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“Welcome, students. Today, we are learning to perform the Vermillious charm. There are
three version of the this charm: Vermillious Uno, Vermillious Duo, and Vermillious Tria, each
one more powerful than the last. I am going to teach you the first for a few days, then we’ll learn
Vermillious Duo. This charm produces red sparks from the tip of your wand and can be used in
dueling or for other things. In your case, this will be particularly useful to know in case of an
emergency, where you can use the red sparks to signal for help. Of course, the Periculum charm
is much better for that, but that is a slightly more difficult magic that you will not learn until
second year. Now, I’ve lined up four dummies across the room. Que up, and take turns
attempting to cast the spell on the dummy. Be careful of where you point your wand. I don’t
Professor Horthwrite quickly teaches the class the proper pronunciation of the incantation
and the wand movement, then lets them line up in front of the dummies. Dahlia and Scorpius end
up in one line while Albus and Luka end up in the next. Luka notices Ardeo glaring at him and
The first time Albus tries, he elicits an impressive string of red sparks from his wand,
“Wonderful work, Mr. Potter,” Professor Horthwrite says encouragingly. Luka can
line afterward. They talk excitedly about the task, both eager to try again. Once they get their
chance, Albus does even better than last time, his sparks grazing the dummy.
Albus’ third attempt yields amazing results. His sparks are bright, powerful, hot, and
Luka barely has time to comprehend what happens next. All he sees is a flash of red light
speed through the air from his right and directly hit Albus in the chest. Albus yells, shivering just
like all the dummies did when struck with the spell. The spell subsides and Albus is left
“What happened?” he asks in a more urgent voice than Luka has ever heard from him. He
doesn’t quite know how to answer the question until he sees Ardeo standing, his eyes wide with
defense but his lips slightly curled into an almost undetectable grin.
Albus nods.
“Mr. Ephraim, please keep your wand in control from here on out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And five points from Gryffindor for your potentially dangerous lack of coordination.”
Despite the points taken and the insult to his skill, Ardeo looks at Albus and Luka as
though he’s won. His smug look makes Luka want to kill him.
After classes end that day, Scorpius, Luka, Dahlia, and Albus sit together in the common
room.
“I can’t believe he did that to you, Albus. Teasing is one thing, but assault is even worse.
“Because he wouldn’t believe me,” Albus says, shrugging. “I had no proof. Plus, there’s
no point in trying to fight against him. If we just ignore him maybe he’ll stop.”
“No, definitely not. Once a prick, always a prick. We need to get back at him.”
“Scorpius is right,” Dahlia says. That sentence is enough for Albus, Luka, and Scorpius
“Yeah, that’s true,” Scorpius laughs. “I’m glad you agree with me. What do you think we
should to do him?”
“You’re not doing anything t o him!” Albus exclaims. “We’re only going to get in
trouble.”
“That’s what this school is for,” Luka says, surprising himself with his own words.
After an evening full of planning, Albus, Scorpius, Dahlia, and Luka set out for classes
the next day, full of confidence. When they get to Potions, they continually make eye contact
with each other, waiting for the right moment. Professor Slughorn puts them into partners--
Albus and Dahlia are paired, then Scorpius and Luka. He tells them to take a table, and Scorpius
and Luka make sure to get the same one as Ardeo. Albus and Dahlia are only one table away.
They get started, and as they work, Scorpius drinks out of a clear bottle of water. He
makes sure Pravus sees him drink at least a few times. Then, he hides the bottle under the table
and Luka tries not to look as he pours the pink powder into the water. Without attracting any
attention, he whispers a spell that turns the pink water clear again, and puts it back on the table.
He looks at Dahlia, who nods discreetly and whispers her own spell, pointing her wand at
Pravus.
The effects are immediate. Ardeo smacks his lips, a confused look on his face.
His partner doesn’t say anything, but Ardeo only gets worse.
“No, seriously,” he says, his speech slightly hindered. “It’s really dry. I need some water,
now.”
To Albus, Dahlia, Scorpius, and Luka’s fear, Ardeo starts to leave his table to get water
outside of the classroom. But Scorpius saves the plan by saying, “Hey mate, here’s some water.”
“I don’t want to drink yours, you-” but Ardeo’s words don’t come anymore. He coughs,
clutching at his throat, and takes the water with utmost contempt. He down almost all of it,
“You’re welcome,” Scorpius says, hardly containing his smile. Ardeo frowns and gets
back to work.
` This is when Luka starts to panic. The powder in the water is slow-acting, but he doesn’t
know if it’s slow-acting enough. It’ll probably happen in this class period, and Ardeo and anyone
else who noticed his dry-mouth frenzy will definitely suspect the guy who gave him water.
Nothing else would make sense. Luka’s heart races, wishing they had filled in this hole in their
His thoughts are interrupted when he sees the first enormous pimple sprout right on the
tip of Ardeo’s nose. Some of Luka’s panic leaves at the hilarity, but it comes back when
everyone in the class starts staring-- and laughing-- at Ardeo. The pimples spread all across his
cheeks, forehead, and chin. Smaller pimples crawl down his neck and under his robes. Ardeo is
“Mr. Ephraim, what happened to you?” Professor Slughorn asks, walking over to the
table.
“I don’t know, I just-- wait. It was you!” he points at Scorpius. “You gave me that water.
I bet you made my mouth dry, too! I knew something was strange about that. What did you put
in there, huh?”
Scorpius is stammering, trying to save himself, but nothing intelligible comes out.
“Albus didn’t help him. It was me. I messed with the water. Scorpius didn’t do anything,
either.”
Ardeo starts yelling about how Scorpius had to have helped, but Luka is now listening to
Professor Slughorn.
“Yes, I’m sorry Professor. I did it. Scorpius did nothing,” Luka says, but Ardeo interrupts
him.
“Professor Slughorn, I know the Malfoy kid was in on it. It was his water bottle. He
“Well, Mr. Ephraim, you make a good point. Mr. Jones, Mr. Malfoy, I do not appreciate
you interrupting my class. Go see Professor McGonagall and she will sort this all out.
Meanwhile, I advise you to not cause a scene like this again. Out you go.”
Scorpius and Luka walk out of the classroom shamefully, Albus and Dahlia staring at
them thankfully as they leave. Luka may have saved them, but every step he takes towards
Professor McGonagall’s office brings more regret for his decision. Why did he sacrifice himself
for them? Technically, he didn’t even do anything, he just helped them plan it. He could have
gotten away with no punishment. A stone of anxiety weighs in his chest as he imagines what
Finally, after a particularly maze-like journey through the castle, Scorpius and Luka reach
the gargoyle that leads to the office. They scramble for a moment when they realize they don’t
know the password, but somehow the gargoyle moves without them saying anything and reveals
a spiral staircase. Scorpius and Luka reluctantly climb the steps until they reach the door. They
The room is large and circular, with many windows overlooking the sunny grounds.
Shelves line the walls, books and papers and strange objects arranged neatly upon them.
Professor McGonagall’s desk is large and dark, covered with papers and other objects. The
Headmistress herself is sitting behind the desk in a tall chair, wearing ruby-red robes, her eyes
“I’ve never known how in the world so many antics can occur during the first week of the
year. I never expect much to happen so early on, but it always does. You’re not the only first
years to have ever caused a ruckus this early in the term. In fact, you are a statistic.”
Scorpius and Luka look at each other. Luka doesn’t know how Professor McGonagall is
aware of what happened already, but it makes him feel extremely uneasy.
“Well, sit,” she says, staring at them with a piercing look. Once they take a seat, she
continues.
“And may I ask why would you partake in such ridiculous misconduct?”
“When we were learning the Vermillious charm in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he hit
Albus with the spell and played it off as an accident. But it was just because he was jealous.”
Scorpius and Luka are both swarmed with confusion when Professor McGonagall’s lips
curl into a smile. But after a moment, they turn back down again.
“Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Jones, behavior like this will not be tolerated here. I’m afraid your
opinion of a student does not count as proof that they assaulted Mr. Potter, although we will keep
an eye on Mr. Ephraim. As for you two, I am taking twenty-five points from each of you and you
will serve detention this weekend. I will have Professor Hagrid send you the details. I know that
Hogwarts is a comfortable place, and I happen to know that both of your fathers were very
playful and curious boys, but that does not give you permission to harm other students, are we
clear?”
Scorpius and Luka leave the office quickly, stepping quickly down the spiral staircase
“Why did you confess? I could have saved you the punishment!” Luka says, his voice
“Yeah, I mean, I thought you’d be grateful. Serving detention alone would suck.”
“Well you should have gone along with what I was doing. I was trying to help you and
Luka storms off, only angrier after yelling at Scorpius. He knows what he said wasn’t
necessary and that Scorpius was only thinking of him, but Luka just can’t stand Scorpius’
obvious acceptance of the consequences of his mischief. Maybe Luka was right all along. Maybe
Luka spends the rest of the day sitting with the others in class, Scorpius glaring at him
every so often. After class, he goes out to the Quidditch pitch to fly around for a while. He flies
far, as far as he can, winding around the castle and over the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He
knows that if anyone sees him flying like this, he’ll be in trouble, but he can’t help it. Flying is
telling them that their detention will start at 9:00 that night and that they’ll be going into the
“What is wrong with this school? They tell everyone that the Forbidden Forest is
forbidden-- as if its name doesn’t already convey that-- and then once you get in trouble they
throw out into it? I mean, there’s all sorts of things in that forest. We could die!”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Dahlia says, rolling her eyes. “You’ll have Professor Hagrid
with you, and he’s very knowledgeable about magical creatures. He’ll keep you safe.”
His walk at the lake ends when he sees Albus, Dahlia, and Scorpius heading towards him.
He tries to avoid them while walking back up to the castle, but they already saw him and Dahlia
“I was flying.”
Dahlia looks unconvinced, but she says, “Okay, have fun.” Luka feels bad for turning her
down. She seems disappointed every time he splits off from their group. The thought makes him
happy, but then he realizes that and shoves it out of his mind.
Luka actually does do his homework for a while, but then he resorts to wandering the
castle to entertain himself. He works his way up from the Slytherin common room to the Great
Hall, then goes upstairs. He wanders into corridors he didn’t even know existed, swings his head
into classrooms he’s never entered. At one point, he runs into Filch, who is a very old man with a
very mean grimace, who interrogates Luka for at least have an hour, trying to find a reason to
take him to his office, until a Hufflepuff prefect saves him. The prefect advises Luka to go
outside in order to avoid another confrontation with Filch, but Luka only climbs another flight of
It’s then that Luka finds a room that is not a classroom or a closet. It’s a trophy room.
Luka steps carefully inside, already reading the bottom of every trophy he sees. Many of them
are for Quidditch, others are for academic achievement, and some are for special services to the
school. That’s when he sees Harry Potter’s trophy. Or, rather, his trophies. He has seven of them.
Then, Luka notices the other trophies surrounding those seven. They all say Ron Weasley and
Hermione Granger. They all have one for every year they saved Hogwarts. Luka knows the
stories, of course. In fact, Luka’s dad started at Hogwarts the year Dolores Umbridge took over
the school. He saw, secondhand, Dumbledore’s Army come together. He saw Umbridge come
and go as the leader of the school. He was at Dumbledore’s funeral. He saw the Battle of
Hogwarts, or at least part of it, before he and the other underclassmen were led out of the castle.
He saw the end of Harry Potter’s mission to defeat Voldemort. Luka’s dad has shared all of these
stories with his son. But even if Luka hadn’t heard those stories from his dad, he would still
While staring at these trophies, Luka sees a second row behind Harry’s. There, he finds
one for Luna Lovegood, another for Neville Longbottom, and a third for Ginny Weasley. Only
then is Luka consumed by a deep curiosity of what it must be like to be the son of Harry and
Ginny Potter. Luka remembers Albus’ color-drained face as he heard himself being sorted into
Slytherin. Now, Luka understands. The only trophy on the shelf not adorned with red rubies is
Luna Lovegood’s. But none are adorned with emeralds. No one wanted to give an award to a
Slytherin.
But, as he leaves, Luka’s eye somehow detects a faint shimmer of green. He turns around
to look at a cardboard box, where he finds the source of the color. He pulls out a trophy just like
the others, with deep green emeralds embedded around the bottom. The trophy says, “Draco
Malfoy: For Valiant Nobility in the Face of Darkness.” Luka wonders what Draco did that was
so valiant and noble. He also wonders why this trophy isn’t on the shelf with all the rest.
Scorpius doesn’t speak when Luka meets him in front of the castle. Luka maintains this
silence as they walk through the grounds to Hagrid’s hut, their feet crunching in the first fallen
leaves. When they reach the hut, Hagrid is already outside, holding a large lantern in his
enormous hand.
“What are we going to do in there?” Scorpius asks, eyeing the line of trees fearfully.
“We’re lookin’ fer Lepanguis tracks. They’ve been pickin’ around my Kimma Bug
“Oh, don’ be scared. They only eat little creatures. You two are much too big fer ‘im.”
As if that was enough explanation, Professor Hagrid leads Scorpius and Luka into the
edge of the forest. He takes them down a rough trail and they wind through the the thick trees in
even thicker darkness, the lantern in Hagrid’s fist emitting what feels like the light of a single
match in an expansive dark sea. Luka doesn’t like the feeling that drips over him as he follows
directly behind Hagrid’s massive body that he can’t help but think of as a shield. It feels as
though the entire forest is simultaneously dead and alive. As if the eerie stillness is sinking into
his own body, trying to stop his heart, but also as if the unseen creatures lurking around them are
injecting their own consciousness into the trees and bushes, making Luka feel as though
everything in forest is watching him, waiting for him to make a wrong move.
After about five minutes of walking in silence, Luka hears a twig snap behind him and
his heart jumps as he simultaneously realizes how fake the rustles and groans he’s been
imagining are and how horrifyingly real this one is. He turns around, along with Hagrid and
Scorpius, and he can’t believe what he’s seeing in front of him. At first he thinks it’s a very tall
man, but then he sees the hair and the hooves and the entire behind of the creature, and realizes it
must be a centaur.
“Hagrid. What brings you to the forest this night?” the centaur asks, his voice deep and
“Hello, Firenze. Just bringin’ these first years along with me to find the Lepanguis tha’s
“I would not advise that you bring young people into this forest, Hagrid,” the centaur
says ominously. “We have been watching the skies. Uranus is coming into its next orbit.”
It’s silent for a moment, until Hagrid finally asks, “What does that mean?”
“Danger is coming.”
Firenze stares into the sky for a long time, Hagrid, Scorpius, and Luka standing
awkwardly in front of him. Suddenly, Firenze looks back down at them and says urgently, “You
must leave now. Do not come back, Hagrid. Do not take the children here for a while.”
With that, Firenze gallops off through the trees, leaving Hagrid, Scorpius, and Luka very
confused. But Hagrid eventually leads Scorpius and Luka back the way they came, muttering as
they walk.
“Damn centaur. Don’ know what he’s goin’ on about. As if he s’pects me to know what
‘a while’ means.”
“What was that, Professor Hagrid?” Luka asks, his head swimming with questions.
“I don’ know, but it don’ sound good. Centaurs are the best astronomers of any species,
but they don’ tell ya anything straightforward. But they’re usually right about whatever is they’re
goin’ on about, so I’d take Firenze’s advice and not go back in there.”
Hagrid’s uncertainty stops the rest of Luka’s questions, knowing he can’t answer them.
They’re almost to the edge of the forest when Hagrid stops and Luka almost bumps into
him.
Hagrid stands up for a moment, sighing, then says, “Listen, I know Firenze said the forest
was dangerous, but we’re almost to the edge. I need to find this damn animal, so wait here and
don’t move ‘til I get back. I won’ be long. If anything happens, just keep goin’ down this trail
With that, Hagrid stomps off in search for the elusive animal, leaving Scorpius and Luka
silver moonlight peeking through the trees to fall on his luminous white hair and cast shadows
across his scowling face. Luka looks at him for a moment, and knows what he has to do.
It takes a moment for Scorpius to register what Luka said, but when he does, his lips
“Seriously, I’m sorry. I was scared and pissed that we got in trouble and I shouldn’t have
taken it out on you. I appreciate what you did. You’re right, this would be horrible to have to do
alone.”
Scorpius crosses his arms and says with a poisonous tone, “You realize you’re going to
“Yeah, I know-”
“And for some reason you seem to be perfectly fine with Dahlia being your friend but the
“Yes it is. Stop lying. You force yourself to hang out with me and Albus because you
Luka feels the same rage he’s already felt multiple times this week bubble inside him
again, but then he hears a twig snap just like when Firenze creeped up on them, only this time
there is a lot more rustling along with it. Both boys stop, holding their breath, adrenaline
coursing through Luka’s veins both from his anger and his fear. The rustling continues, and
Luka shakes his head, his heart pounding. He watches Scorpius turn and start to walk
back down the path towards Hagrid’s house, laying his feet slowly and carefully on the ground,
but Luka walks up to him, not bothering to stay quiet, and grabs his arm. Scorpius curses at him
in a whisper, but Luka hushes him. He takes Scorpius by the hand and leads him towards the
“What the bloody hell are you doing? We need to get out of here!” Scorpius
whisper-screams.
“Either doesn’t seem very appealing. We don’t even know what in Merlin’s name a
Luka doesn’t know why he walks towards the noise, but when he finally sees a dark
shape between the trees of the forest, he thinks of Caligo. A shiver runs through his spine and he
suppresses a smile. And then the moonlight finds the shape and reveals a strikingly familiar face,
Luka’s whole body is buzzing with curiosity, but he forces his muscles to freeze as he
watches Ardeo kneel on the leaf-strewn ground. The boy takes out a small dagger-- more like a
letter opener, really-- and swiftly brings the blade to his inner wrist, pressing the metal into his
skin. Licorice-colored liquid seeps out of the wound, and Ardeo directs the blood into a goblet
that Luka didn’t notice before. Luka feels his own blood pulsing in his body, excitement and fear
flooding his veins, but most importantly: familiarity. The adrenaline becomes too much, and
Luka fidgets, re-positioning his foot on the crunchy forest floor. To his dismay, the sound is loud
enough that Ardeo snaps his head up, peering frantically through the trees like a startled animal.
Scorpius’ cold hand wraps around Luka’s wrist and pulls him as quietly as possible through the
trees, back to the trail. Scorpius and Luka walk back to Hagrid’s house quickly, reaching the
edge of the forest in no time. When they reach the steps of the hut, Scorpius says at a normal