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OOOOO

A Curious Venture

OOOOO

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Breakfast in the morning was heralded by the legion of owls that burst through the Great Hall's many open windows. Each clutched within its talons the morning paper, dropping them into the laps of roughly half the hall. In front of me, a tawny owl landed on the table, pecking at a few crumbs of bread off the wood. It stuck out its leg for one of the first-year boys beside me.

"Right, that's me," he muttered, untangling the newspaper from the owl's leg. He rubbed the top of its head until the owl's sharp beak nipped his finger. "Ouch!"

The owl hooted, its eyes amused, and leapt off the table, joining the rest of the flock.

"Let's see that, Stevens," my hand hovered over the edge, and when he didn't move away, I grabbed the newspaper and read it aloud for the benefit of everyone around me. "As of today, Blenheim Stalk has, at last, published his long-awaited book, 'Muggles Who Noticed'. In it are several real-life stories of muggles who slip the notice of Obliviators and return to the muggle world with stories to tell. Dirk Davison for one,—better known as "Dodgy Dirk" in the book—a famous escapee of the Ilfracombe Incident back in 1932…"

I read on, and as I did, my eyes flicked to the moving pictures. They looped over and over again as I read the passage. Slowly, the beginnings of an idea began to come to me, but I put a mental pin in it and continued to read the important bits of news.

"And that should be it," I placed the paper back into Stevens' hands.

He nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of the Ilfracombe Incident. I doubt there's a wizard who hasn't. It's not everyday that you hear about a welsh green flying into the muggle world and running wild now, is it?"

I propped up my elbows. "So this "Dodgy Dirk" escaped the Obliviators, huh?"

"Apparently," the boy replied. "Now I don't know the specifics. My grandad does, though, so I've been told the story thousands of times."

"Go on then, Stevens," one of the kids called from the other side of the table. "Tell us the story."

The blonde shuffled nervously at the attention. "... Well alright, then," he sighed. "During the summer of 1932, a common welsh green flew into Ilfracombe and almost torched the west side of the town to the ground. The Tokes—they're a pretty big wizarding family who were there on holiday—fought off the dragon and then rounded up the muggles who saw it all before calling the Obliviators. Grandpa told me that they used the biggest batch of memory charms in the century that day. One of the Tokes—Tilly, I think—got a first-class Order of Merlin."

My eyes were still on the front cover of the paper when I spoke. "It's almost scary how things like that can slip by unnoticed."

Michael whistled. "You're telling me. Magic is pretty amazing, huh?"

The picture of who I presumed to be Tilly Toke waved at me from within the page. "Yeah, it sure is."

I stirred the lukewarm cup of tea absentmindedly for a while, and before I knew it, breakfast was over. Thankfully I had a free period, so I readied myself to head over to the library whilst the idea was still hot.

"Hey where are you going?" I heard as I rounded the table.

I turned back. "I'm going to research something."

Ellie moved to get up and join me but I shook my head. "Don't worry, you don't have to come with me. I'll be fairly quick anyway."

She furrowed her brow and sat back down. "But what about Mulciber? He's had it out for you for weeks now!"

I winced a little and shouldered my satchel. "I know. I'm trying to let it run off me like water— be like a brick wall and all that. Maybe he'll get the message soon enough."

The reasoning felt about as empty as Satan's heart. Not even I believed that, and by the looks of it, neither did Ellie.

She stared at me disbelievingly. "You think so?"

I stared at the Slytherin table pointedly. "No, I hope so. Whether or not that'll happen is another thing entirely."

And with that, I turned heel and walked out of the Great Hall, joining the throng of students funnelling out of the single door that functioned as the exit.

OOOO

"G'morning, Madam Pince," I smiled, popping my head into the warm library.

To me, the place was like a warm bath. All the day's troubles would simply melt away once you stepped foot into the room until all you had left was a world of mystery and adventure ready to be explored.

I shrugged off my bag and outer robe, leaving myself in a simple jumper and trousers— Hufflepuff fashioned, of course. It was fairly early in the day, so the library was pretty vacant. A few students dotted the desks here and there, and of course, Madam Pince herself sat at the desk drinking from a steaming mug.

"Shhh," she placed a finger over her lips, though the edges twitched upwards. "And good morning to you too, Mr. Azar. What can I do for you today?"

I fished through my satchel and pulled out the book on duelling that I'd borrowed. "This has honestly been amazing. I've been testing out the stances and exercises and I'm not even halfway done. There's still some more of that to go through as well as some basic rules, regulations, and etiquette."

She took the book out of my hands with a smile. "And I would be happy to do so. I may not show it, but it always warms my heart whenever I see children's enthusiasm for reading— you and your friends especially. The seven of you seem to be here every day."

I laughed quietly as I stared at the counter. "You're not wrong. I just hope it stays that way…"

Madam Pince nodded, missing the frown on my face. "Indeed. As subject content gets harder, it seems that all enjoyment is sucked out of reading. It's… not something I enjoy seeing."

And whilst she wasn't wrong, my mind was somewhere else entirely. A few moments later, I pulled myself out of my spiralling thoughts and returned the renewed book to my bag.

"Thanks. I've a couple more questions," I leaned against the counter, pushing my palms against the smooth wood. "Mostly about publication—newspapers specifically but also books and stuff. But first, I've got to renew this again."

She placed her cup down and adjusted her position on the chair so that she was facing me directly. Her dark eyes were light with interest and she clasped her hands in her lap. "Oh? I'd be happy to help. In fact, I did an internship at the Prophet in my fifth-year."

"Really?" I latched onto the tail-end of the sentence. "That's perfect! Okay, so, I'd like to research how magical newspapers are made. It's for a personal project."

"Would you mind giving me some details?" she asked, taking a sip from her mug.

I nodded. "I saw today's edition of the paper, and then I had an idea. What if I created revision resources—for first-years of course—that functioned similarly to newspapers. Like flashcards, for example. The informational side could have moving diagrams and whatnot, but since I'd like to sell them one day, I'd like to try and copy a set after making them but also make sure that they can't be recopied by people who buy them afterwards."

"If you can stick to it throughout your years, it would make for quite the lucrative business," Pince hummed. "Especially once the content gets harder. And as much as I would like to sit here and break it down for you, I simply am not well-versed enough in the creation of newspapers to help you."

Truthfully, I expected that when she told me it was an internship she attended in her fifth year at school, but I still couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"However," I tensed up, expectation blooming once more. "I can point you to some books that I believe would be helpful."

"That would be lovely," I smiled.

I stood still, patient, as she listed out a few books onto a slip of paper. I hadn't expected the librarian to have any, truth be told. But when I'd asked, she informed me that paper was just better on a functional level—a sentiment I shared.

"There you go," she tore a strip from a notepad and passed it to me. "Enjoy, and I look forward to seeing how your venture shapes up."

"I'll keep you posted, then," I said, shooting her a smile. "Thanks, ma'am."

She raised her mug in farewell and I travelled deeper into the shadowed areas of the library. Just behind me, I could hear her voice. Unlike how she spoke to me, it was a lot sterner. "Mr. Rutherford! If you will not treat that book with respect then I see no reason for you to be here. Out!"

I shook my head and bent down, the cloying scent of dust and old books growing stronger as I did.

OOOO

My day had carried on as normal for the most part. After my free period was Potions, followed by Defence Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. As it was still lunch, though, I was in the Great Hall again.

Finishing off the last of my pudding, I pushed the dented tin bowl towards the centre of the table. "Now that was good…"

Michael nodded, speaking between bites. "It's—sorry 'bout that—a shame that they only make treacle tarts on Thursdays, eh?"

"I think that's a good thing," Ellie said. "I'd get bored of it if I had it everyday."

Cadmus scoffed. "Speak for yourself! I could have treacle tart for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

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"But Cadmus," I snorted. "You could have anything for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"Exactly," he said. "All food is good food, Cyrus."

"I… don't think that's how it works, but good for you I guess," I shook my head and stood up. "Now, who's ready for some Transfiguration?"

A couple first-years around me groaned aloud, prompting a couple of older Hufflepuffs to laugh at them.

"Oh," I smiled. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" a girl sitting opposite me whined. "It's difficult, that's what!"

I folded my arms and nodded understandingly. "Damn right it is, but that's half the fun. Once you finally get it, it's the best feeling ever, right?"

She frowned, a retort at the tip of her tongue. I was expecting her to voice it but she withdrew into herself, her face contemplative. "...Yeah. You're right. It's still hard though."

Viola leaned over and ruffled the girl's hair. "I almost feel sorry for you," she grinned. "If you think it's hard now, wait till you're my age."

I dusted a few crumbs off my robes and nodded at the few who were looking at me. "Now, I'm off. I'll see you all in class, alright?"

I left the table after a few goodbyes from some of my housemates. On my way out, I unfortunately had to circle past the Slytherin table. I carefully stepped over a leg that had been stuck out with the intent to trip me. Once I cleared the obstacle, I walked on as if I hadn't seen it in the first place, exiting the hall and heading into the unusually quiet corridor.

Since I hadn't seen Professor McGonagall in the Great Hall, I assumed she was in her classroom, setting up for the afternoon's lesson. I was proved right when I stepped into the room and caught her halfway through her meal.

"Mr. Azar," she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "You're a little early, no?"

"Yeah," I smiled apologetically. "Finished my lunch and thought I'd come here a little earlier than usual. That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, no," she picked up her cutlery once again. "Though I would be much obliged if you placed some parchment in front of each person's desk," she jabbed her fork in the direction of the tray beside the door.

"Not a problem," I shrugged off my bag and outer robe, hanging them behind my usual seat before I got to work.

By the time I'd got through half of the stack, McGonagall had finished her lunch and was helping me hand out the rest. Soon enough, we'd finished, and I'd returned to my seat with three points to show for my helpfulness. The rest of my class began to enter, slowly at first, but as it drew closer to two o'clock, more of them began to stream in. Soon, the class was abuzz with conversation as the children pulled their equipment out of their bags.

A little past two, Remus entered with Lily, Michael, Cadmus, and Ellie in tow. They spread themselves across the remaining seats on the row, as well as the row in front of me.

"What took you so long," I whispered to the messy-haired Ravenclaw.

He shrugged. "Ask Cadmus."

I looked to the seat in front of me questioningly.

"Oi," Cadmus narrowed his eyes at Remus, his freckles rippling across his face. "I couldn't just leave the treacle tart on the table to be thrown away now, could I? You've got to eat your food!"

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Not when it's your third treacle tart in the last fifteen minutes…" Ellie muttered under her breath, but since she was sitting beside me, Cadmus couldn't hear her.

I failed to contain my laughter and it escaped me in the form of a snort. Not only that, but my own laughter kicked off Lily's.

"What?" Cadmus zeroed in on us. His greenish-grey eyes flitted between Lily and myself. "What did you say? What's wrong?"

I shook my head between laughs. "Don't worry, mate," I pointed towards the front of the class. "Look, McGonagall's over there."

"That's Professor McGonagall, Cyrus," Remus said. He didn't even look up from his copy of 'Magical Theory'.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "One day, you're going to be doing the same thing. And when you do, I'm going to laugh."

He didn't reply, and shut his book when McGonagall began to speak.

"Afternoon all," her voice was clear as the afternoon shone in from the high windows behind her. "Since we have been doing a lot of practical work this past month, I saw it fit to have a little impromptu quiz for today."

The class began to groan aloud, but was swiftly put to an end after a stern glare from her.

"Now," her voice took a harsh but not unkind edge. "This is all for your good in the end. The better you understand the theory behind Transfiguration, the easier time you'll have with practical work. They work in tandem with one another, something I'm sure you're all aware of."

Before she continued with anything else, she was stopped by a knock at the door. I turned my head and spotted Professor Sprout poking her head through the threshold. "I'm sorry, Minerva, but I'll have to pick up Cyrus for you-know-what."

Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed in understanding. "Ah, yes. Mr. Azar, do remember to take your things with you. I believe you will not make it back in time for the end of the lesson."

More than a little confused, I packed my stuff and slung my bag over my shoulder. I travelled down the classroom sparing one last glance at the rest of the classroom before I stepped outside of the classroom and followed my House Head through the castle's relatively empty corridors.

OOOO

Sat in a slightly cold and unused classroom, I puzzled over the information that Professor Sprout had dropped into my lap. The room was devoid of any other desks outside of the one I was sitting on. Opposite to my seat was another chair—presumably for whoever I was waiting for.

"In light of your academic success, my dear," she smiled. "Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, and myself alongside the Headmaster have decided to provide you with a tutor for Transfiguration and Charms."

And so I waited patiently for my tutor to arrive, all whilst the room grew colder. It soon grew to become a bother, so I lit the fireplace at the back of the room. I welcomed the crackling of firewood and the blast of heat as the flame roared to life. The door clicked open, and I tensed unconsciously, not expecting the noise.

The faded brown door creaked open, revealing a tall girl in green and black robes. Her face was an unblemished and pale ivory. She had high cheekbones and a familiarly aristocratic face. Her heavy-lidded eyes were as dark as midnight and her curly dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

I'd thought I'd seen the last of Bellatrix, but it seemed that fate wanted to play a cruel trick on me once again. Panicking, I sprung out of my chair, my wand trained on her. My legs were tense and I was ready to bolt out of the room at a moment's notice.

"I don't know what sort of sick joke this is," I growled. "But if you're my tutor, then I want out."

"Out?" she asked softly as she walked to the desk. "What for?"

"You know what," I spat, slowly inching back towards the open door. "It wasn't enough that you had to hex me to hell and back, no, you had to be picked to torment me for the rest of the year, huh?"

Bellatrix blinked confusedly. "...I think we got off on the wrong foot," she stuck out a smooth hand. "I'm Andromeda Black. Nice to meet you, Cyrus."

I froze. "...What?"

"Was I too quiet?" the girl tilted her head. "I'm sorry, I was saying that I'm Andromeda Black— your tutor until the end of the year."

I wasn't proud to admit it, but my brain had short-circuited, and the only thing I could say was: "Wait, so you're not Bellatrix?"

The girl—Andromeda—looked at me with pity. "No, I'm her twin sister. And trust me, you'd be better off with me than her."

I scoffed. "Oh don't worry, I don't have to trust you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I told you, your sister caught me on the seventh-floor during my first week here," I shook my head. "Buried me under a tonne of stinging hexes. I had sores and welts all over my back. Thankfully Madam Pomfrey was able to get me fixed up the next day."

Andromeda sighed and ran a hand through her lustrous, dark hair. Her face seemed to age by decades before my eyes. She shook her head and sat down.

I laughed dryly and plopped down opposite her. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Well," Andromeda said. "I think I'd like to get an accurate grasp of what you know. Sadly, I haven't got anything you can Transfigure today, so we'll stick to Charms for now."

She moved the desk to the front of the room and sat on top of it, crossing her legs. Then out of nowhere, threw her outer robe into the air and shouted, "Freezing Charm!"

My wand was in my hand before I'd thought it through. Seeing no reason not to commit, I cast my arm out in a sort of flourish. A dark blue light washed over the robe and it froze in the air. Despite neither rising nor falling, the robe fluttered in the air.

"Very good," Andromeda smiled. "That was well-cast—I would even go as far as to say perfectly cast."

I smiled at the praise. "I practise a lot."

"Evidently," she nodded. "Since you're a muggleborn, you must have worked absurdly hard to get to this level— especially since you can't use magic at home."

I frowned as she reminded me. "I went over to a friend's house at Christmas so I got to practise some magic then. Still, it was the first time in weeks…"

Her eyes were sympathetic but quickly returned to the suspended robes in the air. "Next, the General Counter-spell."

I nodded, and readied myself to catch the robe when it fell. "Finite Incantatem."

The glow around the cloth faded and it began to plummet to the ground. Just as I was about to catch it, an orange cord of light wrapped around it and yanked it across the room.

Andromeda smirked at me and draped the robe over her shoulders. "Do you know what that spell was?"

"I'm pretty sure that you used the Seize and Pull Charm, no?" I asked.

"Can you cast it?" she asked curiously.

"...I haven't tried it yet," I replied honestly.

"Great," she said. "No time like the present," she flicked her wand and levitated my bag onto the desk. She ran me through the incantation and wand movement for a couple minutes. "Go to the other side of the room and try to cast the charm."

The heat of the fireplace licked my back. It felt a little odd at first but I did my best to tune out the sensation. My eyes were firmly locked onto the satchel and I practically drank in everything I could about it. Months of use had seen that it was a far-cry from what it had once been. The edges were frayed, the leather strap worn from overuse, and the colour faded.

I spread my legs out a little and gripped my wand. I visualised the bag rushing towards me, right into my left hand and tried to settle myself into that very desire. "Carpe Retractum."

A slightly smoky haze of light rushed out of the tip. It wrapped itself around the bag and I yanked it back. As I did, I began to smile at my success. The bag had travelled about half the distance when the rope of light sputtered out of existence. Like its strings had been cut, it tumbled to the floor, a few textbooks tumbling out.

"What went wrong?" I was puzzled as I returned the books into the bag.

Andromeda's legs kicked to and fro from her seat on the windowsill. "What do you think went wrong?"

"My wand movement was perfect, I think," I said. "So was my incantation. I visualised the spell well-enough too..."

"Really?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Your focus drifted when you were pulling back the bag," she pointed out, leaving me a little embarrassed and unable to say anything.

How could I? She was right. I cast the spell and then lost focus.

"Do you want to try again?" Andromeda's voice echoed through the relatively empty room.

"Definitely."

She gestured to the table at the front of the room and floated my bag onto it.

"Carpe Retractum," I called, making sure my focus was ironclad.

The cord of light was a lot more substantial this time around. It looked almost solid, wrapping itself tightly around the bag. I pulled back sharply, my left hand held out to intercept it. The bag slapped against my hand and I fumbled for the strap.

I grinned at Andromeda and she offered me a small smile.

"Well done," she said. "Though I believe you're a tad more adept at Charms than I was informed."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"Professor Sprout told me that you were at the second year level for both Transfiguration and Charms," Andromeda explained, hopping off the windowsill and putting her robe on properly. "But what you just demonstrated for me was a third year charm."

I breathed out through my nose. "I think… that I've always had an easier time with charms. I usually visualise my spells, you see. I'll probably hit a wall at some point since everything will definitely get a lot harder."

"That may end up being the case," she agreed. "But my job for the rest of the year is to make sure you learn as much as possible and that, Cyrus, is exactly what I'm going to do."

I returned my wand to my holster. "I'm assuming my name is one of the things Professor Sprout told you about?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I never told you."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "How Slytherin of you. I think you and I will get on perfectly fine. Can you do me a favour, though?"

I turned. "What is it?"

"I need you to pretend that you don't know me when we're outside of this room?"

I stared at her critically for a few moments. "Pureblood stuff?"

"Aren't you a little too young to know about that?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm in the same year as Mulciber and Avery and I met your sister a few months ago. That's as good an introduction to the climate of wizarding politics as I'll get."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whilst we're on the topic, you'd do well to avoid my elder sister from now on."

"Already am."

Andromeda nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Good. Now, I'd appreciate it if you listed out everything you'd like to learn until the end of the year. I might add or remove some spells if I think they're too much for you but it'll largely stay the same."

I nodded and jotted down everything I was currently researching that I thought she could help with. I felt her eyes over my shoulder as she scanned over everything I'd written.

Once I was finished I packed my things away and opened the door. "See you again tomorrow?"

"No, Saturday morning," she clarified.

I nodded. "Have a good evening."

I heard her muffled reply as I closed the door behind me.