บท 17: Hufflepuff.
No wonder Alan always felt weird when he lived in Selena's home. She was a gorgeous woman of class and had exceptional brains, but lived in a tiny flat with lots, and he really meant it when describing it, lots of stuff all around.
Hufflepuff common room was like a cozy little warehouse with low ceiling and wood all around. Even entrance to it was behind a kitchen through wine barrels similar to the round doors to the personal quarters.
If Griffindor common room was luxurious and majestic, then Hufflepuff portrayed the image of down to earth regular home with a friendly and warm atmosphere. It really looked like a lair of a badger. But it is this feeling that made Alan at peace.
"So, newbies, how does it feel?" - asked a woman with a very energetic aura and burning enthusiasm.
"Like home." - Alan said, clearly mentioning Selena's lair while earning himself a grin and a hand around the neck. The girl didn't notice how Alan barely trembled and clenched a fist. He nearly landed a strike on her.
It came after Selena trained him to always be vigilant and expect attack subconsciously. But it went in a bit of extreme way after he tampered with it using Eternal Mind trait. He already cursed himself several times over for interfering into his reflexive responses and vowed to never do it again. It was really enough to just have the astonishing speed at which his body and mind adapted to everything.
Still, Selena thought the training went very well and Alan can't say that he disagreed. However, sometimes already he can't tolerate people getting so close so casually, but he is working on it. No matter how he tried to socialize, he lacks comfort while interacting with people and he had a hunch that his tempering with reflex really has little to do with the issue.
"It is! Right!" - she beamed and turned to him, staring right into Alan's eyes. - "Not bad, ya a cutie. But you can smile more. That deadpan face of yours all the time is not good! Fix it!"
Alan frowned deeper than usual.
"Let go of me." - he said evenly and right after someone yelled from afar, not giving the girl a chance to be surprised.
"Tonks!" - yelled someone from afar. She immediately turned around and her hair changed color from purple to fiery red. - "Get back here!"
"Gotta hop, see ya!" - she gave Alan a kiss on the cheek and escaped like the wind.
"This girl is a real piece of work." - Alan grumbled a bit and tried to remove the lipstick with a cloth but failed. At that moment another girl came running with a wand in her hand and kisses all over the face.
"She really is!" - came a sigh from between her little shiny lips. - "I am Penny, fourth year. Wait, don't clean it like that, no use. Tonks is a jinx, but a genius one. Anyway, here, use this potion water, it should work. And welcome to the family." - she smiled brightly and gone like the previous one – with the only wind as a witness.
'Looks like my days here will be fulfilling.'
Alan turned around and saw slack-jawed Cedric and pouting Jessica.
"Well, I kind of can understand the face of Cedric, but Jess, why are you pouting? Want a kiss too?" - at this, the girl just reddened and ran to her room.
Alan shrugged and made way to his own. In Hufflepuff even first years had rooms with only one neighbor and when he arrived at the door that looked like a wooden lid from a beer vat, by his side there was only one person and with no surprise it was Cedric.
On one note, Alan felt good. He gets to know Cedric and had a very good opinion of him, however, we all know where he ends up in the book. Correct, graveyard. And it needs to change. Alan occupied his bed and his thoughts went astray. As well as his emotions.
He sighed, remembering something not really pleasant.
Soon it will be time. Same date, another year. Somehow he still wanted to visit them, even with no actual memories he had. It only shows that they were perfect parents.
"Hey, Alan, where is all your stuff? Have you forgotten your luggage?"
"Of course not. It's all on me." - Alan said, not minding it much.
"Yeah." - still confused Cedric looked over and again portrayed a visage of a youth not really astonished or non-comprehensive of what he saw. That's the family of wizards for you. - "You have some kind of shrinking tool?"
"Here. It is similar to the shrinking bag but a ring." - after knowing from Selena that such things are not unique because some nobles use either necklaces or rings and sometimes belts, Alan let go of the notion to cover it up. Unlike in canon books, he noticed that many students came with little bags or even without them. Seems like pocket dimensions and shrinking pouch are not that rare here as he thought. Well, among the mages at least.
And that means they must have a way to scan inside them. Or the security of Hogwarts will be nonexistent. One of the issues to figure out.
'I doubt they can actually enter Isu artifact, but staying out of unnecessary trouble is always better. Need to talk with Amal about it.'
"Seems like so!" - Cedric sat straight on the bed and looked with eyes full of stars. - "I want one too! It is very convenient but pricey. My father has a watch enchanted like that. Do you have more? Can you sell one?" - the boy fantasized inside his own dreamscape.
"Yeah, go line up. First, talk it out with my aunt." - Alan lied on the bed and looked at the ceiling. He didn't notice at first, but it had moving images, depicting the time of day outside. - "Fascinating place it is indeed. Never understood people who wanted war and supremacy. Why not explore, enjoy life, and experience all sorts of emotions? Make friends, not foes."
"You sound like my old man." - Cedric said.
"Mister Amos is a wise man." - noted Alan with a raised finger.
"Yes, he is." - smiled Cedric glad that his dad earned a prize. - "Hey, Alan... can I ask you something?"
"About my parents?" - it was rather easy to guess what he wanted to know, let alone his Vibe could catch some stray thoughts of unguarded youth unconsciously. But one thing is to ask another - produce the answer and receiving it is an issue on its own.
"If you don't want to say just don't say it. I just wanted to know... what happened back then, do you know?" - Cedric asked and Alan set up straight. The meaning of his question hit him like a hammer with a real realization he never actually bothered to know.
He knew they covered it all up, but never found it to be to this extent.
'Well, my new friend, you lack tact for sure. And he means he doesn't even know if I saw it? Do I know? So the Ministry never even publicized my kidnapping case! If not for Selena and her team no one would have even bothered to look for me? Those bitches... fine, it looks like I need to prepare to give out some beatings.'
Somehow Alan felt really terrible for his parents to the point of actual pain. They fought and worked entire life for the Ministry, of apprehending Dark wizards to only end up labeled as traitors, maniacs, and dark mages themselves.
'They didn't spare even me, their son of only four back then. Ministry didn't give a damn. With such an attitude, Death Eaters can easily replace personnel, as it will leave no loyal people at all. I bet the ones who could have made a difference went away from the Ministry long ago, like my aunt and first, second and third uncles did. Aurors of special teams rarely have families. Take the four, from Verga team as an example, none of them even married.
They live as aurors, they die as ones.
Hm? Oh...'
Suddenly Alan smiled and touched the necklace. Seems like Fleur felt something. Alan laughed and sent a grateful response to her silent consolation.
"I can tell you, but let it be later." - no matter the character, trusting an eleven year old kid with such a secret is both unfair to the guy and risk for oneself. - "For now, I just say one thing – they are innocent."
"So it seems." - Cedric nodded. - "Good night Alan."
"Yeah, good night. Let's hope welcoming party won't be too noisy." - Alan said and Cedric shoots up on the bed. - "You go, I'm tired."
When Cedric left, Alan looked around and breathed out. His face became colder, but with that more relaxed.
'Never thought it will be so hard. All that socializing thing.'
He looked at his trembling hands. All this time he was fighting it. To someone, it was a merry occasion and a novel experience. To Alan, it was a battlefield. An urge to get away, to run, and find a place without people. He sat on the bed and hid his face in his hands.
Alan didn't use Eternal Mind to suppress it on purpose. Selena while teaching occlumency once told him that some things had to be faced head-on. And he agreed.
'I'm really becoming like Moody around such a crowd of people. Well, not like I never noticed it before.'
Sighing and listening to echo of screams in the common room, Alan went to bed.
Tomorrow will be another day.
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