章節 53: First day of year 2
The morning of the first day in the Great Hall.
"Morning, Aurelius," said Hermione and Silvia.
"What did I do to warrant you two lovely ladies to join me for breakfast," said Aurelius
"Well, you've done plenty, but let's just say we felt like it," said Silvia with a chuckle.
"Well anyway, wotcha?" he said.
"We wanted to ask you our questions that we couldn't ask in the carriage, and a pair of twins told me that you have become quite proficient at concealing everything, so we thought, why not join you for a little chat," said Hermione.
He sighs. "Very well," he says while snapping his fingers, casting all of his concealment spells except disillusionment. He used an illusion to hide their actions and nodded to inform them it was up.
"Aurelius, what was that about with Daphne in the carriage?" asked Silvia.
"Yes, while that conversation was rather normal, it felt oddly tense with all the formal talk," said Hermione.
"It's a matter involving noble families and alliances. It's precarious and best left to me," said Aurelius.
The girls exchanged a knowing look and nodded.
Aurelius sighed. "If you're curious, there's no way for them to tell you."
Silvia. "What do you take us for? I'll have you know that I know when to keep my nose out of other people's business if they don't want me to."
"I mean, they physically can't communicate it in any way," I told them.
"Wait, is it a curse?" asked Hermione.
"A magically binding contract. If broken, it can be even worse than a curse," said Aurelius.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Hermione.
"Do you know how a magically binding contract works?" asked Aurelius.
"No," they both said.
"Never make one unless you can fulfill it completely, or the promise can't be fulfilled through a loophole, nullifying the contract," said Aurelius intensely. "Promise me."
"Promise," the girls said
"You're kind of scary when you're serious," said Silvia, with Hermione nodding.
"A magically binding contract is acknowledged by magic, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. It will warn you if you're about to violate it, but if you do, you could lose your magic, your family's magic, or even their lives," explained Aurelius.
"When you say 'their', you don't mean plural, right?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, a magically binding contract can end an entire family line," said Aurelius.
"Yeesh. So does that mean your family has contracts with them?" asked Silvia.
"Wait, are you even allowed to say anything? This is private, and you said they can't talk about it," worried Hermione.
"The contracts are heavily in my favor. The Greengrass family has both marital and financial debts to mine, so if my family felt so inclined, they could have one marry my family without any resistance," said Aurelius.
"Are you serious?!" they asked.
"You aren't going to do that, right?" said Hermione.
"I might not have a choice in some cases," said Aurelius.
"What do you mean? You said the contracts are in your favor," said Hermione, not understanding.
"For my family, marital contracts are like a Sword of Damocles for allies to keep them from going too far," I said.
"But that's wrong. Why would you do that to an ally?" asked Hermione.
"So they know his family isn't all talk," said Silvia, understanding the subtle implications of social behavior.
Aurelius nods to confirm her thought.
"Hermione, you need to learn that allies are built on drawing lines and honoring them. Punishments for crossing those lines need to be severe enough to deter them," I said.
"All right, well, this is my line; it's fine if you marry them since you have all that noble stuff, but you better damn make sure that they want to marry you as well, no forcing anyone, and your punishment should you do so would be the dissolvement of our friendship," said Hermione.
"I wouldn't want a marriage like that for myself either, Hermione. A marriage built on force almost always leads to resentment. I'm not foolish enough to build allies that would sooner stab me in the back than help me should I need it," said Aurelius.
"Well, good then….that's good," said Hermione, not knowing how to change the topic.
"Alright, well, does that mean you're going to take Greengrass out on a date?" asked Silvia.
"Yes, after all, it's best to learn more about someone if you ever possibly intend to court them," I said.
"Well, would you like to practice?" asked Silvia.
"Wait, Silvia, you don't mean?" asked Hermione.
"If you feel so inclined to see if we are compatible, I'm more than willing, Silvia. No need to hide it in a ruse," said Aurelius, amused.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about; I'm just being considerate since you likely haven't gone on a date with someone," said Silvia awkwardly, chuckling while avoiding eye contact in more subtle ways, like closing her eyes slightly longer while speaking.
"Well, Silvia, would you care to go on a date after classes? This would give you a good reason to come to the Galegold house as well. I will meet you near the entrance of the library building," I told the silverette.
"Yeah, sure!" said the happily grinning Silvia.
"Now that topic is finished, may we go back to the Greengrass family's financial debts to you?" asked Hermione, interrupting them.
"Wait a minute, how old are these debts?" asked Hermione.
"Over a thousand years," I said.
"Oh dear," said a paling Hermione.
"Yeah," I said.
"For someone less versed in debt, can you explain?" asked an annoyed Silvia.
"Sorry, Silvia, I forgot that debt and interest are not introduced until the first year of muggle secondary school," said Hermione.
"You know the saying 'I am forever in your debt'?" said Aurelius.
"Yeah?" said Silvia.
"Well, it's literal in this case, and the debt passes to those who keep the family name," said Aurelius.
"Couldn't they just change their name then?" asked Silvia.
"Yes, but not without substantial sacrifice and risk. First, anyone who leaves or is expelled from the family loses the gifts of their family magic, like Potter's transfiguration and protection talents that haven't already been cultivated through practice. Second, they lose their Wizengamot seat since it's tied to the family name. Reinstatement requires unanimous approval from remaining members." I said.
"Yeah, I don't see that happening," said Hermione.
"Third, magical contracts are signed by name, so any contracts they've made are severed.
Fourth, my family's contracts stipulate that if no one carries the last name, the offspring inherit the debt."
"Wait, so the debt of their family can spread to other families?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"It's cutthroat, but it guarantees the debt is covered." Said Aurelius.
"Wait, what if someone in that situation marries and has a kid? What's stopping them from killing their spouse once they have an heir? Because technically speaking, no one has their name, and the children have never technically ever been part of the house," asked Silvia.
"Well, basic laws against murder and the family being an accessory to murder. Plus, murdering a noble is grounds for immediate imprisonment in Azkaban," Aurelius replied.
"That's awful. Shouldn't your contracts protect the spouse who gets the debt?" said Hermione.
"The only way would be to tie the debt to blood and marriage, but that makes them unmarriable," I said to her.
"So there's no loophole to exploit except forgiving the debt, which you won't do to keep control. They just have to hope you die naturally," Hermione said.
"Pretty much, but anyway, let's head to class. We only have ten minutes," said Aurelius.
"See you later, Silvia. Don't forget our little date in the Galegold house," said a chuckling Aurelius.
"Yeah, bye," she says with a grin and pink cheeks.
"Bye, Silvia; by the way, I was thinking you could help me create a shelf that can fit above my bed," said Hermione.
"Only you, Hermione, only you, but yeah, sure, I'm fine with that. It should be doable within a week." Said Silvia.
They both head to the first day of classes, and unfortunately, or fortunately, it is with Lockhart. Everyone gets seated, and the class begins.
"Hello, hello, everyone. I'm sure you all are aware of who I am, but for those who are less well-read, I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award!"
"As I've heard, this school has had some rather questionable defense against the dark arts professors, but fear not, for I will be teaching you how not only to defend but defeat dark beasts," said the flamboyant man.
'Hmm, he seems far more serious than the movie version,' thought Aurelius.
"Excellent. Does this mean we will have some hands-on training?" asked a Gryffindor extra.
"Yes, but for now, a little impromptu quiz to see if you've read in advance," said Lockhart, passing stacks of papers to spread down the columns.
'I glance at the quiz, and I see that it is, unfortunately, exactly the same as the movies, and instead of doing the test, I use a little illusion charm that I developed that makes the person see a particular enchanted item to show exactly what it should look like. It was handy when I didn't feel like cleaning my room, and had to hide it from my mothers,' thought Aurelius.
The tests are sent to the front, and we send our work to the front. He doesn't even show what the quiz actually says, but he sees that the test is answered to his exact desires. He even gives Aurelius points for knowing his long-term goal of having his own fashion line.
"Now will we have the hands-on lessons," whined the same Gryffindor as before.
"Absolutely, but I'm curious as to how well you do under pressure when you don't know what you're doing," he said, removing the drape off of the cage doxies. The magical cousin of pixies, but have extra limbs, dark hair, and sharp teeth.
'Huh, instead of mischief-making pixies, he has their piranha-like cousins. If he's as incompetent as the original, this could be so much worse. They're just as mischievous as pixies and are more than willing to bite,' thought Aurelius.
He releases the beasties, and to my surprise, he actually can cast some defense magic, but they're so weak that a stupefy jinx of a second year could break through it. He is quickly overpowered, having not only his wand taken from him but has bite marks on any exposed parts of his body like his nose, ears, and hands.
I snap my fingers, creating a barrier while using all of my sneaking around charms so that I can enjoy this pompous prick, learning firsthand what happens when you play above your skill level.' Pain is the best teacher of knowing what not to do; as long as he isn't seriously injured, it doesn't really matter,' he said.
Hermione casts petrificus totalus, but unfortunately, it doesn't help to deal with the pixies that have their teeth firmly implanted into Lockhart's face.
Excellent attempt, Miss Granger. It dealt with the majority of them, but unfortunately, some of them are now affixed to my face, and I will need to go to the medical ward. Please excuse me," said Lockhart, who was starting to cry, but to be fair, it's impressive to keep your composure with that. Well, except for the part where all of the doxies had their way with him.
'Honestly, he's a far better actor than the movie version, but his ability is clearly lacking,' thought Aurelius.
The students decided that there was no reason to remain in the class, so they all left.
All of the doxies remain on the floor frozen, so Aurelius decided he didn't want them starting to fly around randomly. Aurelius snaps his fingers, resulting in all of the bounded doxies back into the cage, covers the curtain, and uses the counterspell to release them from their frozen state.
"Is anyone still here?..... I could use some help?" said a boy who was ignored until now.
"Huh?" said Aurelius, who wasn't paying attention but noticed that the voice came from above him.
"Oh, hello, Neville; sorry, I didn't notice anyone was up there," I said, snapping my fingers to cast the levitation charm to put him back onto the floor.
"It's all right, I guess; I am pretty forgettable; most people don't even remember my name," said the saddened but nonchalant Neville.
'Damn it. I would maybe add some solace to someone who is sad, but Neville thinks this is completely normal because he doesn't even notice it anymore. This is so much worse. I want to help, but this will take so much time and effort, and the results are reliant almost entirely on him,' thought Aurelius
"First off, Neville, you needn't suffer in silence. I recommend that if something doesn't sit right with you, do not be afraid to voice your opinion. Confiding in your friends is normal and even encouraged. It helps others understand you as a person. As a result, those who like who you are will gravitate to you, while the ones who do not mesh well with you will leave," said Aurelius
"But what if you don't like who you are? And you want to change, and what if people don't like either version of you?" Asked the child in need of direction.
"Well, to be honest, that's a hard question. It likely is an answer that you may not like. Do you want a definitive and simple answer?" asked Aurelius.
"Umm, maybe the simple one for now. We have a class coming up in 5 minutes," said Neville, who was in a hurry but wanted an answer
"Become who you want to be and learn to move on quickly," said Aurelius.
"Umm...." Said Neville.
"If you need a more in-depth explanation, come to the Galegold house; you know how to get in, right?" invited Aurelius.
"You just need to put something of value inside the pouch of the niffler statue, right?" Asked the unsure Neville
"Yes, and do you know where that is?" asked Aurelius.
"I think so. It's on the fourth floor of the library building near the central hall, right?" asked Neville
"Yes, so feel free to go there to talk with me in private, just not today," said Aurelius as he was making his way out of the classroom. "Come on, we have charms next, and it's literally next door. I don't feel keen on explaining why we were late to a class right next door," said Aurelius
"right," he said, rushing out of the classroom.
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