AN: I must confess that I HATE this chapter. It was very hard to write and it turned out very boring too. I just hope to improve in the future. See ya soon.
Immortal Sailor Cosmos, semper parasitis, jujube 15, Mou'Ikka, dreamgirl93, cyiusblack, miss quirky bookworm, Thank you all for your attention and patience. I'll try to update more frequently.
miss quirky bookworm, Yeeees. He did. He is the bad guy after all, that's what they do… ;)
Chapter 10
The clock on the wall chimed 10. It was dark outside the window and fire was peacefully crackling in the fireplace lighting Ryan's face with twisting red shadows. The mage mechanically closed a fascinating book on the subject of complex potion-brewing and went to get ready to bed.
There was only one habit that he got from his training in the Knowledge Chambers that bugged Flhoyer to no-end. He couldn't stop going to sleep at a certain time. "Curfew" was engraved deeply in his organism. While it may have been healthy, Flhoyer was frustrated because he had to do all his covert operations like the destruction of Ollivander's shop, not in the romantic dark of the night, but in the morning. Very early morning, when the streets were hardly populated by anything else than stray dogs and wondering or lying about drunkards. All the cream of the criminal and night world at that moment in time was peacefully sleeping in their places of residence wherever and whatever they might be.
That was disappointing. The young man felt himself like an amateur. He was so eager to explore the dark side of the wizarding world and how would you explore it if you completely miss out on their time of activity. He had no way to inspect the specimen behaviour in their natural habitat. No self-respecting scientist would be satisfied with such state of things.
Still, tonight he didn't try to fight the urge to crawl under the warm blankets into the bed in the Remus' guest room.
Tomorrow began the series of examinations arranged for him by the helpful Headmaster. Flhoyer had had only three weeks to get ready. It wasn't OWLs yet, but he felt that he must get ready as much as he could. Unlike his old teenage self he prided himself in being competent. All his projects were put on hold, and he with the help of the werewolf was studying maniacally through day and… well, evening. He felt that he was as ready as he could get in such a short time. He felt confident that he would surpass his classmates by the end of the summer, though. That was not mere boasting. He had brains, magic, self-discipline and dedication to accomplish that. In fact, the mage didn't have to go to Hogwarts to get a degree - he could just pass OWLs and NEWTs through the Ministry – but he wanted to see the familiar faces and… Well, he had to be at Hogwarts in some official capacity to get on with his plans. Student occupation was good enough.
Sighing and looking longingly at the tempting darkness of the night outside, Ryan spelled off the lights.
The Monday morning began as it usually does. Students in differentiating groups and at varying times were arriving to the Great Hall.
Draco Malfoy absent-mindedly watched the process. All the time since his meeting with the Flhoyer guy he tried to dig out any relevant information on his new acquaintance. And what he got was absolutely nothing, except the strange order from the Dark Lord to leave Remus Lupin and somebody named Flhoyer alone.
Having got that little boon just before the weekend, he immediately set on to finding the address of Remus Lupin. As he already suspected it wasn't present in the public records, but fortunately and curiously enough the DEs did have that knowledge.
However, this discovery appeared to be a dead end. The wards on the house were impenetrable with no contact from the outside, and neither Draco himself, nor any hired by him assistants, could break through. The only link inside the Janice Bridge Hall territory was a lone sad-looking post-box, where owls left all the mail, which shortly after was being checked for harmful objects and magic and magically transported inside the wards.
The young Slytherin came to the conclusion that if he wanted to see the mystery man or get any information on him before September the 1st, he would have to send an owl directly to Lord Flhoyer to arrange a meeting. But that seemed like such a straightforward way. He didn't want to give an impression of an obsessed man and or scare away the potential mate.
Draco was frustrated. None of the other candidates required such hard work for the simple background check. Flhoyer, apparently just appeared in Britain as if conjured from thin air. Could his name be a pseudonym, perhaps? No, Lordships could not be forged. The Dark Lord was claiming the title solely through his magical strength and proficiency in the dark arts, but this respectful or even fearful reference would never change into true measure of nobility.
Drinking the last bit of his already cold tea, Draco departed the hall and ready to face the day. An ordinary school day that was just starting to unfold.
By the middle of the day Draco was ready to bash his head against the wall in sheer frustration. The alluring scent was meeting him everywhere. That bastard was somewhere in Hogwarts, and he still hadn't caught even a glimpse of him.
When Draco walked into his second class of the day – Potions – the aroma inside the room almost knocked him off his feet, so surprised he was. While he could ask his godfather about who was here an hour before, he didn't want to act suspicious. So he went on with his normal school routine trying to ignore the presence. His attempts were all in vain, he was so distracted that he already lost Slytherin 20 points. Shame!
He was among the last to arrive to Transfiguration, just as the bell signaled the beginning of the class. And… FLHOYER WAS HERE!
He saw the aura circling lazily in the front of the classroom. His prey was sitting at the front desk waiting patiently for something. All the seats in the front row were, of course, occupied, so he had to content himself with watching intently the back of the guy. Today the suspicious candidate was dressed in simple-cut cotton black robes that hugged loosely his figure. There was not even a speck of dust on his person in contrast to their last meeting. Draco noted the long deep black hair that was held neatly in a low pony-tail.
The cat-woman briefly explained to the class the presence of a stranger – he was here to take the entrance exams.
Flhoyer was merited with plenty curious looks which he masterfully ignored.
And the usual lecture began. Draco tried to focus on the steady voice of Professor McGonagall all the while watching as the elusive candidate was enthusiastically scribbling answers on the examination paper. Which was quite boring but captivating. The Malfoy Lord even began nodding off, but caught himself in the last possible moment.
Fifteen minutes till the end of the class Flhoyer handed his work in. Straining his handsome veela ears Draco caught McGonagall saying to the guy to come back in half an hour for the practical part.
Draco Malfoy was desperately looking at the leaving back of the young man, as he suddenly turned around and met with his eyes. Quirking an eyebrow, the guy simply nodded in acknowledgement and walked away.
The Slytherin slowly let out a breath he was holding and noticed Blaise watching him weirdly. He was confronted with another raised eyebrow that conveyed a question "WTF was that about?"
He just shrugged in response and reverted to day-dreaming about brilliant green eyes and milky-white skin. His recent obsession's face had deceptively delicate yet strong jaw line, high cheek-bones, straight aristocratic nose, fine-arched eye-brows and sharply shaped full lips... Sold! All in all, the guy looked striking, yet not pretty. He was beautiful and certainly answered Draco's appearance requirements. If only the results of the background check were equally satisfying, he would have started courting Flhoyer right away. The Slytherin resolved himself to wait as long as it was needed. He didn't want to botch this up.
Flhoyer was once again lounging in his favourite spot on the shore of the Black Lake. Thankfully, this place of his always remained a secret, even to his closest friends. No one would disturb him here.
It was a brief respite between his tests. He already completed both Transfiguration and Potions. While both subjects fascinated him, they and Charms were the hardest of all to catch up for him. He guessed he did okay, but he was not sure. Ryan smiled ruefully. He uncannily reminded himself of his old friend Hermione. Since when did he worry about the results so much? It wasn't worth it. Perhaps, all the academic atmosphere of the institution was getting to him.
The mage was also deeply confused by Malfoy's behaviour. Of course, he wasn't the only one curious about the newcomer, but there was something intense and disturbing in his ex-rival's behaviour… as though he recognized his previous identity. He didn't think so, but couldn't help but feel a bit wary around the other teen. The young man shivered involuntarily remembering the burning and hypnotizing quicksilver eyes.
During his frantic preparations for tests he completely forgot to dream-spy on certain people. That was a grave omission on his part. He should have kept an eye on the potential threats to his plans.
Never mind, as soon as he was finished with the exams for today, he would correct his mistake. And in two days he would begin to implement his hardest and craziest plot to date.
Ryan smirked. He was planning to have some fun.