Author Note:
I've decided to make Dumbledore evil in this story as Damien needs someone to fight. I know I said before that Dumbledore was not evil in this story but rather a well meaning chess master who has forgotten that the pieces he moves around are people with feelings rather than an evil mastermind who is manipulating everyone but I think that has to change plus at the end of the day plus I'm not sure there is much different between the two. Heck Dumbledore doesn't need to be evil on the level of Voldemort to be master manipulator as he can even think he's doing the right thing when manipulating people but that's still evil.
I'm making him evil because I really didn't think that this story would take so long to advance. This is chapter 16 and were only at 3rd year but I need something to keep the plot moving because its just going to get repetitive at this rate. Sorry if this disappoints but I think the story needs a bad guy and Voldemort is to easy to neutralise.
Someone also mentioned if I was going to write other people's views about Damien I've decided to that as its a nice change of pace. I hope it works as part of the story.
Reviews
V
I have dyslexia so I'm going to make mistakes like that. Still if you see any mistakes that make the story hard to read do let me know.
CookieMonsta1233
I don't know why it keeps appearing all in bold the documents I'm uploading aren't all in bold.
Selias
It might be a while before Hermione joins the Outcasts but it will happen once she comes to understand how the Wizarding World works.
mpop
Again I say that I am not uploading the story in bold text. I just changed the last two chapters so only the review replies and the title are in bold.
douchiesnacks
Its a well suited title.
Lord Edric
That's a good way of looking at it. Being a Dark Lord is better than being a waste of space like Ron.
The First Gothic. Book One. A Wizard In Training. Part 16.
Muggle Restaurant. London. England.
This place was a lot posher than the planned trip to Pizza Hut but I had a lot of spending money these days and given the exchange rate my trust fund seemed no smaller now that is was a or so thousand pounds lighter. Also given that it was the 1990's a thousand pounds goes a lot further than it would in my native time of 2013.
However regardless of the decade it wasn't easy for two teenage boys to get a table without a reservation, but thankfully money talks and a fifty pound tip to the Greeter handled the negotiations for me with the skill of an experienced diplomat.
Still even with the money we very nearly didn't get a table as neither Neville or I were dressed 'right' and its hard to take thirteen year old boys seriously even when they have money to throw around. But in the end we got our table and I thanked my High School French Teacher for all her hard work as I at least knew some of what was written on the menus.
The restaurant would be a safe place to talk as well as eat as I doubted many Wizards could even imagine that Muggles had fine dining places such as these never mind actually make use of them but it still took great restraint for me not to cast a few privacy wards.
Normally even I wouldn't worry about being overheard in a place like this but Neville had been up to stuff that may or may not have been illegal so my cautiousness was understandable.
"I can't believe we did that" said Neville after we finished ordering.
"Did what? I asked "Destroy a Horcrux. Exile two Muggles to another world or was the trip to cinema that has you disbelieving today's events".
Neville shot me a look of astonishment as if he couldn't believe I could be so calm about the days events.
"But we went to another world!".
"Keep in down Nev" I chided "and it wasn't that amazing".
"But that university was on another world" he said in a softer tone of voice.
I suppose I couldn't really blame the young Wizard for being so amazed by what he had seen today. The Muggle world had many delights and pleasures if you knew how to find them but while Neville had been somewhat prepared for exploring the Muggle world the other things we'd done today were things he'd had no time to prepare for. No wonder he was feeling so overwhelmed.
"Well I did warn you" I reminded the teen "and you wanted to help".
"Yeah but I had no idea how powerful you are" said Nev.
I wondered if I should tell him about the Traveller and how that that entity was responsibly for me being as powerful as I appeared to be but I wasn't sure that he would be able to understand the concept. Yet it did serve my interests to have him think that I was a very powerful Wizard.
For a few moments I thought about giving them same speech that I had given Granger the one about having confidence in oneself and in the magic but in this case that would all just be lies as the real reason why I was so powerful was because I had knowledge other people didn't and knowledge was real power.
"I can help you become more powerful" I told Neville "there's some stuff I never showed the rest of the Outcasts".
Luna had admitted that she'd taught Ginny, Hannah and Susan how to Burrow so it was only fair that I taught Nev something.
"Your home has a library right?" I asked.
Neville nodded and said
"Sure there's a big one by the study".
For some reason I spent the next few seconds day dreaming about what it would be like to be the Dark Lord. Luna would be my version Bellatrix insane and very dangerous a dark power in of herself. Neville would be my version of Malfoy he would use his wealth and political know-how to keep the likes of Fudge in line. I'd be Voldemort but I'd work more behind the scenes rarely seen but always there.
That idea made me smirk. It would be so easy to make that dream a reality. Well perhaps not easy it would take some effort but it was possible. But it was just an amusing fantasy. I'd never cross the line between darkness and light even I did come close to doing so now and again. Staying on the line as a 'Grey Wizard' was much better.
Our meals arrived and I got to work cutting up a steak which had been served with a rather mild pepper sauce. It was nice but I didn't really think it was worth the cost. Still I had high hopes for desert.
"I can take you back to that University" I offered my best friend"the one we watched those Muggles get ejected from".
That had been amusing. Discworld Wizards weren't like the Wizards of this world they tried to use magic as little as possible but being called freaks and then being attacked by two whale sized humans had been more then staff had been willing to put up with.
Vernon and Dudley Dursely had been shown why it was a bad idea to insult magical humans. The two Durselys had been ejected from the building using some spell I never seen before.
They'd landed in the Ankh river and started to drown which an accomplish in of its self given that most people bounced off that river due to all the rubbish in it. The City Watch had fished them out when last I saw them and hopefully I would never see either of them again.
"That world has spells that sort of stick in your head so you don't forget them and you don't need a wand for them either".
Wandless magic was rarely used in the Wizarding World due to the fact that it was a lot harder to learn and Wizards are rather lazy. It also required a lot more effort and it was harder to control.
Wands were a great means to focus magic which was why they were used but being to dependant upon them was foolish as if the wand was taken away the Wizard was often helpless. Still they did at least help to prevent accidental magic, which could be done right dangerous, and the sheer range of spell one could perform with a wand made it worth while to use them.
Oddly despite my power I had no noticeable skill with Wandless magic I hadn't even been able to move the smallest of things with my mind. It was rather annoying but I didn't think it meant that there was anything wrong with me. My lack of skill with Wandless magic could have something to do with the fact that I'd never done any accidental magic. If I had perhaps I'd be able to access that sort of magic on purpose. Or maybe I just needed to get more emotional when trying. I didn't suffer from a lot of the angst most people my current ago had to endure I was compared to my peers a rather controlled person. But no matter what the reason it was still rather frustrating that I couldn't just make things happen without using wands or spells.
"What sort of spells do they have at that university?" inquired Neville between bites of some French dish that I was barely able to pronounce.
That was a hard question to answer but I gave it ago.
"It really depends on what sort of spell you think you might need. I have two spells myself" I lied "A type of fireball spell and shield spell".
The shield spell had a silly name but it was rather handy as it made the air in front of the caster solid. I'd picked that one because it should stop the Killing Curse as solid barriers did stop that curse. Granted that shield might explode in a spectacular fashion if struck my the Unforgivable Curse and while that could possibly kill me the Killing Curse would kill me if it struck me so the solid air shield spell was worth knowing.
As for the guitar thing I wasn't going to mention that as it involved stealing (for a short time) the talent of another person. I didn't want anyone to know I wasn't as talented as I appeared to be. Not even Neville.
"Guess I'll just learn those ones as well" decided Neville.
Despite having helped him to become a lot more confident Nev still wasn't much of a risk taker. Still no one wants their sidekick to outshine them so I wasn't going to complain if he decided to stay in my shadow.
"So what did you and Granger get up to yesterday?"
That question came out of nowhere and I sensed some major hostility behind it. I knew that Nev didn't like Hermione (I didn't think anyone but Potter liked her much at all given how much of a control freak she could be) but I'd never gotten the impression that he hated her even if he did dislike her bossy attitude and homework tyranny.
Then it occurred to me that he might feel threatened by my new friendship with the bushy haired one. Lord save me from possessive friends.
I'd of thought that Luna would be the one feeling threatened given that I was showing a girl who wasn't her some attention but given that she could see the future she'd know if there was anything to be really threatened by.
Then again given that Luna was well Luna she might not care if dated someone else (as unlikely as that was) as the arranged marriage didn't require me to remain a virgin and she free spirited enough to understand that I might want to have sex with more than one woman for the rest of my life. Which given that I was a powerful Wizard could be a few hundred years.
Also she did know with certainty that I would send up marrying her no matter what schoolboy romance I went through. Not that such a thing seemed likely to happen as I found most of the girls in the school only bearable in small doses.
"Not much" I said to Nev trying to word my answer carefully "just some Mug... stuff". Best not to use that word to much public "We went to a mall, ate junk food. Confused the kids she went to primary school with".
That had actually been rather funny as like myself Granger hadn't been very popular at primary school so upon running into some of the kids who'd bullied her I'd started to act the part of her rich boyfriend and thrown some money around. Which had been mostly a waste since none of the technology I'd brought could be used at Hogwarts but for a while it had been nice to own some shiny gadgets.
Sometimes I really, really missed being able to watch television and being able to listen to music that didn't require you to crank a handle before it started. Wizarding Radio was awful and they didn't even have movies.
Granted Four Weddings and a Funeral wasn't my type of film but being able to go to the cinema twice in one week was glorious even if Lightning Jack also wasn't my kind of film.
"Is Granger going to be joining the Outcasts" questioned Neville.
That idea was laughable right now and I failed to hide my mirth.
"Oh god no" I replied "Granger would tell the Professors what we were up to before the end of the first meeting. She has way to much faith in authority figures and let's face it the kind of stuff we plot would get us into major trouble".
Neville seemed assured now so the subject was changed.
"Now that Black is innocent things should calm down at the school" I pointed out "we can't start having Outcast meetings again".
"Are you going to finally exorcise Binns?" inquired Neville.
I was getting rather tired of the Binns issue but I couldn't blame Nev for wanting to get rid of that ghost. More so than ever Binns seemed to be trying to drive most of his students into a short lived boredom comas during his lessons.
The only reason I hadn't already burned the ghosts grave was because I was worried about Dumbledore.
I worried that the Headmaster was evil and that if he suspected I was behind the derailment of his plans that I would end up being his enemy. If only I knew for sure as if I did know for certain that the Headmaster was a bad person then I'd be okay with ruining his plans.
It was then that I realised that there was a way for me to know for sure. Luna would know she would have had some vision that showed the truth.
"I'm going to use the loo" I lied while reaching for the small communications mirror I kept on me so I could talk to Luna whenever I wished "I'll be right back".
With that I headed somewhere quiet so I could ask my girlfriend a few questions and hopefully get some answers. Then I'd tell myself off for not asking her sooner as that would have been the smart thing to do.
The Headmaster's Office. Hogwarts School. Scotland.
Far north of where Damien and Neville were enjoying a fine meal in Muggle London Albus Dumbledore was also eating only he was eating alone (well not alone Fawks was there) and he was also wondering if some one was evil.
Damien Mason was, as the Muggles might say, 'a mystery inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma' he was immensely puzzling to figure out, very much so considering that even the great Albus Dumbledore couldn't solve the puzzle that was Damien Mason.
The Headmaster for the life of him couldn't ever recall hearing of the Mason family until Damien arrived. If the boy had been Muggleborn then it wouldn't of mattered but the Masons were a very old Wizarding family. Dumbledore had thought that he knew all the major magical families here in Britain but somehow that family had never drawn his attention and aside from one boy that family no longer existed yet it was that one boy that concerned Dumbledore.
The Headmaster had compared Damien to a young Tom Riddle, he'd not come and directly said it but he had made the comparison. Like Tom young Damien was intelligent, charming and he was able to manipulate those around him. But truthfully Damien reminded Dumbledore more of Gellert than Tom Riddle.
Gellert had too had become an orphan just as he entered school. He'd also been a gifted student who lacking any challenges in the classroom had started to experiment with the Dark Arts due to a mixture of boredom and thrill seeking. This had gotten the young Dark Lord to be thrown out of school despite having been one of the schools most talented students and despite the fact that the school actually taught the Dark Arts.
The Headmaster had greatly feared that Damien might follow that path so he'd made an attempt to push Damien in a different direction. So far, at least, it seemed to be working. The last remaining Mason was getting more involved with the school and his fellow students. Which would reduce both the temptation to delve into the Dark Arts and the amount of time he'd have to do it in.
Dumbledore was also somewhat concerned about Damien getting close to the Boy-Who-Lived. Damien was far more confident than Potter and unlike Harry who didn't use his fame and wealth to advance himself socially Damien seemed to enjoy making new friends. Horace had spoken about Damien a few times and mentioned that Damien and Harry could be good friends.
Since they were both part of his Slugclub the potions master could indeed be right. If the two were to become good friends then Harry might be encouraged to emulate Damien and to start making friends with who Dumbledore saw as the wrong sort of people.
Damien seemed to be getting involved with politics that was defiantly something Dumbledore didn't want Harry to mess around with. If the Boy-Who-Lived came to realise just how powerful a player he could be at the Ministry, despite his youth, then it could be a major crump in the Headmaster's plans.
Albus had been very careful to ensure that Harry made friends with the right sort of people (namely the Weasly family) but now Ron and Harry seemed to be drifting apart.
That wasn't surprising as friends could drift apart after all but Dumbledore still worried about Damien replacing Ronald as Harry's best friend.
The youngest male Weasly was the perfect friend for Harry (in the Headmaster's view) so Albus might have to subtly nudge Ron back towards Potter. At least that teacher's pet Granger seemed to be distancing herself from Harry. Dumbledore didn't want Harry to work too hard as it might led to the Boy-Who-Lived using his own mind for a change.
The Headmaster was tempted to intervene more directly with Potter's life but that wasn't his style he wasn't the type of man to try and directly control people that was the way Dark Lords did things. No it was much better to work through others to be the power behind the throne. It worked just as well and was far less risky.
It was just a shame that his pet Death Eater wasn't around any more. Snape had been perfect for keeping Potter beaten down while at school and he could have been equally effective on Mason but Snape's mind was gone thanks to that fool Lockhart. With the so called 'Half Blood Prince' out of the picture Dumbledore would have to find someone else to do his dirty work.
He couldn't do it himself that would ruin the the image of a kindly old Grandfather figure that he built for himself. None of the rest of the staff could perform that role either as they were too set in their ways and he couldn't use Remus for that job as the werewolf was despite his curse a rather nice person. No Dumbledore would have to find someone else for that job.
Pouring himself a large glass of Firewhisky the Headmaster wondered if he need actually be worrying about Damien going Dark at all. Granted if he did it could be very bad for Dumbledore but Damien, unlike Tom and Gellert, seemed to have romantic interests. In Albus's experience future Dark Lord's didn't form romantic attachments. They might use an attachment someone felt to further their own ambitions but Dumbledore couldn't see how that scattered brained Lovegood could of be of any use to Mason unless he really was behind the Outcast newsletter and even the just faking a friendship would have been enough.
No if Damien was in love (or at least as close to love as a teenager could think they were) then there was little chance that he would fall to the Dark. Things like love and family were hindrances to those seeking power Dumbledore knew this far too well.
Starting to feel tired Dumbledore headed for bed. Running the magical parts of the U.K was a tiring job and he needed his rest after all being the Headmaster of Hogwarts was only one of his jobs.
Muggle Restaurant. London. England.
When I got back the pudding had been served and Neville had already eaten his but I'd lost my appetite. I didn't want to leave so I ordered coffee that I wouldn't drink just so I could stay sitting down. I really needed to sit and think right now, not that I'd get the chance since Neville wanted to talk.
"What's got you so glum, chum?" he asked.
I decided to tell Nev about what was bothering me and also wipe his recent memory if the reacted badly.
"Dumbledore is evil" I stated.
Neville's complete lack of reaction was more surprising to me than any sort of outburst he could of made.
"Gran's never trusted him" said my friend "he's to involved to shady dealing at the Ministry to be as good as he likes people to think".
Ah yes of course Neville Longbottom had learned politics from his Grandmother and she was old enough to remember a time when Dumbledore wasn't running the country while also beings it saviour.
"I don't mean he's evil in that sense I think he 's evil the sense that..."
It took me a few moments to think of how to express Dumbledore's level of evilness. He was far less evil Riddle but more evil than me and comparing him to Senator Palpatine without the attempted genocide of the Jedi wouldn't make sense to a Pureblood or anyone for a quite a few years to come. So lacking a comparison I just started to explain why Dumbledore was evil.
I covered everything from his gay crush on the very Dark Lord he would become famous for defeating to the fact that he was the one to dump Potter in an abusive home.
After that I reminded Nev about the whole Philosophers Stone incident and how in that Muggle world any headmaster pulling a stunt like that in a school would have at least been fired and very likely charged with Child Endangerment.
Then there was the fact that Snape a known member of a terrorist organisation had been allowed to teach at the school. If his efforts as a spy had helped save lives by risking his own then it made sense not to give him to the Dementors but no one who cared about the children they were responsible for would ever hire someone like that as a teacher.
There was bound to more evidence that Dumbledore wasn't the leader of light he appeared to be but we had to leave the restaurant soon so it was time to wrap this up.
I waited for Neville to react but he took it all rather well.
"So what are we going to do about it?" he asked.
I hadn't expected Nev to accept my view of things so easily and I was very surprised by the fact that he was already thinking about helping me deal with the Headmaster.
"We can talk about that somewhere else" I decided.
I paid for the meal with cash and left a nice tip as the service had been good. Once we had gotten past the Greeter at least.
"Come on lets get here" I said to Neville.
With that we left the restaurant and headed for Neville's home it would be safer to further discuss our plans on the Discworld but to get there I needed a library the one in Nev's house would do fine.