Fandom The Gathering of Death Eater Children

[Hikari Chan]

August viewed the drawings silently, using the black flashlight which the deputy mistress had suggested. They were quite disturbing, but he could not see any connection between them and Celeste's painting that illustrated the gruesome torture of the man with the cauldron on his belly. He stifled a laugh, being totally clueless, despite Mulciber had been filling him in with what had happened lately.

"Where did you get this painting from?" Aislinn asked with a piercing glance.

"I bought it from an art exhibit," August did not conceal the truth, but did not reveal any details either.

"Mr. August Dolohov. There are, only Merlin knows how much, millions of art exhibits over the world. Where did you get this particular painting from?" She pressed.

"From an art exhibit in Rouen," He forced himself to say. ...Merlin, Monroe is so persistent...tsk her family name isn't known as mine and she has to be my superior...

Aislinn gave him a long look, not revealing what she was thinking. She decided to wait with further questions until Adela came to take a closer look at both the painting and the drawings. And it did not take long until she knocked at the door and entered the meeting room.

Adela took a close look at every drawing, however she did not need to use the black flashlight to see the alternative illustration of each one of them. Instead she used her wand to create the different light she needed. She could feel August's cold eyes on her when she investigated the painting, moving her wand alongside the fine lines and every brush stroke of the art. She stopped for a moment, still holding her wand over the painting and looked up, meeting his piercing gaze who screamed that this painting belonged to him. ...Merlins' beard, he seems to be on the edge as if I dare to destroy this painting...She sighed inwardly and averted his cold eyes.

"Well...there's nothing extraordinary with the drawings, other than the one who drew them used his or her wildest imagination along with lemon juice to create alternate illustrations. A typical muggle method. Since the person behind these drawings, drew so badly as an adult and used a cheap muggle method to hide the disturbing illustrations behind innocent looking drawings, he or she is overexaggarating with the illustrated destructions. The Fiendfyre could possibly be released, but in such an open space..." She pointed at the drawing where the Quidditch field was burning to the ground mid-match. "...anyone on their brooms can escape it. Besides there's a charm to cease this kind of fire down. We are not that powerless as the artist may be thinking. The creatures that inhabits the forbidden forests are too timid to leave and step out outside, even if most of them are dangerous. Besides this school is so old, we all know it was founded around the year 990. The founders have protected it heavily with strong magic that wouldn't wear off that easily. From what I know from the wizarding history, there has never been an earthquake here or anywhere else in the wizarding world. Well, what shall I say..." She shrugged. "...Wizards and witches have always been able to protect their places all over the world and we are not different. Did the person who draw these underestimate us? By the way, may I know where you got these drawings from, please?"

"They were found in Cattermole's trunk," Alexander replied curtly and did not fill in the rest of the details.

"I see...well, with that being said..." Adela continued. "...these have been drawn on a whim, in order words, the artist has just illustrated several random ideas of how to destroy us and this place. What the drawings only have in common is that they are gruesome and describe too farfetched ideas. No more or less. From what I can understand from these drawings, is that the artist hates us deeply and expresses his or her hatred through art. There's no order of how these ideas are planned to take place since they were drawn randomly or whichever may take place, if the artist is really planning to put any of this ideas into action. Further on, of what I can magically read from the pencil strokes, these were all drawn during the same day, in the following order..." Adela placed out the drawings in a horizontal line, the first one, illustrating Peeves, on the left end of the table where Luna was sitting. The first drawing was followed by the drawing that illustrated the overflowing bathrooms, the third one was the oversized Whomping Willow, fourth was the burning Quidditch field, followed by the creatures leaving the Forbidden Forest and then came the earthquake followed by the last and most disturbing drawing where the Slytherin's flag was being trampled. "It does not say much if the there's an internal or external threat. Anyway, we do not need to worry that any of this may happen, because it won't. I believe the artist just wanted to let us know about how much he or she hates us by leaving us these drawings. If there is any enemy, they would never give away their ideas like this if they are really planning to attack us," Adela gathered all the drawings together and placed them in front of Luna. Melody seemed to have brightened up and looked much calmer after Adela had completed her investigation of the drawings.

"As for this painting, there's another story," Adela continued. "It illustrate the gruesome torture method which muggles used during the Tudor period in England. There's no magic behind this painting and from what I could magically read from the brush strokes is that the painting is not that old. It has a couple of years behind its back. And everything is so detailed and perfectly drawn as if the artist has captured a real torture incident."

Upon hearing his sister's last words, August's face turned redder than tomato.

"You are hiding something, aren't you?" Aislinn was observing him closely, noticing how the color of his face changed suddenly.

"I have nothing to hide," August voice was steady but the look in his face betrayed him. "I was visiting Rouen during the summer where I came across the art exhibit and bought the painting."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"There are, only Merlin knows how much, millions of art exhibits over the world. Where did you get this particular painting from?"

I was just about to ask. A perfect team. Luna thought, noticing how they repeatedly spoke of what she was curious about before she said it.

"From an art exhibit in Rouen," He forced himself to say.

"Do you know the address?" Luna asked bluntly. "Unrelated to the investigation, I'd like to buy some art like that. I haven't seen anything quite as lovely for a while." That's a lie...Malice painted lovely things during our past afternoon together. The art reminds me a bit of Malice's...I could ask her again to tell me more about other friends of Alastair's...but it's likely she'll turn me down for the third time...

"They were found in Cattermole's trunk."

Thank you again, my team. Luna thought, having been about to reply to where she'd found the drawings.

Upon hearing his sister's last words, August's face turned redder than tomato.

Luna raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had never seen August blush.

"You are hiding something, aren't you?" Aislynn said.

Luna wondered where she should draw the line between being nosy and asking for the sake of the investigation.

"I was visiting Rouen during the summer where I came across the art exhibit and bought the painting."

"Then that is all we need to know." Luna said before Aislynn asked something else. "Thank you for being honest with us." She gave August a look that said she didn't believe he'd been honest but didn't want to push him to reveal personal details, since that was not something she viewed as fair. We could very well pressure him 'for the sake of the investigation', but that wouldn't be fair. "Does anyone else have anything to add, unrelated to Mr. Dolohov's purchased painting?" It's not even his painting. Although, he better not expect me not to visit him later. I'll ask him to tell me about it candidly, and if there is nothing of note, I will remove my memory of the discussion and hand them to August himself so he can decide what to do with it. For his comfort, I will even tell him my plan to do so before we begin the discussion. And if he disagrees to talk with me about it, I will ask Raven to read his mind. I'm using her as a last resort, fair and square, Elias.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...I told miss Lestrange the truth...I bought the painting from the art exhibit in Rouen. I don't know the address, so I hope she won't ask me again or start pestering me about it...Merlin, I am getting a headache from all this drama...August thought, feeling very tired and totally drained as if he has been put through a very long interrogation yet they had only asked him a few questions.

"I am debating if I should take a quick detour to Rouen," Flynn spoke slowly. "Since it's Saturday tomorrow and I need to visit Diagon Alley for other purposes, I am thinking about killing two birds with one stone..."

"Then miss Dolohov will come with you. See if you can find any art exhibit that sells extraordinary paintings. And regarding the pupil who you reported for breaking some basic rules. Place a tracking charm on her and let her serve her detention by running all your errands that have nothing to do with the investigation tomorrow," Elias ordered and then turned his attention to Luna: "I'd like to speak with you in private after this meeting, please." He avoided mentioning his sister's name or it would have put both him and his father in an awkward situation in front of the other staff in the meeting room. Lily had been the only one whom Flynn had reported to him about breaking the curfew rule. ...I was supposed to have a meeting with Lily and Pyrites after this, but since I already issued the detention, we don't need to have the meeting...

"Then if you are done with questioning Cattermole, I want him confined and locked up at the Ministry of Magic for now while we carry on with the investigation. If he is found guilty, he will be expelled since he is an underaged wizard. If found innocent, then he may return to Hogwarts and have his memory cleaned from the incident," Alexander looked at August as if he wanted to tell him that if he were found guilty he would face much worse consequences. "Confine the painting and the drawings as well, along with the syringe and cellphone."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I'd like to speak with you in private after this meeting, please."

Luna nodded slowly with an 'I understand' expression.

She didn't have a problem with the other orders issued, merely wishing to question Elias on who the 'girl' was. She assumed that by intentionally using a pronoun, he was protecting a name, so she decided to ask later.

"If no one else has anything to add, it's time this meeting comes to a close." Luna said.

Crystal stretched out her arms high above her, and then brought one back down quickly to cover her mouth for a yawn.

After the meeting had ended, Luna looked to Elias. "I will speak with you shortly in your office." Then, she headed for the bathrooms.

Raven caught up with her on the way, offering the information before Luna had a chance to turn it down. "Mr. August Dolohov was thinking..." she filled Luna in on all of August's thoughts during the investigation "...in case you wanted to know."

"I was going to-" Luna began.

"-question him yourself and use me as a last resort, but since he looked so tired, I figured I would save this step for you. It would also please you to hear it from me first, since you didn't want to irritate the professor when he appeared to look so tired today." Raven smiled sweetly, happy to be of use to Luna. "Also, the-"

"-I'll ask Elias." Luna interrupted. "Really. Thank you." She said, parting with Raven at the bathroom door.

Raven debated on whether to follow her in, but she remained by the doorway. As she heard Luna close the stall door, she got an idea.

When Luna left the stall, she saw a deep, elegant bowl full of cold water, and a wet towel hanging off the edge of it. She washed her hands, then placed the cold towel over her face for a few minutes, enjoying the calming feeling. Then, she vanished the items, and made her way to Elias's office.

"Elias." Luna said calmly, knocking gently.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Dutiful as always, aren't you, miss"

...is that supposed to be a bloody compliment or is he being sarcastic...Lily ignored professor Pyrites and remained where she was, leaning slightly against the wall with her arms crossed in the corridor outside his office. She wanted to tell him that he was late, but swallowed her words bitterly not wishing to add more to the detention she was expecting to receive.

"I actually have some good news for you," Flynn beamed and clasped his hands. "Your brother already issued your detention hence our meeting is canceled and I won't take much more of your time.
You'll be serving your detention by running a couple of errands for me in Diagon Alley while I will be away on a mission tomorrow. I'll see you in the entrance hall after breakfast tomorrow morning. Have a good night, miss," And with that he entered his office and closing the door behind him, not giving her a chance to speak for herself and leaving her speechless. ...wait...what...She was too astonished that she nearly forget that she had gotten angry because he had been wasting her time by asking her to come to a meeting that just got canceled. She lifted her hand to knock at his door but lowered her hand. ...I thought all pupils got restricted from leaving Hogwarts until the Christmas holidays...so why are they making an exception for me...this sounds too good to be true...he did not misspeak, did he? Oh well, I will just try to ask Elias about it before I have to serve my detention tomorrow...Pyrites did not even explain why I am getting detention...

"I don't know where to start...but I feel I cannot trust August Dolohov anymore...rather, I am suspecting him," Elias spoke quickly and then paused momentarily. "Whenever I am not around, he always takes advantage of the situation and tries to override the other professors. He has been crossing the lines with me a couple of times and the night when we returned from the Halloween party, he packs a suitcase and leaves Hogwarts during the most sensitive moment when the rest of us were engaged in solving a crime that involved the pupils. And when I question him about it, all he gives me is a halfhearted excuse as if he is ditching his responsibilities as a team member and as a professor and instead prioritizing something less of importance. I already started to suspect him before I saw the painting you confiscated from his office. Not that he could be directly involved, but rather indirectly and all his previous actions could be connected to Cattermole's case."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Luna began as soon as Elias finished, having formulated her thoughts while he spoke. "I would like to converse with Mr. Dolohov over tea and a bit of truth serum. If I get nothing satisfactory from him then, I propose that we give him some paid 'time off work'. Once we choose someone suitable to carry out the job of covertly monitoring him, we will have some answers. If he does nothing suspicious during his time off, then we will simply have no need to call him back to Hogwarts. We will privately interview others to take his place, and we will notify him of his dismissal 'due to the need for someone more qualified. You may be called back to work here if the need arises'...which won't happen again." She paused for a few seconds, to listen to Elias's plan, or changes to her plan. I'm intentionally ignoring the easiest option. Having Raven read his mind in his sleep. He will never know, and we will have our answers...but the reason I must ignore that, as I did when I thought of doing so with Cattermole, are to follow Elias's suggestion. I mustn't rely on Raven too heavily or else it will lead me to become even weaker. Leaving Hogwarts unguarded was something we've moved past. I shouldn't even be allowing it to re-enter my thoughts right now, but I am comparing that failure to letting August have any sort of position of authority within this school. Briefly wondering if that would've been like giving Robert the same role, she laughed quietly.

 

[Hikari Chan]

Elias did not respond Luna immediately, but pondered quitely for a while, while looking at the dark clouded sky from the large windows in his office.

"Fine," He spoke after what seemed a couple of minutes of silence, still gazing at the dark sky before facing Luna. "A meeting with him over tea with some veritaserum is a good idea," He continued to speak, this time looking at her. "however, during the current circumstances, it's not going to be easy to find someone more qualified than him, especially when Hogwarts has become less attractive because of the murder incidents. We need to ask someone else from the staff to substitute for him and it has to work with the current schedule, because we do not have the time to make any other big changes with everything that is going on. If we can make it work without disrupting the schedule, then we will give him the 'time off', however as suspension. I want him to know and be aware of that he is getting suspended from working or being anywhere at Hogwarts and why, namely, because he crossed the line with me as his superior and because he neglected his responsibilities as a professor and teammember when he briefly returned to the castle after the Halloween Party. But if we cannot find a quick replacement, we will have to confine him here, for the same reasons as if it would have been a suspension. Either way, we will have a much better reason if we choose to fire him even if he is found innocent from the Cattermole's case and he won't have the slightest chance to appeal against our final decision when he only can blame himself. It can also serve him as a severe warning if we allow him to return to his job after his suspension or confinement. And let it also be a warning to the rest of the staff and teammembers."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Luna almost heard Nagini's voice in her ear as she smiled at Elias's reply. "Trying to go soft and avoid punishing someone of an inferior rank? Elias won't let that happen." Luna smiled because she was grateful Elias hadn't. "You're right. He should know why he's being treated as he is. And a warning to the others is the most important reason." She nodded firmly. "I will update you on the results of our teatime once he has taken his leave." She stood, and shook Elias's hand. I'm shaking my future husband's hand. She thought with a quiet laugh before walking around the desk and giving him a warm embrace. "I shall see you later." She said with the slight nod of her head. Then, she left his office. Briefly, she pondered which office would set the mood better. A friendly chat would be his office, of course...but that would be an abnormality since I am never in his office. Any other place would be too casual. It must be my office.

2 minutes later

"Mr. Dolohov. Meet me in my office for tea and sandwiches post haste." Luna's formal tone informed via August's emerald.

Luna had three small teapots containing chamomile, Chai, and English Breakfast tea, two cups, and milk, cream, and sugar on the side. There was also a plate of sandwiches; half bacon lettuce avocado and tomato, and half cucumber. The tea in August's cup hadn't been poured just yet, allowing him to choose his type and alter it to his taste. Luna was stirring her tea as August knocked on her office door. She had added the veritaserum to all three pots after pouring her cup. "Enter." she replied calmly and clearly.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...is the Dark Mistress calling me for the painting again? August sighed inwardly. ...I should have kept the painting at home instead of having it displayed in my office. So why did I purchase it when it only is illustrating some old muggle torturing method? Because I wanted to praise Celeste for being talented...and hanging it in my office brought me unexpected consequences...Merlin's beard...

He entered the office of the deputy mistress upon being called after he knocked quietly. He noticed the three pots of tea and seeing the Dark mistress already stirring her cup filled with while his cup was empty, he felt wary of the situation. ...I have to make a choice...who I shall be loyal to...the late Dark lord's daughter or Celeste...

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"We've had a succession of odd incidents happening lately. I shan't beat around the bush, as I'm sure you've already gathered the purpose of our meeting. In addition, I gather we're both weary and would like to retire for the day sooner than usual." Luna sipped her tea, pointedly not waiting for him to be seated and serve his own. "Contrary to the beliefs of the headmaster, the strange incidents did not begin with the Cattermole incident, nor with the painting you brought, and certainly not those strange pranks. It began with a white tiger...roaming these halls. You know which tiger I mean, do you not? Apparently only a few people have seen it despite it being quite brazen with its wanderings." Luna was watching August's eyes closely for a reaction, leaning in slightly as she held her teacup in her hand. Right when August opened his mouth, she interrupted him. "The incident with the prankster and the evidence-filled trunk was vexing as well, especially with this timing. How would you like to take credit..." she sipped her tea, enjoying the dramatic pause and the fact that August could not interrupt "...for finding the culprit?" I've known for quite some time who the culprit was...but I have been waiting for something like this. An incident where I needed a bribe that was more tempting than useless money. Now I have a card to play against a man who, I gather, would not sell out for money. Not his expressions or his posture...he's controlling those well enough...but the movements of his eyes...they suggest he is hiding something. And Elias's suspicions, along with the obvious incidents of August acting out against his authority...all those things have all led us to this situation. He may have also foreseen what Elias wishes to do with him. That is why he may consider this bribe over whatever he is hiding. A boost to his reputation, especially for such a prideful man, would help soften things, especially if my suspicions are correct and that he doesn't have anything so terrible to hide that it would destroy his reputation completely.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"That white tiger has only been delivering me letters. That was its purpose, no more or less, just like an owl...well..." August paused momentarily, carefully choosing his words before continuing: "...my date preferred to deliver me letters using her white tiger." He did not care about serving himself tea or try any of the sandwiches. "Speaking of which, she is the artist who painted the painting I bought. I just wanted to praise her for her talent, hence I bought it. Anyway, I don't know how her tiger could be related to Cattermole, but the headmaster's suspicions may not be that far-fetched. My date once revealed in a letter that she knew a couple of the pupils enrolled here at Hogwarts. Miss Fairbook and Mr. Garnett. In response to her letter, I asked her if she also knew Mr. Dantes and Miss Lovett and she replied that she did not know any Lovett but that she might know someone named Dantes. That night of Halloween, my date begged me to come with her because she wanted to show me her place. Since it was Saturday night, I did not turn her down and picked a small suitcase with necessities at Hogwarts before leaving with her. It turned out to be a weird test, where her father wanted to try me if I am worthy of his daughter. During the test, he used a syringe, and afterward, it was revealed that she had been given what muggles call a vitamin shot. Later after I returned to Hogwarts, Mulciber filled me in with the details of the incident with Cattermole. Knowing that a syringe has been used in the incident, I cannot help but suspect the four extravagant pupils, Fairbook, Dantes, Garnett, and Lovett, and think that the Cattermole incident actually began with them. If you remember, there was an article in the Daily Prophet, mentioning that their names were not found anywhere in the wizarding registry. Henceforth I have been wondering if they really received their letters from Hogwarts at the age of eleven and if they did, why did chose to start study magic now when they are much older. I can understand the situation with miss Fairbook after witnessing all the drama her father caused. But the other three pupils, what's their excuse? Also, did the headmaster, you, or professor Quinn search through the Book of Admittance to see if their names were there or not? Personally, I don't know how to relate it to the tiger. My date could be innocent and her father using a syringe a coincidence. Or she could be the mastermind behind the Cattermole incident since the tiger has been out and about this castle. Or she could be indirectly involved. Another possible outcome is that the real culprit may be taking advantage of the circumstances to make me suspect her. Perhaps Fairbook, Dantes, Garnett, and Lovett were placed here to make it easier for the tiger to come. I have suspicions, but I could be wrong. Also, I can't say if the culprit is alone or if there are several culprits working together, I can only suggest that the Book of Admittance needs to get searched through the first thing. "

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Luna listened with a blank expression, knowing she couldn't force him to drink the tea. So, she carefully observed his movements and facial features while he spoke to ascertain whether or not he was lying. When he finished, she was satisfied with the results of their meeting. How interesting...in addition, he came up with a solution neither I nor Elias considered for these irksome events...With my free time, I will look through the book. I could easily have Raven do so, but... She remembered her agreement with herself to not use Raven unless absolutely necessary. She sighed after a half-minute of contemplation. "Thank you for your candor, Mr. Dolohov." Her formal tone and posture suddenly became extremely strict. "For the last matter we need to discuss," she didn't break eye contact as she began to speak quickly without raising her voice, with an intensity that reminded August who she was. "I've been informed that you are guilty of several offences: disrespecting the Headmaster, attempting to override him, disrespecting other staff, and neglecting your duties on Halloween night and instead leaving with a suitcase. It would be pure negligence to give you anything less than a suspension from work. " There, he has been notified of the reasons, and I do not have to explain what will happen if we can find a permanent replacement before he has proven he has worked past his issues. The fury in my eyes should be enough to tell him this is not a paid vacation. For now, Raven can double as two professors, she has more than enough free time, and... She briefly wondered whether or not that counted as 'counting on Raven' again. Elias, she thought, I'll ask you about that later. If it counts, I will consult the rest of the staff. I'm sure one of them can handle it.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...well why I am not surprised...I can only blame myself...

"I understand," August replied quietly. He was about to take his leave when it suddenly crossed his mind. "You only mean suspension from my work as a professor in Study of Ancient Runes, don't you? Since my duty as a deatheater remains, am I allowed to enter Hogwarts if I need to report to you, or do you have a special place where you meet with the rest who are not professors here?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Hmm...I half expected him to leave in a disrespectful rage...not that I wouldn't be able to combat that...it wouldn't worry me. However, I wonder...if I had been the headmistress instead...would he have disrespected me when I made mistakes? "I believe that if no one saw you at Hogwarts after this, it would look as if my anger is more potent than it is. When I need you for death-eater related duties, I will direct you to a more private meeting place." Most likely my manor, or a cafe in Knockturn... Her expression asked him if he had any other questions.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Well...thank you. Then I shall take my leave if there's nothing else you need," August excused himself and left quietly as if he had been praised instead of scolded by the dark mistress.

He took time to pack down his belongings. ...Good thing that I have got a place to stay...but I need to find an occupation in the wizarding world. Merlin knows how long my suspension will take...I hope I can return if I prove myself being useful to the investigation. It could have been worse, couldn't it? Miss Lestrange was so frightening that day when she freed us from Azkaban. I am surprised at how calmly she treated me today despite how I treated one of the four superiors. I should not thread on thin ice like this and watch how I behave, especially towards the four superiors. Well, I shall leave my luggage in Andrew's care. I am worried I will be a bit late for the meeting with Celeste and cannot afford to waste more time. I must not keep her waiting...

"I hope I did not keep you waiting for too long," August said after he greeted Celeste. A carefree smile drew across his lips, yet his eyes revealed that something was troubling him. "I was not planning on being late to our meeting, but I have a good reason. Allow me to explain, please, because there is a lot I need to tell you..." He reached out his hand to her, inviting her to take his hand before entering Silvery Serpents. He had already made a reservation beforehand, though he would not mind if she desired to go elsewhere.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Celeste stood outside Silvery Serpents, humming 'The Blue Danube' with distant eyes aimed towards the evening sky, pretending to feel passive rather than pensive.

"I hope I did not keep you waiting for too long," The voice warmed her up inside, like hot cocoa on a cold day. She hadn't been cold, but her heart was like a ship being attacked by the icy waves and rain during a storm. It was illogical to feel this worried over August's reply, she knew, but she had found her efforts at remaining internally calm to be futile.

"I was not planning on being late to our meeting, but I have a good reason. Allow me to explain, please, because there is a lot I need to tell you..." He reached out his hand to her, inviting her to take his hand before entering Silvery Serpents.

Celeste took his hand, and easily pulled him forward, nearly making him lose his balance as she wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. "I thought you wouldn't come." She said with a slight laugh. She took a deep breath, taking her time to exhale slowly, then let go, taking his hand and walking inside with him. Once they were seated, she looked at him with an unreadable expression, wishing he could start talking as quickly as possible. She wanted the information quickly, and the seconds dragged on.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Pfft...why wouldn't I?" August laughed. The sudden embrace had caught him off guard and taken him by surprise. He wanted to tell Celeste everything, but he suddenly found himself quiet once inside Silvery Serpents. He had no appetite and therefore he only ordered the finest wine the restaurant had.

"Well..." He finally managed to speak after Celeste had placed her order and he had taken one sip of wine. "...I don't know where to start..." He took another sip, a third, and then emptied his goblet in one go. "...I got suspended from teaching at Hogwarts," He finally managed to reveal before pouring himself a second goblet. He spoke in such a low voice that only Celeste could hear his words. "...I was blamed for neglecting my duties on the night of Halloween. You may think I should have postponed the visit to your place to another time. But that was not the only reason, so please do not blame yourself," He hurried to explain. "Besides, they should have alerted me, but they never did. Most of the staff were at the party that evening, only I and another one remained at the afterparty. Someone ought to have send me a patronus. It's quite frustrating that the deputy headmistress expected me to be on duty immediately after the party when I had no idea about what had been going on back at Hogwarts. Anyway, according to her I have also been crossing the line with the headmaster a couple of times...so that's another reason to my suspension" August emptied his second goblet in one go again and the third was already poured. "I have never liked him anyway..." he scoffed. "...From the start of the first school day until Halloween, he have been too lenient towards the pupils and gave them too much unneccessary freedom that it led to serious trouble that could have been avoided if only he had been stricter." August was already on his fifth goblet, his eyes flashing with anger when he was not looking at Celeste for a mere second as he thought about everything that had happened at Hogwarts since four extraordinary pupils had requested to join the classes. "Today, I did not only get interrogated regarding my behavior, but also regarding your painting which I bought from the art gallery in Rouen. I never understood why the painting got questioned, probably because it's quite different from the usual paintings at Hogwarts," He shrugged. "The painting illustrates an ancient muggle torture method, so it may be found quite unusual in comparison with the paintings from the wizarding world. Anyway, at last they let the painting be when they could not find anything to connect it to the recent incidents. But even your tiger got suspected for cause of brazen troubles, but I have never heard of any reports made about a tiger causing any trouble at the castle. I had to carefully explain that the feline was quite harmless as it only delivered letters just like an owl because I believe whatever has led to the incidents of today must have started with something quite else months ago..." He ceased to speak and became silent, staring somewhere into the distant for a while that felt like ages until he broke the silence and looked directly into Celeste's eyes. "I am sorry for bothering you with all this talk...here..." He reached his hand into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a piece of a parchment and placed it in front of her. "...it's the address of my place, where you may send me your letters in the future, because I won't be returning to Hogwarts for a while. Mind it is located in a muggle area in London, so, please, if you could use other means to send your messages...not that I mind a wild cat delivering letters, but the muggles might finding it unusual, until I move to a wizarding area. It's my late mother's house, so I need to have a discussion with my brothers and sister before selling it."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"...I was blamed for neglecting my duties on the night of Halloween."

Celeste was about to say she shouldn't have let him go with her that night, but he continued, seeming to read her thoughts.

"You may think I should have postponed the visit to your place to another time. But that was not the only reason, so please do not blame yourself," He hurried to explain.

Celeste remained silent throughout the remainder of the conversation, listening with a genuinely sympathetic expression. She felt secondhand melancholy at his situation. When she heard about the complications with his living situation, she knew it was her time to insist. "Please-" She said firmly, reaching forward to hold his hand on the table. She looked into his eyes with a serious expression, letting him know there was no need to argue. She truly meant it. "-come live with me. We have tons of extra rooms, and Dante hardly spends time at home." Unless I'm there. I'll just ask someone to spend time with him if August and I want to...goodness the idea of having him as a resident in my home is so perfect! At the moment, I'm overjoyed he passed the tests and still wants to see me! "Please listen-" She said, worried he'd try to argue "-you're the first person who's passed all the tests. If anything, it's refreshing...no, a joy to be in your presence. Live with me, if only temporarily. I would be ecstatic." She promised, trying to think of anything else she could say to convince him. Maybe that can convince him that it won't be a burden to Dante and I. I would be delighted.

 

[Hikari Chan]

August pulled away his hands unconsciously before Celeste got the chance to touch his hands.
"I am sorry..." He began, slightly mumbling, but let her finish her words before he replied, speaking in a more clearly voice:
"I know your master approves of me since I passed all the tests. However, since we are not a married couple, wouldn't it be inappropiate if we started to live under the same roof?" ...and your brother would not be that happy about it I bet...He thought for himself.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I'm aware of the implications, yes." Celeste sighed. "You're right." I tried to push them aside, but I'm grateful he has the same views on this as I do. He's right. It would be improper, to say the least. Even if we live in separate wings and never enter each others' boudoirs. "Then, please consider taking up residence in the vacant house beside mine. A friend of mine owns it, only using it as a vacation home, on occasion. They don't have any plans to rent it out, so I'm sure we can work out an agreement." Her hopeful eyes met his, folding her hands on the table. If anything...his refusal to live with me before marriage, uttered without hesitation or any trace of rudeness, makes my respect and love for him grow even more. Surprising, but August is full of surprises.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"I will think about it," He replied with a smile, but did not promise anything yet. He had a lot on his mind and needed a bit of time for himself to sort out his thoughts in the meantime. He reached for his inner pocket to take out a small pouch which he enlarged slightly to its original size. He took out some galleons and placed them on top of the bill that the waiter had placed on the table earlier. "I'll let you know whenever I am ready to take up on your offer. For now, try to use owls or the Muggle post service to send me letters, please. Housing is not the problem, but I am afraid your tiger is. Whether the deputy headmistress or the headmaster asks me to return to Hogwarts before anything has been resolved or if I need to return to the wizarding world for another reason, then you can only send me owls." He did not want to get her hopes up for nothing. ...I could be returning back to Hogwarts anytime...it would be best to wait until everything is resolved and I know whether I am allowed to return to my position as professor at Hogwarts or not...

Once standing outside Silvery Serpents, he bid her farewell. "...until next time..." He surprised her by kissing her hand before leaving, taking a different route than he usually did. Had he been returning to Hogwarts, he would have apparated away, but now he was returning home, taking the passage through the brick wall in Diagon Alley that led to the Muggle world.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I will think about it."

"Thank you." Celeste replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "As long as it's not a no, take as long as you need." She replied with a kind smile.

"I'll let you know whenever I am ready to take up on your offer."

Celeste nodded, knowing that meant she shouldn't check back with him for an answer. He wasn't the forgetful type; he'd let her know when he was ready, if he made that choice.

"For now, try to use owls or the Muggle post service to send me letters, please."

"Of course." Celeste replied, visibly understanding what he meant. "You don't need to explain." She assured.

"...until next time..."

"Until next time." Celeste repeated with an expression of gentle concern. "Good luck on your endeavors, my prince. Oh!" She breathed, her voice barely a whisper when he kissed her hand. She met his eyes in surprise, then watched his retreating figure until he was out of sight. With a sigh, she headed back home.

Celeste's House, a few minutes later

"How'd it go with Mr. Loyal?" Dante rolled his eyes. He was lounging on one of the couches in his tiger form.

"Just fine." Celeste replied softly, then did a double take when she saw he was in his tiger form.

"Just in case you brought him home..." Dante replied.

"He knows you live here as well. And he was far more cautious than me today; he insisted we shouldn't live in the same house until we're married. Then I nearly begged him to live next door."

Dante had raised his eyebrows in surprise. He'd expected August to move in the first opportunity he got. He was relieved that wasn't the case.

 

[Hikari Chan]

It was a chilly morning, yet the sun was shining so beautifully. It was one of those Saturday mornings when Lily preferred to stay indoors and drink a cup of hot chocolate. But it did not matter since the pupils were not allowed to leave Hogwarts for Hogsmeade anymore and were only allowed to eat and drink whatever they were offered in the Great Hall. She tried to think of the detention as an opportunity to get to visit Diagon Alley for a change. ...I wonder how long Pyrites' shopping list is...will I get some time to sneak into Knockturn Alley? Lily brooded as she stood waiting in the Entrance Hall. She had not been able to get in touch with Elias since he had been too busy.

"Morning miss!" Lily heard three voices greeting her. The voices were not in sync and therefore she heard the greetings three times, one after another.

"Eh...good morning...?" ...Am I going to run errands for professor Dolohov and professor Travers too? Lily was surprised to see the two other professors as well. She had only been expecting Flynn.

"Well, miss..." Faeryn began speaking in her light and thin voice. "The headmaster has ordered that we place a tracking charm on you before you can leave Hogwarts' grounds-"

"What?" Lily looked aghast. ...are they serious...Did Elias really order them to do that?

"Miss, if you don't comply, I will have to bring this up with the headmaster and he might change your detention to something much worse. Merlin knows...you might have to clean the bathrooms without magic instead?" Flynn looked at Lily with a look in his eyes that asked her what she preferred, detention much worse or a simple tracking charm for just running some errands for him in Diagon Alley.

"Fine...it's fine...I did not mean to argue...I was just surprised about it..." She hurried to explain herself. "...I thought the Ministry of Magic was already monitoring us, the pupils..."

"That's true..." Faeryn took out a plain and simple silver brooch pin and attached it to Lily's cloak. "...but unfortunately they cannot monitor anyone off age outside the barriers of Hogwarts."

"Faeryn, why don't you tag along? Your ability in curse-breaking might come in handy..." Adela spoke.

"You know I don't want to risk encountering your friend..." Faeryn pouted.

"You won't. I promise you that you won't. We will only go to Rouen using a portkey which I prepared. It will activate soon, so we need to hurry. You and I will go first, while Mr. Pyrites takes miss Shadowwalker for her detention in Diagon Alley." ...I will use this opportunity to make amends with Faeryn, even if I have not been in the wrong or done anything bad to her. I just wish that, in near future, she will understand that Vincent is harmless and not that scary at all..."Come on, let's go..." Adela grabbed Faeryn's hand before the latter could protest and dragged her along.

"Well, shall we?" Flynn gestured towards the grand doorways. "We won't use any portkeys, but a simple apparition to Diagon Alley once we are standing outside the gates."

Lily remained quiet and chose to walk behind him until they reached the gates. She was about to apparate away on her own when he suddenly grabbed her hand wrist and had her apparate together with him. They appeared in front of Leaky Cauldron. It was already ten o'clock, yet there were not many wizards or witches occupying the alley. It would get busier in the afternoon. Lily had gotten so short-winded because of the surprising apparition. ...I am wearing a bloody tracking charm, so why couldn't he let me apparate on my own...She thought angrily but did not comment about it. She decided to endure everything today and followed Flynn quietly and obediently as he went ahead towards Gringotts. ... Hopefully, this will be my last detention...

"Would you like to tag along or wait here as I get some coins?"

"I can wait..." Lily smiled and took a seat on a marbled bench once they had stepped inside Gringotts. "I rather spend a little time to none with him as possible...ugh I can't stand him...I am grateful that he did not force me along on a tour down to his vault...

"Here's the list of things I need," Flynn said as he handed Lily a parchment roll along with a small brown leather pouch bag. "I will see you in a couple of hours..." He vanished into a corner leaving Lily all on her own.

She loosened the parchment roll from its red string and rolled it up to read its content. It was a list of books for Transfiguration. She had noticed how worn his books were those times when she had to clean his office for detention. ...so he finally thought about replacing those bloody old books that just threaten to fall apart by just one touch...oh well, this will be a piece of cake...it will only take some minutes and I will have time to run wild in Knockturn Alley before he is back...Lily thought, snickering as she made her way towards Flourish and Blotts.

Rouen, a city on the River Seine in northern France and the capital of the region of Normandy, was formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, and today it was still a large city that both Adela and Faeryn were first clueless about where to begin their search. None of them knew French and for a while, Adela debated if she should have asked August to tag along with them, but she knew that it would not make it easier as he also did not know any French. She knew that he had been here, so he could easily apparate to where the supposed art exhibit was located. At the same time, she felt reluctant about asking him for help and discussed with Faeryn, the possibility of asking the headmaster or the Ministry of Magic for help.

"Merlin's beard, why did we not talk about this beforehand..." Flynn sighed after Adela had explained everything for him and what she had been discussing with Faeryn. He had arrived at the place where Adela was waiting together with Faeryn. He had also used a portkey since this was his first time traveling to Rouen and they had made sure to travel to an empty deserted backend alley that was located in between some old rustic abandoned block of flats. They had it very close to the nearest streets, a couple of blocks away until they would reach a much busier area with lots of people. "It would be like searching for a small fish in the sea. This won't do. We cannot return empty-handed. You both should do some research even if you are not able to find anything on your first attempt. Get a map from the tourist agency and try to visit all the muggle art exhibits first. I will be joining you both soon. I just need to make sure that the young miss returns to Hogwarts. Our research might take longer than expected, but that does not mean that she has to spend her entire day in Diagon Alley."

"Alright, please send us a patronus when you return," Adela called out to him when she and Faeryn watched him vanish behind a corner. Little did they know that they would not see him until much later that day.

"What the bloody hell-" Lily burst out without thinking and then stopped herself from saying anything more when she realized what she had said.

"Excuse me?" Flynn frowned.

They had suddenly met face to face, just as she had stepped out from Flourish and Blotts. He had suddenly appeared from nowhere in front of the store.
...Merlin's hairy beard...how could I be so reckless and just speak without thinking..."I bought and stored everything inside this leather pouch," She said, holding up the pouch, in
an attempt to change the subject. ...I have only been spending less than an hour, somewhere between thirty to forty minutes in the shop since I had to pick out the books from the bookshelves myself. He said he would return in a couple of hours, but not so soon...

"Let's speak over there," He nodded his head in the direction of a café. Lily got surprised and thought that she was going to get a cup of hot chocolate, but was taken aback when she saw that Flynn just moved a bit farther away to stand beside the windows. When she neared him, he reached out his hand and she handed over the pouch along with the parchment roll. He went through the content of the pouch and confirmed that she had bought everything he had listed. He took his time to pick out the books and enlarge them one by one and then shrink them and put them back in the pouch. He also counted the remaining coins.

"So what did you mean by earlier?" He asked when he was done.

"Did I fail the mission you gave me?" She ignored his question.

"Don't try to change the subject. When I ask you something, you answer me, is that understood?" His voice turned a bit stern and he continued without giving her a chance to answer. "Even if you are just taking some extra classes in Cooking with magic, you ought to respect a professor when he or she is speaking to you. You should be thankful that I am not punishing you for the horrible meals you made in your Cooking with magic classes and tricked me to eat. And, about that time when you burst inside my sister's office and saw something you should not have seen, I have also let that slide. I have forgiven you for those past events, so be brutally honest with me and look me in the eye when you answer me." He stopped speaking, to let his words sink in for a while.

An awkward silence followed his words and out of old habit, Lily turned her head to the right and looked through the window of the café, carving a cup of hot chocolate. He followed her eyes and thought about rewarding her with a cup of a hot beverage for completing the mission without any failure. He thought that probably a cup of hot chocolate would put her at ease. It was when he suddenly saw something alarming which she had not seen. Then it just happened, without a warning. The windows shattered into million pieces. Flynn pushed Lily behind him. He was already holding his wand, but before he could cast any protection or counterspell, he was hit by the sectumsempra curse that had followed the finestra spell immediately. Lily did not realize what had happened. Her body was aching since she had fallen against the cobbled ground. She felt the panic rise within her and she got difficulties with breathing when her eyes fell on Flynn who was laying in a pool of blood. Some years ago, long before Elias's first encounter with Luna Lestrange, Lily had made a fortune telling on Elias' future for the first time. In the glass ball, she had seen a vision of Elias laying in a pool of blood, his neck slashed.

...calm down...this is not Elias...Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the sound of wizards and witches who had gathered at the scene. ...and besides, his neck is not slashed...it looks like he was just hit by the sectumsempra curse...I can save him...Elias taught me the counterspell once...Vulnera Sanentur...

She opened her eyes and drew out her wand. She had already forgotten that she was being tracked and focused on healing Flynn. First, she traced her wand over his deep wounds to ease the blood flow while chanting the incantation. She repeated it again to clear residue so the wounds could begin to heal and then again to knit the wounds.

"Are you alright?" She helped him to stand up. ...Merlin's beard...he must have lost a lot of blood...she thought as she noticed how pale he had gotten. ...he needs medical treatment as soon as possible...She supported him all the way to the Healer Shop, ignoring the fact that he was taller and heavier.

"Welcome to the healing station, although I can see you are not injured-" The healer greeted them in a too cheerful voice.

"Oh just shut your bloody mouth!" Lily slammed her hand on the counter, making the healer flinch and fall backward. "Can't you see how pale he is..." She gestured towards Flynn who she had left resting on a wooden chair inside the healer shop. "He needs blood replenishing potion and dittany-"

"Miss, I am actually fine," Flynn was suddenly standing behind her.

Lily turned around in surprise. "But you're so pale..."

"It's just my usual skin color," He smiled wryly. "And whatever curse that hit me, you seem to have reversed it completely."

"But take at least some dittany or you will end up with scars!"

"I can do that when we return to Hogwarts," He ushered her out of the healer shop. "I am sorry for her behavior," he called out to the healer before leaving the shop. "She can be hot-tempered sometimes."

Outside the Healer shop, Lily was met by both her brother and father. Some of the ministry officials were also at the scene.

"I can't believe that you have to cause so much trouble," Elias spoke with such a tired voice. "You are only taking some extra classes in Cooking with magic and you can't behave for once. Instead of completing your detention, you have to cause a scene. Merlin knows what else you would have done, had I not ordered for you to be tracked."

"It was not my fault-" Lily tried to explain.

"I think the best is to suspend you from your classes and send you home until further notice."

"Oh please, why don't you listen to me for once. I said it was not my fault." Despite her voice being steady, tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"I believe you have a good explanation," Alexander intervened. "Let's all gather at Hogwarts and have a proper talk about today's incident, shall we?" It was an immediate order and Lily, despite looking despondent was feeling relieved that her father had given her a chance to explain herself.

...Merlin's beard, how could I act so recklessly...I was aiming at her, why did he get hit by the curse...Merlin, I hope no one saw my face...Eugenie Taylor was shaking uncontrollably and crying endlessly. The moment the sectumsempra curse had hit Flynn Pyrites, being the coward she was, she had apparated to her home. Luckily her parents would not be home until the late evening so she could pretend to be sleeping early to avoid being questioned for why she was looking so devasted and redfaced from all the crying. ...Merlin's beard....what if he did not survive...oh it's all my fault...I hurt him so badly...how could I...I will never be able to forgive myself for this grave mistake and I will always live in regret for the rest of my life...grr...it's all Shadowwalker's fault...I have planned this for so long...if I do not get rid of her, I can't approach Mr. Pyrites since she is standing in my way...next time...the next time...I will kill her without any failure for sure...I just need to make sure that he is alright, I hope someone saved him in time...but if he did not survive...I am going to dig up his body and revive him so he can return to life and become mine...yes...mine...She went over from crying to laughing for a couple of minutes until she became quiet. ...but how do I get the news about his wellbeing or whereabouts...he has never responded to any of my letters before and it would be weird if I suddenly sent a letter to his sister...well hopefully there will be something in the Quibbler or Daily Prophet...She looked down at the third page of the recent number of the Quibbler, rereading the headline of one of the gossips. The rumored love affair between a female pupil and professor at Hogwarts! Eugenie skimmed through the article for the hundredth time, not being able to bring herself to read it properly for once because its content made her stomach churn. She had been throwing up so much that her throat and stomach hurt a lot. She could not take it anymore, reading the article that described how miss Shadowwalker have been treating Mr. Pyrites with such affection so tenderly by offering every meal she had cooked during the Cooking of magic classes.

"You used Vulnera Sanentur just outside a café in Diagon Alley. Care to explain why?" Elias began the meeting in the staff room, where a couple of professors, among them Persephone, Mulciber, Quinn, and Blake, were gathered. He had already cast a protecting spell at the walls and the door around them to make the room soundproof so that none would be eavesdropping on them.

"Professor Pyrites was hit by the sectumsempra curse, so I used the counterspell to heal him," Lily replied calmly, despite her heart beating like crazy. Persephone's eyes turned wide as saucers and some began exchanging looks with each other as if they did not know if they should believe Lily or not.

"Just like that?"

"She is speaking the truth," Flynn cut in. "She was actually the one being targeted. I saw a cloaked figure pointing a wand at her, firing a blue light, probably finestra to break the windows of the café.
Then I felt as if someone slashed through my chest and stomach with something sharp and cold. A white light flashed before that moment, so I believe it must have been the sectumsempra curse."

"Did you not see who it was?"

"I am afraid that I did not see the face...the culprit was cloaked which shadowed his or her face completely and the dimmed windows make it difficult for anyone outside to clearly see inside the café."

"My dear, go pack your things," Even if it was an order, Alexander spoke with a soft voice. "I will take you home for today and we will decide later whether you return to Hogwarts or take private lessons in cooking with magic at home."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"You used Vulnera Sanentur just outside a café in Diagon Alley. Care to explain why?"

Luna knew Lily wasn't so foolish as to use a counter spell for no reason, especially with the current magical regulations set in place for Hogwarts students. Without letting her imagination get ahead of her, she calmly listened to Lily's reply.

"Professor Pyrites was hit by the sectumsempra curse, so I used the counterspell to heal him."

Luna's expressionless face conveyed none of the worry she felt. First the students, now the professors? What is their end goal? Surely if they had more organization they'd have carried out a larger attack by now? Why all these incidents scattered about? Or are these all just what they consider 'small' threats since they haven't hurt anyone publicly important, yet, like Elias, Alexander, or I, leading up to a bigger threat? She imagined the man or woman behind it all condescendingly saying something along the lines of 'Look what we've accomplished when we weren't even trying. You were all too disorganized to stop those insignificant events. Turpin, Goldstein, and Pyrites? They were nothing. If you don't yield to our demands, you'll regret ever having even been born'. Luna wondered. Aislynn mentioned Grindelwald...and of course a member of my family is possible...and then there's someone who somehow survived our takeover of the Ministry of Hogwarts having escaped and raised an army...although the latter wouldn't use such tactics, would they? Does it not go against their petty 'morals'? Just before she started worrying about the first two suspects again, Flynn cut in.

"I am afraid that I did not see the face...the culprit was cloaked which shadowed his or her face completely and the dimmed windows make it difficult for anyone outside to clearly see inside the café."

Luna sighed quietly. They were targeting the Headmaster's sister. Nothing more direct than that...if she'd been hurt, it would've definitely made the papers. Not that this won't, but I'm sure 'Daughter of the Minister and Sister to the Headmaster' would create a bigger fuss. Oh, dear... "The information of Lily being targeted shouldn't leave this room." Luna announced. "Professor Pyrites, you were the target." She said firmly. She was certain, by the look in her eyes, she didn't need to explain why. There'd been too many witnesses to cover up the incident completely without Raven's help - something Luna would still not let herself use, even in this situation. "Is that clear, Lily?" Luna turned her attention to Lily, waiting patiently for a confirmation. The look in her eyes allowed for no arguments.

She then shifted her attention back to Pyrites. "I'd like a word with you, and the headmaster after this meeting."

"My dear, go pack your things. I will take you home for today and we will decide later whether you return to Hogwarts or take private lessons in cooking with magic at home."

"That may be the course of action we will have to take. In which case, do not worry," Luna gently assured Lily "I'd be glad to visit regularly for personal lessons."

Once Luna, Elias, and Flynn were alone, Luna spoke openly. "Turpin, Goldestein, and now Lily. Their attacks are only getting more audacious." It is easy to see why I view them as related incidents. All three targeted Hogwarts students, and all three caused - or will cause - a public stir. The jump from notably random students to a Shadowwalker is shocking, indeed...should we stop allowing students to roam outside school without a chaperone? I will ask Elias about this... "Pyrites, if asked, you are to assure that you saw the assailant, and that we're working on tracking him down. At best, we can shift the story so it appears some random hoodlum had been running rampant and firing off spells at random people and objects, hence the Finestra for the broken windows rather than discreetly casting a harmful spell, as an attacker with a specific goal in mind would logically do. Unidentified attackers make us seem weak, especially if said attacker got away with an attempt to harm the daughter of the Minister, and the headmaster's sister. Elias, do you have anything to add?" She asked. After this, she would speak with Elias privately on the issue of Lily's safety.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...Someone was targeting me?...but why?...who could be holding a grudge against me...? Lily brooded while she was sitting in a black carriage, pulled by six thestrals, on her way home. It was a carriage provided by the Ministry to Magic, having four magical brass lanterns and double doors with an elaborate sequence of brass mechanical magical looks. The insignia of the Ministry of Magic were both on the front and sides of the carriage. The interior was in full black. Magically enchanted velvet curtains were always covering the windows to keep both the sun rays and heat outside during the warmer days and the cold outside during the colder days of the year. The seats were comfortable, made of genuine leather and the floor was covered with a wall-to-wall carpet. An enchanted chandelier with everlasting candles hung from the ceiling and gave different light depending on the hour of the day. Since it was already past noon, the chandelier gave similarly light as the outside and would turn dimmer after the sunset.

Lily was not alone. Her father and two officials from the Ministry of magic were accompanying her. Yet she was not only feeling perplexed but also scared. She was especially worried about their carriage being sighted and getting cursed by the mysterious wizard or witch who was targeting her. She clenched her trembling fists, nearly digging her beautifully shaped and manicured nails into the skin of her palms. Her father noticed her uneasiness and thus tried to comfort her, telling her that everything would be alright. She wanted to tell him that she was scared, but she could not find her voice, instead, she hugged him in silence while he stroked her head in order to soothe her.

"You think that what happened to my sister may be related to the case with Cattermole, don't you? It could be a possibility, but on the other hand, they could be unrelated seeing that muggle methods were used in an attempt to murder Turpin and Goldstein while the culprit only tried to hurt my sister by using magic. But it could also be a method the culprit is using to confuse us, to make us think that these cases may be unrelated while they actually could be related. Anyway, we cannot be hundred percent sure whether the incident with Cattermole is related to the incident with my sister. Anything could be possible. At the moment the Ministry of Magic is trying to track down someone that they suspect has survived that night when we broke out from Azkaban. A muggle-born wizard that goes by the name Sherwood and according to the records and information the Ministry has gathered so far, he was sorted in Ravenclaw and started his first year at Hogwarts the same year as Monroe, the youngest Dolohov, Travers, and Jugson. He was part of the Phoenix of Order and Dumbledore's Army but got suspended from both organizations because of an odd incident that happened around 28th February, more than a half year ago. And as for today, the Ministry is suspecting him to be alive, hiding somewhere. I don't know the details, but that's all I know in a nutshell. It's likely that he could have attacked my sister as revenge, but I am almost certain, or no, I am hundred percent sure, that he would not lay a finger on two innocent boys that are unrelated to us. So let's not rush anything by telling the public things that may be unnecessary. Instead, we will keep it simple since the Ministry of Magic is in control and in charge of the Daily Prophet. Every article gets carefully reviewed before being published. I am sure that both my sister and Pyrites will be questioned about today's incident since a crowd gathered in Diagon Alley afterward. As agreed, Pyrites will tell that he was the one being targeted which can't be denied since he was the one that got hit by the Sectumsempra curse. There were probably a lot of witnesses who saw him ending up in a mess and being saved by my sister. We do not know who the culprit is but we will do everything in our power to catch him....or her...whoever it is. No more or less. If it is really some random hoodlum running rampant and firing off spells, we should not reveal that information or anything else right away otherwise it will make it harder to catch the culprit. Just think about it. Whether the culprit is being unlogical or stupid, we might be tipping him or her off by revealing in the Daily Prophet that he or she is randomly firing spells or whatnot in Diagon Alley, and so he or she will probably lay low for a very long while making it difficult for us to find him or her. So no, absolutely not. No more than Pyrites was attacked and that my sister saved his life."

"I absolutely agree," Flynn nodded. "Well, if you do not need me anymore, I will go to the hospital wing to take some dittany."

Smack! As soon as Lily set her foot inside the hallway of her house, her mother slapped her right across her face. Lily stood still. She did not even stagger the slightest. She did not even open her mouth, even if the pain got very sharp and spread all over her left cheek.

"Failing your Cooking in Magic classes and fooling around with a professor. That's how you thank me and your father for everything we have given you. Not thinking the slightest about our reputation? Not thinking the slightest about your reputation as a young lady from a noble family!" For each word Elizabeth spoke, her voice raised until she was nearly screaming.

"That's enough!" Alexander intervened just as he entered and closed the doors behind him. "Did I not tell you that we would talk about the matter, nice and easy, hmm?"

Elizabeth remained quiet and did not say a word, as if she was silently apologizing for going against his words, but yet the look in her eyes did not hide the fact that she believed and was angry about every letter Quibbler had written about her daughter. She observed how her husband was treating Lily as if she has done nothing wrong, spoiling her like usual, by gently taking her cloak and leading her to the dining room where she was immediately served a cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream by their house-elf.

"Why are you spoiling her so much, after everything she has-" Elizabeth began, but was interrupted abruptly when her husband just closed the doors to the dining room right at her face at the same time as he told her that he wished to speak with his daughter in private.

Lily was staring at the tall white cup that had been placed in front of her, examining its large handle and decorative swirling golden details, while hearing her mother's angry voice behind the doors of the dining room. While Alexander was waiting for everything to quiet down he poured himself a goblet of red brut*. He also placed a couple of numbers of the Quibbler at the dining table before taking a seat in front of his daughter.

"Unfortunetaly, your mother believes in all kinds of nonsense that Quibbler spouts," He spoke calmly and quietly. "But don't worry about that, I will try to talk some sense into her later when she has calmed down a bit. Anyway, let's ignore that sappy newspaper for a moment and instead talk about how you have been doing. How have the classes in Cooking with Magic been so far?"

Lily felt a sense of warmth spreading inside her and was put more at ease in the company with her father. She took some time indulging her hot chocolate before speaking. Her father was patient and did not rush her. He did not mind if he had to wait hours until she decided to speak. However, he did not have to wait for long. After a couple of minutes of silence, Lily spoke, with a very hoarse voice first, that got less hoarse and much clearer for every word she spoke.

"Well, I was looking forward to the Cooking with Magic classes a couple of months ago. But, it turned out much more difficult than I expected. I was feeling too confident about it since I thought it would be like a piece of cake just because I am very good with potion-making. But soon I realized that cooking with magic is so much different than making potions. I was placed in an extracurricular class with a couple of other pupils. It was a special class designed for us who desired to retake a year or needed to take an extra subject but at a much faster pace. Hence it was on a different level. So for every class, I had to learn a new recipe. We did not start with the basics, like just peeling an apple for example, but started immediately by making a carrot cake. Not being able to access the classroom during my free time made it a bit difficult to practice. Just reading the recipes is not enough for practicing. Lately, I have been thinking that I would endure until we would get to leave Hogwarts for the winter holidays and not return."

"I understand. Would you be interested if you were given private lessons at home instead?"

"I do not know yet. I need some time to think about it."

"I understand. Well, there's no rush. Take as much time as you need. Anyway, there's something else I also wish to know about. The subject may be a bit embarrassing for you, but you know that you can speak to me about anything you have on your mind," Alexander smiled softly and his voice become quieter, it almost turned into a whisper when he continued: "....are you in a romantic relationship with Mr. Pyrites?"

Lily was sipping her warm beverage when she suddenly choked on it. She shook her head and tried to speak, but all that could be heard from her was a wheezing sound. She coughed for several minutes until she calmed down.

"Please be careful when you drink or eat something," Alexander looked worryingly at her as he offered her his handkerchief.

"No...oo...." Lily finally managed to speak. He looked confused for a moment, wondering why she was refusing his advice. "Nothing...between....us....there's nothing...cough!"

She finished her cup of chocolate and took a couple of deep breaths before she told her father the truth.

"...I did that to him out of vengeance...as a payback for giving me so many detentions during the spring before my graduation...but I do not understand, why do you think that I...eh...?" Her eyes fell on the stack of Quibblers that her father had placed at the dining table. Before she had time to take closer look, he grabbed them all and threw them in the fire place to her astonishment.
"But..."

"No need to bother yourself with silly nonsense!" Her father said firmly. "The articles that are slandering you, is mostly about how you failed completing every assignment in your Cooking with Magic classes. They describe you in a very bad light, for example how you always fribbled and made a mess and never cleaned or tidied after yourself during each class of Cooking with Magic. That you were a very rowdy pupil who never listened to professor Lestrange but only bothered her every time you got the chance during class, that you neither respected her nor yourself, endangering her and your classmates by playing around with dangerous objects such as knives and other kitchen utensils, even played with the fire and that you burned every dish you attempted to make-"

"But that's absolutely not true-" Lily stared wide-eyed and shockingly at her father.

"I know. I know very well..." Seeing her tears rolling down her cheeks...he decided to stop telling her anything more, being glad that he had thrown all the samples of the Quibbler in the fireplace.
...I should not tell her about the one article in Quibbler which wrote about her spitting in her classmates' pots, causing a food fight where she started throwing food at both her classmates and professor, or the other article about her bringing a bottle of liquor to the classroom when she had a class after dinner, drinking herself drunk and peeing on herself in front of her classmates. It will only destroy her. But she should know about the last article at least because I brought the subject up myself when I questioned her about Mr. Pyrites..."That's why you should not read such a sappy newspaper. And do not worry, none would believe such nonsense about you, because the Quibbler had only captured pictures of you where you only looked like a diligent pupil trying her best during the classes. So whoever is trying to destroy your reputation should bring some more reliable proof other than just some made-up written words. The last article is just a cringy love story about you and Mr. Pyrites-"

"What?!-"

"-please, don't interrupt me. Every time when you have been visiting his office to serve detentions before your graduation and then brought him all those awful dishes you made during the Cooking with Magic classes, the Quibbler captured pictures of you entering and leaving his office and then made up a story about it. And do you think anyone would believe that kind of story when previous articles have been slandering you? Of course none would believe, so do not worry about it. The very article itself tells an incongruous love story.. Who in the right state of mind would fall in love with a pupil who, according to previous articles by the same idiotic newspaper, have been misbehaving during classes. Besides a professor would definitely loose his or her job if he or she had a love affair with a pupil. I don't really think any professor would risk that, especially with a pupil whose brother is the headmaster and father is the minister, right? Anyway, let's forget all about Quibbler and its frivolous nonsense. I will only ask you for one favor and I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Of course, I would never disappoint you, Papa!"

"All I ask of you, is to apologize to Mr. Pyrites, for tricking him to eat the awful dishes you made in the Cooking with Magic classes and for always bothering him and causing trouble by earning detentions, please."

"I promise you that I will properly apologize to Mr. Pyrites as soon as possible."

Alexander smiled, feeling very proud of Lily for being such an obedient daughter. He was also very proud of his daughter who had immediately saved Mr. Pyrites life without any hesitation. ...I hope she will follow in my footsteps and take over the position as the Minister of Magic the day I decide to retire...when she is more mature and ready to tackle all obstacles that may come in her way...

"Tonight I will reward you by taking you out for dinner at your favourite restaurant at Serpentine Village. And if you need a new gown for your brother's coming wedding or the winter ball we can visits the clothing stores in the village before the dinner."

"Oh...thank you....thank you..." Lily left her seat, walked around the corner of the dinner table and embraced her father.

"Hey...I am alright...I am still alive..." Flynn patted his sister on her shoulders. Persephone was holding him tightly and sobbing so loudly against his chest as if it was the end of the world. He could feel how the left part of his shirt was getting wetter for every second that passed. She mumbled something, her voice muffled and thick, that Flynn could barely understand what she was saying.

"Merlins' beard, what are you saying?" He managed to push her away gently.

"That good for nothing curse could have killed you or taken away one of your limbs. Do you seriously think death or the loss of a limb can be reversed?!" She bawled. Her eyes and nose were redder than a tomato and her face was full of wrinkles because she was frowning so much. Not only tears were welling down from her eyes, but also snot was running down her philtrum.

"But neither did I die nor did I loose a limb. Look, I am still alive with all my limbs intact." He literally did a jumping jack to explicitly show her that he was alright. "Please calm down. You are so ugly when you cry-"

"Did you just tell me that I am ugly?" She suddenly calmed down, her face smooth and straightened. Not a single wrinkle could be seen and her tears stopped flooding down her cheeks.

"I did not mean-"

"I fricking hate you!" She stomped outside his office and slammed the door right at his face.

"I am hungry...and Mr. Pyrites is taking forever to get here..." Faeryn pouted. "That sly fox probably ditched us!"

"Here! I brought some packed lunch," Adela took out a wrapped sandwich from her shoulder strap bag as they continued to walk through the busy streets of Rouen. "What if something came up that he can not come right away?"

"What could possibly hold him back or make him forget about the mission? Merlin's beard, this sandwich is so dry. Did you make it yourself? The bread slices are so thick and dry and you have only put one slice of cheese and one slice of ham? No vegetables? "

"I am sorry, I am not great with preparing sandwiches. I did butter the bread slices before putting on cheese and ham. I also did put thin slices of cucumber and tomato."

"This is horrible. No wonder why you choose to date a vampire. So that you will only be serving him goblets with blood," Faeryn did not care about concealing the disgusting tone in her voice.

"As if you can cook food. You do not even know how to make tea or crack an egg," Adela could not help but laugh, and Faeryn, who knew it was true, could not say a word in her defense and forced herself to finish the awful sandwich in bitter silence.

...pfft...Persephone and her mood swings...Flynn chuckled for himself while he was changing his shirt to a clean one. ...Did she get angry because of my comment or was it her jealousy towards miss Shadowwalker because the latter still looks pretty when crying...He thought as he was buttoning his clean shirt but suddenly stopped midway, staring right into the reflection of his differently colored eyes in the mirror ...Merlin's beard...what on earth I am even thinking about...I should apologize to miss Shadowwalker for that time when I got so furious because she discovered my secret...