Person of Science
Dark was a person of science. He believes that everything has an explanation of how it works or why it works. Like his powers, for instance, he knows that his powers are from some sort of energy inside of him. This energy can be used to do other things as well, such as power an invention of his own or make him feel warm. He can explain these things as science. Abnormal science, but science nonetheless.
Magic had to be proven by science. Dark has been thinking a lot about how magic works and the different people who can use magic. They must have some sort of energy as well that allows them to display such power. He needed to go to the library to do more research on the subject, he had to know if he could use magic to make his new secret base fabulous. He also wanted to know how it worked.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t go to the library right now, because he and Cho were going to be leaving with Professor Snape to get their school supplies. Dark can’t believe he was going to admit this to himself but he was actually excited. Learning magic can increase the number of ideas on his list of ways he could possibly kill someone (he doesn't have the desire to kill and destroy after Seconds laser erased his code, but he still wanted the list just in case).
Cho nudged him with his arm, and Dark refocused.
“Huh? What?” he said intelligently.
“Look, Snape is here,” Cho whispered to him.
Dark looked up and saw a black-haired greasy man with a hook-shaped nose glaring down at them from the top of the stairs.
“Come along!” Snape told them, passing by without looking back to see if they followed him. Cho and Dark glanced at each other and they followed him into a nearby classroom. They passed the desks stacked on the side wall and approached a crackling fireplace as Snape stood in front of the fire dramatically.
“We are going to use floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. I am assuming you have used floo powder before?” Snape asked them, drawing out his words with what sounded like a snarl. At least this guy doesn't pretend to like us! Dark started to like him.
“No sir, we haven’t! We were quite sheltered as kids,” Dark told him confidently, remembering their fake backstory (it was quite close to the truth anyway).
Snape's cloak billowed behind him as he turned to look at them, “Well. It is quite simple, the floo network requires floo powder to take you to your destination. Watch carefully as I show you how to properly use it.” He threw the powder into the fireplace and said “Say the destination clearly and step inside” He stepped inside and yelled “Diagon Alley!” and disappeared in a burst of green flame.
There was a second of silence as Snape was no longer there to tell them anything else.
“I’ll go first,” Cho volunteered as they were now alone, he took a handful of the powder from the bowl and threw it into the flame, jumped in, and yelled “Diagon Alley!” and Cho disappeared in a green flame as well.
“This is stupid, but super cool. I should add this to my new place as well!” Dark took a handful of the floo powder and threw it in then jumped in yelling “Diagon Alley!” The warm flames tickled him as he spun quite abruptly and appeared in a different fireplace. He felt Cho grab him and pull him out of the fireplace as a wizard appeared where he just was a second later.
He dusted off ashes from his pants as he looked up and saw a bar of sorts.
“Follow me and keep up!” Snape snapped at them. He seemed annoyed.
Dark saw Cho grit his teeth as he unexpectedly grabbed Dark’s hand and they followed Snape outside into a dead-end alley with trash cans littering the floor. Cho’s hand was very warm. Why did he grab my hand?
While this was happening, Snape took out his wand and tapped a certain brick three times with his wand and the wall changed into an entryway (Dark was going to put all of these things in his secret base, just you wait!).
“Here we are, Diagon Alley. Now stay close behind me,” Cho and Dark followed closely behind Snape as he instructed. Cho is still pulling Dark behind him, clenching his hand. Both of them marveled at the alley they saw before them. Sparks were flying in the air, there was a cart that sold dragon livers in a sketchy alley, a book shop, and… an owlery? Dark was intrigued by the last one, what did wizards use owls for?
Then Dark saw a giant grandiose marble bank with pillars that were tall enough that Cho could have enough room to make a tornado. Gringotts bank. Dumbledore had told them about the bank and he gave them a key to a vault so they could get wizard money that he deposited into it for school. He was unprepared as they stepped inside to see small green wrinkly creatures inside counting money and weighing gold. They must be goblins. Dark was not expecting to see a creature that didn’t exist in the outernet here, but he could already tell that they are very greedy creatures by the way they stare at the gold and think themselves above everyone by the way they look down on the people there and wrinkle their noses at them.
They stopped in front of a goblin with spectacles that said to them “Name and key please.”
Cho took out the key he was given and presented it to him, as he told him reluctantly “Chosen”
“Full name?” the goblin asked.
“The Chosen One,” Chosen told him looking rather uncomfortable. He and Dark decided to put Cho’s name on the vault because they thought the name ‘The Chosen One’ would go over better than ‘The Dark Lord’. Snape seemed to find this information surprising, Dark guessed Dumbledore didn’t tell him their full names.
“That can’t possibly be your real name, Mr. Chosen. I would advise you not to lie to goblins.” Snape snarked at him. Cho looked down to the floor as the goblin inspected the key. This guy better back off of Cho! Dark thought angrily.
Dark stepped in between Cho and Snape, very agitated by what he just heard. He growled at Snape whispering aggressively, “It is his real name, now back the fuck off! Can’t you see how uncomfortable he is with it?” Dark glanced around at the people nearby. No one seemed to have heard them, so they were probably alright.
“Language, Mr Dark! That is not how you speak to your professors! Hogwarts-” Snape told him.
“Vault 675, this way please,” the goblin interrupted.
Apparently, while he and Snape were confronting each other, the goblin was inspecting Chosen cautiously and confirming who he was. Snape stopped short and they all followed the goblin to a minecart in the side room of the bank.
Snape seemed withdrawn as he slowly realized that Cho was not lying, as the goblin accepted the key without hesitation. You better feel bad, bitch. Dark thought venomously. He knew he wasn’t being fair to the professor but he was angry at how he approached it.
“Into the cart please,” the goblin asked them. The three of them took the trip in silence to the vault and back. Cho obviously had a lot on his mind. Dark was annoyed at Snape for being so disrespectful to Cho. Snape was trying to find a way to apologize for his words, but he was too bad at talking to find out what to say. They got their money and left.
Snape finally broke the silence saying “We should get you two some new wands, as Dumbledore told me that your previous wands were not up to Hogwarts standard,” Snape coughed and added “Afterward, we will go get some ice cream, as I would like to do that first before going to get your robes. You’d destroy them.”
That was his apology. That was hilarious! Dark couldn’t hold back his laughter as he belted out a huge laugh, clinging onto Cho for support. Cho smiled at his laughter, giggling a little bit.
Snape ignored them with embarrassment as they went to a wand shop with a sign that read: Ollivanders and with a tiny print on the side: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC. Dark was so excited!
As they entered the shop the bell rang. Dark heard a person shuffle to the front of the building. “Ah! Severus! Blackthorn wood with a core of unicorn hair, 9 and a half inches, flexible! Nice wand, though quite simple. And who are these two children you got with you?” A man with long white hair came out from behind the piles of boxes in the corner.
“I am named Chosen and this is Dark,” Cho told him “and you must be Mr. Ollivander, correct?” Cho has been rather talkative lately. Dark suddenly wonders why.
“Why yes!” Ollivander said “Well met! It’s not every day I get an American buying a wand from me. How delightful! Would you like to go first?” He directed the last question at Dark, “I have the perfect one for you, it seems to be calling to you. Do you hear it?”
Dark was not sure if he should play along to this man’s delusions. He decided to nod at him and was promptly ignored as Ollivander went back to look for the wand he was talking about. Snape told them that he had an errand to run and would leave them there, then left out the door rather quickly as if he was afraid of the old man.
“Ah, here it is!” Ollivander exclaimed, coming back with a box, which he promptly opened and gave to Dark “Well, give it a wave!” Olivander told him.
Dark waved the wand and red sparks danced from the tip.
Ollivander clapped at the display, “Very good! Dragon heartstring with walnut wood, 9 and a quarter inches, nice and flexible. A wand for a determined and sharp wizard, quite extraordinary!” Ollivander seemed happy the wand chose him on his first try. “That would be seven galleons but I’m sure you would like to wait to pay till after your brother goes… Mr. Chosen, it is your turn now!”
Cho stepped forward and Dark went over to sit in the chair, inspecting his wand. Etched into its handle was a design of flames, its tip was not very sharp. Ollivander said that it was ‘A wand for a determined and sharp wizard’ so that means different wand cores and woods produce different types of wands that expel magic differently. His type must give off those traits. He paused as he felt something-
Dark ducked as a bolt of magic exploded above him shattering the window. He yelled, “WATCH WHERE YOUR AIMING!” The wand Cho was trying had been too weak to hold his powers, causing a big burst of magic that almost blew up Dark’s head. It’s my job to blow things up, not you!
“My bad!” Cho yelled back at him checking to see if he was alright.
Ollivander immediately snatched the wand from Cho’s hand. “No, no, no… that won’t do at all,” Ollivander murmured to himself, “Too much power for that type.” He disappeared back behind the boxes.
Dark shrugged at Cho as he looked at him in exasperation.
“Here, try this one.” It has been thirty minutes of Cho not getting the right wand, and none of them seemed to work for him. At this point, Dark thought the whole store would be destroyed as half the shop was already in disarray from Cho’s bursts of magic.
As soon as Cho held the new wand, it was snatched from his grip.
“You are a difficult one, Mr. Chosen, but I will find the right one!” Ollivander reassured him “I have one in mind that might work, here!”
Chosen held what was his 143rd wand and waved it, finally sending red sparks into the air and ending this long tirade of agony.
“AHA! Of course! Phoenix feather with Acacia wood, 10 and a half inches, and also Flexible. Acacia wood is quite rare and can be hard to master, paired with a phoenix feather, I would say your wand will be rather difficult. Do not be worried though, that is not a solid fact and it may not be difficult for you at all! Quite the experience!” Olivander was practically jumping up and down with joy.
“Here’s your money,” Chosen said while Dark yawned, giving him the appropriate amount.
“Ah, I almost forgot. Thank you and may your hearts be unwavering!” he waved them out of the store where they met up with Snape.
“Well, we don’t have all day,” Snape told them, “Hurry up.”
They were taken to an ice cream shop named Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It looks like Snape would keep his word, and Dark was happy. He hated it when people didn’t do what they said they were (he used to kill people like that because it annoyed him to no end).
He had never had ice cream before but he heard it was good. He couldn't stop himself from buzzing with excitement as the smell reached him of fresh waffle cones when they entered the shop.
“I heard chocolate is good,” Cho whispered to him as they started their way to the counter.
“Naw that’s boring,” Dark whispered back, “What about cookie dough?”
“Hm- not bad,” Cho said, “Although I think Rocky Road could be good.”
“That can't be a flavor! What is it- gravel and dirt?” Dark exclaimed loud enough for Snape to hear them.
“It’s on the menu,” Chosen said, pointing to the colorful menu hanging above the counter just as they reached it. He was right. It was on the menu.
The man at the counter smiled at them. “What can I get for you?” he asked.
“I’ll get a small cone of rocky road please,” Chosen ordered. It seems that he was feeling adventurous.
Dark took a second then said, “I’ll have a small cone of cookie dough.” He decided it couldn’t hurt to try that one. He had a cookie before when he and Cho destroyed that bakery... It must be a similar taste, right?
“Alright? Anything else?” he looked at Snape when he said this.
“No,” he told him then turned to them, “Why don’t you two go sit outside? I’ll bring it out to you.”
“Whatever you say, professor!” Dark said cheerfully to Snape’s annoyance. Then Dark grabbed Cho’s hand and walked out the side door to the outside eating area.
Cho picked the spot farthest away from the street and the door, because as he said “If we are going to be attacked I want as much distance as I can from them and an escape route.” Dark agreed with him.
Once they sat down, Snape came out a second later carrying two small cones.
“Here,” he told them, “Don’t take too long. We have plenty of other things to do.”
He then handed Dark the beige-looking ice cream with chunks of what he assumed was cookie dough and Cho the chocolate one with marshmallows in it.
“That looks nothing like gravel and dirt!” Dark told Cho “Why do you think it’s called Rocky Road then?”
Cho just shrugged at him as Snape sat down next to them. He then took a bite of his rocky road.
“What are you doing?” Snape asked Cho, seemingly alarmed.
“I bit it…?” Cho asked, confused, “It’s really good though, you should try yours Dark.”
Dark looked down at his own ice cream.
“Stop!” Snape told him just as his mouth was about to take his first bite.
“What?” Dark asked him, now frowning.
“You’re not supposed to bite ice cream, you lick it,” Snape seemed to realize that they never had ice cream before.
Dark then licked his ice cream instead of biting it as Snape instructed. The cold flavor of what could only be explained as cookie dough exploded in his mouth. This is really good.
“You’re right Cho! This is good!” Dark said, now looking closer at the ice cream itself. It wasn’t melting. It must be some sort of spell then, “Can I try yours?”...
The rest of their time in Diagon Alley was quite informative. Their ice cream was delicious (the first time he and Cho had ice cream… kinda sad now that he thinks about it), robes are uncomfortable and quite unnecessary in Dark's opinion (“Unless you can wear clothes to strike fear in your enemies, is it really fashionable?” He asked Snape who sighed in response), he found a rather interesting book on ancient runes that Snape told him he could not buy (He may have snuck it with him…), Cho got attacked by a now dubbed awesome owl (apparently they send mail, couldn't wizards find a better way to communicate? They didn’t get one unfortunately.), and finally they got potions ingredients (POTIONS EXIST! Dark believes he is slowly descending into madness).
They had gotten everything they needed and went back to Hogwarts through the Floo network. Snape then told them that Dumbledore wanted to sort them before school started, so they knew what house they were going in before starting to test them. So they made their way to Dumbledore’s office, Snape excusing himself and leaving while muttering about how troublesome they are.
As soon as they entered Dumbledore called them over saying “Good afternoon exchange students! This is the sorting hat. It will place you in what house it thinks you belong. Here, why don't you go first, Mr. Dark?” He then proceeded to wink at him. Ugh.
Dark just wanted to get this over with, so he walked over and Dumbledore placed the hat on his head.
Interesting… I have never met a child with such a troubled life before, a voice in his head sounded. Dark jumped, not expecting the hat to talk to him in his mind. How does this hat work?
Do not worry, I am not here to judge your past actions. I will merely sort you based on the memories here… His memories flashed in his mind so fast that he had no time to figure out what the hat had seen. Your ambition makes you a great candidate for Slytherin, but you also would do well in Ravenclaw. I don’t think Gryffindor or Hufflepuff suits you too well. Hmmm…
“Can you just decide already?” Dark said out loud quietly so Dumbledore didn’t hear him (or at least he hoped that old windbag didn’t, he would never know), “I have better things to do than listen to a super flammable hat!”
My! I know where to sort you now! You will be in… ”Slytherin!” the hat yelled.
Dark took off the stupid hat and gave it back to Dumbledore.
“The house of the ambitious! A very noble house. It suits you well,” Dumbledore told him.
Dark couldn’t care less about what house he was in. He just wanted to learn how magic works.
Cho smiled at him as he walked past him to be sorted as well. The hat was placed on his head and Cho tensed up. He was fine for a couple of seconds, then he clenched his fists and his hands were shaking. What did that hat say to him?
A couple of seconds passed and the hat yelled out “Gryffindor!”
Cho immediately took it off his head and stood next to Dark. It was obvious to Dark that he was shaken by something.
“The house of the brave! It will be convenient that you will be in the same house as Harry!” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Dark scowled at that, he still wasn’t happy that they were in this other world, especially since it was that twinkling old man’s fault.
“Well, your accommodations have been arranged. Mr. Dark will sleep with the Slytherins in the dungeon and Mr. Chosen with the Gryffindors in the Gryffindor tower. I have called Severus and Minerva to show you to your dorms.”
Dark glanced at Cho. He wouldn’t ever say this out loud but he didn’t want to be separated from him, only because this is uncharted territory and he was scared for Cho’s safety obviously. Not for any other reason.
Cho seemed to know what he was thinking anyway and tried to smile at him, it didn’t look too convincing to Dark. Why does he keep doing that? He has been awfully nice to me after the incident with Second. It’s just… strange. Dark thought he liked strange for some reason. It felt nice.
Dark had no idea what that idiot was thinking half the time. He huffed and looked away from Cho grumbling under his breath “This was so much easier when I only had destructive thoughts, all I had to do was destroy” his mind added but I was also not myself then… He could feel Cho’s eyes on him, burning a hole in his head. Dark has been trying not to think about their fight… he can’t blame Cho for his actions, his code had taken over all his rational thoughts at that point. It didn’t hurt any less though. He cares about Cho, and it is obvious Cho is sorry for hurting him. He never looked like he wanted to hurt him although he deemed it necessary. Now they were trapped here in this magic world. Dark will just have to try and keep Cho out of trouble (that is way harder than it looks, never a dull chapter with him, he IS The Chosen One after all). Now he knows his new goal for his first school year: make Cho happy! Dark nodded to himself in conviction. He wasn’t the best little brother in the past, but that changes now. The hard part will be doing this without Cho noticing (he still has an image to uphold).
Unbeknownst to Dark, while he was stuck in his mind, Cho had already planned on doing the same for him.