Harry Potter and the Rogue Mage

Chapter 7 - Reconnaissance and Reckoning

The great oak doors that led into the great hall stood wide open this morning. Students dressed in their everyday black robes scampered up and down the marble staircase inside, and as Rowan neared the huge doorway, he heard the loud sounds clattering knives and forks, signaling that breakfast well underway in the next room. The heavenly scent of bacon, toast, sausages and eggs wafted out from the great hall, and Rowan fought the overwhelming urge to sprint in. However, he paused dutifully at the entrance to the castle and began fishing around in the pocket of his coat. He was dressed a little more informally today, having ditched his many belts and pouches from the night before, he now wore simple black trousers and a white shirt under his long black trench coat. The shirt was open at the neck, and in his pocket, there was a large, brass and leather collar, which he quickly wrapped around his neck before closing it with a click.

Immediately, the faint pulse of magical energy Rowan had felt emanating from the castle ceased, and at the same moment, it seemed as though the sounds from the outside world grew suddenly quieter, as though someone had filled his ears with water. He shuddered, feeling a sudden weight to his limbs that he hadn't remembered being there. His skin crawled with a chill quite unconnected with the grey clouds overhead, and as he stepped forwards into the entrance hall, the ground beneath his feet did not burst into sudden vibration and heat. 

'Well, at least I know it works.' Rowan muttered to himself. He drew in a deep breath, almost groaning in grief as he felt only oxygen fill his lungs, before with a determined sigh, he headed inside, deeper into the castle. 

Rowan's first day at Hogwarts began roughly as he expected. Most of the students were still preoccupied with breakfast this early in the morning, so he met almost no-one on his way deeper into the heart of the castle. Quickly, he made his way to the kitchens, and after a brief moment spent searching for the door-handle, which was disguised cleverly as a pear sat in the fruitbowl of a nearby statue, he gained entry, moving swiftly into the kitchens with a spring in his step. 

Here, Rowan encountered for the first time, the house elves of Hogwarts. The small, rather grubby creatures were shocked to see him, even more so when he declared himself to be a mage, but after a short explanation with one of the braver house elves, they allowed him to speak with them en masse.

Since Rowan was a mage, rather than a wizard, the laws pertaining to a house elf's servitude to him were slightly different than they might be to a wizard. As such, they could not serve him food, nor clean his hut, but Rowan had expected this. Instead, he asked that they serve him with raw ingredients, and allow him to maintain his quarters and cook his own meals. Initially, the house elves were surprised, but once Rowan explained that his only request was accessing a supply of food, they were more than willing to help, declining his offer of payment through gold or trade, and even going as far as to insist that raw ingredients be delivered each week to his hut at the base of the hill. 

Rowan thanked them gratefully, and left shortly afterwards with a pocketful of raisins, which had been pressed upon him by the head chef as "a healthy snack." 

Following his encounter with the kitchen elves, Rowan headed upstairs, dashing on ahead of the crowd as the students, having finished with their breakfasts, began to head back towards their dormitories to prepare for their first lessons of the day. Quickly, Rowan navigated his way through the maze of corridors, feeling very clumsy and slow without his magic, and managed to locate the staffroom once again. Quickly, as the thundering of footsteps from the crowd of students grew steadily louder, Rowan opened the door, slipped inside, and closed it quietly behind him.

There were only a few teachers inside the staffroom. A pale, translucent figure who sat draped across an armchair in the corner, a short, elfin wizard who was partially hidden by a stack of tottering books, and a thin, severe-looking woman in green robes, whose black hair was pulled tightly into a bun, and whose green eyes flicked towards the door as Rowan stepped inside.