Dark Wizard Collector: A Hogwarts Fanfiction

Chapter 23

Madam Pomfery received us with a bit of a panicky attitude, but glad that our injuries were easily cured. I apologized immensely to Dumbledore, in hopes that he would remain oblivious to the crime I had just committed. The headmaster simply waved his wrinkled hand dismissively and smiled. "No need to worry, although, you may want to take your owl down to Hagrid to get it checked. Poor thing looks like it is on its last legs."

"Of course," I forced a smile and left the Hospital Wing when the nurse finished sealing my glass cuts.

An hour till dinner; that was all the time I had to skim through the journal I collected from my faithful bird. "Oh Avenger, we have hit a gold mine. With this exact copy of all three of the Anonymous Philosopher's Guide to Soul Arts I will never need to fear anything again." I chuckled and tapped my wand to the journal cover, "Script of souls reveal yourself." My smooth voice whispered and the blank journal filled with pages upon pages of purple inked passages.

Excitement shook my body as I read through the first few pages. This was my ticket to success. My brother had no knowledge of these books, and I intended to keep it that way till I found the right moment to pass on the knowledge. The little fool wanted to be immortal and here I found myself looking at all the ways to preserve one's soul. A sinister smile distorted my face, "I am not a waste. If I wasn't immortal before, I will be now."

Reminiscent of my student days at Hogwarts, I keep my head firmly fixed on the journal; it was now my most precious possession. A light knock at my door brought me out of my trance. "Enter," I called and tore my blue eyes up from the book. "Ah, Lily and Severus, how thoughtful of you to drop by; may I ask what is the occasion?"

"Dinner," said Severus in a shy voice and looked back at Lily who nodded, urging him to continue. "You see Miss Zeria, there have been plenty of rumors going around and well, we were worried about you. An awful lot of students don't particularly like you because of detentions and all, but you seemed a bit off to me and Lily. And. Er. Well, we wanted to see if you would finally come to a meal."

Closing the dry pages of my journal, I uncrossed my legs and stood from my seat. "Why, of course I am coming to dinner." I said soothingly and picked up my coat from hanging in midair. "But first, give me a moment to tidy things up; I'll catch up with you both." With a wave, I shooed the two from my office and turned to my journal. "Alright Avenger, let's see if Mistress Melony's Magical Maps was worth the read." I straightened my posture, holding my wand down to the journal and chanted an incantation from the restricted book I confiscated from Quirrell who pinched it off of Potter. "Verbum quod lateat," slowly, my tongue spoke the Latin phrase and I watched the purple-inked words disappear from sight, only to be unlocked by my command. "Safe at last," I breathed and locked my journal in a drawer of my cedar desk.

Hurrying down the sixth floor corridor, just like I told them, I caught up with Lily and Severus, both of whom smiled at me and accompanied me to the Great Hall. Dinner had already begun and a few heads turned to see us stragglers enter. Some Gryffindors waved at Lily as she joined them, and I noticed James Potter and Sirius Black sneer at the Slytherin by my side. I narrowed my eyes at the two boys and they stopped immediately. Walking Severus to the table, I spotted Lucius and his friends. Luckily, Laughalot kept his ugly mug down, because if he had not, I might have used the Cruciatus Curse on him right then and there.

Gently placing my hand on Lucius' shoulder, I allowed Severus to sit in the spot several of the older Slytherin boys saved for him. "Lucius," I whispered to the young man whose ears began to turn pink from my touch, and he straightened his posture at the sound of my voice, "did you tell anyone of what happened?"

"No, Miss Zeria," the honest reply satisfied me and I gave his shoulder a squeeze before smiling and heading to the staff table.

The seat between professors McGonagall and Busterforth was empty, so I took my place and filled the golden dish with the wondrous food the house elves had prepared that night. Grinning to my fellow table mates, I reassured them that I was feeling much better and I also feigned the courtesy of asking how Dumbledore was faring. The wizard smiled and chattered as if it were only a regular day's problem.

Dinner continued with light conversation between my two colleges that were proving to be quite friendly. McGonagall chattered about transfiguration spells that were popular a decade ago, and Busterforth commented on the topic with some very interesting insights. A genuine smile appeared upon my face as we spoke for the rest of dinner. My smile only lessened when I felt a pair of eyes watching me. It was the professor of Ancient Runes, Alduin. I wondered why he looked at me with such inquisitive eyes. I caught his glare and arched a brow. He smirked, I rolled my eyes, and returned my attention to McGonagall and Busterforth.

Soon I was finished, and free to return to my chambers where I slept for the first time in two days. Things were beginning to go in my direction and I could rest well, knowing that my work was just starting.