Chapter 23

A few hours into the journey the Train's loudspeaker came on "All prefects are now to assemble in the prefect's compartment." The driver's voice rang out.

"Bugger!" Eden swore as she checked the time absentmindedly. "I forgot to change! Go ahead Atticus, I'll be there shortly" she said as she was halfway out of the compartment.

He laughed and waved his friends goodbye and he made his way towards the prefect compartment.

He'd completely forgotten that he might be chosen for prefect duties and the letter had come as a surprise until he thought about it. It had been a mere afterthought when he had been preparing for his Master in Transfiguration and then in the latter stages of the break he'd been dealing with the subsequent newly found attention on himself.

The Daily Prophet had made a meal out of it, mostly to distract, he imagined, the populace from the war on the continent. They managed to slip in his Stargazing Enchantment into the article and comments were included by Dippet who stated that Atticus had recreated and modified the Enchantment in the Great Hall and waxed lyrical about his capabilities and achievements. They'd also actually done quite a bit of research on the last person who'd attained a Mastery at or by age fifteen and they had to go back 432 years and it had been in Herbology.

That itself had not been the problem. The more well known he was, the more his opinion would be valued and respected as he got older.

The problem had been that the story had also been picked up by Witch Weekly which certainly did not keep the topic on his contributions. They plastered him on the front pages of Witch Weekly which had been a highly flattering picture that he had no idea existed. He grimaced as he recalled the none so subtle insinuations at his bachelor status. His mother had teased him mercilessly when that issue came out which had his father in total schadenfruede mode.

He shook his head and opened the compartment. And cast his eyes amongst the gathered students. He set his eyes at the boy and girl wearing the Head badges and recognised them immediately. This year the Head Boy was Charlus Potter and the Head Girl was Cara Bones. He met Cara Bones before during one of those Events but never Charlus Potter and he hadn't had reason to talk with him at Hogwarts.

Other than them, there were a bunch of other prefects, some he had known before and some he only recognised vaguely.

"Hello All" he greeted as he took his seat next to Dorea who was a sixth year prefect. He spoke with her a little inquiring about her summer and she congratulated him whilst they were all waiting on the few missing prefects. Eden arrived only a few minutes after he did and the last of the prefects arrived a few minutes after her.

The meeting had been as expected though Potter did a fair good job at being succinct and engaging. Ravenclaw prefects were given the first patrol from junior to senior which suited him and Eden just fine.

After the prefect meeting ended he and Eden started their first patrol. "Does it get annoying?" Eden inquired kindly and he raised an eyebrow to the question. She rolled her eyes "The stares." She simply stated as they walked through the train checking as they went.

"Not particularly." He mused as he answered her question "I'm quite used to it now. Though I expect the first few weeks to be a little more intense" he winced and she chuckled. 

"Yes, I remember that article in Witch Weekly" she teased before she also winced a little which he caught "What was that wince about?" he asked curiously. She glanced at him a little awkwardly "My mother..." she didn't finish her sentence as they were distracted by raised voices. They looked at each other and walked at a brusque pace and opened the compartment.

"-ou dirty mudblood, let go of me, you dare grab my arms?!" The boy in Slytherin robes said in anger whilst the boy in Hufflepuff robes held on both arms trying to restrain him.

"What is going on here" Eden said in a serious tone as she stepped forward whilst he was assessing the situation. The Hufflepuff let the Slytherin go who seemed to be itching to let curses fly but barely managed to restrain himself whilst he was in the presence of two prefects

A girl in Hufflepuff robes was in the back looking angry but also sported a look of fear in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to match a name to her face. Abigail Abbot was her name. She had brown hair and eyes and had a heart shaped face. He shifted his eyes to the boy who was standing in front of her who looked a little scruffy and sported a bruised cheek and recognised it was one of the third year muggleborns who came to Hogs Head inn. Robert Elms who was another Hufflepuff. Amongst them were two other Hufflepuffs, a girl and a boy that he couldn't recall the names of.

Heads swivelled around as Eden called out. Robert spoke up angrily "Higgs barged into compartment and tried to speak with Abigail who didn't want to and didn't leave when we asked. When he continued to try to get her alone, I stepped up and got in his way and he started to draw his wand which I prevented by grabbing onto his arms" He said furious.

Higgs visibly worked himself up at the explanation and exploded "This filthy mudblood dared to intervene in matte-."

"Enough" He said sharply as he bore his gaze into Higgs who scowled until he saw Atticus' expression and calmed himself.

Atticus shifted his gaze towards Abbot "Ms Abbott, can you please corroborate that Mr Elms was correct or not in his description of the situation?" He asked Abbott politely but firmly as he looked to her.

She spoke up, albeit quietly "Robert is telling the truth. Higgs barged in to speak with me privately and I didn't want to but he kept on persisting" she said as scowled a little as she looked at Higgs with barely veiled disgust "He asked me to Hogsmeade last year but I said no and ever since then, he hasn't left me alone even when I repeatedly told him no." She said a little bitterly.

"Yo-" Higgs almost started as he looked nearly purple in rage but Eden silenced him which he didn't take kindly to when he noticed nothing was coming out of his mouth and almost took out his wand but Atticus stepped forward and grabbed Higgs wand arm quite firmly and squeezed and the expression from his face changed from anger to pain. His enhanced strength was no joke. He tried to pull his arm free with his free arm but he found no purchase. He was just about to swing with his free arm until he noticed the look on Atticus' face and brought his free arm down.

"Ms Macmillan, please undo the silencing spell" he asked without looking at Eden who did as he asked. 

"Let g-" Higgs began before he yelped in pain as Atticus squeezed a little more. 

"You will remain silent as I speak. Is that understood? Nod if you understand" he said calmly but with a tone that brook no disagreement as he sent a piercing gaze at the boy who nodded with pain and anger marring his face. Higgs was a big boned kid and had a forgettable face that screamed average. He hadn't noticed the kid much at Hogwarts.

"Good. Now, Ms Abbott has made it clear that she is disinterested in you and it seems that she made it quite clear a number of times. You will accept her decision and you will leave her be. Is that understood? Yes or no answers only." He said with a firm tone.

"Yes" Higgs said through gritted teeth as he glared at Atticus. Attics nodded "Good. Next, you will not seek retribution against Mr Elms." He said calmly to which Higgs made to speak but Atticus squeezed a little more "Arghh!" Higgs cried out as he nearly buckled at the knees. Atticus hoisted him back up whilst keeping pressure on his arm which solicited another cry of pain. Atticus continued calmly "In fact, you will not even acknowledge his existence nor will you sic your friends on him. As far as you are concerned, nothing happened today. Do you understand?" He finished sharply as he looked down at the boy.

"Yes. I understand. Elms doesn't exist" Higgs said with gritted teeth. Atticus let go and Higgs gasped and stared at him hatefully "You won't get away with this, I will inform my Head of House of your assault of me" Higgs said with a sneer.

"Assault?" he said with a put on surprised look as he looked around the compartment. "What assault? I merely grabbed onto your wand arm to prevent you from causing yourself severe damage. After all, you were about to raise a wand to Prefect Macmillan." He said coldly as he stared at the impetuous Slytherin "That...would have been a mistake" he said with thinned lips before smiling "So you see, there was no assault of any kind. Everyone here can attest to that." He said smiling predatorily at Higgs with cold eyes who paled as he understood just who he was dealing with. 

"Ten points from Slytherin for making a ruckus." Eden added helpfully and he gave her a small grin before he cast his eyes at Higgs who began to scurry his way out of the compartment but not before Atticus let out a final warning "Do not go back on what was agreed here today Higgs" as Higgs left.

He cast his eyes back to the four Hufflepuffs who visibly relaxed and looked grateful "That should hopefully be the end of it but I suggest you inform your Head of House." He paused as he looked to Abbot "Have you informed her about the constant harassment?" he asked and she shook her head meekly "No I haven't. I hoped he would just stop" she said lowly and he sighed.

Eden interjected "You have to tell her. Even if Atticus here got him to say that he'll stop doesn't mean he actually will." She said with pursed lips "You never know with boys like him" she said distastefully. 

"I agree with her. Tell her as soon as you can." He said and turned his gaze at Robert "Mr Elms, I suggest you also tell Professor Goshawk about your part in all this. Even if he said he would pretend you don't exist, egos, especially his likely won't let it go all that easily even if he supposedly agreed." He frowned lightly "Be mindful, you may have created an enemy out of Higgs." He said kindly. 

Robert laughed uneasily despite the concerns looks of his friends "I'll be fine. He won't do any worse than what some of the Slytherins have already done to me." Robert said a little bitterly.

Both he and Eden frowned at that but Eden spoke up first "The Slytherins bother you?" she asked curiously.

One of the other Hufflepuff girls spoke up and laughed quite bitterly "Bother? No, they just hex and trip us up for no reason while calling us mudblood this and mudblood that" she said angrily. "No one does anything. I've gone to my Head of House in my first year and said that without proof, she can't do anything. Even when there is proof, they only get a couple of days of detention and then the attacks are worse!" she exclaimed in a fit before she calmed visibly. 

Robert turned towards them and smiled sadly "For some its worse. I've been lucky to be in Hufflepuff as they rarely attack when I'm with other pureblood kids" he said with a flat tone before shrugging "I'll watch out for a few weeks as Higgs isn't the most clever or patient Slytherin there is. If he doesn't do anything then, he won't do anything at all" he said calmly.

"Well, you can come to us if you need to. We'll be able to help as much as we can" Eden said kindly which got nods from the Hufflepuffs though it was clear they weren't hopeful that they would be able to help.

Atticus suppressed a sigh and clapped his hands "Now that is resolved, enjoy the rest of your trip" he said as he and Eden made their way out of the compartment.

"He looked as if he didn't believe I could help" Eden said lowly "Surely it can't be that bad?" she said as she looked at him for confirmation.

"I'm not sure" he admitted. "I've heard some have been targeted by Slytherin but I just thought it was something that was exclusive to a few." He shook his head "All we can do is help when we can. Do not beat yourself up over it." He said kindly at which she smiled at.

The rest of the patrol was trouble free and they made it back to their compartment once their duty was finished.

Soon enough they arrived at the Great Hall and they took their seats at the Ravenclaw table. As he sat down at the Ravenclaw table, he ignored the eyes that were on him.

"It seems like this year you'll have to beat the girls off with a stick, Atticus" Markus laughed a little as he sported a grin on his face and pointed with his head unsubtly towards a few upper year girls who were boring holes into him. 

"You joke but given how intense they are with their eyes, he might actually have to" murmured Eden.

"It should settle down hopefully after the first few days" he said more hopeful than anything else.

"Yeah, I wouldn't count on that." Theodore laughed "That picture in Witch Weekly was damn flattering Atticus. My female relatives couldn't stop asking me questions about and they're all married and all" he laughed shaking his head "If they are like that" he said whilst waving his arms around "Then the girls here probably would be worse" he said with a hint of jealousy before he pouted slightly "It's unfair you get all this attention that I know you don't want or would act on" he said a little pathetically and Nymera jabbed him in the ribs.

He glared at Theodore balefully.

 "Behave" she scolded before she turned her gaze at Atticus "I'm sure it will die down in a few weeks" she said a little sympathetically before she tilted her head "Are you sure you don't want to date anyone? It's one way to get their attention of your back? It's not as if you have a marriage contract." she said quizzically. 

He shook his head "I won't date for a little while I don't think. I have far too much to do." He said promptly shutting down that avenue of conversation.

He looked at the Head table and saw a few new faces amongst the staff. He recognised Ernest Whittle. 'So they went with the Half blood Historian' he mused before setting his gaze towards Dumbledore who on his right had a young woman seated. He racked his brain but he couldn't recognise her.

Soon enough, Dippet began his welcome speech and introduced Ernest Whittle as the new History Professor who received a pretty good reception and then to his surprise introduced Minerva McGonagall. She was still very young looking so she must still be in her twenties. 'She must have graduated a year or two prior to his arrival to Hogwarts' he thought as he tried to fit her in the timeline. 

Dippet announced that McGonagall would be an assistant to Dumbledore and would mainly teach the first two years as she apprenticed under Dumbledore. 

'Interesting' he mused. He himself would be an assistant to Professor Goshawk starting this year in Runes for third and fourth year whilst he would take over the charms first and second year classes from Fawley once Fawley obtained permission from Dippet to make an exemption on his age. 

He only had History, Herbology and Care to do for his OWLS given that he completed his Potions NEWTS and his OWLS and NEWTS in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy at the end of the last academic year. He'd take his OWLS and NEWTS in Muggle Studies, Duelling and Alchemy at the Ministry next summer taking his total to 9 NEWTS. 

He won't continue his studies in the three remaining subjects to NEWTS. Once he starts his sixth year, he'd only be doing his Runes apprenticeship which suited him fine. He'd be able to spend far more time training and studying in between his time with Goshawk and his teaching duties.

He blanked out much of the sorting and half listened to the conversation around them as the Welcoming Feast began. Soon enough, Dippet asked the prefects to lead their houses to the dormitories. 

He and Eden got up and made their way towards the firsties. "Alright first years, I am prefect Macmillan and" she said pointed at him "And this is prefect Sayre and we will be taking you to the Ravenclaw dorms. Please follow us as we lead you there" Eden said chirpily.

The first years followed keenly as they chattered lowly amongst themselves before one of them piped up "Are you Atticus Sayre?" one of them asked keenly and Atticus looked over his shoulder before slowing down and turning halfway to the little girl but kept walking "I am, young lady" he said with a little grin before he said conspiratorially "Have we met before? If we have, I apologise deeply for not recognising you" he said in a deeply apologetic tone and a sombre face even though he was amused.

The little girl shook her head sharply "No no, we haven't met before sir" she squeaked slightly "It's...just you were in the paper" the little girl said with a little bit of awe "You made gold which was meant to be impossible!" she said. He laughed as he turned completely around and walked backwards with his arms behind his back and kept his gaze on the huddling first years as they followed both he and Eden who was smiling as she shook her head. "You're going to get that a lot aren't you" she murmured lowly that only he heard and he sent a little glance that conveyed as much. 

"I was in the paper, you are correct Ms...." he trailed as he looked to her expectantly. "Astrid Trevallyn sir" she said hurriedly and he smiled at her kindly.

"Ms Trevallyn." He said with a nod "I didn't make gold, I simply transfigured it into gold." He corrected "It might stay gold for a very long time but eventually it would go back into whatever it was originally. Do you understand?" he said gently and she nodded awkwardly and looked at the ground.

"Hey Ms Travellyn?" he said and she picked up her head and looked at him shyly "Good question" he smiled broadly at her "Never be ashamed to ask a question, even if anyone thinks it's stupid or silly" he said looking at them all "You are all here to learn and asking questions will help you do your best." He said as he looked at them intently and saw a number of them nodding awkwardly as they whispered to each other "But I wouldn't worry about asking stupid or silly questions." He said straightening his back a little "You're all Ravenclaws. That means you have wit, you are smart and you love to learn. It also means that you are less likely to ever ask a stupid question. Leave that to the Gryffindors" he said with a wink and it garnered a few laughs and he turned around and matched Eden's pace.

"Nicely done." She said smiling at him and he shrugged a little and they continued their walk towards Ravenclaw. Throughout the walk, he made sure to mention numerous things about the castle, some things that weren't included in Hogwarts A History and interspersed a few comedic bits into to ensure that he kept their attention. Given their smiles, he was sure he succeeded. Their innocence was adorable.

After Fawley received them Atticus stayed behind and Fawley looked at him inquisitively "I have something to give the first years to make their few weeks a little easier" he waved his hand "I will give it to them after your introduction" he said to Fawley who remained curious but nodded and turned towards the first years.

After fifteen minutes of introduction and exchange of names Fawley spoke "It seems Mr Sayre, one of our prefects has something to gift to you all." He said whilst motioning him to come forth.

"Thank you professor" he said calmly before turning his gaze towards the kinds "I'm sure you are all very excited to be here at Hogwarts but I suspect some of you are worried that you might get lost?" he asked keenly and a few hesitant nods.

He nodded "I thought so. That is why I have made these helpful maps for you to use to familiarise yourself with the castle" he said as he brought out the exact number of maps for the number of Ravenclaws. He had a few more to spare as he made an even 100 and there were just over 40 new Ravenclaws. Fawley remained behind and he gave one of the maps to him. He made these maps when he had found out that he was going to be a prefect.

He passed them around "These maps have all the classrooms on them and if you use it like this" he said he moved towards the bundle of First Years and explained to them the functionality of the map.

The map was static; It had all of the classrooms but none of the hidden passageways. He didn't want them to be on the map. He had copied the lay out from the true map and simply overlaid the naming of each classroom. Besides, half the fun for these kids would to be to explore the castle – without getting lost. They could zoom in and out and select each classroom and like a GPS, the arrow would point them towards the quickest route towards the classroom.

After a ten minute explanation he spoke once more "Now, you can explore the castle to your heart's content without getting lost. Please don't go off by yourself and go with your new friends to explore." he smiled at them and he received a number of thanks before they all dispersed.

"This is good work Atticus" Fawley praised as he continued to inspect the parchment on which the map laid "How did you get such a good map of the castle?" he asked with interest and Atticus shook his head and sported a grin "That I cannot tell you professor, I'm sorry"

Fawley looked at him intrigued but said nothing more "I see that there are zero hidden passage ways here." He commented.

Atticus nodded "Yes, I didn't think it was wise for first years to explore those passageways. They are after all only first years." He simply stated.

"Sensible" Fawley said as he continued to inspect the map "I have a feeling that those maps will get quite popular. Do you have any more to disperse to the other first years?" Fawley inquired and Atticus nodded "I have 57 remaining maps. I won't make any more however so they will have to share between themselves" he said as he took out the remaining maps and handed them over to Fawley "You can give them to the Heads of Houses to give out to their first years." He paused and looked at Fawley "You were listening to my explanations weren't you?" he asked a little amused and Fawley smiled at him "I was, I will be able to explain the map to them, don't worry about that."

He laughed and waved goodbye to his Head of House. 

----------------------------------------------Break----------------------------------------------

"How are things in the snake pit?" he asked as he looked up from his book to look at her as he and Emily sat comfortably in the classroom that he had sequestered for himself years ago.

"Going well enough" she said daintily as she continued to read her own book.

It's been a few weeks since the start of the year and this was the first time they were meeting up. 

"I take it you're on the Hierarchy now?" he mused as he searched her face which showed nothing. 'She's getting better. Usually she would have shown some smugness by now. It was to be expected once she read the Occlumency book that she found in the Sayre Library' he thought.

"I cannot tell you with good conscience matters pertaining House Slytherin" she almost drawled and he scoffed as he stared at her. She looked up from her book and gave him a customary smirk which answered everything.

"Damn Slytherin" he murmured as he shook his head and he spotted her smirk widening a little.

"I heard a little rumour that you had an encounter with Higgs?" she said nonchalantly though interest was noticeable in her tone as she switched topics.

"Hmm" he merely said as he returned his gaze to his book. "Higgs was being a nuisance on the Hogwarts Express. I merely...deescalated the situation."

"That's not the story he gives." She said and he looked up and met her gaze. "He claims that you assaulted him and abused your authority. He claims that you are a blood traitor and defended a muggleborn against a pureblood" she said calmly with a strange look on her face.

She continued "Similarly, Selwyn has joined up insulting you and your family." She said calmly as she evaluated him. 

He set his jaw as his eyes grew cold. "Regarding Higgs...He was bothering Ms Abbott, a fourth year Hufflepuff, who is someone who had no interest in the idiotic boy in the way he wants her to be, and Mr Elms, who is her housemate and classmate, defending her against the unwanted attentions of Higgs. Higgs is simply running his mouth because he knows he can't attack Elms or Ms Abbott for that matter after I warned him against it." He said simply.

"And Selwyn?" she pressed 

In the last few weeks, he and Eden made concerted efforts to put a stop to some of the more rampant bullying. It had given them a reputation of strict prefects and defenders of the younger years. Unfortunately, it had caused some friction, particularly the Slytherins who were often the repeat offenders. Tarquin Selwyn, who Atticus already loathed and partially blamed for having to kill McKinney, was someone who should have been expelled years ago. Selwyn had not taken the interference well and he was insulting and it was grating on him. He hadn't done beyond punishing Selwyn with detention and loss of points given that Eden and a few second years of Gryffindors were witnesses. 

It seemed that Selwyn was not the smart kind of Slytherin and had tried to insult the Sayre family before he had put a stop to it by revealing the debts his family owed the Sayre family which had him pale and he shut up. Since then, Selwyn had been quiet but it was obvious to see he was seething.

"I wasn't aware that Selwyn was insulting my family." He said lowly with narrowed eyes. "I thought I put an end to his foolishness when I interfered in his bullying of the younger students." He said with a set jaw.

"He has avoided saying it in front of those who favour you" she said calmly unperturbed by the anger that was visible on his face.

"There are many who favour me. After all, I am a teacher in some capacity for all of the first and second years whilst I'm a teacher to those who are in Runes in third and fourth year. Not to mention my own year group that benefitted from my study sessions that I run sometime ago. He can't have been avoiding all those Slytherins" he said calmly as he narrowed his eyes at her.

He started his apprenticeship with Professor Goshawk this year. She was knowledgeable in four different runic languages and had deep knowledge in the subject. He wasn't quite certain what his contribution was going to be but he had the next year or two to deal with that. 

His role in class was primarily help students in class whilst also taking much of the teaching in his third year and fourth year classes. Given that he had helped a number of the third years in Charms, he hadn't needed to do anything more than build on the decent relationship he had with them. 

Taking over first and second year Charms classes was a little awkward at the beginning but he soon got into a rhythm and he hadn't found any problems, whether it was attitude or disinterest in his classes. His first year classes were a lot easier given that the maps that he produced had been an instant hit with the first years so they were quite obedient and easy to teach.

She shrugged carelessly "There are those who are envious of you in some way or another, especially the older students. It is a common thing in Slytherin. Now that you are defending muggleborns, it's a chink in your armour that they seek to exploit by disparaging you as a blood traitor" she said with care in her voice.

He pursed his lips "Given that it is the first time I'm hearing of this, is there a reason why you haven't mentioned this to me?" he said with a tilted head.

It was indeed the first time he heard of this. He hadn't fostered any personal relationships with Slytherins beyond the current Blacks such as Dorea, Lucretia and even Orion in some limited capacity but he thought he'd built enough of a relationship with every year below sixth year. To hear that he wasn't successful enough for people to bring him news about how he was viewed was...disappointing. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter but still. 

"I didn't know I had to" she said matching his tilt of the head though her eyes were calculating. "I thought you were far more informed than you are. My apologies, I seemed to have overestimated the connections you hold in Hogwarts...despite your esteemed position at the school." She said with an apologetic look that dripped mocking. 

He narrowed his eyes at her behaviour. This was edging closer to the start of their interactions. He didn't know why and it was concerning. He simply filed it away for now.

He shrugged once he schooled his face "It merely suggests the situation is not quite as you say it is if none of my students brought it up with me. Higgs and Selwyn are quite irrelevant all things considered. Given that they are saying things in the safety of the pit and not acting outside of it, my message has been understood even if they haven't accepted it" he said calmly as he met her eyes which seemed to glint in a indiscernible way.

"You're not concerned about the title blood traitor?" she asked calmly though there was a little pressing in her voice.

"Why would I be concerned by a title that has no truth in basis and doesn't apply to me." He shrugged "I'm not marrying a muggle and giving up my magic nor am I betraying our kind to the muggles or abandoning our culture and our traditions. Those are the true definition of blood traitor and I do not match with any of them" he said with a raised eyebrow.

She hummed and returned to her book. "It seems the definition of blood traitor has quite changed then. It's not what they mean now." She said not looking up from her book. "It seems to include anything that refers to sympathisers of muggles or mudbloods. Whilst you definitely aren't a sympathiser of muggles...the latter" she trailed off as she looked up at him "Well...you definitely sympathise with mudbloods." She said calmly.

He closed the book "Is there a point to this antagonism of yours?" he asked directly and she looked slightly disappointed oddly enough.

"Not quite. Merely seeing what you think of what others think of you." She said calmly as she looked at him with interest.

"Why? So that you can determine whether or not to accept their views of me? Or are you trying to goad me into reacting to dispel any negative notions of me?" he said with narrowed eyes.

She shrugged as she looked calculating at him "Both. Neither." She simple states. It was a non answer if there ever was one. 

"I care not what the inconsequential rabble thinks of me Emily. The likes of Selwyn and Higgs are insignificant. The fact that you are bringing it up means it is far more likely that you are purposefully antagonising me for another reason." He said slowly as he thought it through.

"Care to share with the class Ms Riddle?" he said as he pinned her with his gaze.

She scoffed and scowled lightly "You're off Sayre. I'm merely trying to help you understand your actions are reflecting poorly on your House. You're helping muggleborns who are inconsequential when you could be turning a blind eye like the rest of the prefects do." She said sharply.

It clicked. "Are you having difficulties in Slytherin because of your association with me?" he said with a searching gaze and he saw a brief hint of surprise look that didn't match up with his question 'no that wasn't it' "No...that's not quite right" he mused.

He considered everything she said and for the life of him he didn't know why she was antagonising him. 

She closed her book "I believe I am needed elsewhere." She said as she walked off and he was perplexed. 'What he missing' he mused quietly to himself for a little while until he simply banished away the odd interaction he had with her.

He made his way out of the classroom after an hour alone whilst he read his book and checked the map for Dorea. He saw her in the Library and made his way there.

He approached her desk as she was sitting with a few of her housemates "Dorea. Do you have a few minutes to spare?" he asked in a low voice and she eyed him curiously and nodded slowly. He moved away to an empty table and sat down.

After a few words with her housemates and pointed looks, he groaned as he realised what it looked like. Thankfully, he was certain Dorea had no interest in him. Dorea had her eye on Charlus for a little while. She was currently taking up Healing lessons from the matron and Charlus had been a relatively frequent visitor since he was a very careless Chaser and he often ended up in the Hospital needing a bit of mending which was how they began to speak. Given that they were in opposing houses, it was one of the few times they could freely interact. From the looks of things they'd end up together despite the problems they faced but given that the Lord Black was her brother, chances were there wouldn't be a huge obstacle.

Finally she made it to his table and sat next to him "Well, what did you want to talk about Atticus?" she asked curiously and he cast a anti eavesdropping charm over their table.

"I've heard a few things about me in the Slytherin House. Namely those calling me blood traitor." He said pointedly as he searched her face which had shown surprise and he frowned. She quickly composed herself.

"There were a few" she hesitated before continuing quickly as she saw the look on his face "but there had been many that defended you in Slytherin. Even Orion defended you that you were simply doing your duty and that it was on them to ensure that they acted when you weren't on your patrol." She said calmly as she sported a look of curiosity "It pretty much ended the whole situation and there hasn't been a word since against you. How did you find out?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head "It doesn't matter. So there hasn't been anything said at all since Selwyn and Higgs were shutdown?" he asked intently and this time she wasn't surprised and she shook her head "No, neither had said anything since but Selwyn is seething but he knows he is outmatched and far below your station and that's been keeping him quiet." She looked thoughtful before grimacing "While he is...unhinged, he is not an idiot." She paused "Well, he isn't a huge idiot that doesn't value his life. I don't expect much trouble to come from him to be honest." She said calmly as she stared at him.

"Who told you anyway? They were shutdown pretty quickly and also more than a week ago. Are you just finding out?" she said curiously.

He thinned his lips "I found out not too long ago. I was concerned that none had come forth and told me. Not only that the person..." he trailed off before sorting out his thoughts "the person made remarks that made it seemed to be much larger than it actually is from what you have told me. The person was acting odd in truth." He said as he frowned

"I don't quite understand why" he said more to himself than to anyone else.

He looked up and saw her face which was quite strange "What?" he asked a little mystified. 

She shook her head "Nothing" she said as she held her tongue. "You might as well tell me Dorea" he coaxed gently.

"Was it Riddle?" she asked directly and he looked at her surprised "What makes you think that?" he asked genuinely curious.

"I can only think of one person who would misdirect you this much that you would have difficulty with figuring out" she shook her head "I don't know why exactly but it is obvious since she is the only Slytherin other than me and maybe Lucretia from time to time that you spend time with outside the classroom. Neither Lucretia and I would bother in any way to misdirect you so Riddle was obvious." She said calmly as she stared at him in a way he didn't quite understand.

He shook his head and sat back in his chair "I think I'm just going to ignore it." He said finally.

"That might be for the best. There isn't an agenda against you in Slytherin, just a few disgruntled Slytherins of no consequence." She shrugged "If anything, you're held in quite a high esteem there." She looked a little amused "You're the pureblood that everyone aspires to" she said mockingly albeit teasingly "Even if you aren't a blood purist like most of Slytherin."

He laughed mirthfully and he flicked her shoulder playfully to which she simply rolled her eyes at.

"You know this can be misinterpreted" she said calmly as she glanced at her friends in the corner of her eyes which he followed and saw her friends unrepentantly stare at them and he groaned lightly in frustrations and she giggled uncontrollably.

He glared at her balefully "It's not funny" he murmured "You have no idea how annoying it all is. The staring is just too much." He said pitifully.

She laughed fully now until she calmed down and patted his hand "It will pass as time goes. You just have to make sure you don't feed the rumour mill." She said kindly as she thought to comfort him.

"What? You don't think you won't join the list of Eloise Midgens, Melissa Sandstone and Caroline Higgins as my latest conquests according to the rumour mill?" he said with a raised eyebrow and she scrunched her nose in ridiculously cute way. 'Sadly, she was off limits to him. If things were different...if he were different...' he mused.

"They better not." She growled once she got past the thought of being in the rumour mill as one of his conquests "Or they'll experience firsthand the tip of the wand at the hands of a Black" she said imperiously and he laughed out loud at that.

"I kind of want it to happen simply to see you hand their arses to them" he grinned at her and her lips twitched before she turned serious and she wagged her finger at him "If I find out I'm in the rumour mill, I'll blame you and you'll experience the end of my wand Sayre" she said threateningly "Granted I likely won't succeed but it will vent my frustrations" she said primly and he laughed once more.

"You know..." she mused as she looked at him oddly. "Do you think Riddle is acting odd because of those rumours?" she asked intensely curious.

He looked at her confused "What?" he said abruptly and shook his head "Riddle isn't interested in things like that." He said as he furrowed his brows and once again shook his head "No, that can't be. Why would she even be bothered by it?" he asked confused.

Riddle may seem like she is attached but he had doubts about it. Even if she was, it was nothing like that. Everything he knew of Riddle never indicated that she was capable of anything like that. Only power attracted that girl and he had plenty of it. Her interests never lied beyond that. He fostered a companionship on that merit and he wanted to use it to shift her onto a far less destructive path.

She looked at him in a pitying manner "Atticus, she is a girl you know." She said in an obvious tone and he rolled his eyes but she continued "Even if she is more a female Basilisk than a woman" she murmured under her breath but he heard it.

She continued as she looked directly at him "You spend a lot of time with her, certainly more than me. Is it so strange that she might consider you more than, if she is even capable of it, a friend?" she said as she peered at him.

"She isn't inclined like that" he protested as he denied her suggestion. "No, Riddle might be a girl but she is certainly not one that thinks like that. Trust me, I know." He said firmly. "It's probably something else that I haven't thought of" he said in a calm tone that he didn't quite feel. 'Impossible. As if Voldemort is capable of feelings like that' he thought. 

She looked him oddly that screamed that she didn't quite believe him "If you say so" she sighed and got up "Well, thank you for the amusing break" she smirked before she turned serious "but I've got to go back to my table and actually study. Some of us actually need to do that you know" she said pointedly "Not everyone has your ridiculous brain" she murmured. 

They bade each other goodbye and he got up and walked thoughtfully through the halls of Hogwarts towards the Ravenclaw common room. 

He was aware he was viewed differently by her but never to that extent. They were comfortable in each other's presence and she didn't hate his touch but that meant nothing specifically. He was aware she had never had anyone comfort her in her entire life and he was aware of the importance of such a thing in the development of a person which is why he worked so hard in getting her to accept him in this regard. But anything more than that?

'It's not possible.' He finally thought as he banished those distracting thoughts as he entered the Ravenclaw common room as he solved the Riddle.

----------------------------------------------Break----------------------------------------------

Before he knew it, a couple of months had past. His time at the castle had been a little strange courtesy to his newfound fame as the youngest Transfiguration Master for centuries and more specifically his contribution to Transfiguration but things settled quite quickly enough especially given that he was an assistant to two subjects. 

Amongst the fascinating series of the potential research that stemmed from atomic and molecular science that was in Transfiguration Weekly, some of which he himself had mentioned whilst most was from those who had been inspired by his contribution, his interview had been released at the end of September that he had given a few days after he attained his Mastery. 

He had spoken regarding the validity of muggle science in application of and for magic. The interviewer had been sceptical regarding anything muggle but once Atticus had cited famous philosophers and scientists before the Statute that were either Squibs or Wizards the interviewer had acknowledged his point. 

He had spoken passionately of increasing the magical world's knowledge of the universe, in particular the laws that govern the universe. He had stated that magic was something that bent the laws of the universe but not many knew exactly what the laws of the universe was and he had posed a question to them all that was: 'is it not our duty as Magic's Chosen to understand the universe?'

It was a little cheesy but it served its purpose. He had hosted a number of sessions within the Ravenclaw common room discussing muggle science and he had Tweenie bring a number of introductory books that he handed out. There were a few grumblings among the more prejudiced purebloods but once he posed them a question on whether they were going to ignore knowledge that would make them better wizards and witches, they grudgingly accepted it and some even changed their stance once they saw how applicable mathematics had been to Arithmancy.

Some of the muggleborns were keenly asked questions and made things quite a lot more interesting as people from different backgrounds mixed with each other. Fawley hadn't protested against the muggle books.

He was tempted to pass his remaining OWLS in the winter break and simply be done with them given how utterly slow it had been going. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite so ahead in Herbology or Care whilst he was enjoying Ernest Whittle's lectures which were markedly different from the Goblin Rebellion centric lectures from Binns. He spoke far more of the History of Magical Britain from a civilisation and historical perspective and often had other civilisations included in his lectures. Professor Whittle had been an instant hit among the students.

Regarding Charms, where he was in his last stretches in his apprenticeship, he decided to change what his contribution to the field is by a lesser version of his metal deposit charm which will be centred on discovering silver deposits only from a maximum height/depth of 1km. It can be cast and it can be an enchantment. 

Teaching Runes and Charms was enjoyable and his teaching style seemed to resonate with the students. The only issue was that he was an infatuation for a large percentage of the female population.

Girls who had previously smiled at him but merely remained at a distance were now making their interests known quite clear. He hadn't minded the smiles and looks he had gotten before, after all, he quite enjoyed making beautiful women fluster. He hadn't dated at all, not even gone to Hogsmeade with a girl other than his friends. Thankfully he hadn't been asked and in this time period, people were still quite conservative and so a girl had never asked him out. He hadn't been interested in dating until he left Hogwarts if he would at all. He felt uncomfortable at the prospect of dating a Hogwarts student even if he felt like he was fifteen than the accumulated total years. He was also an assistant that helped teach these girls even if they were older.

But he had gotten the signals very clearly from many girls that they wanted him to ask them. Given that he was non discriminatory, muggleborn, half blood and pureblood girls were all equally at it. It would have been funny had he not been mildly disturbed. Nymera and Eden had been wonderful in shielding him and if hadn't been for them, he would have been concerned for his innocence.

Well...he had no innocence to save he mused quietly as he walked the halls of Hogwarts.

He had never been romantically involved with anyone in his old life. He has had one night stands with a dozen or so older women, some of them were turned into brief fuck buddies but it never progressed beyond that. He never found himself wanting to...or perhaps capable of connecting with anyone at such a level. He was aware he had been damaged by his family, incredibly so. Much of the damage that been accumulated in his short old life had been healed, he liked to believe. 

His parents, Benedict, his sister and even Ms Florence and Mr Dayton had done much to heal him from his more...sociopathic tendencies. He was loved and he loved them. Dumbledore was right about one thing...love was powerful. He hadn't known what he had been missing, how deep the bitterness and anger that he felt in his old life was. He wasn't certain now he wouldn't have turned out...worse as he grew older, detached from people, from the world.

He had been reborn as a newborn and so he had years of affection shown to him. He hummed softly. That had been key he mused.

He was self aware enough to know that had he been reborn a muggleborn or an orphan like Emily, he likely would have left the magical world to die whilst he recruited a decent number of individuals, similarly disaffected, and carved out a small section of the world for himself and those who earned his considerations. Perhaps search for magical children in the third world who would be killed otherwise. He'd had simply focused on immortality, learning and a small flying island with magical flora and fauna whilst he waited for the world to burn itself out.

But he hadn't. He had been born in a magical family that loved him deeply and was deeply connected to the magical world. All his plans, all his considerations and efforts were more for them than they were for him. 

He owed them more than he could ever give. 

It made him wonder about the Riddle family. Emily will soon find out about them and he expected that to go terrible. He sighed. He didn't know what to do about that. Tom Riddle Senior was raped. No question about it. It was a violation of the mind, body and soul. Such a violation marred the soul, he was certain of it. Emily likely won't see that. She likely would like to kill them.

The question was...what was he going to do about it? He wasn't sure if they knew about her. He doubted it. He didn't think her grandparents would have been so utterly callous to leave their only grandchild to the mercies of an orphanage. They didn't deserve to die.

'You're partially responsible for leaving her that long aren't you? You could have solved the whole thing by sending them a mail about Tom Riddle Senior's daughter...' an errant thought popped up. He grimaced. It was true. He let the problem ferment for so long and now it was catching up quickly to him. 

What would their reaction be to her? Why did Mini Mort kill his grandparents and father? Did he hate them on principle? Or did they not want him and he ended up killing them? He didn't know much in truth. 

She was far too old to foster a positive relationship with them. Perhaps when she had been a child, younger than six...it might have made a difference. But they would have had to know what they were dealing with. He would have likely had to expose himself and it was something he'd never do. The chances that his parents found out about him would have been high and he'd have never risked the relationship he had with them. It was something he knew and sought from the very start.

But he could have gone to them when he was eleven disguised. He knew where they lived. He wasn't incapable of twisting the truth till it suited him and got the message through. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment as he thought. How different would Emily have been if she had been raised by her family? Would he not have to worry so much about her? 

His hairs on the back off his neck raised as he considered the implications of Emily knowing that he purposefully left her that. She'd see it as a betrayal even if logically speaking he wasn't responsible for her stay at the orphanage. She could never know. 

He'd send a message to his father to let him know if he found anything out about Emily. If...when she found out the circumstances of her birth, it could spiral her into freefall. Her hatred of muggles would possibly become irredeemable. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

His meetings with Emily had continued to be a little strange though it mellowed out significantly as time went by. They never mentioned that odd meeting they had and swiftly moved on to discuss things pertaining magic and inconsequential things.

He had bought the Slytherin Locket in the summer from Caractacus Burke in his Crysander alias so that was safe. It was surprising that it was still there. Burke tried to rip him off but he managed to convince Burke that the locket wasn't quite the real deal and only a replica to be worn with the real one save from thieves. He wasn't sure if Burke completely bought it but it hadn't mattered. 

He expected that he might have to add it to the list of things to steal from Smith. It belonged to Emily and he'd gift it to her on her birthday by which time she should know who her mother was.

He shook his head and made his way towards the Room of Requirement. He had departed from a meeting with the Headmaster.

He scowled lightly. He had hoped to have ancient rites such as Beltane and Samhain allowed at Hogwarts but he had been denied. Whilst they weren't banned, they were...frowned upon as the Ministry tried to move towards a more secular society. 

In truth, he would ordinarily be happy for secularism to be prominent but ancient rites were his idea to institute a closer identity in magicals. Spirituality and shared experiences were a useful method to foster a sense of community regardless of background which he believed was sorely needed in Magical Britain. 

He shook his head. The magic felt on those days were wonderful and would do much to open up muggleborns and those who haven't gone to a rite in their entire lives to the grandness that was magic. Dippet had stated that Hogwarts, while independent from the Ministry would follow such decrees unless the governors unanimously voted to reinstitute ancient rites. He had stated that it would be unlikely given that the governors were from a diverse collective and traditions such as the ancient rites were rarely followed these days.

Not to mention the aspect of paganism that is ascribed to the rites even if wasn't quite true.

He sighed while he finally arrived on the seventh floor. He intended to go to the next Beltane festival. He had gone every year before Hogwarts and he wanted to experience the magic again. Sadly it meant that he would have to leave Hogwarts unauthorised, even though he was a Teacher's assistant and a master but he'd do so anyway.

He walked through the door of the ROR after pacing thrice and made his way to the comfy chair that resembled his favourite chair at home that was in the Sayre Library.

He threw himself into the chair and leant back. He took off his chain that hung around his neck, invisible to all but himself and those who specifically looked for it and took out the Stone.

He was finally going to use it to speak to his ancestors regarding his Hyper-Percipience ability. 

His dream visions were becoming a little more frequent and a little more clearer but he hadn't been unable to find them useful and instead found them confusing. Strangely in the visions he felt more than he was able to see. Most of the dreams were of anticipation, some were of excitement, some were of grim determination while a few were of shock, guilt and anger.

It was maddening and he wanted to have some answers. 

He took the stone out and scrutinised it. Since he'd taken it from Morfin Gaunt, he'd only taken it off his chain twice. He didn't want the temptation before he was ready. He still didn't feel quite ready. He breathed deeply and turned the stone thrice "Emer Sayre" he spoke finally.

A shimmering mist like form appeared soon after he spoke the name. It coalesced after a few moments and tall, stern looking figure with long hair and a modest beard appeared.

"Who are you to call me from my rest?" Emer Sayre demanded as he glared at Atticus.

"I am Atticus Sayre, heir to House Sayre, your descendant" he humbly stated once he got over the surprise that the stone worked.

"Anyone can state such a thing. Show me the ring" he demanded and Atticus did as asked and Emer Sayre scrutinised the ring closely. It was the heir ring he received when his father ascended to Lord Sayre. It had the familiar Sphinx signet on the ring.

Emer Sayre's expression softened only a slight bit before it returned to a stern look "Atticus...Sayre...why have you called upon me?" he asked sternly.

"I have called upon you for your assistance." He paused as he took in a deep breath "I have grade 3 Hyper-percipience but I do not know how to use it. None of my family currently living nor the portraits have had the ability in anything greater than grade 1. You are one of the last known ancestors who is known and confirmed to have had grade 2." He paused as he spotted a look of shock on his ancestor's face and bowed from his waist "I beseech you to help me understand my abilities. I am beset with dream visions that I do not understand nor am able to control and my attempts to train my supernatural connection to magic have been going well but I think there is much that I'm missing and I need instruction. Please teach me ancestor" he asked humbly.

Eleven seconds past before he spoke "Lift your head up descendant." Emer said kinder than before.

Atticus did as instructed and Emer spoke once more "What happened to the secondary home in Tuscany? There should be a portrait of me there and a portrait of the ancestor who taught me? Also there was a grimoire specifically for those who had grade 2 that was applicable for grade 3." he asked curiously.

"A few centuries ago our family was involved in a devastating war that wiped out the majority of our clan. There had only been one survivor of that war, which we won" Atticus added "But many old family homes were destroyed on the mainland. Some have been rebuilt in the years since but much of the contents have been lost" he frowned as he thought "I do not think we still have a home in Tuscany. It is likely the land has been sold a long time ago. Regarding the grimoire..." he trailed off confusedly "I haven't seen any grimoire at the ancestral manor of that kind."

Emer hummed in thought "It is possible that the grimoire remained at the Tuscany home. It was the place where the secondary branch of our family lived mostly. I lived there all my life until my death." He said deep in thought "The grimoire would have been difficult to destroy. Perhaps only Fiendfyre would have been capable, the grimoire had been heavily enchanted and the parchment was heavily doused in rare and obscure potions to prevent easy destruction" he shook his head "No matter. You said that our family has been involved in a devastating war? Tell me." He commanded.

And so Atticus did for the next ten minutes. "Hmm. It seems that generation did not have grade 2." He said disappointedly "It would have made the war far less devastating. I can understand why the ability, at least in strength, has skipped for so many generations however. In my time, grade 2 was perhaps not common but certainly far more frequent than in your time. What is the year?" he asked plainly.

"1940." Atticus says simply.

Emer remained quiet for a little while "over 500 years..." he whispered.

Emer Sayre had been born in 1233 and died in 1435. Below the average lifespan but not a bad life. His granddaughter married into the mainline who were third cousins which happened once every three or four generations.

"I cannot stay long." He said pausing for a moment "The dead are not meant to return to the living plane. It is...uncomfortable to remain for long stretches of time" he said as he scrutinised Atticus "I will help you." He said finally and Atticus relaxed in relief. It was a win. "I believe I can only remain a maximum of perhaps..." he trailed whilst he seemed in thought "less than a couple of hours each time I'm called before I must depart before the...sensation of being called back becomes unbearable. I also suggest that you limit your use of this stone to that amount each day too." He said warningly.

"Thank you for your assistance" he bowed once more and returned his gaze to his ancestor "Why must I limit my use?" he asked curiously even if he suspected why.

"It is Cadmus' stone is it not?" he asked curtly and Atticus eyes widened. "Yes it is. You knew Cadmus?" Atticus asked full of curiosity.

Emer chuckled and nodded "I did. Not for a long time however. He died in 1254 when I was but twenty years of age." He said as he drifted off in thought "I met him for the first time when I was eight years of age and I was in awe of him" he chuckled as he remembered "The Peverells in our time were famous for their vanquishing of Ezkridis" his eyes darkened "Before the Hallows ruined their family." He sighed before getting back into story mode "Ezkridis had been terrorising the isles for nearly fifteen years by the time the Peverells killed him. He had created armies of inferni and other ghoulish creations that turned even the most darkest of families. He had many disciples who hailed from all over Europe, who came to learn from him and he massacred his way through the Isles, uncaring of who his victims were. No one knew what his aims were. Most believed he was insane given that he wantonly slaughtered without making his demands or beliefs clear. In all likelihood he was." He scoffed before turning serious "The man killed villages upon villages of muggles and often killed entire families of magicals. That had been the turning point where everyone massed together to fight him and his disciples. Unfortunately, he was an archmage. His insanity did nothing to detract him of his capabilities and in fact seemed to bolster him. Families who had once stood against each other, stood with each other to face this menace and none had been able to defeat him. Oh his disciples were slaughtered each time but Ezkridis himself was barely even damaged." He said shaking his head.

"My father, who had been a teenager and then a young adult during this time used to tell me that it was dire times. At that time, none of the family was strong enough to defeat Ezkridis and my father had lost his uncle and father when he joined to fight Ezkridis." He said as he was deep in thought "He was forbidden to join the effort by his grandfather on the pains of disinheritance" he said while smiling wryly "Though none believed he would, he simply threatened out of care to ensure he would not lose a grandson amongst the loss of his sons" he said seriously "The Peverell Brothers at this time were relatively unknown despite their famous family name. They were young, only around thirty years of age but they were powerful." He said reminiscing "It is rare for Archmages to exist. Our own family seems to produce them quite often even if we have often ensured that none knew when one came. But the Peverell Brothers...to have three in the same family in the same generation? That was unbelievable at the time. They managed to defeat all of Ezkridis' forces before moving onto his stronghold. Azkaban" he turned grim at the thought "Ezkridis above all else, even his insanity was a magical genius. Unfortunately for everyone and himself, that genius was turned towards necromancy, creatures and the dark arts. I've been to Azkaban" he said with an inscrutable look "It had been foul even decades after Ezkridis' death and the cleanup that it went under." He looked at Atticus and asked "Is Azkaban still in existence?" he asked curiously.

Atticus nods "It is. It serves as a prison now though." He grimaced "It is guarded by dementors" he said simply and Emer looked thunderous "They still haven't managed to destroy those abominations?" Emer hissed out in fury and disbelief and Atticus simply nods slowly "I'm not aware of any plans to destroy them nor any past plans" he said curiously.

Emer shook his head "It had been one of the challenges in my day. Even by the time of my death, people were still looking to destroy them. It is shocking that they to learn that they still exist though I suppose I'm not truly surprised. It had been difficult enough to contain them at Azkaban. Tell me that they are confined at Azkaban?" he asked sternly and Atticus to his dismay shook his head "No, they are not particularly contained at Azkaban. They...can be reasoned with and by some method able to be controlled by the ministry though it is tenuous I suspect" he mused.

"Fools" Emer shook his head in disbelief before he eyed Atticus curiously "Ministry?" Emer asked curiously "The government that took over the reigns from the Wizengamot" Atticus said and Emer nodded in understanding.

"Back to the story" Emer said seriously before continuing "At Azkaban, the brothers and a few volunteers had been greeted with the sight of the dementors and thousands of inferni with Ezkridis directed them. After nearly half a day of battling, Ezkridis was finally killed and his army of inferni completely destroyed. The dementors killed most of the volunteers but Ignotus had been able to seal them in the lower levels of Azkaban whilst Cadmus and Antioch battled Ezkridis. These feats catapulted them into notoriety but they also garnered substantial amounts of fear" Emer sighed "You have to understand Atticus, three archmages from one family in a single generation was unheard of and completely something that ran contrary to the understanding of magic at the time. Archmages are often vehicles of destiny in some form or another. So to have three of them in one family shook much of Europe. It also didn't help that the Peverells were infamous for their talents in Necromancy and Death magic." Emer chuckled "The three brothers were perhaps some of the most talented of their line. The hallows are proof of that certainly." He mused before he continued "I met Cadmus – and his brothers – when my grandfather had invited them to our home. We had been allies for as long as either family had records of and despite their notoriety, they were still our allies. Cadmus was a passionate man. One who loved his wife dearly, even to a child it was apparent." He said in slight sad tone before he shook his head "He and his brothers were my idols and they often allowed me to visit them over the years they were still alive." Emer now sent an assessing gaze at Atticus

"You have heard of the Tale of Three Brothers yes?" Emer asked curtly.

Atticus nodded "I have...but there may be differences given the time span" he said with a tilted head "Recite me the story" Emer ordered and so he did.

"There are some substantial differences but the gist of the story is correct." Emer said before pausing as he assessed on what to say "The story is false. They never met Death personified. But" he began as Atticus listened raptly "They did intend to create artefacts that had, in some way Death imbued into the artefacts. The artefacts all had a facet of death. It was remarkable work. Cadmus had told me a little but they kept much of it to themselves. They were exceedingly skilled artificers, even more so than they were warriors. Given their family magic and affinity, and of course the things they had seen done by Azkridis, had spawned an intense curiosity in the three brothers." Emer sighed "It was also what made a tense situation regarding their family, worse." Emer said with terse undertone to his voice "It took them years to complete it but they managed to, in the end. Cadmus' wife, Millicent, had died from wounds she sustained during an accident with a herd of abraxans whilst Cadmus had been away at his brother's years before they completed the hallows." Emer rubbed his forehead as he thought on the incident "He had been inconsolable and dived deeply into his research and become singularly focused on bringing her back. The last I saw him was when he had threatened me at wand point to leave him be. He died only a few years later, leaving behind a daughter married to the Gaunts." Emer said finally.

"How did he die?" Atticus asked with intense curiosity. He almost forgotten the purpose of him meeting his ancestor but this was well worth knowing. 

Emer eyed him before speaking "He died quite close to what the story said. Only the stone draws magic from the user to sustain the connection to the afterlife. Ignotus had told me years after that Cadmus' body had signs of severe magical depletion. He had surmised that Cadmus must have tried to use the connection to make her corporeal" he shook his head "Death is final. Magic is wonderful and infinite but the departed souls are not of its domain. It belongs to the domain of Death." Emer intoned and Atticus nodded grimly. He now knew what the consequences could be if he used the stone excessively. He vowed to only uses it a maximum of 90 minutes.

"Cadmus had been the first to die. I do not know what happened with the Stone soon after his death, I suspect his daughter might have taken it with her but regardless, House Peverell's enemies smelt blood in the water" Emer scowled "And Antioch was next. He had indeed stated that he created the perfect wand and given the reputation of the family, it made him a target even if he was a dangerous one. He hadn't died as the story states, he had instead been ambushed when he had been with his family, his wife, his son and his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter. He died caught in surprise as he tried to protect his family who were all wiped out." His eyes darkened "I never found out who was responsible for killing his family." He said angrily.

Atticus mused for a moment and decided "Antioch's granddaughter lived." He said finally.

Emer snapped his eyes to Atticus "Truly? How?" Emer demanded. "I don't know how but I do know that Ignotus sheltered her and hid her past" he said smiling.

"How do you know?" Emer asked curiously "I met Ignotus a number of times after the death of his brothers but he never said anything." 

"I know because my father, whose mother was a McDowell, told me. The granddaughter married into the McDowell line which begot my grandmother, who begot my father and who begot me and my sister. The McDowell line ended with my grandmother whilst the Sayre family carries the blood of the McDowells and the eldest daughter and only child of the Lord Peverell" he said happily.

Emer laughed heartedly "Good to know that the last of the Peverells linked with our family, in the end" he said melancholically before shaking his head "Ignotus you sly fool." He said bemusedly "After the death of Antioch, Ignotus didn't take up the lordship as he was well aware of the precariousness of his situation. He managed to remain insignificant for the rest of his life and the family was considered dead with his death even if his granddaughter was married off to a Potter who he knew would be able to protect her." Emer said finally.

A silence fell and Atticus asked the question that itched at him "You don't believe that the artefacts are items of Death?" he asked curiously.

Emer eyed him critically "I don't." Emer said simply. "The brothers were exceptional artificers and practitioners of Death magic but they were not capable of calling upon the entity that is Death." He shook his head "It is foolish to believe that us mortals have the capability to call upon what is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of existence. There is life and there is death." Emer said finally.

"And yet the stone is capable of calling you." Atticus stated.

"And yet the stone is capable of calling me" Emer nodded "I do not know how Cadmus managed to do it but it shouldn't be possible...it isn't right." Emer said as he eyed Atticus curiously.

"What about the notion of master of Death?" he pressed on and Emer furrowed his brows before looking at Atticus sternly "The Master of Death is false. There is no aspect that I believe could even consider such a thing true. No one can be master of Death. No one can command Death, Atticus" he said firmly "Do not lose yourself to such notions like my idol did. Death is not something to be played with. Heed my warning descendant." He said plainly as he searched Atticus' face.

Atticus nods "I thought as much. I never believed that there is actually anything to the title of Master of Death." He sighed and rubbed his eyes and looked at Emer a little wryly "I know where the other two artefacts are but one is near impossible for me to take as it is held by a dark archmage who is intent on world conquest and is doing a very good job of it and the other is with the Potter's." He mused.

Emer shook his head "Do not search for them descendant. It ruined the Peverell family. Do not let the Hallows claim the Sayre line. If you must, take the wand if you are capable of it but leave the cloak with the Potter's." Emer said finally "Though I would prefer it if you destroyed it instead."

A silence fell as he considered Emer's words. He had considered destroying the wand. The wand was said to be unbeatable which didn't seem true. He figured that the wand may well have a curse of some kind given the fates of those who wielded it but he tentatively set that notion aside given that he didn't know the history of the wand beyond some notable individuals who were said to have had the wand.

"Now, let's start with your problems regarding your dream visions. We have perhaps just under an hour before you must end the call for today." Emer said calmly as he redirected the conversation back to where it started.

And so Atticus told him everything of his dreams, the vagueness and the feelings that he had in them and he also told him of the strange evaluation skill that he had.

Finally after finishing his recounting, Emer spoke up "You are correct in your assessment regarding the immaturity of your skill. It is known to happen but your visions seem strangely....more than what I remember my own being at the start. It is likely something to do with the different grading. I cannot help you much regarding that. Even in my time grade 3 had been mysterious. There are some exercises however that you can do in order to gain clearer sight in your visions. Only time will aid you in gaining control over the frequencies of your dream visions. I would advise you do not try and inhibit the frequency until you are well over the age of twenty one, which is roughly the last maturity you will go through.

The exercises you can do are centred in Occlumency. Are you familiar with the practice?" Emer asked intently and he nodded "I am. I'm tier five but with certain capabilities in tier six." He said a little proudly and Emer only nodded "Acceptable" Emer stated simply and Atticus' eye twitched lightly 'Acceptable?' he thought a little outraged at the blasé-ness of it.

"Occlumency will help you improve the sight of your visions. You already remember more, likely thanks to your Occlumency in the first place but you have not applied it to your visions correctly and so their meaning and what they show you remain quite out of your grasp." Emer said firmly.

"How do I apply it?" He asked with interest.

"Every night before you sleep, occlude yourself as much as you can. Clear your mind of any thought, keep it blank until you fall asleep. In time, your mind will keep itself cleared even as you sleep. This will allow your visions to manifest themselves without any obstruction or anything that might cause the vision to be opaque." Emer said as he gave the information over.

Atticus sat back in his chair with furrowed brows "Are you saying that thoughts and dreams – separate from the visions are what are causing my visions to be vague?" he asked intently.

Emer nods "Yes. Our ability manifests itself in dreams on purpose. Our capabilities are not quite natural Atticus. None of us know how our ancestors managed to create and tie such ridiculous ability to our bloodline but the ancestor who taught me, who himself lived sometime in the 400s did not know how either. But he did know that the visions manifest itself in dreams because of the low impact on the body. Seers have a short lifespan, at the least the powerful ones, because of the impact the ability has on the body. Manifesting in dreams mitigates it substantially as does the reduction in scope. Your dreams will always be relevant to you and those who matter to you Atticus. They will not be very distant in the future either. The future is fluid and does not follow a certain path. You will be able to change things but be mindful" Emer warned "By trying to change things you may well be setting things in motion that very well cause what happened in your dreams. It takes skill and experience to know when and when not to change things. I suggest you do not change things until you understand your ability far more than you do now." 

"Understood" Atticus confirmed. "Would it be acceptable if I come to you with my visions?" He asked carefully.

"You may." Emer said finally "I will not be able to help you beyond giving you advice. I will not be able to view your visions nor will I be able to add context beyond a certain point." Emer sighed "Not only that, I do not want you reliant on me" Emer smiled "You need to be able to trust yourself and your judgement. In the end, only you can change things." Emer said finally.

Atticus nods absentmindedly as he considers everything he's heard. Simple solution to his dream problems. He suspected that it might take a little while for him to get it right.

"What about the other abilities that come with Grade 3?" he asked curiously and Emer looked at him with a searching gaze "Are you certain you have grade 3 and not grade 2?" Emer asked seriously. "Did your family check you properly?"

"They did" he said curtly and explained to him how his great grandfather checked him.

"Grade 3..." Emer said as he looked at Atticus in slight awe. "I didn't believe you when you initially told me" Emer said honestly "I merely thought you were lying or misinformed." Emer admitted before continuing "You have to understand Grade 3 is legend even to someone who lived as far back as I did, Merlin, even my teacher had only legend and myths in his era!" Emer said in a strange tone "To know one of my descendants..." Emer said shaking his head before turning serious.

"Grade 3 is not truly different to Grade 2 according to the stories except in scale. That means I will be able to teach you." Emer said firmly.

"You will do ask as I ask without complaint, without disobedience and with full attention, is that understood?" Emer asked curtly and sternly. "If you do not, if I have even a hint of disobedience or recklessness, you might as well not bother call me the next time. The things I will teach you will be dangerous and cause you death. I do not want to be responsible for your death" Emer said finally in a no nonsense tone. 

Atticus nods firmly "I understand. I will do as you ask" he said dutifully.

"I will narrate succinctly – for you think about until tomorrow – the nature of magic that we can use. You are aware of the notion that we have a magical core correct?" Emer asked and he nodded as Emer continued "It is a gross simplification, that explanation, one that does a disservice of how we can actually access magic." He said pausing as he considers his words "We do not know for certain however I was taught once that the more accurate belief is that the combination of the trinity allows for a metaphorical magical core to exist which is always neutral. The combination of the soul, of body – more specifically the blood – and of the consciousness are what allow for a magical core to manifest. We all have the same kind of access to the energy that is magic but unique combinations are responsible for the creation of those who have a greater attunement and capacity for magic."

"Wait are you saying that everyone could potentially become an archmage?" He asked incredulously. This is the first time he's ever heard of such explanation.

"No." Emer said calmly and Atticus calmed significantly "I'm saying that everyone has the potential to become far more powerful than an archmage." Emer said bemusedly before continuing seriously "But unless certain combinations are achieved, it is impossible for them to achieve such a capability. We all have the same kind of access and the same kind of potential but each individual has different capacities for magic. The Magical core reflects this capacity. It is why rituals that enhance individuals work in the first place. They, in a limited way that the body can handle, increase the capacity of the body. Squibs, though we do not know why, are unable to access this energy completely whereas most have metered access to their potential. The Sayre Ability increases the access to the potential substantially. The greater the connection to your potential, the higher the access to magic, the more powerful you are and the easier magic comes to you. This is a Sayre family secret passed down the line. That you do not know of it means it is likely because of the near extinction of the line you mentioned. It is primarily the reason why we have always sought to marry the most powerful witches instead of family prestige. We have found out that chances are an increase of greater access to magic will occur if two of such inclinations have children." Emer shook his head.

"The Sayre ability will simply increase the access to the highest possibility without damaging the body. Have you undergone rituals before you turned fourteen? Specifically body enhancement rituals?" Emer asked keenly.

"I have." Atticus confirms and Emer nods in approval "Good. That means that you will be able to access a high amount without tearing your body apart. Magic at that level simply works at a different scale." Emer shook his head "By the time I mastered my ability, I saw magic in a whole different light...It was as if I was half blind and suddenly was granted enhanced eyesight and I could spot minute differences hundreds of yards away." Emer said contemplatively.

They both remained silent. He was thinking on the complete different explanation he had been given.

"Will I have full access to the potential I – we all have?" he asked curiously.

Emer shook his head "No. It would burn you out. Even with the Sayre ability. I do not know the percentage you will have access to, I do not know exactly how much the average witch or wizard has access to but it will not be much in comparison to full access." Emer shook his head "Our ancestors were geniuses among geniuses for thinking up this ability and actually executing it without terrible consequences for our line."

A silence fell once more. "It is time I leave" Emer said finally "You have had a lot of information told to you so call me back tomorrow and we will start your training" Emer said calmly and he agreed.

"Alright. Thank you for helping me so much." He said before hesitating and eyed Emer curiously "Is it not against the rules to speak to me?" he asked curiously.

Emer looked at Atticus in surprise before answering "No it is not against the rules. Not exactly." Emer sighed "It depends on the individual and the connection they have. You won't be able to call upon complete strangers that you have no connection to I believe. I'm also not allowed to tell you anything regarding the afterlife or anything that is related to it.

"You told me about the Hallows?" Atticus said curiously. Emer shook his head "The Hallows do not infringe on it." Emer said calmly and he furrowed his brows in thought before shaking his head.

"OK. Well goodbye for now." He said and closed the connection and he sighed. He'd gotten a lot of information from Emer. He rested his head on the back of the chair and looked up at the black featureless ceiling.