The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 5: Drastic Changes

Albus had no way of doing what James asked him to do, of course. The best Albus could do for the summer was stare at the Marauder's Map, now in his possession, and make sure Neil was in the Gryffindor Common room. He was always in the dormitories, doing nothing but walking. Nobody was with him. Albus wondered what he was doing walking. If he was simply pacing or something else. Albus had no idea. He felt quite a fool for missing it too but there was more to Neil than what ever met his eye. He wondered if Alexis concluded the same thing Seth did. Was Seth correct in his assumption like he was about Mark having a little sister?

Neil was worried about half vampires in Slytherin house, had a vampire killed, and doesn't even like being touched. Neil is clearly frightened of vampires, I wouldn't be surprised if he was hurt by one a long time ago. And Al, if that's the case, no one really wants to know. Some things are better left unsaid; some things about me, you, your brother, your sister, my sister, and even Neil are better left unsaid and forgotten.

The summer might have been spent by Neil in the dormitory doing nothing but walking, but Albus spent it working. He was not studying but catching Alexis' brother up over the summer so he could perform better than the year before. Alexis was Albus' first and last girlfriend and her brother, while seemingly very intelligent, underperformed with his magic spell casting and easily grew irritated with his successive failures. Sometimes, it seemed that his wand simply did not work, except when he got really angry and an outburst of magic would set the curtains or table ablaze. Albus was grateful then that he at least had a wand to channel the magic and not chaotic wandless magic.

Meanwhile, he had a good surprise when it turned out Hugo and Lily were both made prefects of Gryffindor house. They were not the only ones either. Students in other houses made the chance too. Nate Blackberry and Lucy Weasley were Slytherin's newest prefects, Fora and another boy Albus did not recognize were prefects for Hufflepuff and Albus had no idea who Ravenclaw had gotten. What he did discover was that Aries V. Kimble was made Head Girl and Mark was Head Boy. It almost figured for Albus. He was not surprised but he wondered if Mark could manage with his mental state. At least Scorpius still had his own prefect's badge. Grades and results were given to each student personally if they had sat their OWLs months before.

Meanwhile, Incommodo seemed to be doing preparations. He seemed to have left Lysander well alone and Lysander eventually felt safe leaving the Headmaster's office and heading back down, knowing Incommodo could not take a sealed office. Every now and then, the Marauder's map would show the Minister by the office itself, apparently performing his best spells and the more he attempted to get in, the more powerful the seal became.

"That, Al, is true Sealing Magic," Mark sighed. Mark had spent an entire year hating Albus for doing the very thing Mark ended up doing. Committing the murder of a villain. "The founding father's protective Charms are unbeatable, even inside the castle itself." Even while on speaking terms with Albus, Mark was still not the same. His voice was shaky and his eyes were narrowed now. Despite all of that, he seemed more confident in himself than before. More assertive, more like the old Mark. He was the very old Mark who used to fight Albus at every turn but with a different type of mentality, forcing himself to befriend his foster brother in spite of his better judgment.

Mark sighed again, as if realizing the futility of his latest attempt, and said shortly, "Forget it. I have to go greet my sister," and walked off with a limp on his stick leg he got after losing his old one to a deadly curse.

New students no longer arrived by train, but by escort. Witches and wizards in blood red robes walked the young witches and wizards in to the school, boys and girls of eleven years of age. The students who stayed in the school all summer were ordered downstairs in the Entrance hall to greet them. So they did, they crowded the Entrance hall, lining the hall, the marble staircase and even the doors to the Great hall. Mark was standing at the front as a witch with blonde hair led the first years inside. Amongst them was Cherry Goal, the cheery young girl running the stall shop in Hogsmeade with her brother Lancet. Beside her was a young girl with blonde hair tied in pigtails. Over the blonde hair was a black cap. Her set expression reminded Albus of what had to be her brother, Mark, and she reminded Albus a lot of how Mark was in first year.

Mark and his sister split from the first years for a bit, coming to rest beside Albus. They seemed to be at a loss for words, like they knew who the other was but neither knew quite what to say. "So…" the girl said slowly. "My name is Maria. Maria Prince from the Prince family."

"Mark Wallader," Mark said shortly. "From the Wallader family."

Maria looked around as some more first years came in. They seemed to be being introduced little by little, in different groups. "My mother is an Alchemist."

Mark seemed on the point of asking something but thought better of it, "My- my mother was an Auror. My father was a defected Death Eater."

"What house are you in?" she asked casually. She looked innocent enough but there seemed something off about her, something Albus disliked.

"Gryffindor," Mark said shortly. "What house are you hoping for?"

"Slytherin," she said promptly. "The house of our ancestor. We should be very proud of what she tried to accomplish."

Mark seemed bothered now. He kept his gaze on her, considering her words. Albus did too. Ancestor. Morgan Le Fay. Prince. Alchemist. And what was it Seth said about Alchemy the year before? A diverse branch of magic, could heal and conjure but was considered Dark Magic, especially if someone created a new body for themselves or even made a Philosopher's Stone. It was a dead branch of magic, rejected, due to its dark nature. And Maria's family studied it. What did that say about her? What kind of person was she? What would Seth think about her?

"So… what sort of Alchemy did you do?"

"I'm a novice," she sighed. "But my mother used Alchemy all the time and still uses it. Have you ever met her?"

"N-no," Mark sighed. "I haven't."

"W-would you be interested in living with us when the war ends?" she asked hopefully. Her eyes went from set to hopeful, looking up at her brother. Mark regarded them and Albus actually smirked. Whatever it said about her, whatever she did concerning Alchemy, she still wanted a relationship with her brother. Mark seemed apathetic and indifferent. Why was it that Maria, the Dark Alchemist, wanted a relationship with her brother but Mark, the noble Gryffindor, did not? Or did he? He seemed to be considering it at least.

"Well, thanks, Maria but we sort of need to introduce ourselves first, don't we?" he asked reasonably.

"So, what sort of magic do you practice? Do you perform well?" Maria asked curiously.

She seemed to be getting a tad more comfortable with her half-brother, particularly more than Mark seemed to feel. "I can do anything, it's what I prefer doing that's the issue. I get all high grades."

"Do you- do you study the Da"-

"No, I don't and you shouldn't either," Mark interrupted firmly and with such finality, Maria took a deep breath and stopped. Mark folded his arms, "The Dark Arts killed our father, the only parent we share in common, and they killed my mother. An Auror."

Maria quailed a little under his stare but nonetheless whispered in a small voice, "They insulted our family heritage. Our family is based off those Arts. Just… use them right."

"Maria, I need to tell you something," Mark said seriously, clearly hoping his status as older brother, not to mention older student with a child who was still malleable, would play a role. "The Dark Arts are tempting, and they're powerful, but they're destructive to the victim and the user. It's a double-edged sword. Do you want to be hurt Maria? Do you want to die?"

"Of-of course not, but"-

"Then really, sit down and think," Mark said and he spoke with such worry. "I killed my parents' killer last June and I'm a wreck. It's lucky I'm still here because I might've died by Dark Magic if I wasn't saved and it cost me this." And Mark dramatically showed his stick leg which made Maria jump. Albus was not sure but she seemed to be considering it very seriously now. Her bottom lip trembled, her eyes shook. Mark was questioning everything she was brought up with. Albus was not sure how far her family delved into the Dark Arts, if they healed or conjured, but it did not seem to matter to Mark. He spoke with passion this time, making as strong a case as possible, probably hoping to stop her descent before she matured.

The only criticism Albus had was that Mark was going for it too early in their relationship. The two were coming off too strong. Albus was not sure if he had a lasting effect or if she would sleep and forget about this the next day. But for then at least, she seemed to be shocked, and quite hurt. She nodded in a small way and as Tyro called the first years into order to meet the Overseer, Maria muttered, "Sorry, Mark. Our family deserves better. I- I'll see you around, I guess. See what house I make…"

"Order," a familiar voice called that made Albus and Mark stand straight. Mark gaped I fear and horror. No. Coming in beside Tyro was the real shocker, however. Walking in beside him, looking as set, rigid and as dangerous as ever, was Rojer Selwyn. Albus' insides froze up at the sight of him. Him. He sent Ridge to attack the Malfoy Manor and he openly joined the Reservation the year before. Albus could not believe he had the gull to show himself here of all places. Did Incommodo not know that Rojer was on the Reservation's side, or was Rojer playing both sides and feeding information to both sides to win favor in case one of them won the war? Albus could see that. What was his game? What was his angle? And did Mark wonder the same thing Albus did?

As if in answer to his question, Mark said from beside him, "Double-agent. New. Originally Arsenal before changing loyalties in case the Arsenal lost. They know him in the Reservation but he's only using them to get at the Malfoys. He's really after his own interests. And with so many people around Incommodo who we actually know, I'd say he too factors into your dad's plans. That must be Incommodo's inner circle and he's part of it. He's a spy for the Reservation, which means they have the upper hand."

"You sure?" Albus asked quietly.

"Positive," Mark muttered. "I'm not an idiot and I know what people like Rojer really want. They'll justify other people's pain by warping their own mindset. He's a closet sadist."

"Closet"-

"If you ask me what that is, I'm going to assume you're playing dumb," Mark interrupted.

Upon entering, the blonde girl joined Mark but said nothing to him. In fact, the two exchanged very few words outside of a greeting. She simply held herself up haughtily and leaned against the wall waiting for the others to come in. Albus had an immediate dislike towards her.

Proxima on the other hand leaned against a wall close by, staring at her father. They fixed each other with unmistakable looks of loathing and hate. Proxima actually seemed to be shaking now, like she was on the brink of insanity just looking at him. Albus never saw this reaction from her before. He knew how Rojer treated Alpha from the year before. Lily saw it. But Proxima kept herself perfectly poised back in fifth year. Perhaps the more time that passed with her doing nothing, the angrier she got. Alexis was meanwhile counting through the first years, and considered them thoughtfully. "I got fifty-eight. How many did you get?" she asked her brother quietly.

"Same," Alexander muttered. "Usual number?"

"Just about," she muttered.

"So, can we assume he managed to get every single witch or wizard due this year?" Alexander questioned quietly.

"Perhaps," Alexis sighed.

"Muggle-borns still attending?"

"There's Cherry Goal, so I assume so," Alexis said. "So far, he's done nothing wrong. New record, huh, Al?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I suppose," Albus shrugged. "Never really counted the other years."

"I used to count them during my spare time," she shrugged. "They usually average about forty-five to fifty. We managed fifty-eight this year. So we can assume that"-

"Silence, in the back," a sudden, wispy voice said from the front of the hall. Albus and Alexis went quiet and said nothing as Incommodo directed all students, young and old, into the Great Hall. Inside, they were greeted by Theodore Nott. The man looked almost like some kind of rabbit. His son Neil was visibly shaky in the front and did not meet his father's eyes at all. "Alright, so here's how it'll go. All first years follow Mr. Malfoy to the front of the room to face the High table where you will be henceforth sorted into your houses once called by Master Tyro. All seconds years and above to your respective house tables. Move, now. Single file. Any pushing earns detention."

The new Hogwarts took shape slowly afterwards. Students sat at the house tables as usual but the high table looked very different. With the majority of the teachers dead the previous year, Incommodo, the acting Headmaster had hired new ones. Some were familiar to Albus but only because he had met them before. He knew Draco through Scorpius, Ernie Macmillan used to be his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Hermione was still there and his Aunt, Theodore Nott showed his face briefly the previous year before failing to take an unwilling son home, and Marius K. Kimble was supposedly Harry's spy in Incommodo's inner circle (though Albus personally believed he was against Harry.) The only one unfamiliar was a man with flaming red hair with a hard-set jaw staring hard at the crowd of students. He was the one who seemed ready to read the list of names. The youngest one and looking very much the oddball out was Lycah Thrope, the Werewolf girl who kept the keys and grounds of the castle.

The sorting hat was brought in by Professor Nott. Older students eyed the hat, waiting for it to sing its usual song. The brim that was its mouth opened, but instead of song, said, "On with the sorting."

Silence. Even Hermione seemed surprised and the students started muttering. The hat did not sing. Was this defiance perhaps at the Ministry's direct rule? Did it ever do this before?

"Father told me it did this during his seventh year," Scorpius muttered. "Proof that Hogwarts has people in it that the founders would not have wanted."

The man with red hair, apparently named Tyro started reading from the long list. Looking unsurprised at the hat's comment, he started with "Aster, Michael," with a rough voice. Albus could not decide if he liked him or not. His eyes looked kindly enough but they contradicted his face. A small, brown-haired boy with large ears ran up to be sorted. The hat did not take long to decide.

"Slytherin!"

Michael Aster took a seat next to Seth Lean who did not so much as acknowledge the boy who was receiving pats on the back from others around him. Albus noticed that Seth's usual friend, Simon was not sitting with him this time. Simon was with Proxima Greengrass.

"Batterby, Beth!"

"Gryffindor!"

Albus grew bored of the sorting. He usually did except when someone Albus knew was being sorted. He rested his head on the table, waiting through the list of names. Every now and then, he'd sit up straight to clap for a new student in Slytherin house. Albus looked around as Frieda Jules joined the table. Slytherin was a lot smaller than usual. Most of the students there had joined the New Roots group the year before and had a direct hand in murdering students, ultimately culminating in a climax that claimed the Headmaster's life. Some students from other houses had joined but not so much as Slytherin. On the bright side, the Common room was a lot more peaceful than before and Muggle-born Simon Far was no longer bullied as often.

"Dobbs, Darby," Tyro called.

"Pretty small house," Riley lamented. "No more Astronomy classes either. I wonder what they'll do with that time."

"What? Why not?" Scorpius asked.

"Muggle subject," Riley sighed tiredly. "The Acting Headmaster says it should be taught in Muggle schools. Not that I agree with that crap. I think he just wanted the tower so he can establish his office at a lookout point. Makes more sense."

"Goal, Cherry," Tyro called.

The girl they had met in Hogsmeade walked up and placed the hat on her head. Lycah froze and stared, her mouth open slightly. She watched with slight interest as the artificial girl with a false, cheery smile sat on the stool for a while, the hat staring in interestedly. Finally, it called, "Hufflepuff!"

Albus saw Fora clap for her and pat her on the back. Albus moved his eyes to rest on the Ravenclaw table a little longer, catching Alexis' eye once or twice. She flashed a small smile towards him. Even Alexander caught his eye once and gave the smallest of nods. Their relationship had evolved from mutual dislike to tolerance due to Albus offering to help tutor him in spellwork. The names went on and on, the Gryffindor table getting a few new students but the Slytherin and Hufflepuffs getting new students too.

"Ollivander, Morpheus!" Tyro called.

The boy Albus met with Melvin walked up. The hall looked in interest as he sported hair that was half blue and half green and bright red eyes. The hat actually took a very long time to sort him. Albus found himself waiting for over five minutes as Morpheus sat on the stool, swinging his legs to and fro casually, like it hardly bothered him. The hat seemed to be changing expressions too, like it was coming close to a decision and then backtracked. After seven minutes passed, the hat finally opened its brim… and then closed it again. Albus gaped and even Incommodo seemed to be slowly losing patience. The opening of the brim seemed to indicate the coming of the end, though. After another minute, it finally seemed to have made its long-awaited decision and yelled…

"Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table whooped and cheered. The hat went on as Morpheus picked a spot near Pierre and Kabe. Frank, sitting amongst his giggling girlfriends leaned forwards to talk to him, looking really cool and composed as he did so. Then, Fora beckoned him to join them and Morpheus quickly changed seats to where Frank, Fora and the rest were sitting, probably feeling very cool among those people. They apparently were the main group of the house. Still, Morpheus sat with a bit of a forlorn air to him, still grieving the loss of his grandfather. He answered when spoken to and not unless.

"Prince, Maria!"

Albus and Scorpius sat straight up and Albus could see Mark looking with a tired expression on his face. Alex and Eric were beside him but they and his fiancée Aries seemed more interested in her house than Mark himself did. The little blonde girl Maria, with pigtails and a haughty expression, took the hat herself and placed it on her own head. So, here was the test. If the hat decided easily, it meant nothing changed in her mind since her talk with Mark. If it took a while, it might suggest a chance of redemption.

The hat stared into her head for a while. Maria seemed pretty confident though, even if the hat did take a while. Nonetheless, the while was not that long. Within a single minute, the brim opened wide and announced, "Slytherin!"

The blonde girl, satisfied in her own sorting, ran to the Slytherin table, sitting near enough for Scorpius to pat her back proudly. Mark slumped back down and did not look up for the rest of the sorting. His first talk with Maria did not go very well at all and the fact she did not make his own house seemed to decide his opinion of her. Maria was not Mark's sister by relationship. She was definitely her own person just like Alice and Frank were their own people despite being twins. Albus could see Alice, then and there, shooting Frank a disapproving look which Frank did not seem to notice as he leaned against a fourth year girl and sighed contentedly.

Upon Wall, Thomas making Ravenclaw, the sorting ended and the acting Headmaster, Mors Incommodo, stood up to greet them all for his first time.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Incommodo said with his usual wisp. The entire hall fell silent at once. His wispy voice was dead-sounding and it still struck fear into anyone who was new to his appearance. "Before moving on to the feast, the speech comes first. It seems this castle has changed so much, many of our teachers left or died due to lapses in Hogwarts security which ultimately did you a disservice. This school has seen many unstable years with the previous Headmaster, and many worthless subjects being taught, infringing on your education. The Arsenal of Education seeks to rectify this with determination and full force. All will enjoy the benefits the Arsenal has to offer.

"Astronomy and Care of Magical Creatures has been deemed worthless to the higher education Hogwarts prides itself. Astronomy is a Muggle subject and it will no longer be taught except as a section of Divination. Those who want extra knowledge in such an art can seek such knowledge elsewhere. Care of Magical Creatures is to be studied outside the school, not inside with dangerous beasts and uncontrolled magic or with dangerous trips into the Forbidden Forest. For this reason, those two subjects are banned. Practice of them is forbidden. As a result, their respective teachers are due to leave as time passes on. Divination is an art to be practiced amongst those capable and not to be flaunted to those who do not possess the gift. The practicing of Divination is further forbidden in this castle outside of its classes and faces strict punishment.

"The village of Hogsmeade is forbidden to those below third year of course. There will be teachers and Arsenal members keeping watch and any student to break these rules will face expulsion. The forbidden forest is also forbidden and anyone who tests this rule as students have sometimes done will face expulsion.

"There is a strict ban on all magical objects outside of wand use and magic in the corridors faces stricter punishment. These objects include staffs, crystal balls, Invisibility cloaks, and anything else that has a magical output. Any sighting of these objects will be met with immediate expulsion regardless of circumstances. I therefore strongly advise you all to restrain yourselves from using such objects. Implementation of these rules will be overseen by Hogwarts' new Inquisitor Master Maximus Tyro." He gestured towards the man with flaming red hair.

"Further, and on the subject of magical objects, two new subjects will be introduced. Study of Magical Artifacts has been deemed a worthy subject to replace such foolish games this school has been playing. It is a required subject of all students third year and above and will be taught by Greek Wizard Zandar Lex." The polite clapping continued as a hard-faced man with a tan skin tone and dark hair raised his head in acknowledgment. He and Tyro both looked very dangerous and set. Albus did not know what sort of teachers they would prove to be. "And anyone third year and below will be required to take General Magical Studies with Professor Rojer Selwyn for a full understanding of where our magical power comes from."

He stopped there, gazing through yellow eyes as the frozen students. Rojer sat beside him, saying nothing but glaring at them all, as if they were all responsible for his sacking two years ago. Evil git. Albus could not believe Incommodo let him back. "The hierarchy of the school shall also face changes," Incommodo continued. "All Prefects now report directly to Master Maximus Tyro. All Heads of Houses will be abolished. All forms of punishment rests with the Caretaker Cantharis, myself, or the Inquisitor Master Tyro, Master Selwyn the Oerseer or Master Lex, all five of whom have sole authority to enter or leave whatever Common room they wish. Dissent will be met with expulsion and following the completion of this year, the Prefect system will end too to promote equality amongst all students.

"House competition will change. Quidditch tryouts will be overseen by Rojer Selwyn. Only the very best fliers will be allowed to compete in this esteemed championship. As of a later time, students will be sorted according to skill and capability. A challenge may be put through Master Cantharis who will process and schedule the match accordingly. The point system shall be abolished. Competitive house rivalry comes to an end this year and shall be replaced instead with the first of its kind in Hogwarts: A Dueling Tournament to truly test the mettle of Hogwarts students. The prize is a Ministerial grant to any job you wish to choose from regardless of NEWTs, a trophy, and three thousand galleons in prize money. All students capable of signing up are urged to take part and sign their names on the board placed in their Common rooms. No clapping shall be necessary. Let the feast commence!"

Though some of what Incommodo said was actually quite welcome, nobody dared to clap following his demand. It was the strangest, most abrupt end to a speech Albus had ever heard. The food appeared magically on their plates as it always did and instead, full-scale talk broke out immediately among the student body. Albus noticed his aunt Hermione was looking rather distastefully at the way things were being managed now but there was little she or anyone could do about it. Albus wondered if his father, wherever he was now he was doing the war solo, knew what changes were being made. Was the Arsenal still at peace with Dumbledore's Army now it had control over Hogwarts and effectively won the war it had waged to begin with?

Albus was interrupted from his thoughts by Maria's loud voice saying, "Yuck! Disgusting! What sort of food is this?"

"You'll get used to it," Sierra offered nonchalantly. "Hey, Seth, potatoes?" she offered suddenly to the blonde boy beside her who was gazing in the direction of Simon and Proxima at the other end of the table.

"Huh?"

"Want some potatoes?"

"I prefer rice," Seth shrugged and returned to staring.

"Hold on, I'll pile some for you," Sophie said as impassively as Seth sometimes sounded. She looked over at her brother's spot too, though and did not meet Seth's eyes as she piled for him some rice. Seth took it without a word and blindly ate it quietly.

"So, dueling tournament?" Scorpius offered excitedly. "I must say, I don't like him much, and I totally want your dad to smash this war to bits but please, for the love of all that's good, when he does, don't cancel the tournament."

"Don't switch," Lucy sighed, picking at her plate moodily like Albus. "He's just trying to get some popular support from the student body. I'm not falling for it."

"You can't deny, the Minister might prove to be very good for Hogwarts," a Slytherin girl offered from across from them.

"He killed my sister," she said quietly, giving Albus another pang in his stomach. Molly. Walter. They were not the only ones either. Hagrid. Phoenix. James. The teachers even died. Alexis' father, Fauna's mother, Kabe's father, Seth's mother and father, though admittedly both the latter deaths were quite welcome in Seth's mind. Lucy was still talking quietly, "I was with him. In my third year, I was on his side. I wanted Rojer and Ridge and Incommodo to win. I thought they had good ideas in mind. I- I always argued with my sister about it and it- it took her d-death to make me see that Incommodo is the worse ruler possible. I wish I was there- in Hogsmeade- I might've been able to save her."

"Lucy," Scorpius said quietly, attention turned to her now. "Molly was pulling Eric out of the way. The fire would've hit him if she didn't. She would've taken the hit with or without you there. Trust me, it's not your fault. And trust me here too, if my family didn't have a personal affair with Incommodo, I might've taken his side as well."

"Only to be rudely awakened one day," Lucy shrugged.

"Lucy," Scorpius said with a small grin on his face. She looked up at him and he smiled encouragingly, "We're gonna win this war. Don't worry."

"You're quite the optimist," Nate grinned from two seats down, turning to them and ignoring Maria's complaints about the rice being undercooked. "How do you know?"

"Easy," Scorpius grinned. "We've faced worse odds than this before. If Potter can beat an immortal Dark Lord, he can beat Incommodo. I wouldn't be surprised if he's hatching something right now."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Minister's hatching something right now," a second year boy offered.

"Yeah, like an egg," Gabriel offered with a grin. "Would explain the look on his face right now."

Nate laughed loudly as Albus, Scorpius and Lucy looked up at Incommodo. He looked pretty angry at something Professor Granger was telling him. Lucy was thinking of something else, "Al, notice something? All the High staff table are men except Aunt Hermione and Trelawney."

"What's gender discrimination in the grand plan though?" Scorpius asked curiously. Lucy shrugged and Scorpius changed subject, "So, are we gonna enter the tournament? Or… watch it from afar?"

"I don't expect to win," Albus said slowly. "But I'll enter. In the end, we all know who the winner is going to be."

"Aries V. Kimble," Scorpius muttered, looking over at the Gryffindor table where she was conversing with Mark and Alex. Mark seemed down about something but Alex seemed disinterested and waved her off before returning to his plate.

"Don't be so sure," Seth chimed in without a hint of any interest on his young face. It appeared he had moved to be closer to them. Albus could sense Seth asking for a word. He knew he would. "She has the disadvantage of being the most powerful student in the school. Makes her a target. If someone plays his cards right, she can lose."

"So, you gonna enter?" Scorpius asked interestedly as Lucy blew out a sigh and looked up at the High table again.

"Of course," Seth shrugged. "The offer is too good."

"Yeah, if my father's offer wasn't enough, you got this one too," Albus said pointedly.

"All high positions and money," Seth sighed, staring over at Simon's spot again. "But still worth the effort."

Simon seemed very happy with Proxima, even though she was lecturing him on something. By her gestures towards his empty plate, she was probably complaining about the food he ate. Simon was responding over her complaints with his own gestures and she rolled her eyes and shook her head, like he was proposing a childish argument. She stared at him like he was a baby and piled some actual meat on his steak, probably trying to convince him to put some meat up already due to his slender frame. Simon sighed, stared gloomily at the plate, and then shrugged as he added melted cheese and mixed it with the steak and even added French fries to the meal, looking very pleased with himself.

As Proxima stared at his triumphant look as he put the steak in his mouth, Scorpius was engaging with Lucy and just as expected, Seth moved closer to Albus. The boy was different. He seemed emptier than before. Now, without a friend beside him, he had nothing holding him back. Seth was a true sociopath. Somewhat. While his face gave no emotions, his once empty eyes now had a hint of desperation in them. It was a desperation that had been present when Samantha had Sierra as hostage and nearly killed her. He shot one more look at Simon's spot, as if to remind himself of what his goal was, and turned to an expecting Albus.

"What do you want?" Albus sighed.

"How did you know I wanted something?" Seth asked.

"I'm smart, what do you want," Albus offered, deciding to appear to Seth just as impassive. He knew exactly what the boy wanted. And he knew what he would answer.

"Talk to Simon for me," Seth said. The position had indeed changed. It used to be Albus running to Seth for help but now it was the other way around. He truly did deserve this. Albus was not sure it was in anyone's best interests, least of all Simon's, to agree.

"What's your offer?" Albus smirked.

Seth did not answer immediately. He shot Albus a look of brief anger before his eyes went emotionless again. Was that the only emotion Seth could display when he was alone? Anger? "I'm gonna get you for this, Al."

"I know, I'll have a job later this year for you"-

"Dream"-

"-that you'll want to do," Albus finished. "But how come you can demand offers and not me? Simon's better off without you. Even you can admit that. So, what's your offer? Spit it out and live with the new reality. You talked about sacrifices in war, didn't you? Here's yours."

"You promised me you would protect him," Seth reminded him.

"I am," Albus said simply. "From people like you. Wouldn't you agree that your relationship with him put him in some sort of unnecessary spotlight?"

Seth sighed and looked down at his empty plate. He considered it for a minute and then looked up, "Alright. Ok, fine. You win." He moved his hand to his ring resting on his other hand and pulled it off. "Here, it's yours again. Just… talk to Simon. Ok?"

Albus was not even given the chance to respond. Seth left his ring with Albus. His Heirloom. A ring Albus had given him just to be nice. He had given it back. The food disappeared soon after with Albus deep in thought, not paying much attention to the conversation between Scorpius and Lucy. If he had, he would have noticed her hand clasped around his tightly, and her face slightly happier now she was with him. He would have noticed Scorpius leaning against her and her cupping his face in her hands and kissing him, talking a lot easier than he ever did with Laura or even Rose.

In his own thoughts, Albus knew he would have to talk to Simon at least once. Regardless, the Resurrection Stone had to go back to Seth… eventually. Seth was always protective of it. Did he just lose all sense of familial value? He still had Sierra, didn't he? Upon making it back to their Common room, Albus looked around one last time. Gabriel and Nate were sniggering in the corner about something, Sierra was enthusiastically jumpy around Seth who at least had a smile around his face when she was around, Scorpius and Lucy exchanged a kiss before directing the first years to the dormitories and heading down themselves. Still, Albus had to admit, he was glad Seth gave him the Stone. Perhaps with the stone, he could do what he intended to do from the previous year and hand it to Mark. Mark needed it.