[Harry Potter Fanfic] Beyond the Corridor

Chapter 2 : A Special Delivery From the Ministry

He woke up covered in silk blankets that made him warm to his core. His hair was wet and his nostrils flared with the stench of river water. He looked around, finding himself in a fancy cabin. His anxiety made his heart race, thinking of the man in black. It was real, it had to be, but he walked on water. How in bloody ashes?  He tried to crawl out of the bed, as the warm sparks of the fireplace lit the wooden home, but his legs and arms were sorer than they ever had been. 

"Slow yourself, son, no need to rush yourself," said an aged voice. A man wearing fancy dark orange robes stepped into view, perhaps standing near the door. His pale features were aged and wrinkled, but his blue eyes showed years of wisdom. He bowed, "Dean Lawrence, from the Ministry of Magic, it is a pleasure to meet you, Zai Rido." Ministry of Magic, is this an insane old man? An INSANE homeless man, ready to rob me of what little I got?  "You've been piling up a huge case in the ministry, your letters have gone missing, along with the owls who carry them. A very frightening case as the owl carcasses continuously pile up at the castle's gates."

"What are you talking about," his voice sounded weak, very much child like. A frightened child. That description wasn't very far from the truth, he was only eleven, turning twelve later in September. 

"Did your parents not tell you of the Ministry? Surely Luisa and Jermaine would, they worked there, along my side," he paused and chuckled, "they never did invite me to Christmas dinner, so very sad. How are they, those two bast- lovely wizards." 

Zai stared at Dean blankly, with no current feelings floating around. "They've been dead." 

"Dead, you're pulling my leg," the old man did not see a hint of laughter in Zai's face, it would've been a cruel joke to say, "my God, how did the Ministry not find out. They were classified missing in action." 

"You're not making sense, grandpa, what are you talking about. Ministry? Wizards? Blimey, you have to start making sense, this doesn't click with anything I know of."

"Oh for fuck's sakes, don't tell me that you aren't aware that magic blood courses through your veins. You are aware of that, correct?" His question sparked a look of confusion in Zai's eyes. "God damn us all. How did your parents not tell you this." He stroked his stubble and whispered to himself, nodding. "It does make sense indeed, they must've been part of the generation that was greatly scared by tales of the Dark Lord. Wizards who hid their children from the wizarding world, afraid of them being turned into young Deatheaters waiting to start another revolution in favor of the Dark Lord. That must be it."

Zai laid back in bed and covered his eyes with a stinky forearm. "Wizardry, good grief, old man. You really must be crazy."

"Stop calling me an old man, Zai, I am in my forties, this is the result of an aging charm gone wrong," he took out a black stick with a white tip, appearing to be a wand, "Aperus Verdas!"  A portrait that appeared to be made out of green flames came into existence, appearing almost to be phantasmic. The portrait showed a man with a sharp jaw and wide smile. His hair was not white, but dirty blond, and the wrinkles were nowhere to be seen. "This is my true appearance, I could've been attractive if it weren't for my stupid fear driving me to experiment with forbidden magic. And thus, this is the price I must pay." He hid his wand and stepped closer to him. 

He felt lightheaded, his mind was beginning to be overwhelmed. "How did you do that. FeBreeze and a bunch of laster pointers, right?" 

Dean shook his head, "Its magic. Real magic sparked from within my magic blood, into reality through my wand." He walked over and handed him a long box. Zai opened it slowly and a wand laid inside of it. A small purple crystal was attached at the end of it, and from the crystal to the tip, was dark brown wood that gleamed with a mystic aura. "The headmaster left this here with me, along with this as well." He handed him an envelope with a red stamp at the center. "A letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since the beginning of August, owls have been trying to deliver this to you, but all of them have vanished and died."