AN: A light-hearted chapter, that may or may not be considered crack.
By the way, I also have several more chapters written for this story, as well as three other stories involving these particular Ravenclaws. One is set after Hogwarts and the ending of Lessons, one is a comparison of sorts between Padma and Parvati, and one is Terry's existential crisis, set in their Fifth Year. Anyone interested?
Lord Terrence Wellington was a serious wizard, who hardly ever smiled.
It was said that this was a trait he'd inherited from his father's father, the former, now deceased, Lord Wellington. The Wellingtons were a noble family, but a Muggle family, and as such, the title meant nothing in the wizarding world. There had been much scandal when the daughter of an old, respected wizarding family had married the rarely-smiling Muggle lord. Not as much an outrage as if she'd been the daughter of an aristocratic wizarding family, but a scandal nonetheless. So much so, that when the happy couple's son, Lord Terrence's father, entered Hogwarts, the whispers still dogged him.
It was at Hogwarts that Lord Terrence Wellington's father had met Lord Terrence's mother, from whom Lord Terrence had inherited his brown hair and eyes. Lord Terrence's mother was also a half-blood, but born to a Muggleborn witch and pureblood wizard of little name. Their tale was a grand one, but not one for this time. No, today's tale follows their son, Lord Terrence Wellington, and how his life was saved by a young wizard.
But before we can embark on that tale, we must discover how Lord Terrence Wellington happened to need saving in the first place.
The young wizard-lord had travelled to the Court, the home of the aristocracy, with the intention of furthering his studies of social behaviour. It was there that he met the Princess.
Princess Madpita Pal, the Lotus, was descended from a long line of Indian royalty, a line that also happened to be a long line of pureblood witches and wizards. She and her twin sister, Vitatarpi Pal, of the Mountains, were renowned throughout the world for their beauty. They were also renowned for their differences, for Madpita was studious and clever, whereas Vitatarpi was girly and gossipy.
The Princesses' father had moved to Britain with his parents as a small boy, and had attended Hogwarts. When he came of age, he and his parents returned to India, where he married a fellow Indian pureblood witch. But this tale is not about the Princesses' parents, nor is it about Vitatarpi. It is not really about Princess Madpita Pal either. Instead, it is about how Lord Terrence Wellington's life was saved by a young wizard.
Lord Terrence Wellington, having travelled to the Court and met Princess Madpita Pal, also found himself acquainted with the Court Scribe, another young wizard by the name of Mark Steingold.
Mark Steingold was a very shy, studious young wizard, with blond hair and blue eyes, who could not speak to females without blushing and was always losing his reading glasses, a pureblood, born to a father of Polish wizarding stock and a mother whose parents' tale is one worth telling.
Mark Steingold's mother's parents' tale is one that was written in the stars, a tale of star-crossed lovers to rival even the greatest of ballads. His mother's father's people had been responsible for the deaths of his mother's mother's people, and yet they fell in love. The most powerful magic that has ever existed, much more powerful than any from a wand, bound them together, and against all odds, they married and brought forth Mark Steingold's mother.
But it does not matter how Mark Steingold came to be, only that he met the young Lord Terrence Wellington, the saving of whom is what this tale is about.
Lord Terrence, in an uncharacteristic act of stupidity, had decided that he simply had to witness the hatching of Hungarian Horntails first-hand. Despite the best efforts of his friends, Mark Steingold and Princess Madpita, he had embarked on this quest anyway.
Lord Terrence Wellington soon found himself in trouble, surrounded by Hungarian Horntails, poised to attack. It was at this timely moment that Mikhael Vertex, young wizard-hero extraordinaire, swooped in on his broomstick, saving Lord Terrence and defeating all the Hungarian Horntails.
Mikhael Vertex and Lord Terrence Welllington returned to the Court, where Mikhael was welcomed and treated as a hero.
This was to his great surprise, for he was not of a wealthy family, nor did he have a title, nor was he a pureblood. His mother was one, but his father was a Muggleborn wizard, and his only sibling, an older brother, had done nothing of note, and was not very pleasant, so is not worth mentioning in this tale.
All the ladies of the Court swooned over the wizard-hero, including both Princesses and Mark Steingold's younger sister, though she was only six, so it was more older-brother worship than swooning.
Princess Madpita's father was so pleased, in fact, that he gave his daughter's hand in marriage to Mikhael, who delightedly accepted. The King had been most worried while Lord Terrence was away, for his daughter Madpita had worried herself ill, fearing for her friend.
The very next day, Princess Madpita, restored to full health, married Mikhael Vertex and they lived happily ever after with their friends Lord Terrence Wellington and Mark Steingold.
Padma looked up from her Ancient Runes homework, glancing at the dark-haired Third Year boy sitting by the window, scribbling away in a notebook.
'I've been wondering, why did Mike want to know so much about our families, and our family history? He's never had an interest in the subject until now.'
Anthony shrugged.
'It doesn't make much sense, does it? Pad, have you done translation twenty-four? I'm a bit stuck...'
Terry folded his Daily Prophet neatly, tucking it into his bookbag.
'Since when did anything Mike does make any sense? Tony, you might find yourself not stuck if you put on your reading glasses.'
'Oh, right. Thanks, Terry. You wouldn't know where they are by any chance?'
'Accio Anthony's reading glasses!'
The glasses zoomed out of Michael's bookbag, displacing some loose papers, and landed in Anthony's lap.
'Thanks, Terry.'
Terry busied himself returning the papers to Michael's bag.
As he did, some words, partially scribbled-out, caught his eye.
The Tale of Lord Terrence Wellington, or Why One Should Never Mess With a Hungarian Horntail, or How Mikhael Vertex Became a Hero and Lived Happily Ever After
And below that:
Background Research- To Ask List
Smiling inwardly to himself, Terry smoothed out the paper and slipped it back inside his friend's bag.
All fiction, particularly Mike's fiction, is based on fact, after all.