Until The End

Until The End

Chapter 15: Cursed Ice

"Hobbies are great distractions from the worries and troubles that plague daily life."

Neville Longbottom's P.O.V:

The Library – Friday, April 8th, 1992

"Neville, what's Dittany?" Ron asked while Harry looked up, waiting to hear Neville answer.

"It's a powerful healing herb and a restorative. The use of it makes fresh skin grow over a wound and after application, it will seem several days old," Neville answered, and both boys flashed him a smile of appreciation, before going back to write on their notes. Neville just smiled back; he knew that his strongest subject was Herbology, and thus, helping anyone with questions on Herbology and magical plants always made Neville overjoyed, and he felt useful.

"Oh hey, Hagrid, what are you doing here?" Xavier asked, and everyone looked up to see Hagrid shuffling throughout the various shelves.

"Oh, hey there yeh lot, jus' borrowin' somethin' for light readin'," Hagrid replied rather absentmindedly. Really?

Hagrid then looked back to them with narrowed eyes and asked, "Yeh lot aren't still lookin' into Nicolas Flamel, are yer?"

"Oh, we've found plenty," Harry replied smugly, and Hagrid frowned heavily.

"Yeah, we know that the Cerberus is guarding the Sto-"

"Shhh!" Hagrid looked around to see if anyone had heard.

"Stop meddlin' around with that stuff, you'll get yerselves in trouble," Hagrid scolded crossly, and he quickly picked a book and left without even saying goodbye. Well, that was new…

Hermione instantly got up from her seat and traced back to where Hagrid was standing. Hermione gasped.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Neville asked wearily, and Hermione turned towards him and the others.

"Hagrid was in this section and it's all got to do with dragons!" Hermione whispered, and Neville paled. He still couldn't believe that Hagrid somehow had an illegal dragon egg in his own hut at the very moment.

"What?" Harry asked, and he got up to see where Hermione was standing.

"We have to see how he is dealing with the dragon egg," Ron urged, and Xavier nodded in agreement.

"I say we all go now," Xavier advised firmly, and everyone nodded strongly.

The two snakes and the three lions made their way out of the Library and towards Hagrid's Hut. Neville felt dread creep up his spine. What is the dragon had already hatched? Would someone get hurt? Did Hagrid know what he was doing? What he was dealing with?

From the moment the five friends could see the outline of the small hut, they could also see the thick, grey smoke billowing out of the stone chimney from Hagrid's Hut.

Harry knocked on the door, but the door opened slightly, and it revealed to a very preoccupied Hagrid carefully placing the egg on the wooden table. Merlin!

"Hagrid, what's going on?" Hermione asked, startling Hagrid. Hagrid gestured them all inside to the swelteringly hot room and closed the door behind them.

Hagrid was about to answer Hermione's question but stopped when they all heard a crack coming from the egg. For a second, Neville and his friends thought that they had all imagined it, but that belief was proven wrong when three more cracks on the egg followed up. The shell of the egg then broke apart, revealing a slime-covered baby dragon, who was adjusting his or her eyes. Oh my…

"It's beautiful, innit?" Hagrid whispered, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

"Hagrid, is it dangerous?" Harry asked cautiously, while Xavier took a closer peek at the dragon.

"Oh no, Harry, it's just a baby! Wouldn't hurt a fly," Hagrid answered proudly. The giant man then moved closer to the dragon, garnering its' attention.

"Hello there, Norbert," Hagrid greeted in a rather motherly way. The Golden Trio and the Slytherin Prodigy Duo all just went wide-eyed. Nobert?

The dragon sneezed and with it, came a small burst of fire from its mouth. Everyone, save Hagrid, all stepped back. It can breathe fire!

"Come to mummy," Hagrid cooed. Hagrid's officially lost it!

"I think we'll be leaving now," Ron announced, shooting everyone a meaningful look and no one disagreed. Yeah, let's get the hell out of there!

The five left Hagrid to his 'motherly duties' and quickly made their way back to the castle. They got to a safer distance and stopped to talk.

"No one can know about the dragon," Xavier immediately said.

"What if it hurts someone? What are we going to do about it?" Neville asked, and Hermione nodded firmly.

"Exactly! Hagrid doesn't see any potential danger about it, although we all just witnessed it producing fire!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hagrid has actually lost it," Ron mumbled, looking out to the horizon. There was a small pause between them.

"Charlie!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence. Charlie?

"Mate, you've lost it too," Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm Ron, not Charlie,"

"No, I mean Charlie as in maybe he can help us!" Harry said, and Xavier's eyes widened in realisation.

"Harry's right! Ron, can't you owl Charlie about what to do with 'Norbert'?" Xavier asked, and Ron nodded.

"I'll owl him tonight. Maybe he can tell us what type of dragon it is and possibly a way to get the dragon safely out of here," Ron suggested.

There was a shuffling sound from behind them, and to everyone's horror, Draco Malfoy was there, staring at them with a slightly alarmed look. Did he just hear all of that?!

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Piss off," Xavier ordered coldly, and Malfoy glared at him before running off.

"Fuck, what if he heard everything?" Ron asked with an anxious expression on his face, and Hermione bit her bottom lip.

"We'll just have to make out Malfoy to be lying. The professors already know he and our group have some bad blood. And we'll have to make sure no one can properly hear us again," Hermione advised, and the four boys understood. Next time, they would need to cast silencing and privacy charms in the places where they discussed such topics.

"All right, I'm going to go send an owl to Charlie," Ron nodded, and he then left.

"You three will have to talk to Hagrid about this whole dragon business, I reckon you three are closer to him than Ron or me. None of us wants Hagrid to go down or get exposed for keeping a dragon illegally," Xavier suggested, and Harry nodded.

"We'll talk to him," Harry assured.

"All right, I'll see you guys later then," Xavier said, and he left the Golden Trio.

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

The Slytherin Common Room - Friday, April 8th, 1992

"There you are," Xavier said, as he found Ron waiting nearby the entrance of the common room.

"What did you write to Charlie?" Xavier asked as he neared Ron.

"Oh, I just asked about how he was doing, and then informed him about the current situation. I'd give it a couple of days before a response will come back," Ron replied, and Xavier nodded. Xavier then muttered 'Pure-Blood', and the two boys entered the common room. Students were chatting to each other, some by the fire and some walking around.

"Ah, Ronald, Xavier," came Selene's voice. "I've been looking for you two,"

"Oh hey, Selene," Ron greeted back.

"Why do you need us? Did something happen?" Xavier asked quickly.

"Follow me, it's better to talk where many eyes and ears aren't able to seek our conversations," Selene requested. Selene then pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell on the two boys, before casting it on herself. Xavier and Ron went wide-eyed with shock; she had gone invisible, and so had the two of them. Damn, this is amazing… weird, but amazing…

Selene held both of the two boy's hands to guide them towards a dorm, and once inside, she closed the door and lifted the spell of each of them.

"That was wicked! What spell was that?" Ron asked, looking extremely awed and intrigued.

"That, boys, is the Disillusionment Charm. Pretty neat, isn't it?" Selene answered with a smile, and Xavier's brow furrowed. I definitely need to learn that…

"Ah, you've brought them," came a male voice from behind them all, and they all looked to see the fifth-year Male prefect standing behind a desk. Who's this guy?

"Burke. Erik Burke. I already know your names, so you may skip your pleasantries. It is pleasure to meet the two of you," Erik introduced, and he held his hand out to Xavier. Xavier just shook it firmly, and Ron followed suit when Erik directed his hand to the redhead. Seems like a respectable guy, I guess…

Erik gestured the two boys to take a seat in front of the desk and they obliged. Victor then sat behind the desk, while Selene stood next to him.

"Now, as I believe, Selene would have talked to the both of you around two weeks ago about Slytherin's House points situation. Yes, we are in the lead, mainly thanks to the two of you. In the last week, you two have gained at least one hundred and fifty points, putting our lead even higher. And with that, comes rewards," Erik explained clearly, and Xavier just stared, while Ron blinked. Xavier glanced at Selene and she was smirking slightly. Rewards, eh?

"You're rewarding us?" Ron asked slowly, and Erik nodded. Xavier and Ron could see many similarities between Erik and Selene. The two were obviously Prefects, both had dark hair, and had those cold eyes, much like Xavier's. They both had an intimidating aura about them, and it slightly amused Xavier about how similar the two were. Maybe they were put together as Prefects for a reason…

"You two have been the main contributors to maintain Slytherin's efficient lead in the House Cup competition. So, name your price. No crazy requests of course," Erik added in, and both prodigies exchanged looks. I mean I've got plenty of money, and Ron probably won't even ask for money either, considering his whole winnings from Chess matches and bets. Hmm, what do I want?

"I want Malfoy off our back," Ron suddenly spoke up with a solidified expression planted on his face. Erik and Selene exchanged quick smirks.

"I told you that one of them would ask for getting Malfoy off their backs," Selene muttered to Erik, though Xavier and Ron heard her clearly. Erik just rolled his eyes, making Selene giggle to herself.

Xavier stared between them. Are they a thing or something? There's no way Selene would act like this, especially in front of others? And I'm sure as hell that Erik would allow such behaviours in front of others too…

"What reasons do you seek for getting Malfoy off your backs?" Erik asked, and Xavier almost laughed at the question. The cunt has been provoking us since the beginning of time!

"Plenty," Ron replied, his own sky-blue eyes turning ice cold. "He's constantly causing arguments with our friends and us, especially when we arrived here last September. We can't be sure of what he'll do next, considering the fact that he has confronted us a few times in the hallways with his lackeys,"

"I mean, Selene was the one to warn us about Malfoy and his little group's plan to ambush us. It shows that he isn't done with taking his jealousy or anger or whatever feelings he had towards us," Xavier added in coldly, his tone carrying contempt and disgust at the mere thought. The fool actually thought that he could even cause a scratch on Ron and me… Just because he had some more lapdogs by his side… Fucking dumbass…

Both Erik and Selene easily noticed Ron's tone and Xavier's expression and they both smirked at the duo. Ronald was a passionate and emotional one while Xavier was a cold and loyal one, that was for sure.

"Well then, I'll see to that myself. I know that boy has his opinions of you two, and so, I will deal with him. Anything else?" Erik asked. Really, that was that easy? Get some House points and in return, Malfoy would be taken care of?

"When you mean that you will deal with Malfoy, what do you exactly mean?" Ron asked seriously, and something flashed behind Erik's dark-grey eyes.

"Our House is like a Hierarchy, Ronald. The older students have their own duties, and they watch over the younger ones. Soon, you and your year-mates will have that responsibility once the new batch of first-year students arrive. We protect, watch over, and help our own. Our House has been outed and viewed with fear and discretion, no doubt due to our House's history with its wizards and witches. If one of our own is trying to ruin your reputations, which could cause a loss of points, then I will do my duty and put a stop to such petty grudges. Our House must rejoice as one big family, looking out for one another and keeping each other safe from those around us," Erik answered, while Selene nodded in agreement. Xavier and Ron just exchanged slow glances. The guy seriously knows what to say, doesn't he? I think this guy's pretty decent…

There was a moment of silence as the duo digested Erik's hard-hitting words.

"We understand. Thank you, Erik," Ron said, breaking the silence, and Erik nodded.

"I want to know that spell," Xavier piped in, aiming his look towards Selene.

"Sure, the instructions will be sent to you two by tomorrow," Selene responded, and Ron grinned, while Xavier smirked. Yes, that spell will be very handy.

"Is that all?" Erik asked. Xavier and Ron looked at each other before nodding.

"Yes, that will be all," Ron said with a firm nod, and the two Slytherin Prodigies stood up.

"Excellent, you two may leave," Erik consented, gesturing them over to the exit of the Prefect's Dorm. Xavier and Ron began to make their way out of the dorm but stopped abruptly when Erik called their names once more.

"Don't do anything stupid or risky that may cause our House to lose any points," Erik advised strictly, hardening his eyes firmly on the two first-years.

"If we win this year, it'll be the seventh year in a row. Do you two understand the significance behind the number of seven, boys?" Selene asked as Erik stood next to her. Ron shook his head, while Xavier kind of nodded. He had heard about the reoccurring number of 7 in stories and whatnot back in his days from the Orphanage.

"Keep up the work, lads. And we'll be keeping a close eye on you two," Erik concluded, slightly narrowing his eyes on the two boys. They definitely intrigued Erik, to say the least, and he knew that two would be important and beneficial for the Slytherin House.

"Well, that went quite well," Ron commented before sighing out a breath of relief. Yeah, a little too well…

"We'll start practising the Disillusionment Charm tomorrow," Xavier said, changing the topic and Ron nodded vigorously.

"Good idea. I probably need to start working on my shields," Ron pointed out.

"Same here, and I'll need to seek out any books on Wandless Magic," Xavier added in.

"You reckon we should go find a book on wand lore in the Library?" Ron proposed. "It'll be good to know what the elements of our wands say about us and the abilities that can be garnered from it,"

"That's an excellent idea, mate," Xavier praised, patting Ron on the shoulder. "You remember what your wand elements are?"

Ron took a moment to remember before answering, "Yes, I believe mine is a fourteen-inch wand made out of Cypress. It also contains Unicorn Hair,"

"That's interesting, mate, mine's actually pretty similar. It's also fourteen-inch, made from Cypress, but it contains Thestral Hair instead," Xavier informed, and Ron looked like a sudden memory had dawned on him.

"I remember Ollivander telling me that the wand that I have right now has a brother, which was sold to the person who had purchased a wand right before me! And that was you, wasn't it?" Ron reminded, and Xavier nodded slowly.

"Our wands are brothers? As in, they might be connected in some way?" Xavier questioned, feeling shell-shocked.

"Apparently so, mate," Ron muttered.

"But how? What are the chances? Isn't that really rare? And how could we be connected?" Xavier bombarded with his questions, while Ron just lost himself in his own thoughts.

"There you two are!" came the high-pitched voice of Daphne. The two boys snapped out of their thoughts and turned to see their friends in front of them.

"Where were you guys?" Tracey asked as she and her friends walked over to Xavier and Ron.

"Theo saw you two come from the male Prefect's Dorm," Pansy added in, while Theo nodded in confirmation. Oh right, about that…

"Listen guys, we've got some good news," Ron started, and he then led them all to a secluded corner.

"What's happened?" Mille asked while Blaise himself looked intrigued.

"We may have potentially gotten Malfoy off all of our backs," Xavier stated, and his friends just blinked.

"You've made some sort of deal, I presume?" Theo asked, joining the dots as he always did.

"Yeah, Erik Burke and Selene Selwyn basically wanted to reward us for getting lots of points lately. And I… I asked for their help get Malfoy to stop causing issues for all of us," Ron informed, going a bit red.

"Easier said than done," Blaise said aloofly. "I know Malfoy, he'll want to keep attacking you two in whichever way he can,"

"What Blaise is trying to say is thank you, Ron. That was generous of you to think about all of us," Tracey said with a smile, and Ron returned the gesture.

"Anything to keep that git away from my friends," Ron concluded.

Ron Weasley's P.O.V:

The Hallways of Hogwarts – Saturday, April 9th, 1992

"You saw that yeah? I only got my arms to disappear," Xavier stated, and Ron nodded. The two had practised the Disillusionment Charm over and over, and eventually, made some parts of their bodies invisible.

"We'll get the hang of it soon enough," Ron assured. The two turned a corner and walked straight down the hall. Ron then made Xavier stop by a painting of the Great Lake.

"Why are we here?" Xavier asked curiously.

"Any minute now, Percy will meet us here to deliver a book on wand lore," Ron answered.

Just as Ron predicted, Percy appeared at the end of the hallway and approached the two boys with a hard-covered book in his hand.

"Hey, Perce," Ron greeted his older brother, and Percy smiled at them.

"How are you two doing? Studying hard?" Percy asked, and the boys nodded firmly. Percy shot them proud looks. Ah, that's Percy for you…

"Anyways, here, Ron. I hope this one will be all right," Percy said as he handed the thick book over to Ron. Ron glazed over its contents and smiled. The book was written by Garrick Ollivander himself and was titled 'Wand Lore for the Overly Curious'.

"It looks like what we need. Thanks, Percy," Ron said happily, and Percy simply chuckled.

"See you around, Perce," Xavier added in, and the older boy nodded to Xavier before departing.

"We'll read it after breakfast. For now, let's go hit the showers," Xavier suggested, and Ron nodded in agreement.

Ron and Xavier entered the Library and headed to one of the secluded tables not before nodding to Madam Pince.

"All right, should we go to the section of the wood types, considering both of our wands are made from Cypress?" Xavier suggested, and Ron nodded.

Ron flipped through the pages, skipping the information on Aspen, Holly, Willow, Yew, Vine, and he stopped on the page which held the information on Cypress.

Cypress wands are associated with nobility. Cypress wands are rarely called upon, as the wielder must have the notion to lay down his or her life when the bloodthirsty moments of life come. The possessors of the Cypress wands find their soul mates among the brave, bold and the self-sacrificing; those who are unafraid to confront their shadows and their own and other's natures.

Ron and Xavier both looked up and stared at each other. We both are willing to lay down our lives… well yes, I would for my family and friends… and so would Xavier, so I guess the whole Cypress thing makes sense…

Ron then moved onto the section of wand cores and stopped on the page informing about Unicorn Hair.

Unicorn Hair generally produces the most consistent magic and is least subjective to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with Unicorn cores also have been found to be the most difficult to turn into the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful, and stay attached to the first owner, whether an accomplished wizard/witch or not.

Serious damage or mishandling could lead to the Unicorn Hair 'dying', and thus, may need replacing.

"Hmm, they are hard to adapt to the Dark Arts," Xavier noted, and Ron shrugged.

"Doesn't mean it's impossible," Ron countered, and Xavier nodded. Wait, what the hell, why did I sound like I was keen on doing the Dark Arts for a second just then?

"Also, very loyal to the first owner, so I guess no one is getting ahold of your wand anytime soon," Xavier pointed out, and Ron smirked.

"Now, let's find the page on Thestral Hair. I'm dying of curiosity to see what it says and if it is linked to Unicorn Hair," Xavier admitted, and Ron flicked through the pages once more, until he got to Thestral Hair.

Thestral Hair wands are extremely rare core wands, and wand makers have reported that Thestral Hair can be a very unstable core to work with. Aside from this, Thestral Hair brings extreme power to the table and may make the possessor invincible, if used correctly. The wand that holds a Thestral Hair will choose a witch or wizard who is capable of facing death and has possibly faced, processed, and understood death even before getting such wand. This core also happens to the core of the most powerful wand in existence, the Elder Wand.

"Merlin… the most powerful wand in existence also contains Thestral Hair? Wicked…" Ron whispered while Xavier looked starstruck.

"And you said that you've seen death back at the Orphanage, haven't you?" Ron reminded slowly, and Xavier nodded curtly.

Thestral Hair and Unicorn Hair share a connection, one that still confuses the likes of wandmakers and those who study Wand Lore. Both creatures are depicted as opposites or even in the Chinese religion, Daoism, the two creatures can be represented as 'Yin and Yang'. Unicorn blood gives life, while only those who have seen death with their own eyes can see Thestrals, creating a balance between these two magical creatures, possibly that of life and death.

If two duellers go up against each other and possess very similar wands, but with one containing Thestral Hair and the other containing Unicorn hair, their duels will be altered or might not even properly work. The wands may compel or repel each other as the bond keeps the unspoken balance between the two cores. The two creatures are opposites in various ways, but both have a bit of each other, and both cannot exist without each other.

Ron and Xavier stared at each other with shell-shocked and astonished expressions.

"We can't properly duel, can we?" Ron questioned, and Xavier snapped his fingers in realisation.

"Remember the first time you wanted to practise duelling with me? Our wands weren't properly working, and we were both confused. I think that our wands have this bond that keeps the balance between each other, Ron," Xavier theorized, and Ron just digested the words.

"This is just… wow…" Ron trailed off, still transfixed in wonder. Who knew that our wands would be connected like this? Probably Fate or whatever…

"But how will we ever practise duelling, mate? It's mainly us two who train and practise, but if we can't properly get results from duelling each other, then how can we maintain our skills for duelling?" Ron inquired, and Xavier thought deeply to himself. Xavier then looked at Ron with wide eyes and grinned slightly.

"I think I might have a solution to that. Stay right there, I'll be back," Xavier instructed, and before Ron could interrogate him, Xavier ran off. Where the hell is he going?

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

Boy's Dorm – Saturday, April 9th, 1992

Xavier dug his hand into the bottom of his trunk and when he felt an old piece of parchment, he grabbed it and closed his trunk. Luckily, Theo and Blaise were probably chatting away with the girls in the Girl's Dorm, so Xavier could use the map without hiding it as he was the only current inhabitant of his Dorm.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Xavier muttered, and he tapped the old piece of parchment. As usual, Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs greeted Xavier and the map then began to form the whole interior of Hogwarts, with student and professor names appearing and disappearing. Xavier traced his finger through the various hallways and stopped his finger on the room labelled 'the kitchens'. There was another secret room next to the kitchens, and if Xavier wasn't mistaken, it was very possible that it was a duelling room, noted by Hogwarts: A History.

"Mischief Managed," Xavier tapped at the map once more, and its contents vanished.

Once Xavier placed the parchment back at the bottom of his trunk, he left his Dorm quickly and rushed back to the Library.

"Bloody hell, where did you ditch me off to, mate?" Ron demanded with utter confusion written all over his face.

"I think I may have located a secret duelling room, Ron!" Xavier exclaimed in a whisper so that Madam Pince wouldn't cause a riot.

"What?" Ron asked, his eyes going wide.

"Follow me," Xavier commanded, and the two departed the Library. Xavier led the way to the kitchens, and Ron sighed.

"Mate, the kitchens are no duelling room," Ron pointed out, and Xavier chuckled.

"No shit, mate. Just wait and see what we'll find," Xavier assured. The duo reached a familiar corridor with dimmed torches and once Xavier tickled a pear on one of the food paintings, it revealed the door to the kitchens, and they stepped in.

"Master Desmond and Master Weasley, how good it is to see you!" Daisey squeaked happily and she bowed deeply.

"Please, it's just Ron, Daisey," Ron reassured, and he patted the elf on the back.

"Daisey, you wouldn't happen to know of a secret duelling room adjacent to the kitchen, would you?" Xavier inquired, and Daisey thought to herself for a moment. She then gasped and nodded.

"Yes, Master Xavier, there is a room next to the kitchens. Follow me," Daisey said eagerly, and she led the two boys to a corner of the kitchens, while other House Elves bowed or waved at the Prodigy Duo.

"Watch carefully, Master Ron and Master Xavier," Daisey requested and tapped the brick wall in a specific pattern. Hmm, three right, two left, one up and one down… got it!

To the boy's amazement, the bricks slid back and opened to another seal wall.

"It's just a wall, Daisey," Ron commented, tracing his fingers through the bricks.

"Daisey remembers that one must state their intentions," Daisey responded, and Xavier understood.

"My friend and I want to use a room where we can help practise our duelling and perfect our skills in private," Xavier stated aloud. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but the sealed wall then granted a door, and when Xavier opened it and stepped inside with Ron and Daisey, they were astounded.

A large, spacious room was there before them. A fireplace was crackling with fire dancing off the walls. The floor was made of stone, and the walls were held together with firm, grey bricks. There were dummies at one end of the room, and there was a bed, a shelf stacked with different books and a black leather couch at the other end. In the name of Salazar Slytherin…

"Bloody hell…" Ron whispered, and his jaw was hanging.

"It's… it's perfect!" Xavier exclaimed, and he quickly approached the lifeless dummies to examine them. Let me guess, they can duel you?

"Start," Xavier called out, and one of the dummies came to life, pointing its wand directly at Xavier in an attacking position.

"Begin," Xavier yelled, and he quickly dodged a curse that came flying at him. Holy shit!

"Expelliarmus," Xavier chanted, and the dummies' wand flew out its hand.

"This place is incredible!" Ron declared and grabbed a book off the shelf and grinned.

"Look at this, Xavier! 'Ten Duelling Stances That Will Save Your Life in A Duel'," Ron read out the title, and Xavier grinned.

"Mate, we can duel here and even chill out here. It's perfect," Xavier repeated for the second time. Ron just sighed happily.

"Daisey is filled with joy in seeing your happiness," Daisey commented with bliss.

"Thank you, Daisey," Xavier patted her back gently and the elf beamed.

"If masters would like to exit the room, then tap the shield in the painting three times," Daisey informed, and Xavier looked over to the large painting that was hung on the wall. It showed a knight wielding a sword and a shield, standing tall and proudly. Ron approached it and tapped the shield three times as Daisey said. Sure enough, another door appeared, and the two boys were surprised to see that it was the hallway that led them to the kitchens in the first place.

"Oh, I see. Another painting can lead into this room as well," Xavier explained, and Ron nodded in understanding.

"We basically have two exits then," Ron smirked, as the painting with the knight reappeared. "This one, and the way back into the kitchens and out,"

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," Xavier clapped his hands together. He couldn't wait to get started in practising spells on these dummies, and Ron shared his sentiment.

"Daisey shall leave masters to practise. If masters want any refreshments, summon Daisey," Daisey said, and she apparated back to the kitchens. Thank you, Daisey…

The doorway which led Xavier and Ron into this room from the kitchens became a sealed wall once more. The two boys looked at each other and fist-bumping one another.

"Alright, what are you going to work on?" Xavier asked, and Ron took out his pocketed wand.

"My shield. There are six different variations of Protego. I can already do Protego and Protego Duo. I need to start transitioning into Protego Horribilis. It can create shields for the area you stand in," Ron explained, and Xavier nodded firmly.

"Fair enough, mate. I'll probably work on some hexes or charms. Probably Impedimenta and Bombard Maxima, as I have already mastered Bombarda and should transition into Bombarda Maxima. Then I might go onto look at more curses or just work on Wandless variations of spells," Xavier informed, and Ron nodded back.

"Let's get this started, shall we?" Ron asked with a grin, and Xavier grinned back.

"Agreed. And by the way, there are different numbers on these dummies. See look," Xavier said, pointing to the four dummies with the number 1's on them, while three other dummies had 2's, and another four had 3's marked on them. "I reckon it's how good these dummies get. Number 1's are relatively easier to duel with, and the higher number is, the more stronger, smarter or aggressive the dummies are,"

"Understood," Ron nodded. He pulled two dummies which were marked as number 1's to one side and began his training. Meanwhile, Xavier pulled three dummies that were marked as number 2's to another side, and he took an offensive stance.

"Start," Xavier said, and three dummies came to life. They aimed their wands right at Xavier.

"Begin," Xavier ordered, and all three dummies sent red-coloured curses at him. Stupefy, eh?

"Impedimenta," Xavier shouted, and a turquoise-coloured spell froze one of the dummies.

"Flipendo," Xavier muttered quickly, and another dummy was knocked back several feet, spinning away from Xavier.

"Bombarda Maxima!" Xavier chanted, and he focused on the thought of the spell, it channelled through his arm and into his wand, and Xavier fired the white-coloured curse right at the dummy in the middle. The dummy exploded, a huge gaping hole appearing right in the middle. Yes, I did it! Bombarda Maxima worked!

Xavier, however, held off his celebrating and fired an Expelliarmus to the dummy that was hit with the Impedimenta Jinx earlier and quickly fired an Expulso to the dummy in the middle. A chunk of the dummy was ripped from its' body and it became lifeless.

Xavier stared at the dummies before him. One's wand was in his left hand, and the other two had chunks exploded from their metal bodies. If I keep this up, I could be really good at duelling…

Xavier smirked in accomplishment, though he knew that this was nothing. Only more practise, risk, and combination could spread out his arsenal of skills and spells.

"How are you going, mate?" Xavier called over to Ron, and Ron commanded the dummies to stop.

"I haven't got the hang of Protego Horribilis yet. I just moved on to try Diffindo as these dummies are made out of metal," Ron replied, and he faced one of the dummies.

"Begin!" Ron ordered, and the dummy quickly fired a Flipendo at Ron. Ron quickly stepped to his left and aims his wand directly at the dummy.

"Diffindo!" Ron chanted, and the spell ripped the metal from the dummy.

"Expelliarmus," Ron followed up quickly, and the dummy's wand flew into Ron's hand.

"Reparo," Xavier pointed his wand at the dummy, and it was repaired.

"I'm impressed," Xavier commented with a smirk, and Ron shrugged.

"Can't stop here, you know. Once the holidays come, we won't be able to do magic until September comes," Ron pointed out, and Xavier slapped his forehead.

"Shit, you're right! How could I almost forget about that? We've obviously got the Trace on ourselves," Xavier said as he analysed his wand.

"We shouldn't get an untraceable wand, Xavier. Not at the moment anyway. We've been gifted with incredible wands, there's no need to change only because of a Trace Charm," Ron advised, and Xavier nodded strongly.

"Of course, I agree entirely," Xavier assured straight away.

"However, maybe, there could be other ways to overcome our Trace Charm problem," Ron noted, and Xavier listened raptly.

"I remember Bill came home once and he was wearing some sort of ring. The twins obviously joked about him getting married or some stupid shit like that, but the ring actually gave Bill the ability to practise magic outside of school," Ron provided, and Xavier looked impressed.

"Rings, eh? That could work, considering we both have rings of our own, and so another ring wouldn't out of the ordinary. Pandora has given you one to repel some hexes and jinxes. And I have mine that was my father's heirloom. Question is, will there be people against the idea?" Xavier questioned, and Ron sighed.

"Yeah, mum wouldn't let me practise magic outside of school, ring or no ring," Ron answered, and Xavier sighed.

"The Easter holidays will start in a few days, so I guess that it won't erase our knowledge or anything to not practise once the holidays begin," Xavier relented.

"Yeah, we'll just make sure to do our runs and exercises when the Easter break comes. I know many good pathways, creeks and fields that will be good for our morning runs," Ron said, and Xavier shot Ron an amused look. Ron just rolled his eyes.

"Come on, mate, don't be daft. You'll be staying with us at the Burrow, and for the last time, it's no hassle. It wasn't a problem last time, was it? Everyone loves it when you're here," Ron stated firmly, and Xavier just chuckled.

"I know, mate. Thanks, bro," Xavier said, and Ron just shook it off with a smile.

"I reckon we'll go find our friends now. You know how they get when we are gone for too long, especially the girls," Xavier suggested, and Ron laughed in agreement.

"Yes, but let's get something to eat first. I'm bloody starving, mate," Ron admitted, and Xavier laughed.

"Sure thing, bro," Xavier agreed.

Ron Weasley's P.O.V:

The Great Hall – Wednesday, April 13th, 1992

Hey little brother,

Sweet Circe, what took you so long to write to me? But no, I understand, I've always been the brother you've hated. Nah I'm kidding, Ron, it's so good to hear from you, little brother! Work is a pain in the arse, but I've been hearing around about some of your achievements and bloody hell, who knew you that you were one headline-making bastard!

Now, from how you've described this dragon in Hagrid's possession, it sounds like you were describing a Norwegian Ridgeback. Be careful Ron, these ones are very aggressive, and one bite will require medical assistance immediately.

As for any ways of safely smuggling the dragon, I have a couple of friends at the reserve here who can smuggle 'Norbert' out of Hogwarts. Just give me the word, and I'll inform them to go do the job.

That's all for now, mate. Stay safe and keep the ladies busy…

Your big brother, Charlie

Ron couldn't help but laugh out loud. Charlie was always a blunt one, but in dire times of need, hell, he could make anyone laugh. He had the kind of humour Ron understood and related to.

Ron handed Xavier the letter, and he let the dark-skinned boy study Charlie's letter. After a minute or two, Xavier chuckled and handed the letter back to Ron who stuffed it in his robes.

"He's a funny one," Xavier commented, and Ron sniggered.

"We'll inform Harry, Nev, and Hermione about this when we get our free periods," Ron said as he went back to his cereal.

"Ron, look, I think that owl is coming to you," Xavier said as he nudged Ron. Ron focused his eyes on the owl, and when he recognised the owl, he froze. Oh no…

It was Errol, and that meant that one would need to prepare for his inevitable crash-landings. Ron quickly scrambled plates and dishes away before Errol came crashing into the table, garnering others to look at what the commotion was. Ron's ear burned when he heard students around him laugh and snigger. Ron even caught the Headmaster chuckling. Betrayal!

"Merlin, is the owl alright?" Theo asked as Tracey cackled away. Errol's landing surely was unexpected.

"Merlin have mercy," Ron sighed, and his friends laughed. Ron took the letter that Errol was carrying and began to read it, blocking out the chortling of the on-lookers.

Hey Ronnie,

Your father, Ginny, and I will be visiting Bill in Egypt this Easter break. As such, you'll stay over at Hogwarts for the next two weeks. I hope you don't mind, Ronnie.

Love,

Your mother

P.S. Ginny says hi to you and Xavier and has been pouting non-stop since you haven't written to her!

Ron actually couldn't believe his luck. He and Xavier could continue practising and duelling the dummies for two weeks straight with no other interruptions. Brilliant!

"What is it, Ron?" Xavier asked, and Ron quickly passed the letter over to his friend. Xavier scanned through the letter and grinned. The two fist-bumped each other.

"What does it say, Ron?" Daphne asked, and Ron faced the blonde witch.

"Oh, my family are going to visit my older brother Bill. He works as a curse-breaker in Egypt," Ron informed, and his friends look impressed.

"What do you other brothers do?" Tracey asked, leaning in.

"Well, Charlie works with Dragons in a reserve in Romania-"

"Dragons?! Really?" Pansy exclaimed with wide eyes, and Ron laughed.

"Yeah, trust me, you should have seen my mum's reaction to when he first told her about it. Almost drove herself to an early grave. To be honest though, all of us thought he was going to go play Quidditch professionally, but out of nowhere, he grew a bond with magical creatures, specifically dragons," Ron recounted.

"Anyways, Percy definitely wants to follow dad's footsteps and work in the Ministry. As for the twins, even Merlin won't know what they want to do or be when they're older. But I'm sure as hell know that they will stay far away from working in the Ministry," Ron said, and the boys smirked, while the girls giggled.

"Ugh, same here. I'm not suited for a Ministry job," Tracey commented, and Daphne frowned.

"Tracey… you shouldn't groan like that. It's very unladylike," Daphne pointed out, and Tracey just stuck her tongue at her. Ha!

"Anyways, I believe my younger sister would be capable of blowing up the Ministry, so that's a no for and from her," Daphne informed as she looked back to her friends.

"You've got a younger sister?" Ron asked, and Daphne nodded.

"Cheeky little bugger, that one," Theo added in, and Daphne didn't even disagree with him.

"Oh, but Astoria is so cute as well," Pansy cooed.

"Astoria's the name, eh? That's a nice name," Ron muttered.

"What do you want to be, Ron?" Blaise asked, bringing the topic of jobs back and everyone focused their attention back on Ron. That's a bloody good question, mate…

"Honestly don't know, mate. Not at the moment, anyway. But… being an Auror has briefly skimmed through my mind a couple of times," Ron admitted truthfully. With all the Visions, I don't know what to expect of the future…

"Oof, you would make quite the Auror, mate," Theo smirked, and Ron grinned.

"What about you lot? Got any ideas?" Ron asked, and he swallowed the crispy bacon on his plate.

"Well, I plan to take over my father's business once I become Heir of the Greengrass Family, or once I become old enough, anyway. Father and mother run several businesses, even some with muggles I think, and I'll make sure to take over and maybe even run my own," Daphne responded. Fair enough…

"Same here. I plan to take over my parents' businesses," Millie added in, earning a strong nod from Daphne.

"Anyone want to follow up on their hobbies?" Tracey asked, looking between her friends.

"Oh yeah, what kind of hobbies do you lot have? I mean, you all already know that I love Chess and Quidditch," Ron stated, feeling intrigued.

"Ooh, I love to go fishing. It relaxes my mind and it's peaceful," Tracey replied with a dreamy look.

"Fishing?" Theo asked.

"Yeah. My mum's father used to do it with her and when my mum introduced it to my dad, he fell in love with it. He and I used to go fishing all the time in the lake near our house," Tracey explained. Fishing... sounds interesting...

"What about you Pansy?" Xavier asked, creeping into the conversation.

"Well, I love to try different makeup routines and give haircuts," Pansy replied with a giggle. Theo and Blaise both muttered 'girls'.

"Wait, you do haircuts?" Xavier asked, a surprised expression on his face. Pansy nodded vigorously, and Xavier broke into a grin.

"Great! I've been needing to cut the sides and back of my hair for a while now," Xavier stated, and Pansy squealed excitedly.

"Sure thing, Xavier. We'll do it on Friday since the Easter holidays begin on Saturday," Pansy confirmed, and Xavier nodded firmly. Ron turned to look between Theo and Blaise.

"Let me guess, Theo's hobbies include anything that involves plants and Blaise's include anything to do with the stars," Ron hypothesised, and his friends all chuckled.

"You're right there, Ron. Mother was the one who got me into gardening after all," Theo responded. Ron and the girls smiled warmly at Theo.

"What about you, Blaise?" Ron asked, and the aloof, dark-skinned boy smirked.

"Yes, Astronomy has always been a passion of mine," Blaise confirmed.

"And?" Tracey asked, shooting a meaningful look to Blaise. Blaise just sighed.

"And… I… I enjoy writing poetry and painting," Blaise admitted. Ron was surprised, and he wasn't the only one. Painting, eh? Pandora and Luna also love to paint...

"Is that so?" Xavier asked with interest, and Blaise nodded curtly.

"Well, to be honest, you seem like that kind of individual that would be into those things," Xavier pointed out, and Blaise just shrugged.

"Just a hobby, that's all," Blaise muttered, and he distanced himself from the conversation by focusing on his sausages. Hmm, he does that a lot doesn't he?

"What about you, Mills?" Ron asked, calling Millie by her second nickname.

"Well, I love learning about magical creatures and all sorts of animals around the world," Millie answered excitedly, and Ron smiled. She and Luna would be best mates as well!

"What about you, Daph?" Pansy asked, and Daphne cleared her voice.

"I also enjoy maintaining the gardens at my Manor, like Theo, and I like reading romance novels. My father also has a big business side that involves Potions, so I meddled and studied potions when I was younger," Daphne replied with a smile. Makes sense, she IS really good at potions and herbology...

"She also likes to sing," Pansy added in, and Theo sniggered. Daphne just frowned.

"You can sing, eh?" Xavier asked, and Daphne just blushed with rosy cheeks. "Well, go on Daph, let's hear something,"

Daphne shook her head with a laugh. "I'm not foolish enough to start singing at breakfast. My voice isn't that warmed up and it's no serious thing, Xavier. My mother used to always hum tunes around me, and it sort of stuck with me, I guess," Daphne explained, and Xavier snapped his fingers in realisation.

"So, that's why I heard you humming in your sleep the other night. You were singing something about Theo and his pink lace underwear or something-"

Ron and Tracey burst out laughing at Xavier's statement, Blaise was doing his best to hold his laughter in, while Pansy and Millie were giggling away to themselves. Theo's pink underwear? HAHAHAHA!

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Theo snapped, his face going red instantaneously, while Daphne looked scandalised. Xavier just began to laugh his head off.

"Very funny, Desmond," Daphne huffed, making everyone, except Theo, laugh even harder.

"Oh, come on, that was hilarious!" Xavier exclaimed, but Theo and Daphne glared at him.

By this point, Ron and Tracey were wheezing, Blaise was chuckling away, and Millie and Pansy were laughing in tears. Theo and Daphne were not amused in the slightest, and even avoided each other's eye contact.

"Well, what are your hobbies then, Xavier?" Daphne finally demanded, keen on changing the subject after two minutes of continuous laughter. Fucking hell, my throat is sore from laughing…

"Well," Xavier started with a grin, but he morphed into a more serious expression. "Aside from anything that involves learning and practising magic, I might say that I'm pretty experienced when it comes to playing the piano. Nothing sounds better to me than a soothing, nostalgic and even depressing classical piano composition,"

"You can play the piano?" Tracey asked in awe, and Xavier nodded.

"There was a room filled with various musical instruments back at the Orphanage. It was a room where we could go to spend our free time. The piano always had this allure on me, and over time, I just taught myself how to play it," Xavier informed, and his friends all looked captivated.

"You should definitely play the one back at the Manor. You'll impress father and mother," Daphne added in with excitement.

"You guys want to hear me play?" Xavier asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yeah of course, why not?" Ron said. I remember dad brought a piano home once… Fred and George always hogged it, but I did get to try it a few times… Merlin, it sounded heavenly… before Charlie placed a spell on it to make it sound like bloody rats squealing...

"Maybe you can play to create some inspiration for my poetry," Blaise suggested with a smirk, and Xavier smirked back at him.

"Yeah, maybe. One day…" Xavier trailed off, staring at the ceiling.

"You know, we should all have a day where we can spend time with each other while doing our hobbies," Pansy suddenly encouraged, and the boys all stared at her incredulously, while the girls immediately jumped on the idea.

"That's a great idea, Pans!" Tracey exclaimed while Daphne nodded vigorously.

"We could do it in the Greengrass Manor!" Daphne began, and the boys all zoned out before the girls could bore them with their plans and excited chatter.

"What do you guys think?" Millie asked, and the four boys all exchanged looks. Blaise just focused on his food, Theo scratched his hair, Ron pretended to fix up his robes, while Xavier just intended on staring at someone from the Hufflepuff table.

"Ugh, you guys didn't listen to a single word, did you?" Daphne pouted, her eyes narrowing on the four of them. Bloody hell, don't give us that look, Daph!

"All right, we'll join you guys on your 'perfect day together'," Theo quickly agreed, saving the boys from the girl's wrath. Good save, mate!

"Perfect!" Tracey exclaimed while Pansy and Daphne clapped their hands in joy.

"Ok, but no crazy things like making us put makeup!" Ron cleared up, but his male friends all slowly glared at him, while Pansy and Tracey smiled mischievously.

"No promises," Pansy replied with a wink. I'm sorry lads, I've failed you…

Pansy Parkinson's P.O.V:

The Girl's Dorm – Friday, April 15th, 1992

"So, what got you into doing haircuts?" Xavier asked, and Pansy combed his back and sides before answering.

"Well… Tracey introduced it to me when we were younger, and I thought it would be nice to try it out. I love it," Pansy replied with a smile, and she began to cut the sides with the clippers she had.

"Would you like me to style your dreadlocks, Xavier?" Pansy asked after she had cleaned some of the hair on his sides with her wad, and she giggled when she caught his confused expression reflecting off the mirror.

"Your dreadlocks are currently all over the place. I can assort them and put them in hair ties for a better look or I can separate them and try a different hairstyle," Pansy provided, and Xavier smirked.

"All right then, I'll go for option two. Hmm, you really know what you're doing, don't you?" Xavier said, and Pansy blushed. As she blended the sides, she sighed.

"When Tracey was introduced to all of us, we were kind of shocked to realise that she wasn't a Pure-Blood like us. Malfoy downright despised her for it, and me, being the attention-seeking brat I was, sided with him," Pansy informed, and she felt that familiar sense of shame fill her. All because I liked him…

"I see… what about the others?" Xavier asked, looking intrigued and also looking quite surprised that Pansy decided to share this with him.

"Well, Daphne and Tracey were already good friends, mostly since their fathers are like best friends as well and so Daphne knew Tracey before any of us did. Blaise simply talked to her like he did with the rest of us… distant and aloof. Theo, at first, had no interest in her, but slowly, he and Tracey became pretty close and bonded over their humour," Pansy answered, and she smiled happily. Theo and Tracey do look cute together…

"And Mills?" Xavier asked, and Pansy's happy expression was replaced with one of shame.

"Millie… she sympathised with Tracey since she was more of a punching bag back then. Malfoy always made fun of her weight, and Millie was always in tears or close to them," Pansy explained bitterly. Millie never deserved that… And I only made it worse for her…

Pansy could feel her eyes sting, and she tried her best to not tear up. Xavier noticed this, and he held her free hand with his and squeezed it gently.

"Hey now, Pans, what happened before is in the past. You've realised your wrongs and you must move on. Millie looks happy when she is talking with you and our other friends. As long as Millie is happy around you lot now, you should be happy too. After all, it was the fact that you all had been around Malfoy for too long," Xavier stated firmly, and he kissed her hand. Pansy blushed, and a smile slowly spread across her face.

"I guess you're right, Xavier… thank you," Pansy leaned in and without hesitance, she kissed his cheek. Xavier's eyes widened and Pansy froze.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Xavier just smiled slyly and Pansy giggled.

"Now don't move your head or I might cut your ear off," Pansy warned jokingly, and Xavier just chuckled before looking straight down ahead.

"Anyways, Tracey was dedicated to helping our views change. Daphne had already been taught by her parents to believe what was right and Millie was just happy that one person didn't make fun of her weight. Malfoy followed his father's views very loyally and didn't even budge to change his views at all and neither did Crabbe and Goyle. They used to be shy and sweet boys when we were all children, but now they only follow what Malfoy says and where food is," Pansy said with another sigh, and Xavier just listened raptly.

"What about Blaise and Theo?" Xavier asked, wondering about his other two male best friends.

"Well, you already know about Theo. As I said, he and Tracey soon bonded as the two were pretty much the ones who made us laugh the most and they were intrigued by each other's difference. Tracey discovered Theo's love for plants and gardening, and joined him sometimes, while Theo would sometimes ask Tracey about the Muggle world," Pansy admitted.

"And as for Blaise," Pansy started, before stopping and thinking. "He… he already felt neglected at the fact that he never knew his own father… he also knew about this rumours that circulated around his mother-"

"What rumours?" Xavier interjected. Pansy bit her lip. I should probably tell him… he'll know either way…

"Blaise's mother… there are rumours about her that she dates men who are wealthy and rich and… and kills them…" Pansy whispered, and she shivered.

"Let me guess, she's extremely wealthy because of those husbands and when they died, whether she killed them or not, their properties and valuable items mostly end up in her hands," Xavier commented, and Pansy nodded firmly.

"She's one of the wealthiest witches in the whole of Europe, Xavier. Anyways, Blaise has to cope with those rumours and not knowing how to deal with it, he just became more distant and quieter," Pansy stated sympathetically, and Xavier nodded in understanding.

"I see… yeah, I understand where he's coming from. It's hard for him to trust people and he doesn't want to get too attached with people," Xavier said, sounding like he was speaking from experience.

"Yeah… exactly…" Pansy mumbled, staring at Xavier as if he had grown another head. He noticed this and sighed.

"I'm quite good at reading people," Xavier simply added in, and Pansy nodded slowly.

"Anyways, Blaise, more than the rest of us, was getting tired by being bossed around by Malfoy and as seen as some lackey, not friend. He decided to stop visiting for a while and distance himself, which kind of worried us a bit. Tracey decided to go there and whatever she said to Blaise seemed to have got him out of his absence. He started talking to her and Theo more than anyone else and that was how it was," Pansy recounted, feeling her emotions for Blaise spark in her once more. Xavier just had a small smirk on his face. It was clear that he was happy to see how Tracey broke the cycle of his friends all being under Malfoy's influence.

"And you?" Xavier finally asked, and Pansy thought about her past with Tracey.

"As I was a Malfoy-loving fool back then, I sided with Malfoy, though in my heart, I was against it. I just… I just liked Malfoy and because of that, I hurt people's feelings and said stupid things. I don't even deserve to have all of you guys as my allies…" Pansy trailed off, and she felt those bitter tears well up in her eyes again. Instead of comforting Pansy with words again, Xavier just rubbed her free hand with his soothingly and smiled warmly at her. Pansy smiled softly.

"Tracey was adamant on being friends with me as well, but I looked at her with disgust every time, until the point where Tracey exploded on me. I was left shocked, honestly… I never knew that what I did was so hurtful and wrong and hypocritical… and since then, Tracey and I respect and love each other…" Pansy trailed off, getting lost in her memories.

After another ten minutes of Pansy precisely fading and blending his sides and back, Xavier inspected himself in the mirror and grinned.

"I'm impressed, Pans. You've done an excellent job here," Xavier complimented, and Pansy clapped her hands excitedly.

"Now, tell me if you like this style," Pansy said. She sectioned the dreadlocks apart from each other and decided to go for a style called 'box braids.'

Once she had finished the style, she let Xavier look over his new hairstyle. To her relief and joy, Xavier absolutely beamed at her.

"You know what, come here," Xavier said, and he pulled Pansy into a hug, which made her squeal.

"Aww, Xavier…" Pansy cooed, and Xavier smiled radiantly at her. Sweet Morgana, he looks so handsome…

"Thank you for this, Pans. I really love this hairstyle," Xavier said truthfully, and Pansy squealed in delight.

"Come on, Xavier," Pansy said quickly, grabbing Xavier's hand. "Let's go show the others,"

"Oh, all right then," Xavier chuckled, and he let Pansy lead him to the Boy's Dorm.

Due to her excitement, Pansy knocked rapidly on Xavier's Dorm door, and when Theo opened up, he frowned.

"Calm down there, Pans, what's the big deal-"

Theo stopped mid-sentence when his eyes caught Xavier. Theo's frown then morphed into an impressed smile.

"Never mind that, Pansy you've done a wonder on Xavier," Theo commented, and Pansy smiled arrogantly.

"I know right!" Pansy replied with a giddy tone.

"Can we enter or what?" Xavier asked with a smirk, and Theo quickly let the two in and shut the door behind them. Their friends were talking to each other while sitting on the boys' beds.

"What do you guys think?" Pany asked, garnering their attention.

"Wow…" Daphne muttered once her eyes landed on Xavier and he let her touch his dreadlocks.

"That's a really clean cut, Pans," Blaise noted with an impressed smirk and Pansy shot him a smile of appreciation.

"Looking good, Xavier," Millie complimented, and Xavier winked at her.

"Come over here, Xavier!" Tracey exclaimed, and when he did, she rubbed her hand against his faded hair. She glided her fingers through his dreadlocks and grinned.

"You look very handsome," Tracey giggled, and Xavier just rolled his eyes.

"Wow, you're making me blush even more now," Xavier responded sarcastically, and his friends laughed.

"No seriously though, Xavier, your new hairstyle looks brilliant, mate!" Ron exclaimed and he faced Pansy. "Pansy, can I get one after the holidays?"

"Oh, of course you can, Ron!" Pansy answered happily.

Xavier Desmond's P.O.V:

The Secret Dueller's Room – Sunday, April 17th, 1992

Xavier picked the book titled 'A basis on Wandless Magic' and sat down on the comfortable couch to read it, while Ron practised his Impedimenta Jinx. Most of Hogwarts' students had returned back to their homes for the break, including all of their friends. Ron's brothers were the only ones who stayed behind with Xavier and Ron.

Xavier opened the book and scanned through the contents. Hmm, let's see what you've got to say…

Wandless Magic was how Wizards and Witches performed their magic before wands were invented. Wandless Magic uses the wizard's hand as the source to strike spells. A wand may be more accurate, but Wandless Magic is a powerful skill and really handy, especially when one has lost their wand. The more control with Wandless Magic, the more control one has over themselves and their magic. Strong emotions, such as anger, may influence the strength and power of the spell directed at its targets.

European wizards use wands to channel their magic, but it's inevitably weaker since the wand acts like both a conduit and a filter, making it easier to cast but with weaker results.

As stated before, wands were a European invention, yet the African Wizarding community continued their skill and knowledge into the art of Wandless Magic.

After years and generations of inventing new techniques, spells and methods, African wizards and witches can simply do magic by pulling any hand gesture.

To master the type of magic you cast from your bare hands first you should know which branch of magic or which element your body favours.

Xavier nodded to himself as he read it. The Africans can simply do wandless magic by doing any hand gesture? Incredible…

Xavier flipped to another page and began to read the paragraphs on Elemental Magic.

The four main elements: fire, water, air, and earth all contain magic as they are rooted to the soul of the Earth. If you can grip the soul of these elements into your magical core, you can further enhance the powers of these elements to guide and aid you in your magic. Also known as elemental bending, this branch of magic is extremely complicated, and one must be patient and careful when trying to perform such magic. Other elements include light, darkness, heat, the cool, and so on.

All these elements run through the Earth, which of course, has its own very magic since the beginning of its own existence. The Earth's magic is drawn from 6 primal sources: The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Sky, the Ocean, and the Earth itself.

Xavier shut the book and non-verbally summoned a bowl from one of the tables. It came flying towards him and landed on the floor, still in one piece. Xavier smirked in satisfaction. I've gotten better at summoning things non-verbally…

"Aguamenti," Xavier muttered, and his wand immediately conjured clean water from the tip of his wand and poured itself into the empty bowl.

Xavier then sat down and focused his eyes on the bowl of water. He raised his right hand and fixated it over the bowl and tried to sense a force of magic. He felt nothing for a while before he could feel a small vibration running through the tips of his fingers.

The water in the bowl was moving due to the noise Ron was making with the dummies, and now, Xavier could sense the small vibrations of it.

Xavier began to move his fingers oddly, trying to spark a reaction from the water, but nothing happened. He tried it a few more times, but nothing came from it. Ah well, the book did say that you would have to be very patient… or maybe water isn't the strongest element that recognises my core… Either way, I did feel that vibration from the movement…

"What are you doing there?" Ron's voice came from beside Xavier, and the dark-skinned boy turned to see his redhead friend walking over to him.

"Oh, just testing out something. I was reading Elemental Magic, it's pretty fucking cool, mate," Xavier replied, and Ron laughed, before taking a serious look.

"How so?" Ron asked with interest, and Xavier cleared his throat.

"Well basically, the Earth obviously has its own magic, right? Yeah, well its six primary sources of magic come from the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the sky, the ocean, and Earth itself. On top of that, the main four elements, fire, water, wind, and earth, all produce and possess their own kinds of magic. With patience and practice, you could learn how to tap into these elements and magic," Xavier explained, and Ron listened in awe.

"Mate, I bet that someone could be extremely powerful if they could do that," Ron said, and Xavier nodded in agreement.

"I know yeah, imagine having nature on your side?" Xavier asked, and Ron shot him a look of awe.

"Anyways, while you were duelling, you were making movement and noise, and so the water in this bowl moved as well. I tried to sense a force and I ended up feeling the vibrations," Xavier added in, and Ron shot him an impressed grin.

"I should definitely try this soon. But I reckon I want to try to do some wandless magic first and try to have a basis in it," Ron stated.

"Fair enough, mate. Anyways, I think I might go on a walk. Are you going to join?" Xavier asked, and Ron glanced back at the lifeless dummies, before shaking his head.

"Nah mate, I think I'll stay a bit longer and practise some more jinxes or hexes, maybe even Stupefy," Ron responded, and Xavier shot his best mate a parting nod before exiting the secret room from the painting on the wall.

Xavier exited the corridor that led to the kitchens and he found himself walking past the vacant Great Hall. Hmm, where should I go? Hagrid's? My Dorm?

Xavier decided to explore the higher floors of Hogwarts, and he walked up the Grand Staircase. He passed the fourth floor and headed to the fifth one. He left the Grand Staircase and looked between the west wing and east wing corridors before choosing the east wing. I wonder what's down here…

As he continued down the east wing, he came to a dead end and frowned. That can't be it, can it?

An idea then struck Xavier, and he quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the wall.

"Revelio," Xavier muttered the Revealing Charm, and to his shock, the wall began to shake slightly before lowering into the floor. A set of ascending stairs appeared before him. Are these stairs even on the Marauder's Map?

With that slight tad of hesitance, Xavier walked up the stairs all the way until he came face-to-face with a door. A secret room, eh? I wonder-

Xavier was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a strange clanking sound coming from the door and he immediately held his breath. The sound then stopped, and Xavier felt his breathing ease. What the hell was that?

Xavier shook his head, believing that he was imagining things, and was about to turn back when the same clanking sound made its presence known, and Xavier halted in his tracks. What the actual fuck…

Xavier closed the gap between him and the door and pressed his ear against it. Unsurprisingly, it almost seemed hollow, meaning that there was a room that door would lead into.

He listened in hard, and he could hear the howls of the wind coming through the room. Why can I hear wind? It's not even a windy day today…

For another odd reason, Xavier shivered every time he put his ear to the door. It was like it was cold in the particular spot, and this baffled Xavier. As the anticipation built up inside of Xavier, he decided to open the store and step inside. And when he did, he froze in a shell-shocked trance.

A huge room was covered in glistening crystals of ice and the temperature literally dropped. What is this place? Does anyone else know about it?

Xavier was simply mesmerised. All those times Ghosts would boast about Hogwarts holding many secret rooms… well, it was clearly true. This room was clearly not in the Marauder's Map, so that meant only one thing; even the Marauders themselves hadn't found every room there possibly was in Hogwarts. This is far too interesting to let go of… I'll come back to this later and I'll probably keep this to myself… Fucking hell, Hogwarts you are one mysterious motherfucker…

Xavier turned around and left the room of ice, and the wall came back up as soon as Xavier stepped outside of the mysterious room. With more glance at the room, he continued back down the stairs and left the Vanished Stairs.

Xavier exited the stairs and closed the door behind him. He continued back to the Grand Staircase, and a million thoughts flooded him. Why was there so much ice? Is it hiding something? Does it have something to do with the Philosopher's Stone? And what was the clanking sound?

"Psst," came a hissing sound, ripping Xavier out of his thoughts. Xavier stared around in confusion, and then a painting on the wall captured his attention. It was an old, frail wizard in purple robes, and he held a staff in his right hand. And this wizard looked very familiar to a wizard in a chocolate frog card. No way…

"Merlin…" Xavier muttered, and the wizard in the painting chuckled.

"Indeed, young boy," The old wizard replied, and Xavier just felt dizzy. So much is going on…

"So, there's a painting of the greatest wizard in history here at Hogwarts?" Xavier muttered to himself. Merlin heard him and chuckled again.

"Of course, how could there not be?" Merlin asked, and Xavier recognised his rather eccentric attitude. Kind of reminds me of Dumbledore…

"Why are you speaking with me, er… sir?" Xavier questioned, wondering whether to call Merlin Sir or Lord.

"Just Emrys, young boy. And as for your question, I believe that you have just come from a secret room and are feeling thoroughly confused," Merlin started, and Xavier shot the famous wizard an incredulous look.

"And judging by your expression, I'm correct. Let me guess, you've just discovered a room filled from ceiling to floor with ice," Merlin hypothesised, and Xavier just stared at the man.

"How… how do you know that?" Xavier asked after a few seconds.

"Because that is one of five secret rooms that I studied throughout my time here at Hogwarts," Merlin answered, and Xavier's eyes widened.

"There are more rooms like that? You've studied them?" Xavier inquired quickly, and Merlin nodded firmly.

"There are five secret legendary rooms all around Hogwarts, and keep in mind, the castle doesn't hold all five. The areas that surround Hogwarts may hold these rooms," Merlin informed.

"Like the Forbidden Forest?" Xavier asked, and the older wizard nodded.

"Precisely, my boy. These rooms are known as the Cursed Vaults. We have the Vault of Ice, the Vault of Fear, the Forest Vault, the Buried Vault, and the Sunken Vault," Merlin informed, and Xavier listened raptly.

"While I studied these rooms, I realised that these rooms are all highly dangerous to access and are guarded by something. I also believe that these rooms may hold items or treasures," Merlin stated, and Xavier let a deep sigh.

"This is all so… wait, if something is guarding these rooms, then the rooms are guarding something important," Xavier pointed out, and Merlin nodded.

"Precisely, young chap. I warn you, however, these rooms are highly dangerous. The Vault of Ice was the one you just discovered, and that ice is cursed," Merlin warned, and Xaver slowly nodded. Cursed ice…

"Wait, does anyone else know about this?" Xavier asked, and Merlin simply stared back.

"Apart from you, not that I know of, young boy. Sure, one can hide their own secrets, however, when one finds a Cursed Vault, they will normally act on it and try exploring more. As we've already discussed, the rooms are guarded by something, so if anything happened, the Professors would get wind of it, wouldn't they?" Merlin said, and Xavier nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Does this mean the professors know?" Xavier asked.

"I am sure that Albus Dumbledore knows, young boy, but as for anyone else, I'm not sure. As for me, I only reveal this information to those I've seen that have discovered these rooms, mainly the Vault of Ice," Merlin answered, and silence fell between the two. Xavier was still trying to process everything he had currently learned.

"This is just… these rooms must be hiding something or someone very important or very dangerous… maybe both," Xavier said, and Merlin nodded.

"I myself haven't explored these rooms and I didn't intend to. Though, I have heard over the centuries that those rare students who had discovered said rooms were heavily injured, cursed and even lost their lives," Merlin admitted.

"Merlin…" Xavier muttered.

"Yes, that is me," Merlin retorted, and Xavier rolled his eyes.

"Emrys, how do I speak to you? Your portrait hangs on the fifth floor, and it will just look suspicious if I come up the fifth floor when I need to talk to you," Xavier said.

"Well then, young boy, are you from the Noble House of Slytherin?" Merlin asked, and Xavier nodded. Merlin shot him a proud look.

"Well, as that is your lair, there are several portraits in the Dungeons, young boy. Several are vacant, young boy. Whenever in need to reach out, just wait around an empty portrait and call out my name. I'll be there as soon as I can," Merlin instructed, and Xavier sighed in relief, before nodding.

"Well, I must go er Emrys… I'll talk to you later," Xavier said, and Merlin nodded before disappearing from his portrait. Fucking hell, I just spoke to the greatest wizard of all time… what is going on?!