...
Following his embarrassing greeting, he'd been led to what had been designated as his room for the coming four-day stay.
"I hope you find it to your liking," Daphne's mother remarked, a slight smile on her face as she opened the entrance to the guest room. "Daphne was rather keen on decorating it for you." He blinked at that one, rather owlishly as he gave the woman a pointed look, one that earned him an amused expression.
Ignoring the odd feeling of wariness, he calmly stepped inside and found himself twitching at what he found waiting for him.
So... Much... Green...
Everything was coloured green! Why was everything painted green?
His gaze swivelled around, his twitching expression growing in speed by the second as he took in the green drapes, floor, bed covers,, the bed itself, the freakin' mirror's edges- Even the lighting had a green hue to it!
"This is... Great." He stated after a moment before briefly glancing towards the older woman and finding an amused expression on her face.
"She said green was your favourite colour."
"It might as well be now." He deadpanned in return before letting out a snort and walking in, his hands quickly going through his robe pockets for his belongings.
Grabbing hold of the three toy-sized trunks, he promptly threw them out in front of him, his magic kicking in as all three were frozen in the air before him, returned to their regular size, stacked on top of each other before they were promptly levitated to the empty space between one of the three closets to the right of the room and his frankly far too large bed.
He made to walk towards the trunks, the top one on the stack, holding his clothes, opening it with a creak through magic- He was stopped on his way at the sound of a mild gulp from behind him. Turning around, somewhat bemused, he found a very stiff expression on the woman's face who was currently trying to stare a hole in his head.
He blinked once at that before sheepishly asking if using magic was allowed in the house. He probably should've done so ear-
"Uh..." Roxanne blinked at him, her expression turning softer though there was still an... Edge to it? "Um, yes, it's fine to use wandless magic here as the manor's own magical network would cover it from any trace... But..." The woman tilted her head the slightest bit at him as she continued her staring.
He blinked a few times, waiting for the ball to drop, his mind wondering what rule he had broken if everything he'd done seemed to be fine-
After a moment, the woman shook her head before an... odd smile graced her face. It wasn't the amused one from before, though it looked genuine...
He wasn't sure why, but it felt somewhat off.
"I have to say, my daughter's letters didn't really do it justice." The woman eventually settled on. "You really are very talented when it comes to magic." She murmured the last part, and a hint of... wariness graced her face. "Unnaturally so, I must say."
He blinked at that, briefly looking towards his trunks with a frown before looking back at her.
"It's not that hard," He deadpanned. "It's just a levitation and sizing charms, for the most part." He shrugged.
"Wandlessly?" The woman questioned, amused. "I know a fair few number of witches and wizards who would be surprised to find out it wasn't that hard."
"Oh. Right, wandless magic." He let out an uneasy chuckle. "I kind of just forget that part sometimes. I mean even then for those spells it's still not that hard."
She let out a snort at that, one eyebrow slightly raised for a moment before her expression turned serious again.
"You're not wrong to say that, I suppose..." She shook her head. "Still, it's not the spells themselves, I am referring to," The woman remarked pointedly. "Tell me, Rodrick." He blinked again. "When you use your magic... wandlessly... do you visualise or even think of the incantation in your head?" A beat passed. "Or do you demand it to do something, without incantation?"
He furrowed his brows at that, a finger going to his chin for a moment before he shook his head.
"Neither," He answered honestly, earning a blink from the woman. "I don't really think about it at all." He shrugged, briefly turning towards the top trunk, said trunk opening up completely as a more comfortable set of clothing flowed out and neatly laid on top of the bed. "I dunno, I guess for the more mundane things... It's like another limb?" He turned back towards the woman. "Like another set of hands that I can use? If that makes any sense?"
Her gaze fixated back on him again, making him a tad nervous as he took in the questioning look she had on her face. Her mind likely trying to process his words into a term he probably didn't know that explained what he'd tried to say better-
"Rodrick, it takes years of practice with a wand before one becomes that accustomed to their magic and even then... They would rely on a wand all the same, if only because it is very easy to make a mistake without it..." Her voice, for some reason, turned quieter by the second as she continued to regard him.
He was feeling very nervous right now if he was honest-
He stiffened the slightest bit as he watched the woman take a few steps towards him, and put a hand towards his shoulder, before leaning down to his eye level. A rather serious expression on her face for some reason-
"I would be very, very careful from now on," She remarked, her expression was for some reason worried as she stared at him. "...I don't believe it would lead to a problem but until you've gained..." She blinked once, frowning as she stared at him. "...You should not be living in an orphanage..." The woman muttered under her breath, though given she was at eye-level with him, he heard her all the same.
"Uh... Yeah, I am not too fond of it myself,"
The woman nodded.
"I will have a word with my husband about this," She remarked pointedly.
"Uh... What?" He questioned, slightly confused. "About what?" A beat passed as the woman raised an eyebrow at him before an amused expression took over as she stood up and let go of his shoulder. "You're not going to tell the ministry are you?" He questioned, slightly panicked-
The woman, for some reason, seemed to find that funny as she let out a genuine chuckle.
"No, I will not," She remarked clearly. "And neither will my husband, I can assure you of that." She added on, with a shake of her head at him. "You are more than welcome to keep using magic as long as you are in my family's land, but I would advise caution anywhere else,"
He nodded, slightly wary, at that.
He mulled over the words briefly, before he raised his gaze and locked eyes with the woman again. "Is it a bad thing?" He questioned. "Or a good thing? That I am good at this?" He added on, referring to his use of magic, one finger idly indicating the trunks.
The woman seemed to consider her words for a moment before she let out a sigh and a rather small smile.
"Honestly, that really depends on whoever sees it." She sighed. "As it stands, you're too young to have any real protection outside of Hogwarts and given your status... Even more so." A beat passed. "It makes you vulnerable, Rodrick," There was a hint of...
His eyes narrowed the slightest bit at the sign of pity in the woman's eyes, something she noticed given the sigh she let out.
"I do not mean that badly, it is simply something that affects you." A beat passed. "...And if what you say about being a pureblood is true then... Well, that makes it all the more reason to show caution."
He blinked at that one, frowning once again.
"A talented muggle-born or even a half-blood, can and usually would be ignored if only because of our culture... But all talented pureblood easily find themselves under a spotlight." She calmly placed a hand on his shoulder again. "And you, Rodrick, I believe can have a very bright spotlight placed on you, if you are not careful."
Well duh.
He imagined an interrogator's spotlight would be particularly bright if the ministry ever found out he was Gellert Grindelwald's freakin' grandson.
The woman let go of his shoulder and idly turned towards his three trunks, an amused expression filling her face once again.
The woman turned her amused look towards him. "My daughter said you'd be here for a few days." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Given the number of trunks you've bought with you... You look to have prepared for a lot longer than that,"
He briefly turned towards the trunks, a frown on his face.
"Oh don't worry, I really am only here for a few days." He got rid of the woman's concerns quickly. "I just don't trust the other orphans not to try something stupid with my belongings."
Her amused expression vanished, in favour of a blank stare.
"Something stupid?" She questioned thinly.
He nodded, utterly oblivious to the sudden tension in the air.
"Usually they either just flush my things down a toilet or use it to start a fire." He shrugged. "It doesn't really bother me considering I can just use magic to fix whatever it is they do, it'd just be a little annoying trying to figure out which things they messed around with to begin with."
The woman's blank stare didn't budge, her eyes staring at him as if he were some unknown creature.
"Come again?" She questioned, an utterly lost expression on her face. "Those... Those..." Her right hand turned into a fist. "What? Why would..?" Another beat passed. "Is your orphanage in Knockturn Alley or something?"
"...No?" He remarked, somewhat warily. "It's just a muggle orpha-"
"...You do not belong in such a barbaric place." She cut him off, her hand shaking the slightest bit. "Merlin, you don't belong there..." She repeated herself.
"...Thanks?" He remarked, before letting out a shrug. "I mean it's not that bad, to be honest." He shrugged. "A few more years and I can just leave." A beat passed. "Either that or I finally crack and burn it all down." He whispered, though not as quietly as he would've preferred.
"I am half-tempted to do that myself." The woman muttered under her breath again.
"What?" He immediately questioned, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.
"What." She deadpanned, faux innocence gracing her face.
Huh.
So that's where Daphne gets it from.
...
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