- Liam -
After his altercation with Caleb, he'd cleaned up the mess that was left behind, fixing the shot doors and broken furniture with a bit of magic.
Removing the memories of the event from the mind of both parents was even easier. But before that, he'd dug into their minds with the legilimency spell to see what he could find out.
Apparently Caleb had started acting strange around the same time he himself arrived here. There were the odd whisperings that they couldn't quite hear but the name 'Voldemort' was heard from him a few times.
Not long after, Caleb put them under his control and laid in wait for Liam to arrive.
'He was prepared, he knew I was coming. So either he knew that we were both brought here or he just wanted to satisfy his revenge by killing another version of me who also wronged him.' Liam mused.
He leaned towards the former seeing as how Caleb's first words to him signified his awareness of his arrival as well.
The memory charm had Caleb's parents believing that their son was in a boarding school abroad and a confundus charm convinced them that everything was alright and that there was no need to check up on him.
As he made his way back home, he likened the confundus charm to the compulsion ability from a certain vampire show.
Depending on the caster's skill level, they could have a vegetarian becoming a meat connoisseur for the rest of their life.
Wizards were truly lazy and unimaginative.
'Most of them at least.' He thought before his mind went back to the possibility that Caleb might be trying to get an in with the death eaters.
He thought back to the 'quest' he was given.
[PVP]
Note: You were chosen as a player in a PVP match. Your goal is to survive and kill the other player. Everything goes BUT, any attempts at genuine friendship with the other player will be taken as a failure.]
[Objective: Kill the other player.]
[Penalty: Soul Erasure.]
[Reward:?, A meeting with your sponsor.]
Any indecision he would have previously had was gone, he was vengeful when he wanted to be.
Right now, he was feeling very, very vengeful.
Unlike the wizards and witches of this world, he wasn't constrained to a certain manner of thinking, thus he was able to think outside the box when looking for solutions to problems.
He dared to say that muggle borns had the advantage over pure bloods and half bloods in sheer common sense, some of them at least.
It would be a waste of time to roam the streets of Britain looking for Caleb as well as keeping an eye out for death eaters so he made his work a bit simpler.
A simple imperius curse on the police captain as well as a few high ranked officers and he had a bit of manpower on the lookout.
Granted, they wouldn't be able to do anything against any magic wielder, it was better than nothing.
Following the encounter, his time was spent between reading and learning more spells and study sessions with Hermione which really sped up the learning process.
He'd also begun putting the 'Spell Creation' he'd chosen to good use, modifying existing spells and thinking up new ones to add to his steadily growing repertoire.
"Focus!" Hermione's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
They were currently in his room where they were in the middle of one of their study sessions.
"I'm focusing. The spell's working, isn't it?" He shot back, idly waving his wand at a pile of balled up paper.
The pile immediately vanished into nothingness. Even after using his wand for so long, it couldn't compare to the feeling of wandless magic.
Vanishment, the aspect of transfiguration taught in the fifth year.
"Besides, we both know that's not what's bugging you. At least not completely." He added, a solemn look appearing on her face.
"I'm sorry. I'd been having so much fun that I totally forgot." She said with a sigh. At his urging, she continued. "I'm supposed to head over to stay with some friends of mine until the school year starts."
That would be in almost three weeks, his exam was next week. The tight schedule didn't bother him in the slightest, he'd covered just about everything he needed to cover and some more.
Wideye potion was now at the top of his list in usefulness.
Hermione's overachieving nature had her convinced that he hadn't learnt enough and frankly, any extra knowledge was welcome.
Silently reaching forward with legilimency, he peeked into her mind. He could see that while she was happy that he had quickly caught up with the schoolwork, a tiny part of her was jealous of how quickly he did it. Another part proud but that's not what he was looking for.
Her memories.
Ron, Harry and their yearly rendezvous at the Weasley burrow. Glimpsing through it all quickly, he pulled back. All of this done in mere moments.
"You mean your group of musketeers?" He asked with a smug smirk.
"Don't give it a name." She chided with a small smile. "And yes. It's kind of a tradition for all of us to go together. We're staying at Ron's place."
He arched his brow. "You and about three other boys under the same roof. Should I be jealous?"
Rather than verbally answering, Hermione got bold, getting off the chair she was sitting in, lurching forward to give him a long, slow kiss.
They separated before it could turn into a full blown make out session. "Does that answer your question?" She asked.
He gained a thoughtful look. "I'm not sure. I think I'll need a more in-depth answer." He said, but the mischievous look in his eyes gave away his intentions.
Her hands slid down to his pants, fumbling around with the zipper before pulling out his hardened member, giving it gentle strokes before it was engulfed in wet warmth.
He really needed to relieve some stress and what better way was there?
- Griselda Marchbanks -
As the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, she had administered the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations numerous times over the years with varying interests.
She had even been the one to personally test Dumbledore in his N.E.W.T exams. His skills and talent at the time had left a very good impression on her.
As such, she was only mildly surprised as he grew in power and status up until becoming the man he was today.
They kept in contact with each other over the decades but this was the first time the man had called on her for a favor, and one so odd at that.
Organizing the O.W.L exams for a single student? Never had it been done since the ministry was founded.
Technically, it wasn't against the rules. There just wasn't any reason to hold the exams more than once a year. It wasn't like he was asking her to help him pass or make it easier.
Though, it wasn't until he told her the real reason that she allowed it to happen. A prophecy, an authentic one that could help the general situation of the Wizarding world if it was true.
On one hand, if it was true then the boy would fail and things would stay the same. If he passed, things may very well still stay the same. She didn't put too much stock into prophecies but she was willing to have some hope.
It was why she was in the exam hall in Hogwarts, waiting with Albus for the exam candidate to arrive.
She didn't have to wait long as McGonagall walked into the hall with a boy in muggle clothes trailing behind her as opposed to the robes everyone else wore.
He was quite the looker but she was too old to care about such things.
"I apologize if I'm late. I didn't know where the venue was until five minutes ago." He said politely but pointedly towards McGonagall who ignored it entirely.
Quite the mouth on him too. She'd dealt with more than enough brats to get her feathers ruffled by a rookie wizard who'd only recently started learning magic.
"I see you've been doing well since our last encounter." Albus said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Allow me to introduce Miss Griselda Marchbanks. She will be conducting the exams today."
"A pleasure to meet you." The boy, William as she'd been notified earlier, greeted her, not showing any of the nervousness that she thought she'd see in him.
Five years in one month…a foolish and arrogant endeavor but he has to learn on his own, the hard way.
"I'm sure it is. If we're done wasting time, I believe we should get this over with. We have a lot to do today." She said before waving her wand, a stack of papers as well as a quill appearing on the table to the side.
"Straight to business then. Something tells me you're very fun at parties." She heard him mutter sarcastically as he took his seat.
Ignoring his words, she soundlessly loomed above him. "Your time starts now."
Watching as he picked up the quill, she waved her wand, a timer appearing in the air above.
- An Hour Later -
With the boy being the only one taking the exam and in accordance with what she discussed with Dumbledore, there was no need to space out the exams over two weeks as was usually done.
Still, she didn't expect this.
He had sped through the Charms exam papers and was now on Transfiguration, the speed at which the quill moved not dipping for even a moment.
Exchanging glances with Dumbledore and McGonagall, she saw that they had the same look of surprise that she did.
From her position she could see that his Charms answer sheet was thoroughly filled, crossing out the thought of him skipping over some questions.
'This is ridiculous.' She thought.
- Hours Later -
'This is absolutely ridiculous!' She thought, watching him stretch his hands a bit before moving on to the final theory exam which was Ancient Runes.
Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy…he breezed through them all without losing steam.
She'd intended to have the theory exams split within two days but the boy's actions laughed in the face of that.
At this point, Albus had left to attend whatever urgent business someone of his post had. McGonagall however, hadn't and was similarly shocked.
She'd cast anti-cheating charms multiple times just to make sure he wasn't cheating somehow. With two powerful witches watching him closely, there was no feasible way he could have done that.
So that begged the question, how was he doing it? Was he just scribbling nonsense on the papers?
She didn't want to think about the alternative because it frightened her.
- Liam -
Turning in the last sheet of paper, he let out a moan of relief, stretching his limbs. The tests weren't as difficult as Hermione made them to be.
The most difficult aspect for him was actually writing his answers given how comprehensive the tests were. In the end, he chose to take Ancient Runes seeing as how Divination was pretty useless unless one was a seer.
Out of them all, it was the most challenging but he was sure he did pretty well in it. Hermione's notes helped as well.
As much as he wanted to conclude the practical part of the exams as well, it was already decided that it would be held the next day.
That was unfortunate.
The next day came quickly and he was once again apparated into Hogwarts by McGonagall who looked as stern as ever.
Once more, Griselda was supervising the practical aspects of the exams. His initial excitement over speeding through it had already died down.
Before he knew it, the day had come and gone.
He had pushed down the urge to use wandless magic. He was confident enough in his performance that he didn't need it to pass. The more skills he kept up his sleeve the better.
With the matter of O.W.L exams sorted out, he was free to go about other matters; one of which was purchasing a pensieve.
Why? Because he wanted one. He had the galleons to splurge so why not?
The collector in him was happy as he looked upon the stone construct. He was currently inside the magically expanded trunk.
With nothing to do, he'd spent the day rearranging and organizing the enchanted space to fit his wants.
The entrance of the trunk was in the area he'd designated as the living room which led into a wide hallway with multiple doors on either side.
Each door led to a different room such as the bedroom, a library which he had yet to properly fill, a room for potions, a storage room and a greenhouse.
The last one needed some work but it was getting there.
At the end of the hallway was a door that looked different from the others. Opening the door, he smiled as he was greeted with the sight of a large and open grassy field that seemed to go on endlessly.
Despite being inside the trunk, the sky looked no different from what would be found in the real world. Such was the power of atmospheric charms.
He'd gotten the inspiration from Newt Scammander's briefcase which basically held a whole magical zoo within it.
The fresh breeze felt even cleaner than the polluted air of Britain that he was accustomed to. Taking it in, he managed a small smile.
As much as he would enjoy staring at the sky some more, he had a goal in mind. Using portkeys was alright at first but after being a passenger of apparition from McGonagall so many times, he wanted to give it a try.
Hence, the need for an open field lest he find himself somewhere else in Britain.
'Destination, Deliberation and Determination…if I remember correctly, those are important to succeed properly.' He thought.
'Just in case, I have some healing potions in my pockets.' His pockets were magically extended to have as much space as a normal bag with a few cushioning charms to make sure the potion bottles didn't break against each other.
Hopefully he wouldn't be needing them.
- Mundungus Fletcher -
Moving through Diagon alley, he kept his footsteps light, ready to run at any given moment. The ministry had started sniffing around his business again.
That and Voldemort's followers were getting bolder.
After the last deal went south because the man was a bloody ministry worker. What was wrong in selling a cauldron in a marketplace? It's not like he was the one who stole, not this one at least.
He almost apparated when he saw someone's gaze latch onto him for more than a moment. He needed to disappear and lay low for a while.
Being in his line of business for so long, he knew the corners of diagon and Knockturn alley like the back of his hand. Slipping out of the crowd and into the corners was child's play.
There was a shopkeeper nearby who owed him a few favors. It was time to cash it out.
"You seem to be in a rush, don't you Fletcher?" A young voice said from behind him, causing him to spin instantly, wand in hand.
A boy stood there, hands up in mock surrender. There was nobody else around him, at least none that he could see.
"And who are you supposed to be, kid?" He ground out, lowering his wand, just barely.
"Just a guy hoping to buy some delicate items off your hands." The boy said.
Only then did he fully take in the boy's appearance. His clothes were neat and looked to be of high quality. His skin and features wouldn't look out of place among nobles.
Pureblood, he came to the conclusion. A rich one at that.
Immediately stashing his wand away, he faced him with a practiced smile. "Then in that case, you've come to the right wizard. I've got a number of items that would interest you. A potion to increase the power of your spells, a ring enchanted to make its wearer fall in love with yo-"
"What about a locket?" The boy said, interrupting him.
"Pardon?" He asked in confusion but apparently the boy wasn't done.
"You heard me, a locket. Has a little snake symbol on it. Something tells me you know where to find it." His blood froze.
Slytherin's locket, one of the many items he managed to…acquire from Sirius' place since his death. He hadn't tried to sell it yet but it was giving him a weird vibe.
Whoever this boy was, he was dangerous. Just before he could apparate away, pain erupted in his head, causing him to grab it frantically as he stumbled.
He barely saw the boy moving closer to him as his vision blurred and twisted. It was like a migraine but a million times worse.
Apparition was no longer an option, it required concentration and a clear mind, both of which were lost to him at the moment.
'Who is this kid?' Those were his last thoughts before he hit the dirt.
- Liam -
Of all the ways he could have lucked out, he didn't expect this. He'd been on his way to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink when he caught sight of Mundungus Fletcher, a con wizard and sleazy thief.
He was also the one who stole Slytherin's locket, one of Voldemort's horcruxes, from Sirius' mansion.
Mundungus wasn't exactly a powerful wizard, much less an occlumens. All it had taken was a probe with legilimens to peer into the man's mind to find what he needed.
Voldemort could torture people and twist their minds with magic, why couldn't he do the same, of course to a much lesser extent. Legilimens induced headache was hardly lethal but it bore fruit.
One of such fruits was the locket that was now tucked deep within his pocket. Appallingly, the man had it on his person.
With a sigh, he looked around the street he was currently treading, spotting a modest house that fit what he was looking for.
Walking up to the door, a wave of his hand disguised as an attempt to reach the handle cast the unlocking charm, a click ringing softly.
For all his avarice, Mundungus was a bit smarter than the average wizard. He stored his illegal items in a muggle neighborhood where no wizard or witch would possibly think to look.
Silence greeted him as he made his way into the house, locking the door behind him. He didn't spend time admiring the interior, going straight to the bedrooms where the items of interest were stored.
Pushing the bedroom door open, he whistled at the sheer amount of stolen antiques and dark artifacts that it contained.
'It's time to put my storage room to good use.' He thought, rubbing his palms together.