September 3rd, Classroom , Hogwarts, Scotland 9:15 AM BST

Potions was an annoying class. I'd been wrong to be so optimistic. Big friendly boobs had blinded me to the hell that was listening to Snape prattle on about his grudge against Potter. Literally from the moment class started I knew it was going to be a long one.

It didn't help that my shitbag cousin was apparently one of his favorite students, and revelled in rubbing that in everyone's face. He DIDN'T directly call me out, probably because I scared him with my big stunt in Charms. Draco struck me as the kind of cowardly dickhead that only picked fights he knew he could win.

Snape was even now peppering the poor guy with questions he had no reasonable means of answering, though judging by her hopping in her seat Granger did. "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane."

"There isn't one." I finally said. Not out of pity for Potter, but because this was a two hour class and there was no way in hell I was spending it listening to Snape play kick the orphan. "I'm pretty curious about the rest of those questions though, professor, could you share the answers with us?" I tried not to be sarcastic. I tried SO HARD. I failed.

His eyes snapped to me, and I saw them narrow, but then they filled with an odd expression. Something like…pain. "Mr. Black." He murmured. His voice sounded conflicted and a bit strained. "Your curiosity does you credit. But perhaps you might deign to raise your hand in the future when you speak in my class."

I debated not responding to that to be a dick, but this guy was in charge of my house, and he COULD make my life difficult if he wanted to. I nodded sharply and he relaxed. His eyes scanned over Potter again, but he seemed to decide it wasn't worth it.

Turning to the board behind him, he whipped out a piece of chalk and began scribbling. "Today." He said sharply. "You will brew your first potion. Take note that there will be no silly wandwaving or shouting of incantations. Potion brewing is an art that requires patience, precision, and a singular focus."

As he spoke, he wrote a series of steps. Despite it mostly covering the instructions I pulled out my potions book to compare it to the writing on the board. Most of the broad strokes were there, but there was lots of subtext and notes for the potion in the book. My mom had been very clear that potions teachers told you WHAT to do, and not why. Not knowing the reasoning could completely throw off the results on the off chance that adjustments were required.

As I suspected, there were a few notes on the process that required an extra step to properly account for things like altitude and materials at hand (cauldrons weren't supplied, we brought them from home, and not all of them were the same). The addition of nettles, the timing of taking the cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills. Just little stuff that could affect the outcome when brewing.

Honestly, the entire thing was fascinating. I let myself get lost in the reading, and combined with what my mom had taught me I actually understood a bit of what was going on.

Potion brewing, contrary to some people's first impressions, IS a magical art. While Snape had been right that there was no wand waving in potions, the wand was a critical part of the process regardless.

When creating a potion, one would stir the cauldron with the wand, effectively injecting magic into the base being used. Despite that, there was no spells involved at all, and in fact, the magic wasn't being cast so much as infused into the ingredients. The base acted as a foundation, then as magic was infused would take on a neutral magical property.

As magic was infused alongside each ingredient, it would bind to the magical structure of the materials used, being shaped by the magic inherent in the material. That structure of the magic in a plant was different than the structure of the magic in a CHUNK of a plant, even if only slightly.

While that might not seem important, potions were complex and nuanced constructs built by synergizing dozens of these bits of magic, slowly altering the foundation provided by the base as each new bit of mystical flavoring was added until the potion reached its final state.

That was why each step was important and had to be meticulously followed according to the internal structure of the potion. It was ALSO why potions masters could make adjustments to formuli to create a more streamlined version. While following basic instructions would most likely give you the approximate result you wanted, every magical plant and reagent was SLIGHTLY different, meaning that the optimal configuration would vary as well.

Of course, potions weren't all or nothing. You could make weaker or stronger versions, and as long as you follow the instructions you would end up with a workable product most of the time. I was, of course, nowhere near suited enough or skilled enough to detect any of those imperceptible differences in the magic, not practiced enough to have anything to compare them too, but I did my best to feel for the power in the potion as I worked.

As I followed the instructions, I stirred the cauldron as we'd been told, and I had to grimace at how fucking HARD it was. My untamed and powerful magic could be whipped into shape, and I'd learned to do so, but potions, being so exacting and meticulous, was not an art that benefitted from overpowering your spells.

Mom had forced me to brew non stop every night until I was able to output a consistent and manageable level of magic during brewing, and only being taught by someone who was essentially a master had let me manage it.

Slowly allowing the magic to harmonize with the ingredients as I worked was harder than any spell, and even having the directions right there and reading the notes on each step, I was barely able to pull it off. Which was just…amazing. I loved brewing. It was the one part of magic I felt like I needed to earn. Not that I disliked being good at spells or being strong, but it felt awesome to know I had the brains to be good at magic, to prove it by excelling in a subject I was so unsuited for.

The whole thing was fascinating, and I followed the steps meticulously, grinding the six snake fangs in my mortar, taking the cauldron off the fire, adding the dried nettles and the horned slugs. One of the other students, a tall pudgy guy with the unfortunate name Longbottom, apparently fucked something up, and his potion melted a hole through his cauldron and spilled all over him.

I wondered if he hadn't followed the directions or if the magic he'd been imbuing had been uneven. Maybe something was wrong with his wand. Regardless, my potion turned out fine, and pink smoke began to billow up from it at the exact right time.

Blaise, my partner, who hadn't spoken to me after I shushed him at the start of the brew, raised an eyebrow at me, and I pulled out a vial, filling it with a small ladle and bringing it up for the both of us to the professor's desk.

Presenting it to him, I made sure to keep my expression neutral. He took the vial, letting the pink smoke waft up past his face so he could see it, then checking the shade and consistency. "Well done, Mr. Black." He said quietly. I felt a flare of magic as he flicked his wand, though I wasn't sure exactly what he'd done.

Whatever it was, it seemed to hide our conversation from everyone else. "Thanks professor. My mother's been tutoring me for a short while. She was a potions major."

He snorted. "I am well aware of Sylvie Randall's gift for brewing. We were contemporaries at this very university." He stared at me intently. "I was also acquainted with your father. Regulus and I were only a year or two apart and both in Slytherin. Your uncle, damn his soul to the fiery abyss, inflicted his particular brand of terror on me regularly. Regulus helped curb the worst of his brother's ire when he could. You look very much like him."

I knew that. Having seen the portrait I was well aware my dad and I could have been twins when viewed at the same age. That did explain his reticence to punish me for speaking up earlier. It had seemed out of character even in the short time I'd known him. He didn't seem like the type to put up with bullshit.

"About earlier, professor…" I said tentatively. "I didn't mean to interject, I just felt we were getting…off track." No use not at least making excuses. If the guy wanted to like me why not let him, it would make my life easier.

Grimacing, he nodded. "I suppose. Potter clearly lets his fame go to his head, but my more academically inclined students shouldn't suffer for his fame-seeking." I resisted the urge to look at the pale tired looking orphan, who couldn't try less hard to get attention if he was invisible. Dude was basically furniture.

If the teacher wanted to talk shit though that wasn't my business, so I just nodded along, thanking him, getting my grade, and then heading back to where Blaise sat at my table. He raised a brow. "What was that all about? I tried to listen in but I only heard some buzzing."

I shrugged. "Nothing big, he knew my old man. Guess they were buds back in the day. I'm glad mom told me that I could skip the line by bringing up a vial. He's about to go around and grade, and I'm guessing he'll be harder on people after he's seen a dozen of the damned things. We got an O, which according to the backward ass grading system here is the highest."

He snickered at that. "Fair enough. You gonna try to chat up Brown again? She seemed to take to you well enough."

"Nah." I said casually. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Plus she's a Gryffindor and I don't want to give Snape a reason to start disliking me beyond the one he already overlooked. I'll catch her later. Besides, I have plans for tonight."

His expression closed off as he realized what I meant. "You're going to try to get that saliva TONIGHT?" He sounded worried, but I just smirked and waved him off.

"Yes. I am." I said confidently. "Don't worry so much, I'll be fine. I've got a plan." I didn't, but I also didn't need one. I could cast a stunning spell and a shield, both of which were abnormally powerful when I put my back into it. Plus I had super strength, and I could fly. I could handle a big ass dog, three heads or not.

Sighing, he just nodded. "Fine. But be careful." He shot a glance at the ice eyed blonde who was watching us carefully. "If I get you killed Greengrass will turn me inside out. She seems almost attached." I winked at her, and she rolled her eyes, looking away, but Blaise poked my arm. "And I'd be pretty upset too. So don't die."

He looked me in the eye when he said it, and I grinned at the seriousness. It was nice to know someone cared. Even two someones. "Fine." I said with exasperation. "I'll take it slow. I promise." Not like taking my time was that much of an imposition. He seemed to relax a bit and I leaned back, looking around to see everyone was done. "So do you think we're going to do a second potion? Because otherwise this class is going to be unbearably long."

September 3rd, 2010. Third Floor Corridor , Hogwarts, Scotland 9:00 PM BST

Sneaking around in Hogwarts was…easier than expected. I'd figured they would have special spells designed to detect people out after curfew (why a college had a curfew, even on weekdays, I had no clue but I assumed it was to prevent nighttime magical bullshit). It turned out, however, that their main defense against people out after hours was an old guy and his cat.

With my devilishly enhanced senses, avoiding the cat was simple enough, and slipping out of the dormitory was just as easy. I was pretty sure the teachers didn't care about enforcing that particular archaic rule. Getting to the third floor corridor in question was a bit trickier, but a creative use of my ability to fly let me bypass the quick patrol from the old guy (Blaise said his name was Filch).

I pushed the door shut behind me, making sure to listen for a click, then stood completely still. I was ninety percent sure that thing was supposed to be locked, which was weird, but I'd deal with that later, because I was able to easily make out the form of the giant ass dog on the other side of the room that I was here for.

It was, as one would expect of a giant dog, big. Its heads were looking in all different direction, but one of them was focused on me. I decided to try the simple method of getting the saliva first. Ask. "Hey." I said casually. "Can you understand me?" It growled. Damn. THe booklet claimed I spoke all languages, that apparently didn't include dog.

The big guy didn't seem upset at least. Well, not TOO upset. The growl was more of a waring rumble than an angry snarl. I stepped forward cautiously. "Hey now. No need to get angry. I'm not here to…huh, there's a trap door under your feet. Whose a good guard dog? Whose a big scary guard dog?" I may or may not have cooed that last bit in a baby voice. So sue me, I like dogs.

It looked at me warily, but actually seemed to be calming down as I got closer, when I heard a slight scuff. It was quiet, so minute that it would have escaped any normal human's hearing. I kept moving forward, but as I heard it, I put together quite a few interesting details of this little excursion and realized something unpleasant.

Fact one. This was a forbidden corridor that no one was supposed to be in, but it hadn't been locked. Fact two, the dog, who was obviously guarding that trapped door, was still alive and awake. Fact three. The dog had been angry already when I got here. Putting these facts together I came to a pretty simple conclusion. Someone had snuck in here and unlocked the door, but hadn't made it to actually subduing the dog. Ipso facto, that person was STILL HERE.

Except…I didn't see anyone when I looked around. I had perfect dark vision, a fact that I'd discovered AFTER embarrassing myself in front of my mother the first time I woke up as a devil and forgot my ceiling was painted black. Which led me not to a fact, but to an assumption. Whoever was in here with me, the person I'd just heard, was invisible.

We were wizards. There must be a dozen ways to make yourself invisible, and APPARENTLY my dark vision didn't include a thermal sense. Or it did and the wizard wasn't giving off body heat. Was it a ZOMBIE? No that was crazy, there was no reason to assume that. I was pretty sure I just didn't have thermal vision.

Ok, so what to do? I was stuck in a room with an invisible wizard. He seemed to be staying still and waiting to see what I did. Or she. Women could be assassins too. It was twenty ten. Was he an assassin? Or she. Were THEY an assassin? Being sneaky in a room didn't mean they were evil. I wasn't supposed to be here. Maybe they were. Probably not, but was it worth starting trouble? No.

Smart play was to finish my task and get the fuck out of here, preferably without LOOKING like I was getting the fuck out of here. Be casual. Harder to do as I got closer to the big ass dog and it started growling louder.

So I decided to attempt the tried and true solution of teenage guys everywhere. "Shut up." I snapped. My entire demeanor changing as I glared at the dog. "I'm not here to put up with your shit. You be good and this will be over quick."

Dogs, as most people can tell you, respond to body language. If you're scared of them it makes them anxious. If you act like you're in charge they THINK you're in charge. The dog paused, looking at me suspiciously.

"Sit." I said confidently. Giving it the one command basically every dog is trained to obey. It sat. To me this was a shot in the dark, to the dog, I was now an authority figure. I reached into my robes and pulled out a vial, holding it out to collect some of the COPIOUS amounts or drool dripping from its jaws. I was pretty sure it was some kind mastiff, they had drippy faces.

I filled up literally ten of the damned things, and could have filled more if I had any, but I hadn't brought more than ten. Sad for me, but it was fine, I could just leave. I told the dog he was a good boy, scratched him under the chin a bit so I didn't seem too anxious to leave, and then turned to head out.

As I was walking toward the door, relieved to have gotten out of there alive though, I heard whisper of fabric. Specifically of WOOD on fabric. A wand. I cursed, spun on my heel and snarled "Protego!" With every bit of power and intent I could manage. I didn't draw my wand, I didn't have time, I just used the magic. It was easy for me wandless as with a wand.

I didn't know where the asshole (and if they were going to curse me in the back I WAS sure they were an asshole) was, so I manifested a fucking dome of silver energy around me. There was a jet of blue that flashed out from the corner, and I gritted my teeth as I prepared to block it. The blue jet hit my shield and my knees buckled as the dome CRACKED.

It didn't break completely, the spell stopped, but whatever the hell that had been had been strong as hell. The next jet was green, and I threw myself to the side. I'd identified the slight shimmer in the air after the first shot and was watching it for movement, so I was able to avoid it smoothly. The light was fast, but the person casting it wasn't as quick as a devil. He WAS apparently about as strong as one though, or at least as strong as I was, because that green spell shattered my fucking shield like a cheap window.

I raised a hand to cast my stunning spell, but before I could, a fucking wall of fire the size of a small car roared up in front of me. I hopped back to avoid the flames, then readied myself to hop over them when the ground at my feet transformed into some kind of oily muck.

Slipping was annoying, but NOT as annoying as when a leaping spark caught the muck on FIRE and my legs went up like a torch.

I roared in pain, planning to put the fire out, but then, suddenly, it just…vanished. As did the wall. As did the muck. I still had some rock dust on my pants but aside from some damage to the floor there was no sign anything had happened. I looked around for the distortion and found that the damned thing was was gone, and that the door to the fucking corridor was open.

Shit. I'd gotten distracted (admittedly being on fire was a good distraction) and the…person? Had gotten away. I walked over and pushed the door shut, slumping against the wall as I checked my legs. Slight burns. The fire hadn't had time to get through my pants really, so there was that.

The dog was huddled against the wall, whining and staring at the damaged section of floor. In hindsight, what happened was obvious. Whoever did the firewall had transfigured the floor under me into like…tar or pitch or some shit. Then undid it as they escaped, presumably so as not to leave any evidence.

Except there WAS evidence, specifically the damage floor. The smoke was gone, somehow vanishing with the fire, but I knew if I left the floor like that I'd be screwed. If the bigwigs started looking for someone trying to get into this place I wasn't confident they wouldn't track me down. I'd been fine stealing spit, because who cared about that, but leaving traces after a fight would be stupid.

I padded over to the section of floor and knelt down. The rock was cool to the touch, but it was warped and pitted, bubbling up and very obviously damaged. Luckily, while I'd only learned the three spells, I KNEW at least one more. Not from class, but from home. I'd knocked over a dish at dinner while reading and the thing shattered as china was wont to do.

My mom had waved her wand and lazily cleaned it up, and while I hadn't gotten around to learning the spell, I had SEEN and heard her use it, so I knew that I could do it too. With maybe a bit of practice.

Drawing my wand, I ignored the poor traumatized puppy and focused on the floor. "Reparo." I enunciated clearly. Nothing happened. Shit. I tried to recall my moms exact movements. Wand movements were important to training the magic. For some reason. Closing my eyes to remember, I took a second to run it through my head a few times, then I made a quick motion and repeated the word. "Reparo."

Intent. I poured a shit ton of it into my spell. Power too, but I made this spell intent heavy, devil style. I didn't want this shit coming undone if someone casually cancelled a spell near here. I didn't even know if it worked that way, but I wanted this shit to STICK.

I felt the magic roar through me as it funneled through my wand, and I felt the damned stick give it a kick in the ass on the way out. Put some english on it, so to speak. The floor began to shift and flow, the dirt flying off my pants as the stone reassembled itself into a solid, unmarked floor.

Frowning, I stared at the floor. It was a little TOO repaired. I walked to a corner and scooped up some dust, smearing it all over the pristine stone and rubbing it in until the rock looked the same as the rest of the floor. After that I examined the room under dark vision, checked to make sure my spelled vials were still intact (they were, three cheers for magic glass) and then headed back to my dorm.

I made it without a hitch, slipping seamlessly into my room and tossing the burned pants into my trunk to be disposed of later. Since there was no evidence of the fire I didn't foresee an issue and no one else could get into the trunk anyway. Once that was done, I laid down on my bed with a wince and hoped my legs would heal by tomorrow.

As I drifted off, I considered what to do about the invisible person. Would they come after me? Would they stay away to avoid drawing attention? It was hard to say, but I knew one thing, if I found out who had tried to curse me in the back I was going to stomp their teeth in and wear their face like a shoe. That fucker wasn't getting away a second time. I'd make sure of it.

September 4th, 2010. Third Floor Corridor , Hogwarts, Scotland 7:00 AM BST

I was pissed. The more I thought about last night, the more it didn't seem like a coincidence that I was attacked. The timing, the skill. I mean, what were the chances I'd gotten there at exactly the moment between someone breaking in and actually trying something? Not huge. More likely, the person lying in wait hadn't been interrupted, but had been waiting for me.

Theo seemed genuinely surprised to lifted bodily off his feet and slammed into the wall of my room when he stepped in though. "Who the fuck did you tell?" I snarled. I heard my voice come out as a growl, deeper than I'd meant it to actually.

His eyes flew wide. I saw him go for his wand and pulled him back, slamming him into the wall harshly as a warning. He gasped, looking panicked. "I…what? You mean that you were going to try? I told Lockwood! I thought I was supposed to, to get him off my back, I didn't know it was a secret!"

Rolling my eyes, I slammed him again. "Not that. The vials. I had you get me more than the three he needed. I didn't think I needed to mention that I didn't want him KNOWING I was gathering my own stock!"

"What?" He said again. At my continued glare he started shaking his head. "I didn't! I swear, they didn't hear it from me! I wouldn't do that. You and Blaise are mates, and you're helping me out, I wouldn't sell you out like that!"

I've always been good at spotting a lie, and this didn't seem to be one, so I slowly lowered him to the ground. "Really? You didn't say a word? Because some asshole tried to jump me from behind after I gathered the stuff. I thought at first it was someone I interrupted, but the timing there is a hell of a coincidence. It would make more sense if someone was waiting for me."

He doubled over, gasping a bit before regaining his breath. "If they found out you were getting more, it wasn't from me mate. I promise. I owe you. I mean that."

Grimacing, I walked over to slump down on my bed. The rage that had filled me drained away, leaving me empty and cold. That had been…intense. Like when Daphne told me about the guys harassing her, but worse. I wasn't usually an angry guy, but since my transformation…I needed to get a hold on my temper.

"Yeah." I said as I rubbed at my face. "Sorry man. Yeah, I believe you. Getting jumped like that just freaked me out. You ok?"

I expected him to be pissed, but he just waved it off. "If someone attacked you I get going round the twist a bit. Did you see who it was? What spells did they use?" He seemed genuinely worried, and I smiled a bit. Theo was a pretty ok guy, it seemed.

"No one said anything. Just cast." I said with a shrug. "They attacked from like…invisibility or something. One blue jet of light and one green. I dodged the green, but it shattered my shield like glass, and I'm damned good at that spell." I didn't mention HOW good, but having seen my floating table routine, he probably assumed I was naturally gifted at charms.

He sucked in a breath. "Green?" He whispered. "What SHADE of green?" He sounded horrified, but only tentatively. Probably lots of green spells, though he clearly had one in mind. I tried to describe it a bit and he went pale. "Mate…someone tried to KILL you."

He told me about the 'unforgivables' some kind of instakill super spells that basically anyone with a bad attitude could cast that punched through pretty much any defense. He wasn't totally sure, but the first spell sounded to him like the 'Imperius Curse'. Some kind of magic mind control.

No way to tell for certain without an incantation, of course. I''d blocked it, but then, I was ME. That shield had been massively overpowered. Luckily I hadn't mentioned blocking the blue one, so he just assumed I'd dodged.

"Ok." I said, after gathering my thoughts. "You're going to let Lockwood know that I want to talk to him. Somewhere out of the way. I'll hand over the vials personally and have a little talk with him. He won't bother you again. Understood?"

He looked like he was about to argue, then seemed to remember me effortlessly slamming him against the wall like a rag doll not two minutes before and nodded with a hard swallow.

"Until then." I continued cheerfully. "I'm going to buy you breakfast today, to celebrate our imminent victory of your gambling debts."

He raised a brow skeptically. "You…know breakfast here is free, right? You don't have to pay."

I nodded seriously. "You can eat as much as you want. On me. I won't hear a word about 's the least I can do."

Chuckling, he just shook his head. "Whatever you say, mate." We stepped out of the room, heading for Blaise's room, planning to wake HIM up for a change. "So…about that blonde you hang with at meal times. She seeing anybody?"

I felt my eyes narrow a bit, but kept my voice casual as I said. "You mean Daphne?" If Theo was harassing Daphne like Flint has been, this would be a much shorter and more violent conversation that I'd expected.

"Nah." He said blithely, apparently unaware I'd been thinking of twisting his head off like a soda bottle cap. "That pretty puff. The one whose always with the redhead." He gave a visible shudder. "No offense, but Greengrass SCARES me. I'd prefer a girl that doesn't seem like she'd bite my todger off after an argument, thanks."

Weirdly, I felt a bit of pride at that assessment of her, and my anger from earlier fled as I laughed. "Hannah? Nah, I don't think she's got a boyfriend. I can put in a good word for you though." I tried not to examine the relief I'd been feeling that he hadn't meant Daphne or Susan. I was definitely interested, but I'd never been that possessive before. Another weird side effect I'd need to work on.

When we reached Blaise's door, I relished the chance to pound on it loudly. "HEY!" I yelled through the wood. "Blaise! Get up! It's time for breakfast!" I pounded on the door for a good two or three minutes until it was yanked open and rumpled, annoyed looking Blaise glared out at me, looking like he'd been hit in the face a few times with a pillow.

"What!" He hissed. "In case you missed it, it's Saturday. This is when everyone sleeps IN. We don't need to be at breakfast until half nine! He spotted Theo and gave him him a grudging nod. "You couldn't have talked him out of this?"

Theo just shrugged, happy to play along with a little early morning revenge. I knew I liked that guy for a reason.

Sighing, Blaise went back into his room, shutting the door in our faces, emerging a minute later dressed and ready to take on the day. "Well, come along then. At the very least we can get something to eat. I need a wakeup."

On the walk, I filled him in on my night, and he seemed equally unsettled as Theo had been, though he looked relieved I was ok. "Mate, you need to let me come with you to meet Lockwood. If that WAS him, he's damned dangerous. I should have gone with you last night. This wouldn't have happened if you had backup."

I wasn't so sure of that, and as we sat down, I told him so. "No way to know, and I came out fine. Besides, I'm fast and pretty strong. That corridor was a wide open space, I do better in tight quarters. Theo is going to set up the meeting for a smaller room, better for me not to have anyone to worry about if things go bad."

"Bad with whom?" Said Daphne primly, as she and Tracey sat down. She nodded to the others. "Zabini. Nott. Good morning to you both." From anyone else that would have sounded warm and polite, but Daphne just made it sound like she found dogshit on her shoe unexpectedly.

I grinned at her. "Don't I get a good morning, princess?"

She smiled sweetly at me. "I'm withholding judgment about how good it should be, lest you disappoint me with more of your moronic antics. If you can make it through the meal without eliciting a feeling of disappointment from me, you shall have any kind of morning wishes you like. My hopes aren't high."

Rolling my eyes, I murmur my breakfast order and begin eating my denver style omelette. "You know." I said through a mouth full of eggs. "You have terrible manners for such a well bred young lady." She grimaced and looked away as I made sure everyone saw the inside of my mouth.

Tracey giggled at that, but yelped when her best friend kicked her in the shin. "Oi! I didn't talk with my mouth full. Why kick me?"

Daphne sniffed loftily. "It won't do to encourage him. He isn't funny. Do not feed his delusions."

Swallowing, I winked at both of them, and enjoyed Daphne's disapproving huff, even as I saw another pair of familiar forms join us. Theo perked up a bit when he saw Hannah, which I thought was kind of sweet. As a notable pureblood, him not giving a shit that Hannah wasn't was kind of cool. Some people could be pricks about that, I'd found.

Unless you were a 'monster' and a literal lord, like me. Nobody said shit about me being a half blood. Privileges of rank and all that. I grinned at the newcomers. "Suzie. Thank the gods. You're here to save me from this madwoman and her insane standards."

My redheaded puff just clucked her tongue, shaking her head reproachfully, and Hannah piped in with a grin. "Susan's Auntie is a real stickler for table manners. You'll find no quarter here, Black." Theo chuckled at that, and Hannah shot him a searching look. "New member of the study group?" She asked impassively.

I just shrugged. "Theo is good people. Blaise vouches for him, and he seems solid enough. If he gives you any problems just ask Daphne to handle him. Apparently she scares him."

Daphne nodded smugly. "Well, at least one of you has some common sense."

Hannah shrugged, but I noticed her eyeing the brown haired Slytherin with interest. Susan glanced between them and smirked at me a bit, but averted her gaze when I winked at her. "So." I said firmly. "This is my first saturday at Hogwarts. No classes means we have to do something fun. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Hogsmeade." Said every single other person in my group at once. At my questioning look, Blaise took the lead explaining. "The village nearby. They have some fun trouble to get into. Tavern, joke shop, sweets store."

I nodded along with interest before reaching over to slap Theo on the back. "Well, since SOMEONE here owes me money, our revelry is on him today."

Theo didn't seem particularly bothered by the thought, and just grinned and accepted his fate. A hundred galleons wasn't chump change, but with all of us I was sure he'd spend it quick enough. I didn't mind. I still had more own just shy of a thousand galleons stipend, and if my new friend treating made a good impression on a certain blonde puff…well two birds, one stone.

We finished eating pretty quick, and Theo slipped off to the owlery (yes apparently there's a room at Hogwarts just for owls) to send a quick message before meeting us at the entrance to the castle so we could all walk down together. My showdown with Lockwood could come later though, for now I wanted to see more about this village.

September 4th, 2010. Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade, Scotland 10:00 AM BST

The village was REALLY close to the castle. Like only a few miles walk. After breakfast we all got ready and headed down to take in the sights. I was excited, my only interaction with magical society had been classes and Diagon Alley. The village provided me a look at a more day to day sort of living, and it seemed like a fun place.

Hannah, Suzie, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Tracey and I went as a group, which was also pretty cool and we'd headed right for the three broomsticks tavern. When we sat down, we ordered several bottles of the butterscotch stuff I'd had at the Leaky Cauldron and some Shepherd's Pie and grabbed a seat at one of the tables.

"This place is busy." I said with interest. It was clear that people liked to come here, both students and locals. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the food. Maybe it was the double D cup stunner behind the bar who liked to lean forward when people tipped well. Some mysteries were bound to go unsolved.

Suzie, who had practically glued herself to my side as she stared around worriedly, nodded tightly. "It is. It seems like a nice enough place to eat and spend time with friends. Have you been here before Theodore?" Her innocent question interrupted our newest group member as he tried his best to stare at Hannah only when she wasn't looking.

"Huh?" He said in confusion, then his brain seemed to catch up. "Oh, yeah. Loads of times. My dad does business with one of the stationary companies in town, supplying exotic bird feathers for quills. He used to bring me here as a lad. The food and drink are decent, and Rosie behind the bar is just flirty enough to keep people coming back without letting them walk all over her."

Blaise snickered. "My mum hates her. They went to school at the same time, though Rosmerta was a year ahead. Mother dearest does so hate being ignored, and for obvious reasons she was awful popular with the boys.. She was in Hufflepuff."

Suzie brightened, clearly missing his actual meaning. "Oh really? Another puff? Maybe she could give us some advice on classes or fun things to do! If she was so popular she probably has a lot to teach us."

Daphne gave her a concerned look, then placed a hand on hers and said, in the kindest tone I'd ever heard from my bitchy blonde friend. "You're not allowed to go places by yourself anymore. You should have a friend with you at all times."

Hannah pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. "Sue, sweetie. Boys liked her because her breasts are large."

The redhead blushed. "Oh. Well, I knew that! I'm not thick, you know. I know boys like busty girls. Like that Brown girl.' She shot me an inscrutable look. "Daphne told me you were quite friendly with her in potions."

The aforementioned blonde had narrowed her own blue eyes at me, both of them clearly waiting for what I had to say. I shrugged. "She seems pretty cool I guess." I said, somehow getting a sensation of extreme danger despite no one having a wand drawn. "You can never have too many friends, right Theo?"

I threw the ball back to my newest buddy, who shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Nice to meet new people." He shot a glance at Hannah as the bustling barmaid with the big knockers swept up to the table to set out our bottles and plates.

Giving her a wide grin, I said. "Thanks a ton. We really appreciate it." I fished out five galleons, massively overtipping for the three galleon meal as I slid them over to her.

I wasn't going to lie, I had a type. Well, I had lots of types, but busty older women were definitely one of my favorite strike zones. Especially women who wore tight lace up corset dressed and brought me food.

Slipping three of the coins into her apron and dropping the last two down her top like a coin slot, she gave me a wink. "Why aren't you just the sweetest thing. Handsome lads who tip well are my favorite kind of customer." Her smile froze for a second as she looked at me. "You look familiar. Don't suppose your da went to school here?"

"Regulus Black, yeah." I said with a shrug. If she went to school with Blaise's mom it made sense she'd know my folks too. She stared for a minute, swallowing hard, and straightened up.

"I'll bring you a refill for that." She said, turning to bustle away from me and my completely full drink. Everyone looked concerned. Even Susan and Daphne, who looked respectively unhappy and disgusted at my flirting, had changed tone at the sudden departure.

Theo whistled. "Never seen Rosie do that before. She's normally unflappable. Picture of flirty professionalism no matter what you say, and damned quick with a wand if someone gets handsy."

Susan frowned. "Maybe we should go check on her. Just to see if she's doing ok."

I shook my head. "It's Saturday. She'll be swamped. I'll stop in tomorrow to talk to her one on one. Probably something my mom did when they were students or something. If she knew my dad she probably knew my mom, and I know Blaise's mom can't stand her."

"It's true." He said with a grimace. "I was honestly worried she would sleep with you to make her angry." He sipped his butterbeer for another second before freezing. "I said that out loud didn't I? Fuck this stuff always makes me chatty." He glared at me. "Mate, seriously, don't sleep with my mum."

I shrugged. "Don't worry Blaise. I promise you won't have to call me daddy, even if she starts doing it."

He gagged a bit. "You know, I was concerned she might kill you, but honestly after that I think I might prefer it. You were warned mate, mum's boy toys don't tend to last very long. I'd stay away from her if I was you."

"Boys." Sighed Tracey with a grimace. "Why do you all have to be so…boyish. Can we get through one conversation without you talking about shagging someone's mum or Brown and her humongous knockers."

In a rare moment of honesty, I shrugged. "Honestly I haven't gotten laid in like a month and a half. I'll probably be a little overly horny until I blow off some steam."

She grimaced, but sighed. "I suppose I should laud your honesty if nothing else. As long as you clean your pipes somewhere outside the study group. I won't have you taking advantage of poor Susan."

Suzie sputtered, face going red, but Daphne shot me a triumphant grin. "Exactly. We're study partners. Fooling around inside the study group would be…counterproductive." Her voice was smug, like she was checkmating me or something, and I shrugged.

"Honestly I'm fine with that." I said bluntly. "You guys are the only friends I have here, sex would totally screw with that. As much as I'd be flattered if Susan was interested, I kind of think it would be a bad idea."

She was interested, it wasn't hard to tell, but I meant what I was saying. Don't shit where you eat. I really needed my friends, especially Suzie. She'd spent most of our Magical Theory class Thursday helping catch me up on all the basic wizard shit I didn't know. I had no clue what I'd do without her.

Rather than look upset though, her eyes widened in concern and she reached out to take my hand. "I'll always be your friend, Ryan." She said sincerely. "Nothing would change that." She flushed and dropped my hand like it had burned her. "And I…agree. It's better to put the friendship first." She froze. "If I wanted to do…that. With you. Which I don't. Not that you're not-"

"Nope." Said Hannah forcefully. "We're not doing this. No fucking the group members, message received, moving on. We won't be talking about Ryan's pipes or who is going to clean them anymore while I'm eating."

Tracey snickered. "Speaking of which, we might not have to." She pointed over my shoulder, where the absurdly busty form of Lavender was making her way over to us.

I smiled as she approached, waving her over until a normal person would have been able to hear her over the noise. "Lavender, hey. Good to see you. You look great." She really did. She was wearing a red sweater with a deep V-neck that showed just an ocean of her milky white cleavage.

She giggled at that. "Thanks Ryan. I was wondering if you wanted to get a table and talk for a bit." She said shyly. "I really liked talking to you the other day. But I didn't know you were with friends, we can try another time."

"Actually." Blaise cut in with a grin. "Ryan was just telling us he was going to try to find you. He was hoping to talk more too. You two should go find a private place to sit down and chat. We're mostly just eating, so it's really for the breast-I mean best." He grunted and I heard the loud thump of Daphne's foot hitting his shin, but Lavender had already lit up.

"That's lovely." She said excitedly. "I have a table off in the corner. I was with some friends but they're taking a trip to Honeydukes." She giggled again. "I can't be around so much chocolate. I go mad for the stuff, and it goes right to my…" She flushed. "Well you know."

I stood up and offered her my arm. "Well we have plans as a group, but like Blaise said they're all eating. Maybe I could keep you company while they eat." She beamed and grabbed my arm, squeezing it against her tits in a way that almost had to be intentional.

Daphne looked annoyed, presumably at me for ruining our outing, and Suzie looked a bit disappointed, but like I'd said, it was probably for the best she not get her hopes up. So I let Lavender drag me off to a corner booth and push me down on one side so she could bounce enthusiastically to the other.

I won't pretend I didn't enjoy the view as she leaned forward to be heard more easily. "So potions was pretty tough huh?" She said loudly, her blue eyes boring into me. I was startled to note how different a blue they were than Daphnes. Daphne had icy blue eyes, like a husky, but Lavender's were a warm, almost cerulean color.

There were way too many blondes in my life. But I hadn't lied to Tracey earlier. I was pent up, and finding a nice girl to…unwind with, outside my circle of friends would be good stress relief. Lavender seemed sweet and interested, and if I had to let her gush about her rabbit or her summers taking horseback lessons on a ranch her dad owned, it was well worth it.

The fact that I had this particular revelation while looking down her very low cut shirt was obviously mere coincidence, and had no impact on my decision making process, pinky promise.

Still, I didn't hate talking to her. As she went on, I realized it was kind of nice. Magic and Hogwarts had been complicated stuff, but Lavender was just a pretty, simple girl who was interested in me. I didn't mind that at all.

When we finished our food and conversation, she leaned in close and gave me a long, lingering kiss that tasted like peppermint, and that wasn't bad at all either, and she put a little sway in her hips as she walked away, leaving me holding a piece of parchment with a time and place for our next little meetup. I did like a girl who knew what she wanted.

September 4th, 2010. Hogsmeade, Scotland 6:00 PM BST

The rest of the day was fun. We just kind of hung out. We went to Hogsmeade, checked out some of the local shops, and just generally had fun. Sadly I realized the fun was over when Theo got bumped into roughly as we were leaving a stationary shop. I would have just ignored it, but he waved me over right after.

Letting the others go ahead, I lagged back to talk to him. He held up a small rolled scrap of parchment. "It's from Lockwood. He got my owl earlier. Apparently he's agreed to your meeting request. He wants you to meet him up at the Shrieking Shack immediately. Says you should come alone. I don't think this is a good idea Ryan."

I just chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's fine Theo. Where is this Shrieking Shack? Is it confined quarters? I was expecting him to meet me in the dungeons, did you try to set that up?"

He nodded. "I think he was expecting a trap or something. Changing up the meeting spot will ensure you can't screw him over. He wants three vials to square my debt. The Shrieking Shack IS confined quarters…but still. The building is supposed to be haunted. I really don't think you should go. I can just owl him the vials."

"And then he pretends they got lost in the mail." I said with an eye roll. "And oh no, you need to get him another three vials. Or maybe four this time because you didn't follow through before. No thanks. I'm not going back there, and he isn't going to bother you again. Just point me to the shack."

Sighing, he raised a hand, pointing up the hill at the creepy old house that I'd noticed a few times but never asked about. It was just…"Seriously?" I said in disbelief. "That house is like three thousand square feet. In what fucking world is that a shack?"

"I don't know." He said dismissively. "I didn't name the bloody thing. It's been there for ages. But there's lots of rooms, so the ones it has are small. Dad took me to visit once when we were here for business."

After reassuring Theo I'd be fine and making my excuses to the others, I headed up toward the Shrieking Shack. This Lockwood guy seemed shady. If he was the guy who had jumped me on the way out of the third floor corridor, he was also pretty tough. That said, the surprise had been one of the biggest reasons I'd been in trouble.

I made sure to palm my wand before entering, just in case. While I could easily cast wandless, the wand made casting faster easier, not to mention it lightened some of the strain when I used magic, kind of automating part of the process.

Keeping it up my sleeve was easy considering how stupidly oversized the sleeves on these robes were. I opened the door with my other hand and entered as quietly as I could, listening for any hints of an ambush. This was an old ass house, and I'd be able to hear someone moving WAY easier than on a stone floor.

As I entered the main living room, I found a guy sitting on the couch, lounging insouciantly in a way that I was certain he'd practiced, at length. "Well." Drawled couch guy. "If it isn't the firstie that DEMANDED a meeting. Pretty big stones for a newbie." His tousled blonde hair and sharp green eyes were all artfully arranged to seem as casually menacing as possible. "Don't you think lads?"

The impression was helped by the two HUGE thugs who stepped from the shadows behind him. Of course, I'd been able to see them easily, but the whole simultaneous loom thing they had going on wasn't bad as thugs went. These weren't your average thugs. They were clearly professionals. Neither of them answered, just grunting in proper thug fashion.

"Yeah…I'm not doing this." I said firmly. "I'm not intimidated, you aren't going to scare me. I'm here to ask you some questions and then bail after I make damned sure you aren't going to bother my friend again."

The blonde, obviously Devon, snickered. "We got ourselves a hard man lads. Thinks he can talk terms to us."

I sighed, and started walking towards him. The smile on his face didn't dim, but it became more vicious. "Look." I said as I walked. "There are two ways we can do this."

"Let me guess." He said as he silently eased out his wand. He made a gesture behind his back that I could still hear, and the thugs spread out around the couch, clearly planning to pincer me. "The easy way or the hard way?" His tone was dripping with gleeful scorn.

Thug one, a big redhead with a rough scarred face came within a few feet, and thug two, a black haired guy with a nose that had clearly been broken a few times, circled around to try to get behind me.

"Nope." I said with a smile. Then I MOVED. I blurred backwards, my elbow coming up and slamming into the solar plexus of thug two. I grabbed him by the back of his robes over my shoulder and yanked him up and over my back in a classic judo throw with one hand, using his body as a shield between me and Devon as I casually stunned thug one.

Both his men hit the floor at the same time and I crossed the distance between us, casually picking his wand from his fingers as he stared at the tip of mine where I had it leveled at his eye from two inches away.

"No easy ways." I said coldly. "You answer my questions, or I'm going to scoop out your fucking eyes with a grapefruit spoon." I felt…angry. The wrath was back, burning in my gut. These fuckers had threatened my friend, had threatened ME, and had probably ambushed me when I was already working for them.

Devon squeaked in an incredibly undignified manner, but nodded his head rapidly. "R-right, of course!" He said in a shaking voice. "Anything you want to know. At your service mate, nothing to it."

He'd dropped the arrogant drawl and the insouciant posture and was now trying to physically insert himself into the couch cushions just to get away from me. I smiled unpleasantly. "Good to know. Now, first question is easy. Were you guys the ones who ambushed me in the third floor corridor?"

His eyes widened. "What?" He squawked, seeming offended until he remembered how terrified he was. "I mean, no, that wasn't us. I swear." At my raised eyebrow he swallowed hard and repeated. "I swear! Word from up top is not to mess with the Cerberus or the corridor. Dumbledore put some of those protections in place himself."

"So why send Theo?" I growled. These assholes had known how dangerous it was and hadn't warned me, even if they didn't jump me themselves they might as well have.

"He's expendable." Devon shrugged. Seeing my expression he changed his tune quick. "Look mate, it's nothing personal. They said to keep our noses out of there. I thought we could make some coin if we sent Nott to knick a few vials. Either it works and he comes back or he gets eaten and it don't trace back to me."

My growl was much less normal human and much more angry monster this time, and he flinched back. "Who is 'they' asshole? Who do you work for?"

His eyes flicked from side to side, but eventually he slumped. "Skull and Dagger. One of the legacy societies."He stopped talking but I stared hard at him, silently urging him to continue, and he kept going. "There's two in Slytherin, two in Ravenclaw. One in Gryffindor but it's small."

"No puffs?" I said wryly, and his snicker told me all I needed to know. Too nice. "So, the Skull and Dagger. What do they DO, exactly?"

He shrugged. "Recruit mostly. Most of us got introduced through our parents. Hogwarts is one of the biggest gatherings of magical talent in Wizarding Britain. It's a good place to make sales and trades, make connections and pass information. No ministry presence, and Dumbledore doesn't stick his nose in student business unless someone gets hurt. Once you graduate you're part of a network."

"That something I need to worry about? You gonna tell your friends in the Skull and Dagger about me?" I said menacingly, looming over him like his boys had loomed over me.

"No!" He yelped. "Like I said. They told us to keep our hands off the corridor. If I report I'll get it for sure. Plus some half-blood former squib just trounced me and my two biggest lads. I won't tell anyone about this. And your boy Nott is off limits."

I nodded, then reached into my pocket and drew out three vials. "Sure." I said with a flat smile. "Just in case, you can have these. I was hired to do a job, and I got paid. If you're interested in procuring my services personally, go ahead and contact me. But don't you try to fuck me, Devon. It won't go well for you."

He nodded spastically, scrambling for the vials, and as he did I felt something…change. I'd been driven by some instinct to finish the deal. I was supposed to complete deals, I was a devil. But it had just been a subconscious thing. Once he took the vials though, I felt a rush of energy flow through me. Not much, just a little, but I felt it. I felt…stronger.

The booklet had mentioned contracts, but I hadn't paid much attention. I didn't think they were that big of a deal. But now…I might need to look into some more. I tossed his wand over the couch, and he yelped and dove for it. By the time he came back up I was already through the door.

I'll give Devon this, he wasn't a pansy. He bolted after me, wand gripped tightly, readying a spell, but when he made it outside he couldn't see me. I was standing on a tree branch in the deep shadows nearby, about twenty feet above where he was looking. As I watched him retreat back inside to check on his thugs, I grinned.

Kicking his ass was one thing, that could be a fluke. It had been scary as hell, I'm sure, given my speed, but nothing to give him pause once he had his wand back. Vanishing though…I knew wizards could teleport, but it made a loud sound, and he couldn't see me anywhere. Mystery is the basis of fear.

Once he was gone, I floated back down to the ground and headed back into the village to meet up with my friends for dinner. We were going to hit the Three Broomsticks again, and I planned to stay behind to see if the crowd had thinned enough for me to talk to Rosmerta. I was pretty curious about the way she'd been acting…plus milf.

As I walked I thought back to the had been…interesting. The Skull and Dagger hadn't attacked me, and presumably I was supposed to believe the others hadn't either. Dumbledore was pretty scary from what I knew, and they didn't want any of that shit. So who had it been? Who'd been waiting in that corridor when I came in? Why were they waiting there? What was even IN that place?

I had a lot of questions, and only a few answers, but I would be patient. Someone was going to pay for trying to fucking kill me. I didn't care who had done it, they would regret that cheap shot at my back. Whoever they were had no fucking clue who they had started shit with. Never start a dance with the Devil if you aren't willing to get burned.

As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent hope everyone enjoys!