Hey everyone, from now on there'll be a new chapter every Monday. Summer's starting, the sun is shining, and my girlfriend's getting mad that I'm not spending enough time with her :).
***
It was the very end of the school year. We were sitting at the Great Feast in our usual places. The Great Hall was decorated in green and silver, draped with Slytherin banners, as Slytherin had won the House Cup for the last few years in a row. However, I had expected things to be different this time—that Potter would be awarded points and Gryffindor would win... exactly as it was supposed to happen.
Quirrell had been missing from the upper-year exams; he had simply vanished, and an Auror from the Ministry had to step in to examine the older students. Bizarre rumors were flying all over Hogwarts: that he had fled because a vampire was hunting him, or that Trelawney had rejected him and he had left with a broken heart before the term ended. I, however, knew the reality was far darker. The problem was that Potter hadn't ended up in the hospital wing. I saw him every day in the Great Hall or the corridors. Had they even met?
Dumbledore remained silent regarding his disappearance. His eyes were still twinkling contentedly, just as they were tonight. Once he was certain we were all present, he stood up with a smile, tapped his wand against his throat, and began to speak:
"Welcome, dear students! Another school year is behind us, and the house points stand as follows: In first place, once again, Slytherin with 472 points! Followed by Ravenclaw with 426 points, Hufflepuff with 352 points, and in last place, we have Gryffindor with 312 points."
At that moment, I was convinced the famous awarding of points to Gryffindor was coming, but he continued as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
"Congratulations to Professor Snape, and a huge round of applause for Slytherin!" he shouted. Our table erupted in joy and thunderous applause, while only a faint, dry, yet polite clapping drifted from the other tables.
"You owe me fifty Galleons, Patrik," Theo whispered to me with a smirk.
"After the feast," I nodded thoughtfully.
Theo shook his head in disagreement. "I'm kidding, we didn't even shake on it! Smile, Patrik, we won." He tried to cheer me up, but I couldn't stop thinking. Potter hadn't met Quirrellmort. What had happened to Voldemort? I didn't care about some pathetic house points; I needed information.
"The final exam results are also finalized. Don't forget to check them tomorrow morning on the noticeboard by the doors!" Dumbledore continued. "The school year is over. To our graduates, I wish you all the best for the future, and to those of you continuing—I'll see you in a year! Departure is after breakfast, so don't oversleep! And finally..." he paused for a split second and, with a wide grin, shouted those strange words of his: "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
The moment he finished the last word, food appeared on the tables.
While traditional dishes like steaks, chicken, potatoes, and mash appeared everywhere else, a hamburger with fries landed in front of me. It wasn't just any burger, though; it was the special one from the book. Instead of a white bun, it used a dark whole-grain one, and the meat inside was a bit lighter—if I remembered correctly, it was a blend of low-fat chicken and beef. In the middle was avocado with green lettuce leaves, and the dressing looked more watery, clearly low-fat. The only thing that looked traditional were the fries, though even they looked baked in an oven rather than fried in oil.
"Thank you, Dudi," I whispered toward the table. I felt a faint waft of magic that vanished in a heartbeat. I almost thought I'd imagined it and immediately tucked into the food.
I had just taken a hearty bite of the burger when Tobias asked curiously, "What's that you've got?" He immediately started looking around the table to see where he could find one too, but in vain. "And why do only you have it?"
I didn't want to answer with my mouth full, so before I could finish chewing, Agnes reacted: "It's definitely from that book he bought for the elves," she said, shaking her head in disapproval. I nodded in agreement and continued enjoying my meal.
Honestly, it tasted great. I'd bet my life that the elves had mixed a bit of their magic into the food because that burger was perfect, even in its healthy version.
Theo and Draco both had steak with roasted potatoes and a side salad. Agnes helped herself to some chicken with rice, though of course, she immediately prepared a pile of pancakes on a side plate. Tobias took a bit of everything—a massive plateful—and I was sure he'd be going back for seconds.
"Look at McGonagall, look at that sour face," I heard Pansy Parkinson saying to Millicent Bulstrode after a while.
I looked at the staff table, and it was a funny sight. Snape was glowing with as much enthusiasm as he was capable of—which meant he was scowling slightly less and wore a microscopic hint of a smile. McGonagall was saying something to him, presumably offering her congratulations, but judging by her sour and forced expression, it was an ordeal for her. She was clearly far too competitive.
Flitwick was smiling kindly at everyone with his sharp teeth. He didn't mind at all that Ravenclaw hadn't won; he sincerely wished success to everyone.
Suddenly, I caught a competitive look from Granger directed straight at me. Ron Weasley sat next to Potter, and although he was still thin, he seemed to be slowly pulling himself together. Since our meeting in the kitchen, he had put on a bit of weight, and color had returned to his cheeks. He was, however, decidedly quieter and no longer gulped down his food as greedily as before.
Sallow, meanwhile, was bickering with Zabini. It looked like they had become those kinds of snarky friends, even though Sallow was still very much a loner. I was slightly curious about what was bothering him, but not enough to start actively investigating.
Out of all the girls, it seemed to me that Greengrass had matured the most. While Davis was still very much a little girl, Daphne was taller, her cheeks were losing their childhood chubbiness, and her blonde hair glowed with healthy volume. Her lips were more defined, and her figure was beginning to take on a womanly shape.
Rookwood was talking to Mulciber. When Mulciber noticed my gaze, he gave me a nod of greeting and they continued their debate. It looked like there would be no trouble with his house. Blanár was quietly eating his portion and responded to my look with a nod as well. He had been watching me regularly since our duel; I was certain he was training for a rematch. Judging by the state of his robes, it was clear to me that he would definitely be joining the Dueling Club.
"What do you think the exam results will be?" Draco brought up.
"Fifty Galleons that Patrik will be first overall!" Theo immediately engaged his gambling streak.
"I'm in," Agnes grumbled sourly. Tobias just shrugged, and I followed suit a moment later. He wasn't competitive, and I basically didn't care.
"We'll see. I'm sure I'm not even in the top ten for Potions," I remarked.
"That'll be a battle between Potter, Draco, and Greengrass," Tobias concluded.
Draco frowned and nodded. "I'd like to be first," he said, shaking his head, before adding, "But probably not. I have to admit, Potter's potion was better than mine after all..."
"Ohoho, that must have hurt!" Theo laughed mockingly.
"Pff, you lot cleared my stomach well enough last time for me to be a realist," Draco snapped.
"We'll see. Things are quite strange between Potter and Snape now..." I noted with a smile.
"Do you mean how Potter thanked him with a smile for every insult?" Agnes asked amusedly.
I nodded. "Yeah. But forget the grades. We're going home tomorrow."
Our relaxed conversation continued until, with full stomachs, we headed to the Slytherin common room and straight to bed. I planned to read for a bit, practice the precision of my water manipulation, quickly drain my core with fire magic, and finally do some Occlumency. But I fell into a deep sleep while still reading.
***
In the morning I woke up, but I couldn't remember my dream at all. One would think Occlumency would help with that... According to the clock, I had just enough time, so with a yawn, I pulled back the bed curtains. Theo's were still drawn.
With a quiet "Aguamenti!", I conjured an amount of water equivalent to a large bucket. With skillful manipulation, I moved it under the bed frame, behind the edge of the curtain, and upward. Once I was sure it was hovering directly over him, I released my control.
Theodore's scream rang out immediately. Zabini and Sallow jerked their curtains open, looking surprised at what was happening. Theo followed them a moment later—sopping wet, he poked his face out and gave me a truly murderous look. I, however, darted toward the showers with an amused laugh.
It didn't take me long. I got ready quickly, and on my way out, a scowling-yet-smiling Theo replaced me in the bathroom. Fortunately, it took him no longer than it took me—thank god for hygiene and grooming charms. On the way down the stairs, he didn't forget to give me a "friendly" jab between the ribs, but I didn't react with anything more than an amused smirk.
Tobias, Draco, and Agnes were already waiting for us in the common room. For the first time in a while, Draco had put back on his slicked-back "mafia" hairstyle. During the year, since joining us, he hadn't bothered with it, but now he clearly felt the need to impress his parents in London. Agnes was also dressed up; she had nice gold earrings in—nothing over the top, rather elegant. The only three who didn't give a damn were me, Theo, and Tobias.
As soon as they noticed us, Agnes commanded: "Let's go, let's go! I'm dying to see the results!" She marched out of the common room, and we followed. It wasn't that she was so extremely worried about her grades; it was more that typical mix of curiosity, competitiveness, and her natural fire.
On the way from the dungeons to the Great Hall, we met plenty of Slytherins heading for breakfast. The closer we got, the more students from various houses joined us. As soon as we entered the Hall, my friends immediately rushed to the noticeboard with the results, where a crowd of people was already jostling... I couldn't have cared less. I subtly detached myself from them and went straight to sit at our table.
Contentedly, I began helping myself to an omelet with fresh bread and a glass of water. I was always wary of ordering omelets in restaurants or hotels, but at Hogwarts, I had absolute faith in the freshness of the ingredients. I savored every bite. Of course, I had to salt it a bit more—considering how much I had sweated during training all year, my body was craving minerals and subconsciously asking for them in saltier foods. I managed to eat half my portion before my friends finally joined me from the noticeboard.
"So?" I asked between bites. "How did the results turn out?"
Agnes answered tersely as she served herself some omelet: "You're first in the whole year. You got full marks in every subject, except for Potions and Herbology."
"And that was enough for first place? Granger isn't ahead of us?" I asked, amused.
"She was higher than you in Potions and Herbology. But in practical subjects, she finished behind all of us," Agnes explained.
"And Potions?" I turned to Draco.
He looked sour but admitted: "I finished second. Potter beat me."
"And the overall rankings? How did you lot do?"
"I was seventh," Tobias spoke up. "My Transfiguration and Defense results were worse. In Herbology, I finished behind Longbottom."
"Third," Agnes replied dryly.
"Second," Theo announced amusedly, giving Agnes a triumphant smile.
"Sixth," Draco muttered.
"Fourth and fifth?" I asked. "I'm guessing fourth was Potter and fifth was Granger."
Draco looked even more disgusted, while Theo and Agnes exchanged competitive looks. Tobias just gave me a silent nod: "Yes, exactly."
"I bet Granger lost points for literally copying the books, and she was worse off in practice than Potter," I concluded.
Only Draco and Tobias were listening; Agnes was currently threatening Theo: "Just you wait, next year I'll settle the score in a duel—with interest!"
Just as Theodore was drawing breath to reply, it was time to leave. We slowly began to pack up. Our trunks were to be moved from the common room to the train by the house-elves. Snape was already waiting for us in the common room. He gave us a quick farewell speech—in short, it was about not bringing shame upon noble Slytherin—and then escorted us to the gate. There, the carriages with Thestrals were waiting. While others only saw carriages that moved by themselves, after Gregor's death, I saw them in every chilling detail.
The carriage ride was comfortable, peaceful, and fast. Soon we were boarding the train. The others headed straight to claim a compartment, but I decided to quickly find Potter.
"I'm going to go take care of something, I'll be with you in a second," I tossed over my shoulder. I heard Agnes's curious question, but I ignored it and headed forward.
It took me a while to find him, but I eventually succeeded. I knocked calmly and slid the door open. The complete Gryffindor trio was sitting in the compartment. One would expect Weasley to jump at me aggressively, but no... a girl's voice spoke up.
"What do you want, Rosier?!" Granger snapped imperiously.
Weasley just looked at me disinterestedly. It seemed the situation with Pettigrew had opened his eyes—the traitor was from their own house, so he didn't protest my presence.
"Rosier," Potter nodded with a slight smile.
"Can I have a second, Potter?" I asked, completely ignoring the little swot.
"Sure," Harry replied, stood up, and followed me out into the corridor.
As soon as I closed the compartment door, I immediately cast: "Muffliato!" Potter didn't even react to the spell; he just waited patiently to see what I wanted.
"At the end of the year... did you meet Quirrell?" I asked seriously.
I felt his surprise, but he answered honestly a moment later: "Yes, he examined me for Defense Against the Dark Arts, after all."
"Was that the last time you saw him?"
He nodded in agreement, but then asked with interest: "Why? What's going on?"
I hesitated whether to tell him or remain silent. In the end, I chose partial honesty. "I have a feeling Quirrell was a servant of Lord Voldemort. Maybe he was directly possessed by him."
"What?!" Potter blurted out.
"He wanted what was hidden in Hogwarts..." I shook my head. "I thought there would be some epic showdown."
"We're not in a fantasy book, Patrik," he smirked at me. "Are you sure about that?"
I shrugged amusedly: "Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong. It's Dumbledore's doing... That's all, Potter, just wanted to know that."
When he nodded, I turned to leave. He called out after me: "Get in touch with Sirius! He's still waiting for your message."
"Sure. Have a good holiday, Potter," I waved to him and headed toward the front of the train to the compartment with my friends.
The future had changed with my presence. And only time would tell if for the better, or for the worse.
***
Author's note:
Originally, I thought that the final rankings were decided by grades accumulated throughout the entire year. It wasn't until later, when a reader pointed it out to me, that I realized it was only the final exams that truly mattered—which explains why Hermione was always so stressed out in the books! So, here are the results, based on the overall evaluation agreed upon by the professors in their staff room.
As for our MC, he's nothing special when it comes to Herbology and Potions, but he truly excels in practical magic. His Occlumency also gave him a significant boost with the theoretical side of things. Regarding the others: while Agnes is technically more powerful than Theo (both magically and in practical duels), Theo is generally more naturally gifted across the board.
And Potter? He's been working his tail off. I have a feeling he's going to be giving Dumbledore quite a few gray hairs as well…
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
58. VR: The Warrior of Durmstrang
59. The Mind of a Rosier
60. The Lioness and the Black Blood
61. A Rosier, Not a Goyle
62. The Babel Charm and the Emperor's Dagger
63. Business and Bloodshed
64. Cruelty for Cruelty
65. Adopted by Fate
66. The Scent of Darkness
67. Socks, Sandals, and Sorcery
68. From Peaks to Plates
69. Ashes of Justice
70. The Scent of Despair
71. The Old Bird's Wisdom
72. Toujours Pur
Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)
Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows for faster updates.