wasn't happy at all with how this chapter turned out. Between the time constraint, and having to start and stop so fequently, I felt it was disjointed, and just went on and on lol. I know a lot happens with this chapter, but I'm finding that year two is taking a long time, so I decided to cut out a few things I had wanted to do. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of this month or so, and move on to the fun stuff.
Please review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and how I can improve.
Till next time.