"So you did it then?" asked Susan
"Indeed I did, I am now vassal to house Potter for 7 years" replied Samuel
"Why 7 years?" questioned Wayne
"I saw no reason not to lessen the standard time" responded Sam
"Magic sure does love the number 7"
"It's a very magically powerful number, as is 3 and 13" Megan pointed out
"If you want to go debate arithmancy, go talk to professor Vector, I'm sure she'd love to encourage your passion for the subject, until then, I'm happy to wait until third year" Susan pointed out, "you're reading into arithmancy Megan?"
"Just a little, I was always quite good at maths."
"I preferred literacy myself, my teachers always used to say I had a fantastic imagination." Wayne added
"Probably why you're good at transfiguration" Susan agreed "Visualisation is the most essential part McGonagall says."
"Transfiguration and Arithmancy are good career choices" pitched in Samuel
"We can't all have our lives planned out before we're twelve Sam"
"And why don't you? Good planning is essential for a good life" Daphne said as she walked up to the group with Tracey in tow.
"Good day to you Heir Greengrass, Miss Davis"
"Hello Lordy -OOF!" Tracey was interrupted by Daphne's elbow striking her in the midriff"Morgana, Daph, that really hurt."
"I don't suppose you can help us with the potions homework Greengrass? I don't quite have the knack for it that you or your sister do"
"I would appreciate your aid also, Heir Greengrass"
"Oh go on then, Tracey seems to have already decided we're staying" she gestured to the brunette, who had already started unpacking her things"
"Don't suppose you know anything about that Soap Blizzard we've got 6 inches for?" Tracey asked
"Well you see, it was all a case of poor rune drawing, Mason Runes in fact…" Samuel began.
The weeks preceeding Hallows Eve were quiet, the students had all settled into their classes and cliques and Susan, Megan, Wayne and Samuel all supported each other in their studies, occasionally joined by Daphne and Tracey, Heir Longbottom dropped in on occasion, usually after Herbology, where they'd try and get down all the facts he would gush about the days work.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON, TROLL IN THE DUNGEON" screamed Professor Quirrell as he ran into the hall, "Just thought you ought to know" he added, then fainted away. The entire hall broke out in screaming, it took several bangs and a shout for silence to quiet the hall as Samuel poked at the professor with his sword.
"Is he dead?" asked Ernie Macmillan
"I do not believe so Macmillan"
"Come on you lot! Back to the common room" a Hufflepuff prefect called.
"Weird, a troll getting in like that, at least you've got a sword Mason"
"And you posess a wand Macmillan, both of us carry tools of death"
"Ah, but you have two my dear fellow" cut in Justin. Samuel was about to argue, when he felt an odd pull from his left shoulder, the scenery changed from a corridor to a half destroyed bathroom.
"What in Merlin's name?"
"Bloody Hell Harry, where did he come from" Samuel looked up and saw Potter and his Weasley friend standing over him
"MOVE" Harry shouted, as a roar and screaming came from behind Samuel.
Samuel threw himself to his feet and pushed Weasley and Potter toward the door
"Wait, Hermione!" shouted Harry. Samuel tracked his view to Granger, the source of the screaming, hiding under some sinks. "I'll distract it!" shouted Harry, who proceeded to grab the trolls club and was thrown onto its head. Samuel paused and shouted at Weasley
"Grab Granger!" Ron nodded and Samuel hacked at the trolls legs to no avail with his sword, and cast stinging hexes with his wand. With Granger safely out of the way Ron aimed at the troll's club
"Do Something! Anything!" Harry Shouted. Ron levitated the Troll's club up in the air and smashed it onto the head of the troll. Samuel and Harry jumped out of the way just in time.
"Is it dead?" Hermione asked
"I don't think so, just knocked out" Replied Harry, who tried desperately to rub the bogies off his wand on the troll's loincloth. The teachers then took this opportunity to run in and demand what was happening, as the two Gryffindor boys stuttered and Samuel was about to speak, Granger took the blame for the entire incident, saying the three boys were here to rescue her.
"And how is it that Lord Armstrong-Mason is here too? I don't remember seeing you exit the halls with the Gryffindors" McGonagall questioned
"That is because I did not Professor, I was transported here at the start of the battle by a method of magical transportation akin to a portkey, as to how it worked, I cannot be sure." Samuel replied to her shocked face, Snape pitched in
"It is, perhaps, that Lord Armstrong-Mason was pulled from his common room to defend his Leige, Lord Potter."
"That is very possible Professor, now if I may have your leave my Lord, and yours Professors, I must return to my common room post-haste."
"What?" Harry replied
"He's asking you to leave Potter, you may, Armstrong-Mason, but do try not to get yourself into any more trouble this evening. I shall inform Professor Sprout of what has happened"
"I shall not Professor, good evening." Samuel left the room, considering the impact of the vassal bond calling him to the defence of his liege.
The group in the bathroom similarly dissolved, only after which Professors Snape and McGonagall realised that they, to their horror, had not docked or given any points to the students.
Samuel was sufficiently lambasted, however, by his fellows in Hufflepuff, who had seen his disappear and the following fuss resulting from it, none more so than Susan and Professor Sprout.
"Now Samuel, I am all for loyalty and bravery, but battling a troll? It was very irresponsible, I did not know your parents well, but I'm sure they'd be upset."
"Perhaps professor" he replied pensively.
"What about your friends Samuel? What if you had died last night and your friends were left behind without you?"
"My allies are strong and able Professor, they would be fine"
"And what about your stupid Houses Sam? The lines of Armstrong and Mason going extinct because you wanted to chase a troll? You care about those don't you?" Sam looked worried at that, which upset Susan further "See Sam?" she stormed out.
"I think you should keep an eye on your 'allies' Armstrong-Mason, they might be strong, but perhaps they need you." Professor Sprout advised.
Susan did not speak to Samuel and avoided him for several weeks, Megan still spoke to him, but was with Susan more often than not. That left Samuel with Wayne and occasional visits from Longbottom and Greengrass. At Lord Potter's first quidditch match, he performed admirably, but when almost shaken from his broom Sam was once again teleported to him and they both crashed to the ground. Samuel patted Harry on his back as he choked on something, and he spat out the golden snitch. Samuel congratulated his Liege on a victory well won. Harry just looked tired and ill.
Winter passed quickly, over the Christmas holidays he stayed mostly with the Greengrasses. For Christmas gifts he got them well-made woollen hats with deflection and protection runes he made and threaded in with wire (he had read about the process and the required runes in a Mason family tome), and dropped one each to Susan, Megan, Wayne, Longbottom and his Godmother Amelia in person. Susan seemed happy with her present, Amelia thanked him for hers, and that she'd wear it to work in the cold. He stayed for a few hours but insisted he'd be back at Bones Manor for all of the Easter holidays.
The Joneses were a busy lot, but Megan introduced Samuel to her Parents, Bryn and Vanessa, her brother, a 7th year Gryffindor and her two Aunts- Hestia and Gwenog, who worked in magical printing and played quidditch respectively.
Samuel also got to meet Wayne's civil engineer 'It's like building but for the council, who are the local ministry for muggles' father and unemployed 'It's like she's lazy, and doesn't want to get a job' older sister. He was very impressed with the hat that deflected the shoe his sister threw at his head. Samuel bid Wayne, David and Michaela a good day after that, as he had no intention of being convicted of muggle baiting for defending an acquaintance, even an acquaintance like Wayne.
Neville had invited Samuel along to Longbottom Castle for the evening, and introduced the impressive Lady Longbottom to him.
"Armstrong-Mason you say?"
"Indeed Lady Longbottom"
"Well the Masons were good sorts, but the Longbottoms have had not much in the way of dealings with the House of Armstrong."
"That is unsurprising for a House such as yours Lady Longbottom, but the Mason and Longbottom houses have been joined several times in history."
"Indeed they have, do the Armstrongs still take knights?"
"They do my Lady, but training is only offered to a pureblooded non-lord who a qualified knight sees potential in. The stipulations were added so that knighthood would always link a noble house to the Armstrong one and a Lord can not submit to a knight. I would like to rebuild the House of Armstrong and its Cadre of Knights"
"Very interesting. Do you aim to rebuild both your Ancient and Noble Houses?"
"I do my Lady"
"That is good to hear, too many of the old names have died out already, it is a shame Frank did not have another child, a female Longbottom could make the House of Longbottom great" she said as Neville's face began to sag "and would carry strong Mason heirs, would you join us for dinner?"
"I would love to, but I believe your grandson would like to show me your greenhouses first" Neville perked up slightly at that and led Samuel out.
The rest of the holidays passed quickly, and Samuel was soon back on the express with Susan, Megan, Wayne and Neville. Daphne had said something about 'checking in with Pansy' by which he assumed meant the daughter of Lord Parkinson, who was in their year. The spring term brought Susan's birthday (January, Samuel got her a wand holster) and the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor match. Samuel clapped for Hufflepuff throughout the game and once for Lord Potter when he caught the snitch early in the game. He met glares from his house with glares of his own, and Susan pointed out a good win is a good win, which got rid of most of them. Zacharias Smith was about to say something, but Wayne half transfigured his scarf into a snake, the look of the snake was all wrong, but safe to say Smith got the message, and the rest of the Hufflepuffs dispersed. Samuel was just happy he didn't have to be a guest in this game.
After an Easter spent at Bones Manor, the teachers were frantically trying to finish the content of their lessons before exam season began. The Hufflepuffs banded together with some of the Ravenclaws to begin studying. Susan was happy to spend more time with Hannah, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Flechley and Samuel dragged the Ravenclaw Terry Boot into their politics and history discussions, Terry was a dab hand at potions, as were many of the Ravenclaws. Samuel felt a tingle in his shoulder once the week before the end of exams, but it disappeared suddenly.
Exams came and went, the study group as a whole believed they'd done well all things considered, though most of the Ravenclaws still had doubts. That evening, as Susan, Megan, Wayne and Samuel were all saying goodnight, Samuel once again felt the tingle in his shoulder, and opened his eyes to the faint sound of barking and the feel of vines.