Hogwarts Hermitober

Tango had always been a man of accidents, although not in the way Scar was. Scar was a magnet, Tango kind of sought them out but not exactly on purpose.

It was hard to explain.

Him meeting Zed, for example, was an accident. He was stumbling through the train, hoping to still find an empty compartment when he bumped into him. Tango had to admit that he was not at all looking where he was going and so he quickly apologised to the person he bumped into.

“Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry man!” Tango looked up and saw a blonde boy with striking purple eyes smiling at him.

“No problem, I’m sure it was an accident,” the boy reassured him, “Do all of you wizard folk swear with Merlin’s name?” It then occurred to him that the boy was a first year and a Muggleborn at that. God, he was going to be in such trouble with his parents.

“Yeah, we do,” Tango nodded, “I take it you are a first year like me then?” The boy nodded.

“I’m Zedaph, nice to meet you,” Tango shook his hand, “Tango, nice to meet you too. Looking for an empty compartment?”

“Yeah I am, you didn’t happen to see one did you?” Zedaph asked hopefully.

“No I did not. I’m on the hunt for one as well.” Zedaph’s face lit up at that. “Want to search together?”

They almost searched the entire train before coming to a halt in front of a compartment that only had a first year in it.

“Wanna ask if we can join him?” Tango asked Zed and the blonde quickly nodded yes, “He’s a first year as well, could be nice to make some friends already.”

But as soon as they opened the door, the train took a turn and the rest is history.

Let’s move to a year later; their second year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Tango was not exactly proud to be a Slytherin, he knew what his house stood for and to be honest, most of his housemates were douchebags. The Slytherin house was just a room full of actors that had to keep their real opinions of others to themselves just so they would not piss off any of the other’s families.

But Tango had already pissed off his own, so why should any of that matter to him. If someone treated his friend like dirt, then they had so much more coming their way.

A fourth year by the name of Marcus Flint had bullied Zed in the Courtyard and had called him a Mudblood.

No. One. Dares. Calling. His. Friend. A. Mudblood.

Flint was going to pay.

At first he was planning things like itching cream inside his soap, but as he made his way into the common room and actually saw Flint laughing with some other douchebags, he snapped.

Everything around him was a red haze and the only person he could see clearly was Flint.

Then the sofa Flint was sitting on caught fire, and his robes.

Everyone immediately panicked. Tango snapped out of it and ran back out of the room, multiple others following.

Like he was some sort of Seer, professor Snape came running through the hallway towards the Slytherin Common room.

“Let me through. What is happening?” The man asked ice cold and some first year answered.

“A couch caught on fire, sir, while someone was sitting on it.” Professor Snape narrowed his eyes and entered the Common room to put the fire out. After that, everyone had to come back in. Snape was restoring the damage but looked furious.

“The person that was playing with fire better step forwards and they will receive a lesser punishment than I have planned as of right now.” Nobody spoke.

Tango was incredibly confused. What had actually happened?

One moment he was raging and the other Flint stood on fire. He did not lose control, he had not done that since he was eight!

In the end no one got punished and they all got off with a warning from professor Snape.

Months went by and he forgot all about it. That is why he did not hesitate when Zed asked them if they wanted to join him on an experiment to see if the Whomping Willow was flammable. It sounded like fun!

The three of them enthusiastically made their way to the punching tree and started to set up camp. It was already pretty close to curfew and so there were not many students still outside. (And those who were, quickly fled at the sight of team ZIT.)

Tango was vibrating, as he normally did when he was excited, and pulled out a few Muggle fire thingies.

“Zed, what are these?” he asked as he held up a box with little wooden sticks inside, they had a fun little red top at the end.

“It’s a matchbox. You don’t have one of those here, do you?” Zed answered him.

“No, we don’t,” Impulse shook his head, “Are these little Muggle firemakers?” Zed shrugged at that.

“They might as well be.”

Tango continued to inspect the little box, how did it work?

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Zed interrupted his thinking, “I light a match and try to get it to catch one of the leaves.” Impulse shook his head at that.

“No way you’re going to be able to do that. You’ll be knocked out before you can get even close. Besides, that’s a Muggle thing. I doubt that it will work as well as a simple Incendio.”

“Impulse does have a point,” Tango shrugged and Zed sighed.

“Yeah fair enough,” he pulled out his wand, “Incendio,” he said while pointing at the Whomping Willow.

The tree did not catch fire, the dry grass beneath them however, did.

It took the boys a few seconds to realise that fact, but as soon as they did, they were already too late.

Zed’s Incendio had had a big radius and the fire now surrounded them.

“Uhm, I don’t suppose any of you know a powerful Aguamenti charm now do you?” Impulse asked with wide eyes as he stared at the fire surrounding him and his friends.

But Tango did not pay any attention to him. He, on the other hand, felt calm. It was like he was at home. Truly at home, not the place he lived at.

The warmth spread through his fingers, leaving a tingling sensation wherever it went.

This is home.

Come with us, little one.

And he almost did, but a cry from Zed pulled him out of his thoughts. His robe had caught fire.

It was amazing how the fire that had first felt like home, now felt like a place in hell. It had hurt his friend. He was not going to let that happen.

The same red haze took over his vision, just like it had done the year before, and unlike what had happened then, he pulled the fire towards him. He formed a path that his friends quickly escaped out of and then began sucking the fire and its heat into his body.

All until there was nothing left.

Huh, why did he feel so caffeinated all of a sudden?

A loud cough pulled him out of his daze and suddenly reality dawned on him, as did professor Snape.

“Mister Tek, if you would like to come with me and take your friends to the Hospital wing and then follow me towards the Headmasters office, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Oh boy, they were in so much trouble.

After he and professor Snape had taken Zed and Impulse to the Hospital wing to remove all the smoke that had entered their lungs, they walked towards the Headmasters office.

“Sherbert lemon,” professor Snape spoke calmly, only increasing Tango’s nerves. Were they going to be expelled? I mean, setting the grounds on fire surely had to be punishable.

The stairs took them towards an old oak door with a golden handle. Professor Snape knocked on the door twice.

“Come on in,” said the faint voice of professor Dumbledore and they entered.

“Ah, Mister Tek, professor Snape. What can I do for you on this fine evening?” Professor Snape cleared his throat.

“I was doing my rounds when I found mister Tek, over here, and a few of his friends committing arson near the Whomping Willow. One of them casted a particularly powerful but uncontrollable Incendio, surrounding them with fire. I, of course, ran towards them to help put the fire out when mister Tek seemingly dissolved the fire with his bare hands. Care to explain that, mister Tek?” Tango sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. His hand was still shaking.

He could have sworn that he had not had any caffeine that night, why was his hand shaking so much?!

“That might have happened.” Was his answer and professor Dumbledore looked over his owlish glasses to look him in the eye, which was stupid because you need glasses to see. What a drama queen.

“Also the part where you ‘dissolved the fire?’” Tango did not know what to say to that, he was not sure what exactly had happened.

“I- I don’t really know what happened, it just… happened?”

Professor Dumbledore and professor Snape shared a look with each other and Tango just fiddled with his robes a bit. Gosh, they stink of smoke!

“I believe what has happened there Tango, was you showing a strong form of wandless magic that only very few on this earth are able to perform,” Tango stopped fiddling at that.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you feel caffeinated right now?” Professor Snape drawled and Tango nodded.

“Did you feel a tingling sensation?” Again, Tango nodded.

“Then we can clearly say that our young Tango here, is an Elemental.” Professor Dumbledore concluded dramatically.

“A what?”

Professor Snape sighed irritatedly.

“An Elemental is a wizard who is able to perform wandless magic of one of the four elements chosen to suit them the best,” professor Dumbledore explained patiently, “Yours is fire, because it matched your impulsiveness and determination, which is why you and your friends were able to survive tonight.”

Oh shit… That was something.

“I think that that is enough for tonight. Professor Snape, would you be so kind as to guide Tango back to his Common room? He deserves the rest, especially after a night like tonight.” Professor Snape nodded tightly and walked Tango back towards the Slytherin Common room.

“Be honest with me, mister Tek. Were you the one to set the Common room on fire a year back?” Professor Snape suddenly asked and Tango nodded uncertainly.

“That might have been me, looking back at it. I did not know it back then,” that was enough for professor Snape and he nodded.

That night Tango slept really well. Who knew being an Elemental could be so draining?!