Incident

Atreus mostly spend the following weekend in the library. The Slytherin students were literally all over him and non-stop praising him for gaining so many points in just a day. The first minute, it was fine. Atreus even enjoyed it a bit, but then they just kept going on and on and on. He was getting more uncomfortable by the second, so he just ran away from them.

Luna was already in the library, apparently waiting for him. He didn't even question the sweet but terrifying girl. Atreus didn't know what was considered normal, but Luna was definitely not that. She was very unique and different compared to anyone else. However, as long as he could look past how scary perceptive she was, he found her likable and even enjoyable to spend time with.

Although Atreus was in the library to avoid being bothered by his housemates, he had another reason to visit the place. Since he learned his soul is much different than others, he hoped to find a book regarding that. He didn't think he would find an answer to his problems, but he would be satisfied with a hint or two. The rest, he could try to figure out on his own; he just needed a place to start.

"You won't find what you are looking for here," Luna said as he checked book after book.

"This shelf or the library in general?" Atreus asked.

"Umm, both," Luna answered while trailing two fingers over the books as if they were a path for them.

"And where would I find what I'm looking for?" Atreus asked again. He had a feeling Luna might know.

"In the castle," Luna said as if it wasn't obvious.

Atreus waited for her to continue, but she just hummed to herself. "Where exactly?" He then asked.

"In the castle," Luna repeated.

"That's not very helpful, but at least I know I can find it somewhere in Hogwarts," Atreus muttered as he moved over, searching for books about Arithmancy.

"Was I supposed to be helpful?" Luna asked, walking beside him.

"I sure would appreciate it," Atreus replied, hoping she tells him more.

"Ooohhh," Luna bobbed her head up and down but said nothing else.

"So? Where can I find books about the soul?" Atreus asked.

"In the castle," Luna said with a bright smile.

Atreus let out a sigh but chucked before returning back to checking the bookshelves. He picked up a few and looked around for a place to sit. Luna softly pulled his sleeve and said, "This way."

Lune led him over to a secluded corner with a table stacked high with towers made of books. Amidst them, one could barely spot bushy brown hair that resembled a... bird's nest.

"We're here!" Luna proclaimed happily.

Hermione popped her head above the wall of books, "Atreus? And..." it took her a moment, "Luna? What are you doing here?"

"Came to read," Atreus pointed at the books in his hands. After all, they were in a library.

"We came because you are lonely," Luna nodded to herself.

"I'm... not lonely," Hermione said, not even being able to convince herself.

"Oh? But your friends are fighting and don't listen to you," Luna said with a tilted head.

Hermione didn't respond. Hary and Ron were indeed fighting and weren't listening to reason as they usually did. And as usual, this will last for a few days before they finally make up. However, in the meantime, Hermione was left practically alone; if she tried to support one, the other would just turn on her as well. She had already learned it was better to just let them settle it on their own.

Atreus sat down and opened one of the books he had picked while the other two floated next to him as there was no space on the table. Luna plopped down as well, humming a tune to herself and rocking her head left to right.

Hermione peeked from the side of her wall, noticing the book in Atreus' hands and the two floating next to him, her gaze lingering for a moment on them.

"You're preparing for Arithmancy?" Hermione asked. She had been the top student when it came to magical theory for all of her years in Hogwarts. Hermione had struggled a bit with the practical side, but she was still at the top; only the students who were actually able to use magic over the summer did better than her.

Atreus was someone who was obviously far ahead of everyone else when it came to doing magic. In Potions, he showed that he was well-read as well. Then the Ancient Runes classes happened. He knew even more about the subject than the Professor.

If Atreus did that well in the other classes, he would end up taking her spot as the top student, the one thing Hermione prided herself with. However, that also served to motivate her and to keep her mind off her two best friends' fight.

"I am," Atreus nodded, "I've barely read books on the subject."

Hermione let out a breath of relief hearing that. She was about to return back to her books, but an idea came to her mind.

"I could try to help you?" Hermione said with uncertainty. The others usually preferred just copying from her rather than listening to her. Arithmancy was also her favourite subject, so she was happy to help someone with it.

"And you can help me with Ancient Runes?" There was also the benefit of that.

"Sure, why not," Atreus agreed.

Hermione smiled, but then she realized the entire table was filled with her books. She got a bit embarrassed and looked down, but the books just floated in the air, making space for them to work. Hermione just stared at the magical feat for a moment; it just didn't make sense to her how he was doing it with so much ease. She shook her head before scooting over with her chair, and the two began going over the book he had started reading while listening to Luna's humming in the background.

While they were studying, two tall and identical boys with red hair, who were holding books on Potions and Charms in their hands, approached them.

"Look at that, George. A Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw, and a Slytherin all sitting peacefully on one table," one of them said.

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke to me, Fred," the other said with a laugh.

"It even looks like one."

"What do you two want?" Hermione asked. The twins were always up to no good, and she had even been having a good time. They just had to ruin it for her.

They didn't get to reply as Luna giggled at them, "You two are funny. You keep talking even when your mouths aren't moving."

"Uhhhh!" The twins looked at each other in shock before turning to her, "Then what are we saying now?" they asked in unison.

"How glorious Monday will be," Luna answered without hesitation.

"George."

"Fred."

The two again looked at each other and bolted out of there, not even looking back.

"You're better off not asking," Atreus said when Hermione's head snapped towards Luna.

"But..."

"Trust me," Atreus said, his gaze returning back to the books.

Hermine looked at him for a moment, she really wanted to know, but there was something else on her mind, "You... really aren't like the rest of the Slytherin. You aren't disgusted by just being in my presence, and you haven't commented on my 'filthy blood' even once."

"What's wrong with your blood?" Atreus asked, his eyes slightly narrowed. Was she sick or something?

"I'm a Muggleborn," Hermione said, almost expecting him to flinch back in disgust.

Atreus just stared at her weirdly and asked, "What's a Muggleborn?"

Hermione was taken back. How did he not know this?

"It's a wizard or witch, whose parents are regular humans, also called Muggles," she still answered him.

"Non-magicals then," Atreus nodded. That's what his parents called them. "So what's the problem with that?"

Hermione looked really surprised, but she still answered him, "Wizards and witches look down on Muggles since they can't do magic."

"That's both stupid and false," Atreus replied.

"False? How come?" Hermione asked in shock. Did he know something that others didn't?

"Just because you were born without magic doesn't mean you can't learn how to use it. Plus, the strongest magic user I know was born without it," Atreus was able to say that with absolute confidence.

"I... don't believe you," Hermione said. She just couldn't. All the books Hermione read, and all the Professors had told her otherwise. She had learned not to trust everything at face value over the past few years, but this was too much.

Atreus just shrugged his shoulders, "That's your choice."

They returned back to studying, but Hermione was not as focused as earlier. Doubt pricked her mind, annoying her to no ends. Was it really possible for a Muggle to learn how to use magic? Or was Atreus trying to play a trick on her? He had been nice to her, listened to Hermione while she spoke about Arithmancy, and even helped her with Ancient Runes. She wasn't sure what to think.

When it neared curfew, they left the library. Hermione returned to her dorms, but the question of whether a Muggle can learn how to use magic kept repeating in her head.

Atreus, on the other hand, went straight towards the Forbidden Forest since he had so much more to explore. The previous night he had visited, he was attacked by a large group of Acromantulas. All of them met their end, and he had harvested the venom glands from their corpses. He didn't need the poison, but he could give it to his dad as a gift, not that Nicolas actually needed it.

Or maybe Atreus could give it to Snape and ask for a permission slip to enter the forbidden section in the library. Luna told him there were no books about the soul there, but perhaps there would be something else of interest there.

The Centaurs didn't bother him, and Atreus had a silent agreement with them. He stayed out of their way and didn't provoke them, and they did the same in return. One or two Centaurs, however, did tend to follow him, but they never came close to him, always keeping their distance.

Atreus had an idea where the territories of both the Acromantula and the Centaurs were, but he was saving them for last. The Foribben Forest was massive, but he wasn't in a rush to check everything there. After all, he had at least six months to explore it all.

Luna always found him when he returned back to the castle, and the two would walk around Hogwarts as he told her about the nine realms while she showed him numerous hidden passages.

The next morning, Atreus woke up a bit before six. After using a few spells to freshen himself, he entered the Common Room and sat down with a book in his hands. Both Luna and Hermione were probably sleeping this early in the morning, so it was pointless for him to go to the library now. Plus, the Slytherins weren't going to get up early since it was a weekend, and he was save for the time being.

Atreus was more than surprised when half an hour later, someone entered the Common Room. Daphne walked in; her eyes were still half-closed and drowsy, but she made her way over to a chair next to him before sitting down.

"Do you even sleep?" Daphne asked. She had stayed later just to catch Atreus when he returned, but she ended up just going to sleep without seeing him. Daphne had to wake up early in the morning before Atreus runs off, yet he was already up and awake.

"I do," Atreus nodded, "I even had a good sleep."

Daphne just shook her head before asking, "Where did you run off to yesterday."

"The library. Spend some time reading with Luna and Hermione," Atreus replied.

"With Granger?" Daphne asked, not as surprised as she should've been. After all, Atreus wasn't like the majority of their housemates. Which was why beating around the bush just to ask a favour would probably not be a good idea.

"Yep, she helped me with Arithmancy, and I helped her with Ancient Runes."

Daphne nodded and decided to be direct, "I was wondering if you could help with that as well?"

"Sure," Atreus agreed, and she breathed out in relief.

If Daphne had asked almost anyone else in Slytherin this directly, they would've requested a big favour in return. She always had to have long and drawn out discussions until forcing the other person to practically offer what she wanted. This was much easier and simpler.

"I will be meeting Luna and Hermione in the library later today."

Daphne wasn't exactly happy with that, but she was willing to put with the know-it-all Granger if it meant that Atreus will help her with Runes. She might even get some pointers from Hermione, who she had to admit was the best in their year in Arithmancy. Both classes were a must for Daphne to master if she wished to accomplish her goal, and it wasn't an easy one.

Later that day, Atreus and Daphne went to the library. Luna, again, was already there, and the three met up with Hermione. At first, she and Daphne acted a bit coldly to each other, but once they began studying, they became much friendlier.

Hermione was happy that others actually listened to her while Daphne respected how knowledgeable the bushy-haired girl was. A small study group was formed between them, and the four ended up meeting quite often in the library in the following days.

The next week began, and Atreus performed exceptionally well in his classes. McGonagall, the Transfiguration Professor, was just as impressed as Flitwick was by his effortless usage of magic. She, however, didn't award him as many points since she was Gryffindor's Head of the House.

Care of Magical Beasts was something Atreus enjoyed since not only was he near animals, but it was taught by Hagrid, the half-giant. The giant of a man absolutely loved animals and seemed to be very kind-hearted. Hagrid was also pretty crass with his words, reminding Atreus of Brok, which netted him bonus points.

On Thursday, they had their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class. After everyone had entered the classroom and sat down, the door burst open. Moody stormed inside with a frown on his face.

"For the past three years, you have been taught NOTHING!" Moody said while wobbling over to the front of the class.

"This class is called Defence Against the Dark Arts, and yet none of you know how to DEFEND yourselves. I WILL be changing that!" Moody stated, his frown never leaving his scarred face. He picked up a bunch of parchments from behind his desk and flicked his wand, sending them over to the students.

"This is the basic Shield Charm! You WILL learn how to cast it by the end of the class and MASTER it by the end of the year! Read it and memorize it in the next few minutes!"

There were murmurs among the students, and some seemed ready to retort, but Moody silence them all.

"READ IT AND MEMORIZE IT!"

As he said, Moody didn't give them more than a few minutes to do that.

"Now, all of you pick a partner and get ready! Potter, you are with me since there is an odd number of students!"

Everyone quickly found someone, and Atreus partnered up with Daphne.

"Over my the years as an Auror instructor, I've learned that PAIN is the best stimulant for learning. One of you will use the Stinging Hex, while the other will block it with the Shield Charm. If you don't want to get hurt, you better not mess up! BEGIN!"

Daphne fired the Stinging Hex at Atreus without a second thought. He, however, just cast the Shield Charm with ease and looked at her with a smirk. She clicked her tongue at him, "Show off."

Atreus slowly pointed his wand at her, deliberately giving her more time to prepare. A white light flew out at her, and he tried to make it as weak as possible, not wishing to hurt her.

"Protego!" Daphne called and swiped her wand down, but she failed to cast the charm on her first try. The hex hit her left arm, but she kept her mouth shut, not releasing a sound of pain like everyone else in the class that failed the spell.

"Again," Daphne said, this time determined to succeed.

Once more, Atreus fired the hex at her. Daphne was resolved to cast the Shielding Charm, but she wasn't as successful as she wished to be.

"Again!"

This happened two more times until Daphne managed to cast the Shielding Charm and defend herself. After that, she did not fail even once.

Atreus leisurely continued firing the hex at Daphne, sometimes even more than one, while also taking a look around the room.

"Come on, Potter! Is this all you got?" Moody taunted Harry while firing hexes at him. The boy was all swollen and puffy, already hit by more than a dozen of them.

Harry was actually casting the strongest shield in the room, but Moody was ruthlessly firing multiple hexes at him. His charm was getting stronger after each cast, and Moody's words about pain being the best stimulant almost seemed correct.

As Moody kept firing the hex, which was white in color, he suddenly mixed a spell with a light green color. It was a Severing Charm that pierced Harry's shield and hit him in the torso, leaving a nasty wound.

"Ahhh!" The cry of pain and the blood that spurted from Harry drew everyone's attention to him.

Moody rushed over to him and quickly inspected the wound. He then cast the Body Freezing Spell and picked Harry up.

"I will take Potter over to Madame Pomfrey!" Moody declared. "All of you better continue working on your Shield Charm while I'm gone!"

Atreus felt it was a bit weird how Moody hadn't even bothered to try and stop the bleeding. That should've been the obvious thing to do, but maybe there was a rule where only the Healer could heal the students. He didn't know for sure.

Once Moody was gone, most of the Slytherins laughed and mocked, saying how the Professor had finally done something useful in his life. The Gryffindors, especially Hermione and Ron, looked visibly worried about Harry. They will surely go and check up on him after the end of the class.

-----

Later that day, Snape was in his office, grading the homework of the seventh-year students. He was about to pick up a parchment when he suddenly felt a stinging sensation coming from his left forearm.

Snape paled as he grabbed his left forearm and rushed out of his office. He had to get to Dumbledore and fast at that.