Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Sorry, the wait was long... A bit.

Time flies by so quickly amIrite?

lol, sorry. Again. Sorry...

... Duncan's back!

!Also, special thanks to Tach-Pistache, bro', thanks for sticking up with me and the nice reviews ^^! But thanks also to all who actually read this fic and to those who have posted a review, I really appreciate it ^^

Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

I think things are finally taking off.

DISCLAIMER : roses are red, violets are blue, i am not jk rowling, please do not sue ^^

DUNCAN

CHAPTER 2: Memories

It had been four years since Duncan had left Hogwarts. Today, he could barely believe that he was going back. Yet the prospect of this trip was not quite as satisfying to him as it would have been to most, for various reasons.

First of all, Duncan did not, as it happens, have all that many positive memories waiting for him in the castle. Except for all his good grades, the young boy that he had been had felt pretty miserable there. He had had no friends, was constantly bullied and despised some of his professors for their lack of quality teaching. His nemesis had been Professor Bins. On a better note, his seventh year's argument with the ghost was probably the reason for the teacher's long-awaited retirement, meaning Duncan's passage at Hogwarts had been a major benefit for younger generations, an accomplishment for which he was extremely proud.

Secondly, Duncan was not going back to Hogwarts for fun. He was in for a mission that, although seemingly non-lethal, still made him very much nervous for his well-being. Then again, had it not been given by the Order of the Phoenix itself, maybe he would not have felt as if the future of the world relied entirely on his shoulders. But could he have said 'no' to the Teddy Lupin and his merry band of terrifyingly powerful friends? Obviously not… Meaning, he was trapped in this nightmare. Worse, it seemed to him that the Minister himself was part of the trick and although Rufus Selwyn was his boss and not his friend, that still felt like treason.

"You're nearly there, young man." Said the man who sat next to him on the carriage to Hogwarts. "Don't look so grim."

"I'm just tired." Replied Duncan, hoping that would keep him away. Unfortunately, he was not that lucky.

"You know, a few years back, anyone could just apparate in front of the gates and we would be controlled there. I don't know what is wrong with this Headmaster, forcing everyone to use the Hogwarts Express." Duncan did not answer, assuming that would be clear enough of a message, but the man seemed determined to make conversation. "I know they say it's for security business, but it's not like Hogwarts is in any kind of danger, is it? We all know it's the most secure place in the history of secured places! After Gringotts of course."

Duncan chuckled, unable to stop himself. Noticing the man's dubious stare, he hurried to change the subject. "Forgive me for asking," he said, "but who are you?"

The man did not seem offended at all. "Ah, of course! I should've introduced myself sooner. My name is Gavin Rolland, I am an inspector."

That took Duncan aback. "An inspector? At Hogwarts? What for?"

"Don't you know? Well, it's my fault for assuming you were a journalist. Then again, it wouldn't make sense for the Headmaster to tolerate any of their kind on the school grounds, particularly not after what happened. Oh, but you don't even know what happened do you? Ha! Interesting how well-guarded Hogwarts' secrets are."

"So what happened?", asked Duncan, ignoring the man's mockery.

"Who knows?" was Rolland's only response which might or might not have hit a nerve.

"You, obviously!" he insisted between clenched teeth.

Rolland responded with a smile. "Yeah… No yet, to be honest. I mean, I know some facts, just not all of them…"

"And what could they be?". Duncan was seriously threatening to lose his temper as he renewed his question.

"I don't know that I'm allowed to tell…"

A sudden urge of strangling the man took over the young man, but years of not strangling Professor Bins proved an effective training which helped him contain his anger. Rolland, next to him laughed. "Oh, there we are!" he said. And in a swift movement, he jumped off the carriage.

Duncan followed, trying hard to look somewhat professional whilst his teeth cringed and the muscles of his jaw threatened to pop out of his face. This was not a great day for him. Not to mention, it was pouring rain like mad and as soon as he put a foot outside, he found himself dropping wet. In front of him, Rolland laughed at the sight of him. He, for some reason, was not wet at all. That's when Duncan remembered he could have used a simple protective charm, as effective as an umbrella, to prevent this situation. Just like the inspector certainly did. Growling, he pushed past the still chuckling Rolland and walked to the gate.

Behind the steel, a man was staring at him with angry, empty eyes, hidden under thick dishevelled strands of black hair. "Pass?" he growled. Duncan took out his authorization, signed by the Minister for Magic and the Headmaster. The guard looked doubtful but after a few seconds of glaring, he opened the gate without a word. "Don't cause any trouble, pal…" he threatened. Shivering, and not only because of the cold weather, Duncan nodded and entered the school grounds. Rolland, a few seconds later, had run up to him.

"What an angry fellow this gamekeeper, right?", he said merrily.

Duncan frowned. "The gamekeeper?", he asked. He had assumed the man was a guard of some sort.

"Yep." Replied the inspector. "His name's Beaflet. Poor man… Although it does maybe explain his temper…"

"Does he use magic?", interrupted Duncan as he remembered the last gamekeeper, Hagrid.

"Of course he does!" laughed Rolland. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just checking.", replied Duncan. He did not think his question had been that out of place. With the reinforced security around the castle, he just found it odd that the gamekeeper would be the only one at the gates. And Beaflet's dishevelled look, wet like a lost dog, could raise the question of his magic for sure. Hogwarts had employed non-magic personnel before.

"So what are you here for, huh?" said Rolland, as if two minutes of silence was just not something he could handle. "You never told."

"It's not important." Cut Duncan.

"I introduced myself," replied the man, calm and smiling as always. "You could at least do the same."

Duncan hesitated, before answering. He did not want trouble, that was for sure. And anyway, if the name was all he wanted, how could that go wrong? "Alvert." He said. "Duncan Alvert."

Roland smiled broader and presented an open hand to the young man. "Well, nice to meet you Duncan." Unhappily, Duncan shook his hand. "So, Ministry, is it?"

He let go quicker than if he had been cursed. "How did you know?", he asked, barely hiding his panic. Had he been discovered? Had Rolland read into his mind? Was the Order of the Phoenix discovered? Was the world going to explode because he shook Rolland's hand?

"I didn't!" laughed the inspector whilst Duncan struggled to regain his breath and sanity. "Just a shot in the dark… Then again, there weren't all that many possibilities… So what does the Minister want, huh?"

Angry, the young man looked away. "You don't need to know." He said, praying for Rolland to stop talking. He did not know what would happen if he said too much and the man's questions were making him nervous.

"So he does want something?"

"No." Replied Duncan, somewhat aggressively.

"Why would he send someone and not just an owl if it was otherwise?"

"I don't know, go and ask him."

"You're funny Alvert but we both know that's not happening. Oops, here we are. The great doors." He said as they came to a stop before the gigantic golden doors of the school, though Duncan did not quite take to time to appreciate the environment as his mind was racing, finding the most ridiculous ways to get away from Rolland's chattiness. "It's been awhile. For me at least. It mustn't have been that long since you left Hogwarts though. Am I right?"

"Long enough…"

"How old are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity. Making conversation."

"Please, don't feel obliged." Replied Duncan, trying hard to stay as calm and polite as the inspector, who, for some reason, kept on smiling.

"Ha! You're a funny fellow. But you know," and as he said this, his voice got deeper and his smile more secretive, "you should be more careful. I don't know why you're here, but I know that anyone who looked to know could get it right from you."

His heart beating, Duncan looked the man up and down. What did that mean? Was he in danger? "Is that a threat?", he asked.

"Not at all, just a warning." Replied Rolland with a complicit smile as he gracefully slithered between the opening doors. "Well, good day to you. I'm going that way. I assume that you know where the Headmaster's office is?"

"Yes, thank you," grumbled the young man before coming to a brutal stop. "I never said I wanted to go to the Headmaster's though, did I?

"No, of course." Replied Rolland as he walked away. "Another shot in the dark! I feel lucky today."

Well, I don't…, Thought Duncan. Unhappy, he turned on his heels and took off the other way. He felt like everything was failing already.

As soon as he taken a few steps though, a cold, wet feeling enveloped him. It disappeared just as quickly and, regaining his senses, Duncan realised he had just walked into a ghost. Another reason why he disliked Hogwarts.

"Excuse me," started the ghost before coming to a brutal stop. Duncan looked up and found himself facing a grim looking Grey Lady. "Oh," she said. "You've come back."

"Yes." Duncan replied, somewhat coldly. "I see I've been missed." The ghost shrugged and made to leave but the young man suddenly came to a realisation. "Wait!", he called. "Could you tell me where the Headmaster's office is?"

The Grey Lady raised a translucent eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"No, I've never been there." Growled Duncan in response.

"Interesting…" replied the ghost in a mocking tone. "Follow me, then."

"You could just tell me."

"What would be the point? You wouldn't be able to get in."

And so, Duncan followed her.

As he walked, he tried to ignore the mixed feelings battling inside his head, because despite the bad memories the castle brought back to him, he couldn't just ignore the warm feeling that the familiar corridors created in his insides. The tapestries, the portraits, the armours… It was like nothing had changed. Like he was a student once more, and Hogwarts was his home. Even the Grey Lady, whom he remembered having offended once or twice (or ten times, whatever…), made him feel welcomed by her sole presence.

Her voice brought him back to the present.

"Wait here.", she said, floating right through the imposing statue of a sleeping eagle and disappearing inside the wall.

Duncan waited. A few minutes later, the ghost was back. She gave him a nod and left silently. Suddenly, the eagle moved and left place to a spiral staircase. Bracing himself, the young man walked through. As he climbed higher and higher, he tried to ignore his trembling hands, his sweating brow, his hammering heartbeat… Merlin, he was not up for this mission!

Finally, his ascension was over and he found himself facing a dark wooden door. He took a deep breath before knocking. The door opened. He came in.

He had never seen the Headmaster's office before. The high-ceiling room was big and circular. Portraits of previous headmasters were hung on the walls. All seemed to be asleep. The room was neatly decorated. Minimum furniture offered a clear and spacious working place. Sat on the desk at the centre of the room was a woman. Duncan knew her to be tall and lean when she stood. When she looked at him with her dark grey eyes, he felt like a child waiting for the storm after having done something wrong. The woman was not very old probably in her forties but she looked far beyond her years with her severe, calculating stare and greying hair.

"Good afternoon, Professor Aquila." He managed to blurt out. The Headmistress had always terrified him for some reason. He'd thought he had gotten over that after joining the Ministry and earning an important job as the Minister's personal assistant, but this encounter proved him wrong with one steel cold look.

"Good Afternoon, mister Alvert." She said in a tired voice. "Please take a seat."

Duncan obliged, though her apparent exhaustion peaked his curiosity. Only then did he remember the inspector, Gavin Rolland. He never told him what had happened in the end. Duncan decided to take his chance.

"What happened, Professor?", he asked, and regretted it immediately as the Headmistress planted her stern eyes on his, frowning deeply.

"What do you know?", she asked sharply.

"I met with inspector Rolland on the way here…" was all he replied but that seemed to do the trick.

"A student has been attacked. Poor boy came close to death… Fortunately, I came in time. He's better now, though he sure gave us all a good fright." Professor Aquila let out a long sigh as she rubbed her eyes. "And the schoolyear has only just started…"

"But who did it?", asked Duncan, horrified.

"We don't know, that's why we called a detective." She replied like if it was the most obvious thing ever. Duncan ignored the little voice in his head saying it was.

"But back to business, Alvert." She said, sitting up straight as all trace of exhaustion left her angular features. "Why are you here, today? I did receive a note from the Minister, but it gave little to no information as to the reason for this meeting."

Duncan gulped. Averting the Headmistress' eyes, he said: "I was sent for a special mission." Ignoring Aquila's raised eyebrow and unimpressed eyes, he continued. "It's top secret, though. It is required that you sign this paper before I communicate the true purpose behind my venue. I must inform you, the parchment is enchanted. The spell is of lesser power than the Unbreakable Vow. As such, though breaking the agreement will not kill you, it will put a trace on you and you will be hunted by ministry agents and probably sent to Azkaban."

The Headmistress did not flinch. Did not even flicker. Duncan was starting to doubt she had been breathing for a while, but her voice cut his thoughts short. "I thought that by Decree 1699-d, only the worst criminals could be sent to Azkaban nowadays." She said rather sharply.

"This mission is very important, Professor." Replied Duncan with all the strength and gravity he could muster.

Aquila looked at him for a long time before finally nodding in agreement. She signed the paper he was handing to her with quick, brusque movements and, once she was done, put down her quill forcefully. "So what is it?"

"Do you have any information on Dumbledore's lost collection of memories?" asked Duncan in one breath.

Aquila frowned. "A collection of memories? I thought that was a tale…"

Her answer was not what Duncan expected. Sure, he hadn't known about the collection himself before being informed by the Order, but he had assumed the Headmistress would know. Why take all those precautions otherwise?

"It isn't a tale." He said, trying to hide all emotions. "It is very real but seemed to have disappeared little time after the Battle of Hogwarts. It is of vital importance that we find it now." He stressed. Though to be honest, he had no idea why it was vital. He just repeated what the Order had told him.

"I'm sorry," she replied, not sounding sorry at all. "but I cannot help you."

There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Though maybe I know someone who can." She said.

Duncan raised his head suspiciously. No one else was supposed to know he was looking for the memories. "I don't think we " He started, but Aquila raised a finger, so he went silent.

His eyes still on him, she called. "Professor Dumbledore?"

Duncan frowned, uncomprehending, but a voice made him turn over so quickly he nearly snapped his neck.

"Yes, Amanda?", said Dumbledore, up from his portrait.

"You've heard the boy," she said calmly. "Any tips?"

Dumbledore smiled at Duncan, his eyes scanning him above his half-moon spectacles. The young man could not help but feel overwhelmed by the idea of this legendary wizard addressing him. As such, he could barely register the old man's words when he talked to him.

"I think I do remember something…", he said. "A group of people… Three, I think. Very well dressed… Weren't they, Severus? Minerva?"

The portrait right next to him stirred grumpily but did not respond. Minerva McGonagall, on the other hand, had stopped pretending to be asleep long ago. "Yes, indeed." She said. "Though all quickly went dark only seconds after their arrival."

Duncan, who was a little overwhelmed, was surprised at the sound of his own voice. "But did you hear anything?", he asked.

"Not much, unfortunately." Said Dumbledore. "They were careful to only whisper."

"I think I heard something about 'not being discovered' though.", added Minerva.

"Yes… They also talked of Salazar Slytherin at some point, I'm quite certain…"

"It's always him, isn't it?"

"Please Minerva, it isn't well to dwell on these dark thoughts…"

"I wasn't."

"Is that all you heard?", cut Duncan, unwilling to have to listen to the two old Headmasters go for much longer.

Dumbledore's eyes twinckled, though Duncan was not quite certain what to make of it. "I might have heard a name…" he said. "Though I cannot be certain."

"What was it?", asked Duncan encouragingly.

"Senecca Romera." Said Dumbledore.

Duncan smiled. He had no idea who that man was, but at least, he had a name.

And there you go!

Hope you enjoyed ^^

Please do not hesitate to leave a review, I am curious as to how things stand for you, dear readers. I also wouldn't mind any tips or corrections on my language because as I said on the first A/N, I am not a native english speaker and I just know I make mistakes sometimes... So please, don't hesitate, it'd help a lot. I really want to make this as enjoyable as possible (might also be because if I'm gonna post a chapter every century, better make it worth the wait...)

Have a nice day y'all! ^^