-[Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle.]
[Nate's POV]
The sorting ceremony was going in full swing.
' The first years walking towards the wooden stool as if walking towards the gallows is the funniest thing I have ever watched.' Nate smiled wryly as he watched a girl getting sorted she looked like she would faint right the and there.
As he was thinking this, his eyes wondered to the head table. Dumbledore was watching the sorting ceremony, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
' I think I can understand why Dumbledore doesn't feel much threatened by Tom and I. He has seen us looking like that. Nervous, Vulnerable and Young.' Nate realised looking at the century old man. It gave a perspective to the man that Nate understood not many would have.
' Most would think of Voldemort as infallible monster who has only ever lost once. Dumbledore sees a brilliant orphan that went down the wrong path.' Nate really pitied the man, " Lost his parents young. Probably killed his sister. His brother hates him. His lover turned out to be his greatest enemy. Saw his student spiraling into the dark arts."
Nate knew that he prioritized his comfort above all else but he had no problem saying that he felt sorry for the old man. He was a good man. Manipulative as he was, he manipulated people with good reason.
' Our ideals and methods might clash but there are few I truly respect. Albus Dumbledore is definitely in that list.', Nate smiled at the Headmaster who was eyeing him with an unreadable expression. The man offered a smile back.
Their eye contact was broken a second later when the sorting ended.
The man rose for his standard yearly speech and Nate tuned him out.
After the feast began and as Nate had been chewing his food religiously, his meal was interrupted by Minerva McGonagall.
"Mr Grey, I am sorry to interrupt your meal but can you join me in the staff room after the feast."
Nate swallowed the chicken thigh he had been eating with a gulp of pineapple juice the elves had generously provided.
"Yes professor." Nate dipped his head a bit in her direction showing understanding.
The stern transfiguration professor nodded and left the room after that.
After the feast ended, Nate gave a quick nod to George Weasley who enthusiastically returned it.
[Staff Room]
Nate entered the staff room. The room was occupied by six people. There were the heads of house and the headmaster while the only odd one was, Roger Davies, a second year, Ravenclaw.
Nate immediately realized the nature of this meeting.
"Headmaster, Professors." he dipped his head in respect while his voice sounded nonchalant showing that he was not scared.
"Mr Grey, Do you have something to tell us?" Dumbledore began looking at Nate with a calculating gleam in his blue eyes.
"I don't think so, Headmaster, is there something I should be telling you." Nate fired back.
Flitwick for once was looking at Nate with an uncharacteristic stern look instead of his jovial one.
"Mr Davies has complained about you to Professor Flitwick. Normally such a thing would be dealt with by your Heads of house but matters involving wands being drawn are something I take seriously."
"I have never drawn my wand on Roger Davies." Nate replied looking at his year mate, "Why in the name of Merlin are you lying, Davies?"
"Professor, he threw me out of the cabin. Then locked it. He attacked me unprovoked." Rogers started foaming at his mouth.
"You aimed your wand at my face, Davies. What did you expect? A bouquet of flowers? You doughnut." Nate drawled.
"Mr Grey, one more insult like that and you will be scrubbing the school armor for the whole year." came the silky voice of Severus Snape as the man interrupted Roger's reply.
"Forgive the slip of tongue, Professor."
"Looks like we are at an impasse." Dumbledore muttered looking around the room.
Rogers immediately began, "Headmaster, He attacked me! He even broke the rule about locking the door. The prefects can confirm that the door was indeed locked sir. They told Professor Flitwick."
Flitwick nodded, "They did."
' Of course the bastard went ahead and tattled to the prefects. Fucking rat.', Nate knew that his words against Davies might have held but against the word of the prefects, ' Looks like the game's up.'
Nate sighed, "Yes sir, I did lock the door. To keep others outside my cabin. I will still say that I did not draw my wand on Davies."
"Of course, Merlin's Ghost threw me out the room."
"Forgive me Mr Grey. You said you have not drawn on Mr Davies but are you responsible for throwing him out of the room."
Nate smiled, "I did but only because he threatened me using his wand first. Am I wrong, Davies?"
"Yes! You attacked me while I was defenseless."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore looked at Rogers and Rogers met the old man's eyes as if trying to prove his trustworthiness.
' Big mistake, moron. The man most probably watched the stunt we both pulled and now is going to kick both our assess.'
Dumbledore exhaled a breath and said while looking at Roger, "You are lying Mr Davis. You have drawn your wand first but Mr Grey's retaliation was indeed over the board." He looked at Nate.
Dumbledore continued, "Both of you will serve three weeks worth of detention with the Head of your house. Be glad that you are not getting deductions of House points on the first day of the year."
"W-what? How?" Rogers looked stunned.
"Mr Davies, I am Albus Dumbledore." Nate snorted at the old man's reply. On anyone else, this could have been said to be the height of arrogance.
"Both of you are free to go. And be wary of drawing your wands at the slightest provocation in the future." He glanced at Nate as he said the final words.
Nate simply dipped his head and turned on his heels to leave.
[~A few days later~]
It has been a month since the feast and Nate found himself in the room of requirements. The reason for his presence in the place.
His study of time magic.
The room unlike its normal everyday form where it held lots of books was completely empty except for two simple hourglasses.
"Increasing and decreasing the relative flow of time for an object. Test one." Nate said and a scratching noise filled the room following his words. The source was a quill charmed to note whatever he said in one of his journals.
He pointed his wand towards the hourglass on the left that would be the one for the experiment and intoned in a neutral tone.
" χρόνος."
He could feel his magic trickling into the spell. Nate twisted his hand clockwise and a blue glowing mist flowed from his wand. The mist covered the hourglass. And the assumed effect began.
The sand that was flowing in the hourglass started flowing faster. The problem occurred when even after cutting the flow of magic the speed of flow was increasing.
'Well the Greek time charm- χρόνος [Chronos] is the only spell that allows for free temporal manipulation. Of course it would be difficult to control.' Nate shook his head 'The only thing I now need to freely manipulate time is practice.'
His thoughts were interrupted by glass shattering.
When Nate turned, he saw there were no traces of the hourglass.
"Time fixing itself. Due to changes brought about by magic." Nate grimaced, "Let us hope I don't get myself erased by the ' Blip'."
[30th October,1990.]
[Room Of Requirements]
Nate was again back in the room of requirements for more tests and practices.
"Local Object Temporal Manipulation, Test 677. This will be the final time I will be practising temporal object manipulation. Test subject: Organic Life;"
Nate aimed his wand at the egg he had summoned randomly.
" χρόνος" he intoned while twisting his wrist clockwise.
The effect was immediate as the spell took effect. He could feel a small but noticeable drain on his magic.
"The magic required to cast on living things is higher as always."
The glowing mist covered egg was sucking in air and expelling it at a steady rate.
"The egg is growing at a visible pace. The speed of increase is so high that the air diffusion that happens in egg shells is happening so rapidly that looks like it is really breathing."
About twelve seconds had passed when the egg cracked open and a chick came out.
"Increasing time flow in living objects has been successful. I increased the relative flow of time by " Nate said in his clinical voice, "Now beginning to reverse time instead of slowing or increasing its relative pace."
Nate pointed his wand towards the chick again and moved his wand in a counter-clockwise circle and intoned, " χρόνος".
The chick shuddered when the mist hit it.
It began slowly, but the chick slowly crawled back into the egg as its pieces mended itself, the egg could be felt exhaling air out softly.
"Test successful I can now successfully manipulate time for local objects with good control." Nate tried saying it neutrally to maintain his image of professionalism, but his mask broke and he started bouncing at his feet like a house elf.
"Hehe, fear me, for I am the second coming of Julius Novachrono." Nate giggled excitedly.
[TPP]
Thus continued the experiments of a mad man, hoping to conquer the world. See what happens next on Dragon Ball Z.