《Harry Potter And The Lord Of Darkness》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue

    It was the dead of night as an old man slowly walked across the crumbling asphalt road of Nocturne Street. The man wore a long pointed hat, resembling something that, one would imagine, an old wizard would wear. He was dressed in a similar fashion, a long blue robe that went from neck to toe and a long white beard to compliment it. His eyes would occasionally let off a twinkle as he watched his surroundings.


    Suddenly, a handsome young man stepped out of one of the houses and noticed the old man. The man immediately raised his hands and gave a greeting. The man was covered in sweat and shifting his eyes all over the place as if he was expecting to be attacked at any moment.


    "Dumbledore! Oh how I am glad to see you!"


    Dumbledore, the old man, raised an eyebrow. "You called me out here for a reason Maxwell, do tell me what it is so I am able to discern wether or not I may be of assistance."


    Maxwell let out a sigh.


    "My brother and his wife were killed, they got murdered by the death eaters within their own house."


    Dumbledore went pale.


    "That is dreadful news, I''m sorry to hear that. Is there any way I can lend some assistance?"


    Maxwell started to tremble. "There- There is indeed a way you can help us. Garren, he sent me his last message with his Patronus before he died."


    "What was it?"


    Maxwell took a deep breath. "They are looking for Lily and James."


    Dumbledore froze.


    "What?"


    "The Death Eaters are looking for the Potters. He didn''t have enough time to explain why."


    Dumbledore was silent for a moment before he speaking in a grave manner. "It seems I shall need to meet up with the Potters sometime tomorrow. But before I go, I must ask. What happened to their child?"


    Maxwell hesitated causing Dumbledore to frown.


    "We found him in a closet sleeping quietly. Marissa must''ve hidden him before. . . . What should I do Dumbledore? The boy doesn''t have a family anymore, I can''t just send him to an orphanage, he has my blood flowing through him!"


    "Then keep him, keep him as your child. Raise him instead of your brother." Dumbledore patted Maxwell on the shoulder before disappearing. "Become his new family, your brother would want that as well."


    Maxwell blankly stared at where Dumbledore had been only moments before before sighing. Once he held his head high, his face was filled with determination.


    He made his way back into his house. In the living room was his wife, Aria, holding a sleeping infant in her arms. There were tears still lingering on her eyelashes as she stared at the little boy with a sad smile. When she saw Maxwell enter the room, she gently got up.


    "What did he say Max? What did Dumbledore say?"


    "He is off to warn the Potters. They will be safe by tomorrow."


    "What about the baby? What did he say about poor Arthur?"


    Maxwell hesitated before reaching out and taking the little child away from Aria''s embrace. His eyes held pain and wrath but also warmth and love.


    "We will raise him in my brother''s stead."


    Aria went quiet before nodding her head.


    "We will raise him as his own, after all, we were already family before this right?"


    "Indeed," answered Maxwell with a sad smile. "Welcome to the family, Arthur Kingscrown."

 Chapter 1 - Lel, it’s another poll

    Ara Ara, by some magical force, (crossark) the chapters for this book have disappeared. So anyways, for those of you still reading this novel and are desperate to read Harry Potter fanfics, let us do a simple poll.


    1. Harry Potter fanfic that focuses on Harry, Ron, and Hermione


    2. Fanfic about Arth vs Tom Riddle (so basically Arth and Tom Riddle become fellow school rivals)


    3. Fanfic about Arth in James, Sirius, and Lupin''s time.

 Chapter 2 - Ten Years Later

    A boy about eleven years of age was sitting on top of a bed holding a book. His crimson eyes danced like fire as they read line after line and his lips curved downwards ever so slightly creating a small frown. His raven black hair would dance every time the oscillating fan faced his way.


    All around him were books of a variety of thickness. From thick ones to thin ones, hardcover to paperback, and books with pictures to empty journals. They spilled into his bed and covered his table. Even the light from the window was almost nearly blocked due to a stack a books.


    The boy had just about finished his book when a voice called his name from downstairs.


    "Arthur, breakfast is ready."


    The boy took no notice of the voice and proceeded to flip through the last few pages that remained in the book. Once he had finished, the boy placed the book on his bedside table and stretched his arms.


    "Arthur, your plate is getting cold."


    "Coming mom," said Arth as he got up from his bed and walked out the door.


    The house he was living in was a small but homely place. A living room, dining room, and kitchen with a master bedroom on the lower floor, two rooms, a bedroom and guest room, on the second floor. They had two bathrooms, one downstairs and one upstairs.


    It seemed like a normal house at first, however, the real magic was kept in the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    Arth poked his head through the kitchen door and searched for his mother. A pot of potato soup was stirring itself with a wooden spoon while a sponge was furiously washing the dishes in the sink. His mother was at the oven taking out a tray of bacon.


    "Good morning Mom."


    "Good morning Arthur, did you finish your book?"


    "Yes, it was quite interesting."


    His mother let out a smile before feeding him a strip of bacon. Arth excepted it without complaint.


    "Mmmm, this is good."


    "There is more for you to eat at the table," said his mother after waving her wand, causing the bacon strips to float onto a plate. "Can you do your mother a favor and call your Father up to eat? I swear he loves working more than he loves me."


    "Kay."


    Arth closed the door and made his way down to the bas.e.m.e.nt. He knocked thrice before entering. His bas.e.m.e.nt was unnaturally large when compared with the other rooms in the house. As a matter of fact, it was unnaturally large when compared with the entire house. It was as if someone had stretched the room to be bigger than it was.


    An cozy looking fireplace sat on the opposite side of the room, emerald flames flickering here and there. A bunch of maps decorated the walls of the room, with circles and arrows pointing from here and there. On the tables were newspapers of all sorts; New York Times, the Times, odd magazines, the Quibbler, and the daily prophet. At one of the tables was his father, calmly writing a letter.


    His father looked up from his letter and noticed Arth. He let loose a warm smile.


    "How''s it going Arth? Is it time for breakfast?"


    "Yep."


    "We better hurry up then before your mother gets angry then."


    "Less go Dad."


    The two of them headed up towards the dining room where lovely looking dishes decorated the table. The best part was the dishes were still hot.


    A faint steam could be seen rising from the bacon and sausages creating the illusion of a meal fresh out of the oven, causing both of their mouths to start watering.


    They sat down at their respective chairs and proceeded to dine. A few moments later, his mother joined the table. After the meal was about half done, his father spoke up, his mouth filled with eggs.


    "Are you excited Arth? Today''s is the big day. We bought all of your supplies already, didn''t we?"


    Arth gave a small nod.


    "I can still remember my first day as if it were only yesterday. You''ll love it there. Are you taking good care of the gift I gave you?"


    Arth nodded.


    "Be sure to take good care of it. Although it is currently in a fragile state, it will become your best friend later on."


    "Kay Dad."


    "That''s my boy."


    His mother gave Arth a warm smile. "Don''t be so nervous about leaving us, we''ll write to you every week. Plus, you''ll make a lot of friends so you won''t be lonely. There is a lot to discover there."


    "I''ve heard that Harry Potter will also be attending this year. Wish I could shake his hand once."


    "And make that poor little boy uncomfortable? Hah! You''ll be better off searching for Dark Wizards and Soviet spies."


    Arth quietly finished his plate and placed it in the sink before heading upstairs.


    He had learned very quickly from a young age that whenever his parents started bickering, passionate love would follow. Sure enough, when Arth reaches the stairs, he could hear the two of them laughing with joy.


    With a disgusted look etched onto his face, Arth ran up the stairs. He never wanted to make the same mistake of hearing his parents kiss each other ever again.


    Arth slowly entered his room and made his way to one of the corners. There, an inconspicuous basket covered in a thick blanket awaited him. He gently picked the basket up and made his way to the window.


    Arth placed all the books onto the floor and carefully laid the basket down before taking off the blanket.


    Between the many layers of cloth in the basket was a single black egg about five centimeters long. Wherever the light hit the egg, it would start to shimmer iridescently, leaving Arth wondering if the egg was black or dark blue.


    His father had found the egg during one of his searches in America. He had brought back the egg and gave it to Arth as a congratulatory gift for being accepted into the school.


    The school of witchcraft and wizardry. Hogwarts.

 Chapter 2 - 1965

    A man frowned as he stared at the horrific sight that laid in front of him. "Pogerly, are you getting all this?"


    "On the contrary Max..... I don''t think I can get rid of it. What ghastly monsters would do such a thing?"


    Max sighed before taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "Monsters in human skin I suppose, a new sort of dark spell.... that or a bad case of a manticore running wild."


    "I don''t believe that there is a manticore who can do this much damage, not to mention this sadistically."


    Max placed the lit cigarette in his mouth and took a big breath of smoke. "Damn, what a mood killer. It''s my daughter''s fifth birthday as well."


    "At least you get to go home and have cake, I have to go to another case after this one."


    Max silently observed the scene in front of him with a heavy look. The house, that once belonged to a pair of wizards, had been utterly demolished. Every window was shattered and decorated the floor in a painful pattern of reflected light. The white walls were painted in crimson red splatter as pieces of-


    Max averted his eyes as he felt a sickening urge well up in his stomach. He had seen a lot of things in his years, but this would rank in the top five for the cruelest.


    Max was about to take in another puff of smoke to calm his heart when Pogerly called from one of the rooms. "Oi, Max. There''s a kid in here. He is still breathing. God damn."


    Max hesitated before running into the room immediately. "By Merlins beard, they spared a child?"


    "Overlooked him more like it. The kid was hiding under the bed. They must''ve missed about him. Hell, I barely noticed him myself. Only discovered him after I stepped on his hand."


    Max stared down at the child who was hiding under the bed. It was a boy with raven hair and crimson red eyes. His face was blank and emotionless while his body lay still. The only sign of the boy being alive was the slight tremble in the boy''s hands. In fact, the boy reminded Max of a doll.


    "....what are we going to do with the boy? We can''t just leave him here.... and to place him in an orphanage after what the boy has gone through...." Pogerly said with a grin expression.


    Max hesitated before glancing back down at the boy. The boy had a striking resemblance to his now five year old daughter. In fact, while his daughter took after her mother, the boy eerily resembled him. Similar black hair with red eyes, similar face shape but a little bit thinner. This boy could''ve been his son.


    "Hey Pogerly."


    "What is it Max?"


    "The people who lived here before, they were wizards right?"


    "Yes, they were the Emrys. A very odd but young couple who came in to the ministry to register a couple of months back, no relatives from what they told me. They looked nothing like this boy though. The wife had red hair and the husband had brown. It might''ve been dyed though."


    Max hesitated as he stared into the emotionless eyes of the boy. The longer he stared, the more he was convinced on what to do.


    "Pogerly, you have friends in the familial laws office, don''t you?"


    "As a matter of fact, I do- wait. Don''t tell me that you are thinking about-"


    "I''ll adopt the boy." Said Max in a voice so determined that Pogerly knew that he would not change his mind. "He will need a wizarding family and a friend. To make matters even better, he is about the same age as my daughter, we will be able to send him to hogwarts together."


    "But Max, you barley even know the boy. What if he has relatives who want to take him in?"


    "You said it yourself, he doesn''t have relatives."


    "But Max, what about your wife? You can''t adopt a kid without her consent!"


    Max shrugged. "She will sympathize for the boy and agree to take him in within a heartbeat. You know how she is."


    "Max, the boy might have difficulties in adjusting."


    "It''s not something a little time can''t fix. And if he still has some trouble, the memory charm will help him."


    "We can''t just perform a memory charm on the boy-"


    "Actually, whether he is adopted by me or not, he will receive a memory charm. For the same if his health. What he has seen in here can''t be imagined by the rest of us."


    "...."


    "Pogerly, connect next with the familial law office. I''m not going to give the boy away so get me someone who will let me adopt the boy with no problem."


    "If.... if that is what you want then sure. I hope you don''t end up regretting your decision."


    "Don''t worry. I won''t."


    Pogerly sighed before tasing his wand. "Good enough for me, let''s get this damned job over with already. Appare vestigium!"


    Max covered the emotionless boy''s eyes as they watched the glimmering of gold as the scene replayed themselves right in front of their eyes.

 Chapter 3 - Corvus

    A Scarlett Steam engine whistled as a few students began to get on after saying their farewells.


    Arth stared at the cheerful and excited expressions all around him with a distant look while holding a basket in his arms.


    "Arthur, don''t forget to brush your teeth and shower everyday, okay?"


    "Mm."


    "I''ve prepared you and extra set of robes but if one of them ever get ripped, send an owl to me right away!"


    "Mmm."


    "The meals at Hogwarts are very well prepared, but if you feel homesick, don''t hesitate to ask and I''ll whip up a good meal for you-"


    "Honey, I think you are going overboard-"


    "Hah! Just because you don''t care about my son doesn''t mean I don''t!"


    "Oi, I love my son as well, I just think you are being paranoid-"


    "Maybe this was a bad idea and it would be better if we homeschooled him-"


    "Honey- HONEY! Calm down- a bit- Arth! Just head on to the train first- I''ll handle- your mother-"


    Arth gave a slight nod before heading off while rolling his trunk onto the train. His family, it seemed, had arrived at the station early and there were barely anyone was in the train. Arth glanced around the compartments before choosing one in the back. He didn''t want to be interrupted by an occasional head every minute.


    He placed his trunk in the corner of the compartment and placed his basket beside him before sitting down. He took out a book from his bag and started to read.


    The excited chittering from the surrounding students got louder and louder as time saw by. More heads popped in to see if the compartment was empty before leaving. Soon, the train let out a loud whistle before beginning to move.


    The door slid open and a girl entered.


    "Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked.


    "Mm."


    Arth, without looking up from his book, nodded his head and the girl sat down. The silence in the compartment continued as Arth read his book while the girl watched him.


    The girl was the first to break the silence.


    "You aren''t very social are you?"


    Arth simply ignored her and continued to read on.


    "Is the book that interesting? What is it about?"


    "Different species of wolves." Replied Arth without looking up.


    "Do they mention werewolves in that book?"


    "Page one hundred twenty six."


    "You have a good memory don''t you?"


    "Perhaps."


    "Why are you so antisocial? Is talking to people that horrible?"


    "Is it that hard to know when someone doesn''t want to talk?"


    The girl pouted before snatching Arth''s book away, causing him to raise an eyebrow. For the first time since she had arrived, he saw what the girl looked like.


    She had blonde hair and blue eyes that were filled with an energy that was waiting to burst. She wore a satisfied smirk on her face while holding Arth''s book teasingly against her chest.


    "There we go. You finally looked at me. It''s rude to not look at someone when talking."


    "Will you give me back my book?"


    "Hmmm, maybe I will? Maybe I won''t?"


    Arth sighed. "Fine, you win. Let''s talk."


    The girl let out a giggle before lending out her hand. "Daphne Greengrass, first year. A Pureblood."


    Arth reluctantly gave her his hand. "Arthur Kingscrown, first year. Pureblood."


    "Ooh! What a coincidence! I thought for sure you were a second or third year with how much you loved books! Can I call you Arth? Imma call you Arth. What house do you think you are going to be, Arth?"


    Arth furrowed his brows deep in thought.


    "My Dad was in Gryffindor while my Mom was in Ravenclaw, so I suppose I''ll be in one of those two."


    "You don''t have a preferred house?"


    "I don''t really care you see."


    "That''s nice," said Daphne with a look that clearly expressed that it was not nice. "I wanna be in Slytherin! Both my parents were also in Slytherin as well so I reckon I have a good chance."


    "Cool," replied Arth with a look that expressed his boredom. "Can I have my book now?"


    "Nope~"


    The door slid open and a smiling, dimpled woman asked them, "Anything off the cart, dears?"


    Arth shook hues head side to side quietly while Daphne eagerly approached the cart.


    "I''ll take a Chocolate Frog, a Bettie Bott''s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble''s Best


    Blowing Gum, and some Chocolate Frogs please."


    Arth saw Daphne hand the woman some silver Sickles before bringing back an entire assortment of treats to her seat. She noticed his lingering gaze on her and giggled.


    "Do you want a bite?"


    Arth shrugged. "Not really, I ate before coming here so I''m not that hungry."


    "Hmmm~" Daphne asked him teasingly, "are you sure~ I can give you a bite~"


    Arth rolled his eyes. "Just give me my book back."


    "No can do~"


    Arth sighed and was about to ask her again when her heard a crack. Arth frowned before immediately turning towards his basket. Daphne watched on while chewing a piece of gum.


    He quickly took off the warm blanket on top and observed the black egg. A very thin crack had appeared on the top of the egg.


    "What is it?" Asked Daphne seeming very interested in the egg. "It looks like an egg of some sorts, what kinda animal is it? And owl?"


    "I don''t know. My Dad brought it from America as a gift."


    "Ooh! It''s hatching."


    The two of them watched as the little black egg started to twitch and move. The fine cracks slowly grew bigger and distinct.


    Arth and Daphne held their breaths as waited, their heads side by side waiting for the egg to finally hatch.


    Crack.


    The eggshell had finally gave away and a small black beak pierced the shell. The beak was still for a moment before hiding back into the shell.


    "Hey Arth, what was that?" Asked Daphne with a quiet voice.


    "I dunno. It seemed like a raven to me."


    "Do you mean a crow?"


    "Whatever you want to call it."


    The bird peaked its beak out of the shell once more, causing the two of them to fall silent. With a cute little peep, the baby bird began to shove its head past the shell and into the outside world.


    The small fluffy black head of a bird was quiet for a moment before it chirped at Arth.


    "Oh my god! It''s adorable!"


    "It really is."


    "What are you going to name it, Arth?" Asked Daphne, unable to tear her gaze away from the bird.


    "Hmmm, I don''t really know," said Arth deep in thought. "How about Corvus?"

 Chapter 3 - Departure

    "Arthur! Where are you! Where the hell- We are going to be late!" Yelled Mr. Kingscrown with a slightly impatient tone. He stood at the front door while smoking a cigarette.


    A girl walked past Mr. Kingscrown. She glanced at Mr. Kingscrown before letting out a sigh. "Papa, Arth is already in the car."


    "Huh? What about his trunk?" Asked Mr. Kingscrown with a frown.


    "Mama loaded them into the trunk already," she replied while rolling her eyes.


    "Really? What about your trunk, Sweetie?"


    "Mama loaded mine as well."


    "Then who are we waiting for?"


    "You, Papa."


    Mr. Kingscrown hesitated as he tried to think of another sentence to say before letting out a defeated sigh. ".... get in the car sweetie. I''ll be right there."


    "Yes, papa," Alice nodded before making her way to the car. She opened the car door and sat down before turning her head to the side. "Arth, are you reading again?"


    A boy with black hair holding a book sat next to Alice. His startling ruby eyes would unwaveringly stare into the pages in front of him as he read line after line. An ever so small smile decorated his face like a refreshing breeze. Upon hearing Alice''s inquiry, Arth lazily lifted his head and gave her a wider, but still small, smile. "What does it look like to you?"


    Alice sighed before giving Arth a disbelieving stare. "I thought you finished reading all of your textbooks already? What else could you possibly read?"


    "It''s a simple matter of rereading books, Alice," said Arth with a shrug, "it refreshes your memory."


    "I''ll be surprised if you don''t end up in Ravenclaw. You''ve probably read more books than most of the students there."


    "I won''t be surprised when you don''t land up in Ravenclaw. You lack a few crucial aspects when it comes to wisdom."


    The two of them stared at each other for a good second before breaking into laughter.


    Suddenly, the door to the shotgun seat opened as Mrs. Kingscrown peeked her head in with a smile. "It looks like both of you are very excited to go to school. I remember when it was my first day stepping into hogwarts. I''ll never forget it."


    It was as if Arth was staring into an older version of Alice. His mother and Alice had the same golden hair and electric blue eyes.


    Mr. Kingscrown called from somewhere within the house. "Diana, darling. Have you seen where the car keys are? I can''t seem to find them."


    Mrs. Kingscrown sighed and gave Alice and Arth a wry smile before peeking her head back out of car. "Max! Just summon it for Merlin''s sake! You are a wizard!"


    "Thanks darling. Accio keys!"


    Mrs. Kingscrown let out a sigh. Very quickly, Mr. Kingscrown came with the keys in his hand. Mr. Kingscrown, just like his wife, seemed to reflect an older version of Arth. They had the same pitch black hair and scarlet red eyes. It was almost comical to consider that Arth and Mr. Kingscrown weren''t related.


    Mr. Kingscrown entered the key into the car and turned. The car let out a stuttering groan as its engine roared to life. They slowly exited the driveway and began to make their way to the station. Once they had arrived, Mr. Kingscrown unloaded their trunks and placed them into carts. While Mr. Kingscrown searched for a place to park, Mrs. Kingscrown led Alice and Arth to platforms nine and ten.


    "Alice, Arth. Be careful. Kings cross is filled with muggles this time of the year and they are always in a rush."


    "Where is the train, mother?" Asked Alice with sparkling eyes. "Where is the Hogwarts Express?"


    Arth furrowed his brows. "I think we have to get past a magical barrier. It prevents muggles from accidentally boarding our train."


    Mrs. Kingscrown gave a soft smile before pointing at the barrier in between platforms nine and ten. "Listen carefully. All you have to do is run into that barrier. Don''t stop and don''t be scared you''ll crash into it, otherwise, you will. If you feel a bit nervous, you can always start off with a run. The next thing you know, you will be at Platform Nine and Three Quarters."


    Arth and Alice nodded, soaking in Mrs. Kingscrown''s advice before slowly pushing their carts towards the barrier.


    "Ladies first?"


    "Just go Arth. Stop being a wimp."


    "As you wish my lady."


    Arth grabbed his trolley and burst into a run as he quickly made his way to the barrier. The world quickly went black for an instant before the world erupted into color. In front of him was a scarlet steam train and a sign that read Hogwarts Express, Eleven O''Clock.


    "Wow," said Arth as he marveled at the scene before his eyes.


    "It''s just as I imagined." Whispered Alice, who had just crossed the barrier.


    Mr. Kingscrown and Mrs. Kingscrown entered through the barrier together and watched Alice and Arth with warm smiles.


    "Alice, it''s always good to be eager to learn. Don''t forget that."


    "Yes mama."


    "Arth, take good care of your sister."


    "I will."


    "Don''t forget time brush and wash everyday, the both of you."


    "And finish your homework on time. It will help you, I promise."


    Alice and Arth nodded their heads before grabbing their trunks and carrying them onto the train. They quickly found an empty compartment and set down their bags before opening the window. As Arth searches for his parents, the train let out a loud whistle, signaling its eventual departure.


    Then, he found them. They were waving from afar, blocked off by a crowd of people who were also trying to say their last goodbyes and farewells.


    Arth and Alice waved until their parents had disappeared into the crowd. After a minute of trying to relocate them, Arth gave up and sat back down.


    "Arth," said Alice with an excited smile that had permanently attached itself to her face. "We are finally going. We are finally going to hogwarts!"


    Arth nodded his head. "Indeed, indeed we are."


    The train gave a lurch as it finally started to move.

 Chapter 4 - Hogwarts

    Arth and Daphne were playing with the baby raven they decided to call Corvus when there was a knock on the door of their compartment and the a round-faced boy came in. He looked tearful.


    "Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"


    Arth ignored the boy and continued to play with baby Corvus who was rubbing its head onto Arth''s finger while Daphne shook her head.


    The boy started to wail, "I''ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"


    "Put him in a cage." Said Daphne before joining Arth in ignoring the boy who left sadly. It was only moments before the door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.


    "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville''s lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.


    Daphne frowned. "You two are really rude you know? We already told him that we never saw it."


    The other girl raised an eyebrow. "I think it''s ruder to not help someone when they need it."


    Daphne scoffed. "Are you being serious? Arth, did you hear all that? Tell her how ridiculous she is being."


    Arth sighed. "Check the bathrooms, roads like moist places."


    Neville let out a bright grin. "Thanks! I''ll go check them at once," he said before immediately dashing off. The girl and Daphne exchanged glares before the girl left to follow Neville.


    Daphne gave Arth a pat on the back.


    "Good job getting rid of them. Although, it would''ve been better if you were a little more aggressive."


    "Why do I have to be more aggressive? It''s such a pointless thing to get angry over."


    "Because, the girl is annoying."


    "Why?"


    "Cause she is."


    Arth shrugged. "If you say so."


    A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes'' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."


    Arth raised a brow.


    "I guess we should change into our robes then."


    "Hmmm, that would be a good idea- W-what are you doing?"


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    Daphne pointed at Arth, who was beginning to take off his clothes in order to wear his robes.


    "H-how could you change clothes so brazenly in the company of a girl? Do you have no shame?"


    Arth frowned. "I''m just taking off my outer layers and putting on a robe, how is that shameful?"


    "I-it just is." Daphne said embarrassed for overreacting.


    Arth sighed before picking up the happily chirping Corvus. "Imma go out now. You can change by yourself if you are that embarrassed. See you later."


    Before Daphne could say another world. Arth opened the door and walked out before quickly shutting it.


    As he walked through the hallway, Corvus peeped cutely before snuggling into his arms. Arth didn''t know what kind of Raven Corvus was, it was too fluffy for a recently born baby bird. Most of the time, the baby bird would look ugly and wet. The black egg was also something unique, for he had never heard of a completely black egg before.


    Corvus peeped and poked its head out of Arth''s embrace before hiding once more. Arth couldn''t help but smile. The little bird was just too cute.


    "Ah, Arth! There you are!" Daphne had caught up to him while wearing her black robes. "I didn''t know you were capable of smiling but it seems like you are."


    "Whatever."


    The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Corvus shivered in the cold night air and submerged into Arth''s arms. Seeing this, Arth placed Corvus in his bag that was lined with blankets. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, "Firs'' years! Firs'' years


    over here!"


    A big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.


    "C''mon, follow me -- any more firs'' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'' years follow me!"


    They followed the man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. All was silent until it was broken by the big man.


    "Ye'' all get yer firs'' sight o'' Hogwarts in a sec," the big man said over his shoulder, "jus'' round this bend here."


    There was a loud "Oooooh!"


    The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Almost all of the windows on the castle were lit while the lake reflected the starry sky on top of its black lake with near perfection.


    "No more''n four to a boat!" The man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Arth chose a boat and sat down, Daphne following close behind him. "Everyone in?" shouted the man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"


    And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.


    "Heads down!" yelled the man as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried


    along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.


    Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after the man''s lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.


    They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.


    "Everyone here?" The man raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

 Chapter 4 - Does it really matter?

    "Anything from the trolly?"


    Alice hesitated before giving a glance at Arth. "Hey Arth."


    "Mmm?"


    "Did you bring any gold?"


    "I have a couple of Galleons, what do you wanna buy?"


    "Hmmmm, grab the whole lot. We will save the remainder for later."


    Arth paid the lady a Galleon and in turn received silver and bronze coins as change. He then grabbed a few packs of everything.


    Alice immediately picked up a pack of Bertie Bott''s Every Flavor Beans before giving Arth a smirk.


    "Hey Arth. Wanna play a game."


    Arth''s face immediately contorted into that of disgust. "I thought we swore to never eat one of those ever again."


    "A new beginning means a fresh start. Come on Arth, it won''t hurt. Or are you scared?"


    Arth sighed before holding up a hand. "Hurry up then, pass me one. I can''t wait to see you cry again."


    Alice rummaged around the box until she found a satisfactory bean before tossing it to Arth.


    Arth caught it and gave it a quick glance. Before popping it into his mouth. "Meh, salt flavored. Not bad but not good either. It''s your turn now Alice, pass me the box."


    Arth caught the box and quickly pulled out a greenish brownish bean. He passed the bean to Alice who caught and quickly ate it.


    She savored the taste for a moment before giving Arth a triumphant look. "Beef Broccoli. Very good."


    They continued to pass the box back and forth and throw each other beans as they made a multitude of faces ranging from ecstatic to horror.


    Suddenly, Arth heard a loud yell from the compartment right across. "Take that back!"


    "I won''t! Slytherin is a house filled with disgusting idiots like you who likes to play around with dark magic!"


    Arth gave Alice a smirk. "Two Galleons that the people fighting are first years like us."


    Alice hesitated. "I''m not taking such a stupid bet-"


    "I''ll help you with homework for the entire year if I lose."


    "Deal."


    Arth smirked before making his way to opposite compartment. He opened the door and gave a peek.


    There where three boys and a girl, one boy was watching from the sidelines lazily as the other two yelled at each other. The girl had red hair and was holding back one of the boys and preventing things from taking a bad turn.


    The moment Arth popped in his head, the boy with black disheveled hair and glasses, the one who was yelling, scowled. "Who are you and who said you could come in?"


    Arth ignored the arrogant glasses boy and turned to the handsome boy with shoulder length hair in the corner. "Hey you in the corner. Is the boy next to you a first year?"


    "Yep," nodded the boy, "We all are."


    "Sweet," said Arth with a grin before tossing his head back. "Oi, Alice. You owe me two Galleons."


    "Damn! I knew I shouldn''t have taken the bet."


    "Pay me later ok?"


    "Oi, don''t ignore me!" The glasses boy shoved Arth onto the wall of the compartment when someone yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" And a jet of white light came flying and smacked the boy in the face. The boy fell onto the floor like a stiff board and lied there unmoving.


    Alice came into the compartment and gave the boy a snarl. "Get your hands off my brother you arrogant prick."


    Arth sighed and massaged his collarbone before lightly tapping his sister on the head. "Calm down Alice. Violence is never the solution. But that was a really nice curse. I approve."


    Alice huffed, "he should be glad that mama only taught me the full body bind curse. Otherwise, I would''ve used something worse."


    The red haired girl and the boy she was holding back slowly sat back down with wide eyes while the lazy boy let out a wide laughter. "James, man, you ok?"


    James, the boy with glasses on the floor, wildly moved his eyes but did nothing else. Arth sighed before taking out his wand. "Let''s see here.... the way to cure a body bind was.... Reparifors?"


    A stream of purple light washed over James as he immediately came to life. James scowled and gave Alice a wary look before nodding at Arth. "Thanks, and sorry for pushing you. I''m James Potter."


    Arth waved it off with a smile. "It''s nothing,


    my name is Arthur Kingscrown, but you can call me Arth. The one who cursed you is Alice, my sister. We are both first years."


    "I''m Sirius Black," said the lazy looking boy while raising his eyebrow. "You two related?"


    Arth nodded. "We are paternal twins. I take after our father while Alice takes after our mother."


    Sirius squinted his eyes as he analyzed Arth''s and Alice''s faces. "I guess you do look similar."


    Alice turned her head towards the red head and remaining boy. "What are your names? You two have been so silent until now."


    The girl was the first one to speak up. "I-I''m Lily Evans.... nice to meet you?"


    "Hello Lily," replied Alice with a warm smile before turning her gaze to the last remaining boy. "And you?"


    "Snape. Severus Snape."


    (A/N: DUMBLEDORE!!!!! *only a few of you guys will get this.)


    "No wonder he wants to be a Slytherin," said James mockingly. "His name is similar to Snake."


    "Shut up Potter. Before I make your tongue resemble a foot long rat tail."


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly started this entire argument? House disputes when you haven''t even been sorted yet?"


    James let out a snort. "Slytherin is a house filled with rats. They stick their noses into dark magic and are evil to the core."


    "To be fair, we had a fair share of good non-dark magic using wizards from Slytherin. There was Callahan McFury, the guy who established the first wizarding orphanage, Salanda Sleeter, first witch to tame a dragon, and Luke Vendit, known for for dueling Grindelwald and surviving."


    "Wasn''t he brutally maimed and barely escaped?"


    "He still survived. Something not a lot of people could accomplish."


    Snape gave a smug grin and towards James. "What did I tell you? Slytherin is superior to you idiotic Gryffindors-"


    "I wouldn''t call Gryffindors dumb," Arth immediately interjected. "Although Gryffindors come off as reckless, they can be quite smart when they want to. Albus Dumbledore is an irrefutable example. He alone has discovered many things in the wizarding world."


    James and Snape narrowed their eyes in confusion before simultaneously yelling, "Which side are you on then? What is the best house?"


    Arth just shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

 Chapter 5 - Sorting

    The door slowly opened with an ominous croak. A tall, black-haired witch in scarlet-red robes stood there.


    "The firs'' years, Professor McGonagall," said the big man giving her a nod.


    "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide as Hagrid, the big man walked away. The entrance hall was grand and majestic. The stone walls were lit


    with flaming torches, the ceiling seemed to go on forever, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.


    They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They passed a door before entering into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.


    "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."


    "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."


    "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."


    Her eyes lingered on each student for a moment, as if she was attempting to identify the parts that weren''t satisfactory.


    "I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."


    The moment she left the chamber, a drawling voice called out. "It''s true then, what they''re saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."


    A blonde boy walked out of the crowd and faced a black haired boy with glasses. On his face was a snobbish smirk. Two other boys also walked to the sides of the boy. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.


    Daphne leaned over to Arth. "It looks like drama is about to happen."


    "Mmm."


    "This is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, "And my name''s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."


    A red haired boy gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.


    "Think my name''s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."


    "Ooh!" Daphne whispered to Arth, "this is getting intense."


    "Mmm."


    Malfoy turned back to the boy with glasses, who must''ve been Harry. "You''ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don''t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."


    He held out his hand to shake Harry''s, but Harry didn''t take it.


    "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.


    Draco Malfoy didn''t go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.


    "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony''s about to start."


    "That was super intense! We''re you watching that, Arth?"


    "Mmm," replied Arth, who was to busy playing with Corvus who found a new hobby of playing with a loose string that dangled from Arth''s bag.


    "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."


    They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.


    These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight.


    A velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.


    "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History," someone said, however, Arth didn''t care enough to notice who did.


    Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard''s hat.


    For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing.


    Arth noticed that Corvus was feeling a bit hot and took him out of his pocket and placed Corvus onto his head.


    The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.


    Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.


    "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"


    A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down.


    "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.


    The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.


    "Bones, Susan!"


    "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.


    "Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW!"


    The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.


    " Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.


    "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.


    "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!"


    "Finnigan, Seamus," "Gryffindor."


    "Granger, Hermione!"


    Arth noticed the brown haired girl who was looking for Neville''s toad almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.


    "Greengrass, Daphne."


    Daphne gave Arth a nervous grin before standing up and heading towards the hat. She placed the hat on her head and waited. A few seconds later the hat screamed "Slytherin!" And Daphne took the hat off with a relieved expression. As she made her way towards the Slytherin table, she whispered into Arth''s ear.


    "I hope you will join me in Slytherin."


    "Kingscrown, Arthur."


    Arth calmly dropped his bag onto the floor and placed Corvus on top, before making his way to the hat. As he walked up and put on the hat, his eye met a old man with a silvery long beard. He saw, for a split second, pity and sadness.


    The hat immediately began talking to Arth the moment he put it on.


    "Interesting, very interesting. You have great courage and great confidence. You also have a desire to prove, however, your desire to learn out performs them all. In that case, you better be- RAVENCLAW!"


    Arth took the hat off and placed it onto the chair as the Ravenclaw table exploded into cheers.


    He picked up his bag, placed Corvus onto his head once more before heading to the Ravenclaw table. From the Slytherin table, he could see that Daphne had on a disappointed look.


    Arth sat down and took out a book from his bag, as the remaining first years were sorted into their houses.

 Chapter 5 - Hogwarts

    Arth yawned as he observed the lake scenery with a half mildly interested and half sleepy gaze. It was as if the entirety of the night sky had settled into the waters below them. The glass like surface would only break due to the ripples from the boats and on occasional tentacle. All Arth wanted to do was lay down and enjoy the view.


    "Look Arth! Did you see that! I think it was a giant squid!"


    "Mmm."


    Alice on the other hand, was moving about the boat, trying to absorb everything into the electric blue eyes.


    "C-can you not shake the boat too much?" Pleaded Lily. "Severus looks like he is sick."


    "I-I''m perfectly... uhhhg."


    "You should have Severus lie down. It helps with motion sickness," replied Arth nonchalantly. "I wonder if we are allowed to go swim in the lake during our free time."


    "W-why the hell would y-you want to swim h-here.... uhhhhhhhggg."


    "Cause I want to," replied Arth while rolling his eyes. "And if you want to avoid hurling in the boat, either stay quiet or lean on the outer edge."


    Alice and Arth were joined by Lily and Severus on their boat. A big hairy man had told them earlier that they should ride the boat in groups of four and the result ended in Lily asking them to take her and Severus in. Alice, being the person she was, accepted them with open arms.


    James and Sirius on the other hand, went off to find another group to sail with.


    After a few seconds, they had reached the cliff where the castle of Hogwarts stood and the big man yelled out to them once more. "Watch yer heads!"


    Arth might''ve listened to the man if he wasn''t distracted by the sheer sight of the school. The castle itself was large, he could see many spiral towers reaching into the sky and a thousand yellow windows the interior of the school in a warm yellow. It had been strategically built on top of a vertical island cliff that was about a hundred meters high and the only way to get in was through the bridge on the other side.


    Arth''s view was covered as a curtain of vines covered his face and they entered through a small cavern inside the cliff. After a few more moments of traversing through the long cavern, they came across a underground harbor. Arth was the first to climb out and immediately turned around to help Alice down as well. Next, he helped Severus, who was still feeling a bit sick and finally Lily.


    The big man waited for everyone to get off the boats before leading them up a flight of stone steps and knocked on a huge oak door.


    After a few moments, the door swung open and a a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. Although the vestiges of time has not left a mark on her face, she had the look of a very stern professor.


    "I have brought the firs'' years, Professor McGonagall," said the big man.


    "Thank you, Hagrid. You may leave now. Your work here is done." Professor McGonagall pulled the door wide and let the crowd of students into the castle. The interior of the castle was just as grand as its outside. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. All around them at random intervals were rusty but intimidating suits of armor standing alert.


    They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor and into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.


    "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "You will soon be sorted into your houses. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own fantastic history and each has produced powerful witches and wizards. Triumphs will earn your house points, while rulebreaking will lose them. The house with the most points is awarded the house cup at the end of the year. I hope each of you will bring glory to whichever house you end up."


    The professor paused for a moment before continuing her speech.


    "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can unless you wish to embarrass yourself in front of the entire school. Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."


    They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Above their heads, the ceiling was enchanted into a velvety black dotted with stars. It was as if the night sky was contained within the rooms


    Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put an old pointed wizard''s hat. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing.


    After the first few verses, Arth decided it was better to block out the song entirely and pulled out a book and started to read.

 Chapter 6 - Ravenclaw Common Room

    "Ravenclaws, follow me! The dormitories are this way," said Robert Hilliard, the Ravenclaw prefect, as he led the first years to the common room. "The Ravenclaw common room is very simple to find you see," said Robert with a friendly grin, "All you need to do is remember where the Ravenclaw tower is, and that, is a very hard thing to forget."


    "Unless you lose your way while heading towards the tower," said Penelope Clearwater, the female prefect of Ravenclaw. "But that''s ok, just call for one of the ghosts, they''ll be happy to help."


    They walked up a spiral staircase located on the fifth floor and continued until they saw a door without a doorknob or keyhole. Instead, a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle decorated the center of the door. A cold female voice called out the moment Robert stepped in front of the door.


    "Of the three colors, red, green, and blue, what would provide the brightest hue?"


    Robert have a grin.


    "As you can see, we Ravenclaws do not use a password to enter our common room. Instead we need to answer a riddle or question. Also, don''t worry when someone else gives a different answer than you. There is never only one answer, as long as it makes sense you''ll be let in."


    One of the boys raised his hand.


    "Yes? What is it- er- Terry?"


    "Yes, um, what happens if we can''t answer the riddle?"


    Robert smiled even more at the question and answered eagerly. "Well you have to wait until someone who can arrives. You learn that way you see."


    Robert looked around at the students. "So anyone wanna give the question a go?"


    There was dead silence as each and every first year hesitated to take up the challenge. Robert let out a knowing smile.


    "It''s ok, I was like you all my first year at Hogwarts, shy and inexperienced, you all will soon get used to it."


    Penelope gave them all a warm grin before nodding her head in agreement, "Robert has a point, you all will learn many things at Hogwarts. Anyways, let''s go in shall we? The answer is-"


    "The colors blue, red, and green can hold a multitude of hues making it difficult to see which one is the brightest, however, when mixing all three colors together, you shall receive white, which undoubtedly is the lightest."


    "Well reasoned."


    The two prefects and the remainder of the first years stared dumbfounded as a black haired boy with a listless expression and a black bird opened the door and headed in.


    "Who. . . . Was that?" Asked Robert with a confused grin etched on his face.


    All the first years slowly shook their head. They all entered through the door and found the boy standing listlessly in the middle of the room.


    The Ravenclaw Common Room was a very airy room. It was a wide, circular room and graceful arched windows that punctuated the walls. Blue and bronze silks hung from the ceilings and walls while a midnight blue carpet covered in stars decorated the floor in a ring shape, which was also reflected onto the domed ceiling. The room was furnished with blue tables, chairs, and a divan. Next to the door leading up to the dormitories stands a tall statue of a lady made of white marble.


    The sound of wind whistling around the windows of the tower hummed in a soft and gentle tune and portraits of famous Ravenclaws covered the walls.


    There was a small library located in a niche within the common room, and for its modest size, held quite the number of books.


    "You there- first year boy-"


    Arth slightly tilted his head as Robert, Penelope, and the remainder of first years caught up to him.


    "Mm?"


    Penelope lent a hand towards Arth. "Nice to meet you first year, what''s your name?"


    "Arthur," he replied before observing the common room once more.


    "You seem to be pretty smart, it''s nice to have you Arth," said Robert with a grin.


    "Mm."


    Robert gave Arth a look before facing the remaining first years.


    "Welcome to the Ravenclaw common room. Dormitories are upstairs, girls to the left, boys to the right. All the books you see on the shelves are yours for the taking, unless someone else has already claimed it. Meet up at seven thirty tomorrow in the morning at the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick will provide you all your schedules. Until then, have a good nights sleep and don''t stay up to late."


    Robert nodded his head at the first years before heading upstairs. Penelope did the same after waving goodbye.


    The girls headed up to the dormitories first while the boys quietly stared at each other. The boy called Terry was the first to break the silence.


    "Hey guys, I''m Terry."


    "You can call me Micheal."


    "I''m Anthony."


    "I go by Oliver."


    Terry called out to Arth. "You said you were Arthur right? Nice job on solving the riddle, I was clueless on what the answer was."


    Arth nodded barley paying attention to his words.


    Terry noticed this and frowned before facing the other boys.


    "What are you guys planning on doing?"


    Michael yawned. "I''m feeling kinda sleepy. Might hit the bed."


    "Same, I''m tired as house elf."


    "I haven''t slept since yesterday, was too excited to sleep."


    "What about you," asked Micheal, glancing at Arth, "What are you going to do Arth?"


    Arth glanced at the small bookshelf.


    "Read."


    Michael gave Arth an unpleasant look, "Have fun then. Oi, let''s go check out the beds."


    "Sure, let''s leave him alone. It seems like he doesn''t want to talk to us anyways."


    The boys sent frowns towards Arth before heading up the stairs. Arth ignored their unfriendly actions and proceeded to check out the library. He soon found out that many of the books there were books that he had never read before.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Arth pulled out a book and sat down at one of the tables. He turned on a lamp and started to read quietly, all the while Corvus quietly slept on his head.

 Chapter 6 - Sorting

    "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," the professor said before starting list a bunch of names. He would watch as students walked up to the stool and placed the hat on their heads.


    "Black, Sirius."


    "GRYFFINDOR!"


    Arth raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the lazy boy that they had met on the train had entered Gryffindor. This was surprising as the house of Black usually consisted of Slytherins and pure blood fanatics.


    "GRYFFINDOR!"


    "RAVENCLAW!"


    "SLYTHERIN!"


    "HUFFLEPUFF!"


    After being sorted, the students would go to their respective tables.


    "Evans, Lily."


    Lily nervously walked up towards the stool and placed the hat on her head.


    There was a brief moment of silence that dragged on for a minute or two when the hat suddenly screamed. "GRYFFINDOR!"


    The table second from the right exploded in lot cheers as Lily was accepted into the table. And after a few minutes, it was time for Alice''s sorting.


    "Kingscrown, Alice."


    Alice confidently walked up to the stool and threw the hat on her head which immediately screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"


    Knowing that he was immediately next, Arth stood up and made his way to the stool even before Professor McGonagall had called out his name.


    "Kingscrown, Arthur-"


    Arth sat down and placed the hat on his head. He waited for a good solid three minutes before he started to hear an odd voice in his ear.


    "Hmmm? I didn''t notice that you had put me on. Interesting. Oh well. Let''s ee where you belong..... ahhhh, very difficult. Very difficult indeed. You have a brilliant mind but an equally strong heart as well. You would flourish in Ravenclaw but..... Gryffindor would suit you just as well.... tell me boy, do you have a preference in where you wish to go?"


    "Put me anywhere. I don''t honestly care."


    "Difficult..... very difficult...."


    Arth sighed before taking out a small book out from his pockets and started to read.


    "You have such a good mind.... you thirst for knowledge and you wish to seek thrill. You would fight bravely to the bitter end yet you also believe in knowledge''s superiority."


    Arth flipped a page.


    "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... please do tell me if you want to go anywhere. This is very difficult on me as well."


    Arth rolled his eyes. "Then put me in the same house as my sister-"


    "GRYFFINDOR!"


    There was a burst of applause and laughter as Arth snapped his book shut and placed the hat back on the stool.


    When Arth sat down next to Alice, one of the older kids patted him on the back and called him a Hatstall of over nine minutes, which was apparently a new record.


    "Hey Arth, we are in the same house. I knew it." Said Alice. "We are twins after all. We have to be in the same house. Don''t we?"


    "Mmm."


    "But you sure took a long time to be sorted." She smirked, "Was the hat debating on whether to place you in Ravenclaw?"


    "Yep."


    "Makes sense, I mean, you were reading a book as you waited to be sorted. That was the most Ravenclaw thing I have yet to see.... I wonder why the hat placed you in Gryffindor?"


    "I wanted to be with you." Said with a teasing grin. "I can''t let my little sister be all alone in her new school can I?"


    "What do you mean little sister? You are my little brother." Alice scowled. "I''m way taller than you, so I must''ve been first."


    "Girls grow faster than boys in the early stages of adolescence."


    "Sounds like you are using science as an excuse for your short height."


    ".... I won''t help you with your homework."


    "Kek!"


    While Arth and Alice were bickering, it seemed that the sorting hat had enough of hesitating on where to place students as after Arth had been sorted, no other student passed the ten second mark.


    "Lupin, Remus."


    "GRYFFINDOR!"


    "Pettigrew, Peter."


    "SLYTHERIN!"


    "Potter, James."


    "GRYFFINDOR!"


    Soon, every first year had been sorted and Professor McGonagall whisked away the hat and stool. An old man with a long white beard stepped forward and gave everyone a smile. The old man had a crooked nose, that seemed to have been broken at least once in the old man''s lifetime, and a twinkle in his eyes that ever so slightly revealed the incredible magical prowess the man held.


    It was Albus Dumbledore, the wizard who had defeated the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald .


    "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"


    "What a weirdo," said Alice while giggling as the plates in front of them magically filled up. "He seems like a fun person. What do those words even mean?"


    Arth scooped a ball of mashed potatoes and gravy before answering Alice.


    "Ravenclaws will think of those not selected for membership in their select group as "nitwits" or dummies. Gryffindors sees the other houses as less physically bold or courageous or "blubber". To a Slytherin is any witch or wizard born with insufficient purity, an insufficiency that makes them an "oddment" of less, even no value. Hufflepuffs are humble people and believe that the other houses need to be "tweeked" or adjusted to find their virtues."


    Arth paused and furrowed his brows. "Or at least, that''s what I think his words meant. Can''t really think of anything else."


    "....you really should be in Ravenclaw."


    "Maybe I should." Said Arth with a shrug. "Pass me the turkey legs wont you? I heard from dad that the turkey legs are absolutely delicious."

 Chapter 7 - Schedules

    Arth yawned and closed the book he was reading before placing it onto the desk. He stretched out his arms and let out a muffled groan. He glanced at the clock and yawned.


    He had spent the entire night reading and had finished about two books. Three, counting the one he had started reading on the train.


    It was seven o''clock and the sun was just about rising above the lake and mountains, painting the entire sky a warm mixture of orange and blue.


    Arth realized how beautiful the view was and got entranced. He could see almost everything, from the Great Lake and mountains, to the Forbidden Forests and the fields.


    Arth gently grabbed the sleeping Corvus and nudged him around in his palm to see if it would wake up.


    Corvus let out a sleepy indignant peep causing Arth to laugh. He placed Corvus onto his pocket and Corvus happily snuggled in, falling into a deeper sleep.


    Arth picked up his bag before making his way down to the Great Hall. Barely anyone was awake as Arth headed down and it was mostly quiet. Overall, the atmosphere seemed to be calming and fresh, something Arth enjoyed.


    As he got closer to the Hall, a delightful smell tickled his nose. Breakfast had already been set on top of the tables and a few older students were already eating.


    Arth sat down at the Ravenclaw table all alone and took out a book. He read as he patiently consumed his meal, occasionally sipping his mug of coffee that he had acquired.


    Soon, a voice called out to him and Arth turned around to see who it was. A small man holding a bunch of papers stared back at him.


    "Are you a first year?"


    Arth nodded.


    "Good! My name is Professor Flitwick, the house head of Ravenclaw, pleasure to meet you. What is your name?"


    "Arthur."


    "Ahah! Here is your schedule! See you after breakfast!"


    Professor Flitwick hurried off to find the other first years and took a look at his schedule. He was apparently in Group A, and would have Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, then a double block of Transfiguration.


    As Arth looked over his schedule, he noticed that the other Ravenclaw boys had arrived. When his eyes met with theirs, they sent him a frown before sitting somewhere further down the table.


    Arth paid no attention to it and began reading once more. Just as he was about to flip the page, he felt someone tap his back.


    "Good morning Arth, had a good nights sleep?" It was Daphne wearing her black robes with a bright smile. "Why are you sitting separately from the other Ravenclaws? Did you get in a fight already."


    Arth turned back toward his book. "I didn''t, they are just like that."


    Daphne raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "You wanna come over to the Slytherin table?"


    "Is that even allowed?"


    "As long as we don''t make a fuss about it."


    Arth sighed before grabbing his mug and book and followed Daphne to the Slytherin table. He sat down and resumed reading.


    "You really do like reading don''t you?"


    "It''s interesting."


    "I find them boring. Talking is better."


    "People have different attitudes for different things."


    "Meh, there you go sounding antisocial and smart again. Maybe I should call you book brain."


    "Do what you want."


    "Tch," Daphne clicked her tongue as she started to eat. "Stop being so apathetic and talk to me already. I''m going to steal your book again."


    Arth sighed and put away his book, causing Daphne to brighten up.


    "There we go! Now we can finally talk like human people. Did you get your class schedules yet?"


    Arth nodded and took out his schedule.


    "Ooh! You''re in Group A as well? I''m also in Group A! It must mean we are going to share classes."


    Before Arth could reply, a cold drawling voice called out to them.


    "Who are you talking to? He doesn''t look like a Slytherin to me."


    Draco Malfoy and his goons had approached the two of them and were currently sneering at Arth.


    "Who is this? I don''t recall seeing him."


    Daphne stood up and scoffed at Draco.


    "His name is Arthur, he is a first year like us."


    Draco scowled, "He isn''t a Slytherin, so why is he sitting her? Did you invite him Greengrass?"


    Daphne glared back. "And what if I did?"


    "Why would you invite someone like him here? He is either an idiotic Gryffindor, useless Hufflepuff, or a bookworm Ravenclaw. He might even be a mudblood or halfbreed. Stop talking to him Greengrass, you have better people to talk to.


    Daphne glared at Draco with angry eyes. "Arth is a Pureblood and don''t think you can tell me what to do just because you father has money. I can talk to whoever I want."


    Draco scowled.


    "Watch your tone Greengrass, I don''t want to brand you as a traitor already for siding with a person outside of Slytherin."


    "So talking to people is traitorous? Then I guess you are a traitor as well, since you talked to Harry Potter yesterday."


    Draco and Daphne glared at each other before Draco snarled. "Crabbe, Goyle, we''re leaving. Leave Greengrass and her boyfriend alone."


    Daphne sat down with a frown and started to furiously tear into a piece of sausage. Arth couldn''t help but smirk.


    "Why the long face? Did you fight with your house mates already?"


    "Shut up Arth."


    "Sigh, so much drama already and it''s only morning. I wonder if I''ll ever get my peace and quiet."


    Daphne started pouting and started to mutilate her sausage at a higher pace, causing a small grin to appear on Arth''s face.


    Daphne continued this for a while.


    "I don''t like that Malfoy."


    "Mhm, I could tell."


    "He acts so arrogant every time we meet. It''s like he think he is superior than me."


    "He does seem a bit arrogant."


    "He thinks he can boss me around, a Pureblood like him. Hah! I hope he gets cursed someday."


    "You should curse him, I''ll help you find one."


    Daphne sent an exasperated glare towards Arth. "Why are you so talkative when I''m angry?"


    "Cause it''s interesting?"


    "Cursing people is interesting?"


    "I have to say it''s an interesting topic," Arth glanced at the clock and got up. "I''ll head out first, see you in class."


    "Hey- HEY! Arth! Wait-"


    Arth walked away while he fed Corvus nuts he had snatched from the breakfast table.

 Chapter 7 - The Halloween Feast 1

    "Wingardium Leviosa." Arth stared at his feather as it started to fly up high into the air.


    "Excellently done, Mr. Kingscrown. Excellently done. 5 points to Gryffindor." Exclaimed Professor Flitwick with a very excited smile.


    As Arth''s feather slowly fell to the floor, Alice whipped out her wand and pointed at the slowly descending feather. "How did you do that? Whenever I try to do it, all that happens is.... Wingardium Leviosa!"


    Th feather started to float upwards but also burst into flame.


    Arth took a look at her wand movement before replying. "You are putting to much power into the swish and flick. Imagine the feather rising in a calm manner, and reveal that through your movement. Be calm and have the feather float, not burst upwards."


    "I see, thanks.... Wingardium Leviosa."


    The feather now slowly floated upwards but also burned fiercer.


    "Hmmmm...." Arth said as he watched what remained of his feather turned to ash. "Professor Flitwick, I think we are going to need a new feather."


    Professor Flitwick laughed. "No worries,it''s a common occurrence. More common that one would think that is.... just a decades back, I had one student electrify a feather mid air.... went to become one of the finest elemental wizards I have ever seen before he dueled Grindelwald and perished...."


    Professor Flitwick''s face went sad for a moment before going back to his original happy attitude. "Here is your new feather. Do not be deterred by failure. Make sure that you are saying the magic words properly. Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ''s'' instead of ''f'' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."


    Arth could tell that Professor Flitwick was forcing himself to sound upbeat but chose not to call him out.


    After about half of the students had managed to successfully cause their feathers to rise about a foot off the ground, the bell rang signaling them to leave their classes.


    Arth and Alice packed up their stuff and met up in the hallway.


    "Hey Arth, what class do we have next?"


    "Defense against the dark arts, and then we have lunch."


    "I''m hungry already though."


    "You can wait."


    Before Alice could retort at Arth, Lily cane over and grabbed her arm. "Alice, come on, let''s go to DADA quickly, I want to go ask the professor some questions."


    "Can''t you got by yourself? Or with Severus?"


    "Severus just had DADA and needs to go to History of Magic. I don''t want to bother him."


    Arth gave a smirk and gave a gentle push on Alice''s back. "Go on then Alice. Go assist Ms. Evans and leave me alone."


    "Oh be quiet Arth." Responded Alice while rolling her eyes. "I was going to go anyways. Let''s leave this bookworm behind, Lily."


    "By Alice, bye Lily."


    "Bye Arth."


    "See you at DADA."


    Just as the two girls left, Arth''s shoulder was attacked by two different arms. "How''s it going Arth?"


    Arth frowned and rubbed his shoulders before letting out a sigh. "It''s going good James."


    "Did you see how I made my feather go around in circles? Wasn''t I brilliant?"


    "I say this with great pity that I was unable to see your brilliance in action."


    "Come on James, all you did was make it go around in a few circles. I made mine tickle Remus''s nose." Smirked Sirius. "You should''ve seen how Remus sneezed. It was hilarious."


    Remus rolled his eyes. "You seem to be forgetting the part where you failed to make the feather rise in the first twenty minutes."


    "Be quite, Remus." Said Sirius lazily. "You didn''t do much better than me."


    "But I still did better."


    James rubbed his stomach before letting out a grin. "Do any of you know what we are having for the Halloween Feast? I''m already ready for some pumpkin pie."


    Arth furrowed his brows. "I think we are having cakes, turkey legs, an assortment of pies, and more of the usual stuff."


    "So basically a normal dinner but grander, happier, and in larger amounts?"


    "Basically," replied Arth while nodding.


    "Sweet, I can''t wait."


    James ruffles his already messy hair before starting to strut around the castle to their class. "Do you three want to come over to my house during the summer? My parents are pretty cool. They will most likely let you three stay with us for a month."


    Sirius jumped at the suggestion eagerly. "Sounds great mate, my family isn''t that warm or welcoming. I would be glad to get rid of them for a month or two, and I know they feel the same about me."


    Arty shrugged. "I guess. As long as my parents agree, I''ll go."


    "How about you Remus," said James with a cheeky grin. I have two yes''s, let''s make it three."


    Remus gave them all a glum look. "I can''t, sorry. My parents won''t ever agree to that, and I have to agree with them."


    "And why is that?"


    ".... My mum is sick. They say it''s a very strong case of dragon pox."


    Sirius and James gave Remus a pat on the back. "That sucks mate, I hope your mother gets better."


    "You are welcome to come over when your mother gets better, Remus.


    Arth gave Remus a sympathetic look before taking out a book from his bag. "Gunhilda created a cure for dragon pox but most likely the cure won''t work. Let''s hope that your mother endures through this."


    "....yeah." Said Remus looking very uncomfortable.


    "Is this also the reason why you always disappear one time a month?"


    Remus flinched before slowly nodding his head. "Dumbledore gave me permission to go home to see my mother."


    "Good man, Dumbledore," said James. "A good wizard as well. I see him as admirable."


    "My family thinks he is an old crackpot." Said Sirius sourly. "As if some crackpot could defeat Grindelwald."


    Arth nodded his head. "He is a respectable man. I read a few of his books and discoveries and he seems to be proud."


    "But he has the right to be proud doesn''t he? He''s a genius. A mad lad as well, no one can deny that, but still a genius."


    "Indeed."

 Chapter 8 - Potions

    "Look at the stars, observe their movements and revel in their glory-"


    Arty flipped a page.


    "There are an assortment of plants in the world. Some will heal, others will harm-"


    Arth took out another book.


    "I am your charms teacher-"


    Arth scribbled something in his book before flipping the page.


    "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned-"


    Arth put the book back into his bag before taking out another one.


    Before he could start reading, someone took his book. Arth frowned. "Can you give me my book back?"


    Daphne stared at Arth with a disbelieving gaze.


    ". . . . Are you not going to pay attention during class?"


    Arth tilted his head. "But I was paying attention?"


    "While reading during all of your classes? I don''t think so. What are you going to do if you fail all your classes?"


    Arth rolled his eyes. "I won''t fail and I am listening."


    Daphne scoffed. "Imagine if you got caught by Professor McGonagall? You would''ve been murdered. . . . How did you manage to read in her class without getting spotted?"


    Arth shrugged. "I don''t really know either."


    "Hmmm," Daphne with a suspicious look, "All right, then. Keep your secrets. What class do we have next?"


    "Double block potions," replied Arth.


    Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.


    Snape started the class by taking roll and paused at Harry''s name.


    "Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new celebrity."


    Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Daphne poked Arth in the side before mouthing out "drama". Arth just rolled his eyes and took out a book.


    "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," Snape quietly muttered. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word. Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving


    here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don''t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren''t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."


    More silence followed this little speech and Arth flipped the page.


    "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"


    "I don''t know, sit," said Harry.


    Snape''s lips curled into a sneer, "Tut tut, fame clearly isn''t everything. Let''s try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"


    "I don''t know, sir."


    "Thought you wouldn''t open a book before coming, eh, Potter? What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"


    "I don''t know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don''t you try her?"


    A few people laughed. Daphne covered her mouth in excitement as if she were expecting something interesting to happen.


    "Sit down silly girl," Snape snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren''t you all copying that down?"


    There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment.


    "A point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter. I despise a lot of things when teaching. The arrogant belief of some students who think of themselves superior to the teachers and-" Snape''s nose flared as his eyes met a particular scene, "-when students believe that reading a book is of greater importance- THAN LISTENING TO THE TEACHER!"


    Snape snatches Arth''s book out from his hand. Before slamming it down in the table.


    "What is your name, student? I am absolutely sure that you are not a Slytherin, so a Gryffindor maybe? Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw? Answer me!"


    There was a deadly silence as Arth stared at Snape. "Arthur Kingscrown, Ravenclaw. You called my name when you were doing roll call."


    "Do you think it is funny, Mr. Kingscrown, to read during my class? Are my classes that irresistibly dull for you?"


    Arth shook his head. "I was paying attention-"


    "Silence, not another word will come out of your mouth! Ten points from Ravenclaw. It will be detention the next time this happens, do you understand?"


    ". . . . Yes sir."


    After they had finished taking notes, Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like.


    While Snape praised Malfoy, Arth added the finishing touches to his potion. Arth sat down and took out another book.


    Almost as fast as a hawk spotting its prey, Snape came over and snatched his book.


    "I was under the impression that you were warned what would happen if you opened another book in my class."


    Arth frowned, ". . . . It''s my potions textbook though?"


    ". . . ."


    Professor Snape went quiet as he checked the cover of the textbook in his hand. It was indeed the potions textbook.


    The entire class was plunged into silence until Neville''s potion exploded.

 Chapter 8 - First Quidditch Game

    Arth yawned as he walked out into the fields with a very bored look on his face. Although he would rather be reading, at the moment he was forced to complete another task. That task being flying.


    "Alright everyone, let''s try this again! Do not panic or freeze up when riding your brooms. Now like I have said, say Up!"


    Their teacher, Madam Hooch, had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. She would use her intimidating eyes to watch out for any rough and idiotic behavior while they flew.


    Arth extended his arm out as did Alice and his other friends.


    ""Up.""


    Arth, Alice, and James all had their brooms fly up immediately while Sirius got it on his second try. Lily and Remus struggled to raise their brooms while Severus, who was across from Lily, also made no progress.


    Madam Hooch blew her whistle.


    "Now anyone who was unable to raise their brooms by command, do not worry. Practice makes perfect. Now ready your brooms. On the count of three, you will all mount your brooms and hover a couple feet above the ground. On my whistle. Three- two- one-"


    Madam Hooch blew her whistle and everyone rose up to a height they were comfortable with.


    "Wonderful. Now I reckon you all understand how to play quidditch? Shall we have a practice round then?"


    Everyone cheered, except for Arth and a few other people who did not seem to enjoy the thought of playing Quidditch. Quidditch was the current most popular wizarding sport in the world.


    Matches were played on a large oval pitch with three ring-shaped goals of different heights on each side, between two opposing teams of seven players each: three Chasers, two Beaters, the Keeper, and the Seeker. There were three different balls: the Quaffle, the two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. The Chasers and the Keeper respectively scored with and defend their goals against the Quaffle; the two Beaters bat the Bludgers away from their teammates and towards their opponents; and the Seeker locates and catches the Golden Snitch, whose capture simultaneously wins the Seeker''s team 150 points and ends the game. The team with the most points at the end wins.


    Or in simple terms, basketball on brooms with an unfair freeball wandering around.


    As they were choosing the roles that people should play, James and Alice immediately stood up and volunteered themselves for chaser.


    "I wish to be a chaser!"


    "I''m chaser, you got it?"


    "We need a seeker and a keeper, hey Sirius, wanna be seeker?"


    "Nah mate, I''d rather be a chaser. You be the seeker."


    "Well.... if we don''t have a seeker, I''ll be a seeker.... hey Arth! Do you wanna be a seeker? You are good with a broom."


    Arth vehemently shook his head. "Nah. I''ll sit this one out. Take Remus."


    Remus gave Arth a shocked look. "I hate heights. I''m not playing."


    "Oh come on Remus," whines James. "It''ll be fun."


    Arth did his best to avoid detection and almost succeeded when Alice grabbed him by the good and dragged him to the center.


    "Arth will play seeker."


    Arth groaned. "Oh come one Alice, let me sit out."


    "We need an extra player. Be the seeker."


    "I''d rather be a chaser, seekers get all the attention."


    James'' eyes lit up as he proudly declared. "Arth can be a chaser. I shall be a seeker."


    Arth reluctantly grabbed one of Madam Hooch''s brooms and walked onto the field with a proud looking James, a laid back Sirius, a confident looking Alice, and three other Gryffindor kids that Arth didn''t know too well.


    "I want a nice clean game you all," said madam hooch before raising her hand. "Now on a count of three, the game begins. One- two- three!"


    The whistle blew and Alice grabbed the Quaffle before passing it immediately to Arth.


    Arth grabbed the ball before passing it on to Sirius who immediately went for the hoop.


    The keeper for the Slytherin team was inexperienced and failed to block the quaffle earning ten points for Gryffindor.


    Slytherin team then grabbed the quaffle and made their way to the Gryffindor hoops without passing and got slammed in the face with a softened version of a Bludger.


    Alice caught the falling quaffle and zoomed off for the hoops and threw the quaffle into the hoops.


    Now it was 20-0 and Slytherin had the ball. This time, the Slytherins tried to pass their ball back and forth which made them easy to steal from and allowed Sirius to Nick the ball and score another point.


    Just as the Slytherin team tried to mount on final attempt to score a goal, James catches the slowed down version of the snitch and ended the game.


    It was an obvious Gryffindors victory and everyone celebrated and cheered on James while Arth quickly slipped past the crowd and grabbed his book bag and pulled out a book.


    Arth honestly found Quidditch to be simple and quite boring. As long as he kept his eye on the snitch when they released it, he would be able to track it and catch it immediately after the game began. As long as his vision didn''t get obstructed from the snitch. It was an easy game. And if he lost sight of the snitch, as a seeker, he would have to wait around aimlessly until he found it again. Just the sound of it made Arth shudder.


    Same thing with keepers. It was a boring task.


    Now playing as a beater or chaser, that was more understandable. With one, he would be constantly active while with the other, he would be able to hit people without repercussions. Arth was fairly confident in his ability to aim and reckoned he could break a skull or two.


    But even then, the game was too simple and dull. Arth wished that there was some other interesting wizarding sport he could play.


    Only if....

 Chapter 9 - Flying Lessons

    Arth picked up a nut and fed it to Corvus, all the while holding a frown on his face. It had been at least a week since school had started and Arth had finally found a class he despised. Of the two classes he couldn''t read books in, one of them was potions. But at least potions was fun. The other class was called Physical Education, and Arth frankly hated it.


    It wasn''t due to the fact that Arth was lazy when it came to physical movement, not at all. It was due to the fact that one, as mentioned before, it was hard to read in that class and two, all the houses shared that class together. Both Group A and B.


    His very anti friendly Ravenclaw Mayes would be there. Malfoy and his gang would be there. Harry Potter and his friend Ron would be there. The only thing positive he could think about the class was that he. . . .


    Corvus let out a peep and refused the nut Arth was handing him, snapping him back into reality.


    Honestly, he couldn''t think of a reason why P.E. was enjoyable. He couldn''t stand Harry and Draco bickering over each other.


    There was a soft flutter of feathers as the daily arrival of mail. Owls entered through the windows and delivered letters from family and gifts.


    Arth could overhear Neville from the Gryffindor table let out an excited about.


    "It''s a Remembrall!" he exclaimed. "Gran knows I forget things- this tells you if there''s something you''ve forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red- oh..." Neville''s face fell, due to the Remembrall suddenly glowing scarlet, You''ve forgotten something..."


    Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.


    Immediately, Harry and Ron jumped to their feet seeming eager for a fight.


    Arth sighed as Professor McGonagall quickly resolved the situation. He was honestly getting tired of their mini fights during classes, in the hallways, etc.


    They were childish and stupid. They needed some books.


    Daphne had finally arrived to breakfast and promptly sat next to him.


    "How''s it going Arth?"


    Arth just sighed in response.


    At three-thirty that afternoon, Arth and Daphne headed down to the grounds for their P.E. Class. Today was the first flying class and nobody truly wanted to miss it, except for Arth.


    It was a clear, windy day, and the grass crunched under their feet as they walked down to the lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, which looked as ominous as it sounded.


    All of the students were already there, and so were forty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, soon arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.


    "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."


    Arth glanced down at his broom. It looked as if today was going to be it''s last flight.


    "Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say: Up!"


    "UP!" everyone shouted.


    Arth watched his surroundings as everyone attempted to make their brooms rise into their hands. There were some people who had managed to do it on their first try, but a majority needed a second or third try.


    Daphne let out a triumphant grin as her broom jumped into her hand.


    Arth gave her a thumbs up before lazily outstretched his hand above his broom. The broom immediately flew up gracefully, in contrast with its ragged looks.


    Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.


    "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle. Three- two- "


    But Neville left the ground before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch''s lips.


    "Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle- twelve feet- twenty feet. Arth saw his terrified face look down at the ground as he slipped off his broom and started to fall.


    Madam Hooch pulled out her wand but it was too late.


    There was a nasty crunch as Neville hit the floor.


    Arth winced. "Fractured arm most likely, maybe even the leg."


    Madam Hooch turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you''ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ''Quidditch.'' Come on, dear."


    Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.


    No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?"


    "Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.


    "Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you''d like fat little crybabies,


    Parvati."


    "Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It''s that stupid thing Longbottom''s gran sent him."


    The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.


    "Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly.


    Everyone stopped talking to watch.


    Malfoy smiled nastily. "I think I''ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find- how about- up a tree?"


    "This is getting ridiculous," said Arth, a frown starting to form upon his face. "Is it really necessary to act like a total prick all the time?"


    Malfoy narrowed his eyes.


    "Who are you? I''ve never seen you before."


    Arth felt like punching someone but somehow resisted the urge and outstretched his hand.


    "My name is Arthur Kingscrown, I''m in your class you know-"


    "Oh! You are the Ravenclaw boy that sticks around with Greengrass all the time? Stop getting in my way." Smirked Malfoy before getting in his broom.


    "If you want to stop me, then come up here and stop me!"


    Arth''s frown deepened but he did not get on his broom.


    "What are you scared, Kingscrown? Should I start calling you Cowardscrown?"


    Arth''s eyes erupted in a dangerous shade of red as he grabbed his broom. Daphne, however, held him back.


    "Arth, calm down. It''s not worth the trouble."


    "I really wanna punch him right now," Arth growled while glaring at Malfoy, "maybe throw some books at him. . . . Ten points if I hit him in the body?"


    Daphne let out a smirk. "Thirty points if you hit his head."


    "Fifty if I get his nose?"


    Malfoy, who couldn''t hear anything from up above let out a laugh, "Whether it''s you Potter or Cowardscrown, someone get up here before I throw Neville''s stupid ball."


    Arth took out a sizable book and started to estimate the distance between him and Malfoy when Harry suddenly blasted into the air.


    Arth, Daphne, and the brown haired girl called Hermione couldn''t help but sigh at the exact same time. "Idiots."


    "Give it back Malfoy!"


    "So it''s you who came Potter, I have to say that you are better than that Cowardscrown."


    "Shut up and hand it over!"


    "Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.


    Arth saw as Harry chased after the ball, while Malfoy came back to the floor with a smirk. When Harry caught the ball after a steep dive, and landed onto the grass safely, a loud stern voice called out to them.


    "HARRY POTTER!"


    Professor McGonagall, the transfigurations teacher who was well know for her strict personality, had seen the whole event.


    "Never- in all my time at Hogwarts-"


    Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you- might have broken your neck-"


    "It wasn''t his fault, Professor-"


    "Be quiet, Miss Patil!"


    "But Malfoy-"


    "That''s enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."


    As Professor McGonagall whisked a dejected looking Harry back into the castle, the Slytherins erupted in laughter. Of them all, Malfoy was the loudest.


    "Did you see the look on Potter''s face? I bet he is going to be expelled-"


    Just as Malfoy was about to let out a nasty laugh, a book came flying through the air and hit him straight on the nose knocking him down to the floor.


    The entire class went quiet as an indifferent voice coolly said, "fifty points for the head. Do I get another hundred for knocking him down?"

 Chapter 9 - End of year 1

    Arth flipped a page in his book as he calmly took a sip of his coffee. To the immediate right of him was Alice who was also reading a book, albeit in a very stressed manner.


    "Arth, do you have any idea on what will be on the potions exams?"


    "Just read the book and you''ll be fine. It isn''t that hard to remember."


    "Do I have to know the brewing processes of every potion or only it''s effects?"


    Arth frowned. "I''m pretty sure that you only need to remember a majority of the potions effects but it won''t hurt to remember a few processes."


    "Ughhh, I''m so screwed."


    "Calm down Alice. With your skills, passing will not be that hard. Besides, you skills in DADA and charms is superb."


    "I should''ve studied a little bit earlier..." said Alice while groaning. "Then I wouldn''t be so stressed with studying right now. How is it going for you Lily?"


    Lily peeked her head out from a pile of books. "I''m pretty much set for the exams. I just need to study a bit and I''m confident that I''ll pass."


    "Where are the three other boys, Arth? James, Sirius and Remus."


    "Down at the black lake fooling around." Replied Arth after finishing his coffee.


    "Great... the annoying arrogant rich boy is more confident than me. How fantastic. I''m such a great witch."


    "Just relax," said Arth after taking another sip of coffee. "Everything will be fine. Stress and anxiety will only make you perform worse."


    "Yeah Alice. Let''s all relax."


    "...fine."


    "Don''t be to worried, we will all pass the exams tomorrow."


    "I hope...."


    On the next day, they were all given written exams to fill out and answer. Although it was quite boring and tedious, Arth managed to finish early and waited for everyone to finish. Alice seemed like she was doing better than she had expected as she had a small smile on her lips while Lily was frowning her brows in a concentrated manner. James and Sirius were playing around subtly so that they wouldn''t get caught. While Remus looked over his answers multiple times before moving on the the next question.


    After everyone had finished their written tests, it was time for practical exams next. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if


    it had whiskers. Professor Slughorn made them brew a Forgetfulness potion as he watched them proceed with a smile on his face, as if he were scouting new recruits.


    Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who''d invented selfstirring cauldrons and they''d be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, everyone started cheering as they left the testing room.


    Alice immediately came towards Arth, along with Lily. "Hey Arth! That was easier than I thought! You were right, I had no reason to be nervous. I think I aced that exam.... although-" Alice made a face as she thought about her exam, "-I thought that the question about the goblin and the slayer in the history of magic exam was particularly unfair. I don''t recall reading about that part."


    Arth shrugged. "It was about a madman wizard who went around slaying goblins for no apparent reason. This earned him the title of goblin slayer and he created a huge anti goblin sentiment for ten years before dying from dragon pox."


    "Ahhh.... I got that question wrong then. How did you do Lily? Was it easy?"


    Lily nodded her head. "I found a couple of questions to be a little difficult but I''m pretty sure I passed."


    Arth gave Alice a cheeky grin. "I''m pretty sure that I did not fail. I knew the answers to most of the questions and the practical exams went by without a hitch."


    "Meh, what do you guys want to do for the rest of the day?" Asked Alice with a slightly bored expression. "I''ve had enough of sitting in a desk today."


    "Let''s go to the black lake and... talk?" Said Lily hesitantly.


    "Library. Let''s go to the library and read."


    Alice gave Arth a disgusted look. "We just took a test and you still want to read? You disgust me."


    "Meh, reading is a very wonderful thing to do. You just don''t understand the beauty of it. Oh hey Severus."


    Arth greeted Severus who had caught up to the three of them and gave them an awkward smile. "Hey Arth and Alice. How are you doing Lily? Did the exams go well for you?"


    Lily nodded her head. "It went perfectly fine, you?"


    "I think I did well on the potions exam," said Severus with a small proud smile appearing on his face. "Even slughorn praised me for it."


    Lily was about to say something when she saw something and immediately frowned. "Let''s go Severus. Potter and his friends are coming."


    Lily and Severus quickly left Alice and Arth''s alone as James, Sirius, and Remus appeared and gave Arth a pat on the back. "Hey Arth, how were the exams? I bet you did perfectly fine."


    "I did decently," replied Arth, "how about you three?"


    "We all did well," James answered. "You wanna go to the black lake with us? Sirius bet me a galleon that I won''t take a dip in the lake. You wanna join?"


    "Nah, I''ll pass."


    "See you later then Arth. And go away demon girl Alice, I don''t want to see your face at all."


    Alice snorted. "Oh bugger off Potter. You aren''t a pleasing sight either."


    Arth sighed. It had seemed like a very short year but he would soon be packing his stuff and be sent home to his parents. It was an uneventful year but what else was there to expect? A normal year at hogwarts should be calm and peaceful... right?"

 Chapter 10 - A Defiant Letter

    "T-the hell are you doing you bastard!" Yelled Malfoy while clutching his nose. "Wait till my father hears about this!"


    Arth took out another book.


    "Hey Daphne, is the game still going? I have a book here that wants to give Malfoy a kiss on his big flappy lips."


    "O-Oi! Greengrass! Call of your boyfriend right now!"


    "Wow, he really doesn''t know how to ask for favors does he. Two hundred points for his crotch?"


    Malfoy''s face went pale. "G-Greengrass! We are both in Slytherin! Are you truly going to side with a filthy book brain-"


    A book flew over and landed right between Malfoy''s thighs, a centimeter below his crotch causing Malfoy''s already pale face to become even paler.


    "Tch, I missed," said Arth while clicking his tongue. "Now if you don''t shut the hell up Malfoy, I won''t miss next time."


    "D-don''t order me around Cowardscrown! I''m not your servant!"


    Arth whipped out his wand with a dangerous look, "You are really testing my patience Malfoy, you really are."


    "T-try me!"


    Malfoy pulled himself up and the Slytherins took out their wands and pointed them at Arth causing the Gryffindors to draw their wands towards Malfoy as well.


    The Ravenclaws watched on in silence while the Hufflepuffs seemed to be anxious.


    Malfoy glared at the Gryffindors. "Stay out of it Weasley. This is none of your business."


    Ron let out a smirk. "An enemy of my enemy is my friend. Plus, I also wish to participate in Arthur''s little game of throwing. Except, instead of books, I suggest we throw hexes."


    Daphne hesitated on which side to choose when Malfoy barked at her.


    "Greengrass, come over here before I tell my father that you are a blood traitor just like the Weasleys."


    Daphne bit her lips in a frustrated manner before giving Arth a worried glance. He gave her a smile before gesturing her leave, which she did reluctantly.


    They two sides faced each other with increasing tension and were about to start fighting when Madam Hooch reappeared.


    "What is going on here! Put down your wands! I said put them down at once!"


    Everyone slowly lowered their wands, however, they continued to glare at each other with hate.


    "I''ve never seen anything like this in all my years of teaching! If anyone points their wand at someone again, they will be the first to be expelled! Class is dismissed!"


    The Slytherins were the first to leave, Malfoy sent a particularly nasty look at Arth before heading off. When Daphne tried to say something to Arth, he frowned and glared at her, causing her to go silent.


    After the Slytherins were the Ravenclaws, followed by the Hufflepuffs. The Gryffindors, especially Ron, started to compliment Arth.


    "Nice throw man!"


    "Fifty points? I would''ve given it five hundred."


    "That was nice to see, left me refreshed."


    Arth gave each of them a small smile.


    Ron clapped Arth on the back before giving him a wide grin. "Arthur right? You ain''t too bad of a person, my name is Ron, Ronald Weasley. You are in group A with me, right? That was a bloody good throw back there."


    "Thanks."


    "You know, I''m starting to really like you. Wanna hang out with me and Harry sometimes? I feel like you are a cool person to hang out with."


    "That sounds nice."


    "Well, I guess I''ll see you later. We can always work on Homework together since we have the same classes. Just a friendly warning though, me and Harry aren''t that prepared when it comes to homework or studying. Bye!"


    "Bye!"


    Arth bid the Gryffindors farewell and waited for all of them to leave before sighing. It was pitiful how the Gryffindors treated him better than his own house. Just how egotistical were the Ravenclaw boys for them to hold a grudge over something so small?


    Arth picked up his book and started to head up towards the castle. He was worried for Daphne. She had taken his side, maybe a little too much, and was afraid that she would suffer the consequences for it. Malfoy seemed like the type of guy who would not let the tiniest thing slide. Especially if he had been embarrassed due to it.


    Arth headed up to his dormitory and walked towards his bed. It had been pushed to the furthest corner of the room, away from al the other boys. Corvus''s basket was covered in a blanket, squirming as if something inside was trying to get out. Arth lifted it and immediately, a fluffy ball of black fell to the table top with a small peep.


    Arth grinned as the Corvus got back up to his two feet, stretched its wings before letting out a loud peep. It then hopped it''s way towards Arth happily.


    Arth patted Corvus on the head gently before picking him up. He let Corvus settle on his head and made his way to dinner.


    Instead of sitting at the Slytherin table, Arth sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Nobody gave him a seconds glance, which Arth was perfectly fine with.


    He took out a book and started to read while he listened onto the conversations around him.


    "Seeker? But first years never! You must be the youngest house player in about-"


    "A century. Wood told me."


    Apparently Harry had avoided getting in trouble and instead became the Seeker to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Good for him.


    "What an idiot, can''t believe he is in Ravenclaw with us-"


    Micheal was once again insulting Arth, something he did constantly when he thought that Arth wasn''t paying attention.


    Little did Micheal know that Arth was always listening. Something about hearing someone insult you behind your back was interesting to Arth. It was even comical at times.


    Arth was about to take a sip of his soup when a letter was dropped right besides him. It was clearly addressed to him. He raised an eyebrow before opening it.


    Dear Arth,


    Sorry Arth, I need to avoid you for a bit. This stupid arrogant mama''s boy is threatening to call me a traitor if I talk to you again.


    Arth glanced at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy with a smug look. Arth rolled his eyes before continuing to read the letter.


    But it''s ok. I won''t let him completely control me. We can talk in ways other than speech. Just get an owl and send me a letter ok? Mail me.


    Sincerely,


    Daphne.


    Arth let out a smirk. What a defiant girl.

 Chapter 10 - ‘Merica

    You guys should really start worshiping Ice as your goddess. She is getting me do do daily updates for five books. (Harry Potter Fanfic, Percy Jackson Fanfic, One Piece fanfic, 2 originals.)


    If only I actually finish a book for once.... ON TO THE CHAPTER!


    *****


    Arth snapped his book shut. "We are going where again?"


    "America," said Alice, handing over the letter to Arth. "Somewhere around the northern United States and southern Canada."


    "Why?" Asked Arth as he took the letter from her hands and started to read. "Why on earth would we suddenly go to America?"


    Alice shrugged. "A wedding. Apparently Dad has a brother in America who just got married. Dad also said that we will also do a little bit of sightseeing as well."


    Arth gave a smirk. "Mom is gonna be so happy. She always wanted to go to America to see a flock of Ice Phoenix migrate to the north during the summer. You reckon we will be getting a younger sibling soon?"


    ".... I won''t be surprised if we do. Two Galleons on that they won''t? I need to get back that money I lost from that time on the train."


    Arth smirked. "Sure, two galleons on a little sister or brother by the end of next year."


    "Deal."


    Arth and Alice shook hands before staring down at their plates in anticipation.


    Soon, Dumbledore arrived and gave his final speech of the year.


    "Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man''s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and ninty-six points; in third, Ravenclaw, with four hundred and thirty-two; Slytherin has four hundred and thirty-three and Gryffindor, five hundred and eighty- six."


    A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Gryffindor table. James stood up and started furiously clapping which annoyed Alice to some point, causing her to give James a disdainful look.


    "Yes, Yes, well done, Gryffindor," said Dumbledore. "Now hurry along and fill your empty stomaches, you will need a lot of energy for tomorrow when you leave for a long break."


    In the morning, Arth received his exam grades and learned that he had received the top marks in their year, second being Lily and Third being Severus.


    And magically, their wardrobes became empty, their trunks were packed. Notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays and the big man called Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott''s Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King''s Cross Station.


    It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn''t attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.


    Right in beside the train was his mom and dad, who waiting for Alice and Arth to arrive. Immediately, his father grabbed his hand while his mother grabbed Alice''s. Arth gave his father a confused look who in turn gave a friendly shrug.


    "Apparently the wedding is in two hours, received the owl late. No time to waste. I''ve already got the passports for international wizarding travel, all we need to go home and lightly pack our belongings and dress up. Ready?"


    Arth gave a shrug while Alice nodded. Arth''s dad and mom whipped out their wands and smiled at each other.


    "On a count of three, we will apparate home. If you start to feel sick, then it''s best to keep it in until we completely come to a stop."


    "Three, two-"


    "One!"


    Two loud cracks frightened many people as Arth, Alice, and his parents disappeared into thin space.

 Chapter 11 - Dinner at the Bathroom

    Arth was eating quietly at the Ravenclaw table one morning when he was approached by two Gryffindors. More specifically, Ron and Harry.


    "Congratulations on becoming the Gryffindor Seeker Harry."


    "Thanks, so you''ve heard? We were supposed to keep it a secret, I guess everyone knows by now."


    Arth shook his head. "Not everyone, I just overheard Ron talk about it. No one in Ravenclaw knows yet, and I could say the same for the Slytherins."


    Ron let out a snort. "Stupid stinking Slytherins. I can''t wait to see the look on Malfoy''s face when he sees Harry play during the game."


    Arth placed down his fork, "So, did you need me for anything?"


    Harry nodded, "Actually, we were wondering if you could help us with our potions homework, both Ron and I are hopeless at the subject-"


    The owls interrupted Harry as they flooded into the Great Hall as usual. Everyone''s attention was soon fixated by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls.


    The owls soared down and dropped the package right in front of Harry and Arth, knocking his plate to the floor. They had


    hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "This looks like a broom."


    Harry opened the letter before giving it to Ron.


    "It''s not just any broom. It''s a Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron m.o.a.ned enviously. "I''ve never even touched one. Harry, we need to try it out!"


    Arth waved them away. "You should put it in your room for now, we are about to start classes."


    "Fair point, let''s go Harry!"


    Harry waved at Arth before leaving the Great Hall with Ron. "See you later Arthur, and think about the potions thing."


    Arth gave them a smile.


    On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of pumpkin wafting through the corridors.


    Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they''d seen him make Neville''s toad zoom around the classroom.


    Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry''s partner was Seamus Finnigan. Ron with Hermione Granger. And Arth with Daphne.


    Malfoy seemed to be annoyed by this as he sent glares towards Arth and Daphne all class.


    "Now, don''t forget that nice wrist movement we''ve been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ''s'' instead of ''f'' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."


    Arth watched as Daphne attempted to make the feather float.


    "Wingardium Leviosa. How are you today Arth?"


    "I''m pretty good, how about you?"


    "Wingardium Leviosa. I''m okay, Malfoy has stopped pestering me about staying away from non Slytherins, but it seems like it''ll start again. The other Slytherin girls are nice to me. Although they do tease me at times."


    "Interesting."


    "How is Corvus?"


    "He is doing fine," Arth said, taking Corvus down from his hair. Corvus happily hopped along around the table until he saw the feather on the table. Corvus let out a shocked peep and hopped away from the feather in terror.


    "Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron shouted to the right of them, waving his long arms like a windmill.


    "You''re saying it wrong," Arth heard Hermione snap. "It''s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ''gar'' nice and long."


    "You do it, then, if you''re so clever," Ron snarled.


    Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"


    Her feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.


    "Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger''s done it!"


    Daphne let out a pout before tugging at Arth''s robes. "Arth, teach me how to do this, I can''t lose to a muggleborn."


    When class had finished, Daphne said goodbye to Arth and rejoined the Slytherins while Arth got surrounded by the Gryffindors once more.


    "It''s no wonder no one can stand her," Ron complained to them as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she''s a nightmare, honestly."


    Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.Arth saw that she was in tears.


    "I think she heard you," said Harry.


    "So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must''ve noticed she''s got no friends."


    "To be honest, she was trying to help you," said Arth with a shrug.


    Ron become more disturbed.


    Hermione didn''t turn up for the next class and wasn''t seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, they overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls'' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.


    When they entered the Great Hall, a thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.


    Arth stared at his plate with a frown before letting out a sigh. He picked up his plate full of food and got up.


    "Where are you going?" asked Ron his face filled with pumpkin pie.


    "I''m just going to eat up at my room," replied Arth coolly.


    "Kay, have fun."


    Arth made his way down to the girl''s bathroom. When he arrived at the door, Arth gave it a couple knocks before sitting down with his back against the wall.


    "Hermione? Are you in there? My name is Arth and I brought you some food, you must be starving."


    The door slowly opened and Hermione came out. Her face was streaked in tears and her eyes were red and puffy.


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "This might be a stupid question but are you ok?"


    Hermione gave Arth a look before heading back into the bathroom. "Go away. You were probably making fun of me with Ron."


    Arth shrugged. "Perhaps, but does that matter at the moment? I''m pretty sure you are hungry. Have a bit of the baked potatoes, they are surprisingly good."


    Hermione opened the bathroom door and peeked her head out. "What is that?"


    "I think these are the turkey legs. As you can see, they are a bit bigger than normal chicken legs."


    "Are they good?"


    "Dunno, never tried one," Arth said, somewhat curious of the taste. "How about this, I take a leg, you take the other. We each eat one leg and see if we like it or not."


    Hermione hesitated before letting out a giggle. "You are surprisingly kind aren''t you Arth?"


    "Perhaps."


    "I always thought of you as quiet and introverted but it seems that you can be nice and friendly as well."


    Hermione grabbed a leg and sat down next to him as Arth did the same before the both of them took a big bite.


    Arth gave a start, ". . . . Wow, this is. . . . Better than I expected."


    "It is pretty good."


    "It''s better than my mom''s dishes. And that is saying something."


    "Ooh, your mom must be a really good cook then."


    "She is the best one I''ve met so far- do you smell that?" Asked Arth, a frown immediately appearing on his face.


    Hermione gave a sniff and also frowned. A pungent odor started to invade their noses, causing them to lose their appetite.

 Chapter 11 - Wedding

    Arth frowned as he messed around with his suit and bow tie uncomfortably. "Mom, Dad, why do we have to wear clothes like these? Can''t we just go wearing robes like we did for aunt Gertrude?"


    Arth''s father sighed before giving Arth a pat on the back. "That is because your uncle is a squib and the woman he is marrying is a muggle woman. As his request, today we will be attending the wedding not as wizards, but as muggles."


    "Will there be pudding?" Asked Alice curiously. "I love it when they hand out small slices of the giant cake they have at weddings."


    "They will have a wedding cake my dear," his father said while stroking her hair. "Oh, another thing I forgot to mention is that you should be wary of talking to no-mags at the wedding."


    "No mag?" Asked Arth with a curious look. "What is a no mag? Non magical? A muggle?"


    His father nodded his head with a proud look. "Well done my son. You figured that out fairly quickly did you."


    "Why do they call them no mags instead of muggles?" Asked Alice as her mother brushed her hair. "Isn''t saying muggle more common? And why should we stay away from the muggles in America?"


    Alice''s mother gave a smile. "Well that''s because of the international differences. We all have our own culture. As for staying away from muggles, MACUSA, Magical American Congress of the United States of America, have had a tight restriction about relationsh.i.p.s between non magic folk and wizards. Although they have somewhat mended these relationsh.i.p.s ever since the fall of Grindelwald, you can never be too sure."


    Arth''s mother stepped back to admire Arth and Alice for a bit before nodding her head in satisfaction. "They look perfectly muggle like Max."


    "Great, shall we depart then?"


    "Do you have the international magical traveling passports."


    "I''ll go quickly find them."


    Arth glanced to the side and saw Alice fussing around with her red dress in an uncomfortable manner.


    "How do I look Arth? It feels so... weird."


    Arth narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her before shrugging. "You look fine to me, a little unnatural looking but the same as ever."


    Alice groaned. "The things that muggle girls wear, its so horrible and restricting."


    "Witches also wear dresses too," teased Alice''s mom with a smile.


    "Witches wear.... this?" Said Alice in shock as she pointed at her dress in a disgusted manner.


    Arth shrugged. "At least you don''t look like a moron. You would probably attract a few muggles or two. I, on the other hand, feel as stupid as I probably look."


    Alice shrugged before letting out a smirk. "You look fine to me, a little good looking and more... gentlemanly than usual? Maybe it''s because you don''t have a book."


    "Oh bugger off you."


    "Found it! Found the passports. Okay," said his father with a smile. "Are you all ready?"


    Seeing everyone nod, his father waved his wand and grabbed onto Arth who grabbed onto a few cases as they apparated into a large room with wizards and witches bustling about.


    "This is a Wizard apparate rpg hunt hotspot. Americans have them all over the country. Quite convenient if you ask me," his dad said, answering the unspoken question Arth and in his mind.


    After his mother and Alice had appeared, they made their out of the building and called a taxi.


    "Where to?"


    "Er, is there a wedding going on here somewhere? I forgot the address."


    The taxi man laughed. "Oh, you are guests of Mr. Kingscrown? He is a good fella. Helped me with a rodent infestation the other day. Finally getting married to good young Angelina. Great couple of you ask me. It''s five minutes away from here. We will arrive in a jiffy."


    After driving a few minutes, the taxi stopped at a church and dropped them off. His father payed the man in muggle money before they carried their cases into the church. At the entrance was a man who bore great resemblance to his father.


    "Max! It''s good to see you brother!"


    His dad nodded his head and gave Arth''s uncle a hug. "It''s nice to meet you too. Who is this Angelina I''m hearing about? I heard that she is a kind gal, a lady who is very well suited for my brother."


    "And who told you that?" His uncle said with a blush. "She deserves better than be but since she agreed to having me, I can''t just say no can I?"


    "Spoken like a true Kingscrown."


    "My god Max! These must be your children, twins?"


    "My son is called Arthur, my daughter is called Alice. Both talented and wonderful children really. Pride and joy of the family."


    Arth and Alice did a bow. "Hello uncle Barney."


    "Hello my good children. You two are utter mirror images of your parents! What a wonderful sight. Come in Max, we are just about to start. And you too Diana, you and your children are welcome as well."


    And so, the four of them went into the church and sat down, waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.

 Chapter 12 - The Troll

    "What is that smell?" Hermione asked furrowing her brows.


    "Broken toilet?"


    "I can''t be that, I was in the bathroom for. . . . Anyways, I didn''t smell anything while I was in there."


    Arth frowned. "Then it must be coming from somewhere down the hallway."


    "I''ll go check."


    Hermione got up and walked down the hallway before looking to her left. "Nothing on the left, nothing''s there. And I don''t think there is anything on the right as well-"


    Hermione froze before slowly backing away. She continued this until she was past Arth and in the girls bathroom.


    "What are you doing Hermione-"


    "Shhhhh! Stay quiet! Just trust me and come inside."


    Arth made a face, "I''m not going into the girls bathroom-"


    And then he heard a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Arth turned around and at the end of a hallway, something huge had just entered his sight.


    It was twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.


    The troll stopped when it had completely walked out of the corner and peered towards Arth.


    Arth opened his mouth but not a word came out. ". . . . On second thought, I think a journey into the girls bathroom can''t hurt one bit.


    Arth slowly entered the girls bathroom while the troll gazed at him dumbly. Once he was fully inside, he shut the door quietly, before immediately proceeding to talk to Hermione.


    "Why the bloody hell is there a troll in the building?"


    "How am I supposed to know? I was with you."


    "Do you reckon the teachers know about this?"


    Hermione shuddered, "I sure hope they do."


    There was a boom as the girls bathroom door started to shake. Hermione whimpered before turning to Arth. "Do you reckon she can break the door?"


    Another boom and the sound of something slowly breaking answered her question. "I believe it would be wise to hide."


    However, it was too late. The door gave away with a sad groan before falling to the floor. The troll entered the bathroom with a grunt and stared at Arth and Hermione with dull eyes.


    Hermione tugged at Arth''s clothes, "do you think we should make a run for it? Before it. . . . Attacks us?"


    Arth shook his head. "That would just aggravate it more. The best thing to do is to not make any sudden movements. Maybe it''s a friendly troll-"


    The troll let out a ferocious roar before lifting its club and smashing one of the sinks.


    "I guess it''s a slightly angry troll."


    "Arth, duck!" Hermione pushed Arth out of the way as the club was swung over their heads. Arth and Hermione immediately hid in one of the stalls.


    "Can we escape?"


    "Unlikely, the troll is quite big after all while the door is a bit small for two people and a troll to get through."


    "Should we fight back then Arth?"


    There was a loud crash as one of the cubicles were obliterated.


    "It''s possible if we could somehow manage to get rid of that club the troll is holding."


    Hermione''s face lit up. "I think I can do that!"


    "Great, let''s go face the troll then shall we?"


    However, the troll had got tired of searching for them and swung its club horizontally, destroying all of the cubicles at once.


    Arth grabbed Hermione and pushed her down, shielding her from the debris. "Mr. Ugly sure isn''t happy today. You ok Hermione?"


    "I''m fine I think."


    "That''s good, I''ll go distract him so you get rid of the-"


    Arth felt something grab his leg before being lifted out of the pile of broken stalls and toilets. The troll had Arth dangling by the leg and was currently poking him.


    "Ah, I''ve been caught. Hermione, it would be nice if you did the thing you said you could do."


    The troll raised its club aiming at Arth''s face.


    "Hermione, the troll is a lot stronger than me so it would be appreciated if you could help me down or get rid of the club that is about to hit my face."


    "W-Wait a bit-"


    Arth saw the troll prepare itself for a massive swing and sighed. "Tel my mom and dad that I loved them-"


    "Wingardium Leviosa!"


    The troll attempted to swing its club downwards but was magically stopped by a mysterious force. It was quite the comical scene, a troll with a confused look on its face as it held a club up in the air while dangling a boy by his leg.


    "You have earned me an extra minute of life, Hermione. Now, it would be nice if you could help me get down before this troll kills me so I can live another seventy years."


    "I-I''m working on it!"


    Fortunately, Arth didn''t have to rely on Hermione for survival. There was a flurry of feet as several teachers entered the bathroom.


    "My goodness! What is happening- stupefy!"


    There was a burst of red light as one of the teachers sent a spell at the troll. The troll stumbled a bit when it got hit by the spell and turned its view towards the teachers. However, before it could retaliate, another two spells hit the troll in the face.


    The troll let out a groan before slowly falling to the floor, with Arth still in its hands. As the troll hit the floor, Arth was dragged along with it, and got unintentionally slammed to the floor head first.


    Arth felt a sense of relief from the fact that Corvus was not on his head, but sleeping soundly in his basket up at the dorms.


    A sharp twang of pain invaded his head before the entire world blacked out.

 Chapter 12 - Hiatus but not drop

    On hiatus because currently I''m multitasking multiple fanfictions and originals all at once and honestly, I want to focus on making one really good original.


    I will continue sometime later but I honestly believe that my quality of writing has been dropping lately due to the frustration of not being able to write a consistent story to the very end.


    My solution to my self annoyance is an immature one but I honestly wish to be able to finish a really good book for once, one that doesn''t rely on prebuilt worlds but a unique one of my own.


    Sorry, and I won''t be dropping this novel. I just want to finish a good book once before I continue working on others.


    Sorry for letting you down over and over again.


    Unsubscribe and shower me with hate comments, one star reviews, etc. Dropping a book all of a sudden is a shitty thing to do as a writer. Sorry.

 Chapter 13 - Lol

I give up, I''m just gonna finish my original Harry Potter fanfic lol

 Chapter 13 - Hospital Wing

    "He has a minor concussion, but otherwise, it''ll be alright. But he sill almost fractured his skull. He is going to have a nasty headache when he wakes up."


    "I''m relieved, after all, it was partially my fault for this."


    "Minerva, do not worry too much. You did your best."


    Arth heard voices talking and frowned. It was annoying, why couldn''t they just let him sleep? His splitting headache did nothing to make Arth any more sympathetic.


    "What is the boy''s name Minerva? We should notify his House Head at once."


    There was a pause.


    "I can''t seem to recall the boy''s name, although, I''m positive that he is a Ravenclaw."


    "His name is Arthur, Arthur Kingscrown, Professor McGonagall."


    "Thank you miss Granger, then I shall leave Mr. Kingscrown with you three as I head down to notify Professor Flitwick."


    Arth heard footsteps moving away from him and felt relieved. He could finally get some rest.


    "How long do you think it will take for him to wake up Madam Pomfrey?"


    "Somewhere between now and tomorrow dear. The more he sleeps, the less pain he will feel when he wakes up."


    "That was a nasty drop though, ain''t that right Harry?"


    "Yeah, I''m honestly surprised that he survived without a helmet."


    "What''s a helmet?"


    "It''s some sort of muggle protection thingy that-"


    Arth let out a groan. "Can you guys please let me sleep in peace?"


    "Arth!"


    Arth opened his eyes and saw that four people were surrounding him. "Where am I?"


    "The hospital wing. You hit your head pretty hard when Professor McGonagall knocked out the troll." Replied Hermione. "The nice looking lady is Madam Pomfrey."


    "I hope I won''t see you again Mr. Kingscrown. Tackling trolls since your first year, I can''t imagine just how much trouble you will get yourself into."


    Arth gave a curt nod before facing the other two people.


    "Why the heck are Ron and Harry here?"


    Ron gave Arth a nudge in the shoulder, which made his headache worse. "We were the that called the teachers. Reckoned that you didn''t know about the troll and needed a heads up. Didn''t expect for you to be fighting it though mate. Bloody amazing."


    Harry nodded in agreement. "Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape to follow us, just in case. He really is smart, predicting that something like the troll escaping the dungeons would happen."


    Arth sighed before lying back down onto the bed. "Ok. Now unless you have anything else to add, go away. I wanna sleep."


    "The four of us got five points each."


    "Great, now go away."


    "We really should go now," said Hermione to the two boys, "it''s almost curfew and he needs rest. It probably hurts just to be awake at the moment-"


    The doors opened with a bang and someone else entered the hospital wing.


    "Arth! I heard about what happened! Are you ok- why are you here Granger?"


    Arth recognized the voice at once and groaned. His beautiful sleep seemed to be far away.


    "Greengrass," said Hermione with a frown. "I could say the same to you."


    "I''m here because my friend was injured severely. I couldn''t help but feel concerned. What a pity that you didn''t take his place. It would''ve saved me from being worried, it may have even made me smile."


    "Well I''m here because I was a part of the very little incident that hurt your ''friend''. He happened to be spending his time with me you see, instead of you."


    "Shut it muggleborn. You have no right to speak to me like that."


    "What''s wrong with being a muggleborn? I''m obviously more superior to you in classes. Jealous of my skills?"


    "Just disgusted by how revolting you are. Don''t touch me, I don''t wanna get stained by dirty blood."


    Arth lied in his bed with hollow eyes. Each word of their argument sent loud bells ringing in his head, exponentially making his headache worse.


    "Hey Arth, do something about this."


    "Bloody hell mate, this is getting really nasty."


    "Ron, about what time do you think they will start fighting each other? Ten minutes? Five?"


    Ron hesitated before answering Harry.


    "I think it''s going to be about seven. Wanna bet on it Harry?"


    "Sure, a sickle?"


    "A sickle."


    Harry and Ron were not making things any easier. Arth was reaching the point where he desperately wanted all four of them to leave and hoped for a miracle.


    Arth''s savior was someone who Arth did not expect.


    "You four! Stop bothering the poor child and go! I realize that you are very concerned for your friend, however, he is not in a critical situation! What he needs currently is a good nights sleep and a well rested mind, something you four are sorely preventing him from having. It''s almost curfew and I think it''s time for you to leave! Goodbye!"


    Madam Pomfrey chased out the bickering Hermione and Daphne and the spectating Ron and Harry, causing Arth to let out a sigh of relief.


    Once the doors were closed, Madam Pomfrey sent Arth a warm smile before heading back to her office.


    Arth finally rested his eyes onto the bed and relaxed. It was finally silent enough for his head to stop ringing. Although it still hurt and times, it was a bearable to a point.


    Sleep slowly called to him, luring him in softly and gently. Before he lost unconsciousness, Arth thought about Corvus having to sleep alone tonight and the unfinished books and homework he had to do. Would Corvus be alright?


    There was a poof and Arth saw Corvus appear magically on top of his head before giving a worried little peep.


    Arth chuckled at the absurdity of it all and closed his eye for the final time that night. He reckoned that he must be dreaming as birds did not have the ability to teleport from place to place. Even if they could, they wouldn''t be able to due to the magical barriers that covered Hogwarts. He read it in Hogwarts: a History.

 Chapter 14 - Peace and Quiet

    Sorry about the inconsistency, I got sick XD


    I''ll make it all up, how many chapters did I miss? 3, 4?


    /¡ª/


    October had come and gone and it was now quidditch season. The first match of the season was an exciting one. Gryffindor versus Slytherin.


    Arth would''ve enjoyed watching the match, if it weren''t for one small problem.


    "Hey Arth! You are gonna support Slytherin right? I really do hope my house wins."


    "Hey Arthur, I hope you support me during the match this Saturday! It''s my first game after all!"


    "To Gryffindor''s victory!"


    Arth was forced to chose which team to support. "Gryffindor or Slytherin."


    In the end, Arth decided to choose the most effective choice. He simply didn''t go.


    Arth spent his time in the library instead, reading random stuff that caught his eye.


    The librarian, Madam Pince, lurked over Arth while glaring at him suspiciously. "Why are you here reading books instead of watching Quidditch like the other kids?"


    Arth shrugged. "Wasn''t very interested. Would rather read." It was also a pain to choose which side to cheer for.


    Madam Pince narrowed her eyes. "No eating, writing, or doing anything that could or will harm a book."


    "Yes ma''am."


    Madam Pince sent one final look at Arth before sulking away, most likely to make sure that nobody else was in the library doing anything that might potentially damage a book.


    The great wizard Merlin. . . . Alchemist Nicholas Flamel. . . . World renowned Wizard Lancaster. . . .


    Time went buy quickly and Arth had finished his book. Arth scanned the library once again before being drawn to a pile of neatly organized newspapers in the corner of the library. He grabbed the topmost newsletter and began reading.


    GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST


    Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. "But we''re not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what''s good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon-


    "What are you reading?"


    Arth looked up from the daily prophet and saw that a girl, maybe a fourth year, had initiated a conversation with him.


    "I''m reading the Daily Prophet."


    "Which one?"


    "The one from a month ago, about the Gringotts break in."


    "Ooh! That was a very interesting one. Are you curious? How did someone break into the most secure bank in the world? Why was the said vault emptied on the same day?"


    "Mmm."


    There was a slight moment of silence and the flipping of pages before the girl began talking again.


    "My name is Sophia, Ravenclaw third year."


    "Arthur, Ravenclaw, first."


    "Ooh! You are in my house? I haven''t seen you a lot! I don''t recall you in the group of First years."


    "Mmm."


    Silence once again descended the library as Arth continued to read.


    "Do you wanna join a club?" Asked Sophia.


    "Not really."


    "Are you sure? It''ll be fun~"


    "Nah."


    "Give it a try please? It''s called Mystery Club. We study modern world mysteries and try to figure them out! Plus, we already have four members!"


    "Mmm."


    "Hey, you aren''t listening are you?"


    "Mmm."


    ". . . ."


    Just as Sophia had gathered enough energy to initiate another conversation, Madam Pince came around and glared at her, causing her to freeze in her tracks.


    "Stop talking! Don''t you see the boy is reading? If you are going to bother people, then get out!" She hissed.


    "B-but-"


    "Get out now!"


    Arth sighed as he saw the retreating figure of Sophia. He didn''t know that clubs were a thing at hogwarts. Madam Pince noticed his sigh and gave Arth a small smile.


    "Sorry for that my boy. Most people do not realize the importance of books. It''s rare to see a young one like you reading so much instead of causing trouble and watching Quidditch games."


    "Thank you."


    "If you ever need any help, ask me. I''ll help you find a book that you either want to have recommended or need. Just treat the books nicely."


    "Mkay."


    When Madam Pince had turned the corner of a bookshelf, there was a soft pop and a fluffy ball of black appeared on top of his head.


    "Hello Corvus."


    Peep!


    Corvus nipped at Arth''s hair affectionately before settling down and going to sleep. The night Arth had slept in the hospital wing, Corvus had revealed its ability to teleport through the magical barriers of Hogwarts.


    It was quite the surprise the morning after when he realized that Corvus had somehow made his way to him. Arth couldn''t help but feel excited for the day when Corvus would become an a.d.u.l.t.


    Would he be able to teleport with other people? How many? Would teleporting her his only ability?


    Arth''s checked the time and realized that it was about time for lunch and closed his newsletter. After placing all of the books and newspapers where he found them, Arth made his way down to the Great Hall to eat.


    Immediately, it was clear to Arth who had won the Quidditch match. The Slytherin table seemed quiet and gloomy while the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuffs were exploding in joy and laughter.


    Harry, Ron, and Hermione noticed Arth and came over to him immediately.


    "Arthur! We won!"


    "Harry caught the snitch! Well technically swallowed it but still!"


    "It was great! We won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty."


    Arth left the exhilarated Gryffindor and sat down. It wasn''t soon before a gloomy Daphne appeared before him.


    "Damn it, our Quidditch team is useless. How could they not win at all? We had the perfect chance to win."


    "Mmm."


    Arth ignored his surrounding as he ate his lunch in peace and quiet, as if no one existed in the world except for him.

 Chapter 15 - Chess and Revelation

    I''m still sick, this disease is being more persistent than I thought.


    TT^TT


    For now, count up the chapters I missed and send me an CROSS OWES YOU ping on discord.


    Btw, my chapters might seem different as my brain works differently when sick or something. I dunno.


    I''m pretty sure I owe you guys four chapters?


    /¡ª/


    Time seemed to fly by in a quicker pace than normal as the holidays drew nearer and nearer.


    Arth''s parents had sent him a letter about how they would not be able to pick Arth up for Christmas break, leaving Arth to have no choice but to remain at the school.


    And he wasn''t the only one.


    Harry Potter, who apparently had horrible muggle relatives, desired nothing more but to stay away from them. Ronald Weasley simply wished to stay in Hogwarts, as his parents had clearly stated that they would not have a particularly special event this year.


    However, these people were a minority. Most of the students where whisked away by the scarlet Hogwarts train. The hallways seemed different, more empty. There was less chatter during the Great Hall and less owls delivering letters from family.


    Those who remained at the school, turned for others for entertainment. Unfortunately for Arth, he was targeted by Harry and Ron.


    "Knight to B6, check."


    "King to B7."


    "Bishop to D5, check."


    "King to B8,"


    "Queen to F8, checkmate."


    The black king let out a cry as the white queen lopped off its head. As this happened, a red haired boy stared at the board in disbelief.


    "Impossible!" Screamed Ron as he stared at the board in disbelief. "How is that even possible? There must be a loophole somewhere!"


    Arth lazily plucked a gr.a.p.e from one of the plates and slowly ate it, savoring the flavor for as long as he could. "While you are looking for that loophole, can I read?"


    "J-Just wait a bit! I swear that this isn''t a checkmate!"


    Arth shrugged before leaving Ron alone. Ron had brought out his wizards chessboard in order to resolve some of the boredom that was haunting their minds. After winning against Harry a few times in a row, Ron decided it was time to change partners and challenged Arth with an inflated ego.


    Little did poor Ron know that Arth was highly experienced with the art of Wizards Chess. Arth would often play chess matches with his father for hours until the point where even his father had to admit defeat.


    "Give up Ron. You''ve lost," said Harry from the sidelines, obviously happy that someone had deflated Ron''s somewhat annoying ego. "It''s your fault for challenging Arthur. Someone who reads that much can''t have a bad mind."


    Arth sighed. "It''s not the books that helped me win. I just had a lot of practice. My dad loves chess."


    Or he did at one point of his life before playing with Arth.


    Harry let out a yawn. "I''m bored, do you guys wanna do something fun? I''m tired of looking at books and doing homework."


    Arth watched as the broken chess pieces on the board put themselves back together. Arth grabbed his chessmen and placed them in his case, who let out a hearty cheer of victory.


    Ron''s chessmen sat on the board with a dejected atmosphere. Ron let out a frustrated groan before putting away his chessboard and pieces.


    "I agree with Harry, I''m done with this stupid game. And I''ve finished all of my homework and I''m tired of searching for who Nicholas Flamel is-"


    "Ron!" Harry interrupted Ron as quickly as he could causing Arth to raise an eyebrow. When he stared Harry and Ron in the eye, they would look away nervously. It was clear that they were hiding something.


    "You guys are looking for Flamel? Why?"


    Harry averted his eyes. "I heard someone mention it and I-I got curious."


    Arth frowned. "I mean, I can tell you about Nicholas Flamel but I don''t see why you guys have to hide it. It''s not really hard to find."


    "You can tell us?" Exclaimed Ron excitedly, "that would be such a time saver! We''ve been searching on who Nicholas Flamel was for ages!"


    "But why do you need to know?"


    Ron and Harry went quiet as they sent each other looks, debating over whether or not they should tell Arth their secret. Soon, Harry let out a sigh before indicating Arth to lean in.


    "Arthur, what I am about to tell you needs to be kept a secret. Can you promise me that?"


    Arth raised an eyebrow but nodded his head.


    "Do you want me to make an unbreakable vow?"


    "A what?"


    "Never mind then. So what''s the big deal about Flamel?"


    Harry glances around to see if anyone was eavesdropping before whispering into Arth''s ear. "Do you remember the Break in at Gringotts a couple months ago?"


    "Mmm."


    "Well the vault that had been broken into was-"


    "Emptied on the same day, I know," Arth was now listening intently, his interest growing steadily. "What does that have to do with Flamel?"


    "You see," said Harry with a quiet voice, "On that day, me and Hagrid went to the vault that was broken into and took out the only thing in there. And then, Hagrid told us that the vault belonged to Nicholas Flamel."


    Arth froze before giving Harry a weird stare.


    "How big was the thing you took out?"


    "About big as my fist," said Harry, holding up his hand as reference.


    Arth furrowed his brows and began to turn the gears in his brain.


    "I think," said Arth with a slight bit of hesitation, "I think I know what was in the vault and why someone would ever try to steal it."

 Chapter 16 - A Little Bit of Help

    "So what you are saying is that the thing if Nicholas Flamel''s that was in the vault is the Sorcerers Stone?" Asked Harry who was obviously getting more excited by the minute.


    "I mean, it is a Stone that provides eternal life via the Elixer of Life and endless riches. What else would anyone want from Nicholas Flamel other than his knowledge? It can''t be anything other than the Stone." Said Arth while shrugging. "The object you described also fits the description. A small object about the size of your hand."


    Ron sat down staring at Arth in disbelief.


    "So by using the stone, Nicholas Flamel can become immortal?"


    Arth furrowed his brows. "Technically, it''s more like suspended Immortality. He doesn''t die, yes, but he needs to take the Elixer at constant intervals. If he doesn''t, I suspect that time would catch up to him."


    "What do you mean time would catch up?"


    "Imagine aging a thousand years instantly. I''d reckon his flesh would dissolve, his skin would shrivel up, and all of his organs would either decompose or mummify around his bones. His bones may or may not disintegrate, turning him into one pile of dust."


    "What a horrible way to go. . . ."


    Arth shrugged. "Is it really though? I think it''s a peaceful way to die. Virtually painless. The neurological functions of the human body wouldn''t have enough time to register the deconstruction of the brain and brain stem, it would like being awake one moment and going to sleep in the next."


    Ron stared at Arth in disgust. "How the bloody hell do you know this? You are a first year like us?"


    Arth pointed at a random book on the shelf. "Magical Theories and Possible Conclusions. Page thirteen hundred sixty four. Fourth paragraph. Theory of Time-Body Dissonance."


    "And I thought that Hermione was a monster."


    Harry let out a chuckle. "So is Nicholas like a thousand years old or something?"


    "About half a thousand. Six hundred and sixty-five to be exact."


    "No wonder we couldn''t find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He''s not exactly recent if he''s six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"


    Harry let out a groan. "I can''t believe I wasted all that time in the restricted section when all the information was two tables across from me."


    Arth frowned. "What do you mean the restricted section-"


    "Quiet in the library."


    Madam Pince suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave Ron and Harry a disapproving his before flashing out a smile towards Arth.


    "What a pleasure it is to see you here again today. How are you today my boy?"


    "I''m great, thank you for asking Madam Pince. How about you?"


    "I''m doing great. Are you here for some more light reading? Would you like for me to recommend a book?"


    Arth hesitated but shook his head. "Maybe later, I''m helping my friends understand something at the moment. But I would like to hear your recommendation at a later time."


    Madam Pince gave Arth a smile before disappearing around the corner.


    After Ron was sure that Madam Pince was nowhere to be found, "She is like a bloody ghost I swear. You don''t know she is there until she either hisses at you or sends a curse your way. I don''t know how you managed to get on her good side Arth. She is known to despise children."


    "Ignore that and explain to me Harry. You were in the restricted area? The one in the library?"


    Harry hesitated a bit, obviously very unwilling to answer the question. "Er. . . . Yes I suppose. I don''t think there is another restricted area."


    Arth stares at Harry in wonder.


    "How did you manage to get in? How was it? Did you read any books?"


    "Er-"


    "Did you activate some of the curses and hexes that were placed on the books? Did you happen to read a book with the title of ''Most Potent Potions''?"


    "I-I can''t really-"


    "Can you tell me how you snuck in?"


    Harry started waver under the suddenly over enthusiastic approach of Arth, something he was seeing for the first time.


    "Well I-I have this cloak that kinda turns me invisible-"


    Arth nodded his head. "I see, I presume that you snuck into the Restricted Area when it was nighttime? Less chance of accidentally bumping into someone and there is delayed response from security when you accidentally trigger an alarm charm."


    "Yeah. I remember that," said Harry with a wince. "I opened one of the books and it started screaming. I almost got caught by Filch and Snape."


    "Good thing you didn''t. Snape would''ve killed you if you got caught. Maybe even expelled."


    "You. . . . Why do you remind me of Hermione?" Asked Ron with a frown. "I swear that the both of you sound similar. And the both of you need to sort out your priorities."


    "I guess."


    Harry suddenly let out a gasp. "Arthur! You are pretty smart right?"


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "I guess?"


    "Can you help me identify this one object? It''s a mirror."


    Arth raised an eyebrow while Ron let out a groan. "Are you still going on about this Harry? Just let it go, nothing good will come out of that I swear."


    "Be quiet Ron." Snapped Harry, "So will you help me Arth?"


    Arth hesitated as he weighed the pros and cons before ultimately giving a shrug. "Sure, when do you want me to help you?"


    Harry let out a grin. "Tonight."

 Chapter 17 - Mirror of Erised

    "Are we there yet? How much longer do we have to go?"


    "It''s around here somewhere. It''s hard to remember the exact location because it''s so dark in the castle during the night- here it is."


    Harry and Arth, who were under a magical cloak that made them invisible, made their way into an unused classroom, or at least it looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket. Propped against the wall facing them was a mirror.


    It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.


    "Interesting. . . ." Said Arth his eyes lingering on the inscription.


    "What is it? Do you know what this mirror is?"


    "No idea," replied Arth, "there are a bunch of magical mirrors in the world. A mirror on the wall the determines one''s beauty, a looking glass that can guide you to whatever you desire, and a hand mirror that can summon a bird with a knack to attack furry animals. Can you elaborate on what makes this mirror so special?"


    "Well. . . ." Said Harry while hesitating, "when. . . . When I look into the mirror, I see my family. My mum and Dad. My grandparents. Everyone. And when Ron looks into the mirror, he sees himself as head boy and Quidditch captain while also holding the house cup."


    Arth frowned before taking out a thick book.


    "Magical Artifacts of Mystical Powers, page thirteen, Vulcans Mirror, can show the past, present, and future. It explains Ron''s vision as a possible future but it doesn''t make sense with yours. You never were with your family."


    Arth frowned and flipped around his book a little bit more.


    "Galadriel''s Mirror, page seventy six, shows things that were, and things that are, and some things that yet may be. It could fit in with both of your descriptions but it seems a bit off to me."


    Arth flicked his gaze towards the mirror where his eyes caught the inscription once more. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."


    "Excuse me?"


    "It''s the inscription I''m top of the mirror. I swear I''ve read it somewhere before. . . . Ah, page four hundred eighty two. Mirror of Erised."


    "The mirror of Erised?"


    Arth nodded his head. "Otherwise known as the Mirror of Desires. This particular mirror had the power to show the viewer exactly what he desired more than anything else in the world. So when you looked at the mirror, it showed you being with your family. When Ron looked at it, he saw himself being better than all of his brothers. He must have some inferiority complex."


    Harry went quiet as he stared into the mirror. "I see. . . . So I''ll never be able to see my parents?"


    "It''s impossible to fully reincarnate the dead Harry." Replied Arth. "Even if you do succeed, what you bring back would only hurt you and the people you love. Terrible things happen to people who wager with death."


    Harry went a wistful gaze at the mirror which was, Arth reckoned, showing Harry an image of his family. "It''s not good to be drawn to the things we can''t have. The Mirror of Erised is known for driving men insane. You could spend your entire lifetime staring at this mirror longing for something you can''t have. It''s better to focus on your current life and how to improve it."


    Harry was silent for a couple seconds before letting out a sigh. "You''re right Arthur, I should just ignore this." Harry turned around and gave Arth a wry grin. "If I may ask, can you tell me what you see in the mirror?"


    Arth shrugged. "I don''t know honestly. And I don''t really want to know."


    But Harry egged him on. "Go on Arth, look into the mirror. It can''t hurt to know what you want right?"


    Arth shrugged and Harry moved aside. Arth stood in the place Harry stood and stared at the mirror.


    At first, the only thing he could see was his perfect reflection staring right back at him with the same bored look. Then, it smiled. The Arth in the mirror started to move its lips and Arth frowned as he made out the words.


    Are you bored?


    Are you tired?


    Do you desire power?


    Do you desire love?


    Arth frowned before shaking his head.


    Interesting, then what do you desire? Knowledge? Entertainment? The thrill of an adventure?


    Arth shook his head once more.


    "Why are you shaking your head Arth?"


    "I''m talking to my mirror self. Shut up Harry."


    The Arth in the mirror let out a wider grin.


    If not any of the previous things are objects of desire, would you like to read this book?


    The mirror Arth reached into its bag and took out a thin black book. It had no engravings nor a title. The cover seemed to be made from an abnormal type leather and he could not determine if the black color was dyed on or if the color was inherent.


    Do you desire this book?


    Arth hesitated and tried to shake his head when his body suddenly froze. It felt as though his entire body refused to decline the offer. Something about the book was stopping him from saying no.


    Do you desire the book?


    Arth slowly nodded his head, half reluctantly half eagerly. The mirror Arth released a wide grin before slowly placing the book back into its bag.


    It''s been a long time since I''ve found someone like you. Enjoy the book. And don''t lose yourself while exploring the wonders of our world.


    The image in the mirror suddenly became blurred before slowly turning clear. Arth released his breath that he did not know he was holding. When Arth glanced at his reflection, he saw that he looked pale and nervous.


    "Is anything wrong?" Asked Harry with a concerned look. "You seem. . . . Shaken."


    Arth took a moment to catch his breath before answering. "I''m perfectly fine. It''s just that mirror. . . . It''s very interesting."


    Harry looked at Arth with a confused expression. "I see? So what did you see Arth?"


    Arth let out a sigh and reached inside his bag. "Well, it was honestly pretty weird but you can say that I. . . . I saw myself holding a. . . . Book."


    Harry let out a laugh. "How typical of you Arthur, Anyways, let''s leave. I don''t wanna be near this mirror anymore. Don''t wanna lose my mind you see?"


    Arth absentmindedly nodded his head. "Yeah. . . ."


    Arth silently watched Harry grab the cloak and struggle to put it on as Arth withdrew his hand from his bag. In his palm was a thin book with nothing but a black cover.

 Chapter 18 - Book of Night

    Arth was sitting at one of the tables in the Ravenclaw Common Room while massaging his temples. His facial expressions changed at a rapid pace from frowning to curious in a repeating cycle. After letting out a small sigh, Arth reached into his bag and took out a small black book.


    The book cover seemed to be made up of a type of Dragon Leather and atypical from normal books, the pages were the color of obsidian.


    Arth opened up to the first page and read the pearly white ink that contrasted the black pages.


    -The Book of Night


    -A book dedicated to the ones I hold dear. I hope that the one who finds this books puts it to good use.


    There was a slight rustle as Arth flipped to the next page.


    -progression is withheld by the key. Intelligence is just a part


    -the night Sky Always watches those who wish to remain hidden. shadows dance under the trees. Yet, mother nature sighs in exasperation as her children play hide and seek. stars dance in the Twilight dark of secrets. Her voice carries across the void as night and nature twirl in a fantasy like manner. an Era must pass for the game to end. Worlds end and Oceans Rise, rip apart the heavens to seek the ones you love. Destruction isn''t the end but the beginning. seek what you find but do not despair.


    -backwards is often the way to go when one attempts to recover the past


    -sutlucco, are you ready to carry the price?


    Arth froze at the final sentence.


    Was he ready to carry the price? What price? What was this book withholding?


    Arth frowned as he read over the book again. Sutlucco? What was this gibberish? Arth was about to ignore the book and read something else when a phrase caught his mind.


    -Progression is withheld by the key.


    Arth took in a sharp breath as he turned the page. All he saw was inky darkness. Arth continued flip pages and saw that every single page was blank except for the first and second page.


    It was impossible for Arth to progress. Progression was withheld by a key.


    Arth felt his chest beat faster and faster as he slowly flipped the book back to the second page. He read over the page again, this time scanning the book for any details he missed.


    On his third attempt at analyzing the words, he noticed that a few of the words in the paragraph were oddly capitalized.


    Sky Always Yet Twilight Her Era Worlds Oceans Rise Destruction.


    There had to be something about these words. Maybe he had to rearrange the words to make a sentence?


    There was a small pop as Corvus appeared on top of Arth''s head. He let out an affectionate peep before hopping down to Arth''s shoulders and glanced down at the book curiously.


    Arth ran his fingers through Corvus''s feathers, causing Corvus to coo, before focusing back onto the book.


    Sky Yet Her Worlds Oceans Destruction.


    Twilight Era Always Rise. Destruction Worlds Oceans Yet Her Sky?


    Rise Destruction. Sky, Oceans, Twilight, Worlds. Yet Always Her Era?


    Arth tried to place the words in a multitude of ways but was met with nothing but failure. Nothing seemed to work. After trying to decode the passage for another hour, Arth decided it would be better to sleep on it.


    He turned off the lamp and packed up his things. With the book in his right hand, Arth proceeded to make his way up to his dormitory. He arrived at his own personal room and placed his bag down in his chair. He opened the window covers before gently laying the book on top of his table and got into his bed.


    Arth stared at the night sky, his mind filled with thoughts about the book on his tabletop. All he could think about, till the time of his sleep, was the secrets the night was withholding from him.


    And Corvus, as Corvus was occasionally pecking Arth''s hand every few minutes for no apparent reason.


    The next few days passed by very quickly and the Christmas holidays came to an end. Anytime Arth was free of homework and classes (he could no longer read during classes due to the double nagging he received from Hermione and Daphne), he would spend his time attempting to crack the code in the book.


    But no matter what combination of words and odd ideas he tried, Arth couldn''t figure it out. And he was frankly starting to get annoyed.


    "Hey Arthur?"


    ". . . ."


    "Are you okay mate?"


    ". . . . I''m fine."


    Ron gave Arth a suspicious look before shrugging. "If you say so, at least you look better than Harry."


    Arth gave a quick glance at Harry. He indeed seemed to be more stressed out than Arth. His face was pale and his glasses were skewed. He was currently staring at his plate with a blank expression.


    ". . . . What''s the matter with him?"


    "He has a Quidditch match, and Snape is the referee," replied Ron while giving a concerned look towards Harry.


    Arth nodded his head in realization. "Yeah, makes sense he would be scared. I noticed that Professor Snape doesn''t really like Harry that much. In fact, Professor Snape''s doesn''t like Gryffindors that much in general."


    Ron sighed while nodding in agreement. "Are you going to watch the game? You will be rooting for Gryffindor right? There is no way you will be voting for Hufflepuff, right?"


    "Sure."


    Arth finished his plate and made his way to the exit when someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was Daphne. "Heya Arth, hows it going?"


    Arth shrugged. "Good, how about you?"


    "Tiring," Daphne out a weary sigh. "Homework is a pain. Malfoy is kinda being annoying, but he has been mellowing out. I''ve made a new friend called Tracy, she''s pretty cool."


    "Nice."


    "Are you going to games today Arth? If Gryffindor loses to Hufflepuff, then Slytherin will keep the house cup!"


    "Cool."


    "You better be rooting for Hufflepuff Arth! See you at the match."


    Arth absentmindedly nodded his head at Daphne as she went back into the Great Hall.


    It seemed like Arth would have to visit the library once more today.

 Chapter 19 - A Helping Mind

    "Hello again, do you not like going to Quidditch games? You should join my club."


    "No."


    "Come on, it''ll be fun! You seem like the type of person who enjoys mysteries."


    "I don''t want to join you club."


    "Don''t be shy, I don''t bite. Plus, we have three members!"


    "It was four last time. Why did it go down?"


    "Kek!"


    Arth was once again in the library, and just like last time, a certain third year student was also spending her time there.


    "W-well, you see-"


    "On second thought, don''t tell me. I don''t really want to know. Since I''m not going to join anyways."


    ". . . ."


    Arth ignored Sophia, who was giving him a disbelieving look and started to work on the puzzle from the book. He had yet to complete it as every time he got close, he felt as though something was eluding him. Sophia looked over his shoulder and on to the paper he was writing on.


    "Watcha doing?"


    "None of your business."


    "Ooh! It looks like a puzzle! Do you want my help? I''m very good at puzzles if I do say so myself."


    "I don''t need your help."


    Silence ensued the library once more. Nothing could be heard except for the occasional crisp sound of pages being flipped and scribbling of a pen.


    After about twenty minutes, Sophia spoke up again. "Are you still working on that puzzle? Do you need help?"


    Arth promptly ignored her.


    "Oh come on, do you not trust me?"


    "I really don''t."


    "How about this, you give me the puzzle and if I fail to solve it, I''ll leave you alone for the rest of the year."


    Arth frowned, it was too good of a deal. He had enough bothersome people around him already.


    "But, if I manage to solve it, You''ll have to join my club," Sophia said with a smirk, "fair?"


    Arth narrowed his eyes at her in response. "I have to let you solve my problem and if you succeed, I have to be punished? What kinda nonsense is that?"


    ". . . . My club isn''t that bad you know?"


    Arth scoffed. "Dueling club has thirty members. The Sword Association has fifteen. Heck even book club has at least ten people. Your club only has three."


    "KEK!"


    Seeing the dejected look on Sophia''s face, Arth has a mental debate while his outer appearance remained stoic.


    To give or not?


    It was his in the first place.


    But it didn''t hurt to try. He was stuck in an endless cycle of failure anyways.


    Arth let out a sigh before ripping out a piece of paper from his bag.


    "Who dares to rip one of my book- oh hello Arth, it was you. I expect that to be a piece of parchment? Ah yes, I see that it is. Well, I''ll be going now. Have fun. And you Sophia don''t bother his too much."


    ". . . . Why does madam Pince like you so much? It''s honestly quite puzzling. I''ve been in the library longer than you."


    Arth wrote down the puzzle and handed it to Sophia. "Here, solve it. I''ll give you a two minutes."


    "Wait, there is a timer? That''s not fair."


    "One minute fifty five seconds."


    "You better join my club if I get this right!"


    "One minute and forty five."


    "Fu-" Sophia immediately started to analyze the paper intently as if her club depended on it, which Arth was seriously suspecting was indeed the case.


    Why else was she so desperate to have him join? One thing that caught Arth''s mind was that there never was a requirement for the making of a club or student organization. So why was she so desperate for him to join?


    "Wow, this is an interesting puzzle."


    "Thirty seconds."


    "Eek! Er- I almost have it! Just give me an extra ten seconds won''t you?"


    "Twenty."


    "Shi-"


    "Fifteen."


    "Counting doesn''t really help me with my nerves you know-"


    "Ten."


    "Holy-"


    "Nine."


    Sophia grabbed the piece of paper and held it up close to her eye.


    "Eight."


    She put it back down and furrowed her brows deep in thought.


    "Seven."


    She stood there looking at the paper blankly.


    "Six."


    She continued to stare.


    "Five."


    No signs of any change.


    "Four."


    Arth was getting tired of counting now.


    "Three."


    The author of this fanfic is getting tired of counting down now.


    "Two."


    The author hopes that the readers doesn''t get to bored of reading the count down.


    "One-"


    "SOLVED IT!"


    Sophia grabbed the paper and raised it in the air triumphantly.


    Arth stared at her skeptically. "Did you really solve it?"


    She gave Arth a smirk. "Indeed I have. You want me to explain?"


    Arth nodded his head.


    "Then join my club-"


    "Explain it first."


    Sophia gave Arth a smug look. "You see my child-"


    "Don''t call me a child."


    "You see here my junior, there are a few oddly capitalized words in this passage.


    "Yes, I know that. Sky Always Yet Twilight Her Era Worlds Oceans Rise Destruction," replied Arth, far from impressed.


    "Indeed my little junior. Now if you take the capitalized letters-"


    "You get ''SAY THE WORD''. I got that far as well. What else?"


    Sophia smirked. "What word would you wanna say backwards? The only thing that would make sense is the word, sutlucco. But what kind of word is sutlucco? The hint is ''backwards is often the way to go when one attempts to recover the past''. It says backwards so-"


    "Occultus, I know. This is not the final answer."


    Sophia let out a start, "It isn''t?"


    "Nope."


    Sophia squinted her eyes. "Then I guess the only other hint would be night watching and hide and seek. They seem to be reoccurring ideas within the riddle-"


    "THATS IT!" Arth exclaimed. "Thanks a lot Sophia! You were a big help!"


    "I was? Err, yeah! I was!"


    Arth packed up his stuff and started heading towards the library exit.


    "Where are you going?" Asked Sophia.


    "I need to go test something out. Thanks for the help. Don''t worry about me not keeping my promise. I''ll visit Mystery club later."


    "That''s not what I''m concerned about-"


    But Arth had already left her all alone in the library. Sophia stared at the quickly disappearing figure of Arth and let out a sigh. "I swear to god that boy is harder to understand than a complex multi variable equation about animals and human life expectancy correlation. I guess I should go prepare for my newest club member-"


    "WHO WAS THE ONE SCREAMING IN THE LIBRARY! THE LIBRARY IS A SACRED PLACE FOR READING AND STUDYING! HOW DARE YOU YELL IN HERE! I THOUGHT I WARNED YOU BEFORE SOPHIA LANCEHEART!"


    "T-that wasn''t me screaming but Arthur-"


    "SILENCE! THAT BOY ISN''T EVEN HERE! DETENTION! FOR A WEEK! AND FIVE POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW!"


    "FUC-"


    "TEN POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW AND A AN EXTRA WEEK OF DETENTION!"


    ". . . ."

 Chapter 20 - The effect

    It was the middle of night, the cheers of people who celebrated Gryffindors victory could still be heard. Arth had come to the an empty classroom all alone, the windows showering him with gentle moonlight.


    He took a deep breath before taking out the black book that had been on his mind the past weeks.


    He opened the book, the silvery words glimmering softly as always against the black pages. However, when he put them under the moonlight sky, a couple of words began to light up.


    -progression is withheld by the key. Intelligence is just a part


    -those who wish to remain hidden. Twilight dark of secrets. the beginning. seek what you find but do not despair.


    -backwards


    -sutlucco, are you ready to carry the price?


    Arth considered him an idiot. The Book of Night. He couldn''t believe how he hadn''t figured it out earlier. It was so blindingly obvious that he reckoned some of the readers were frustrated and willing to drop the book. Of course, there were some readers who still had no clue. No shame to them.


    The first hint was that he had to read the book during night, the second hint was second over arching theme on the page. Hide and seek.


    Those who want to be hidden.


    The reason why nothing worked when he said the word Occultus was because he never had a desire to hide. The word might only activate during Night or while in the dark as well.


    Arth closed his eyes and tried his best to desire becoming hidden. After he was sure that he had enough determination, Arth whispered the word.


    "Occultus."


    Arth waited for something magical to happen, yet nothing seemed to change. He even checked his book to see if something in the pages had revealed itself. There was nothing.


    Was it because Arth wasn''t feeling the need to hide? Did he need to force himself into a situation where he needed to hide? Arth hesitated. He had no idea if was going to even work, and if he failed, he was going to get into so much trouble.


    Oh well. Curiosity killed a cat. And Arth reckoned that he would be able to weasel his way out of it by acting confunded.


    Arth took out his wand and waved towards the neatly stacked desks and chairs. "I guess it''s time to cause some mayhem. Wingardium Leviosa."


    /¡ª/


    Filch was in his office staring endearingly at a pair of chains when he heard a loud crash. Multiple loud obnoxious crashes.


    "PEEVES! YOU''VE DONE IT THIS TIME! I''LL HAVE YOUR HIDE FOR THIS! DUMBLEDORE WON''T FORGIVE YOU THIS TIME!" Yelled Filch, grabbing his keys getting ready to barge out of the windows.


    He ran through the changing stairs with his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris, following behind. He had arrived at the the fourth floor when he saw what happened.


    A bunch of tables and chairs somehow managed to make their way out of a classroom and fall down the stairs. They were currently repairing their broken parts and floating back up the stairs.


    "PEEVES! WHERE ARE YOU! DUMBLEDORE WILL HAVE YOU FOR THIS!"


    There was a pop as a transparent ghost appeared next to Filch. "It''s filthy wilting Filchy! Filthy wilting Filchy! Are you angry?"


    "GET DOWN HERE YOU BLOODY GHOST!"


    "But why? I never did anything."


    "YOU BLOODY LIAR!"


    "It wasn''t me. I would leave the tables here for your filthy hands to clean. These tables are cleaning themselves."


    "YOU FILTHY LIAR- actually, you have a point," Filch said with his eyebrows furrowing. "Then who could it be?"


    Peeves shrugged. "Student out of bed?"


    Filch nodded his head. "Student out of bed."


    "STUDENT OUT IF BED! STUDENT OUT OF BED!"


    "COME OVER HEAR YOU FILTHY LITTLE STUDENT! YOU NAUGHTY DELINQUENT! I''LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL BE RIDING THE TRAIN HOME TOMORROW!"


    "But why? At least I cleaned up after my mess? Don''t you think that''s a bit harsh?"


    Filch frowned again. "That''s also a good point, most students would run rather than stay back and make sure to clean-"


    Filch froze and looked around. No one was there. "Who said that? Reveal yourself!"


    The only thing that responded to Filch''s words were silence. Even after he glared around the perimeter, he could not find the source of the voice. He could only see a bunch of floating tables that were magically repairing themselves.


    Just as Filch was about to convince himself that he was imagining things, his leg hit an invisible object. The invisible object let out grunt of pain and an audible scowl.


    "Can you not go around kicking people? I''m trying to help you clean the tables and chairs you know?"


    "A-Ah, sorry sir. My bad-" Filch inadvertently apologized before realizing what he was doing. "Wait a minute! You are the student aren''t you! You must be using an invisibility spell!"


    "Perhaps," replied the voice. Filch could now tell that the voice belonged to a young boy, most likely a first or second year student. "But then again, I might be a ghost. You should ignore me and continue to patrol somewhere else."


    "A-A ghost? So you are not a student?" Asked Filch, visible confusion highlighting his face.


    "Well duh, can you see me? Do I look like a student wandering out in the castle during the night? Can you even see me?"


    "N-no-"


    "Then do you believe that I am able to cast an invisibility charm on myself if I was a student? I''m pretty sure that invisibility charms are seventh year material."


    "I-I see. But why are you invisible if you are a ghost?"


    "Does a ghost need to explain why it''s invisible? Now go away Filch."


    Filch nodded his head before starting to walk away from the scene when he suddenly paused. "Wait a minute, there isn''t a ghost that is as young as you in the ghost index! You are a student who is trying to trick me-"


    "Obliviate."


    Filch was blasted down the stairs as a voice sighed at him. "Damn it, I was sure that it would work."


    Filch blacked out and woke up the next morning without a single account of what had happened during the night.

 Chapter 21 - The Price

    Arth was surprised. He was confused as well but his surprise was stronger. He had reckoned that the spell would do something to conceal his being yet he never expected it to be this strong.


    Arth walked around the dark hallways that were lit by the moonlight coming from an occasional window. He placed his hand in front of his eyes. He could still see it.


    He was invisible yet visible. He could see himself yet others could not. It was as if he existed yet did not exist.


    It was a strange concept.


    The spell did not make him invisible in a way that an invisibility cloak or the Disillusionment Charm would. He was still perfectly visible. The only difference was that he was hard to notice.


    It was to the point where Filch was unable to notice him even when Arth was waving his hand directly in front of his eyes.


    Even Corvus, who appeared with a cute little pop, hesitated before settling on his head. Arth stopped as his lips curled into a grin.


    "This is so much fun."


    The only incapability of the spell was that his voice could still be heard. The heat and wind coming off from his movements could be felt, and footsteps that he left behind were visible.


    However, even that would eventually cease to worry him.


    Arth opened the book as magical silvery words slowly appeared on the third page.


    -Congratulations on succeeding! You have passed only the first test of many. However, the upcoming tests are only stepping stones to your progress. You have obtained the key to inherit my knowledge


    -the spell you have just learned is one of my favorites. You can call it whatever you want but I call it the aura concealment spell. All things project an aura. Through this, you become unnoticeable to the mind and with enough mastery and practice, one can virtually nonexistent. Of course, this needs a lot of physical practice that is both mentally and physically challenging.


    -Go back to the second page when the moon hides to see the secret to virtual invisibility. Until you master this spell, you shall pay the price.


    Arth could help but smirk at these lines. Soon enough, he would be able to become invisible at will. The only thing that he didn''t understand was the ''price'' the book talked about? What was it?


    Arth shrugged as he looked out the window towards the moon. He reckoned that the book would reveal a new set of text during the period of night where no moon would be in the sky. Maybe then he would have more answers. Until then, he would have to wait.


    Arth snapped the book shut and placed it into his bag. He made his way back to the Ravenclaw common room while holding his book gently but firmly.


    He noticed that a few students were still out of bed, sitting at the tables with the lamps on working on their homework. Unsurprisingly, no one bothered to give him a second glance.


    He never really talked to any of his fellow Ravenclaws you see. The girls were awkward to talk to while the first year boys refused to talk to him. He could always talk to either Robert or Penelope however both of them were most likely sleeping in their rooms.


    Arth hesitated, wondering if he wanted to spend the night reading a good book when he decided against it. He made his way up to his dormitory and entered his room.


    Arth turned off the lights and settled into a set of more comfortable clothes before getting into his bedsheets. Corvus hopped off his head, walked around the bed in a confused manner before finding Arth and snuggling up against him.


    Arth laughed at the comical sight, wondering what might be the reason for his little bird''s odd behavior. He ruffled Corvus''s feathers before closing his eyes going to sleep.


    The next morning, Arth realized what the ''price'' meant.


    Arth was walking down the hallway when a couple of sixth years slammed into him knocking him to the floor. Arth growled as the contents inside his bag spilled into the hallway, causing a mess. "Oi, watch it."


    The sixth year who had crashed into him had a blank look on his as he stared at the mess on the floor. "Sorry, I-I didn''t see you?"


    Arth frowned as he collected his tuff back into his bag when he heard the sixth year say to his friend, "was he in front of us? I swear that there was no one in front of me."


    The friend shook his head. "Nope, one moment no one was there, and then you crash into someone. It was like he was invisible until we crashed into him."


    Arth froze at those words as his mind inadvertently flickered towards the book. Did he ever deactivate the spell? Was this the reason why the sixth year could not perceive his existence?


    Arth reprimanded himself on his careless mistake and took out his wand to deactivate the spell when he came to a startling conclusion.


    How did one deactivate this spell?


    Most spells would either wear off or would require a counter spell to cancel its effects. It was obvious from the current situation that either the duration of the spell was abnormally long or that it required a counter curse.


    But what would the counter curse be? How long would the spell last.


    Arth figured out the reason why Corvus was acting very oddly yesterday night on the bed.


    Arth was still invisible.

 Chapter 22 - Hagrid

    "Hermione, the exams are ages away."


    "Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That''s not ages, that''s like a second to Nicolas Flamel. Could you check over this for me Arthur, to see if I haven''t missed anything?"


    As Arth took up the series of notes Hermione had taken, Ron scoffed.


    "But we''re not six hundred years old. Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."


    Arth took it upon himself to answer, "It helps to refresh your memory from time to time-"


    "What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year?"


    ". . . ."


    "They''re very important," Hermione continued, "I should have started studying a month ago, I don''t know what''s gotten into me...."


    "It''s ok to to be concerned about your grades but I think-"


    "Blimey Hermione, you still have more than two months left. You need to learn how to have fun a little."


    ". . . ."


    "Fun? How can anyone have fun when exams are ten weeks away? Are you ok Arthur? You seem a bit annoyed. Is something bothering you?"


    ". . . . It''s nothing."


    "Now that you mention it, why are you quiet these days?" Asked Ron innocently, "I mean you weren''t much of a talker before but now it''s almost as if you are invisible."


    ". . . ."


    Corvus, who sat on top of Arth''s head gave Ron a derisive look.


    As the Exams got closer and closer, the teachers handed out more homework than ever before. Students started cramming into the library more frequently and the overall air of the school got more tense.


    Arth happened to be in the library one morning, attempting to ignore the giggles of a particular batch of students when he saw a big man enter.


    Arth recalled the man as the person who had led them from the train to the castle on the first day of school. He also remembered that Harry considered the man as a close friend. He also vaguely remembered that the man was allegedly the game keeper of Hogwarts and a man trusted by Dumbledore.


    Arth observed the man called Hagrid with a curious gaze as he walked around the isles, looking nervous and suspicious.


    Arth packed his stuff and made his way to Hagrid, curious at what he would be looking for.


    Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, Arth raised an eyebrow. "Hello Hagrid, friend of Harry, if you want to learn about a certain dragon species, I recommend the book, Dragons and their Native Areas: Edition thirty six. It provides a simpler description but includes a variety of species from those in America to the eastern Philippines."


    "Blimey! Yeh scared me er-"


    "Arthur, I''m Arthur Kingscrown. A friend of Harry as well."


    "Oh! You''re Arthur. Harry mentioned yeh a couple of times indeed he did. Called you as smart as Hermione but a little less talkative and a lot less stressful."


    Arth shrugged. "Do you need help with dragons? Did you find a particular species that you can''t identify? Or maybe you wish to tame one? It could always be just to sate your curiosity, I''m fine with that too."


    Hagrid let out a chuckle. "I thought Harry said that you weren''t a talker?"


    Arthur smiled back. "It''s because we are talking about dragons. They are fascinating creatures really, and seriously misunderstood."


    Arth noticed that Hagrid''s face seemed to glaze over. "Yer right about that, er, yer don''t happen to have books on raising dragons do you?"


    "On the contrary, I have a lot. From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper''s Guide is a good one. It tells you the basic from incubation the egg all the way to what to do when the dragon hatches."


    Hagrid nodded his head as he bustled to go find the book. After he found it, he sat down and started to read while squinting his eyes. "Er, Arthur?"


    "Yes?" Replied Arth eagerly, "what is it?"


    "Yer read this book right? Do you still remember what''s in it?"


    "I do, it was one of my favorites."


    Hagrid hesitated, "can yer keep a secret?"


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "Depends."


    Hagrid glanced around to see if anyone was listening before leaning in to whisper. "I got me self an egg down at me hut. Would yer like to help me. . . . Raise it?"


    Arth widened his eyes before whispering back to Hagrid. "Hagrid, it''s illegal to keep dragons in England! Do you who know what the consequences will be if you get caught?"


    Hagrid looked as if he was regretting his decision as he stared at Arth with pitiful eyes. "Will yer help me or not?"


    Arth quickly grabbed Hagrid''s arm and pulled him out of the library. "Why the heck would I refuse? It''s not everyday someone is given the chance to raise a dragon. Lead the way Hagrid, friend of Harry. I feel like breaking a few laws today."


    No wonder Dumbledore trusted Hagrid, Hagrid was a man of culture.

 Chapter 23 - The Egg

    "Hagrid, friend of Harry''s, the optimal temperature for a dragon egg is six hundred and forty five degrees centigrade."


    "Er-"


    "Place the egg directly in the fire."


    "Great. Do yer want me to cover the egg with a kettle?"


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "Why would we do that?"


    "Getting caught raising a dragon isn''t the best record yer wanna have. Especially with someone like me."


    "What wrong with raising a dragon with you? We''re only breaking a few laws. The worst that could happen is they would send me to Azkaban."


    "Yer don''t wanna go to Azkaban. It''s a terrible place," Hagrid said while shuddering.


    "Is it? I always wanted to visit it once in my lifetime. Seems like an interesting place."


    Hagrid gave Arth a horrified look. "Something is missing in yer head if yer want to go to a place like that."


    "Why do you thing I wanna raise a dragon? Normal people don''t wish to raise dragons. Or break the law."


    "Yer got a point there."


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.


    Hagrid froze while Arth stared into the fireplace. "Go hide somewhere Arthur, yer shouldn''t be here. Especially if with me while there is a dragon egg in my hut."


    Arth shrugged before lying down to the floor. "Just leave me, I''ll be quiet. No one will notice me anyway."


    "?"


    Hagrid stared at Arth in confusion when the knocks became louder. "Who is it?"


    Arth continued to face the fireplace and didn''t see who what it was but heard them come in.


    "So yeh wanted to ask me somethin''?" Said Hagrid.


    "Yes, we were wondering if you could tell us what''s guarding the Sorcerer''s Stone


    apart from Fluffy."


    Arth recognized the voice as Harry''s but decided to remain still.


    "O'' course I cant," Hagrid said. "Number one, I don'' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn'' tell yeh if I could. That Stone''s here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s''ppose yeh''ve worked that out an'' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou'' Fluffy."


    Ah, the three headed dog on the forbidden corridor. Arth wanted to see it sometime.


    "Oh, come on-"


    Arth saw the egg twitch in the fire and immediately focused his attention to it. There were thirteen signs that an egg was about to hatch and six had to do with how the egg twitched in a certain way.


    "-Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said a voice that was probably Hermione''s.


    "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."


    Arth noticed that the egg was visibly shaking now. "Hagrid, I think the egg is close to hatching-"


    "Well, I don'' s''pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let''s see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o'' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, an'' Dumbledore himself did somethin'', o'' course. Hang on, I''ve forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."


    "Hagrid-"


    "Snape?"


    "Yeah - yer not still on abou'' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he''s not about ter steal it."


    "Hagrid don''t you wanna-"


    "You''re the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren''t you, Hagrid? And you wouldn''t tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"


    "Not a soul knows except me an'' Dumbledore."


    "I''m just gonna watch the dragon hatch by myself then."


    "Well, that''s something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I''m boiling."


    "Can''t, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid.


    There was a pause and Arth felt a sharp pain on his back.


    "Hagrid! What''s that- WHAT THE HELL I''M I STEPPING ON!"


    "Could you please remove your foot from my back? I don''t have a particular inclination towards getting stepped on."


    Harry did a double take before realizing it was Arth. "O-oh, it''s you Arthur. Sorry about that- Wait, why the heck are you here-"


    "I''m breaking the law with Hagrid."


    Surprisingly, it was Hermione who spoke up. "You what! Why would you do something so reckless-"


    "Hagrid, the egg is hatching. I tried to tell you but you ignored me."


    "What egg?" Asked Ron.


    "Let me see too," said Harry.


    "You know you could be sent to Azkaban or worse get expelled if you are caught-"


    Arth gestured to Harry and Ron. "It''s a dragon egg that Hagrid won off of some guy in a pub. I reckon it''s a Norwegian Ridgeback based on the patterns on its shell and it''s unique color. But then again I could be wrong."


    "You shouldn''t be this reckless, think of your parents and your future if you get expelled. You would be ruined! And please listen to me when I''m talking."


    "Oh come one Hermione," said Ron exasperatedly, "how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"


    "Not many times most likely, it is an illegal trade after all. Unless you become a dragon breeder. Then you will most likely see it many times- oh. The egg is hatching."


    Arth, Hagrid, and the golden trio watched the egg in the fireplace with hushed voices as tiny cracking sounds began to fill the room.


    "Hagrid, it seems my first time breaking the law was a success-"


    "Shut up Arthur."

 Chapter 24 - Noa

    Author Note: I am a piece of trash who cannot upload constantly. Oh Great and Merciful Thoth. I beg for forgiveness. Call off the onee sama''s. They are scaring my dogs.


    Say thanks to Saphira for reminding me that I need to write.


    Pst, join my discord. I need more friends. ;-;


    /¡ª/


    "It''s nearly out."


    Arth waved his wand and levitated the egg onto the table.


    Funny clicks started to come out of the egg as steadily widening cracks appeared all over. They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open.


    The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It was the most beautiful thing Arth had ever seen.


    It''s black scales glimmered in the firelight. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its jet like body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the little stubs of horns and bulging, glimmering orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of adorable sparks flew out of its snout.


    "Isn''t he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured.


    "Are you sure it''s a he?" Arth said gently picking up the dragon, "she has a vulva."


    "What''s a vulva?"


    "A female dragon reproduction organ. It''s also found on snakes."


    Hagrid reached out a hand to stroke the dragon''s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!"


    "Arthur," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"


    "It''ll grow three times his current length in about a week," said Arth with a star stuck eyes, "isn''t it wonderful?"


    "Wonderful? He''ll be bigger than Hagrid''s hut in about a month!"


    "Yeah, do you reckon I could become friends with the dragon by then? You think I could ride her when she becomes an a.d.u.l.t?"


    ". . . ."


    Hagrid glanced at the clock and let out a yell. "Blimey there, it''s almost time for dinner. Get out of here you lot."


    "Hagrid, I''ll be back after dinner."


    "See yer then Arthur."


    "See ya."


    For the next few days, any spare time Arth had, he would spend it in Hagrid''s but taking care of the Norwegian Ridgeback who they had decided to call Noa.


    "Hagrid, Noa is so adorable isn''t she? Ah, she lit your walls on fire Hagrid. Ooh, it''s such a pretty color. Such a shame I have to put it out- aguamenti."


    "Hagrid, Noa bit me. What an adorable little thing. Her teeth must be itchy. Should we get her a toy?"


    The only thing that Arth was sad about was that Noa and Corvus didn''t get along together. Corvus had appeared once while Arth was holding Noa in his arms, causing Noa to think that Corvus was her food.


    They would scramble around the hut, like a cat and mouse, with Noa happily chasing Corvus while spitting out fire and Corvus who would teleport every time Noa came within a certain distance.


    Arth was going to split the two up when he saw a startling scene. Somehow, the situation had reversed and Corvus ended up chasing Noa. Just exactly what was Corvus?


    The bite that Noa had given him turned green, which most likely came from the poison in her fangs forcing Arth to visit Madam Pomfrey.


    Approximately a month later Noa had grown to about the size of a small car and Arth and Hagrid were starting to get worried.


    "Hagrid, I think we have a problem."


    "Blimey, I think so too. Noa is getting quiet big isn''t she? We should give her more room to play around in her yer reckon?"


    "We should teach her how to hunt as well. I think that the days of feeding Noa chickens is over. She is going to start needing more food. I saw a couple of wild goats around the forest. She''ll be able to feed herself once she learns how to hunt."


    Arth glanced at the clock and sighed. "See you later Hagrid. I have to go first. It''s almost time for curfew and I have to do something tonight."


    "See yer tomorrow Arth. Don''t be getting into trouble. Don''t want to lose me partner."


    Arth waved goodbye and made his way to the castle as the sun started to set, casting a warm glow on his entire surroundings. He climbed up the stair case that led to the Ravenclaw Common rooms.


    "When does a rooster thrice cry?"


    "When it''s time for the earth, hell, and heaven to die."


    "Correct."


    Arth opened the door and walked into his room, nodding at a couple of older students who waved at him from the tables.


    When he entered his room, Arth made sure that the door was locked before drawing open the curtains. The sun had finished setting and the stars peaked out from the clouds showering him with specks of light. The moon was nowhere to be seen.


    Arth took out the Book or Night and flipped to the second page and waited. When it was about midnight, the book started to glow as a new set of silvery words appeared onto the black pages.


    -by now you have probably figured out what the price is. I''m sorry to say it but it can not be taken away. Only reduced.


    -if you seek to limit its effect, then you must master the essence of the spell. To do that, you just become invisible. True invisibility. An invisibility that will cause death to forget your existence.


    -how does one become invisible? Open your mind, and let me in. You have only scratched the surface of what dances around during the Night.

 Chapter 25 - The test

    "Let you in? How does one let you in-"


    There was a sudden blur of light as everything in his vision started to spin around and around until he was left alone in darkness. Arth reaches for his wand to conjure some light but realized that it was non existent. Arth frowned and looked around only to see utter darkness wherever he looked.


    He was trapped. He had no way of producing light and he couldn''t see anything even if he placed it directly in front of his eyes. He was alone. Arth started walking around the place, to see if there was a way out, or a wall. Anything that he could use as a reference point. Something to lean on or come back to.


    After running around for an hour or so, Arth realized that nothing existed except for him and the floor. He could run in any direction for an eternity and he would never find his way out.


    Arth started to panic.


    How was he supposed to escape a place where there were no boundaries? He had no light, no magic, no friends to help him. He was stuck in an infinite loop that would never get him closer or further from the starting point.


    "Calm down Arth, calm down." Arthur said as he took deep breaths. "There must be a clue. A hint. What was the point of this? What did the book say?"


    Seek true invisibility.


    Arth frowned. That was the only thing he could remember, the rest of his memories were being suppressed. It had to be a clue.


    "True invisibility? How does one seek true invisibility?" Arth started running the gears in his head at max speed.


    Invisibility is being unable to be seen. True invisibility is a stronger version? Unable to be seen by anything? Undetectable? Unable to communicate?


    None of those were the answer. He was missing something. There must be something about the spell that could provide a hint.


    The spell he had casted from the book turned him invisible, but not in the orthodox manner. He was existing, yet non existent. He could he seen, yet he was overlooked. True invisibility.


    Arth''s mind came to a jolting stop as it came to a unreal conclusion. Something absolutely absurd.


    In all of those cases he was still aware of himself. What if he denied his own existence? An entirely illogical thought, something that almost seemed impossible.


    How does one forget their own existence? Was he truly existing in the first place?


    "I don''t exist, I don''t exist-"


    It didn''t work. He just sounded pathetic.


    Arth glanced at his hands. He could feel them move, yet he couldn''t see him. He was still aware of their existence. He had to forget it.


    Arth was half sure he was going insane at this point, the darkness was effecting his mind in a weird way. He was starting to think he was hearing non existent voices too.


    Not really though, you just sound pathetic. Like a boy who is about to lose his mind. I bet the readers are starting to get really confused.


    "I''m going mental in here. I need to get out."


    Good luck.


    Arth promptly stopped moving. He closed his eyes and stopped attempting to see. He slowly relaxed his entire body and laid down on the floor.


    He did not exist. He was currently imagining things. In this world he did not exist.


    What a stupid and pitiful way of thinking.


    Shut up imaginary voice that does not exist.


    Do I really not exist? If I don''t exist, why can you hear me?


    Arth slapped himself real hard on the face as the annoying voice faded away into the background. He had to focus. As he lied there in complete silence, Arth was enlightened with a sudden thought.


    "Wait aren''t I trying to become visible? Wasn''t this the entire point of this?"


    He had been going at it from the wrong place from the beginning. He was trying to be seen, not be more invisible.


    What he was seeing must be true invisibility. Complete and utter darkness. No awareness of ones self and others, a world filled with darkness. How terrifying.


    There was no concept of time. Only mind twisting black.


    Over the past month, Arth realized many things about the invisibility spell. As well as it''s weaknesses.


    Arth stood up. He wanted to see. He wanted to be seen.


    The world of black slowly brightened up, and Arth''s began to smile. He had done it. He had escaped the world of darkness.


    "Well done, you have passed the first test. Now, onto the second one. Survive."


    Arth frowned at the words. Survive? Survive what?


    Arth heard the gentle scr.a.p.e of metal against stone and turned around. There behind him was a suit of metal armor wielding a sword. And all around him were more suits of armor wielding bows, spears, or swords. And all of them pointed their weapons at Arth.


    "You sadistic mother f.u.c.ker-"


    For the first time in his life, Arth experienced what death felt like.

 Chapter 26 - Can you play?

    Arth sat down at the Ravenclaw table with a nasty expression. He had an entire day of exams in a large, sweltering hot classroom where the students did their written papers with AntiCheating quills. The practical exams were somewhat better. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Professor Snape made them make a Forgetfulness potion.


    Of course, this was not the reason for Arth''s annoyance. No. His annoyance and anger stemmed from a black book that now sat warmly at the bottom of his trash can bin back at his room.


    Last night, Arth had experienced what it felt like to have a bunch of arrows stuck inside him. And he had to say. It was very painful. He didn''t know whether or not the archers were bad at shooting, or if they missed on purpose but the arrows seemed to miss his vitals. He only died after one of the swordsmen cut off his head.


    A standard execution.


    Of course, Arth had no physical injures other than the fact that his entire body was sore and that his mind felt like ripping apart from weariness.


    Arth quickly finished his plate before heading off to his last exam. His very last exam was History of Magic. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Arth frowned as cheering erupted around his classroom. His head already hurt enough to put up with the screaming.


    "FREEDOM!"


    "LESS GO!"


    Arth collected his stuff and prepared to walk away when Daphne came near him. She seemed to be relieved and happy as she gave Arth a slight nudge. "Exams are finally over but it seems like someone isn''t happy."


    Arth rolled his eyes. "It''s only a slight headache. It''ll go away if I don''t do anything to make it worse tonight."


    "Like what?" Replied Daphne with a smirk, "staying up late reading books? I reckon that you will have a stronger headache by tomorrow."


    "I''ve had enough of books today. Especially books with black covers," said Arth with a snarl.


    "A black book? What kind of book is it?"


    "Nothing important. The contents are only slightly confusing and sadistic. I''m planning on having a good nights sleep today."


    Daphne let out a frown. "Sadistic? You must be going insane. Make sure to really sleep tonight. If you stay awake to read books, Corvus will tell me."


    Arth scoffed. "Corvus would never betray me."


    However, once Daphne went out of earshot reach, Arth grabbed Corvus off his head causing Corvus to let out a surprised peep.


    *peep?


    "If you ever betray me, I''m going to disown you."


    *Peep!?


    Placing the terrified and confused little bird back on his head, Arth made his way down to Hagrid''s.


    When he arrived, he noticed that Hermione, Harry, and Ron were already there talking to Hagrid. Making sure not to disturb them, Arth quietly closed the door.


    "-What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"


    "Mighta come up, Yeah... he asked what I did, an'' I told him I was gamekeeper here.... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an'' I said what I''d always really wanted was a dragon... an'' then... I can'' remember too well, ''cause he kept buyin'' me drinks.... Let''s see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an'' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn'' want it ter go ter any old home.... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."


    Arth grabbed a pair of tongs before taking out the chicken that had been cooking over the fire. He put on an apron and started to shred the meat off the bones and placed it into a bowl.


    "And did he- did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.


    Arth gave the bowl to Fang as he searched around the house for Feedshay. A particular type of grass that herbivores loved. He had to use it to attract goats which would be used in turn to feed Noa.


    "Well- yeah- how many three-headed dogs d''yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy''s a piece o'' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus'' play him a bit o'' music an'' he''ll go straight off ter sleep-"


    "Hey Hagrid, do you know where the feedshay is?"


    "I shouldn''ta told yeh that! It''s in the third cupboard-"


    "What the-"


    The four of them watched Arth open the cupboard as he took out the feedshay. When he noticed that their gazes were on him, Arth waved his hand. "Don''t mind me, continue your conversation. I''m off to feed Noa. See you."


    With that, Arth closed the door to the hut and went off to feed the dragon.


    Later that afternoon during dinner, Harry and Hermione approached Arth with nervous gazes.


    "Hey Arth, can I ask you a question?"


    "Come in Hermione, we don''t need to ask him. We are fine with us three."


    "Oh be quiet Harry. I trust him."


    Arth raised his eyebrow. Something interesting was going on.


    Hermione once again asked Arth, "Are you free tonight?"


    "It depends. I have a slight headache and would prefer to sleep the night away, however, depending on your next few words, I would be glad to forsake my sleep."


    Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "Well you see, I- no, we have a suspicious feeling that the sorcerer''s stone will be stolen tonight. We want to stop it."


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that the sorcerer''s stone is in Hogwarts at the moment?"


    "Yes."


    "It must be in the forbidden corridor I suppose. It must also be what Fluffy the three headed dog is guarding."


    "Yes- you know Fluffy?" Asked Harry disbelievingly.


    "Met him during the first month of school. Charming little fellow. Nasty breath though. So, what do you need my help for?"


    "Well," said Hermione said hesitantly. "Can you play a musical instrument?"


    Arth had a suspicious feeling that he was not going to be able to sleep tonight.

 Chapter 27 - The Three and the Snare

    Arth raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I really doubt that the enchantments protecting the sorcerers stone are able to be broken by four first years."


    "Well we can''t sit here and do nothing," replied Harry, "if Voldemort gets this stone, he is coming back! Haven''t you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over?"


    "And the first thing he will do is kill Harry," Ron added helpfully.


    Arth shrugged, "if we get caught, we will lose points, I''m guessing about fifty points a piece. Honestly, I wouldn''t even help you if it weren''t for the added bonus seeing Fluffy. I only see him a couple of times you see, when Hagrid goes into the castle to feed him."


    "So you don''t want to lose points but want to pet a three headed dog in a suicidal manner?" Ron said disbelievingly, "you are absolutely mental."


    "Ron, don''t say that! You are being rude. At least he is trying to help us," Hermione reprimanded.


    "Yeah, and so did Neville. And look what you did to him."


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "You cursed Neville?"


    "It''s only a full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably, "we were short on time okay?"


    "Let''s just get this over with," said Harry as he pushed the door open.


    As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. The dog''s noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn''t see them.


    "What''s that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.


    "Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."


    "Why do you three believe that Snape is the one who wants to steal the stone? He is a professor for god''s sake."


    "Cause he despises Harry to the point where I wouldn''t be surprised if he stabbed Harry during potions class."


    "Can''t really argue about that. I''ll start playing I guess."


    He put Hagrid''s flute to his lips and started playing the first line from ''silent night''. From the first note the beast''s eyes began to droop. Slowly, the dog''s growls ceased and tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.


    "Keep playing," Ron warned as they crept toward the trapdoor. "I think we''ll be able to pull the door open, Want to go first, Hermione?"


    "No, I don''t!"


    "All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog''s legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open."


    "What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.


    "Nothing. Just black. There''s no way of climbing down, we''ll just have to drop."


    "I''ll go first then," Harry volunteered.


    "You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don''t know how deep this thing goes."


    Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor.


    He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up and said, "If anything happens to me, don''t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"


    "Right," said Ron.


    Arth nodded all the while playing.


    "See you in a minute, I hope..."


    And Harry let go. There was a moment of silence and- FLUMP.


    "It''s okay!" Harry called from below.


    Ron proceeded to jump down alongside Hermione with Arth being last.


    Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant. Curious, Arth started to analyze the plant.


    "What''s this stuff?"


    "Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it''s here to break the fall."


    "We must be miles under the school," Hermione said.


    "Lucky this plant thing''s here, really," said Ron.


    "Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!" She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.


    Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster


    the plant wound around them.


    "Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it''s Devil''s Snare!"


    "Oh, I''m so glad we know what it''s called, that''s a great help," snarled Ron.


    For some reason, Arth was not being attacked. He calmly shook off the dust on his clothes and calmly walked out of the pit.


    "Well, hurry up, I can''t breathe!" Harry gasped.


    "Devil''s Snare, Devil''s Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-"


    "So light a fire!" Harry choked.


    Arth opened the door that lead to a long hallway that lead downwards.


    "Yes, of course. But how do I light a fire? There''s no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.


    "HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"


    Arth walked down the hallway as the voices of Hermione, Ron, and Harry slowly faded away.


    A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. He reached the end of the passageway and saw before him a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small keys with wings fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.


    Arth observer the room for a bit before heading back to the room with the Devil''s Snare. When he arrived, the trio was going crazy.


    "ARTHUR! SAY SOMETHING! WE CAN''T HELP YOU IF WE DON''T KNOW WHERE YIU ARE!"


    "HERMIONE! JUST BURN ALL OF THE PLANTS AWAY!"


    "I CAN''T! IF I DO, THEN I MIGHT HURT ARTHUR IN THE PROCESS!"


    "THEN WHAT DO WE DO?"


    Arth tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "I''m here so let''s just go-"


    "ARTHUR! YELL FOR US!"


    Arth sighed before kicking Ron in the shin. "Stop talking as though I''m dead. Let''s hurry up and go. We don''t have time."


    ". . . ."


    ". . . ."


    ". . . . Why did you kick me?"


    "Why not?"

 Chapter 28 - Brooms and pieces

    "Do you think they''ll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.


    Arth shook his head. "I already crossed the room. They won''t attack you-"


    "Probably," said Harry. "They don''t look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there''s no other choice... I''ll run."


    "There is literally no need to run-"


    Harry covered his head with his arms and ran towards the door unharmed. Arth sighed.


    "Can you please listen to me? Don''t try to open the door because it''s locked. The Alohomora charm won''t work as well."


    "Huh, what did you say Arthur?"


    ".... we need to find the key. The things flying above our heads are Keys with wings. We need to fly up and grab the key that opens the door."


    "Oh, why didn''t you say so," said Ron before analyzing the door. "We''re looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."


    Arth noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing.


    "Its most likely that one." he said to the others. "The big one with bright blue wings with the feathers all crumpled on one side."


    Harry squinted his eyes as he searched for the key. "That''s gonna be difficult to catch."


    Ron snorted. "You are the youngest seeker in the century. How hard can it be?"


    Harry shrugged and reached out towards a broom that was floating near the wall.


    "I choose you Harry Potter. Use fetch! Go find the key."


    "Oi, don''t treat me like a slave."


    Arth rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna get the key or not?"


    ".... I will."


    "Then go get the key. Now. He who must not be named is getting closer to the stone by the minute and here you are arguing about how you don''t wanna be treated like a slave. Stop using your mouth and start using your hands. Fetch."


    "...."


    Harry gave Arth a dead pan look before getting on the broom and dashing towards the broken key.


    "Good boy." Arth said nodding his head in satisfaction while Hermione and Ron gave Arth a disbelieving glance.


    The three of them waited on the floor while they watched Harry dodge the missile like keys.


    "Ah, our Gryffindor seeker Harry Potter reaches out for the key and- he misses, what a shame."


    "Another attempt is made by Potter as he jukes the hundred keys and lunges forward- but sadly misses."


    "SHUT UP ARTHUR!"


    "He is understandably frustrated as this is his fourth time missing the catch. Although showing anger to the ref is not a good idea. It is very unsportsmanlike."


    "ARGH!"


    Harry let out a sudden burst of speed, fueled by his anger and managed to grab the key. All of a sudden, the keys stoped chasing and went back to idly flying around.


    Arth clapped for Harry as he came down to the floor.


    "Well done. I expected no less from the youngest seeker in the world-"


    "Shut up."


    "Fuel that anger Harry. Show that ''he who must not be named'' person who''s the real boss."


    Harry put the key into the key hole and angrily opened the door. The next chamber was so dark they couldn''t see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal that they were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard.


    Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. The towering white chessmen had no faces causing them to feel a bit intimidating.


    On the other hand. There were no chess pieces on the black side.


    Ron and Arth frowned.


    "This will be.... difficult."


    "Indeed. It seems like we will need to win with only four pieces."


    "I''ll be the bishop and you take the king?"


    "Harry can be castle while Hermione takes the queen?"


    "I think we can work with that."


    "I think so too."


    Harry and Hermione looked on with confused expressions.


    "What do you two talking about? What do you mean be the castle?"


    Arth shrugged. "We will play a little game of chess, only-"


    "-We will be the pieces. Get in positions everyone."


    The moment that the four of them arrived at their designated position, a white pawn slowly slid up two spaces.


    Hermione let out a gasp and went pale. "Do you think that this will be like... like wizards chess?"


    Arth hesitated before placing Corvus in the spot in front of him. "Hey Corvus, hop forward two squares please."


    Corvus tilted his head before cheerfully hopping forward two squares, standing diagonally next to the white pawn. It looked up at the pawn with a curious look before letting out a cute peep.


    There was a moment of silence before the pawn drew its sword and thrusted downwards with brutal force.


    Corvus let out a shrill shriek before disappearing onto Arth''s hair while trembling.


    ".... I think it will be exactly like wizards chess."


    "...."

 Chapter 29 - Sacrifices and Logic

    "Ron to E2."


    "Arthur to D8."


    "Hermione to A1, takes castle. Check."


    "Harry to C6, take Knight."


    "Hermione to A2, take pawn."


    The chess match went in a very quick pace. The moment the white chess pieces made a move, Ron or Arthur would immediately send out another move. However, even with the quick paced moving and commanding, the game progressed slowly. Arth and Ron has to be mindful of enemy attacks. If they made a single sacrifice, one of them could possible suffer a serious injury, or worse, death.


    Just as they eliminated the last pawn on the white side, Arth and Ron let out a groan. Harry and Hermione, who had both lost track of the game immediately put on worried looks.


    "What''s wrong? Did something happen?"


    "Is anything bad going to happen? Did we make some sort of mistake?"


    Arth shook his head. "It''s not that. With out next two moves, we will be able to win but...."


    "But what?"


    Ron took a deep breath. "We will need a sacrifice."


    Harry let out a small growl. "If it''s what I think it is then don''t. Don''t do it."


    Ron let out a sigh. "We can''t do it any other way. Every minute we spend here is another minute wasted in stopping you know who."


    Hermione let out a shaky voice. "W-who are we sacrificing?"


    Ron went silent as Arth sighed. "We need to sacrifice Ron. If he takes the knight over there, it will force the Queen to take Ron, which then allows Hermione to take the queen and end the game."


    Harry frustratedly stomped on the floor. "Is there any other way?"


    "There is but it will take too much time." Ron put on a brave face before glaring at the queen with a hint of fear. "It has to be me. You have to stop him Harry. Not me, nor Hermione. You. Although, Arth may be able to help you."


    A moment of silence.


    "Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go-"


    "Ron to B3, take Knight. Check."


    Ron was magically forced to stepp forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor. Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he''d been knocked out.


    Arth frowned. "Why did the queen go easy on Ron? They obviously tried to kill Corvus when I sent him out as bait- as a scout."


    "Maybe because Corvus is a black bird and they are White chess pieces?" Said Harry as an attempt to be helpful. "I mean, Ron is kinda pale and white."


    "Good thing Hermione isn''t black in this fanfic, otherwise I dread what would happen if we had to sacrifice her."


    "What was that Arthur?"


    "Nothing, it''s something only the readers will understand."


    "What readers?"


    "Again, something only the readers will understand."


    "I see?"


    "Hermione to F1, checkmate."


    At once, the White king raised his sword and stabbed itself in the chest before crashing down to the floor heroically. All the other white pieces took it upon themselves to do the same.


    Arth dusted off his clothes before giving Harry and Hermione a satisfied look. "Well that went well."


    "Well? Ron got injured!"


    "It''s nothing fatal. Most likely a concussion. He won''t die or anything. He''s only gone to sleep. There may be a slight headache when he wakes up tomorrow however."


    Arth made his way to the door. "Let''s go and catch the bloody thief already." As Harry and Hermione quickly caught up to Arth, Arth opened the door.


    A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.


    "I''m glad that this troll wasn''t the one we had to fight." Arth said to Hermione as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "We would''ve died from the smell alone and the girls bathroom would never smell the same."


    He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.


    They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn''t ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.


    "Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.


    Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,


    Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,


    One among us seven will let you move ahead,


    Another will transport the drinker back instead,


    Two among our number hold only nettle wine,


    Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.


    Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,


    To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: First, however slyly the poison tries to hide


    You will always find some on nettle wine''s left side; Second, different are those who stand at either end,


    But if you would move onward, neither is your friend; Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,


    Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;


    Fourth, the second left and the second on the right


    Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.


    Arth squinted his eyes for a minute before picking out a tiny bottle and a round one. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire towards the Stone while the round one will take you back."


    "How did you know-"


    "It''s a simple puzzle. A solvable with a logical mind. Something most brilliant wizards sorely lack."


    Arth picked up the small bottle and frowned. "There is barely enough left for one mouthful. I reckon that at most two people can take it. Any more would weaken the effects."


    Hermione took the round glass. "You two go, I''ll go back to Ron and try to send an owl to Professor Dumbledore. Don''t die Arthur."


    "I won''t," said Arthur with a confident tone. "The worst that could happen to me is a loss of limb and a permanent mental impairment."


    "...."


    "Bye Hermione. Be sure to get Dumbledore here quickly as possible. I don''t think Harry and I will be able to hold off a talented wizard thief like this one."


    Hermione nodded and took a sip of the potion before heading towards the blue flames. Arth took a small sip of the tiny potion before giving the rest to Harry.


    "Cheers, and may we survive through the night."


    "....cheers."


    The two of them exchanged looks before running into the fire."

 Chapter 30 - Unexpected yet expected revelation

    "HOLY F.U.C.K!"


    "ARTHUR DODGE!"


    "WHAT ELSE WOULD I DO? SIT STILL AND LOOK PRETTY?"


    "I SWEAR TO GOD THAT YOU WOULDN''T LOOK PRETTY IF YOU DECIDED TO SIT STILL!"


    Arth thrusted himself to the side as a giant fireball exploded in the place where he was just at.


    Before he had even landed on the floor, Arth prepared himself to roll behind a large pillar. It was a lucky thing he did as not a moment sooner, a wave of flame rushed all over him. The only reason why he was still alive was due to the pillar.


    "I DONT KNOW WHAT YOU WERE THINKING HARRY BUT I SWEAR I''M GOING TO CRUCIFY YOU WITH A BIBLE AFTER ALL OF THIS IS OVER!"


    "I''M SORRY OK? I REALIZED THAT I DIDN''T NECESSARILY PLAN THIS OUT!"


    "YOU SON OF A BITCH DIDN''T PLAN OUT ANYTHING!"


    Arth paled as the pillar he was hiding behind started to melt.


    "CORVUS!"


    With a pop, Corvus appeared on his shoulder with a cute peep.


    "TAKE ME OUT!"


    Pee-PEEP!


    Corvus glanced around and must''ve realized that Arth was about to become a very unappetizing piece of BBQ as the very next thing that happened was Corvus teleporting away from behind the pillar, with Arth in tow.


    "Get back here Mr. Kingscrown. Your lesson is still in session."


    The man waved his wand once as a thin barrier appeared, preventing Corvus and Arth from escaping.


    "GOD DAMMIT! I DON''T WANT TO BE IN YOUR CLASS ANYMORE!"


    "You don''t have a choice."


    If only Corvus was an a.d.u.l.t and could teleport Arth in and out of barriers as freely as teleporting solo. Then he could leave Harry here to deal with things on his own.


    On the bright side, he had escaped the threat of the fire.


    Looking back on how the situation escalated this far, Arth couldn''t help but give a bitter laugh.


    When Harry and Arth entered the final chamber, they were met with a startling realization. A man was standing in front of a mirror while deeply frowning. However, far from what Harry has expected, it wasn''t Professor Snape, nor was it He Who Must Not Be Named. It was none other than Professor Quirrell.


    "Wow, this would be an unexpected turn of events if all the readers didn''t know what happened in the original books."


    "You!" gasped Harry.


    "Me," Quirrell said calmly. "I wondered whether I''d be meeting you here, Potter."


    "But I thought -- Snape --"


    "Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn''t his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn''t he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P Professor Quirrell?"


    "Told you it wasn''t Professor Snape."


    "But Snape tried to kill me!"


    "Why the heck would a teacher try to kill you? You must be going insane?"


    "No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I''d have got you off that broom. I''d have managed it before then if Snape hadn''t been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."


    "Dammit, I''m being ignored again, aren''t I?"


    "Snape was trying to save me?"


    "Of course," said Quirrell coolly.


    Arth sighed before taking out a small book from his pocket. "You guys call me when you two are ready to come out of your own world and listen to others around you."


    "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn''t do it again. Funny, really... he needn''t have bothered. I couldn''t do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I''m going to kill you tonight."


    Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.


    "Wow, bondage play with an eleven year old. I have to say Quirrell, you have some unique tastes."


    "You''re too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you''d seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."


    "You let the troll in?"


    "Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls -- you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there?"


    "Now that I think about it, you kinda look like a troll too."


    "Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off -- and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn''t even manage to bite Snape''s leg off properly."


    "That would be bad indeed."


    "Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."


    "Well, if you are going to ignore me, I''ll just free up Harry I guess."


    As Professor Quirrell studied the mirror intently, Arth made his way to Harry and drew his wand.


    "Relashio."


    Harry let out a start. "Wha- oh, thanks Arth."


    "No problem, it''s just me. Your daily side character that seems like a fourth wheel to a trio."


    "I-I didn''t notice that you were there."


    "No biggie. I''m used to it."


    Arth gave a glance at Quirrell. "So what are we going to do about him?"


    Harry frowned. "We need to stop him before he gets the stone."


    Arth shrugged. "Ok, that sounds easy. Holding back a fully fledged wizard as two first years is a easy thing to do."


    "We just need to distract him until Professor Dumbledore gets here."


    Arth sighed. "Fine."


    He picked up a rock from the floor and threw it at Quirrell who let out a yelp of pain before turning around to venomously glare at Arth and Harry.


    "Why did you do that?"


    Arth shrugged. "I thought you were looking for a stone?"


    And that was how they were in the current situation. Quite comical really.

 Chapter 31 - Quirrell vs Two

    Arth let out a groan. "Why the hell is Quirrell so powerful?"


    "Cause he is a teacher at a magic school? Professor Dumbledore wouldn''t just hire a complete weakling as a teach right? Plus he has the second strongest wizard possessing the back of his head."


    "You right, makes sense that he is kinda strong."


    During the time when Quirrell was controlling fire to chase them, his turban caught on fire forcing Quirrell to take it off. What lay beneath was a horrible sight.


    Arth looked behind the pillar and let out a whistle. "I have to say Harry, that double sided face head is definitely not a fashion statement. I liked him better with the turban on."


    "KINGSCROWN, IF I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I SHALL TEAR OUT YOUR LIVER AND FEED IT TO THE TROLLS!"


    "Can you stop agitating him Arthur? It''s not making things easier for us."


    "But he is the one trying to kill us. OI QUIRRELL! TROLLS DONT EAT LIVERS, THEY PEFER TO EAT THEIR MEALS WHOLE! GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME!"


    Arth let out a satisfied grin as an inhumane scream sounded out from behind the pillar. The only problem was that the temperature was getting a little too hot.


    Arth gave Harry a sideways glance. "So do you have any plans?"


    Harry shook his head in dismay. "Nope. How the hell could I fight against him? I can barely transfigure a spoon."


    "We can make objects fly towards him I guess?"


    "What good would that do- RUN!"


    Arth and Harry dived behind another pillar as the pillars that they were hiding behind him exploded into smithereens.


    "CORVUS! GET A TEACHER FOR ME! PREFERABLY PROFESSOR SNAPE, PROFESSOR FLITWICK, OR MCGONAGALL!"


    There was a peep as Corvus popped in and out of the chamber. Harry let out a yell.


    "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU PREFER SNAPE AND PROFESSOR FLITWICK?"


    "SNAPE LOOKS HELLA SCARY SO I THINK HE IS STRONG! AND FLITWICK USED TO BE A DUELING CHAMPION WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER!"


    "REALLY? I DIDN''T KNOW THAT!"


    "I KNOW! ITS PRETTY INTERESTING! I READ IT IN AN OLD NEWSPAPER!"


    Arth came out from behind the pillar and pointed his wand towards Quirrell.


    "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ARTHUR!"


    "I''M THROWING SPELLS AT HIM! WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?"


    "AT LEAST USE A SOMEWHAT USEFUL SPELL AT HIM!"


    "I''M A FREAKING FIRST YEAR! THEY DONT NECESSARILY TEACH KIDS OUT AGE HOW TO KILL OTHERS! DO YOU WANT ME TO ALOHOMORA HIM OR SOMETHING?"


    "JUST DON''T USE WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"


    Arth jumped out of his pillar again and pointed his wand towards Quirrell.


    "ALOHOMORA!"


    The belt buckle holding together Quirrell''s pants unpatched itself as his pants fell to the floor. Arth was met with a spectacle that looked worse than the double sided face.


    "KINGSCROWN!"


    "OH MY GOD HARRY! MY EYES! MY BLOODY EYES! ITS SO TINY AND DISGUSTING!"


    "WHAT DID YOU DO!"


    Stunned by the sight before him, Arth forgot for a moment that he was out in the open and the whole una.d.u.l.terated wrath of Quirrell showered upon him.


    "Petrificus Totalus!"


    Arth fell to the floor as stiff as a board unable to move an inch. A heavily panting Quirrell with a borderline insane smile came upon him with intense joy. The one thing Arth was glad about in this situation was that Quirrell had put his pants back on. However, Quirrell''s expression was slightly concerning.


    "Finite Capute."


    Arth''s face miraculously recovered their functions and he was able to talk once more.


    ".... this isn''t good. When the villain heals their enemy-"


    "I''m going to enjoy listening to your screams of pain and horror Kingscrown. Ooh, I am going To enjoy it."


    "-it doesn''t lead to pleasant results. HELP ME HARRY!"


    "HOW?"


    "CRUCIO!"


    Arth went completely numb. His brain stopped working and he felt as though he was flying through the air. He didn''t even realize that he was screaming as if he was being tortured to death.


    He heard faint voices far away in the distance and he recognized one of them as Quirrell''s. They sounded very muddled however.


    "Scream for me more Kingscrown! I shall enjoy torturing you to your inevitable death!"


    "You fool, get the stone! Get the stone for me!"


    "After this master, I promise."


    "Hah.... Hah.... hello mister Dark Lord-"


    "Crucio."


    "ARTHUR!"


    His vision started to slowly go black and Arth was losing his sense of reason. Just as he felt as though he was going to break, he saw a shadowy figure run towards him.


    "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"


    "ARGH!"


    From the corner of his eyes, Arth saw Harry run towards Quirrell and grab him in the face. In retaliation, Quirrell grabbed Harry''s face with a murderous expression.


    "Let go of me Potter. I shall deal with you later, my priority is Kingscrown at the moment-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Quirrell and Harry both let out a simultaneous scream. When they both let go each other, Arth say that Quirrell has blisters on his face and hand, directly where he was touching Harry.


    "YOU SON OF A B-"


    Quirrell made another grasp towards Harry, who did the same, and another bout of screaming occurred.


    Arth attempted to raise his wand towards Quirrell, however, he was too weak and his vision started fading quickly. The last thing he saw was Harry and Quirrell collapsing on each other.

 Chapter 32 - The End of Book 1

    "Welcome back Arth. How was the hospital wing?" Asked Daphne as Arth sat down at the seat next to her.


    Arth shrugged before taking a sip of water. "To be perfectly honest with you, I quite enjoyed it. Hours and hours of uninterrupted reading time. It was heaven. Although, I have to say, my mind still hurts from time to time. The cruciatus curse hurts quite a bit and it''s after effects are annoying."


    ".... I bet that you are the only person in the world who would say that."


    Arth picked up a turkey leg from one of the plates and tore of a piece with his fork and placed it in his mouth. It was very good. He reckoned that he could get addicted to it.


    Especially after a week of eating plain soup and porridge in the hospital wing.


    "One thing I learned from this experience is that following Harry Potter around isn''t good for my health. Suicidal even."


    "Told you that Gryffindors are idiots. Idiots who seek out adventure even though they have a chance of death."


    "You''re right about that. Honestly, I''m never accepting a favor from Harry ever again. He almost got me killed and in the end, what we tried to do wasn''t even helpful."


    "Mhmm. You should stick out with me more. I promise that I''m better than the idiot trio."


    "Won''t Malfoy get defensive?" Said Arth while raising an eyebrow. "The entire ''traitor'' thing?"


    Daphne shrugged. "I honestly don''t care anymore. He annoys me, the way he thinks that everything is his to control. By the way, do you want to come over to my house during the summer? I asked my dad and got permission."


    "Really? I would''ve expected him to say no-," Arth said as he tore off another chunk of meat. "-since I''m not a Slytherin."


    "He doesn''t really care about what house you are in, as a matter of fact, I think he would''ve said yes even if you were a half blood."


    Arth raised an eyebrow. "Really? How odd."


    "He told me that the Malfoy way of thinking is outdated and senseless. Just because one is of muggle birth, it doesn''t make them unworthy of wielding magic."


    "How wise. I''ll ask my parents if I can go over to your house. I want to talk to your father. He seems like an interesting person."


    There was a slight chime as Dumbledore gently tapped his fork onto the side of his goblet. The great hall was immediately enveloped in silence.


    "Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man''s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...."


    There was laughter at his words, to which Dumbledore gave a warm smile to.


    "Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; in third, Ravenclaw, with four hundred and twenty-six; Gryffindor has five hundred and twelve and Slytherin, five hundred and twenty two."


    A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Arth could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table, and shook his head in disappointment.


    "What a total monkey."


    "I agree."


    "Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore.


    Professor Snape got up and shook Professor McGonagall''s hand with a smirk who in turn, wore a very stiff smile on her face.


    Arth sighed and turned around to pat Daphne on the back. "Congratulations I''m winning the house cup."


    "Thanks. It was a close one too. Imagine if we lost to Gryffindor."


    "Imagine if Professor Dumbledore showed favoritism and boosted the points of the Gryffindors so that they won the house cup?"


    "I would leave this school then."


    "Same."


    There was a tiny pop as Corvus, who was considerably larger since the beginning of the year, gave Arth an affectionate coo.


    In return, Arth fed it some turkey.


    "Is it really ok to feed Corvus turkey? Isn''t that like.... cannibalism?"


    "Since Corvus is fine with the taste, I think it''ll be alright. Birds will eat any meat after all, as long as it is small enough."


    "Whatever you say."


    Arth got up and stretched before giving Daphne a last look. "I guess it''s almost time to leave this school."


    "I guess it is."


    "I''ll be heading off to my room then. I need to pack. See you on the train Daphne."


    "See you."


    Arth and Corvus made their way out of the Great Hall and the shadows casted by the flaming torches on the wall flickered. For a moment, Daphne swore that she saw all of the shadows bow down before him. Like loyal subjects kneeling to their King.


    Book 1 end

 Chapter 34 - Side Story 1

    Daphne sighed as she watched students board the train one by one after saying their farewells to their parents.


    Unlike them, she was alone. Her father had quickly dropped her off at kings cross before heading off to work while her mother stayed at home to take care of her sister.


    She remembered what her father had told her on their way here. To stay away from muggle borns and to not provoke Malfoy. She understood that Purebloods were better than the muggle bloods and that some of her fellow wizards considered muggle borns to be of an inferior breed. However, her father told her that although this might be true, one mustn''t be ignorant of the potential muggle borns hold.


    She was often told by her cousins about how eccentric her father was. A Pureblood Slytherins who did not despise the very existence of muggle borns. He was more of a mix between a muggle lover and a pureblood advocator. A pacifist, one might call him.


    Which was why he told her not to gain the ire of the Malfoys. It wasn''t due to fear or lack of riches. Not at all. Her father just hated senseless violence and aggression. He would rather shoulder embarrassment than strike back.


    Daphne gloomily heaved her luggage onto the train and rolled down the isles looking for a compartment. She was honestly fine with sitting anywhere, as long as she didn''t have to be with Malfoy.


    She had met him durning one of the pureblood gatherings and could somewhat discern that he was an arrogant snob. Slightly handsome but bratty.


    However, Daphne wasn''t as lucky as she hoped.


    "Oi, Greengrass. Do you wanna sit with us? It might be safer than randomly choosing a compartment. You might find a mud blood toad hiding in one of them."


    Daphne gave Malfoy a cold look before continuing on to find a different compartment. Preferably somewhere very far from where malfoy was at.


    Soon, she reached near the end of the train and found a relatively empty compartment, its only occupant being a similar aged boy with black hair. He was holding a book and looked relatively emotionless. He was very handsome and had an air to him that told her that he was no normal person. At least, he was different from other boys. A basket covered in a blanket sat next to him.


    Curious, she called out to him.


    "Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked.


    "Mm."


    The boy, without looking up from his book, nodded his head and Daphne sat down. The silence in the compartment continued as the boy read his book while she watched him.


    "You aren''t very social are you?"


    The boy simply ignored her and continued to read on. Daphne gave it another try.


    "Is the book that interesting? What is it about?"


    "Different species of wolves." Replied Arth without looking up.


    "Do they mention werewolves in that book?"


    "Page one hundred twenty six."


    Daphne widened her eyes in amazement. This boy was very interesting. "You have a good memory don''t you?"


    "Perhaps."


    "Why are you so antisocial? Is talking to people that horrible?"


    "Is it that hard to know when someone doesn''t want to talk?"


    She knew it well, it was the same thing she felt whenever Malfoy or someone else tried to start a conversation. What a hypocrite she was.


    Embarrassed and ashamed at herself, she quickly tried to distract herself by giving a pout and snatching the boy''s book, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "There we go. You finally looked at me. It''s rude to not look at someone when talking."


    "Will you give me back my book?"


    "Hmmm, maybe I will? Maybe I won''t?"


    The boy sighed. "Fine, you win. Let''s talk."


    She let out a giggle before lending out her hand. "Daphne Greengrass, first year. A Pureblood."


    The boy reluctantly gave her his hand. "Arthur Kingscrown, first year. Pureblood."