Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Headmasters of Mine
I stood in the midst of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom in the middle of the evening, as the rain fell fiercely outside. The chamber was gloomy in the spirit of the night, only lit by the occasional spells tossed around carelessly, unconcerned about the furniture and shady things surrounding it. The so-called Moody stood in front of me, holding a staff in one hand and a wand in the other.
"Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Impedimenta! Depulso!"
Flashes of light were constantly blazing within this chamber, courtesy of myself. Red, bright green, blue, white—every colour imaginable was being thrown around by my wand, evidently attempting to penetrate Moody's shield charm and safeguards. My spells have either been countered or I am unable to bypass the shield. This guy's magic isn't joking; conventional spells can't even get it to crack.
"Come on! Use stronger spells! Be smarter!" Moody roared loudly, effortlessly whirling his wand and conjuring shield charms. "Death eaters will not cast the same spells on you!"
Moody was continuously yelling at me, telling me to do better, to be better. His gruff voice resonated throughout the room, and it's starting to irritate me, especially because I can't penetrate his shield through usual means.
In a fit of callousness, I decided to try something new. I flicked my wand at the chair behind Moody and quickly pushed it towards the professor. Moody's eye turned white as the chair flew through the air, and he knocked the chair off the direction I was pushing it, sending it to the wall.
The chair smashed into the solid wall and shattered into pieces of wood.
He looked like he was about to explode now that his gaze had returned to mine. He limped carelessly towards me, his staff clacking the entire while, and grabbed my collar violently, looking enraged.
"I said spells! Not chairs, not tables, but SPELLS!" he screamed, spitting his saliva all over my face. "This lesson is about using spells as an offensive, not to throw things around!"
"I mean, sir, it's an offensive thing to do..."
"That's not the point, Ashworth!" he screamed one more time before releasing his grasp on my collar and gruffly walking away from me. "You rely too much on flinging objects around; it's an excellent tactic, but in the event of a true battle against a dark wizard, where your life's on the line, your mind will be too unfocused to do that."
That's something I've kind of done before...
"Again," he muttered, narrowing his eyes and tapping his staff on the chilly floor, causing a small spark. "Use the curses I've taught you; they're effective not only for destroying walls, but also for destroying shields."
I just groaned and adjusted my collar, pointing my wand at him once more. I spun my wand and shouted the incantation as soon as I saw the professor was ready.
"Glacius!"
My wand's tip shot a jet of icy air, freezing everything in its path. The frigid wind crashed against Moody's barrier, forming a thin layer of ice around the charm, leaving a path of dissolving ice on the floor.
I flipped my wand once more before Moody could get rid of it.
"Bombarda!"
A ball of blue light shot through the cold air and slammed against the thin layer of ice around the shield. Once it made contact, the ball exploded, sending a small shockwave that shattered the ice and the shield alike, knocking Moody down.
The ice scattered everywhere, and a cold mist was created inside the room, decreasing the temperature considerably.
"Good," he said roughly. "But two spells are too complex."
"Complex? That was simple, professor."
"I do not like to repeat myself, Ashworth." He grunted. "For normal training, it might be an easy thing to do, but if you're facing certain death, it's too complex."
Moody stood up from the ground by himself, and he waved his wand, sending invisible winds of energy that wiped the room of the mist and fixed the broken things.
"What happens if a dark wizard throws the Cruciatus curse on you and you have to fight back?" he questioned aggressively. "What happens if you, say, fight a dragon? Or your loved one is at stake? Could you think of a complex strategy in the span of less than a second? A simple trick is always going to be the best solution."
Seriously, what does he want from me? Train me to become a fucking death eater? Wait, fight a dragon?
"What? You don't believe me?" He gruffed. "Fine, I'll throw a Cruciatus curse on you, and then you try to fight back; will you be able to?"
"What?"
"Come on!" he yelled, pointing his wand at me suddenly. "Get ready!"
"Professor, I think that's illega–"
"Cruci—"
"Expelliarmus!"
A jet of bright light launched through the air from my wand, knocking Moody's wand, before falling to my hand.
The professor just chuckled as he did so, seemingly amused. "Good. Strike before your enemy can do the same to you. Perhaps our lessons are not useless after all, Ashworth. My wand."
What is his problem!?
"Professor, I could report that to the headmaster…"
"Don't whine, Ashworth." he grabbed his own wand by force. "I'm not actually going to throw it at you."
I truly doubt that.
Moody then stared at me, his all-seeing eye twirling around, before gulping a sip of that juicy polyjuice potion. "If you want to fight against the Cruciatus curse, either defeat the dark wizard first, or gather enough will in between the pain and strike back, understood?"
"Yes."
"Then dismissed," he said, turning around. "Next lesson we'll try to catch you up on how to deal with dark creatures."
Suddenly, without any warning, the door of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom opened abruptly, and I could see Snape standing just outside of the room. His robe flicked wildly, and took a step inside. First, he scanned the room, noticing the slightly chilly and empty room, he then lingered his eyes at me for a few seconds, then to Moody.
"Alastor, are you about done with the boy?" he asked calmly, slowly turning his head towards me again, this time dramatically. "The headmaster wants to see him."
"He was just dismissed." Moody gruffed, walking towards his office. "You can take him away to Albus."
"Very well." Snape hummed. "Follow me."
As always, without waiting for me, he turned around, his robe flapping around, and walked through the corridor at a quick pace. Seeing this, soon I followed, bringing my field guide in my hand.
======
I stood in front of a rather intimidating-looking gargoyle statue, seemingly staring at me with its stone-cold eyes. The statue was ever-silent, not moving at all, but it feels alive in my eyes, and my heart tells me it is not an ordinary statue.
Besides me was Snape, looking annoyed as always, but a trace of a smirk could be seen in his face, seemingly amused and happy by the situation.
"The headmaster quite enjoyed cockroach clusters," he suddenly said out of nowhere. "He specifically said to let you enter alone. Personally, I would be pleased if I could watch your conversation with him, but alas."
He let out one last sneer before leaving me in the Gargoyle corridor alone, walking towards his office in the dungeons.
Well, I guess the password is cockroach clusters...
So I said the name of the candy in front of the gargoyle, and it shook mildly. The gargoyle moved, and the door towards the headmaster's office opened, giving me passage to the chamber.
As I entered the circular room, I could see many windows placed around the wall; portraits of people that I didn't know were hung; and stacks of books were placed on the ground, scattered everywhere.
It's the second time I've been here so far, and I'd like to keep it that way after this...
I looked around the room, barely touching the strange devices that were placed around the desks of the headmaster. It was then that I realised that Dumbledore was not here, which is a bit odd since he was the one who called me here in the first place.
The desk looked to be untouched, and while the rest of the room was messy, the desk was tidy. Only a couple of parchments that show the point distribution of the houses and some books about magic that were written in ancient runes were on top of the desk. The room was silent, only the sound of heavy rain outside filled the chamber, echoing the sound of raindrops hitting the windows.
I could feel the wisps of magic seemingly calling me towards a drawer upstairs; a stream of silvery light was pointing me towards it. It feels the same as the previous time I visited this place; I could sense a strong ancient magic presence upstairs, and I am tempted to just walk towards it and see whatever lays there.
"It seems we have an intruder." A voice suddenly echoed throughout the room. I turned, and saw that the one speaking was from a portrait hanging near the headmaster's desk. His voice seems thin, and annoying.
"I was told to meet with the headmaster here, sir." I answered, correcting his words.
"Then you must be a troublemaker," the man in the portrait scoffed. "What have you done to besmirch the name of Hogwarts? A Ravenclaw, no less, a bunch of know-it-alls."
"As far as I know, I have done nothing."
"Well, by the looks of it, you've done something."
"Phineas," another portrait spoke. His voice was calm and wise. "The boy was simply called; do not make assumptions."
Ah, Headmaster Black, of course...
"You're Phineas Black?" I said calmly.
"It's a miracle that you only realised it just now. Or are you perhaps a mud— muggle-born?"
"You can say that." I nodded. "You know, they say that you're the worst headmaster ever; now I know why."
Obviously, the guy was offended. "Why you little—"
"Enough, Phineas." Another headmaster spoke; this time, it was a woman, and her portrait looked quite old. The woman in the portrait looked to be wearing a mediaeval style dress, and she had a thin Irish accent. She looked at me, and narrowed her eyes when she saw the book I was holding. "I've heard from Albus that a late bloomer has entered Hogwarts once again; it seems that the boy is you."
"You are correct, er, professor...?"
"I am Niamh Fitzgerald." She introduced herself.
Oh shit…
"Albus came to me, asking for advice—" she continued.
"As well as my advice." Phineas cut her off, making her annoyed.
"—As I was saying, he asked me for advice regarding the arrival of a late-bloomer. It's been over a century since someone like you came to Hogwarts, I trust you're managing, especially with that book in your hand."
"Barely." I shrugged.
"Have you had any... strange circumstances happening around you?" she asked. "For example: seeing things that other people cannot see, strange magic that you can use... Or have you met a certain odd individual? Through memories, dreams, books, or any medium whatsoever?"
Is he asking about that guy?
"I mean, don't wizards and witches get into strange circumstances all the time?"
"You do have a point, child, but you didn't answer my question."
I sighed. "No, I don't think so."
"Truly?" she raised her brow. "None at all?"
"Does seeing two ghosts dance around through the walls count?" I asked.
The portrait went quiet for a minute, staring at me with empty and lifeless eyes. "Listen, child. I do not know if you're lying or not, but in the event that you are, I must warn you: do not meddle with powers you do not understand. It is not about you; it is not about being invincible or powerful; it is not about being famous across the community; it is about the fate of the entire wizarding world. Sometimes, knowledge is dangerous to those who know of it."
"I really don't understand what you're talking about, Professor Fitzgerald..."
Suddenly, from the entrance of the room, the gargoyle statue opened once again, and now, the now-headmaster, Dumbledore, finally came in. He had his hands on his back, seemingly enjoying his walk, but then noticed me, curious about what I was doing in front of the headmasters' portraits.
"Ah, pardon me, I was enjoying a late evening walk." he said, walking towards his desk. "Niamh, Phineas, I see you've met the new student."
"He reminds me of that late-bloomer boy in my time." Phineas commented, scoffing at my attitude. "Always with an ignorant and unaware attitude, even in front of his headmaster."
"Ignorant?" Dumbledore asked, sitting on his chair. "I assure you, Phineas, this boy is anything but ignorant. He's doing quite well despite his disadvantages."
"That's not what I meant, Albus." Phineas snorted.
"And Niamh, it's strange for you to take interest in a student after all this time." Dumbledore pointed out; he then turned to me. "Did she say something to you?"
"I just asked a few questions regarding his situation, Albus. After all, I was the one who advised you on what to do with him." She answered calmly, still eyeing me.
"I see," the old man hummed, stroking his beard lightly. "Then perhaps, if you allow me to talk to him concerning some matter?"
"Go ahead; I am just a portrait after all," she answered. "Easy to burn, effortless to get rid of."
Dumbledore just raised his brow at the woman's comment but didn't say anything. He just ignored the two portraits and continued to talk to me.
"Well then, Abraham, please sit."
As I sat down in front of him, he seemingly put his spectacles aside, put his hands on the table, and made himself comfortable. "I've heard about your studies; you are a bright student, Abraham. Learning multiple years' worth of material in a single month is not a laughing matter; perhaps I'll give you a few points for that? How about thirty? Forty? Let's do fifty."
That nullifies Snape's punishment. plus ten points.
"Thank you, headmaster... But why am I called here?" I asked, trying quite hard not to stare directly into his eyes.
He just hummed at my question. "I see you're quite knowledgeable in terms of avoiding a Legillemens attack, but you also must know that skilled Legillemens can read your mind even without looking at you in the eye."
"I do know that, headmaster, but I'm just uncomfortable talking face to face with a Legillemens."
"How do you know I am one?"
"Well, you are the greatest wizard of my time." I murmured.
"I'm flattered if you think of me that way," he chuckled. "May I ask why and where you learned this obscure and advanced branch of magic?"
"Where? At the place you told me to go, sir. And I asked about something that would make my time here easier, and the place gave it to me."
"Ah, so you've found it," he hummed. "I see, yes, that makes sense; I too learned it at school to make my studies easier, as you can easily clear your mind and focus using it; though I had to sneak into the restriction section to get a book that could teach me one, it's a good solution. And it appears you have a good aptitude for it as well; a month in and you already grasp the basic foundation of the study; that is indeed a rare case, Abraham."
"Thank you, sir... I just learned it out of desperation to be honest. I chuckled awkwardly, lying through my teeth for the whole conversation.
"Well, Abraham, sometimes a great wizard or witch will only rise when they are given a tough situation to solve," he said. "But remember, if you're at your lowest, do not take the easy way out; ask your friends for help."
The headmaster then looked at the clock and smiled. "It appears the curfew will start shortly. I suggest you go to your common room quickly to avoid trouble."
What?
"That's it, sir?"
"Ah, I thought about offering you lessons about Occlumency with Professor Snape, but I'm afraid that I just realised that it's not such a good idea after all." he said casually, taking out a jar of candies from his drawer. "Do you want some sherbet lemons?"
"Uh sure…" I said, taking a lot. It's free, who cares.
"If you want some help from someone to practise it, you can come to me, Abraham." he continued. "Or, perhaps the sorting hat? Though I don't quite know if he will agree to it, as while he may be sentient, his whole job was supposed to sort, not to train students on Occlumency."
"Sorting hat?" I raised my brow, turning my gaze to the dirty cap that was displayed on a drawer. "Well, I'll think about it, sir."
"Good." he smiled. "Now, off to bed, and don't stray off to anywhere else, or else I won't help you if you get caught."
I nodded at his words, and finally, I walked away from the headmaster's desk, exiting the room, a bit confused, but hey, I didn't get in any trouble, so it's all fine.
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