Royal disputes (Marauders Era)

Owls and Battles

Beams of light spilled over the window sill as birds chirped and sang outside. Hildred peeled open his eyelids, blinking blearily at his surroundings. He saw Ophiuchus lying on his stomach, hair dangling limply in his face. Across the the room, Cyneric was on his back, arms behind his bed, snoring softly, whereas Kendrick-

Kendrick was nowhere to be seen.

He rolled over, climbing out of his four-poster and grabbed a set of clean clothes from his trunk and headed towards their shared bathroom to freshen up for the day.

Ophiuchus subconsciously heard the door creak and so he jostled himself awake and noticed the bright sunlight piercing his eyes. He squinted for a moment, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the harsh light, before waking up Cyneric, briefly noting that Kendrick was gone.

"Hey, Cy, wake up. You do now not crave to be late for the first lesson back, remember last year? thou never crave to compose that mistake again," He gently shook the snoring boy, who jerked awake.

"Wha's the time Oph? Surely class is not f' hours..." He slurred, rolling out of his bed.

"I would thou were correct, yet would we would to hast breakfast we want to get content apace because we are a mite late. Also, any imagining where Kendrick is?" Hildred said, returning to them fully clothed, buckling his belt around his waist, placing his dagger and wand in their holsters.

"No imagining. Most likely already at breakfast." Ophiuchus replied, grabbing his own clothes. Eventually they were all clothed, fed and watered, and were now sat in their first classroom of the day: the Potions room.

The class consisted of roughly eighteen people, half Gryffindor, the other Ravenclaw. They sat in pairs, sharing a cauldron between them. Hildred paired with Ophiuchus, and Cyneric went with a blonde, considerably shorter witch. They were close together, whispering into each other's ears, laughing silently when their professor was turned away from them. Hildred raised his eyes and nudged Ophiuchus in confusion.

"They are cousins. She left through the second year to be homeschooled. People were getting suspicious when she was ne'r at home or about the town, and so to deflect any suspicions or accusations they sent her home. They hath not seen each other for a long time. And yet, he often partners with Kendrick, which I hast noticed he have yet another not shown up. I wonder where he could be." He frowned.

"Would he fails to discover by our next free period, we shall to Professor Orpington." Said Hildred to ease his friend's concerns.

Suddenly all conversations were cut off when the old oak door opened with a deafening creak.

"Good day students, welcome to another year of potions. I see there are two unfamiliar faces in the room, as well as a missing one. and whom might the two of thou be?" The professor's gruff voice asked politely, looking at each of them in turn.

The Ravenclaw girl next to Cyneric smiled. "Godiva Yaxley, Sir. I was taken out of the place of learning three years since to forbear the muggles' suspicion as to where I was." She explained.

"Ah, an unfortunate yet behoveful precaution we might not but take for our safety. And thou?" He stared at Hildred, who cleared his throat.

"Hildred Potter, Sir. I was homeschooled, as were mine parents, as well as the merely of mine mother's side."

The Professor's eye widened. "Surely not. The son of Elizabeth and Godwin Potter? Issue of the lost line of Prince Edward Plantagenet...well I ne'r... 'tis an honour to meet thou, Lord Potter." He smiled, yet it quickly turned into confusion. "And where is Sir Macnair? It is unlike him to be late, ne'r mind not turning up."

"Ah, he was missing earlier this morrow as well. Wherein we woke up he was gone and he was not in the Great Hall for breakfast." Hildred replied, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Well, this is most peculiar. I shall send a letter out to Professor Orpington and see would she knows aught on his whereabouts." He turned around but was interrupted by an abrupt crash from the doorway.

It was a seventh year, his blonde hair was stuck to his forehead and he was leaning against the door frame for support.

"Mine word, good sir? What is the meaning of this?" Cried the Professor, startled.

"'tis the Duke of Somerset, Professor. He- he plans to invade Scotland in eight days to force the marriage 'twixt the king and Mary the Queen of the Scots!" The boy breathed heavily.

"Mine god, surely not? Yet means that-"

The Professor was interrupted by an owl swooping past his head and onto the window ledge. He hurried over and unravelled the scroll that was tied around the bird's foot.

It read: To all English nobility in the castle with a knighthood, thou hast been summoned by the Duke of Somerset, Edward Seymour to prepare for the upcoming broil in eight days time.

Please go to the headmaster's place presently.

"Class is cashiered. Anyone in this room with a knighthood is to report to the headmaster's place presently." And with that, the professor turned around, and rushed out of the room, leaving the student's behind confused and worried. Ophiuchus stood up and grabbed the roll of parchment.

"Thou has been summoned...to prepare for.. Merlin's beard, they hath bid everyone in to fight for the Duke against Scotland. That's why we've been summoned!" He threw the letter down and grabbed his bag.

"He canst not be sad! What was the reason? For the King and the Princess Mary of Scotland to marry? This is King Henry VIII's doing, part of his campaign no doubt, and of course the Duke is carrying it out." Hildred raged.

"It doth not help that half of the students hither are Scots themselves." Scowled a ravenclaw from the back of the room.

"This is ill tidings, this shall not end well, not at all."