"You're raiding Filches office?" Asked Wayne
"It's a plan in progress"
"Is it now"
"I have the Weasleys too."
"Oh, have fun then." Wayne replied dejectedly
"Do you want to come Hopkins." Sam sighed
"Your noble ally Wayne of House Hopkins is ready for service my lord!"
"A newblood house requires three generations of witches, Hopkins, you need to forge a dynasty."
"A dynasty eh, is that what you'll be doing in broom closets with the ladies"
"Why would I take women to dust broom closets Hopkins" Samuel deadpanned, Wayne looked confused, then worried.
"What do you think people do in broom closets Sam?"
"Store brooms?"
"Nah, there are no actual brooms in most broom closets, and people don't actually do it in broom closets really, not enough space."
"Do what?"
"Oh Samuel, Samuel, let me tell you the delights of women."
A blushing Samuel and a raucously giggling Wayne met the Wesley Twins who had also brought a plus one. Samuel blushed at the sight of a woman, they whispered to her and she introduced herself.
"Katie Bell, I wanted to get revenge for Harry too"
"She's in the year below us"
"Miss Bell of the Newblood House Bell" one of the twins added
"This is my compatriot Wayne Hopkins, of no house."
"Muggleborn he means," he shook the hands of the Weasleys and Katie, as did a blushing Samuel
"Do you have a plan for us O noble Lord"
"Do you have a plan O Noble Lord of the Ancient and Noble houses of Armstrong and Mason"
"Do you have a plan O Noble Lord…"
"Yes I have a plan, I will distact the enemy forces, who have been weakened by our Lord's recent combat, while you shall assault his lair. Hopkins will go with you representing the House of Armstrong-Mason, you shall ransack the office, then stage a withdrawal to the empty classroom on the first floor, there we shall regroup, and utilise the spoils to begin our attack on Lockheart, which will be detailed later for security reasons." Stated Samuel professionally, he had studied years for this, the thrill of true strategy and battle. They all looked very impressed, Katie started
"And me my Lord?"
"Ah, erm, Miss Bell, ah" Samuel stuttered, Wayne giggled, the twins looked confused "You can be a passive member and keep watch, or accompany me on the distraction."
"I'll come with you, you could use an older Witch or Wizard"
"As you wish" Samuel schooled his features "Mr Filch should be trying to clean the Treacle Tart from the floor by the second floor corridor, he will be demoralised by the sight of his last great defeat by Lord Potter."
"That's the distraction?" asked George
"No, then I shall engage him in combat to the death" Samuel said, Wayne nudged him
"I shall engage him and that will keep him busy, the plan, as of now, has begun, all forces move out."
Samuel found Filch, as expected, outside the toilets, looking very depressed, attacking a sticky mess with a mop. Samuel had changed into Slytherin robes (burrowed from Tracey) to add to the confusion of his distraction.
"Are those girls robes?" asked Katie "They look a bit small for you, and the cut's all wrong"
Sam was inded bursting out of Tracey's robes, but he assumed that was because she was a little smaller than him, the uniforms looked the same for boys and girls after all.
"These are Wizards or Witches robes Miss Bell."
"They look a lot like Witches robes my Lord."
"What are you two doing over there!" shouted Filch
"Stop loiterin' there and move along"
"Samuel drew his sword, which he was chanelling colour-changing magic along to disguise him."
"You know you're the only person who carries a sword right?" Katie pointed out, but Sam was already charging
"You have made an enemy of the House of Potter!" Sam shouted as he swung his sword, but it met the mop mid swing
"One of Potter's goons eh, petrifying my cat not good enough eh?" Filch sneered as he continued to block Samuel's swings with the mop, then swung it at his head, which Samuel just blocked. "Th' headmaster enchanted my mop himself so I could do me work, shan't find a stronger mop in the world" he sneered, as a furious swordfight broke out. Samuel began combat casting between swings, but the wet end of Filches mop absorbed everything that hit it, and Filch was excellent on the defense. "Kids 'ave been casting jinxes at me for half a century, I'v' learned a thing or two".
The battle went on for half an hour, a small crowd had grown. Katie watched on, as absorbed as the rest of the crowd, with a newfound respect for the little Lord, and even some left over for the Aged Caretaker, but only a little, he was just so damn unlikable. As the hour mark came up, she saw the twins and Hopkins come down to investigate the noise, she kicked Filches bucket of water over, and he slipped while Samuel froze the water and blasted it away.
"For Slytherin! And purity of blood! I love snakes!" Samuel shouted as he ran off down the corridor, Katie walking after him, avoiding suspicion, not that she needed to try, Samuel's distraction was very good. She heard cheers from students from all houses, but the Slytherins were loudest. Many had started trying to work out who the troublemaker from their house was.
"I must say, from what I saw, it was a very impressive distraction" started Fred or George
"Very impressive indeed Lord Armstrong-Mason" replied the other
"Who was the assailant?"
"How did you find a Slytherin with a backbone?"
"What?" Wayne broke in "What Slytherin?"
"The Slytherin who was fighting Filch!"
"How noble an effort he put up"
"Another swordsman at the school"
"How lucky of us"
"That was Samuel you idiots" Katie cut in "How did you not recognise him?"
"Samuel you say?"
"It does seem to make some sense, brother of mine"
"Indeed, I was in disguise, it added to the confusion."
"It certainly did." Katie said, giggling
"I love snakes!" Wayne shouted out before breaking down into laughter
"Another cunning ruse, of course, I am ambivalent on snakes as a whole, I prefer feathers to scales." Stated Samuel "What was our captured loot, Office group?"
"Well…" George began
"We managed to get, er…"
"There was nothing good there Sam, we just made a mess, and the twins enchanted a few of his belongings and put potions in all his bottles."
"He'll be in for a very unhappy year."
"Then we have won another great victory today men" Katie coughed. "And women, my apologies Miss Bell, you performed admirably today.
"Thank you milord" she replied, curtseying, with a grin
"We shall meet up here after Christmas, to regain our strength and to let our enemies become complacent, good day to you all, we go after Lockheart next."
-CHAPTER BREAK-
Megan, Susan, Wayne and Samuel were sitting in the great hall
"Lockheart is starting a duelling club in response to that first year being petrified."
"I did ask Lord Potter if the child had attacked him like Mrs Norris, but he refuted it again. I'm starting to believe him that he didn't do it."
"Potter petrified him?" asked Hannah from further down the table
"He doesn't know Hannah" said Wayne, then turning to Samuel "are we going to the club?"
"Well Lockheart isn't going to be any good"
"But Professor Snape will be, he told us he is co-organising it. So you think your Lord Potter is behind the attacks?" Daphne appeared behind them "Isn't that slander against your liege Lord Armstrong-Mason?"
"Professor Snape, you say Heir Greengrass?"
"Well, Snape was a Death Eater, so I'm sure he was quite the duellist" Susan pointed out, looking displeased. They never found out if Snape was a good duellist, as he trounced Lockheart with one spell, the four shared a look of comfirmation. They broke apart into pairs, Susan and Megan were not hugely aggressive, and neither was Wayne, but Daphne and Samuel were duelling like skilled amateurs, neither casting or shielding very powerfully, but well enough to block one anothers spells.
"So this is the fabled Armstrong Style is it" Daphne panted, casting a disarmer which Samuel blocked with his sword, before replying with a stunner, the two exchanged spellfire for what seemed like hours, Samuel being able to deflect or absorb spells with his sword, but being a bigger target and physically tiring quicker. Daphne did not dodge most of the time, relying on a shield, which was tiring her magically instead.
"That will do you two, 5 points from Hufflepuff for using two weapons, 10 points to Slytherin for excellent shielding Greengrass."
"Yes, yes, though 5 points also to Hufflepuff for a fantastic show Mr Armstrong-Mason, now, lets have some volunteers up here on the duelling platform, Potter, Weasley, you look fresh"
"Weasley's wand causes mishaps with the very simplest of magics, might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy?" Snape pointed out, Draco grinned at Harry as they both climbed onto the platform, trading jibes they squared off.
"This'll be good, those two hate each other" said Justin Finch-Fletchley from beside Samuel. The spellfire began, both boys blocking and dodging poorly (Samuel wished that he could take his Lord on as a squire, but that would counteract the vassal bond), before Malfoy cast a serpent summoning charm. The snake went forwards toward Harry, then stopped in front of Justin, hissing at him violently, Samuel drew his sword, then Harry started hissing at the snake, which turned and looked at him in surprise, Harry continued to speak to the snake, and Samuel drew his wand just in case.
"Hungry"
"I said leave him alone"
Snape then destroyed the snake before the conversation could continue, then, with the whole room, gave Harry an odd look. Whispers of 'parseltongue' and 'dark wizard were abound' as Harry's friends dragged him from the room in a stupor.
"That snake almost killed me"
"I think it was merely hungry Finch-Flechley, I would have severed its head if it had struck"
"So Potter's a dark wizard now, a shame, I thought he was a nice chap."
"Indeed, parseltongue, how unexpected..." Samuel replied, looking at his wand.
The attacks continued with Justin being petrified, along with the Gryffindoor ghost before the holidays came. Samuel was back at Bones Manor, bored, but deep in thought.
"Susan, if I work for a dark wizard, I must look the part, I require a darker look."
"What?"
"If Potter is a dark wizard, and I am bound to him, I must also be dark, no?"
"I'm not sure, though at the end of the day, it is probably your choice."
"Well I am a man of my word, and I swore an oath to choose him."
"So what do you need for a dark look?"
"You could grow your hair out I suppose, Megan and Hannah are better than me at this sort of thing, so is Lavender Brown in Gryffindor house." Susan pondered, but Samuel was already flooing to The Cave, the Mason Family Manor. Within an hour, Susan and Samuel were surrounded by half of the girls in the year, all discussing what 'a dark look' is.
"You'd think they'd be scared being with a self-proclaimed dark wizard" Susan uttered
"That is because I am not a dark wizard Susan, I am a light wizard, acting dark" Samuel replied
"So a grey wizard then" Megan uttered
"No, that sounds too pretentious. Grey wizard, whatever next." Samuel scoffed. By the end of the day, Samuel's dark look was complete. Lavender Brown had come through and recommended an eye liner charm 'Guy-Liner is all the rage Lord Armstrong-Mason', Samuel had a cane at the suggestion of Padma Patil, who had seen Lord Malfoy using one, Tracey had suggested he throw errant hexes as the less pure blooded members of the group. Samuel had also altered his Hogwarts robes to be a darker shade of black, to really let people know he was dark. Susan was not convinced he was dark, but Megan murmured that she was glad goth was coming back.
"Jesus Christ Samuel, you look terrifying."
"Is it the darker shade of black?"
"It's the whole ensemble really"
"Oh right, well, I do alologise if I hex you periodically, you are a filthy muggleborn after all Hopkins."
"Oh, fair enough then." Said Wayne, who then dodged a tickling hex.
As May came, a 4th attack occurred, this time, against one of Potters own allies, the muggleborn Hermione Granger, as well as a prefect Penelope Clearwater.
"I suppose it wasn't Harry then" Samuel said dejectedly
"Do I stop getting hexed now?" Wayne asked
"Your shielding has gotten very good, filth"
"As has your pureblood spiel, you'd fit right in with the Slytherins"
"Did you see the latest message on the walls? The monster took a student into the chamber, people are trying to work out who it is!" shouted one of the upper years
"When did that happen?" Ernie Macmillan asked
"This afternoon!"
"I do apologise for hexing you Hopkins, but you understand why"
"Of course Sam" Wayne replied, the hexes Sam threw at him were underpowered and more often minor jinxes, the boys shook hands, then they were magically wrenched from the room.
"Oh no." Said Susan.