The following morning, they sat in silence for a while until Harry and Ron showed up.
"Where were you two last night at dinner?" Ron asked as they sat down.
"I was just writing some lines on the parchment for Lucifer," Hermione said, with a tinge of pink on her cheeks.
"Seriously? You both need to have more fun!" Harry asked, getting himself some breakfast as well.
For the next two days, Lucifer hadn't received another letter with no known sender, or another letter at all for that matter, so he had hoped that whoever it was that sent it felt satisfied enough to not have to send another.
Or else he would have to deal with a 'furious version' of Hermione in bed.
Now he was in the Gryffindor Common Room, reading his Potions Book while writing an essay for Snape about the Confusing Concoction when she showed up, Harry and Ron in tow.
He looked up briefly before continuing to write his essay.
"Hey, you skipped Dinner, are you alright?" Hermione asked him as she sat down beside him, pulling her own work out.
"Perfectly fine, just a lot of homework is all," Lucifer said just as he finished the Twenty-five inch essay Snape asked for, having written thirty-six inches.
"That doesn't mean it all has to be done immediately," Hermione said as she got to work on Arithmancy first.
"The 'faster' I get it done, the more time I'll have later without it lingering in the back of my mind," he said, pulling out his 'Ancient Runes' homework next.
"Lucifer, can I---" Ron started.
"No."
Hermione stifled a giggle.
xxxxxx
The following morning, Lucifer had awoken at the crack of dawn, or what he thought was to find Crookshanks in the room, sitting at the door.
He stared at the cat a moment, "Crookshanks, what're you doing in here?" He got out of bed and knelt down in front of him.
"What's up?" Lucifer asked, but all the cat did was look at him. Crookshanks was incredibly smart, but he couldn't 'fathom' why the cat was in here.
He saw Crookshanks tilt his head and look past him. He turned to see Eve, sleeping away the minutes.
He looked back at Crookshanks and the cat got up to leave. Needless to say, he was rightly confused.
Because yesterday's schedule had swapped 'Care of Magical Creatures' and 'Potions', all third-years taking it bundled into thick cloaks after lunch and gathered outside Hagrid's cabin.
"Oy..."
At last, just as everyone's fingers and toes were going numb, Hagrid emerged from edge of the Forbidden Forest with two massive wooden crates. The students rushed toward him, eager to see what magical creature he had brought this time.
"Wasn't easy to get these," Hagrid said mysteriously, with particular air of someone pleased with themselves, "I've been in contact with... er, friends, since last month to prepare for today's lesson. So pay attention."
"What is it already? Hurry up," Draco Malfoy snapped, impatient as ever. He hated the idea of being strung along by a half-giant.
"Alright, alright. Everyone stand back a bit, don't want to scare them."
Once the students had backed up about five meters, Hagrid opened the crate and gave the lid what he considered a light tap. A chorus of delighted squeals erupted.
"They're adorable!"
Several girls practically sparkled with excitement, and even the boys couldn't hide their surprise.
A handful of chubby little creatures, about thirty centimeters tall and shaped like plump squirrels, hopped out of the box. They were round and 'fluffy,' with shiny black eyes and tiny little hands held close to their chests.
Instead of a long tail, they had a cute little ball at the back. They didn't seem the least bit afraid of humans, staring wide-eyed at the class.
"Anyone know what these are?" Hagrid asked, clearly satisfied with the reaction, he could tell the lesson was going well, and handed the creatures a few leaves before posing the question.
"Quokkas."
Lucifer beat Hermione to the answer again, earning himself another one of her wounded stares, "A magical species from Australia. Danger rating is just XX. They're the smallest type of kangaroo, sometimes called 'smile creatures' or 'happiest animals on earth.. They have a strange natural magnetic field that makes people feel happier just being around them."
The other students nodded as he spoke. They'd assumed Quokkas' cuteness was what lifted their mood, turns out magic had a hand in it too.
"Perfect answer. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Hagrid praised Lucifer loudly before turning to the eager students, "You heard him. These little fellas are nearly extinct. Took quite a bit o' effort to bring them here, so I expect everyone to take this seriously."
Lucifer's mouth twitched. He didn't think Hagrid was lying, but genuinely must've had a miserable time trying to acquire quokkas. But the methods used were probably... less than legal.
Australia had extremely strict regulations, and trading these creatures was absolutely forbidden. Beyond their mood-lifting aura, their pouches also worked as natural storage spaces, more stable than an 'Undetectable Extension Charm.'
Plenty of old wizarding families used quokka-skin pouches as luxury wallets.
"Remember this." Hagrid's expression went stern, "No one is allowed to touch the quokkas. You might think it's affectionate, but to them it can be deadly... Human contact makes their scent muddled, and baby quokkas rely entirely on scent to find their mother. If the smell changes, the joey won't recognize her..."
The students nodded seriously, even though it was a pity they couldn't cuddle such cute creatures.
Quokkas were undeniably adorable and 'friendly', but they also had one ridiculous behavioral trait.
After Hagrid explained it, class finally understood why they were nearly extinct. When threatened by predators, mother quokkas had the habit of throwing their babies out of the pouch to buy themselves time.
One baby, two babies-didn't matter. Three or four? Still fine. With instincts like that, how could they not be endangered?
Just as Hagrid was about to send them off to collect the quokkas' favorite leaves, a burst of flame appeared out of thin air. Fawkes landed neatly on Lucifer's shoulder.
"The headmaster wants to see me?" He asked, surprised.
"Cheep!"
He looked to Hagrid, who waved him on hurriedly, "If Dumbledore's lookin' for yeh, best get goin'."
Lucifer decided to go and check. Fawkes shot Daphne a quick wink before whisking him away to the Headmaster's office.
xxxxxx
"Mr. Morningstar. Good, you're here."
Dumbledore gave him a brief nod. His expression was not one Lucifer had seen before, tighter. Something underneath it that looked, unusually, like anger.
"Professor, what happened?"
He asked the question and at the same time opened pocket space, drawing a portion of Grindelwald's consciousness into it without any visible change in expression.
"Something significant has occurred in North America." Dumbledore took a slow breath, "Grindelwald's campaign of retaliation is continuing. He found the 'Picquery family's' ancestral home and killed eight people.... All of them core family members, all in their prime. He left four elderly relatives over a hundred years old and a handful of children."
Inside the space, Grindelwald gave a small shrug, "I was just about to mention that, didn't expect Albus to hear so quickly."
Lucifer left that alone and looked back at Dumbledore. "Then why did you call me here?"
"Because I have to go."
Dumbledore was already moving as he spoke, pulling his coat from the rack and putting it on, "Fawkes insists he still has an arrangement with you, so he wanted to inform you before taking me away."
He paused, something almost rueful in his manner, "And if anything happens at the school while I'm gone, contact me. Any time."
"Isn't Professor McGonagall here?"
"Minerva is." Dumbledore considered his next words, "She is an exceptionally responsible professor. But she carries a great deal in her heart, and that weight can occasionally slow her, or cause her to miss things.... You see problems from a different angle than those of us who have been doing this for a long time. I'm only taking precautions."
"Understood, Professor. Go without worrying."
Fawkes returned to Dumbledore's shoulder. Red light began to gather around the phoenix, the air in the office warming with it. They were a moment from vanishing entirely when Lucifer spoke again.
"Professor. If you find Grindelwald, will you arrest him? Nurmengard is rubble now."
Something sharp moved through Dumbledore's eyes.
"No." A pause. "This time, I intend to end it."
Then man and phoenix, both were gone. Lucifer did not hesitate, and turned his attention immediately to pocket space, "Old Gellert. Did you catch all of that? Dumbledore's coming for you properly this time. He said end it... you might want to run.'"
An idiot, no, forget that. Anyone with a normal brain could tell he was trying to provoke him. Grindelwald, of course, could tell as well.
But even knowing he was being provoked, he was still 'furious.'
Inside the space, Grindelwald's striking mismatched eyes had turned strange and dangerous. His black coat stirred without wind, and it was obvious that his anger had risen.
Dumbledore was actually prepared to 'finish' him off just for the sake of a group of insignificant nobodies?
Mazikeen had watched the entire thing just now as well, she put on a worried expression, clearly fake, "Gellert, why not run first? Lucifer paid a price to help you recover your condition. You can't die in Dumbledore's hands before you've done anything at all. Avoid his edge for now..."
"I avoid his edge?" Grindelwald exploded, "He's an old relic now, over a hundred years old. I've surpassed my past peak, and I've even got a trump card that counters his wand, and you want me to avoid his edge?!"
"Let him come! Let..."
Suddenly, Grindelwald calmed down. Irritated, he flicked a 'Blasting Curse' at the demon, only for Maze to slap it away with booming laughter, "I'll let Dumbledore off this once, I found some things this time. I plan to go have a look..."
xxxxxx
Lucifer's awareness drifted out of the space, he was still in Dumbledore's office sitting back in a chair with his eyes closed for quite a while; the portraits on the wall had assumed he'd nodded off.
When they saw him stir, Phineas immediately sneered, "Morningstar boy, you're the only student who dares fall asleep in Headmaster's office."
He didn't get offended.
"Then you'll be the first headmaster portrait to show up in the washroom."
Lucifer stepped toward the frame as if he really meant to take it down. Phineas' mustache practically stood on end, "Boy, calm down. I was joking, obviously joking!"
"The great Phineas Black never jokes with students. You're making history today."
"No, no, who said it. I always joke with students."
"Sooo will the great Phineas quiet down next time?"
"Of course, of course. Headmaster's office is the perfect place to sleep, actually. You can treat it like your own room, Morningstar."
The other headmasters were all trying not to laugh, dealing with a bastard like Phineas required someone even more shameless, and Lucifer 'fit the bill.' They were all too dignified to handle him, Lucifer picked two books off Dumbledore's shelves at random, then walked to the window and looked outside.
Dark clouds were rolling in, thunder muttering under their bellies, he saw Hagrid ushering students back toward the castle, Lucifer headed down to the entrance hall to meet Hermione and Daphne.
"What did Dumbledore want with you?" Daphne asked as she tidied her hair, still messy from running.
"Grindelwald killed a few people in North America. Wiped out most of the 'former' MACUSA president's family. Dumbledore's furious. He's heading over there to challenge Grindelwald to a duel..." Lucifer gave them a simple rundown, no need to hide it.
By tomorrow or the day after, word of 'the Picquery family massacre' would be everywhere. This was also why he had no interest in North American families. Their roots were shallow, easy to remove.
In Europe, pure-blood families were so tangled and ancient that you couldn't 'finish' killing them even if you tried. Halfway through, you might even discover you belonged to one of them. One was a straight stick poking upward.
The other was a colossal tree with a web of roots and sprawling branches. Sure, they looked the same height, but the spread and stability were worlds apart.
Hermione physically shivered, for a young witch, the idea of wiping out an entire family was beyond disturbing, "That's awful. Grindelwald is even scarier than the Dark Lord."
Lucifer led them into the Great Hall and waved a hand, "You can't compare the two. Voldemort kills for fun, or rather, he uses killing as a tool to make people fear him. Grindelwald is taking revenge, he's not a madman but an ambitious one."
"Ambitious people cause more damage," Hermione argued with an eye roll that spoke volumes, "'Like certain historical examples."
"Muggle history and wizarding history have things in common, but they can't always be mapped onto each other directly." Lucifer turned to face her, "A wizard's power belongs entirely to themselves. Magic is the expression of something miraculous.
Grindelwald is dangerous primarily because he is powerful... That's what makes people listen to him. If you took the same ideology and handed it to Lockhart, asked him to rally people against the 'Statute of Secrecy,' how many do you think would follow?"
He gave it a beat.
"If anyone did, it would be a collection of idiots. Nothing worth losing sleep over. Strength is the foundation of everything. Whatever someone believes, whatever kind of person they are, once their power crosses... a certain threshold they become a genuine threat. Come to my room tomorrow evening. I'll work with you on building yours."
"....Oh." Hermione nodded in a daze, somewhere between understanding and not quite.
xxxxxx
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