Dark Wizard Collector: A Hogwarts Fanfiction

Chapter 27

Dinner was, as always, bounteous and satisfying. After pleasant conversations with Minerva and the staff members, I was able to inform Dumbledore that I was prepared to take on tutoring. "Sir?" My light voice gained the wizard's attention before he left the hall.

"Yes?" The white haired head turned to look at me over his half-moon spectacles. "Ah, Miss Zeria, how are you?"

"I am well thank you, sir. I just wanted to give you a schedule I made up for my availability to tutor." With a slight tremble of my hand, I passed a piece of parchment to headmaster. Carefully, he took the small scroll with his aged hand and unfurled it.

Reading it, Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Very well, I shall make the announcement at breakfast and have Mr. Pringle post a notice in the common rooms of each house. Thank you." Headmaster Dumbledore said and walked off to his tower.

I exhaled. It would take time, but I knew that my resentment toward Dumbledore would fade just like my love for Grindelwald. With a shake, I decided to distract myself by making a round of the castle. All was quiet as I passed a few prefects rounding the halls as well to make sure students stayed out of trouble. On the third floor, I spotted a long blond haired, young man walking my way. "Good evening, Lucius," I said when we walked closer to each other.

"Miss Zeria," the sharp featured head nodded and watched me carefully with his cold gray eyes. The sudden urge to take his hand seized me as he walked past.

With a gasp, the student stared at me; I gulped back trepidation realizing what I had just done, but I had already committed to the action. Gently, my thin fingers closed around his and I stepped closer to the tall, broad-shouldered student. Nothing was said as I slowly moved my other hand to hold his face and kiss the thin lips once. Then, I spoke. "I made a promise to not let your brave deed go unacknowledged, and I always keep my word." Letting go of the shocked student, I continued walking down the hall with renewed speed. The young man was left speechless in the corridor and I was able to return to my chambers without having to talk further.

That night, I was restless, thus spent the dark hours reading my journal. Absorbing everything in the book, I realized how selfish it was for one person to keep all this knowledge locked away. It was then that the idea of bribing my brother with this information to bring him, if not back to sense, to talking terms with me. I shook my head and scribbled down a few words onto a piece of parchment. "Avenger," I whispered into the dark and two large white eyes shown out from the massive silhouette perched at the window. "Take this to my brother."

"Who?" Avenger hooted deeply.

"You know who, you silly thing." I chuckled and pet the owl.

It squawked.

"I know you can't watch over me while you are traveling. So, I promise I will not meddle with the Soul Arts until you return." The child-sized owl hopped over to my candle lit desk and stuck out his large scaled foot, to which I tied the scrolled parchment with a leather strap. "Thank you."

In the passing days, I had no sighting of Avenger and I began to get anxious. Where was my brother that it was so difficult for my owl to find him? However, I kept myself busy with tutoring groups of students that were having difficulties with classes. It was amazing how many children came to the tutoring sessions that several times I needed to move from my office and into an empty classroom. The classes I was helping students with ranged from Arithmancy to Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts to Herbology, and Ancient Runes to Charms.

All ages of students from every house came to get my help. A handful of Ravenclaws humbled themselves to gain what knowledge I had to offer, the rest must have been too proud. As for the Hufflepuffs, they were scared of me at first, but eventually began to love my lessons seeing that I was not at all trying to harm them, especially when I set out a bowl of sweets from Diagon Alley. The Gryffindors usually came in pairs, no doubt Potter and Black told them that I count myself as part of Slytherin House, the latter of which I had a large group of students attend lessons regularly.