I looked down on the ice figure, I could feel my magic being sucked out of me, like water being drawn from a well, it felt weird, especially since I could feel my magic try to replenish so as to keep up with the cost of the spell.
"Twelve hours," I said aloud though mostly to myself, my voice echoing slightly in the empty chamber. "In just twelve hours, I'll be spending the remaining three months locked in the Room of Requirement, understanding the sorting hat, learning all the spells I can from the spellbook, mostly focusing on the demiplane to create a shadowy door from home."
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, after all there was nothing I loved more than studying magic. The thought made my fingers twitch with anticipation.
I felt something climbing my arm, the gentle scrape of claws against my skin, obviously it was Jarvey, his body coiling around my left arm like a snake, his fur fluffy against my exposed skin.
His face found itself on my cheek, almost as if he was snuggling, his whiskers tickling my skin.
"So we are really staying in that Room of Requirement or whatever for 3 months," he said, his voice unusually soft.
"Not we, me. You have to stay out here with my simulacrum otherwise people are gonna get suspicious," I explained, running a finger gently across his back. The fur was softer than it looked, almost silky to the touch.
"Oh fuck that, I ain't staying with no ice copy of the blonde bastard, who I unluckily have to call my familiar," Jarvey protested, his body tensing against my arm.
"Please Jarvey," I pleaded, my voice dropping lower. I glanced at the ice figure on the table, its features already beginning to take shape, my own face emerging from the frozen surface like a ghost rising from fog. "I can't have all this preparation be for naught."
"Why don't you just stay with your original plan of just going at night?" Jarvey asked, his tail flicking with irritation. He shifted his position, his little paws clutching at the fabric of my robe.
"Because these are hard things I'm trying to figure out," I explained, watching as a strand of ice began to form into what would become a lock of the simulacrum's hair. "The last plan didn't have the Order of Wizards, the spellbook or the simulacrum spell in mind, and even though it may not look like it I also need to sleep three or four hours a day. This is the best course of action, so please Jarvey just listen to me this time."
The ice sculpture was fascinating to watch as it slowly took form. Already I could see the beginnings of fingernails forming, the delicate ridges taking shape beneath the crystalline surface. If I squinted, I could almost see the ruby dust moving across the ice like veins.
We remained quiet for a few seconds, the only sound in the room being the occasional crack of the ice as it shifted and formed. I held my breath, waiting for Jarvey's answer.
Finally, Jarvey's raspy yet adorable voice echoed in the room once more.
"Fine," he grumbled, the word coming out almost as a growl.
Relief washed over me, my shoulders relaxing muscles I hadn't realized were tense. "You're the best Jarvey," I replied, reaching up to scratch his head, my fingers finding that perfect spot behind his ears that he pretended to hate but secretly loved.
Jarvey then did something that made me smile, he began to purr.
PURR; PURRR
The sound vibrated against my neck, and I couldn't help but grin. "Maybe you do have some kneazle blood in you after all."
"I don't!" he snapped back to his usual self, the purring stopping abruptly as if he'd suddenly realized what he was doing. His claws dug slightly into my skin in indignation.
"Do you want to come with me for dinner with the rest of the students or what?" I asked, changing the subject before he could get too worked up. The last thing I needed was for him to be in a bad mood for the next twelve hours.
"Duh, a jarvey as smart as me, needs their food," he replied haughtily, puffing up his chest slightly.
"Sure you don't mean kneazle," I teased, unable to resist one more jab.
"I'm not a merlin dammed kneazle!!" he snarled, his fur standing on end.
I smiled without saying anything else, watching the ice figure continue to form. It was remarkable how detailed it was becoming – already I could see the outline of my nose forming, the subtle curve of my lips. Magic really was incredible sometimes.
After giving one last look at the ice figure, I walked out of my club room with the password, feeling the magic as it locked itself behind me once I closed the door when-
"So Felix!"
"Ah!" I yelped in surprise, my heart leaping into my throat. The unexpected voice made Jarvey almost jump from my shoulder, his claws digging in to maintain his balance.
I whirled around to my side, where a man with raven black hair and pitch black eyes stood casually, leaning against the wall, a cowboy hat perched atop his head and a strand of hay protruding from between his lips. His sudden appearance made me wonder if he had been standing there all along, or if he had some way of moving silently through the castle.
"Woah there, did I scare you?" Professor Blackwood asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"No, you didn't scare me," I replied quickly, passing my hands through my hair in what I hoped was a nonchalant gesture, of course I got scared.
"Really cause it looked like you jumped out of your skin," he drawled, the strand of hay bobbing up and down as he spoke.
I decided to just give up on this conversation and ask straight to the point. "Why are you here, Professor Blackwood?"
"Well, I'm here to teach, I thought that would have been obvious by now, Mister Serendipity," he replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a half-smile.
Damn, that was actually a cool reply. I'd have to use something similar in the future when someone asked me an obvious question. I filed it away for later use.
"No," I added, trying to keep my composure. "I meant why were you standing in front of my club room."
"Oh that," he said, pushing himself off the wall. His boots made no sound on the stone floor, which was unsettling. "I guess you wouldn't know, then again I'm sure you know some things you shouldn't know, don't you, Mister Serendipity."
My stomach clenched at his words. Did he suspect something? Had I given myself away somehow? I forced my expression to remain neutral, years of practice at looking innocent coming in handy.
Before I could answer, Professor Blackwood began to talk once more, his voice taking on a storytelling quality that might have been charming under different circumstances.
"You don't need to answer, either way, I'm here because Dumbledore asked me if I could try and find the hat if it were still in Hogwarts," he explained, his gaze roaming around the room, lingering a bit too long on the cabinets where I kept my equipment. "You see, Felix, before this whole teaching thing, I was what you would call a hunter. That is to say, I'd hunt down creatures which were causing too many problems."
"That actually sounds kinda cool," I admitted, genuinely interested despite my anxiety. I shifted slightly, angling my body to better block the ice figure on the table.
"It kinda was," Augustus nodded, his expression momentarily softening as if lost in memory. "However, I'm gonna tell you a little secret about being a hunter – it's not the strong creatures you have to be wary of, it's the smart ones."
He stared at me, his pitch-black eyes gazing down at me for the first time since we began to talk, piercing through any pretense of innocence I might have mustered. "And the smart and strong ones, oh, those were real sons of bitches. Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't say bitches in front of students, but either way, it works, the important thing is that you catch what I mean."
I fought the urge to swallow nervously, maintaining eye contact through sheer force of will. "I get what you mean," I nodded, trying to sound casual. "After all, that's one of the main reasons dragons are classified as XXXXX."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were a Ravenclaw, of course you would know," he replied. I didn't know when, but he had stopped looking at me and had begun to stare at the ceiling, his expression distant. "Merlin's beard, do I dislike most of you Ravenclaws."
Why was he saying this now? He was getting off topic, wasn't he? Or was this some strange interrogation technique designed to catch me off guard?
"Then again, I can't just judge all Ravenclaws because of that guy, especially not when I'm a professor," he continued, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "Still can't believe he's a hunter too, even wrote a book, that little shit. Oh, I shouldn't have said 'little shit,' well, it doesn't matter."
I nodded along, noticing that his fake southern accent had disappeared at the end of his sentence. It seemed like he really didn't like this guy, whoever he was. However, another thought spiraled in my head – where was all of this going? Was he just rambling, or was there a point to this bizarre monologue?
"I learnt something much later into my years as a hunter," he said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "There is something worse than a strong and smart creature, and that's a wizard."
He finished by placing his hand on my shoulder, his grip firm enough to be uncomfortable. He leaned in close, his breath smelling faintly of tobacco as he whispered, "I know you stole the hat."
My blood froze in my veins. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. How did he know? What had given me away? But I couldn't let him see my panic – that would be as good as a confession.
"You little shit, don't touch Felix," Jarvey spat from my shoulder, his tiny body tensing as if preparing to attack a man ten times his size.
"Oh, quite the mouth this pet of yours has," Blackwood remarked, seemingly amused rather than offended. "Maybe I shouldn't have minded my tongue as much."
"Pet!" Jarvey bristled, his indignation temporarily overriding his concern for my predicament.
Before Jarvey could continue to ramble, potentially making things worse, I opened my mouth. Looking up at Professor Blackwood, I forced a smile to creep up my face, channeling every ounce of defiance I could muster.
"Then prove it," I said with finality in my voice, before turning and walking away towards the Great Hall.
Augustus Blackwood
Well the kid has some balls i gave him that, I actually didn't know if he was the one who had stolen the hat but Dumbledore was suspicious of the kid and I was as well, after all his first display in class was out of my expectations and it wasn't as if any of the later classes were normal either.
The kid was an anomaly of magic, whenever I talked to the other professors they always compared students and Felix was always at the top of comparison when it came to learning, aside from broom riding for some reason he wasn't able to figure it out, but on everything else he was a genius, Flitwick even said that Felix was the second coming of Merlin.
We all thought that it was an exaggeration but maybe he wasn't second coming of Merlin, I didn't think it, but now thinking back to Felix curled blonde hair, golden eyes; wait a second Merlin was an enchanter right.
"I need to tell Sarah to stay away from him no matter what, ain't no way my little girl is going to be enchanted by a default merlin," I grumbled remembering that Sarah was also in her first year thankfully she was in gryffindor, she took after her old man after all. I looked at the room now designated as Felix's club room. "I'm getting too old for this investigator shit, I'll just let the Aurors handle it. They should be coming tomorrow afternoon after all."
A/N: Yeah sorry for the inconsistent release schedule, it's kind of hard to get back into the groove of things after being away for so long. Either way at least the chapters I've been releasing are over 2k words so at least that's good. Welp I got nothing more to say, again sorry for the inconsistency, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Author out