The Banished Lord

by TheCandyManCant

Victor was placed in a world not his own. Where some may curse the entity that manipulated the situation or leap at the opportunity to take an active role in the fantastical events he knows will come, he chooses to be content with his home and his studies. Will the world allow him his peace? I do not own any established properties and receive no monetary compensation for this fanf

4. Chapter 4

"Professor?" a hesitant voice asked, the voice's owner hesitantly stepping into my office.

The concept of an open door policy was a strange one for my students to accept. I rarely ever closed the door and encouraged everyone to come to me whenever they needed assistance with any of the material I had presented to them during class times. I had pledged my service to the betterment of these students. While they were not my reason for coming to Hogwarts, I would not neglect the duty to them that I had committed myself to.

"Come in, Mr. Alcott." I said to one of my Gryffindor students, Arthur, without looking up from the papers I was grading.

At the end of my first week as Potions Professor at Hogwarts, I'd administered a surprise test in each of my classes as a way to measure each student's current understanding of the material I felt necessary for them to know about potion making. The tests were not multiple choice to ensure their accuracy was as representative of the student body's overall knowledge as possible for such a minor test. There would be no guessing correct answers.

I did not count the points towards the student's final grade, I wasn't cruel, but I needed to know where everyone stood. If the first dozen or so tests I had graded were any indication, the professor who had taught here before me was a fraud. A concerning number of my students did not even know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. I would need to have a word with Amelia Warren, Hogwarts's new Herbology professor, soon to determine the best way for us to shore up the large gaps in our student's knowledge.

Arthur swallowed nervously, looking around my office as if searching for a trap as he slowly shuffled forwards. "I… I was hoping to speak with you about the test, professor."

"It will not count towards your final grade in my class, Mr. Alcott. I merely wished to determine the approximate level of knowledge each class possessed."

"That isn't what I mean, sir." the boy said hesitantly.

I put down my pencil, why the wizards in this country were so obsessed with quills I would never understand, and met Arthur's gaze. "What specifically can I do for you, Mr. Alcott?"

Arthur swallowed audibly before saying, "I didn't know anything on the test, sir."

Without looking away from him, I held out my hand and summoned his test to me. The parchment slid neatly out from the stack it resided in and came to rest in my hand. My eyes flicked across the test before me as I mentally graded it. Currently, he held the highest score across all years with twenty correct answers out of one-hundred. As evidenced by the student's failure to pass my test, my predeccessor's approach of giving students a pre-prepared list of instructions to craft a potion was a lousy method of imparting knowledge.

Setting the test aside, I said, "That is precisely why I administered the test, Mr. Alcott. I needed to understand what you knew, and now I know."

The boy's breathing grew erratic. He took a frightened step forward and said, "Professor, please. Let me take the test again. I'll study and–" He stopped speaking as I held up a hand.

"Take a breath." When he complied, I continued, "Ignorance is not a crime, Mr. Alcott. I am your teacher. It is my job to ensure you leave this school at the end of the year less ignorant than you are now. What you do with the knowledge I provide you is wholly up to you, but this," I pointed to Arthur's test, now levitating above my desk and facing him. "Does not reflect negatively upon you. It reflects negatively upon Professor Rubeo. I will ensure that by the time you leave my class, you will not miss a single question on this test. If you wish to go over each question individually, I would be happy to, but I will cover everything more in depth during future classes. You were not the only one to score poorly, Mr. Alcott."

Arthur still looked anxious, but he nodded in acceptance. "Thank you, professor." He turned and hurried from my office without another word.

I set his test aside and went back to grading the others.

After I finished grading the stack of tests before me, I made my way back to the library.

This, the first weekend of the school year, was one where the third year and higher students were permitted to go to Hogsmeade if their parents had given their permission. As a result, the halls and library were nearly deserted. I only crossed paths with a small number of first and second year students. Each of them fled at the sight of me. It appeared I was developing a reputation.

When I returned to the library and sat at a table in the restricted section, I set 5 books I retrieved from the stacks on the table before me. Ten quills, enchanted to write on their own, levitated into the air and began scribbling the contents of the five books into ten blank books of equivalent length.

I was making two copies of each book. The first I would add to my own library housed at Ravenscrest. The second copy would be stored in a secure, warded cave removed from both Hogwarts and Ravenscrest. I had already made copies of the current library at Ravenscrest and housed those books within that cave, and I would do the same with Hogwarts's library. The Library of Alexandria burned and humans lost more knowledge and progress than was calculable. If Hogwarts burned, its knowledge would remain. I would see to it.

By the time the five books had been copied, the sun had fallen to the horizon and I decided to return home for the night. I had a room at Hogwarts, but it lacked the…amenities my manor possessed. I would rest there and return in the morning. There were no classes tomorrow, but I had tasks I wished to complete all the same.

With a crack, I aparated outside of Hogwarts's wards, frowning at the strange sensation. I would ignore apparition entirely if it were not necessary to dismantle Hogwarts's defenses to transport myself via my portals, but something about how Hogwarts recognized me as a teacher only allowed my apparition away from Castle grounds. Had I constructed the wards, I would have fashioned them differently, but the founders surely did the best they could.

I stepped out of a portal and entered my home.

"Welcome home, master!" Draip said, scurrying up to me.

"Take a copy of these to the library and the other to the cave." I said, handing him the copied books. As I passed him walking towards my bedroom. I locked the door behind me and laid down in my coffin, allowing rest to claim me.

X

I knocked once on the dark oak door in front of me and entered when prompted by an appealing voice.

The room was covered in dirt and torn roots, but that was to be expected. Six tables were set up next to one another, each holding a number of pots and plants. A short, stout woman with acorn-colored hair busied herself with organizing a number of small tools, grumbling to herself as she did. She wore a plain brown robe and sturdy, leather boots.

Stepping into the room, I said, "Pardon the interruption, professor, but I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time?"

The woman turned to acknowledge me; her eyes narrowed scrutinizingly as she took my measure. "You're Victor Beolfag, aren't ya? Potions Professor? Get on over here and help me." She turned back around and started hefting tools into a large basket held in the crook of her arm.

Amused at the woman's forceful personality, I walked over and began assisting her gathering the tools. "I wished to discuss our students with you." I said conversationally, as I lifted the basket for her, following her towards a closet.

Amelia huffed. "Damn kids don't know a rake from a shovel."

I openly smiled, enjoying the woman's frank personality. "Yes, I had determined the same. I actually wanted to go over this with you." I said, hanging the basket on a hook in the closet and producing a piece of parchment from my robes.

Amelia's eyes locked on the paper and she snatched it out of my hand. Her eyes darted across the page, analyzing its contents.

As she looked over the test I had given her, I went about organizing the tools in the closet. Whoever had placed everything in here initially had thrown everything in a great pile, seemingly shoving everything until the door closed. It was an unacceptable mess.

"They all do this bad?" Amelia said, her voice strained.

"The test you are holding was completed by my highest scorer." I said without turning around. Alice Grace, the Slytherin girl who had been a part of my first class at Hogwarts had scored 46/100. An impressive achievement considering the average across all years, first to seventh including outliers, was 19/100, rounded up of course. She was certainly one to watch. I would watch her cousin – Albert Wood, the boy who had sat next to her – as well. He had scored 29/100.

"Horseshit." Amelia said, lowering the paper to glare at me. "We've been left a steaming pile of horseshit."

I chuckled, thoroughly enjoying Amelia's tone and delivery. "I would be forced to agree. I brought this to you because I had assumed it would be relatively easy. When none of my students were able to score even a passing grade, I considered that perhaps I was holding them to an unfair standard. I am glad you agree this is unacceptable."

Amelia pulled one of the stools out from under the nearest table and hopped up on it, her eyebrows scrunched together. "I can't teach 'em how to grow nothin' until they know why the soil is important."

"If you are willing to explain the finer aspects of preparing soil and choosing a proper vessel or location to raise flora, I will have more time to dedicate towards the rather alarming gaps in their potions knowledge. By the evidence I have gathered, I believe Professor Rubeo only instructed the students to memorize recipes and brewing instructions for specific potions. He did not delve into the underlying processes of alchemy nor how to safely experiment with different ingredients to create potions with new, unrecorded effects. I had intended to cover ingredient care, but I will need to dedicate the majority of my time to ensuring every student understands basic alchemy principles."

Amelia shook her head, holding the test out for me to take. "I'll get the kids caught up. I'm just glad your test wasn't a practical exam. Some of 'em may have blown themselves up. I knew not to mix ice-pops like that as a kid. My ma bit my ear off when I started making an exploding potion by accident."

"The fact that you are more knowledgeable of the dangers posed by alchemical workings than the previous potions master at this institution is alarming." I said, beginning to wonder whether Armando was aware of the glaring incompetence of the staff under him.

"If they were as qualified as the dolt that was here before me, we've got our work cut out for us. One of the lesson plans I dug up talked about using salt to kill weeds. It'd kill the weeds that were overtaking your flowers. The salt'd kill the weeds, sure, but it'd also kill everything else." Amelia stood up, holding her back with a wince. "Let me know if there's anything else the kids don't know that they shoulda learned by now. I'll take care of it."

Noting her discomfort, I said, "Is there something wrong?"

Amelia waved off my concern. "Nah. Just my back. Hasn't been working right in years. I've learned to manage it."

I produced a potion from the satchel at my side and held it out to her. "Drink this for the pain. I will have a more permanent solution prepared soon."

She raised an eyebrow as she took the potion. "What's this?"

"Just a drought to numb the pain. I will have something better next weekend."

"Already tried fancy fixes. None work."

"Mine will."

She pursed her lips and fixed me with an evaluating gaze. "I can't pay ya. You know we make shit money."

I frowned, a touch offended. "It is a gift to a colleague. I would not expect payment for such. I hope the remainder of your weekend is pleasant, professor. Good day." I left the room before she could reply.

Having completed the only task I had set aside for this day, I decided to return to the library. I had made progress, but there was still an enormous amount of books to duplicate. I also desired to visit the Room of Requirement at some point, and the Chamber of Secrets would need to be dealt with soon, but both could wait until tomorrow. I wanted to get the library copied as soon as possible before the demands of the school year sapped my time away.

I had been sitting in solitude scribing texts for several hours when I felt a presence approach me.

"Pardon the interruption, but… What are you doing?" Albus Dumbeldore asked, tilting his head curiously as he approached the table I sat at in the library, looking between myself and the ten quills writing on the table in front of me.

"Copying the books in Hogwarts's extensive library. I am not even an eighth of the way done currently, but I am making steady progress." I said, easily looking up to meet Dumbeldore's gaze. I had reviewed my contract extensively prior to starting the process of copying the books in this library and there was no clause or regulation barring me from my current activities.

"May I ask why you are copying the books in this school?" Dumbeldore said, his eyes hiding a suspicious light.

"If you are worried I intend to distribute Hogwarts's books to opposing schools, you need not worry. I swear to you, no competitor shall profit from my actions. The first copy of each book will be added to my personal library so I may plan for lessons without needing to travel to Hogwarts itself. A boon that, should I remain to teach after this current year, will allow me to design lesson plans over the summer. The second copy of each tome is sent to a cave I enchanted to maintain favorable conditions and warded with protections so that, in the unlikely and hopefully unoccuring event that Hogwarts's library is irreparably destroyed, its knowledge will not be lost."

Albus stared at me, his eyes hard. "Forgive me, Victor, but I cannot help my suspicion. I am sure you will not protest me informing the headmaster of this?"

Having foreseen an inevitable confrontation like this, I reached into my robe and retrieved a small iron rod, holding it out to Albus. "This is keyed to the cave where I am storing the books. To activate it, say, 'Cave.'. To return to the edge of Hogwarts's wards, simply say, 'Hogwarts'." The rod was an item I was able to craft after studying portkeys and the spell used to create them – portus. Linking two locations together was simple enough, ensuring the link remained was where the difficulty lied. Fortunately, I was able to ensure the link remained in place after successfully crafting a pair of Gate Stones and using my experiences with their creation process to fill in the gaps. "If the headmaster has any additional concerns, please feel free to tell him I will answer any question he desires to ask. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Albus took the rod and examined it. The rod disappeared somewhere in his robes and he smiled down at me where I sat. "I apologize for the suspicion. Your openness has done well to assure me of your good intentions. Moving to the reason I sought you out, I heard you acquired a Mastery in Defense Against the Dark Arts when you acquired your Potions Mastery. Is this true?"

I nodded. "I have a Mastery in each of Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms."

Albus raised an eyebrow, impressed. "I think that is the first time in history a man has received three Masteries in a single day. It is quite an accomplishment."

"Thank you for saying so. I imagine there is a purpose to your asking after my Defense Against the Dark Arts Mastery?"

Albus nodded with a smile. "For a number of years now, I have had the pleasure of serving as the instructor in charge of Hogwarts's dueling club. I enjoy my job, but I must admit it has grown beyond my ability to manage on my own. Too many students have shown interest this year for me to reasonably run the club on my own."

I leaned back in my chair, focusing on Albus. "You would like me to assist you?"

"There is a rather large time commitment, but helping the students is worth it. I believe it would be a good fit for you."

"Do you mind if I ask you why you approached me in place of our other colleagues?"

Albus's smile turned strained, his eyes darting around uncertainly. Motioning to the chair before him, he said, "May I sit?"

I held my hand out and said, "Please."

Albus pulled the chair out and sat down, letting out a short sigh. "In truth, I approached Professor Willow before you. Unfortunately, Isla has commitments outside of Hogwarts that would conflict with the club's schedule. I became more interested in you when I spoke with Amelia and heard about the test you recently administered to your students."

"I am curious how my students failing a rudimentary potions and agriculture test proves me competent to teach students to duel."

Albus smiled. "It wasn't so much your test itself as how you responded to it. Amelia tells me the two of you have already begun to coordinate how to catch students up on what they have been ineffectually taught. Actually, would you mind if I looked at a copy of that particular test?"

Not seeing any reason to refuse my fellow professor, I retrieved Alice Grace's test, which I still carried with me as I had not yet stopped in my office, and slid it across the table to Albus.

Albus picked up the paper and quickly looked it over. The scribbling of the enchanted quills the only sound present in the library aside from his breathing. Albus eventually lowered the test, a frown on his face. "This is concerning. I will need to bring this to the headmaster's attention."

"In that case, keep the test to show to him. Your showing him will allow me to focus on my work here."

Albus nodded, folding the test and tucking it away in his coat. "Please let me know if there is any way I can assist you. The students are my first priority. As to the dueling position, I do not expect nor need an answer immediately, but I would–"

"I will do it. Please write up a schedule and a rough outline of my duties so I can prepare adequately for the position."

Albus's face lit up bright in a smile. "I am glad to hear that. I will drop everything you need off in your office when I next see you there."

"Feel free to just leave the papers on my desk. My door is always open."

"I will do so. I look forward to seeing you when the club meets, Victor." Albus stood from his chair and left, taking Alice Grace's test with him.

I continued working for several more hours after Albus left. Eventually, I felt the sun dip below the horizon and began gathering my things. I was moments from apparating out of the wards when I felt something. I was instantly alert.

When I first arrived here almost a month ago, I crafted a number of wardstones around the perimeter of the castle and the lands nearest to it where I believed students may wander. Hogsmeade, being a known destination students would travel to, was one location I prepared.

The wardstones did not offer much in the way of protection,the protections placed by the founders could be relied upon for that, but my creations were sufficient for the task I designed for them. They were an alarm system, set to alert me when a potentially hostile entity approached my students.

With a crackling pop I aparated into Hogsmeade. The sun had disappeared, hidden behind a tall mountain stretching up behind the crooked buildings lining the cobbled street I now stood on.

A girl shrieked not two feet from me, and I nearly took her head by reflex, only my recognizing her saved her life.

"Miss Greenwood." I greeted the fourth year Hufflepuff student with a polite nod.

The brunette was wide-eyed, as she slowly shuffled backwards from me, her male companion following her away. "P-professor. Ca-can I help you?"

"No. Enjoy your evening." I walked past her, focused on the area my alarm had warned me to investigate.

More students and several people who lived in Hogsmeade crossed my path, but none of them were out of the ordinary. Their scent, their movements, their visage – all were true…until I found a trail that was not.

Four sets of footprints led away from the stone streets towards the woods. I only smelled two humans. From the other prints, I smelled blood.

Faster than any mortal could hope to move, I dashed after the print's owners. I had caught up in mere moments.

A blonde-haired boy and girl walked forward almost numbly, their green eyes glazed over unnaturally as two pale, black-haired figures – one masculine the other feminine – beckoned them deeper into the woods.

"Come, come!" the dark-haired woman said, her voice a purr of delectable promises. "It's not too far now.

It was not difficult for me to ascertain what was happening. My students had been entranced, and these were the culprits.

I tapped my staff against the ground and unleashed a wave of subtle magic.

As if they'd been splashed in the face with a bucket of water, Alice Grace and her cousin Albert Wood staggered back a step, blinking in confusion.

"Students," I said, my stern voice causing them to whip around in a panic. "Your Hogsmeade privileges do not extend to the lands beyond the town proper. As this is the first week of school, I will be lenient if you return promptly."

Alice and Albert's eyes widened in obvious panic, though not at the situation they were still unaware of. If I had my way, they would never know how close they came to death at the hands of these two.

"Sorry, professor!" Albet said, grabbing his cousin by the arm and dragging her along behind him as they ran back towards Hogsmeade. I could feel their anxiety at having been caught out in the woods with two beautiful people by their teacher, but the majority of my focus was on those very people, watching them for any attempt to harm my students.

The male glared hatefully at me as my students disappeared through the trees. A low growl escaped his lips.

The woman pouted, whining. "Oh, you've ruined our fun! He looked positively delicious." She hung her head over the side of her shoulder and sighed, holding her arms out to her sides as she spun in a circle. "Well," she said in a sing-song voice, stopping her spin and slowly sauntering towards me, swinging her hips in an exaggerated fashion. "I guess if we can't have them, you'll have to do." The woman's eyes glowed a dangerous, starving red as she lunged forward faster than a striking cobra. Her mouth flew wide, revealing two sharpened fangs that sought my neck.

The woman fell to the ground in two pieces, bisected through her chest so one half of her collapsed with an arm and a head attached to it while the other half was still connected to three limbs. Frostbrand had leapt from its sheathe far too quickly for the vampire to react. She was young – extremely young, and too assured of her superiority. I was vastly greater than her. I sheathed Frostbrand as I turned my attention to the male..

"Boudica!" the male roared, holding his arms out to his sides, long claws growing out of his hands. Faster than was possible for a human, he charged towards me, intent on avenging what was likely his lover.

I reached to draw my sword once more but decided against it before I struck him as I had the female. I needed to handle this situation with more delicacy than I had currently displayed. My ire had gotten the better of me, but I had reigned it in with sufficient time remaining to correct the situation.

The vampire's momentum caused him to crumple forward as I appeared in front of him, my fingers closed around his throat like a vice. I stared into his eyes, and I saw the fear take him when I dispelled my glamour, revealing my crimson orbs.

Sprinting forward, I slammed him into a thick tree, the trunk cracking and splintering with the impact.

He weakly hacked blood, his claws stabbing and tearing into my arm as he attempted to free himself.

My facial features did not so much as twitch. What meager pain this flea could inflict upon me was inconsequential.

Tightening my grip on his neck, I made it clear just how easily I could shatter his spine should I choose.

The struggling ceased.

Leaning in close, I said in a low, dangerous voice, "The only reason you yet live is because you will deliver a message for me. You and your lover were too bold to hunt here. You and your lover were fools to hunt here. You will deliver this message to kin and kine."

My pale skin turned to a darker shade, adopting an ashy gray color. My muscles swelled, joints and bones popping and regrowing. I rose from my six foot height to over nine feet, lifting the pathetic vampire off the ground as I grew. My teeth lengthened into fangs the length of a finger. My ears grew to a point, heightening my already supernatural senses. With an unnatural squelching sound, two large, bat-like wings burst forth from my shoulders, opening to loom over the quivering man pinned to the tree before me.

The vampire was frozen in terror as he beheld a creature far beyond him. A Lord to be worshiped and appeased at all costs – not antagonized as he had so foolishly done.

"Hogwarts. Is. Under. My. Protection." I growled as I leaned in close to the vampire's face. "Should anyone attempt what you tried here tonight, I will destroy their entire clan. Do you understand my message?"

The man frantically nodded, the motion hampered by my grip on his throat.

"Speak, worm!" I demanded.

"Y…es." he gasped.

I dropped him to the ground, kicking him across the forest floor as he tried to scramble to his feet. I remained looming in the dark as he fled through the trees, blood dripping from the wound my clawed feet had opened in his stomach.

Leaving the vampire alive was a risk, but it would likely prove more beneficial than killing him. I doubted he and the woman were fully alone. Isolationist vampires were easy enough to discern when one knew what they were looking for, and I did. These two were too carefree and blaise to be on their own. They belonged to a coven. Thus, their disappearance would prompt investigation, perhaps even retaliation. By leaving one alive, I was extending an olive branch to their master – a peace offering. I was making it clear that, while a force too great to trifle with, I desired to avoid further conflict if at all possible. Either the coven's master would reach out to me; ignore me; or, if they were too young and inexperienced, misinterpret my goodwill as a challenge and bring a force to face me. If he did the latter, it would at least allow me to deal with the problem all at once even if it had the potential to expose my true nature to Hogwarts.

Closing my eyes, I slowly allowed myself to transform into my lesser form. I straightened out my robes and retrieved my staff from where I'd left it floating above the ground. With a flick of my wrist, the body of the female vampire burst aflame, the magical fire not spreading past her flesh to the nearby brush and trees. Another spell cleansed the area of her blood, leaving no sign of combat other than overturned dirt and displaced branches, occurrences that could have just as easily been caused by a passing animal.

I would not return home this night. The two vampires were likely the only ones to have strayed so close to Hogwarts grounds, but I was unwilling to take the risk. I would remain unseen, patrolling the area surrounding Hogsmeade to ensure my students remained safe. While my primary goal of teaching at Hogwarts remained to co-opt its knowledge, I had given my word to do what was best for my students and their safety when I signed my contract. I was ever a man of my word. No student would come to harm while I could prevent it.