If you want to read ahead, you can check out my Patreón @
[ https://www.patreón.com/fictiononlyreader ]
The link is also in the synopsis.
.
[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
"I think I injured my hands. This really hurts. I definitely need to go to Madam Pomfrey. They don't look well," said Quinn with his arms raised in front of him and his hands hung limply from below the wrist area.
"Who are you?" asked Sirius Black, while moving his eyes from Quinn to the bloodied face and back to Quinn. "And what are you doing here?"
Quinn weaved magic into his hands and numbed the pain. He didn't attempt to heal his battered-up hands and only stuck to eliminating the pain from his injured knuckles and wrist.
"Oh, I'm Quinn West, a fourth-year student at Hogwarts," introduced Quinn while scrunching up his face to portray that he was feeling pain.
He then focused on the Werewolf in the room and said, "Professor Lupin might know me from his classes."
Sirius, Remus, and even James, who was checking up on his son, widened their eyes when they heard Quinn address Remus in his Werewolf form as Professor Lupin.
"What are you talking about?" uttered Sirius, while trying to separate Remus Lupin from the Werewolf that stood beside him.
"Oh, please. I already know that Professor Lupin is a werewolf," scoffed Quinn and turned his head to look at the Lycanthrope. "The signs were all there; he disappeared for a few days because of weak health and the absence period was always after the full moon."
Quinn then brought in the statement that would close this line of conversation.
"Professor Snape tried really hard to point out that Professor Lupin is a Werewolf. The preparation he did for the Werewolf revision lesson was outstanding. For once, he was completely involved in teaching. He even asked if anyone of us had doubts," shrugged Quinn and then finished with a smile. "It was an unusual yet fascinating day. It made me think that people can accomplish anything if they put their hearts into it."
"What! That snake did that?!" exclaimed Sirius, his hands tightening into fists at the thought of Snape trying to out his friend. "I'll blast him when I see that twat!"
Werewolf-Remus put his hairy paw on Sirius to wind his friend down.
After calming down, Sirius continued the conversation.
"If you knew, why didn't you tell anyone," he paused and then slowly asked. "... Did you tell anyone?"
"I didn't tell anyone. When I realized that Professor Lupin was a Werewolf, I gave it a thought. Then I realized that if Professor was allowed to work here, then he must've been provided a supply of Wolfsbane," said Quinn, and then glanced at Remus. "From the looks of it, he's on the Wolfsbane. Or else, he would've already tried to bite me."
Werewolves, when transformed, had the instinct to bite anyone they could get their paws on. The average Werewolf didn't aim to kill; their wild instincts knew that the only way to continue their race was to turn other people into Werewolves, so the damage that a Werewolf would do was a few bites.
Sometimes, the bites would be at some of the body's vital spots, and the victim could die because of blood loss and shock. Of course, there were exceptions like Fenrir Greyback, who had that innate desire to kill and slaughter at times.
"Aren't you scared?" asked Sirius.
Sirius knew from experience that Werewolves were proper people and not monsters. He knew better than anyone that, even though Werewolves were dangerous, a lot of them tried hard to live normally and had hopes and dreams like everyone else.
But he asked because there was always a risk. He still asked, even with Remus right beside him. And Remus didn't mind because he understood where the question was coming from and was curious about Quinn's answer.
"Scared? No. I was cautious, not scared. I prepared myself and made sure that if one day Professor Lupin stood in front of me in his current form, I'd be ready," smiled Quinn as he unveiled his magic prep. " I know the Homorphus Charm and have practiced it a lot to get it down on my fingertips."
The Homorphus Charm was a charm used to temporarily change a transformed werewolf back into their human form. It would forcibly turn back the transformation and would revert the Werewolf into a human. Quite valuable for stopping a werewolf in its tracks.
In the room's darkness, Quinn's expression wasn't clearly visible. But Quinn was looking at Werewolf-Remus as he was a test subject.
He was thinking about how the spell would work against a Werewolf. Because the spell only temporarily reverted the transformation, the Lycan transformation would come back very shortly. But that small window was enough to incapacitate the Werewolf.
However, Quinn's usage was a tad bit too powerful than your average user. His spell's effects would linger instead of ending after a bit. And that would cause a tussle between the Lycan transformation and Quinn's magic.
Even though Quinn hadn't tested it out against a real Werewolf, he, at some level, was sure that the tussle between the transformation and his magic would be very painful for the target. Two opposing forces trying to forcibly change a person's body wasn't optimal, and it would, in normal circumstances, cause immense pain.
As Quinn finished his thinking, James spoke for the first time and informed everybody of Harry's condition.
"Harry's fine. He's just knocked out. I checked for the basic signs, but we should send him to Madam Pomfrey just to be sure," informed James with his eyes still on his son.
"Alright, then let's divide the tasks," nodded Sirius and looked at everyone in the room. "I will take these shits to Holdings and see if I can get something worthwhile out of them. James, you take Harry, and... Quinn to Madam Pomfrey and inform Dumbledore of what happened here. Remus, you stay here. I know this isn't good for your body, so take a rest and go to sleep."
Sirius took the lead and assigned everyone their tasks, all the conscious people nodded in consent and understanding.
.
- (Scene Break) -
.
James Potter, with Harry Potter on his back, walked with Quinn. They made their way through the secret tunnel that connected Shrieking Shack and Whomping Willow tree.
Harry was still unconscious while Quinn's hands were still injured. Sirius and James had tried to offer to cast Healing spells on him, but Quinn had politely refused and said that he could wait for Poppy, the Medi-healer, to take a look at them.
"Why do you know about this passage?" initiated James to fill the very silent underground passage with conversation.
"Hmm? Oh, I found it a few years back when I tried to get a good look at the Whomping Willow. Saw it when I finally figured out that I needed to shoot a pocking hex at the knot at the base of the tree to make it calm down."
The Whomping Willow would attack anyone who would come closer, but if you pressed the knot at the base of its trunk, the magical tree would calm down for a while.
Pomona Sprout used this method when she needed to check if the Whomping Willow was healthy, and so did Quinn when he needed to use the secret passage.
"I know that, too," smiled James as he reminisced about the later of his school years when the Marauders would sneak in after Remus to keep him company.
The elder Potter glanced at Quinn while wondering whether he should say it or not. He, then, decided to say it.
"Quinn, about the thing that person said about me doing those things to you and your family," said James carefully. "None of those words hold any truth. I would never do any of that. Those actions wouldn't be ethical, and no matter what could've happened back there, I would have never blamed you for any of it."
James wanted to erase the thought that Aurors would take advantage of their position. Aurors were the people who withheld justice, and he wanted to make sure that a child around the same as his son wouldn't build a negative image.
"Don't worry about it. I actually don't care about the threat," smiled Quinn. "Even if things went south and you developed a grudge. I wouldn't be worried if you tried to do what that man said."
"You wouldn't?" questioned James confusedly.
"Not at all. I'm a West," smirked Quinn. "If you tried to do things that you describe as unethical, you wouldn't be able to move a finger. I would've been out of your reach before you could've even thought about what to do."
When Quinn mentioned his last name, James finally recalled Quinn's full name, and then it hit him what Quinn was trying to say.
"West, as in George West?" asked James, his eyes widening.
He had only met George West a couple of times. He didn't know the man personally. But he knew who George West was. His work at Wizengamot and in the political circle made sure that he knew of the man who held a substantial amount of influence in every social and professional circle.
James also knew that his parents knew George West. He sparsely recalled that his parents had been invited to dinner with George West a few times and had a business relationship with the head of the West business empire.
"Yes, West as in George West. He's my grandfather," confirmed Quinn, and that was why he wasn't worried. As long as Quinn didn't do anything wildly illegal or wrong, he would be fine.
James was still surprised that Quinn was the grandson of George West, but then it dawned on him how dangerous things could've turned out.
'What would've happened if he had got severely injured or harmed? What if he had died?' thought James in mild horror.
He could almost imagine what George West would've done when he found that his only grandson had been involved in a potentially dangerous situation. James was sure that his life would have been terribly difficult for a long time.
James looked at Quinn's hands and nervously thought, 'He won't make a big deal about this, right? He did that to himself on his own and isn't very bothered about it. So we are good, right…? Right?'
While James was thinking about if he was in trouble, Quinn was silently thinking about what would happen when they reached Hogwarts.
'I need to handle this carefully. There will be only one chance for me to work with,' thought Quinn. He saw the end of the tunnel. 'Let's hope he won't come out and stay inside.'
.
- (Scene Break) -
.
Quinn and James, along with the unconscious Harry, entered the hospital wing.
"Madam Pomfrey! I am here to visit~!" called out Quinn with a chipper voice.
Both James and Quinn heard a sigh from the inside, and it brought a smile to Quinn's face.
"Quinn, it's almost dinner time. Why are you here right now?"
James and Quinn saw the Matron walk out from her office.
"What do you want to ask that couldn't wait-" sighed Poppy as she walked out while straightening a crease on her clothes, but when she looked up, she saw that it wasn't just Quinn.
"James Potter? What are you doing here?" asked Poppy. She saw the former student and now Auror standing there beside Quinn, and, then, she saw Harry in his arms. "Is this Harry Potter? Merlin, what happened to him?"
She walked forward and towards a bed that was beside the three.
"What are you standing there for? Lay the boy down on the bed."
James moved as instructed and gingerly lay his son on the bed.
"Did you check up on him?" asked Poppy as she diagnosed Harry.
"I did. Harry is knocked out. He was dropped to the ground. I think he has a concussion on his head," nodded James as he replied.
"Huh?" Poppy looked up from Harry at James. "I was talking to Quinn. But, yes, you are an Auror, so I guess you have some elementary healing skills."
James looked at Quinn with confusion.
"I was in a bit of a pinch, Madam Pomfrey. I couldn't concentrate with the pain," smiled Quinn.
"Pain?" Poppy once again looked at Harry and saw Quinn raise his arms and show his hands. Quinn's hands had swollen from below the wrist, and the knuckles had turned green and purple.
"What really happened to the both of you?!" asked Poppy, shocked.
Quinn would've waved his hands if they weren't hurt, but he assured, "Oh, it's nothing. I just punched a man and, well, this happened. If you're concerned, then that man was more injured than I am. In any case, all's well when it ends well."
"I wasn't concerned about that," sighed Poppy in exasperation. "Show me those hands."
Poppy looked at Quinn's hands and pulled out her wand to cast healing spells on the bones and swollen areas. The fractures in the bones started to knit back while the swelling began to subside as the color in Quinn's hand returned to normal.
"Wait for a while, and they'll be good as new. Even stronger than before," said Poppy before turning to James. "Your son is fine. He will be up in a few hours. I could wake him up now, but let him wake up on his own."
James breathed a sigh of relief at the assurance of the healer.
"Good, then I'll go find McGonagall. She'll take me to Dumbledore. I need to talk to him," said James.
"I see. Wait for a second," stopped Poppy and then called out. "Tipsy!"
A Hogwarts house-elf appeared in the hospital wing after a pop.
"What can Tipsy do for Healy-lady Poppy?" said the house-elf in her squeaky voice and looked at Poppy with her big eyes.
"Tipsy, where's Professor McGonagall?" asked Poppy.
The house-elf tilted her head and spoke after a short silence, "Proffy Cat be in her office."
Poppy turned to James and said, "You heard her. Minerva is in her office. You remember where her office is, right?"
James nodded, and after saying a short thank you, he left the hospital wing to find the Scottish Professor.
After James left, Poppy turned to Quinn.
"You're staying here till your hands are healed; don't even think of leaving before I give you my consent," warned Poppy as her eyes narrowed.
"Madam Pomfrey, have you ever seen me trying to leave your company early? I'll stay with you as long as you desire," grinned Quinn.
"I still don't know what happened. How did you get injured? And what about the person who you punched? Where is he? Doesn't he need medical attention? And why was an Auror here at Hogwarts?" rapid fired Poppy, adamant about knowing what was happening.
Quinn slightly smiled and narrated the events from his point of view, emphasizing his heroics that saved the day.
"... Thus, a visit to Hogsmeade turned into an adventure where I saved the Boy-Who-Lived and the Aurors from the Accionites. Not bad for a day's work, right?" beamed Quinn.
Poppy stared at Quinn with her mouth slightly open and then smacked him on the back of his head.
"Why?!" exclaimed Quinn, not expecting the sudden beating.
"You-you knew about Remus being a Werewolf," fumed Poppy. "You were messing with me that day when you brought up Werewolves! Do you know how scared I was?!"
"Oh," uttered Quinn, and then a smile bloomed on his face. "Yeah, that was fun. I loved the tea. We should do it again soon, how about next Thursday? How does that sound?"
Poppy raised her hand for another smack, but Quinn dodged it with a grin on his face.
"So you don't mind that Remus Lupin is a Werewolf?"
"I don't mind. As long as I or anyone else isn't bitten without their consent," spoke Quinn. "Lycanthropy is a disease. I don't blame people who have it. As long as they don't try to spread it, I couldn't care less if they are Werewolves."
"Without their consent?" asked Poppy with a tiny bit of confusion.
"Yeah, people are stupid. If they went near a Werewolf during a full moon intending to get bitten. I wouldn't blame the Werewolf. Their instincts command them to bite. You can't blame someone for what they can't control."
After talking to Poppy, Quinn sat down on a bed and closed his eyes. He needed to concentrate. He needed to be prepared for what was about to come.
There were two possibilities, and Quinn needed to simulate how they would unfold.
'That's difficult given the fact that I haven't talked to him,' thought Quinn.
He had come to the hospital wing so that if the first possibility unfolded he would have an audience, which would restrict any possible foul play.
And if the second possibility came to happen, then Quinn would need to be in a place where he would have the chance to gain back up.
'It depends on who will be the messenger. If they are good, I'll have a chance to explain it in-depth, otherwise, if they aren't, I can still get the message across, but it'll have to be short,' thought Quinn as he kept thinking about how things would unfold.
Both possibilities had their own pros and cons.
What Quinn needed was to think about how to maximize the pros and minimize the cons.
"Mr. West, you have gotten yourself involved in something big, haven't you?"
Quinn opened his eyes and saw his Head of House standing there, arms crossed, looking up at him.
"Professor Flitwick. I hope I'm not in trouble," smiled Quinn, and at the same time, he thought, 'what will happen, though?'
"You're in trouble, Mr. West. You're going to be in detention," sighed Flitwick. "Now, if you are healed, let's go. The headmaster has called you to his office."
'The second one, it is,' thought Quinn.
The first meeting between Quinn West and Albus Dumbledore was ahead.
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
Quinn West - MC - "Oh boy, let's go meet the old man in the tower."
James Potter - Auror, Wizengamot member - Still worried if he is in trouble.
Poppy Pomfrey - Matron, Med-healer - This kid is too much trouble.
George West - Grandfather - I don't need to be in the chapter to flex.
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
If you have any ideas regarding the magic you want to see in this fiction or want to offer some ideas regarding the progression. Move onto the DISCORD Server and blast those ideas.
The link is in the synopsis!
Just like always,
Review, comment, add to the library, and share this fic.
Thx
https://discord.gg/w5dJ82SfMr
If you want to read ahead, you can check out my Patreón @
[ https://www.patreón.com/fictiononlyreader ]
The link is also in the synopsis.
.
[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
Quinn and Filius exited the hospital wing after Quinn's hands had healed enough. Poppy had bandaged them up and told Quinn not to move them. She finally told him to return after he was done to complete his recovery.
"Professor, would it be alright if we take a detour?" requested Quinn to the diminutive goblin at his side. "I would like to change out of these clothes."
Quinn straightened his clothes to show that the front of his shirt was stained in blood. The bloodstains were from when Quinn had wiped his knuckles that had the Accionites' blood on them with his shirt.
"I wouldn't feel comfortable when I have blood on my clothes. Especially when I am about to visit the Headmaster."
Filius looked at and saw that Quinn's clothes were indeed stained with blood.
"If you want, Mr. West, I can vanish that blood off your shirt," offered Filius, knowing that it wouldn't be good for a child to walk around with blood on his clothes.
"I appreciate the offer, Professor, but I would like to change these out. Even if these clothes were cleaned of the blood, I'll still be uncomfortable in them," replied Quinn.
Filius nodded and accepted Quinn's request, "If that is so, then we can take a detour to change your clothes. I'm sure that the Headmaster won't mind."
'Excellent, he is indeed a good messenger,' thought Quinn. He felt positive that things would end up without any complications.
Quinn and Filius climbed up to the fifth floor, but then, Quinn turned to the opposite direction from the Ravenclaw dorms. Filius asked, "Where are you going, Mr. West?"
"To the A.I.D. classroom, Professor. I have a set of clothes there," answered Quinn. "I don't want to go to the dorms and worry my friends."
"I understand, Mr. West. Let's proceed to your office, then" nodded Filius, empathizing with Quinn.
Quinn and Filius walked to the A.I.D. office and Quinn invited his Head of House inside.
"Professor, please, make yourself comfortable. I'll change my clothes, and we'll be off in no time," said Quinn. He aimed his hand at the client chairs while he unlocked the workshop door and entered inside.
He closed the door behind him and immediately started to move quickly.
'I don't have much time. Let's get everything over with quickly,' thought Quinn, a few things moved in the workshop.
One of the drawers opened, and a few sheets of paper flew out from the ream of paper inside. From the same drawer, a fountain pen flew out after the sheet of paper.
On the other side of the workshop, a cabinet opened, and from inside came a white short-sleeved t-shirt, a grey-and-white dynamic work jacket, and red-grey-black work trousers.
As Quinn started to change his clothes, the fountain pen uncapped and glided across the page. It penned the words Quinn wanted.
By the time Quinn was done dressing up, the pen had penned two-and-a-half pages of words.
The pages flew towards a side of the room, and after two glows of light, Quinn exited the workshop. His work was done.
"Let's go, Professor. I'm ready," said Quinn, dressed in new clothes. His jacket wasn't zipped up, so the white t-shirt he was wearing inside could be seen.
Filius saw Quinn dressed up in new clothes and nodded before he hopped out of his chair.
"Excellent. Let's go, Mr. West."
As the two exited the office, Filius couldn't help but ask, "What are you using to light up the room, Mr. West. I was surprised to see no candles in the room."
"I knew you would ask about them, Professor," laughed Quinn. "I used rune applications on metal platings designed to work as light sources. I used the basic Lumos spell as a base inspiration and then worked up from there. I had to specify the dispersion, color tone, warmth, and intensity. The resulting rune cluster was what you saw up there."
Quinn had already thought of pitching his light-rune designs in the summer break to his grandfather and Lia. This was another thing that could bring a revolution in the existing industry and could replace the standard everlasting (long-lasting) candles that were used everywhere.
Flitwick looked at his smiling student and asked, "Why are you smiling, Mr. West? From what I've told you, you are in trouble."
He was a little concerned because Quinn wasn't showing any of the signs that would be visible after what had transpired. Quinn was cavalier and engaging instead of silent and shocked.
"I'm alright, Professor. I understand the situation I was in and how things could have turned out if things had gone differently. If you are thinking why I am so casual about the situation," said Quinn as the smile drained from his face. "This is my attempt at self-preservation through disassociation. I'm detaching myself from the situation by acting like it's nothing serious. I wanted to change clothes because they made me think that blood could very easily have been mine."
Quinn sneakily glanced at Filius to see if his lie worked. From the moment Quinn had opened the door, he hadn't been scared in the least. He had assessed the situation and made sure to secure his safety before taking any action.
All of them would find that Quinn's behavior was consistent throughout the ordeal, as from the very first words in which Quinn had joked about disturbing the conversation between the Accionites and Marauders to him acting goofily with Poppy he had acted in a similar way.
"... I see, Mr. West," said Filius after a pause. "Please be assured that those people will be brought to justice, and the faculty will do its best to improve security. I personally will make sure that none of my students are harmed."
"Thank you for your kind words, Professor. They mean a lot," smiled Quinn. He chuckled as he continued. "I'm guessing that the Shrieking Shack passage will be closed down."
"Definitely, Mr. West," smiled Filius. "No more outside castle visits for you."
"Aw, that's lame!" laughed Quinn, not worried about it because he knew many more passageways that would allow him to sneak out of the castle.
As the student and Professor continued to talk, the pair arrived at the Headmaster's office.
'Alright, let's see how this goes,' thought Quinn as Filius said the password. The entrance opened.
.
- (Scene Break) -
.
Lily and Ivy Potter practically rushed to the hospital wing. They had been told that Harry had come close to being kidnapped by the terrorist group called Novellus Accionites, who had infiltrated Hogwarts and had captured Harry in broad daylight.
They were semi-relieved to hear that the attempt was thwarted because the Marauders had been partying in the Shrieking Shack.
When they heard that Harry was resting at the hospital, both mother and sister ran to see Harry.
Inside the hospital wing, they saw Poppy tending a sleeping Harry while casting some spells at Harry's head.
"Poppy, how is he?" asked Lily, her eyes stuck to her son.
Poppy turned to her colleague and gave her the same answer that she had given the father.
"He hit his head on the ground. Other than that, he is fine. He's sleeping and will wake up in a while."
She waved her wand, and two barstools came gliding for Lily and Ivy to sit down.
"This was close, wasn't it?" said Poppy as she herself took a seat. "To think they used the tunnel made for Remus. I used to guide him to that house every month when he was still a student here."
Everything from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, including the passage that joined the two, had been added after Remus Lupin had sent back the reply in which he said he would be attending Hogwarts.
The school had added these landmarks to ensure that Remus could go through his lycanthrope transformation in isolation and continue to study at the school with no one knowing about his condition.
Every evening, Poppy would guide the then-teenager Remus to the Shrieking Shack. The house had been commissioned by the school and got its name because, in the absence of Wolfsbane potion, Remus would bite and scratch himself due to a lack of humans to infect.
Albus Dumbledore encouraged the rumors about the house being haunted because they would keep people from approaching the building, making it a safe haven for Remus to go through his monthly transformation.
"James, Sirius, and Remus were lucky to be there. To think Remus's condition would help thwart the attempt," sighed Lily as she ran a hand through Harry's hair.
"They were indeed lucky," Poppy, too, sighed. "To think not only those three were at the shack for Remus, but the kidnappers also used the same route… and finally Quinn also used the same passage."
Lily and Ivy both looked up at the Matron, who was shaking her head at her semi apprentice's antics.
"... Quinn?" asked Ivy, surprised to hear that name in the current situation.
"Yes, apparently that child had been sneaking in-and-out of the castle to visit Hogsmeade outside of the Hogsmeade weekend. He used that passage as his sneak route. Today, after he was returning from Hogsmeade, he chanced upon the tense situation and saw wands pointed from both parties."
"How's he?" asked Lily with wide eyes, looking around to see if Quinn was lying on another bed.
"He's fine. Filius took him to meet the Headmaster. Quinn punched the man who was holding Harry hostage," sighed Poppy, thinking about Quinn's hands. "That child's hands were in bad shape. He, a fourteen-year-old, hit an adult enough times to draw blood and break his bones. Despite this, he smiled the entire time."
A fourteen-year-old wasn't developed enough and had low strength. Poppy realized that, and when Quinn told her that he broke the man's jaw, she imagined from checking Quinn's hands how many times Quinn had to punch to break a person's face.
Quinn's knuckles would've been injured way before accomplishing what he had. So Poppy realized that Quinn had ignored the pain and had kept hitting.
While Poppy was thinking about Quinn, Ivy, too, was thinking about him.
She couldn't believe that Quinn had once again saved Harry from another dangerous situation. Ivy had just managed to put aside the thoughts about Quinn's slip about the Chamber of Secrets, but now this happened, and she again thought about Quinn.
From her very first year, Quinn West had been a part of her school life one way or another. He would always be connected to the bizarre and wild incidents that happened to her and her friends.
In the first year, he had warned them about the Philosopher's stone's chambers, and she was sure that he had been inside those chambers.
In the second year, he had caught her trying to sneak into Slytherin's common room; he had told them about the Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets and saved them from the monster inside the chamber. He had found things before anyone else and seemed to know everything about what was happening.
In her third year, he had made Hermione take him to the past because he wanted to save himself by creating a time travel loop. How did he get injured? She still doesn't know because Quinn was somehow able to avoid that entire line of questioning. Then she saw Quinn produce the biggest Patronus she had ever seen.
She thought that those few hours completed the yearly quota of interaction with Quinn West, but now that she heard this, Ivy realized she was wrong. He had saved her brother and had gotten injured while doing it.
Ivy remained silent in her thoughts as Lily and Poppy continued to talk about the incident that took place today.
.
- (Scene Break) -
.
Quinn walked inside the Headmaster's office and he had to say that Dumbledore's office was interesting, to say the least.
It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. Several curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables. They whirred and emitted little puffs of smoke. Portraits of old Headmasters and Headmistresses, some gently snoozing, covered the walls of the office. Every headmaster (or headmistress) had their names and their period of tenure on their frames. He also saw an enormous, claw-footed desk and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat— the Sorting Hat.
Quinn's eyes were also attracted to the shelves-after-shelves of old tomes and books that graced a knowledgeable presence to the Headmaster's chaotic office. If Quinn had been left here with no supervision, he would've definitely opened every book and read through every page.
As Quinn walked in, he looked over his shoulder and saw a golden perch beside the room's entrance. Quinn identified the golden perch as the Phoenix's resting place.
After taking in the interior of the Headmaster's office, Quinn nodded in satisfaction.
"Mr. West, would you like to share your thoughts with us?"
Quinn looked to his front and saw Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, clad in purple robes with stars, sitting behind his desk. He was looking at him through the half-moon glasses with a smile on his face.
"Certainly, Headmaster. I was thinking that, after observing your office's interior, my office on the fifth-floor is better," a relaxed smile on his face as he spoke.
A chuckle came from the right, and a deep hum from the left came in response as James Potter chuckled and Severus Snape looked at Quinn warningly.
"Is that so? It saddens me a little to hear that. I have put in a lot of work to make my office unique and fun." The owner of the office smiled through his beard. "I even had to suffer from the nagging of the previous owners for years before they settled down."
Dumbledore roamed his eyes at the sleeping portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses who occupied this office before him.
"I'm not saying that your office isn't unique and fun, Headmaster. I agree with you. Your office has a charm that sets it apart from others. It's just that mine is better," smiled Quinn.
Dumbledore smiled and then looked at the other three men in the room.
"James, Severus, Filius. You three can leave. James, you should join your family down in the hospital wing. My dear professors, it's almost dinnertime, I'm sure you all are hungry. Please, proceed to the Great Hall," said Dumbledore before turning Quinn. "Mr. West and I will have a short talk before joining you at the Great Hall."
James Potter and Severus Snape walked past Quinn. Both had different thoughts in their minds.
James was thankful to Quinn for knocking out the Accionite, who was about to get away with his son. If Quinn hadn't interfered, James didn't know what he would be doing now. He wasn't sure where his son would be or if he would even be safe.
Snape looked both pleased and conflicted. He was pleased that his attempt to convey that Remus Lupin was a Werewolf was successful because, from what James had said, Quinn already knew about it and had understood what he was trying to do. Snape was conflicted because Quinn hadn't outed Remus as a Werewolf to the school or family.
Their eyes met and they immediately became hostile towards each other. Before Quinn had entered the office, they had been exchanging taunts to each other. They only stopped because Dumbledore scolded them both.
Filius tagged along with his former students, so the three men exited the Headmaster's office. They left behind Quinn and Dumbledore in the office.
"Please take a seat, Mr. West," said Dumbledore, and with a wave of his hand, a chair was pulled back for Quinn.
"Thank you, Headmaster," said Quinn as he sat down.
"You can call me Professor like your other teachers, Mr. West," said Dumbledore as Quinn made himself comfortable.
"You are the head of the school, Headmaster. I like to use the proper title when I address people," smiled Quinn. "Maybe if you teach the Alchemy class in my sixth and seventh year, I'll call you professor."
Dumbledore looked interested at the mention of Alchemy. He asked with his eyes shining with interest.
"You are interested in Alchemy, Mr. West? I haven't seen many students who are interested in Alchemy. The lack of interested students is the reason we have to cancel the Alchemy subject every year."
"Alchemy is magic, Headmaster. I'm interested in anything that is magic," stated Quinn as if he was stating a universal fact.
"Your grades certainly show that. They are truly impressive, Mr. West," said Dumbledore as he turned parchments on his desk. "Other than Potions and History of Magic. You have scored more than a hundred percent in every exam of every subject in your four years at Hogwarts. Even in the two mentioned subjects, you haven't once scored anything less than an Outstanding."
Quinn shrugged and smiled, "I do well in class, Headmaster. It's what I like to do."
Dumbledore continued to turn parchments, stopped at a certain parchment, and said.
"Your establishment of an office on the fifth-floor, allowed by Filius. You've called it the A.I.D., and if I recall correctly, it has been a huge success. The notes that you release every year have been a great success; even though I haven't read them, the faculty have told me that they are excellent. You have been known to create interesting knick-knacks that see great sales, and interestingly, none of them have been banned by our caretaker, something that I consider a big accomplishment. The A.I.D. has become popular for helping other students which is another great and unique accomplishment."
"Tell me, Mr. West. Why did you start this initiative of yours?" asked Dumbledore, curious about the birth of the A.I.D. He hadn't seen something like this in Hogwarts before.
Usually, Prefects, Headboys, and Headgirls would be the students who helped the other students. If they couldn't solve the problem, they would go to the Professors. But ever since A.I.D. had opened up in Hogwarts, there had been a steady increase of students relying on Quinn to help them.
In one of the faculty meetings this year, the faculty had noted that they had seen a dive in the number of younger students coming to them for help. They connected it to the presence and ever-growing popularity of A.I.D. Every year the A.I.D. would gain a new batch of students.
After the professors exchanged their experiences, they realized that the A.I.D. had been equally popular in every house: no student, regardless of their house, had ever turned away from the door of A.I.D. If they had a problem, A.I.D was the space.
Pureblood students who had a strong sense of blood supremacy used A.I.D's services because Quinn was a pureblood himself. Muggleborn students, who were on the opposite side of the spectrum, didn't shy away from the A.I.D. because it was a place that would explain anything they wanted to know about the new and unknown magical world.
The A.I.D. was an establishment that reached every type of student present in Hogwarts.
Dumbledore, who got informed about what was happening in the school from the faculty meeting, became impressed and curious about the A.I.D. and how it was able to rise up to this point in only three years.
"Hmm, originally, I wanted to do something different. Create something that nobody in Hogwarts had ever done and something different from what my schoolmates were currently doing," answered Quinn, not telling the real reason about A.I.D.s' founding. He still provided Dumbledore with some actual facts, though. "I wanted to create something of my own and, in-process, use magic. I wasn't expecting it to get this big. But well, I guess I'm happy how things turned out."
'I have more than a hundred students who would do what I ask of them, students from all houses on every step of the social ladder. Indeed, I guess I'm happy how things turned out,' thought Quinn.
"I see," said Dumbledore and once again started to turn the parchments and stopped when he saw something that interested him. "Hmm... this here says that you had access to the Restricted Section of the Library for the entire year, last year." He looked up at Quinn and said, "It was given to you by Professor Lockhart."
Quinn nodded and confirmed the statement from Dumbledore but didn't say a single word in response.
Dumbledore waited for a moment for Quinn to speak something, but when he didn't say anything, Dumbledore asked, "May I ask why did you ask for the pass to the Restricted Section?"
"I was interested in the books there, Headmaster," replied Quinn, keeping it short.
"... And Professor Lockhart gave you the pass for the entire year? Not a particular book, but an entire year?" asked Dumbledore.
Quinn shrugged in reply, "I established his fan club at Hogwarts. I was the reason for his popularity in the school, so I guess he simply allowed me to browse through the library because of that."
"Yes, I recall hearing about Professor Lockhart's fan club," said Dumbledore before asking with a pause. "... Did you have contact with Professor Lockhart after he left the school?"
"Unfortunately, I lost contact with Professor Lockhart after he left his post. He was a fun person to listen to and hang around. He had fascinating stories to tell," answered Quinn.
"What books interested you, Mr. West," asked Dumbledore as he observed Quinn through his half-moon glasses.
"Hmm, there were many, but mostly some advanced applications of what I was studying at the moment," answered Quinn, and he didn't lie. Dumbledore didn't know what level of magic he was studying at that point.
Dumbledore once again waited for Quinn to explain what he meant by the vague answer, but Quinn didn't say a single more word.
He once again looked down at his desk and turned some sheets before once again asking.
"You've been learning Healing Magic from Madam Pomfrey," stated Dumbledore as he looked at Quinn with surprise.
"Yes," answered Quinn with a single word.
The third time around, Dumbledore finally caught up with what was happening.
"... Do you want to become a healer, Mr. West?"
"No, sir. Not at all. Healing is a type of magic, and I'm interested in anything that's magic," smiled Quinn.
The Headmaster stared at the student while the student looked around the office with a curious gaze.
"Headmaster, my view of your office is improving by the minute. It's growing on me," complimented Quinn.
If Dumbledore didn't want to get straight to the point, Quinn also didn't mind stretching things along. Plus, he employed his usual strategy of letting the other person ask questions to control the flow of information.
"It seems I have gone off the topic, Mr. West," said Dumbledore and closed the file of parchments. "It's just that I don't get to talk to students often. So whenever I do get to talk to a student, I get a little distracted as I want to know more about them."
"It's fine, sir. You are a busy man; the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Supreme Mugwump of the I.C.W., and the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot. All these titles and the responsibilities that come with them are time-consuming," said Quinn and then suggested as he looked at Dumbledore. "If you aren't enjoying your current workload and if it makes you feel uncomfortable... perhaps you could drop a position or two and concentrate on fewer things."
Dumbledore watched Quinn, and as Quinn said the last sentence, the Headmaster smiled widely, more widely than he had smiled since Quinn had entered the office.
"Let's get to the point, Mr. West. Let's talk about what happened at the Shrieking Shack."
Quinn held back the smile that was threatening to break out on his face and nodded.
"Let's."
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
Quinn West - MC - Let's get started.
Albus Dumbledore - Headmaster - Yes, let's get started.
Ivy Potter - Has a Quinn-encounter quota in her mind - *Sigh.*
Poppy Pomfrey - Matron, healer - I repeat, Quinn is troublesome.
Severus Snape - Conflicted - I knew that brat knew!
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
If you have any ideas regarding the magic you want to see in this fiction or want to offer some ideas regarding the progression. Move onto the DISCORD Server and blast those ideas.
The link is in the synopsis!
Just like always,
Review, comment, add to the library, and share this fic.
Thx
https://discord.gg/w5dJ82SfMr
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK