Until The End

Until The End

Chapter 11: The Eight Snakes

"Stop expecting loyalty from people who don't even provide honesty..."

Ron Weasley's P.O.V:

The Great Hall – Sunday, January 2nd, 1992

"Welcome back, everyone, welcome back," Professor Dumbledore spoke merrily. "I hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Christmas break and I'm sure you are all ready to push your limits and work hard every day!"

The student body groaned loudly at that and Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes, I didn't enjoy exams or studying either," Dumbledore admitted, and the whole student body broke into giggles and chuckles, especially when the rest of the professors all glared at the Headmaster for his immaturity.

"However, when the stress is over, you will get your holidays and some time off to relax and enjoy the wondrous beauties of the world," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly.

"Now, I shall let you all enjoy some food and not continue to listen to an old man's rant," Dumbledore concluded, and he clapped his hands twice, which made all the delicate and scrumptious food appear.

Ron dug in straight away, not even caring in the slightest if Snape saw him; when Ron was hungry, he was a beast too and nothing would stop him from getting any food in a 30-meter radius into his growling stomach.

Once Lunch was over, the Headmaster had dismissed the student body to enjoy the day as classes would start the next day, and Ron knew what he had to do right the second the Headmaster had dismissed them.

"Xavier," Ron said, and the dark-skinned wizard looked at him.

"Tracey wants to meet me by the lake, so I'll go talk to her now alright?" Ron explained and he could feel nervous bubble up inside of him. We'll have to see how everything goes…

"Oh, sure. I'm going to go to the Library," Xavier stated and the two boys fist-bumped.

"Oh, and Ron," Xavier called out as Ron was about to leave.

"What, mate?" Ron asked.

"Don't fall for any fake acts," Xavier advised, and Ron nodded softly. The two then give each other a parting nod and left.

Ron made his way through the castle and he smiled; he missed this place immensely and it felt great to be back, although of course, The Burrow was still the best.

The sweet air engulfed itself into Ron's nostrils as he stepped outside into the Courtyard and he made his way through the snow that was slightly more less dense than before.

Ron continued to the spot where Tracey had requested to meet him and with every step he took, more agitation filled his stomach.

"Ron," a soft, feminine voice called out and Ron turned around to see Tracey standing behind him, a slight blush on her cheeks and a small smile on her face.

"Oh hey… Tracey," Ron greeted back, and Ron couldn't think of a time where he had been this awkward before.

"Do you… do you want to go on a walk with me?" Tracey asked softly and Ron nodded softly.

The two slowly began to head in a direction towards the Great Lake and silence hung over them.

"So…" Ron started, clearing his voice.

"How were your holidays?" Tracey asked.

"Oh, they were fine… Um, how were yours?" Ron asked.

"Not bad…" Tracey answered, and Ron cursed his awkwardness.

"How… how have you and the others been going?" Ron questioned, gulping slightly.

"Oh…" Tracey said softly, her smile fading away. "Theo and Blaise have kept to themselves, Millie is really quiet now, Pansy is doing ok, I'm trying to make sure no one falls out and Daphne is doing alright as well…"

Tracey's tone easily suggested otherwise, and Ron felt more guilt rack up in him. Tracey noticed this in his expression, and she shook her head.

"Don't think it was your fault or Xavier's fault, Ron…" Tracey started. "It was all of our faults. Daphne, for letting jealousy get the better of her and the rest of us for acting like fake friends. We weren't, I promise…"

"So, do you care about blood status?" Ron asked firmly; he needed to know the answer to this question right from Tracey.

"No," Tracey replied back firmly. "How could I when I'm a Half-Blood? No, I've never cared about anyone's blood status, Ron,"

Ron nodded and he felt relieved by her honest answer.

"What about the others then?" Ron asked and Tracey sighed as she stared off into the distance.

"When I first met them, they were all prejudiced, mainly because of Malfoy. But even then, they weren't fully hateful towards others with different blood statuses," Tracey answered, and Ron felt a small feeling of hope arise in his chest.

"But how do they feel now?" Ron inquired and Tracey faced him.

"Pansy has been influenced by Malfoy and her mother for far too long, but she has let go of her prejudiced beliefs and now doesn't care about those things. Millie never really liked the whole idea of hating muggles, muggle-borns, and half-bloods from the start. Blaise stopped his prejudice pretty early and all he ever cared about what having valuable allies who would then turn to suitable friends. And as for Theo…" Tracey paused for a second, a look of sympathy forming on her face. "He has had troubling experiences with muggles and so it has driven him to hate them, but he doesn't want to either,"

"And what about Daphne?" Ron asked softly, feeling more informed now.

"She was always taught to follow her beliefs and what she thought was right. She had lost control of her jealousy, Ron. That's all, I promise. She hated herself for saying that word and even Blaise and Theo were scared of what she would have done to herself with all that guilt," Tracey stated, and she sniffed once. Ron, without even knowing, reached out his heavily clothed arm and patted Tracey's back. Her eyes went wide, and she then sniffed once more.

"I understand now, Tracey," Ron started, and Tracey looked right at him. "And I'm sorry that you all were sad when Xavier and I left… I-"

Ron was cut off when Tracey had sprung forwards and had wrapped her arms around him. Ron stiffened, but slowly wrapped his arms around her too.

"No, I'm so sorry, Ron," Tracey muttered, tears falling quickly down her cheeks. "We're all so sorry…"

"It's alright… I forgive you," Ron said and tears of his own dripped down his cheek.

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

Monday, January 3rd, 1992

Classes had officially begun and Xavier looked forward to gaining more knowledge, studying with Ron and the Golden Trio, and roaming around the castle, trying to find any secret rooms or history hidden in the walls.

Ron had told him about his talk with Tracey the day before, and Xavier now knew more about how his former friends were once. Malfoy was a huge influence on them, and while Tracey had helped them all changed their views, both Ron and Xavier had helped add to it, along with their personalities. And so, Xavier forgave them all, just as Ron did too.

Tracey had requested to eat Breakfast with them in the Great Hall, and Xavier decided to head off, as Ron was still in the shower from their morning exercises. This way, Xavier could talk to Tracey one-on-one.

Xavier entered the Great Hall, and as expected, not many students were seated as the time was still early for Breakfast. Though, he did find Tracey sitting by herself at the end of the Slytherin table, staring at the ceiling.

Xavier exhaled a slow breath and approached her. She only noticed him once he was in her peripheral vision and when she did, she smiled softly and gestured Xavier to sit down.

"Hi, Xavier," Tracey greeted softly.

"Hey, Trace…" Xavier replied, calling her by her nickname.

There was a silence between the two, and Xavier decided to say everything straight forward.

"Tracey, I forgive you and the others," Xavier stated, and Tracey was surprised, but she nodded softly.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Xavier… I-"

Xavier just reached out and placed his hand on top of hers and she stopped talking. Her hands are really soft…

"No, don't, Tracey. I reckon we both should just move on now. All of this split between all of us was worthless… We should have all been together," Xavier admitted, and Tracey placed her other hand on Xavier's cheek.

"And I'm sorry if you thought I genuinely called you a 'filthy half-blood'. I only did just to show you the effect on his others like Hermione would feel, you know. I would never call you that," Xavier apologised sincerely, and Tracey sighed.

"No, I understand, Xavier, and I wasn't hurt by it. I was hurt at how stupid I was. Granger might not be my friend or anything, but I did feel bad for her, especially when Daphne had let her jealousy take her over," Tracey pointed out, and Xavier nodded.

The two then stared at each other, and slowly, a sly grin appeared on both of their faces. They both reached over and hugged one another tightly.

"I've missed you so much, Xavier…" Tracey whispered softly, and Xavier could feel a tear from her come into contact with his neck.

"I've missed you too," Xavier replied in a mutter, and they both tightened their hug.

Ron Weasley's P.O.V:

Lessons had gone just fine, with Ron and Xavier answering many of the questions and earning House points.

Now that they and Tracey were friends, it was a bit more fun, and it also made the tense air soften a bit. Every now and then, Ron or Xavier would get a soft smile from Daphne or Pansy, or a nod from Theo and Blaise. It wouldn't be long before all of them would be a group once more.

It was past dinner, and Ron decided to double-back as he needed to go use the loo and he walked off to find one.

Once his business was done there, Ron left the loo and continued back to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Well, well," came a familiar pompous voice from behind and Ron immediately frowned. He hadn't that voice in a while, but he knew to whom it belonged to.

"Malfoy," Ron greeted with disgust, and Malfoy sneered, while his two goons cracked their knuckled menacingly. Ugh, what do these three cunts want now?

"You know, Weasley," Malfoy started as he stepped forward. "I don't understand how you or Desmond do it,"

"Do what?" Ron snarled. His patience was wearing thin; Ron just wanted to go and shower already.

"How you two seem to get MY friends to be yours," Malfoy replied, his jaw slightly clenching now. What the fuck?

Ron laughed, surprising Malfoy and his goons. "Is that seriously the reason you stopped me here?"

"I saw you and Desmond sitting with that filthy half-blood and-"

"Don't call her that you cunt!" Ron growled and he banished his wand, while Malfoy backed up a little.

"Crabbe, Goyle, grab him!" Malfoy ordered and when the two fat boys lunged at Ron, Ron dodged them and pointed his wand right at Crabbe.

"Petrificus Totalus," Ron chanted, and the fat boy went stiff and fell over. Goyle growled and lunged at Ron once again, but Ron moved quickly and pushed Goyle over.

"Furnunculus!" Ron snarled and the other fat boy groaned from the pain of the blistering boils.

"Locomotor Mortis!" Malfoy chanted, and Ron's legs suddenly snapped together, and he ended up falling from losing his balance. Fuck, I forgot about Malfoy!

"Blood Traitor!" Malfoy spat out and Ron just shot the platinum-haired boy a death glare.

"You take away my friends and you strut around like you own the castle… why should a filthy blood traitor like you deserve any of it?!" Malfoy sneered, and he then began to take an offense stand, with his wand pointing right at Ron's forehead.

"Malfoy!" came another familiar voice and they both turned to see Theo and Blaise running over to see what was happening.

"Theo… Blaise… I can explain-" Malfoy started, but he was swiftly cut off by Blaise.

"Save it, Malfoy," Blaise said darkly, and Malfoy was taken back that Blaise was using his last name instead of his first.

"Ron, are you alright, mate?" Theo asked as he undid the leg-locker curse. Ron just stared at his two former friends… They came to stop Malfoy from Merlin knew what…

But before Ron could do or say anything, a familiar black and white setting overtook his vision and the normal surroundings faded away instantly, leaving him to experience another Vision.

Ron's eyes immediately studied the area where he was in and this time, the Vision had brought him to none other than The Burrow itself, and it looked like it hadn't aged one day at all. The sky reflected a sorrow grey with no sun shining brightly and there was no rain, wind, blue sky, or light. Only a sorrowful, peaceful grey sky covered in immense clouds.

Ron moved away from the building and entered himself into the huge fields where he and his siblings would all play Quidditch and run around. Ron stopped as he saw a crowd of well-dressed people all sitting down in chairs, and Ron decided to move up to see who they were. And to his shock, he recognized most of them.

There, in the front row of the seats, were his parents, Pandora, Xeno, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Neville, Luna, Xavier, and a counterpart of Ron himself all sitting there.

Two things that Ron had noticed quickly were that his family, friends, and his counterpart were much older, and each one of them looked like they had gone through hell. Ron was more shocked to see older versions of Tracey, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Daphne, Millie, and Malfoy sitting in the row behind, and even they all had sorrowful looks planted on their faces.

Ron's brow furrowed firmly; what in Merlin was going on here in this Vision? Why is everyone looking so sad? And why in the name of Merlin's eyebrows is bloody Malfoy here with my family and friends?!

Ron decided to study everyone, and it gave him insight that this Vision was showing a time much into the future, possibly six or seven years.

Ron noticed that the third row was filled with some of his Hogwarts professors, Aunt Muriel, and some more Hogwarts students like Angelina Jolie. And they all seemed to have pained expressions too and Angelina seemed to be crying.

And that's when Ron noticed a figure slowly shuffle up to the crowd and as the figure got closer, Ron recognized him as George, but something was off. Very off. George looked utterly destroyed as if someone had torn his soul into a million pieces, and George was carrying a body in his arms. Someone's dead? Who...

Ron's heart nearly stopped, and he felt his body stiffen. It was Fred who laid in George's arms, lifeless and limp. No, no, no, no!

Ron nearly grabbed his hair and yanked it. How could this be? Why was Fred dead? What happened? FUCK!

George continued to forcefully drag his legs to the front of the crowd, and Ron heard his mum begin to weep. Ron stared at the front row and he saw his dad holding his mum tightly while sobbing to himself. Pandora and Xeno had somber expressions, Bill and Charlie were doing their absolute best not to break down, Percy had his head in his hands, Ginny, Hermione, and Luna had tears falling into their laps, Neville had his head down, Harry was staring at his hands, Xavier had his arms crossed with an unreadable expression on his face, and Ron's older counterpart just looked defeated.

Ron would have continued to study everyone else's expressions, but his attention was fixed back on George who had cleared his voice softly.

Ron turned back and he felt light-headed. This Vision was showing a funeral... Fred's funeral… Why was this happening?

"Fred..." George started, but he paused, and Ron could spot the bloodshot, aching eyes of George's and it made Ron's stomach churn.

"Fred was the best..." George decided to continue. "He was my twin, my brother, my blood, my kin, my best mate... heck, he was my partner in crime..."

This got a few chuckles and soft laughs from the seated guests, and George sighed.

"But most of all, he was someone who I looked up to... Freddie had courage... I still remember the time I joked about owning our own joke shop, but he took an immediate liking to an idea... and nothing stopped him from trying to reach that goal... I could see that he was determined to have a joke shop run by him and I and look at where we got..." George said with a small smile, and every word seemed to make tears drop from everyone's faces. Fred and George opened their own joke shop?

"I could go on... I," George stopped abruptly and wiped away some unshed tears. Ron suddenly felt his own eyes water up, but he didn't care. No one could see him here anyway...

"Freddie was the best, and I hope that I'll see him soon one day..." George finished softly, and some of the guests were fully crying, blowing their noses, and holding back tears.

As George walked over to Fred's lifeless body, Ron's own legs carried him right over to Fred as well, and his tears slid down his face as he found the dead body of his older brother, somehow still sporting a ghost grin.

"Goodbye Fred..." Ron heard George whisper, and that alone made Ron let go of everything in his body. The bitter tears slithered down his face, sliding down to Ron's neck, and Ron just screamed. WHY?!

"Fred, you idiot, wake up!" Ron started pounding the grass, but it made no use. This was a Vision, not reality. But it was reality. It showed reality. Someone you loved, knew, or even met could be taken away by the hand of Death in a mere matter of seconds. And there Fred was, and Ron had to admit that Fred was one of the last people in the entire world that Ron imagined could die...

Ron uselessly watched as George picked up Fred's body carefully and laid him in a tomb made out of polished, brown wood and Ron was caught off guard by his family, friends, professors, and fellow Hogwarts classmates all rushing forward to lay roses and other items.

But Ron ignored them all, and he crawled off to the coffin and gazed at Fred. Fred may be a prat to Ron, but Ron would throw his life on the line to save his older brother, and Ron easily knew that Fred would have done the same thing.

And as his vision began to blur, Ron had one promise and one promise only safely secured in his heart. And that was to make sure everyone he loved wouldn't die... not on his watch...

Ron's eyes peeled open, and he found himself in the comforts of his Dorm bed. Ron propped himself and groaned. That Vision was a lot to take in, and Ron knew that he would now not be able to look Fred in the face for a while. On top of that, this was the first Vision that occurred from out of nowhere. No contact had happened at all. So that meant these Visions could come to Ron at any point of any time…

"You're awake," came Xavier's voice, and Ron adjusted his eyes. Xavier was sitting on his bed, while Theo and Blaise had stopped pacing around the room.

"Hey, mate," Theo said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel alright…" Ron answered, forgetting about the awkwardness. "What… what happened?"

"You passed out for some reason, and Theo and I both took you here where Xavier was," Blaise replied, concern on his face. Oh…. Guess that Vision depressed me enough to make me pass out…

"Good thing I was distracted, I was going to kill Malfoy," Xavier snarled, and the boys nodded.

Then that sudden awkwardness filled the room, but for once, neither of them gave a damn about it. It was time to reunite and move on.

"Look, Blaise and I-"

"Save it, Theo," Ron sighed. "I forgive you… the both of you…"

Theo and Blaise were caught off guard, but they nodded and then slowly turned to Xavier.

"I forgive you two as well," Xavier spoke before they could apologise to him. "Let's move us, you know. It's for the best…"

That got strong nods from Ron, Theo, and Blaise, and with that, there were no more words to be exchanged and so, the four all changed and drifted into sleep.

Theodore Nott's P.O.V:

Boy's Dorm – Tuesday, January 4th, 1992

"Blaise and I will be joining you two, if you don't mind that is," Theo informed, while Blaise tied the shoelaces of his runners. Ron and Xavier both turned around and they looked surprised. But Ron then smiled, and Xavier nodded.

"Not at all… join us whenever you two like," Xavier said, and the four boys set off to do some morning exercises.

"Alright, we're going to be running laps around the lake, and-"

"How many?" Theo asked, cutting of Ron.

"Well, Xavier and I run at least five to six now so…" Ron replied, and Theo was floored. Five or six?!

"Merlin…" Blaise muttered, and the Prodigy duo just chuckled.

"Don't worry, Ron and I will go extra slow for you two," Xavier promised with a grin.

"Oh, shut it, mate," Theo said with a frown, but the Prodigy duo just laughed, which made Theo and Blaise smile. It felt really good to hang around with Ron and Xavier again…

After four excruciating laps of running, Theo, and Blaise both stopped and did their best to catch their breath.

"What's wrong guys?" Ron asked with a wide grin, and Theo frowned. Twat!

"No more…" Theo wheezed, and Ron just thumped on his back.

"Oh, come on now, don't give up," came Xavier's voice as he had completed his sixth lap.

"Let's just walk, shall we? Theo and I already did four laps anyway…" Blaise suggested, and the Prodigy duo just agreed.

After a few minutes of walking together and catching their breaths, they all decided to head back and shower.

"Theo…" Ron spoke up, and the weedy boy faced the red-haired boy.

"What's up, Ron," Theo said, and Ron just sighed.

"Tracey… she um… she told me that you had troubling experiences with muggles before…" Ron stated, and Theo felt his heartbeat increase. Fuck…

"Oh, er, yeah…" Theo said, and Blaise shot Theo a nod.

"What… what happened, mate?" Xavier asked, and Theo sighed. They're my friends… I should tell them…

"My mother… she was killed by some muggle brutes…" Theo whispered, and he could feel the duo tense up slightly.

There was a brief pause, where Blaise just patted Theo's back softly and the duo just took in what Theo had told them.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, mate," Ron apologised sincerely, but Theo waved it off.

"Nah, don't worry about it, mate. It happened ages ago anyway," Theo said, but that pained part of his heart ached his soul dearly. Mother… I miss you so much…

Theo was a Pure-Blood child, meaning he was rich, had amazing friends, and had many privileges. But Theo would give anything just to have his mother back with him… And that would never be possible…

And those brutes… Theo remembered that night where it all went down… and though he was young, he would never forget the disgusting faces of those scum who killed his mother… No, Theo would get his revenge and it would be justice served.

"So many useless acts of killings…" Xavier suddenly spat out, and the other three boys faced him.

"What did your mother ever do to get killed by some random cunts?" Xavier asked, and Theo sighed.

"I think one of them was cat-calling her, and then they asked for some muggle money, but she obviously didn't have any either as she was a Witch, not a muggle. And that triggered them..." Theo trailed off, and he felt rage seek throughout him. Those thugs cat-called my mother and then killed her for not having any muggle money… they will all pay…

"Well, I hope all of them died slow and painfully…" Xavier growled, feeling righteous anger flare on behalf of Theo, but Theo just smirked evilly to himself. Oh well, I hope they are truly and well alive, so I can make their death slow and painful…

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

Location: The Great Hall

The four boys had all showered and changed into their school robes and decided to head off for breakfast. As they neared the entrance of the Great Hall, Xavier caught Harry trying to beckon him over and so Xavier obliged and double backed.

"What's up, Harry?" Xavier asked as he fist-bumped his Gryffindor friend.

"You were right!" Harry exclaimed, and Xavier shot him a confused look.

"Right about what?" Xavier questioned, and Harry looked around before facing him with a wide smile.

"The Mirror of Erised… it really showed my parents…" Harry answered, and Xavier broke into a smile.

"Told you, mate. And I'm glad you got to see your parents…" Xavier complimented, though wishing that he could see HIS parents instead of that demon.

"Thank you so much, Xavier," Harry started, but he stopped and then hugged Xavier. Xavier just chuckled and awkwardly patted Harry's back.

"But remember Harry, this is a mirror that shows you your greatest desire. Don't get too attached to it, I've heard that many wizards and witches met their own destruction because of that mirror," Xavier warned, and Harry nodded fervently.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" Harry said, and Xavier nodded firmly. The two then departed to their separate House tables, and Xavier caught sight of Ron, Theo, and Blaise sitting across Tracey, Daphne, Millie, and Pansy. Just like old times…

Xavier approached them and sat in between Ron and Blaise, and Daphne, Millie, and Pansy immediately faced him.

"Don't worry about you lot… let's just move on," Xavier suggested, and the girls looked uncertain.

"I accept all of your apologies and I forgive everyone here. And I shall apologise for not letting any of you guys explain yourselves…" Xavier apologised sincerely, and everyone gave him a small smile and nod.

Breakfast then continued cheerfully, and Xavier found himself missing his former friends more than ever. He was glad to see that Millie was still practicing hard, not forgetting about Xavier or Ron's help, and Xavier even complimented on Daphne's looks, making her blush. The Prodigy duo had even listened to Pandy drone about new fashions and haircuts. The group had reunited, and it was time to move on from their split.

"Guys, I got to show you all something…" Xavier suddenly said, addressing everyone and they all faced him with curiosity.

Xavier then gently pulled out his father's chain from inside his robes, and they all gasped at how magnificent it looked.

"Do you know what this symbol is?" Xavier tested them, pointing towards the lotus-shaped pendant. When no one answered, Xavier lowed his voice to a whisper.

"It's a chain made from the Black Lotus Society… and my father was apart of it…" Xavier informed, and everyone's eyes widened tenfold.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed, but he quickly quietened himself when some surrounding students frowned at him.

"Merlin…" Tracey muttered.

"How?" Pansy asked weakly, and Xavier shrugged.

"I was just wondering if any of you guys have maybe… uh, I don't know, heard your parents talk or mention the society or any of its' members?" Xavier inquired, and they all thought deeply, while Ron examined the chain.

"Now that you mention it, Black Lotus Society were elite assassins who opposed criminals, or mainly, the Death-Eaters… I think maybe if I rummage through my father's study, maybe there could be clues on the members of the Black Lotus Society…" Theo suggested, and Xavier nodded firmly. Brilliant!

"If any of them are still alive, that is…" Blaise added, and Xavier turned to him.

"What makes you say that?" Xavier asked slowly.

"I mean, who knows where they could be? No one has even heard of that society in so long, people just tend to forget about them and believe that they have all separated…" Blaise explained, and Xavier dearly wished that none of them were gone. He needed to know where his parent's secret Manor was…

"Wait, how are you going to rummage through your father's study?" Ron asked Theo. "Surely, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack…"

"I will ask my private investigator to find it. She can easily make the place look like it wasn't searched in the first place," Theo responded as he buttered a croissant, and Xavier grinned. Wicked…

"What's up Ron, you look jealous," Tracey pointed out, and everyone turned to Ron instantly.

"Wait what? No- I'm not jealous, I swear!" Ron reassured indignantly, but the girls just giggled at him.

"Aww, is our Ronniekins a little jealous?" Daphne joked, and Ron just frowned heavily. Merlin, he might snap!

"Leave me alone, you mean pricks," Ron whined, and he began to eat his food like a ravenous beast. Xavier just laughed heartily at the immediate change of expression on his other friends' faces. Eating like a monster had seemed to have done the trick.

Neville Longbottom's P.O.V:

Location: Potions Classroom

"Today, you will be concocting a simple, yet useful potion known as the Strength Potion. Anyone care to acknowledge the uses of it?" Professor Snape inquired in his usual cold voice, and Hermione's hand shot up straight away.

"Yes, Miss. Granger?" Snape asked lazily, as if he was forced to choose her.

"The Strength Potion increases the strength of the user, and though it may be used for some events, it is heavily banned for Quidditch and professional dueling," Hermione answered, and Snape nodded forcefully.

"The instructions are on page 42 of your textbooks. You may go ahead now and concoct it," Snape said, and the students dispersed to their working stations.

Neville got out of his seat and walked over to his partner, Xavier, and he smiled at his mate.

"I'll get the ingredients," Neville said, and Xavier nodded, while his eyes scanned through the textbook instructions. Neville then came back with the flower head of a Fanged Geranium, an arm bone, and a snake fang.

Neville then began to crush the ingredients, while Xavier added some powder into the cauldron. Neville felt more and more confident working with Xavier in potions, and Neville felt extremely grateful for that.

"Pass me the snake fangs, will you?" Xavier asked, and Neville nodded. The chubby boy carefully passed the crushed-up snake fangs to Xavier, and Xavier chucked them into the boiling potion, which turned a dark yellow.

After five minutes of stirring, the potion had turned into a flaming orange colour, much like Ron's hair.

"You know, Nev, you ought to get a proper wand," Xavier suggested, as he stirred the potion. "You can do your best and most potential with a wand that chooses you, not your father,"

Neville simply grinned and replied, "Well, good news then, Gran said she is going to take me to Ollivander's and buy me one,"

"Oh shit, congratulations I guess!" Xavier exclaimed with a laugh, and Neville laughed as well.

"What made her realise?" Xavier asked. "Did you talk to her or something?"

Neville shook his head. He couldn't even fathom of even trying to demanding something from his strict and brave grandmother. Neville was honestly too scared… as he always was. And it brought shame to Neville everything time he reminded himself of how he couldn't even stand up to his own grandmother.

"No, she just told me that she was going to get me a proper one when we were eating dinner. I reckon it's because of you know… the incident…" Neville trailed off, and he felt his stomach churn. The Halloween feats would forever haunt Neville's dreams… He still remembered those ugly trolls and how Ron was about to get killed… and how the Trolls were blasted apart…

"Mate, are you feeling okay?" Xavier asked as he patted Neville's back, and the boy nodded fervently.

"Well, that's great news, mate. You deserve a proper wand, and who knows, maybe you'll be just like your parents…" Xavier said earnestly, and Neville felt excitement fill his soul. A new wand could change anything…

"You really think so?" Neville questioned, and Xavier nodded firmly while holding a serious, firm expression.

"Thanks, mate…" Neville said with a small smile, and Xavier just shrugged and turned back to the potion.

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

Location: The Library

Xavier gripped his permission note from Snape tightly in the pockets of his robes. With this, Xavier could finally get access into the restricted area of the Library, where maybe, just maybe, he could find at least something with this demon that he had seen in the Mirror of Erised.

Xavier suddenly heard voices and he easily recognised them; the voices belonged to Fred and George's and they seemed to be complaining about something.

Xavier followed the twin's voices and as he turned a corner, he saw them arguing with Professor McGonagall. Hmm, I wonder what's going on?

"Professors, we swear it wasn't us!" George urged, but the Head of Gryffindor House was having none of it.

"Please quiet yourself, Mr. Weasley. Now, if you and your brother may let me speak, I would be-"

"Um, what's going on here?" Xavier asked, and he instantly regretted it when he was met with Professor McGonagall's furious face. Luckily for Xavier, she realised it was him and her expression calmed down a bit.

"It seemed that your best friend's twin brothers have 'pranked' some students, Mr. Desmond. They set off a stink bomb and some of the second years were caught up in the process," McGonagall informed, and Xavier faced the twins.

"Professor, I swear we did nothing," Fred exclaimed, with his hands ready to yank out his own hair.

"We're being framed!" George yelled, and Xavier's eyes widened. He had never seen the twins like this, and he could hear the truthiness in their voices. Fuck it, they took you in like you were family, so I should probably take the blame for them…

"They're telling the truth, professor," Xavier muttered, and she just cocked an eyebrow, while the twins nodded vigorously.

"Why would you say that Mr. Desmond?" the professor asked, and Xavier stared at her.

"Because I did the prank," Xavier answered calmly, and McGonagall was caught off guard, while the twins looked shocked themselves. They knew that Xavier was lying, but they didn't know why…

"Excuse me?" Professor McGonagall asked incredulously, and Xavier just sighed.

"I received a stink bomb for Christmas and I just wanted to test it… I don't want anyone to get hurt, I promise…" Xavier explained, and even he admired how good he was at lying. Professor McGonagall just stared at the Slytherin student, and then stood up straight.

"Very well then, ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Desmond. Be careful of your actions next time," McGonagall said sternly, and she then turned around and walked away.

"Xavier, why then hell did you that?" Fred immediately asked, and George put an arm on Xavier's shoulder.

"I mean, I could hear the honesty in your voices, and plus, I felt like I owed you guys one anyway…" Xavier responded, and the twins just blinked at the dark-skinned boy.

With that, Xavier turned around and headed off to the Library, leaving the twins to stare in awe and shock.

Unbeknownst to them all, however, Professor McGonagall hadn't actually walked off, and when she heard the confession come out of Xavier's mouth, she smiled. The boy was just like his father, taking the blame for his friends…

Xavier entered the Library, and he walked over to Madam Pince who was watching a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws with beady eyes.

"Madam Pince," Xavier said, and the sharp Librarian turned to him. Xavier then handed her the note from Snape, and she read through it carefully.

"Hmm, very well then, proceed," Madam Pince granted, and Xavier nodded firmly. The dark-skinned wizard then traveled through the vast Library until he reached the restricted area, and without any hesitance, he entered it and began to search.

After almost fifteen minutes of searching, Xavier landed his eyes on a thick-covered book titled 'Dark Beings of the Universe', and Xavier retreated into an isolated chair and began to flip through the pages of the book.

His eyes scanned through the pages, and many of these dark beings fascinated Xavier. What caught Xavier's attention was one of the dark beings known as an 'Obscurial'.

An Obscurial seemed to a wizard or witch who had developed a parasite-type magical force, known as an Obscuras, but this type of situation happened as a result of their magic being repressed through psychological or physical abuse.

Xavier couldn't properly think of a time he tried to abuse his own magic from the day he had noticed that he was different from the other kids, so an Obscurial was not the answer to what he saw or what he was…

As Xavier read more, he found out that most Obscurials died around the age of ten, and they were mostly common in the Ancient Times. The last known Obscurial in North America was found in 1962, and there were no more recorded after that.

They seemed to be incredibly rare nowadays, and so Xavier decided to move on with his search by passing more pages. And that's when he stumbled upon 'The Grim'.

The Grim, also known as the Omen of Death, is a mythological spirit that is reputed to bring the demise of the person who encounters it. The Grim was stated to take shape of a large, black, menacing spectral dog.

Xavier felt his heart stop and he quickly eased himself with a deep breath. The Grim… takes shape of a large black dog? Can it be…

Xavier clearly remembered seeing a large dog bearing its pointed teeth, and it pretty much matched up with the description of 'The Grim'. But how? Why? If the Grim was supposed to kill the person who had seen it or reputed it, why hadn't it killed Xavier? And where was it? In Xavier's head? Or what in that mirror? Or was Xavier the Grim itself?

Another thing that had shocked Xavier was that the Grim was also referred to as the Omen of Death, and he vaguely remembered the demon in the Mirror of Erised saying the same sort of thing…

Xavier shook his head, and he let out a deep sigh. He needed some fresh air and a break from the book, so he got out of the chair with the thick book tucked in his arm and exited the restricted area.

"Xavier, there you are!" came a sudden voice, and Xavier turned to see Fred and George sitting by a desk as if they were almost waiting for him.

"Madam Pince told us that you were in the restricted area, but we obviously couldn't go in," Fred added, and he quickly glanced to see if the sharp Librarian was nearby.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Xavier asked as he sat down on a chair next to them. The twins grinned at him and ruffled his dreadlocks.

"We wanted to pay you back for taking the fall for us, even though you clearly didn't do the stink bomb prank," Fred answered, and Xavier just stared.

"I mean, we knew it was bloody Cormac McLaggen who set it off, but still," George added in, and his expression then turned curious. "But why did you take the fall for us, Xavier?"

Xavier just shrugged and replied, "I honestly don't know. I just did because you know… you and your family let me stay at your house…"

"Well, your welcome to stay anytime you want, mate," Fred said proudly as he patted Xavier on the back.

"And we wanted to give you something in return," George said, and he then took out a spare piece of parchment. Xavier just stared at it and then covered his mouth, scared of laughing too loud. These guys are too funny! A spare piece of parchment? Merlin, help me!

The twins both rolled their eyes, and they then grinned at each other.

"Wait until he sees what it actually is, Freddie," George whispered, and Fred nodded almost evilly, and that made Xavier shoot them a serious look.

"Alright, what's going on?" Xavier inquired, and the twins faced him with proud grins.

"Xavier, lad," Fred started as he clapped his hand on Xavier's shoulder.

"It is our absolute honour to tell you that we, Fred and I, will be passing on one of our most beloved and prized possessions…" George said solemnly, and Fred then took out his wand and pointed it right at the parchment. What's he about to do?

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Fred chanted with a whisper, and to Xavier's absolute astonishment, the spare piece of parchment began to fill itself with various lines and names. Within seconds, the spare piece of parchment had transformed itself to show a map of Hogwarts, with the names of every single student, professor, and ghost roaming around. Xavier could also see every inch of the grounds, and to his surprise, they were rooms shown on the map which wasn't possible since Xavier was sure that they were blocked off by walls.

Xavier just took the map, while missing the proud and ecstatic grins from the twins. The map showed everything. Literally everything…

"H-how?" Xavier asked softly, and the twins chuckled.

"That is a long story my friend, but we've got time so might as well tell you," Fred said as he looked at George and the other twin nodded.

"We got into a spot of trouble with Filch, you see, and this was back in the innocent days of our youth," George started, and Xavier just shook his head with a smirk. He was convinced that the twins were never innocent.

"Amway, we were listening to him rant about whatever in his office, and we couldn't help but notice a cabinet name 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'," Fred spoke, and Xavier leaned in, finding the tale more interesting by the second.

"And so, Fred caused a diversion to distract Filch while I opened the cabinet and found this spare parchment. But it was on top of all the other items and so we knew it was going to be something exciting," George explained, and Xavier nodded.

"And after a while, we finally figured the phrase to activate the map," Fred said, and Xavier shot them an incredulous look.

"How did you know you were close to activating it?" Xavier asked.

"Oh, we often said words to it and eventually it flickered some life here and there until we finally got the full phrase," George answered, and Xavier just stared with awe.

"So, this map shows everything?" Xavier inquired, feeling as if it all were a dream.

"Everything," Fred started.

"Everyone," George added.

"Where they are, who they are," Fred nodded.

"And what they're doing every minute," George finished.

"Hang on, what are these other rooms here?" Xavier said, pointing to different locations on the map. "I'm sure that they are mostly blocked off…"

"Ah well, Xavier, those are secret rooms and secret tunnels," Fred responded with a grin, and Xavier was floored. These were the secret rooms that were mentioned in Hogwarts: A History!

"Where do the tunnels lead to?" Xavier asked, and George leaned in.

"Some lead to the grounds, some to Hogsmeade stores, and some to the other areas of the school," George replied.

"We reckon that Filch knows only four of the seven secret passageways," Fred added in, and Xavier just nodded.

"Ah... It's all thanks to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred sighed.

"We owe them so much..." George added in, and Xavier realised that the twins were mentioning the creators of the map.

"So… this is mine now?" Xavier slowly asked, and the twins nodded firmly.

"Take care of it well, and don't let it get into the wrong hands…" George advised.

"And one more thing; when you're done using the map, just mutter 'mischief managed', or else anyone can find it just laying around," Fred added, and before Xavier could even thank them, the twins got up, grinned at Xavier, and left the Library.

Xavier just stared back at the map and watched the twins depart the Library. Dumbledore was currently pacing around in his study, Snape was in his office, the Golden Trio were outside, and his Slytherin friends were all in their own dorms. Daphne, Tracey, Pansy, and Millie were in the girl's one, and Ron, Theo, and Blaise were in the boy's one.

Except, Xavier noticed that his Slytherin male friends weren't alone. There was a fourth member in the boy's dorm, and he went by the name of Peter Pettigrew.