13 Second Year Part 6

Amelia's eyes widened at his question. "I don't know where you heard such classified information." She looked deeply into his eyes. "But, while Severus Snape was a suspected Death Eater, he never received the Dark Mark, and his name was cleared of all charges by Albus Dumbledore, who vouched for him."

Kaiser sighed in relief. That would have been one hairy problem to deal with., and he was glad he didn't have to.

"Something I'll understand once I see the memory?" She asked with a raised eye-brow, and Kaiser nodded.

"Well. It was a pleasure meeting you. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we meet under these… special circumstances?"

"Probably not." Kaiser answered with a sigh. The meeting ended, and Kaiser went back to his room. He expanded a lot of energy, and he needed to rest.

The next day was a normal school day, with the additional spreading rumor that Harry Potter saved Ginny Weasley from the Chamber Of Secrets, fighting a basilisk and what not. Obviously, no one believed the last part, but they believed that Ginny was indeed saved from the Chamber.

"A basilisk? What are they smoking?" Daphne said incredulously. "They do know that a basilisk can kill with a single look, right? As of right now, no one knows what color is a basilisk's eye, because no one lived to tell the tale! And its venom? Nothing deadlier exists."

"Maybe they mistook a big snake for a basilisk? They are no experts in magi-zoology, right?" Tracey offered.

"Why aren't you commenting?" Daphne asked, looking at Kaiser who didn't appear interested.

"You mean why am I not taking the Hogwarts' rumor mill seriously? Didn't they say a couple months back that Harry was the evil heir of Slytherin?"

"Touché." Daphne conceded. "By the way, are you guys friends or something?" She continued. "You use his first name."

"You could say that." Kaiser said vaguely.

"Really? I heard he's really arrogant, and doesn't speak to anyone else, but Weasley and Hermione." Tracey was interested in this new gossip she was acquiring.

"Nah, he's alright. Weasley is an arse, I'll give you that. Hermione can be… misunderstood. Harry mostly gets dragged into Weasley's arrogance." Kaiser explained.

"So, tell us Kaiser, any love interests? There are a lot of rumors about you, you know?" Tracey said with a teasing grin.

"I am so not having this conversation with you."

"Why?" She pouted.

"You spend a suspicious amount of time with Lavender. He might as well shoot himself in the foot." Michael explained this time.

"Can you at least confirm if you're seeing one of the older year girls?" Tracey asked, and Kaiser nearly spat the pumpkin juice he was sipping.

"What?! Why would you think that?" Kaiser demanded. "And how come I never heard any one of those?"

"Because we never talk about it when you're there?" Michael suggested gleefully, happy to see him lose his cool for the first time.

"Well there are times where you disappear completely, and no one knows where you go. We had teams keep an eye on you." Kaiser's eyes widened at her declaration. It looks like he underestimated how bored those people were. "And, the common theory is that you spend that time in a broom closet with one of the older girls." Tracey explained seriously.

"I… I'm thirteen years old!" Kaiser argued.

"thirteen, fourteen, just numbers." Tracey waved her hand dismissively.

Kaiser turned to his ultimate weapon. "Luna, can you check Tracey here for Wrackspurts infestation? I think her brain is going fuzzy."

"They do tend to be drawn to her." Luna nodded seriously.

"Aha!" Kaiser smiled victoriously.

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Meanwhile, the headmaster just had a meeting with Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy in his capacity as a Hogwarts Governor. It ended with Malfoy accidentally freeing his House Elf.

After he left, Harry began giving the headmaster more details about his tale, with the occasional Legilimency probe from the wise old man, completely unnoticed, of course. Until they were joined by the three main Hogwarts professors: Filius Flitwick, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape.

"Ah yes. Come in. Young Harry was just telling me of the events following the opening of the chamber." the headmaster said with a smile.

"Albus, wouldn't be easier to just view his memory of the event? You have a Pensieve in your office, don't you? It would reveal more truths to us than words can." Filius suggested.

"Ah, the truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with gre-" at the unimpressed looks Flitwick and McGonagall were giving him, Dumbledore sighed. "Very well."

All the Pensieve needed was skin contact, so they could all enter the memory at the same time.

They followed Harry from the moment he met Kaiser, and opened the chamber. They were shocked when they saw Lockhart take Ron's wand, and try to erase his memories. They were even more shocked at the way Kaiser controlled the situation after his spell backfired on himself.

"Serves him right." remarked Filius angrily, and they all shared the sentiment.

Then, Harry and Kaiser entered the chamber, found Ginny's body lying there. They were impressed at the calmness Kaiser demonstrated faced with this situation. Then, they were shocked to see a student in Slytherin clothes they've never seen before.

"Who is this? I don't think I've ever seen this student before." McGonagall asked, but her fellow professor merely shook their heads.

The conversation that followed seemed interesting, until he started drawing letter in the air, then they were dumbstruck. Imagine their shock again when Kaiser Lunar, their favorite, calmest student, most helpful one, would call him an arsehole out of nowhere. The reason why seemed more ridiculous.

Flitwick and McGonagall turned to the headmaster: "What is he talking about, Albus?" But he didn't answer, and seemed in deep thought.

Then, a disillusioned Snape was mentioned, and they were gobsmacked when Kaiser looked at them, and said: "No offense, Professor. I happen to be more observant than most." as if he knew they were there.

Snape seemed unable to swallow that pill if the death glares he was giving Kaiser's image was any indication. And Filius and McGonagall wanted to ask a lot of questions, about why he was tailing him, and why he didn't stop said ambush. They didn't know if he was the one to organize it. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be reevaluating his strategies. It seemed that he made some huge mistakes, if a thirteen year old boy could see through him. But, perhaps his worry was unnecessary?

The conversation that followed seemed interesting, and they marveled at how Kaiser pried information out of the 'darkest wizard who ever lived'. And Snape wondered why he wasn't sorted to Slytherin. Then, he remembered that he wouldn't have lived for long had he done so.

When the Dark Mark was mentioned, both professors turned to Snape with cold faces, but Dumbledore eased their minds: "Severus did not take the Dark Mark."

They all tensed when his demeanor changed. And they frowned when they saw him cast the Killing Curse.

"Where would a second year student learn the Killing Curse here at Hogwarts? Did he sneak into the forbidden section of the Library?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I think the question we should ask ourselves is 'Why would a student learn such a spell to begin with'." Albus Dumbledore remarked, pondering over the issue. Was he right to be worried after all?

"Filius, can you please call Mr. Lunar, so he could satisfy our curiosity?" Dumbledore asked, but Filius shook his head.

"I don't think that's wise, Albus. He does not trust you. Your meddling could be what pushed him in that direction. Having a professor tailing you, maybe he felt unsafe." Filius Flitwick explained. "I suggest I speak to him in private."

They thought the idea had some merit, and decided to trust their fellow diminutive professor.

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"Come in, Mr. Lunar. Have a seat."

Kaiser was unsurprisingly called to Professor Flitwick's office.

"I must say, I am impressed with your wits during your latest ordeal. You might have saved more lives than you think." Flitwick praised.

"I didn't do much, Professor, and I don't deserve such praise. The basilisk was never a threat to begin with." Kaiser explained. "Though, I must thank you for sparring me an awkward meeting with the headmaster."

"You're welcome." Flitwick chuckled. "But, we were most concerned about your choice of spells. I realize you must know how… unusual for you, a second year student, to perform such a highly dangerous, and taboo spell. But we realize you must have your reasons. So, we're giving you the benefit of the doubt."

Kaiser was treading on thin ice. He needed to consider his next words carefully. Thankfully, he already prepared an answer. "When I first heard something was petrifying students, I was thinking of ways to deal with it. Contingencies, in case I find myself in a hairy situation. I didn't know at first what the monster is, or what the Slytherin heir's modus operandi was. I already know a few spells to do lethal damage, but they all can be blocked with either shields, or magical resistance some beasts have. The killing curse is no exception, but if you hit it in an unprotected spot, the eyes, for example, it will have the desired effect. So, I thought it would be wise to add it to my arsenal of spells. The fact that Tom was an idiot and gave me an easy way out is on him."

Flitwick pondered about the issue for a while, before talking again. "I see. That would make sense. You must understand that knowledge can also be dangerous. The reason the headmaster is worried about you, is that young souls tend to be easily corrupted. That is why we don't give you access to such knowledge from a young age." Kaiser nodded.

"Professor, I heard that students may require to stay over at the school for the summer, in some cases, if the headmaster approves of them." Kaiser asked tentatively.

"Indeed. Though you'd have to provide a good enough reason." Flitwick nodded.

Kaiser took out an item from his pockets he'd prepared beforehand. A prototype watch he made from aluminum. It had a thin frame, with an elastic property to fit one's hand. He presented it to the teacher.

"What's that?" Flitwick asked curiously.

"A hundred percent runic watch. There is no mechanical system inside, all runes." Kaiser explained with a smile when he saw professor Flitwick's eyes widen at the economical implication. That meant, apart from the materials the watch was made of, one didn't have to spend anything on its construction. As long as you had an enchanter on hand, you could make thousands of these and sell them at a low cost. Kaiser proceeded to explain to him how to use it, and its functionalities. It was pretty basic. The most notable function is the alarm function, that had the watch vibrate. Kaiser couldn't create sound yet. That would take him some time to get right.

"THIS IS INGENIOUS!" Flitwick exclaimed. "You made this by yourself?" Kaiser nodded. "I am impressed! I could give you a thousand points for this, but then the other professor would say I'm biased."

"It's alright professor. Besides, even if you did give me a thousand points, Dumledore would just give Harry two thousand, and Gryffindor would win the House Cup again."

"Too true." they both smiled at that.

"I'm not even going to lecture you on how dangerous it is to work on Runes, seeing how you made this and still lived to tell the tale." Professor Flitwick said.

"Don't worry, professor. I like my life very much. I won't put myself in unnecessary risks." Kaiser nodded. "I would like to continue my work during the summer. I can't do it at the orphanage. I won't be using my wand, so it should be alright."

"Very well. I'll bring this up to the staff. May I keep this?" Flitwick gestured to the watch.

"Of course, professor. The enchantments will fade after three weeks, however." Kaiser explained.

"Did you make sure this was well protected? I don't trust the headmaster, or the other professor won't try to copy the enchantments. And I may have to hand it over." Flitwick explained.

"Don't worry. It is well protected."

"Very well." Flitwick nodded.

Kaiser was smiling as he left Flitwick to play with his new toy. He just needed the confirmation, before moving on to the next step of his plan.

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"That sounds reasonable." McGonagall nodded at Filius words. "I have faith Mr. Lunar wouldn't learn such spells to misuse them."

"While I do agree with you, Minerva, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Young souls can easily stray from the right path, after all. We need to keep a close watch on Mr. Lunar." Dumbledore said wisely.

"There may be a way to ease your mind, headmaster." Filius said. "Mr. Lunar has requested he spends the summer at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore frowned. This can't be good. Did he hate muggles? Not want to interact with them again? "Why?"

Filius took out the prototype while the others eyed him curiously. He proceeded to explain its purpose, and their eyes widened in realization.

"This is amazing!" McGonagall exclaimed. "I knew he was interested in runes, he had shown an interest in them the first time I introduced him to Diagon Alley. But never in my wildest dream have I expected to see results this soon!"

They decided to call in the expert: Professor Bathsheda Babbling. After arriving, they presented the "device" to her, and asked her for her opinion. She waved her wand at the prototype and performed several tests, before she started: "This doesn't seem to have an internal power source, so it must be drawing ambient energy in low quantities, and storing it temporarily for usage. The power consumption seems very low. The way the number are displayed. A light source. Very interesting. A variant of the Lumos spell. This is unheard of, actually. The lumos spell appears to be very simple, but no one has succeeded in modifying the spell itself. And he has already changed the color of the spell, which means he has significant control over it. And since the power consumption seems low, I'm going to guess that for each number, one Lumos spell is used. I can't tell any more than that. It appears to be heavily protected. Any attempt to look at the runes will result in a self destruction." She explained. "I have never such a device before. I can tell the Runes can't last very long, considering the properties of the material used. This was made recently. Who made it?" She asked curiously.

"It was a Hogwarts' student who did it."

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "I must be blind, because I don't have any Runes student that showed such potential. Is it someone who already graduated, perhaps?"

"Actually, it's a second year student, Professor." Dumbledore said.