Beck furrowed his brows and tilted his head slightly. The dim light from the floating candles cast flickering shadows on the stone walls of Rayleigh's office, where ancient books and peculiar artifacts cluttered the shelves. "You want me to investigate a…kid?" He leaned back, fingers laced in his lap, wand stuck between them.
The other man nodded once, making his glasses flash. "Yes. I have some doubts about her. Nothing nefarious, mind you, but nothing about her adds up. Her name matches with some records I found, but not much else."
Beck's lips pressed into a thin line. "Sir, with all due respect, it might not be the best idea for me to follow her around school." His gaze shifted to the painting above, where a man with black hair, a large mustache, and a robe of gold and red observed him with a stern yet jovial expression.
The man behind the desk closed his eyes briefly, then stood up. His purple cloak provided a striking contrast to the man above him, despite their similar air of authority. "You could use a cover story, if it would help. Be here as a guest for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Be available to help the OWL and NEWT students."
Beck felt a heaviness settle in his chest. "As much as I don't mind, Headmaster Rayleigh, are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, trying not to grimace.
Rayleigh laughed. "Yes, it will be fine. Professor Shanks can stay professional when he wants to. And you would be in a unique position to help the students who would like to hear more about what it's like to be an auror now instead of previously."
Beck nodded slowly. "You have a point…" He paused. "I'll talk to Shanks about that, see what he thinks."
Rayleigh grinned. "You know he'll be fine with it."
Beck cocked an eyebrow. "I know, but I also need him to understand I'm here because I was hired, not to watch him work." Not that he would mind, seeing as Shanks was a natural teacher. The man had a way with kids and was a showoff with his wand work, even if he had to relearn some movements.
Rayleigh shook his head, still grinning. "He'll get the message, Beck. I suggest you get yourself settled however. The first years will be arriving soon. Whichever house Bonney gets sorted into, I will make sure you are nearby during her classes. You'll be given various tasks, mainly helping the other teachers, so it shouldn't arouse any suspicion from her or the other students."
A small smile tugged at Beck's lips. "Anything specific I should look for?" He thought of the teachers he had met through Shanks over the years, imagining their welcoming faces and the likely appreciation for his assistance.
Rayleigh paused, then shook his head. "Just anything that would make her stand out among the students. I've already told Franky that you have permission to roam the castle at night, just in case you would need to." He glanced up at the painting above him. "Headmaster Roger will let you know if I need you, or if I hear anything. Similarly, you are to send messages through him if you can. The password for the statue below is 'Dark King' if you need to come to my office." He inclined his head, glasses flashing, and made up the stairs to the right. "I'll be down in a few moments with the Sorting Hat. Go ahead and talk to Shanks if you have time, then wait for me to introduce you to the students."
"Yes sir," Beck responded, making for the door immediately. He frowned as the door clicked shut behind him. Rayleigh's instructions were as vague as ever, leaving him to piece together the puzzle on his own. He descended the spiral staircase, mulling over the peculiar task at hand. He almost wanted to go back up and ask Rayleigh for more information.
Not likely, as Rayleigh was the type of man who gave out half of what was necessary at the best of times. He did have an uncanny ability to see if there was trouble however, so if he wasn't worried, then Beck wouldn't be.
Beck stepped out into the hallway and paused, wondering if he should ask the ghosts for help.
"Beck!" a man called out, making him jump slightly. He hadn't realized he'd been caught up in thoughts so much to miss the sharp footsteps against the marble flooring.
Beck's eyes narrowed as the red-headed man hurried towards him. "Shanks, I thought you were in the Great Hall already," he said, only a little surprised that Shanks hadn't waited at the teachers' table.
Shanks gave him a sheepish smile. "You and Headmaster Rayleigh hadn't arrived yet, so I offered to come get you." He grabbed Beck's hand and pulled him down, landing a peck on his cheek. "So did Rayleigh give you your job yet?"
Beck smiled softly and kissed Shanks on the forehead. "Yes. There's a first year he wants me to watch." A first year who he only knew the name of, but nothing else. Beck mentally grumbled at that again, but pushed the thoughts away.
Shanks frowned. "A first year?"
Beck shrugged. "He didn't give me a lot to work with. Just that there's something odd about her." He turned as a grating sound caught his attention; it was the spiral staircase moving down.
Rayleigh stepped out a moment later, the Sorting Hat tucked under his arm. "The first years should be arriving any moment now. Let's make sure we're there before Professor Yasopp gets impatient."
Beck chuckled as they walked. "He's always impatient."
Shanks snorted. "More like always looking for a way to move through anything he considers boring." Beck couldn't disagree with that. The former quidditch player still kept up his habit of speed, an instinct from years as a seeker.
Beck's attention drifted as Shanks chatted with Rayleigh. His eyes roamed the paintings on the wall, exchanging a nod with Edward Newgate, the only giant ever hired as a teacher at Hogwarts. He then met the intense gaze of Marco Phoenix, the famed alchemist rumored to have discovered immortality through a philosopher's stone, though Beck remained skeptical. Marco cocked an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.
Many of the others were familiar from his time here, though he couldn't remember all the names he had known. Their shoes tapping sharply against the floors, it didn't take long to reach the corridor behind the Great Hall.
Shanks followed Rayleigh through the side door and disappeared while Beck stood just outside. The chatter of students drifted through and he waited patiently as Rayleigh welcomed the students. Beck eyed the floating candles, the stormy sky above, took notice of a few cats roaming the spaces between the tables, and sighed as he spotted someone carrying a snake around their shoulders.
Various ghosts floated over the students, some sitting among them. He recognized most of them, or at the very least, he knew the house ghosts.
A few moments later, the doors to the Great Hall opened and a crowd of first years walked in, led by Professor Yasopp; As usual, he wore his yellow-gold cloak, though this year his hair had been styled in dreadlocks.
Beck's eyes flicked over the new students, but only one stood out. A boy with curly hair styled in an afro, a headband keeping it out of his eyes. Beck gave a quiet snort. So Usopp got his letter this year. He glanced around nervously, his eyes darting around each of the four tables; probably wondering if he'd be Hufflepuff like his dad or sorted elsewhere, Beck mused.
He waited as each kid was sorted, chuckling softly when Usopp was sent to Gryffindor. Yasopp still clapped along with everyone else, but Beck thought he seemed a little down that his son wasn't in his father's house. When Bonney was mentioned though, Beck narrowed his eyes and watched her, twirling his wand slowly in one hand.
Small, with pink hair and…was that a piercing in her cheek? Her clothes seemed big on her, but then again, that was true with most first years. She looked scared, but Beck couldn't help but smile when she went to Gryffindor's table and saw the black-haired boy there greet her enthusiastically.
Beck shook his head, still smiling, as he watched Luffy introduce her to a few of the surrounding people. The kid could make friends with the stubbornest people. When Rayleigh held his hands up though, the entire room went quiet. Even now, Beck was still impressed at the quick respect this man got from the students.
"First off, I'm happy to see our new first years settle into their houses so quickly," he said, his glasses flashing in the light of the floating candles. "And second, we have a change in staff this year."
Muttering broke out from the students as Rayleigh waved for Beck. He stepped out and stood next to the table. Normally he didn't mind being stared at, but it was never by this many people. He could also feel the surprise from most of the teachers behind him.
Had Rayleigh not mentioned he would be here this year?
"This is Senior Auror Beckman, who will be helping out with Defense Against the Dark Arts this year," Rayleigh continued. "He'll be open to answering questions from the fifth and seventh years wanting to pursue a career as an Auror."
Beck sat down at the end of the table, giving a nod to Professor Roux next to him. The larger man grinned, then turned back to the headmaster. Beck's mind wandered as the clatter of cutlery and murmur of conversations signaled the start of the welcoming feast.
Beck chatted with Roux, and sometimes Hongo on Roux's other side, while discreetly watching Bonney. He barely paid attention to the spread in front of him; the house-elves had obviously been working hard for the first feast as usual.
Aside from being timid, which was expected of a first year, she didn't seem much different from the other first years. The piercing was odd, but not the strangest thing here. He knew there was a sixth year who had sharpened teeth from trying to become an animagus and failing, and there was a fourth year with a prosthetic arm; Beck could see him sitting among the Slytherins with a blond kid wearing a mask. There were other students that were just as strange, scattered throughout the houses.
Most were due to accidents from potions or spell experiments, though he knew some were because the kid had no sense.
He waited until the feast was over, then joined the teachers not heading a house. He watched Shanks lead the Gryffindor's to their tower, Hongo leading the Ravenclaw's to theirs, Yasopp leading the Hufflepuff's to the dungeons, and Rockstar taking the Slytherin's to a different section of the dungeons.
The rest of the teachers split off almost immediately, each heading for their classrooms or their chambers.
Rayleigh fell into step as Beck walked through the corridors. "I saw you watching Bonney."
Beck glanced at him. "I'm curious about the piercing, but I saw nothing abnormal just from there."
Rayleigh glanced back. "It's a fake. Gab asked her on the way over the lake. She said it's stuck on with a spell." He chuckled. "He offered to remove it for her, but she refused."
Beck hummed. "What are her classes? I can try to follow her tomorrow, though I know the fifth and seventh years will be interested in talking to me."
Rayleigh handed him a piece of parchment, tapping it with his wand briefly. "If anything changes, this will let you know." He stepped into a hallway leading back to the Headmaster's tower.
Back watched him for a moment, then made his way towards the teachers' lounge. He knew Shanks would find him there sooner or later.
It wasn't even fifteen minutes when Shanks appeared, grinning. "The first years are interesting. And Luffy's already made friends with one of the girls. Bonney Jewelry? The one with the ring on her cheek."
Beck couldn't help but grin at Shanks' enthusiasm. "Glad this year is already off to a better start."
Shanks' grin slipped. "Not much that could've been worse than being scratched by a hippogriff, Beck."
Beck sighed and nodded once. "Bonney's the kid I'm supposed to watch. Might ask Luffy about her some time." The kid was bound to get overly excited about his new friend within the next few days. Beck shook his head. "The other teachers have already headed for their rooms. Why don't we?"
Shanks eagerly led them down the corridors. There were a couple prefects out, as well as of the new head boys.
"Trafalgar, you should head to your dormitory," Shanks said as they walked past.
The tall black-haired boy muttered something under his breath, sounding annoyed, but he didn't protest as he turned around and headed back for the Ravenclaw tower. His hands in his pockets, he didn't seem like an almost 17-year-old. Tall for his age, he looked more like a twenty-year-old.
Beck chuckled. "That's the kid who wants to work as a healer, right?" He recalled Hongo telling him about a student who had badgered him a lot over the last five years, but Beck couldn't recall the name.
Shanks laughed. "He's just as good as Hongo already! Even for a Ravenclaw, he's dedicated. Hongo's already taught him just about everything he knows, and yet Law still surpasses him in most areas. Apparently, he got special permission from Rayleigh to help in the infirmary this year."
Impressive. Beck glanced after the teen, but he was already gone. He turned as a ghost drifted by. "Evening Ace," he said, heaviness creeping into his chest.
Ace smiled. "Beck. I spotted Luffy, but didn't expect to see you here." He hadn't changed from the last time Beck saw him. Tousled hair, bead necklace, a once-orange cowboy hat Luffy had gotten him for Christmas.
Beck tilted his head. "Rayleigh hired me to investigate one of the first years," he explained.
The teen laughed. "Good luck with that, Beck! But if you need any help, I'd be willing to lend a hand."
Beck hesitated, then nodded. "Keep an eye on Bonney for me, would you? I saw she was friends with Luffy. Just tell me if she does anything strange." He knew Ace could spot anything Beck missed by not being there. And Ace was a friendly kid, ghost or not, and might be able to help Bonney if she needed it. Some of the first years got lost in the first few months and Ace had the castle memorized before his second year.
Ace frowned, then shook his head. "Sure. I'll let you know if I notice anything." With that, he flew through the wall with a laugh.
Shanks sighed. "Can't believe he's a ghost here."
Beck nudged him, hearing the sadness etched in his voice. "Least this means Luffy will get to see his brother. Even if he won't grow up with him." While not biological brothers, Luffy had attached himself to the fourth year quickly until the accident.
Shanks took Beck's hand and made him follow. "Still though. It won't be easy seeing Ace like this though," he murmured, opening the door to his chambers. Beck followed quickly, shutting the door behind him. Shanks sighed and set his wand down. "I'm glad Ace saved Luffy from the hippogriff, but it's almost not worth seeing him like that."
Beck's thoughts mirrored Shanks' sadness, but he shook his head. "Let's get some sleep, Shanks. You have classes to teach, and I have work to do." He didn't voice the one thought that would make Shanks' mood worse; if Ace hadn't saved Luffy, Luffy would've been the ghost, not Ace. And they couldn't lose their son like that.
Shanks pouted. "Alright, fine." He eyed Beck briefly, then grabbed him. "But we aren't working the entire year, alright? I finally get to see you more than the occasional visit."
Beck groaned a bit. "Shanks…" Instead of pushing him away however, he pulled the shorter man to him. "Not tonight, alright?" Shanks' pout grew and Beck chuckled. "I promise, some other night, but not tonight."
"Better keep that promise…" Shanks muttered, shooting him a glare.
Beck just gave his husband a smirk and shook his head.