Birth of a Nightmare Man

Chapter Twenty-Four

Another year began at Hogwarts. Some of the students returned for further education while others, usually younger, were new. The new ones were told about the strange man, the lord, while some of the old students carried on like usual, already knowing about him.

The lord had been known to approach students. Sometimes to ask them things. Sometimes to tell them things. Once or twice he just looked at them. One of them was a Malfoy, and Malfoys did not appreciate being stared at. Finally the young man was fed up and snarled at the lord:

"What is it?"

This only earned an amused smile from the lord, who then patted his cheek and said:

"Thank you. I missed seeing Draco's sneering face. You Malfoys are hilarious."

Then he walked away, and didn't explain what he meant. This however, was the usual norm. He seldom explained things he did. At least to the students. Hopefully the four founders knew more than they did.

However, not all accepted this and moved on, allowing the lord to be eccentric and strange. One student in particular took offense to having his questions ignored.

"When I ask something, I expect an answer!" he said to the lord.

"Is that so?" the lord replied.

"So you have to give me one!"

"I don't have to give you anything," the lord said.

"My father is powerful, and the offense stretches back to him."

"Does it now? Look at how much I don't care."

The lord seemed more amused than anything else, and Malfoy, who had seemingly been so angry with the lord, was smiling. Others milled around. Some of them were nervous, others were angry. Some of them were amused like Malfoy. There were a few portraits on the wall, and they were chattering amongst themselves. Whispers of calling for the four founders before the lord got upset, and creative.

None of the students knew what 'creative' meant when mixed with the lord, but by the sounds of it they didn't really want to find out.

"You'll regret that," the student said and took out his wand.

"Duelling is forbidden in the corridors," the lord said. "God knows why, it's a great stress-reliever but that's what Rowena wants and what she wants, she gets."

"It's not going to be a duel. I'm going to defeat you."

"… Are you now? Alright, go ahead. You get one chance, one spell, and I won't do anything. That doesn't count as a duel, right?"

He shooed away the students near him so the area around him cleared up. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

The spell came out purple, no one knowing what kind of spell it was, and hit the lord. The spell enveloped him. Some of the students gasped. Another, Malfoy, had his wand out at the student.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Malfoy shouted.

"Yes!"

"Well, it didn't work now did it?"

The lord appeared from the light and shook the rest of the spell away.