Reprimand
Levi stood nervously before the king at his demand.
A quick glance around the room showed the other witnesses to this interrogation.
Kieran, the king's advisor stood to the king's right, a serious frown on his face.
Alec, the king's cousin and chief investigator and spymaster among many other titles, was scowling furiously at Levi from his spot leaning against the wall.
Killigan, the new Merrow Queen, was behind Alcandor's left with their arms crossed.
Krymsen, the Crimson Tide himself was standing behind the royals, a hand on his trident.
And last but not least was Koama, who looked downright pissed.
Levi had been having a bad day. The day before his grandson and his student's son had taken off while they were leaving the library when they were supposed to be gathering Eris's purse. Levi interrogated Eris but she claimed ignorance and shock over the boys' escape.
Levi had searched for hours on land for the two troublemakers but couldn't find them. Eventually he had to return to the water empty-handed.
Now it was the next day and the two were still not back. And to make it worse, Levi got an immediate summons to meet with King Alcandor.
Levi wasn't sure exactly what this was about and it was making him anxious trying to figure it out. With Koama there, it narrowed it down to his student and his student's son probably. Had the boy done something in the day he had been missing that caused enough trouble to alert royalty? Tom had been with Levi and exhausted himself trying to track down the boy.
"Do you happen to know where Harry Potter currently is?" Alcandor asked calmly.
Levi cursed in his mind.
"No, your majesty. He ran away yesterday," Levi admitted.
Alcandor hummed agreeably before making a fist and slamming it against his desk.
"He's currently within the Fire Palace. Because he had to ask for sanctuary. From you and your student."
Levi was stunned. Sanctuary? From him? Levi had treated the boy like a guest to the Ulyian estate. How had he been granted asylum?
And from Tom? What exactly had he said about his student that had him granted asylum so quickly? No, how had he been granted it so quickly in the first place? It could take weeks to go through the proper paperwork for asylum.
"It seems," Alcandor said, gritting his teeth, "That you managed to somehow lose all confidence those children had in you, for sheltering a criminal."
A criminal? Levi was no fool, despite what many of his acquaintances may say. He knew this had to do with his student. But what had Tom done?
Levi cleared his throat and asked exactly that.
Alcandor leveled a harsh look at Levi.
"Almost everything, it appears. Your student is a known mass murderer and terrorist on Earth who has continually targeted Harry Potter. And you helped him kidnap the youngling."
Levi was stunned. So far, Tom had shown himself as an attentive student with a lust for knowledge, but not a criminal mastermind.
"Are you certain of this, your majesty?" he asked with concern.
"The news came straight from the Fire Princess herself. Harry Potter, an uninherited dragel youngling with merrow descent is now on asylum from Merrow Waters. Do you understand the mistake you have made?"
Levi gulped. His eyes strayed from person to person in the room before looking at the very pissed royal in the eyes.
It seems Levi may have made a mistake somewhere.
Tom, still unused to his 'true' form according to Levi (how he could get used to one long tail instead of the feet he had his entire life he has no idea), paced in a form that looked almost entirely human if you discounted the scales.
Nagini lounged on the bed in the room Levi provided for him.
"The hatchling will be fine," she hissed.
Tom ran a hand through his newly grown short dark hair.
"You don't know that. The boy isn't a snake, he wasn't born with all the information he needs already within him."
Nagini, if it was possible, would have rolled her eyes. Her master was too dramatic. The hatchling had good instincts. But Tom cared not for logic with as irrational as he was in instinctual worry.
"That stupid boy! He doesn't even know the realm! Anything could happen to him," Tom hissed, pacing faster.
Nagini just watched her Master work himself up further as she curled in on herself.
"The hatchling brought the other one with him. He will be fine," Nagini complained but was promptly ignored.
Tom just continued to stomp around the room and mutter to himself about idiotic teenagers.
Nagini closed her eyes. There was no point to bother with her master when he was like this.